US modification and maintenance support company King Aerospace has appointed industry veteran Pete Schneider as its new vice president, programme management and special projects.

Schneider brings more than 35 years of project management experience across many challenging, high profile and highly diversified aerospace programmes, including more than 15 years managing VVIP aircraft programmes for the US Air Force and international leaders with Greenpoint Technologies and the Boeing Company.

"Pete is a fantastic addition to the King Aerospace family," says president Jarid King. "His expertise will be invaluable as we continue to pursue new maintenance and completions opportunities in special missions and VVIP segments."

Schneider will oversee maintenance and completions projects for King Aerospace Commercial Corp (KACC), which concentrates on business and corporate aircraft such as the BBJ; King Aerospace Inc (KAI), responsible for handling military and government contracts; and KACC Arkansas, specialising in widebody government special mission aircraft.

With an extensive background in programme management, engineering and business development, Schneider has worked on and managed projects as diverse as the F-22 Raptor fifth-generation fighter aircraft and special mission commercial derivative aircraft development for the US presidential fleet, including the Boeing C-32A, C-40C and VC-25A.

Most recently, Schneider managed Greenpoint's interior completions programme for the VC-25B, the upcoming replacement for the aircraft commonly known as Air Force One based on the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. He has also overseen aircraft modifications and completions for VVIP, commercial and head of state customers. These include the first LiveTV installation on a commercial aircraft and a complete nose-to-tail interior reconfiguration for a major US airline.

Schneider also brings decades of experience in MRO operations, with an extensive background in interior completions, inflight entertainment systems and structural modifications.

"I look forward to continuing King Aerospace's hard-earned reputation for delivering on our commitments to clients," says Schneider. "This is a very special company, and I welcome the opportunity to help guide the selection of new projects and programmes and, above all, fulfilling our servant leadership responsibility to all of our valued employees, partners and customers."

Schneider has a BSc in aerospace engineering from the University of Minnesota and has also completed advanced executive leadership and education programmes at Harvard Business School and the University of Washington.