Joseph Little
Flight Display Systems, of Alpharetta, Ga., named Joseph Little (right) vice president of research and development.
Little has more than 20 years of experience in electronics product engineering and design. Previously, he worked as senior design engineer for LOFA Industries developing microcontroller-based electronic products. Before that, he held positions with Sunrise Telecom and Scientific Atlanta.
L-3 Communications Appointments
L-3 Communications appointed John C. McNellis to senior vice president and president of its Integrated Systems Group, based in Greenville, Texas. The Integrated Systems Group’s operations include fleet management and support for signals intelligence and ISR special mission aircraft and airborne surveillance systems.
McNellis has more than 30 years of executive and program management experience in domestic and international defense projects. He joined L-3 Communications in 2003 as president of Link Simulation and Training. Prior to L-3, McNellis was president of Lockheed Martin’s Tactical Systems unit and held positions at Loral and IBM.
McNellis will be succeeded at L-3 Link by Robert Birmingham. Since joining the company in 2006, Birmingham has been the senior vice president for Army programs and lead strategic planning for the Sensors and Simulation Group.
John Wade
Aircell, of Broomfield, Colo., named John Wade senior vice president and general manager, Business Aviation Services.
Wade has more than 20 years of experience in avionics and in-flight communications. Before joining Aircell, he was chief technical officer and general manager at OnAir, where he was responsible for its Internet business, including sales, strategy, customer relationship management and product development. He also held positions at Tenzing Communications, Primex Aerospace Co. and GEC Marconi In-Flight Systems.
Claude Chidiac
StandardAero appointed Claude Chidiac vice president of business development for Business Aviation, based at the company’s headquarters in Tempe, Ariz.
Chidiac will be responsible for developing a strategy for the business aviation sector and for creating ways to grow existing products and services.
Prior to joining StandardAero, Chidiac was Program Management Office vice president for Bombardier Aerospace and more recently, managing director of Grob Aerospace.
AIA Board of Governors
The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) elected Robert J. Stevens, Lockheed Martin chairman, president and CEO, chairman of its Board of Governors for 2009. He succeeds Clayton M. Jones, chairman, president and CEO of Rockwell Collins.
Scott C. Donnelly, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Textron Inc., was elected vice chairman. The board also reaffirmed Marion C. Blakey as president and CEO and elected Ginette C. Colot as secretary-treasurer.
Crane Appointments
Crane Aerospace & Electronics, of Redmond, Wash., named Greg Masciana director of quality for its Electronics Group and David Bailey chief engineer and senior director of its 787 program.
Before joining Crane Aerospace, Masciana held worldwide Lean Sigma deployment, quality director and senior quality engineer manager roles at Tektronix, Tyco Electronics and Teledyne.
Bailey will be located at Crane Aerospace’s Burbank, Calif., site.
He joined Crane Aerospace & Electronics as technology director for Europe. Before that position, he was head of engineering for Dunlop Aerospace Braking Systems, which is part of Meggitt plc.
Bailey started his career with Lucas Aerospace, Actuation Systems.
Glenn F. Tilton
United Airlines Chairman, President and CEO Glenn F. Tilton was elected chairman of the Air Transport Association of America (ATA) board of directors. Tilton, who succeeds former Northwest Airlines Chairman and CEO Douglas M. Steenland, will serve a two-year term. Tilton became UAL Corp. chairman, president and CEO in September 2002.
Robert Randall
Universal Avionics Systems Corp., Tucson, Ariz., appointed Robert Randall (right) as Central Region marketing manager. Randall will be responsible for the growth and development of Universal Avionics product sales in the U.S. Midwest region.
Randall has more than 30 years of avionics maintenance, testing, sales and management experience. Prior to joining Universal Avionics, he was executive director of sales and marketing at Shadin Avionics. He is a licensed A&P mechanic.
David Melcher
ITT Corp. named David Melcher president of ITT Defense Electronics & Services. Previously head of strategy, business development and international sales for ITT’s defense business, he succeeds Hank Driesse.
Before joining ITT, Melcher had a 32-year career in the U.S. military, rising to the rank of three-star general. Most recently, he was Military Deputy for Budget, serving as the senior military financial manager for the U.S. Army in the Pentagon.
ITT Defense Electronics & Services provides communications, sensing and surveillance, space, and advanced engineering and integrated services for government and commercial customers.