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Jack J. Pelton
LAMA Board Member
Jack J. Pelton is chairman, president and chief executive officer of Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. company that is the leading worldwide manufacturer of general aviation aircraft.
Pelton, a native of California, has more than three decades of aviation experience. He joined Cessna in November 2000 as senior vice president of product engineering and oversaw Cessna's engineering and product development activities, including new aircraft development, design, experimental and production test flight, certifications and product improvements for all Cessna models. He was named President and CEO in 2003 and Chairman in 2005.
Before joining Cessna in 2000, Pelton served as senior vice president of engineering and programs at Fairchild Dornier in Germany and was responsible for the 728JET aircraft family. Previously he held related executive positions of increasing responsibility during his 20 years at Boeing, formerly Douglas Aircraft.
Pelton holds a commercial pilot's license with instrument, multi-engine and seaplane ratings. He also holds type ratings in several Cessna Citation business jets, including the Citation X, the world's fastest civil aviation airplane. He is a single engine aircraft owner and restores antique aircraft.
Owing to his position as leader of the world's largest general aviation manufacturing company, Pelton has become active in helping formulate national policy on general aviation, and is frequently called on to testify before Congress and other government agencies on industry issues. He was the 2007 recipient of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce Ad Astra Award as the state's most influential business leader.
Pelton is a member of the board and past chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), where he continues to serve as chairman of the Flight Operations Policy committee, and he serves on the Associate Member Advisory Board of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). He also serves on the boards of directors of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the Corporate Angel Network.
Pelton is actively involved in numerous community non-profit organizations, serving on the board of trustees of the Sedgwick County Zoological Society and the boards of directors of both the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Kansas Chamber. He is chairman of the Experimental Aircraft Association's Gathering of Eagles and a member of the board and past president of Wichita Habitat for Humanity.
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2007, Cessna delivered 1,272 aircraft, including 387 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $5 billion and a backlog of $12.6 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, some 190,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world. The global fleet of more than 5,200 Citations is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.