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Directors and Officers
Directors and Officers
Austin Hunt - President
Austin Hunt is the founder of EquityJet, Inc., an aircraft management and pilot services company in Kansas City. Equity Jet, Inc. is very active in aircraft sales, acquisition planning, and aircraft partnerships. Hunt is very passionate about flying and flight instructing and holds a multi-engine ATP license, CFI/II/MEI certificates, and is type-rated in the Falcon 2000, Citation Encore, Falcon 10, Falcon 20, Falcon 200, King Air 350, and Learjet series aircraft.
Aside from his passion for aviation, Hunt enjoys driving and maintaining his classic Ford Mustang, Ford Bronco, and motorcycles. He loves being outdoors, hunting, fishing, and is a former state champion trap shooter, and national runner-up. Hunt graduated with a Bachelors in Business Management from the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
Ben Moore - Vice President
Ben is General Manager for Atlantic Aviation at the Charles B. Wheeler
Downtown Airport. He oversees all aspects of safety, service levels,
compliance, financial performance, procurement, and facility
construction. His proudest achievements for the base have been the Top
10 Rankings over the years in AIN, Professional Pilot and FltPlan.com.
Ben also serves on the Risk Committee for Atlantic Aviation.
Before becoming an Atlantic Aviation location, Ben was fortunate enough
to be a part of the original start-up group at Hangar 10. Prior to
Hangar 10 he spent six years at Executive Beechcraft working as a
lineman.
Ben holds a Bachelor of Technology Degree in Flight Operations
Management from the University of Central Missouri. Continuing his
education, Ben takes courses in professional development through the
NBAA.
Ben is married to his wife Jennipher and they have a son, Colton. Ben
was born and raised in Kansas City and has spent over 20 years of his
life at the Downtown Airport. Other than aviation, Ben’s hobbies include
Mountain Biking, Boating and Lawn Care.
Drew Patton - Treasurer
Drew currently serves as a Captain in the Flight Operations department
for a part 91 operation at the Charles B Wheeler Downtown Airport (MKC). Previously, he was the
Director of Client Relations and Captain for Vaerus Aviation in
Topeka, KS. Drew has been involved in general aviation for over ten years
and truly enjoys the corporate
flying industry.
Learning to fly at 16, he worked his way through his ratings and was a flight instructor at ATD Flight Systems at the Charles B Wheeler Downtown Airport while attending college at William Jewell in Liberty, MO, where he obtained a degree in Business Administration.
In his spare time, Drew enjoys spending time with his fiancé, Jillian,
and their two dogs as well as getting a round of golf in every once in
a while.
James W. J. Cooling - Board MemberJames is an aviation attorney at Cooling & Herbers, P.C. in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. He is a third generation pilot and learned to fly at a young age riding with his father in a Piper Seneca, which James still flies today. James holds a private pilot certificate with multi-engine and instrument ratings.
Prior to attending law school in San Francisco, James worked as a civil and mechanical engineer in Kansas City and New York City, focused on the design and construction of water tunnels and infrastructure.
Outside of aviation, James enjoys being in the outdoors, water skiing, golfing, hiking, camping, and playing soccer.
Jim Dickerson - Director of Media Relations and Outreach
Jim is the Director of Operations at EquityJet and the President of Prime Broadcast Group (parent company for 102.7FM KPGZ and KMO-TV). He comes to the KCBAA with a background in business development, public relations, broadcasting and communications.
Jim spent several years as an FAA Designated Operations Safety Counselor, where he was named Operations Safety Counselor of the year in 2001. He also served on the Contract Negotiations Committee for the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) during 2018 pilot contract negotiations.
Jim is a Captain at EquityJet and he and his wife Sarah, who is a pilot for United Airlines, enjoy flying their Oshkosh award winning antique 1947 C-120.
Contact usAddress: 1001 Lou Holland Dr., Kansas City, MO 64116 Email: info@kcbaa.org |
