Chief of Staff · Director of Aviation
I make complex operationsdependable.
Chief of Staff & Director of Aviation for the private family office of a two-time IPO founder. Trusted to turn consequential priorities into clear systems, sound decisions, and reliable execution.
Chief of StaffDirector of AviationMBACAMATP · A&P3,500+ TT
01Trusted close to the principal
Trust is the job before the job.
Discretion, anticipation, accuracy, and follow-through.
My role sits where executive priorities, staff, advisers, vendors, capital assets, special projects, and aviation meet. I protect the principal's time, reduce noise, surface risk early, and carry commitments through. That requires calm judgment and professional discipline every day—not just when conditions are easy.
02Aviation leadership
Built from the operating foundation up.
I have worked from the flight line to the flight deck to the executive table. That range lets me connect policy, machinery, people, risk, economics, and the passenger experience in one operating picture.
Standards people can rely on.
Built the department's Safety Management System, General Operations Manual, SOPs, emergency response plan, risk controls, training standards, and vendor-oversight framework. Serve as Accountable Executive and Safety Manager with authority to stop operations when safety requires it.
From application through implementation.
Personally prepared and managed the department's current FAA LOA program, including RVSM, RNAV/GNSS, VNAV procedures, and MEL approval. I can build the operating documents, coordinate the application, and carry the authorization into daily use.
Pioneering SAF in Arizona and Pilatus operations.
Introduced regular Sustainable Aviation Fuel deliveries to our Arizona operation and made a 40% SAF blend the routine fuel for virtually every PC-12 NGX flight. Coordinated 8,000-gallon deliveries for an early-adopter program featured by Pilatus.
Disciplined by design.
3,500+ total time. Every FAA checkride passed. No violations, accidents, or incidents. ATP, A&P, CFII, CAM, Remote Pilot, EMB-145 PIC, GVII SIC, PC-12 NG/NGX, and international operations.
03Modern tools & systems
Modern tools in service of better execution.
I work confidently with modern AI tools and have personally built useful systems, prototypes, and workflows for complex, information-heavy work. The goal is practical: clearer decisions, less friction, and a solution people can actually use.
Selected build2026
Evidence & decision-support prototype
I designed and built a working system that turns large volumes of source material into traceable facts, clearly flagged conflicts, and review-ready case summaries—with documented checks and a clear handoff so people retain judgment and control.
Working prototype · documented review controlsFrom source material to a clear operational handoff
01
Problem framing
02
Information organization
03
Workflow design
04
Rapid prototyping
05
Human review
06
Quality checks
07
Clear documentation
08
Operational handoff
Completed transformation
More than a decade of information, modernized.
Led the transition of more than a decade of communications and operational information, from planning through rollout and handoff.
Used modern AI tools selectively to organize information and support quality checks while preserving operational continuity and human judgment.
04Where I can help
Useful when the work needs an accountable owner.
Open to select consulting, fractional leadership, aviation advisory, and contract pilot opportunities.
Executive & fractional leadership
Chief-of-staff support, special projects, decision systems, operating cadence, vendor governance, and cross-functional execution when ownership is unclear.
- Fractional leadership
- Special projects
- Decision support
Aviation department development
Owner-side operating systems, SMS and SOP development, FAA LOA applications, maintenance and vendor oversight, technical diligence, and lifecycle planning.
- SMS / SOPs
- FAA LOAs
- Owner representation
Practical tools & workflow design
Useful systems, prototypes, and AI-enabled workflows that organize information, reduce manual effort, and make complex work easier to manage.
- Workflow design
- AI-enabled prototypes
- Documentation & handoff
Contract pilot work
Select contract assignments aligned with current qualifications and operating standards, with particular depth in PC-12 NG and NGX operations.
- 3,500+ TT
- ATP / CFII
- PC-12 NG / NGX
05Experience
A career built across systems and consequence.
Military execution, technical maintenance, flight operations, instruction, business leadership, and hands-on systems building all inform the same work: turning ambiguity into dependable performance.
01
2021 — Present
Chief of Staff & Director of Aviation
Private family office of a two-time IPO founder. Integrates executive priorities across staff, professional advisers, vendors, assets, special projects, and aviation while leading the flight department's safety, maintenance, compliance, budgeting, and mission execution.
02
Corporate / Charter / Training
Aviation operations, safety & instruction
Corporate and charter PIC, director of safety, training manager, EASA simulator instructor, Part 135 certificate development, international operations, and owner-side technical leadership.
03
2008 — 2016
United States Air Force
F-16 crew chief and C-130H/J instructor loadmaster, including deployed operations. High-reliability maintenance, mission execution, aircrew judgment, and service formed the operating foundation for everything that followed.
06Credentials & recognition
Depth without losing the operator's perspective.
Business and aeronautics
MBA with distinction · Arizona State University, W. P. Carey
B.S. Aeronautics · Liberty University
CORe · Harvard Business School Online
Two A.A.S. degrees · Community College of the Air Force
Leadership, flight, and maintenance
Certified Aviation Manager
Airline Transport Pilot · CFII · Remote Pilot
Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic
EMB-145 PIC · GVII SIC · PC-12 and PT6 training
Earned in the work
NBAA Business Aviation Top 40 Under 40 · Business Management
Airman Leadership School Distinguished Graduate & Commandant's Leadership Award
Air Force Aerial Achievement & Achievement Medals
94 completed Angel Flight West missions
From flight line to executive table
Technical credibility shaped the judgment. Leadership expanded the range.
07Beyond the work
Grounded by what matters.
I have been married for 15 years and am a proud husband and father. My family keeps the work in perspective and gives it purpose.
Away from the office, I enjoy family camping, playing guitar and drums, hands-on projects around our Arizona home, caring for our animals and garden, and keeping a remarkably original 1991 Miata healthy. Humanitarian flying gives me a way to use aviation for something that matters.
Complex work deserves clear ownership.
Have a complex problem that needs an owner?
I'm open to select consulting, fractional leadership, aviation advisory, and contract pilot opportunities.
phillip.council@gmail.comPhoenix, Arizona