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Aviation History
1999
1999 - 1916.PDF
JEAN PIERSON As managing director of Airbus Industrie from 1985 until his retirement in April 1998, Jean Pierson led the European manufacturer during a period which saw it emerge as a major challenge to the dominant US manufacturers. Pierson started his aviation career in 1963 as an engineer with Sud-Aviation (now Aerospatiale) after graduating from the French national aeronautical institute. Four years later, Pierson was appointed production manager on the Concorde programme. In 1972, he became general manager of Aerospatiale's light aircraft subsidiary SOCATA. From 1976 to 1983, Pierson was general manager of Aerospatiale's Toulouse factory, where he transformed the plant into a modern civil aircraft production facility. By 1983 he had become manager of Aerospatiale's Aircraft Group, with responsibility for Airbus aircraft programmes and the ATR-42 turboprop. He was the 1998 Personality of the Year in the Flight International Aerospace Industry Awards. AIR MARSHAL 'BLACK' ROBERTSON Air Marshal 'Black' Robertson started his career with the UK Royal Air Force in 1963. His operational flying career included a ground attack role with No 6 Squadron, and No 228 Operational Conversion Unit as a qualified weapons instructor. In an air defence role, Robertson completed tours as a flight commander on No 56 Squadron, as a squadron commander on No 92 Squadron in Germany and No 23 Squadron in the Falkland Islands. From 1985 to 1987 he commanded Royal Air Force Wattisham. He has completed several tours in the Ministry of Defence, including positions on the Central Staff involved in the Options for Change and the Defence Costs Study exercises. Robertson was the last deputy commander in chief of the RAF Germany and Air Officer Commanding No 2 Group in 1993. His final tour was as chief of staff and deputy commander in chief of Strike Command, and director of the Franco-British European Air Group. JOHN TAYLOR John Taylor has had a long and distinguished career in aviation publishing following training as an aircraft engineer. Taylor started his working life in the design office of Hawker Aircraft in 1941, working on the Hurricane IID and the Tempest, Fury and Sea Fury. He left Hawker in 1947 to join the Fairey Aviation Group where he stayed until 1955 in public relations and advertising roles. Taylor is a prolific writer of aviation books, having had almost 240 books published on subjects ranging from the history of the Royal Air Force to aircraft recognition manuals. Taylor has received a number of awards for his aviation publishing achievements, including the Lauren Lyman Award for lifetime excellence in aviation writing by the US Aviation/Space Writers Association in 1991. He has also been decorated by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth li as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and elected as a member of the French Academie Nationale de I 'Air et de I'Espace.
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