Linear Air has announced the appointment of Colonel William Griffen, USMC (Retired) as Vice President of Flight Operations. This appointment comes at a pivotal time, as the company enters a period of intense growth. As the first Eclipse 500 VLJ air-taxi service in the northeast, the company plans to expand nationwide and acquire nearly 300 additional VLJs in the next five years. The company announced today it plans to hire 1,000 pilots by 2012 in order to operate its fleet.
As Vice President of Flight Operations, Bill Griffen will be responsible for growing the pilot cadre and for expanding operations and maintenance capabilities to deliver VLJ air-taxi service to customers in the northeast, mid Atlantic and beyond.

Griffen holds BA and MPA degrees from Harvard University and has served as a Marine Corps fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He is a veteran of Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom as well as numerous other carrier and land based deployments to Asia, the Balkans and the Persian Gulf. Griffen is a recipient of the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and various individual and unit awards.

With 3,900 flight hours in military jet aircraft and command experience at both the squadron and group levels, Griffen brings Linear Air 25 years experience managing aviation operations, maintenance and safety, while building strong teams in demanding operational environments.

“The foundation of this business is customer satisfaction,” said Mr. Griffen. “The company is fortunate to have pilots who view themselves as instrumental to that customer experience. Our commitment to our pilots is to empower them to take initiative. We believe their commitment to the customer, to their professionalism, and ultimately to the reputation of the company will be central to our success. That commitment enables us to be responsive to the customer, and it creates teamwork. We are hiring skilled pilots who will sustain entrepreneurial growth, who will take pride in their record for professionalism and safety, and who are willing to commit to the teamwork necessary to build a business. I will hire and promote pilots who thrive in such a challenge. Our growing corps of pilots has demonstrated that such an environment is possible.”

President and CEO William Herp added, “Quality of life for our pilots is exceptional when compared to the regionals or even corporate and fractional. Most flights are day-trips out in the morning and back in the evening - and as go the customers, so go the pilots. Our pilots fly the most technically advanced brand-new business aircraft, and with our growth curve can expect to advance very quickly into the left-seat and on to the instructor and check airman levels. Bill Griffen brings a wealth of aviation and leadership experience to the team that will undoubtedly help propel Linear Air to its next stage of growth.”
——-