Sean Elliott
Presenter
Sean joined the EAA Staff in April of 1996 as the Executive Director of NAFI, then, an EAA Affiliate. He continued as President of NAFI and board member until 2003. Sean was assigned by EAA to lead EAA’s Aircraft Operations and Air Tours in 2001 as Director of Aircraft Operations. In 2010, Sean was promoted to Vice President, Advocacy and Safety for EAA. As part of his senior level responsibilities, Sean has oversight of these Aircraft Operation programs and participates in the development and implementation of pilot training and standardization in EAA’s fleet. In addition, the aircraft maintenance department is part of his line of business at EAA. Oversight of national LHFE tour and a 91.147 historic aircraft air tour program are all part of what EAA accomplishes with its very special fleet and is a significant part of Sean’s duties at EAA.
On the Government Advocacy side, Sean has the EAA government team under his leadership as well. With these responsibilities, he manages EAA’s government affairs offices at both EAA headquarters and in Washington, D.C. He and his team are responsible for reviewing and analyzing government policy on the federal, state, and local levels that affect recreational aviation, as well as advocacy for EAA members and private individuals who build and fly aircraft for recreation. Sean is the industry co-chair of the GAJSC and is actively engaged with developing new safety initiatives for the benefit of GA.
With the addition of the EAA Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA HQ, Sean is responsible for the course offerings and team that conducts year-round proficiency and certification training within the new center. 12 Redbird AATDs, a Redbird crosswind trainer, and several classroom and lecture halls are now within EAA’s quiver of safety initiatives benefiting GA.
With over 10,000 hours of logged total time, Sean is a pilot, instructor, and examiner in most of EAA’s vintage and experimental fleet. He is a Specialty Aircraft Examiner and conducts type ratings in B-17’s, B-25’s, and Exp Authorizations in B-29’s. Some of the interesting aircraft that Sean has flown include: 1929 Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor, 1927 Ryan NYP “Spirit of St Louis Replica”, North American T-6, North American P-64 (experimental auth), Douglas DC-3 (type rated), North American B-25 (type rated), Boeing B-29 (experimental auth) and Boeing B-17 (type rated).
