Piper Aircraft Appoints Acting CEO

Piper Aircraft announced that its board of directors has appointed John Calcagno as the new acting President and CEO of Piper Aircraft Inc. effective immediately. 

John Calcagno

John brings a wealth of experience to this role, having most recently served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer responsible for all financial reporting, treasury and company cash management functions, as well as information technology and enterprise resource planning. John Calcagno replaces Simon Caldecott, who recently announced his retirement as President and CEO of Piper Aircraft after serving in the role for more than ten years.

“I know that I speak for everyone at Piper Aircraft in thanking Simon for his leadership and tireless dedication to the company,” said Calcagno. “I am incredibly excited to assume this new role and for the future of the company. We have an exceptionally talented team at Piper Aircraft that is focused on taking decisive actions to transform the business, continuing to innovate our products in new and diverse ways, and unlocking future growth opportunities. I look forward to leading the company and continuing our great tradition of precision manufacturing and delivering best-in-class airplanes,” Calcagno said.

Senior Executive

Calcagno is a seasoned and successful executive with extensive experience in the finance, operations, distribution, and sales areas. He has served as the long tenured Chief Financial Officer of Piper, having been on the Piper team for the past 11 years. He has also had roles of increasing responsibility throughout his career at The Acerra Consortium, Alltel (Supply) Communications Products, Coca-Cola, and C.R. Bard. Calcagno began his career in the audit practice of PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Calcagno holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, with minor emphasis in Political Science from Southern Illinois University, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Additionally, he is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Air Force.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.