Piper Names James Funk VP of Operations

Piper Aircraft Inc. has appointed James W. Funk as Vice President of Operations, reporting to President and CEO Simon Caldecott. In his new role, Funk is responsible for aircraft manufacturing operations, production engineering, logistics and quality.

"Jim brings nearly 30 years of operations management, manufacturing engineering and program leadership experience to Piper’s senior leadership team," said Caldecott. "He has held many leadership positions in electronics and the aerospace industry that will be a direct benefit to Piper’s manufacturing, supply chain and quality functions."

Before joining Piper, Funk was Bombardier Learjet’s General Manager of Operations for the Learjet 85 program. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Operations for Hawker Beechcraft Corp. and its predecessor, Raytheon Aircraft Co. He was responsible for the company’s turboprop and piston programs. He joined Raytheon in 1984.

Funk has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Trenton State College in Trenton, N.J., and has completed numerous advanced courses in leadership, quality and manufacturing disciplines. He will be relocating to Vero Beach.

Attachment:

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.