Aaron Cook Joins Pentastar Aviation as Director of Corporate Training & Development

Pentastar Aviation, a leader in the world of business aviation, announces that Aaron Cook has joined the company as Director of Corporate Training and Development. In his new role, Cook will report to Robert Rufli, Vice President of Flight Operations and Director of Operations, and will oversee flight crew training and other training programs for the entire company.

“We are pleased to bring in an extraordinary talent like Aaron,” said Rufli. “His ingenuity, diverse background in aviation and leadership skills will allow Pentastar to continue to attract and retain top talent with best in class training initiatives that aid in the growth of our employees and allow them to succeed in their positions.”

Among the many responsibilities of his new role, Cook will create training programs for innovations implemented across the company, benchmark current company training to ensure best in class programming, participate in any unique project development and perform pilot duties on Hawker aircraft.

Prior to joining Pentastar Aviation, Cook served at Mistras Group as General Manager of Plant Condition Monitoring Software and Risk-Based Inspection. In this role, he oversaw customer contracts, business development, and project management. Additionally, he led the company's Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence.

Cook is a recognized leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and created a collegiate degree in the field in 2010 at Northwestern Michigan College.  He was co-chair the of ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) standards committee for UAS inspection of critical infrastructure. 

His strong experience in aviation also includes Director of Aviation at Northwestern Michigan University, founder and owner of Aetos Group, Houston, Texas and a professional pilot for Air Services Inc. in Traverse City. Cook has over 5,000 hours of flight time.

Cook earned his Bachelor degree in business with an emphasis on Aviation from Davenport University and an Associates Degree in Aviation Technology from Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, Michigan.

He was the recipient of the Michigan Aeronautics Commission Award of Excellence in 2013.