Pat Andrews

Pat Andrews is ExxonMobil's Manager, Aviation Services. In that role, she has responsibility for planning, implementing and overseeing aviation operations performed on behalf of the Company's worldwide businesses.

Pat has a B.A. in Management and more than 6,000 hours of flight time with five jet type ratings. She started flying in 1979 and began her professional career by instructing and flying charter aircraft at a small fixed base operation in southeastern Pennsylvania. She also flew turboprops and jets for United Technologies in Hartford, Connecticut, before joining Mobil 18 years ago as a Hawker and Gulfstream pilot. While at Mobil, Pat progressed through several operational and planning positions, eventually assuming the top management role in the company's global aircraft services organization. She was appointed to her current position at ExxonMobil Corporation following the merger of the two largest oil companies in the United States.

Andrews is a current member of the National Business Aviation Association's (NBAA's) Board of Directors and has held appointments to the FAA's Research, Engineering and Development Advisory Committee (REDAC), Free Flight Steering Committee, NASA's AOS Advisory Committee and the Board of Directors of the Committee for Dulles. She was the initial vice-chair of NBAA's Safety Committee that was formed in 1998. Her team's work on managing crew fatigue won her the President's Citation for Outstanding Achievement in Safety Leadership from the Flight Safety Foundation in 1997. And, in May 1998, the Foundation recognized her overall contributions to safer flight by presenting her with their Business Aviation Meritorious Award.

Andrews is married to Earle Andrews, a professional watercolor artist and winner of the 1988 International Aerobatics Club championship (unlimited category) at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. They live at a residential airport where they base their 1951 award winning Navion. They have two sons, Chaz and Justin, as well as a granddaughter, Emma. Andrew's hobbies include reading, writing, gardening and, of course, flying.

Brian Binnie

Binnie is the test pilot who flew the first and the last powered flights of the X-Prize winning SpaceShipOne vehicle created by Scaled Composites, where he is currently Program Business Manager.

Binnie is credited for opening up the vehicle's envelope to supersonic flight, beating the long standing altitude record of the X-15 and clinching the $10M Ansari X-Prize for the Scaled Composites team.

Binnie's background includes 20 years as a Naval Aviator in the Strike-Fighter community, four operational carrier tours and 490 arrested landings as well as combat operations associated with all of Desert Shield, Desert Storm and subsequently Operation Southern Watch. He has flown 62 different type aircraft and is a licensed Airline Transport Pilot.

He holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and an M.S. in Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics from Brown University and an M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Princeton University. He is a graduate of the U.S. Navy's Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, and the Naval Aviation Safety School at Monterey, California. He has completed Advanced Certification for Test and Evaluation and Program Management from the Defense Acquisition University at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He is an Associate Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and is published in their Proceedings Journal. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the annual Proceedings of the American Helicopter Society have published Binnie's papers in the Journal of Guidance and Control. Binnie lives in Rosamond California with his wife "Bub" of 24 years and three children, Justin, Jonathan and Jennifer.

Carolyn Blum

Carolyn Blum assumed her present position as Regional Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Southern Region, Atlanta, Georgia, in September 1994. The Southern Region is the FAA’s largest region, including eight states and the Caribbean area, supported by approximately 8,000 employees.

Prior to arriving in Atlanta, Blum held the position of Acting Executive Director for System Development in the FAA Washington headquarters. Prior to this position she was the Associate Administrator for Contracting and Quality Assurance for the FAA in Washington, where she had the responsibility of overseeing the FAA's acquisition program with a budget, which averaged $2.5 billion annually.

Blum chaired the task group that developed a new Executive Compensation System to support personnel reform in the FAA. She also established and chaired the FAA Accountability Board, which oversees allegations of sexual harassment.

She is a graduate of American University with a degree in Business Administration.

Eileen Collins, Colonel, USAF (retired)

Selected by NASA in January 1990, Collins became an astronaut in July 1991. Initially assigned to Orbiter engineering support, Collins has also served on the astronaut support team responsible for Orbiter prelaunch checkout, final launch configuration, crew ingress/egress, landing/recovery, worked in Mission Control as a spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM), served as the Astronaut Office Spacecraft Systems Branch Chief, Chief Information Officer, Shuttle Branch Chief, and Astronaut Safety Branch Chief. Collins served as pilot on STS-63 (February 3-11, 1995) and STS-84 (May 15-24, 1997), and was the commander on STS-93 (July 22-27, 1999) and STS-114 (July 26 to August 9, 2005). A veteran of four space flights, Collins has logged more than 872 hours in space.

STS-114, Discovery (July 26-August 9, 2005) was the Return to Flight mission during which the Shuttle docked with the International Space Station and the crew tested and evaluated new procedures for flight safety and Shuttle inspection and repair techniques. After a two-week, 5.8 million mile journey in space, the orbiter and its crew of seven astronauts returned to a safe landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Collins graduated from Elmira Free Academy, Elmira, New York, in 1974; received an A.S. degree in Mathematics/science from Corning Community College in 1976; a B.A. degree in mathematics and economics from Syracuse University in 1978; a M.S. degree in Operations Research from Stanford University in 1986; and a M.A. degree in Space Systems Management from Webster University in 1989.

Robert "Hoot" Gibson

Captain Robert "Hoot" Gibson has accumulated more than 12,000 hours in more than 60 types of aircraft over his career as a pilot, astronaut and aerospace consultant. He has received numerous honors, awards and decorations and was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2003.

Gibson graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He entered the U.S. Navy and served as a fighter pilot in F-4 Phantom and F-14 Tomcat aircraft, and flew combat missions in Southeast Asia. A graduate of Navy Fighter Weapons "Topgun" school and the Naval Test Pilot school, Gibson served as a flight test pilot for the Navy. He was selected as an astronaut in 1978.

In 18 years with NASA Gibson flew five Space Shuttle flights, four of them as Mission Commander, aboard Space Shuttles Challenger, Columbia, Atlantis and Endeavour. His final mission was to dock with the Space Station Mir in 1995. In his career with NASA Gibson was Deputy Chief of NASA Aircraft Operations, Chief of the Astronaut Office and Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations.

Gibson is currently a Captain with Southwest Airlines and an independent Aerospace Consultant. His hobbies are air racing, homebuilding aircraft, running and surfing.

Ralph Hood

Ralph Hood grew up along Coastal Georgia, and became a pilot and aircraft salesman in Alabama. Along the way, he graduated from Clemson University. Hood says that through grit, determination and superior intelligence, “I was able to completemy four years of college in five years.”

During the 1980s, Hood wrote a newspaper column and taught aviation management for Southern Illinois University. Today, Hood is a full time professional speaker whose travels have taken him from coast to coast and border to border. Hood compares flying an airplane to life itself in his uniquely humorous style. His workshops sales, team building, motivation and customer service can change your bottom line and re-inspire you.

Major General Betty Mullis, USAFR (retired)

Major General Betty Mullis retired from the Air Force Reserve on 1 Sep 2005, after serving over 33 years in all components of the Air Force-after her initial tour on active duty she was in both the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve. She attained the aviation rating of command pilot and logged over 4,900 flying hours in military aircraft. She participated in worldwide air refueling and airlift operations including Desert Storm, Provide Hope and Joint Endeavor. She still is actively flying as a civilian airline pilot.

When she was commissioned in 1972, women were not allowed to fly in the military, but that did not curb her enthusiasm nor dampen her spirit. When the Air Force finally opened flight training to women in 1976, General Mullis eagerly sought one of the coveted class slots. The Arkansas Air National Guard (ANG) afforded her the opportunity to go to flight training in 1979 and she was among the first women in the ANG to earn her wings. She flew KC-135s and C-130s in the ANG, then transitioned to the Air Force Reserve in 1988, returning to the KC-135. In 1993, General Mullis became the first woman in the Air Force Reserve to command a flying squadron-and in 1996 she became the first woman in the entire Air Force to command a flying wing. She pinned on Brigadier General in 2000, the first rated female officer in the Air Force to attain the rank of general officer. She was promoted to Major General on 1 Sep 2002.

General Mullis has always been there to support other women in following their dreams and to become successful in their aviation endeavors. She not only mentors others herself, she inspires fellow officers and aviators to do the same-a sign of a true pioneering spirit who helps open doors of opportunity for other women.

Nicole Piasecki

Nicole Piasecki is vice president of Business Strategy and Marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, responsible for leading strategic business planning and marketing of The Boeing Company's products and services. She's worn several hats at Boeing, including vice president of Commercial Airplanes Sales, Leasing. Before joining The Boeing Company in 1992 Piasecki worked for Piasecki Aircraft Corporation, Cresap - a Towers Perrin Company, Weyerhaeuser Japan, Ltd., and United Technologies, Sikorsky Aircraft Division.

Piasecki earned her Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Yale University, and a master's degree in business administration from Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Piasecki serves on the board of directors of the Weyerhaeuser Company, Federal Way, Wash., as well as the board of directors at Coal Valley Company, St. Paul, Minn. She is also a YWCA Board member; member of Advisory Council, Transportation Center - Northwestern University; member of National Development Committee; Fellow of the British-American Project, a nonprofit organization and Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Piasecki is married and has two young sons. Her outside interests include family activities, sports and travel adventures.

Elizabeth K. Uhrig

Elizabeth K. Uhrig enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1976 and became the first female to graduate the Coast Guard's Aviation Electronics School. In addition to working on C-130s and Albatross, she flew as radio operator and then navigator on the C-130.

Uhrig graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1984 with a degree in Ocean Engineering. After going to sea for a year and a half, she went to U.S. Naval Flight Training in Pensacola, Florida. After her graduation from Flight Training she flew search and rescue, drug interdiction, and other law enforcement flights for the Coast Guard. Her last tour of duty prior to retirement in 2000 she flew as one of the Commandant of the Coast Guard's pilots aboard a Gulfstream III.

Uhrig was hired by Chevron in 2000 to fly the Gulfsteam GIII, Hawker, and now Gulfstream GIV corporate aircraft. To date she's visited 74 countries as a Chevron pilot, and still counting.

Will Whitehorn

Will Whitehorn, Director of Virgin Group and President of Virgin Galactic joined Virgin Group in 1987, as head of corporate public relations.

Whitehorn was responsible for all public relations activity relating to the buyout of the Group from the stock market in 1988 (one of the few successful buyouts of the decade) and for presenting Virgin's new joint venture strategy in the years 1988 to 1991. From 1993 to 1995, he worked with Sir Richard Branson, and other directors from around the Virgin Group to expand the brand, which resulted in the launch of Virgin Radio in 1994, Virgin Direct in 1995, Virgin Cinemas in 1995, Virgin Net in 1996, Virgin Rail in 1997 and Virgin in Mobile in 1999. In 2000 he was appointed Brand Development and Corporate Affairs Director of Virgin world-wide and became one of the five directors responsible for managing Virgin's unique venture capital portfolio of global businesses through it's Investment Advisory Committee.

In addition to his full time role at the Virgin Group, Whitehorn was appointed President of Virgin Galactic LLC in 2004, following the successful negotiation of the rights to develop technology in Space Ship One, licensed from the Mojave Aerospace Ventures, a Paul G Allen company. The company is now developing Space Ship Two with The Spaceship Company and Scaled Composites in Mojave, California.

Before entering the public relations industry Whitehorn worked for British Airways as a helicopter crewman in the North Sea, was a Graduate trainee with Thomas Cook Group and finally market intelligence officer for the TSB Bank (now Lloyds TSB). He was educated in Edinburgh (Scotland) and graduated from Aberdeen University in 1981 with an honors degree in history and economics. Will is married with two children and lives in London and East Sussex. His hobbies are Archery, Shooting, sailing, chess and bridge.