Electra Aero Appoints Buddy Sessoms as Chief Product Engineer
Electra Aero, a company developing an eSTOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) aircraft, announced this week it has appointed industry veteran, Buddy Sessoms, as its new Chief Product Engineer, reports a press release.
Sessoms “will ensure a customer-focused approach to Electra’s eSTOL aircraft, designed to meet the growing demand for cost-effective, sustainable urban and regional air travel,” explains the release.
He joins Electra with over three decades of experience in product development for Piper Aircraft, Eclipse Aerospace, Sensenich Propellers and Pratt & Whitney.
As both Chief Product Officer and Chief Engineer at Piper Aircraft, Sessoms led the conceptual design, flight sciences and test operations for the Piper M600 and M700. He also helped validate the products designed under his leadership as both test pilot and flight test engineer, including flight testing the Eclipse EA500, PiperJet and M600 aircraft.
JP Stewart, VP and General Manager of Electra, remarked, “Buddy brings a great depth of experience in leading aircraft development initiatives, guiding them from concept to certification and sustainment. He has a track record of creating products that are not only innovative but also inherently manufacturable and commercially viable.”
He continued, “His expertise will be instrumental as we ramp up the development of our production aircraft, leveraging the insight gained from the ongoing flight test program of our eSTOL two-seat technology demonstrator aircraft.”
Sessoms achieved a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Central Florida. He is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He is also a former Federal Aviation Administration Designated Engineering Representative and Organisation Designation Authorisation Unit Member.
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(Top image: Buddy Sessoms)
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