C. David Hobgood
Dave Hobgood has been active in aviation since 1967. Upon his graduation from Virginia Military Institute, where he majored in Civil Engineering, he entered the Air Force and attended pilot training. Since then, his career has spanned more than thirty-five years where he has been active in military, federal government and commercial aviation. In March of 2001, Dave founded The Hobgood Group, an aviation consulting company that primarily assists foreign air carriers with their country's certifications in the Caribbean and Central America. He established a technical publications department for a foreign air carrier and developed its workflow process for revising, reviewing and distributing web-based publications. He has also consulted for attorneys who represent clients in the aviation community and completed executive job searches for aviation companies.
Dave held the position of Vice President, Safety for Avolar, a United Airlines fractional aircraft business. Dave was responsible for the certification of the FAA Part 121 airline for Avolar as well as oversight for the Part 135 airline certification. In addition to the airline certifications and safety aspects of his position, Dave was also responsible for the quality assurance and security programs at Avolar. Prior to joining Avolar, Dave held the position of Vice President, Flight Operations, for Spirit Airlines, a small domestic airline flying DC-9's and MD-80's. During his tenure at Spirit Airlines, Dave completely restructured the management team and work processes for the flight department.
In 1999, Dave retired from the Federal Aviation Administration after a twenty-year career. His last ten years in the FAA were as Manager for one of the largest Flight Standards District Offices in the FAA, the Detroit FSDO. The Detroit FSDO was responsible for approximately 45 Part 135 operators and 12 Part 121 operators ranging from passenger and freight to domestic and international operations as well as numerous repair stations.
Dave retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1989 after 22 years of combined active and reserve duty. He attained the rank of Colonel and was Commander of a C-130 Group at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan. Dave was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal with nine Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Services Commendation Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal. Dave flew as an aircraft commander in the 16th SOS, an AC-130 gunship squadron based in Ubon, Thailand, during 1971-1972.
Dave is a member or former member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Safety Engineers, and The Greater Miami Aviation Association. Dave received his Masters degree from Webster University, St Louis, Missouri.
