2012 Top 40: Charlie Ferraro

Aug. 21, 2012

Charlie Ferraro

General Manager 

Landmark Aviation — San Diego International Airport

Date of Birth: 12-7-75

Years in Aviation: 10

Charlie Ferraro’s entrée into the profession of aviation was not entirely direct. Ferraro always assumed he would follow his family’s career path and become a lawyer. While studying for the LSAT, Charlie had the opportunity to fly with an attorney he was working for on a quick trip to South Texas in a Cessna Cardinal 177B. Immediately enamored by the notion of small aircraft, Charlie inquired as to what it would take to get him up in the plane again. The sage lawyer replied, “You can always go back to law school. You can’t fly forever…do it now.”

Inspired by his mentor, Ferraro obtained his private pilot’s license with an instrument rating. He found himself suddenly interested more in aviation business operations and less in legal proceedings. Ferraro took a job with a Fixed-Based Operator (FBO) in Austin, TX as a customer service representative where he worked his way through the various levels of the FBO hierarchy. Ferraro's aviation career progressed as companies were bought, sold, and consolidated. From customer service rep to line service technician to director of operations, Ferraro's experiences ran the gamut, eventually landing him the position of transition lead at Landmark Aviation.

In his tenure at Landmark, Ferraro has been integrally involved in more than 20 of the company’s site acquisitions and transitions both in North America and abroad. Most recently, he has served as the general manger of Landmark Aviation at San Diego International Airport. In his capacity as GM, Ferraro aided in the company’s successful bid to secure a long-term lease for FBO services at San Diego’s Lindbergh Field. Ferraro prides himself on the relationships he has fostered in the aviation arena and he looks forward to furthering the mutual interests of the private sector and business aviation communities.