The invention of the Aircraft has been one of the greatest achievements in world history. This one creation has saved a lot of effort and time. In order to recognize the efforts of the people behind this invention, the world celebrates International Civil Aviation Day on December 7.
The aviation industry is vast and encompasses all aspects of business and industrial activities, including aircraft manufacturing, military aviation, airline industry, research companies, and much more. The importance of the modern aviation industry is difficult to overstate, but the most famous one is the globalized nature of the industry. It facilitates the connection between different countries, continents, and cultures, thereby contributing sufficiently to globalization. As a result, aviation has enabled people to travel efficiently to distant places, which has enriched many lives in the process.
The aviation industry has undoubtedly added stars to the social and economic development of the world. No wonder there are approximately 200,000 flights operated around the world every day. It has been a key contributor to economic prosperity because of boosted local economies and improved global trade.
In the contemporary world, youth often find themselves interested in the idea of flying airplanes. With the same passion, James Blackstone Taylor, son of famous test pilot James Blackstone Taylor Jr. and Aileen (Sedgwick) Taylor Lippincott, became the most renowned name in business aviation marketing. He was born in New York on December 14, 1921. Taylor completed his high school education in 1940 at Taft School, Watertown, Connecticut.
After completing high school, he became the first naval cadet accepted for flight training without a college education during World War II. Through his restless efforts, he soon displayed his expertise in all his roles, including naval test pilot, carrier-based fighter pilot, and flight instructor.
In 1946, the success story of Taylor’s life took an interesting shift when after a stint flying a DC-3 for a non-scheduled airline, he was appointed as the Vice President of Sales for Mallard Air Service at Teterboro Airport. In 1948 he became the Sales Manager for Upressit Metal Cap Corporation. His extraordinary performance helped him increase the size of sales, profits, and customer contacts three times, largely due to his efforts in making sales calls using the company Beechcraft Bonanza. Within 2 years, he was appointed as the President.
James B Taylor became known in the aviation world by another name, Mr. BizJet. He pioneered business jet marketing during his 55-year aviation career with programs for Pan Am, Cessna, Canadair, and LearJet.
In 1963, he joined Pan America World Airways as Vice President of the company’s new Business Jets Division. Pan Am had acquired the rights to market the French-built Dassault Mystere 20 in North and South America. He changed Mystere 20’s name to FanJet Falcon, uplifting Pan Am’s marketing program, giving it a competitive edge.
He always believed that when marketing a new aircraft, the company must know its customers’ needs, not the chief pilot’s, but the executives who were going to use it. This philosophy, along with his introduction of “factory-direct” sales and services at Cessna, altered the landscape of business aviation marketing forever. Jim Taylor bypassed Cessna’s hundreds of dealers at local airports around the country with a small team of salesmen who specialized in selling large capital equipment to senior executives. After creating marketing programs for Pan Am and Cessna, he was hired by Canadair to market the Bill Lear-designed LearStar 600. Jim and his team had 100 firm orders before the first prototype flew. After Canadair Jim Taylor was called upon to turn around the ailing Gates LearJet which he did in less than 2 years.
His services and achievements were acknowledged by the NBAA (National Business Aviation Association), and was awarded the “Meritorious Service to Aviation” award, the National Aeronautic Association’s “Elder Statesman of Aviation” award for enduring values to aviation, and the Gathering of Eagles Man of the Year award.