James Badgett

James Badgett is a highly experienced professional in the aviation sector, currently self-employed as a Flight Instructor and Photographer. He has over 50 years of aviation experience, holding roles as a Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor, as well as a degreed mechanical design engineer. His engineering expertise covers various regulations and aircraft types, including work on 14 CFR 23, 14 CFR 25, JAR, and EASA Part 25 airplanes, and fighter aircraft.

Professional Background

• Current Role: Self-employed Flight Instructor/Photographer since February 2014.
• Previous Role: Management Representative for quality, airworthiness, and environment at Airbus Americas Engineering, Inc. from November 2002 to February 2014.

Notable Achievements

• Lead Engineer on the Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F-15 Eagle Emergency Arresting Hook.
• Project Engineer for Production Design on the Original Mooney 201 (M20J).
• Led successful certification efforts for EN/AS 9100 Quality Management System and ISO 14001 Environmental Management System at Airbus.

Education

• Degree: Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Certifications

• RABQSA Certified AS/EN9100 Trained Lead Auditor.
• FAA Certified Flight Instructor.
• FAA Commercial Pilot (ASEL, Instruments).

In addition to his aviation career, Badgett specializes in event and documentation photography, focusing on process definition and confirmation, archival photographs, and digital repairs of old photographs and documents.1