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August Breakfast

  • Wichita Aero Club 1640 South Airport Road Wichita, KS, 67209 United States (map)

Join us for breakfast on Tuesday, August 27 with Richard Aboulafia, Managing Director at AeroDynamic Advisory, at Henry’s Place at NICHE. AeroDynamic Advisory is a boutique aerospace and defense management consultancy headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Kevin Michaels, another Managing Director at AeroDynamic Advisory, will also be in attendance with Richard. Richard and Kevin will share insight into the current market for the aviation industry.

Tickets are $35 for members and $40 for non-members. A breakfast buffet and beverages will be provided.

Agenda
7:45 am – Doors open, check-in and networking – Breakfast buffet opens
8:10 am – Welcome remarks and announcements
8:15 am – Remarks from Richard
9:00 am – Q&A with Richard
9:15 am – Event concludes

Registration for this event has closed. For inquiries, please email info@wichitaaero.club.

ABOUT RICHARD

Since 1988, Richard has tracked aircraft programs, markets, and companies as an analyst and consultant. He manages consulting projects in the commercial and military aviation field and analyzes broader defense and aerospace market and industry trends. He has advised numerous aerospace companies, including most prime and many second- and third-tier contractors in the US, Europe and Asia. He also advises numerous financial institutions on aerospace market conditions.

Richard is a Managing Director at AeroDynamic Advisory, a boutique aerospace and defense management consultancy headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Prior to joining AeroDynamic in January 2022, he was Vice President of Analysis at Teal Group. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He is also a Special Advisor on Aerospace & Defense at Eurasia Group.

He also writes publicly about aviation and defense, with regular columns in Aviation Week & Space Technology. His articles have also appeared in Foreign Policy, Forbes.com, Royal Aeronautical Society’s Aerospace magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Slate, AIAA’s Aerospace America, the Financial Times, Professional Pilot, and other publications.

Frequently cited as an aviation industry authority by trade and news publications, Richard has appeared on numerous television news and radio programs including ABC, BBC, Bloomberg, Reuters, CBS, CNN, NBC, NPR and PBS. He has spoken at numerous conferences, including Speednews, ATRIF, NAFA, IADA, AeroMontreal, the Ontario Aerospace Council, and PNAA. Since 2012 he has served on multiple National Aeronautic Association Collier Trophy Selection Committees. He has testified before Congress. He also presents a yearly lecture to the Eisenhower School/National Defense University/Industrial College of the Armed Forces and has served as an expert witness in aerospace markets.

Before he joined Teal Group in 1990, Richard analyzed the jet engine market at Jane’s Information Group, served as an aerospace industry consultant for an international trade advisory company and supported research projects at the Brookings Institution. He has a Masters degree in War Studies from King’s College, University of London and a Bachelors degree from George Washington University. He lives in Washington, DC.

ABOUT KEVIN

Kevin is a globally recognized expert in the aerospace manufacturing and MRO sectors, and has significant expertise in business-to-business marketing, customer satisfaction, M&A advisory, technology assessment, cluster development, and strategic planning. 

Dr. Michaels has frequently been called upon by executives at leading aerospace OEMs, airlines, MRO providers, and investors to provide thorough independent assessments.

Previously, Dr. Michaels was Vice President with ICF International’s Aerospace & MRO consulting practice from 2011 - 2016.  He was also a co-founder and partner with AeroStrategy from 2001-2011, until its acquisition by ICF. 

Dr. Michaels was also the Director of Strategic Development with Rockwell Collins Government Systems, Principal with The Canaan Group, an aerospace consultancy. He began his career as a project engineer with aero-engine supplier Williams International.

Since 2013, Kevin is a columnist for the Up Front feature of Aviation Week & Space Technology; he is also a contributing columnist to Inside MRO and Forbes.

Dr. Michaels chairs the Industry Advisory Board for the University of Michigan’s Aerospace Engineering Department.

In 2016, he joined the Board of Proponent, a leading aircraft parts distributor.

Kevin authored Aerodynamic: Inside the High-Stakes Global Jetliner Ecosystem, winner of the 2019 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award.

In 2021, Dr. Michaels received the Gilbert W Speed Award for outstanding leadership and collaboration across the global aerospace and defense supply chain.

Richard Aboulafia

Kevin Michaels