Ray Johns

General Raymond E. Johns, Jr. is a senior aviation and aerospace executive with deep experience translating advanced technology into operationally viable, certifiable, and commercially scalable solutions. He has led large, highly regulated aviation enterprises, overseeing aircraft operations, system development, certification pathways, and capital-intensive infrastructure, with responsibility for enterprise budgets exceeding $20 billion and global fleets of more than 1,300 aircraft. A test pilot with more than 5,000 flight hours across 80+ aircraft, Ray has worked at the intersection of system design, flight test, certification, and operational deployment. He previously served as Senior Vice President and Co-CEO of FlightSafety International, where he led simulator manufacturing, technology development, and commercial and government integration efforts. Ray brings a practitioner’s perspective to identifying technical, regulatory, and execution risk early—helping investors and boards distinguish scalable aviation technologies from high-risk concepts and accelerate capital toward solutions with clear paths to certification and adoption.