GA Icon Boisture Takes the Helm at Hawker Beechcraft

From his perspective, ex-Air Force fighter pilot Bill Boisture has seen his share of business cycles and how the general aviation industry reacts to them. Boisture started his new job as head of Hawker Beechcraft on Monday, succeeding Jim Schuster, who last fall had announced his plans to retire as soon as a replacement could be found. Having served in a variety of top leadership positions, including at the top of Butler Aviation, NetJets, Gulfstream and most recently as a consultant to the Carlyle Group, Boisture has a resume that will command attention and respect in the industry. On his first day at work for Hawker Beechcraft, he told the Wichita Eagle, "I like to lead groups of people to do their best work in what I call dynamic environments." Today's economic crisis likely qualifies as a "dynamic environment" in anyone's book. "We're navigating through pretty uncharted waters," Boisture told the paper. "The credit markets are in a very difficult shape; the propensity to loan and back risk-taking endeavors is virtually nil at this point … . Frankly, [it] may redefine what a good economy looks like on the other side."