Dave had the privilege of serving as the Operations Director for Continental Air Show Productions since 2002 and now he is continuing Bill Bordeleau’s ( ICAS Charter Member #4) 50-year legacy of Continental Air Show Productions by purchasing the business at the end of their 50th season in 2019. CASP continues to provide live sound reinforcement and production assistance to air shows across North America under Dave’s two decades of leadership.
Dave also owns and operates Behind The Scenes Productions which is an event production and marketing agency in Cincinnati, Ohio that he started in 2004. BTSP has clients throughout the air show industry as well as other local and national organizations they work with annually. Behind The Scenes Productions has received numerous awards for our video productions and is recognized as a “go to” event planner and production specialists within the Cincinnati market and beyond. Behind The Scenes Productions acquisition of Continental Air Show Productions allows a more seamless application of the varied resources and expertise that Dave can provide to his new air show clients.
Dave is a recipient of a Platinum Pinnacle Award from ICAS as well as the ICAS Bob Hoover Wingman Award.
Having been a part of the aviation community for over 20 years and a member of ICAS for 19 years Dave is pleased to be the current President of the NECAS.
Bill is a lifelong resident of New York’s Buffalo-Niagara Falls area. He graduated from college with Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, while playing ice hockey. His hockey career reached a peak of semi-professional, and continued as a youth coach for 12 years achieving several State and a National Championship title. Bill is currently President of Wagner Management LLC and offers his expertise to other local community Boards. Bill’s life-long interest in aviation and 20th century military history has influenced his extracurricular interests, including graduating from the Niagara Military Affairs Council Commanders Program, serving as Vice Chairman of NIMAC, and serving as Civilian Chairman of Thunder of Niagara Air Show. Bill is the proud son of a former USAF Reservist from the 914th Tactical Dispensary and father of a current USAF Reservist 914th Security Forces.
Al’s fascination with airplanes started, like many, at a very young age and has continued through to today with his efforts to attend multiple airshows in Canada and the United States, NECAS conferences, ICAS conferences and ultimately to lead the ground crew of an active jet team within the airshow industry. His efforts have been well-recognized by colleagues and industry members alike, earning Al a strong reputation for his professionalism, consideration, and approach to safety in all aspects of aviation.
Al began volunteering with a jet Museum in 2007, also based in London, Ontario, which in-turn lead to an invitation to build a volunteer maintenance and ground crew from the starting blocks, for Waterloo Warbirds. In the last 6 years, he has led numerous achievements with the team; developed a highly skilled, professional crew of 6 and ceaselessly role-modelled the highest standard of safety in all aspects of the work involved. Al’s time within the airshow industry enabled him to build a strong network across North America and hone his insight into the forward movement of the industry as it works to continue redefining itself in an ever-changing marketplace. He welcomes an opportunity to expand his leadership skills and brings a proven record of rising above, and surpassing, challenges placed in front of him.
Although enjoying the sound of a jet engine tearing by is still the greatest thrill for Al, his passenger experience in the cockpit, maintaining aircraft, commanding the ramp, chasing propellers and tail pipes across numerous events, establishing a gold standard of safety for his own organization, and his experience on both sides of the industry, show production and show performer, combines to provide skills and experience that aligns with the needs of the NECAS board of directors.
Todd is currently the Chief Flight Instructor at OnCore Aviation, LLC and Director of Flight Operations at National Warplane Museum – Geneseo Airshow
Melissa Minshall,
Community Charity Airshow
Introduced to aviation at the age of 3, Melissa has been keen on airplanes, airports and airshows for many years. Beginning with the Brantford Airshow in 2003, Melissa started by volunteering to make dinner tickets, and after many years of growth and learning, she evolved into the top role as Airshow Director in 2009. With experience ranging from port-o-potties to performer hospitality, Melissa enjoys most aspects of event planning (except making site plans). Her training in Communications, Marketing and Event Planning has landed her a career in Ancaster, Ontario as an event manager. After retiring from her Airshow Director role, she now enjoys more free time to volunteer with the Community Charity Airshow, and other airshows in Ontario, specifically enjoying performer hospitality and logistics. She loves to pretend that her baking is edible, taking long walks with other people’s dogs, and flying in anything that can be airborne. As a past board member of NECAS, she is keen to offer her experience to serve on the board for another term.
Mike Tryggvason has been a member of NECAS since 2010 and a member of the board since 2019. Mike is a Canadian pilot and began his airshow flying career in 2011- first in a Pitts Special, then transitioning to high performance monoplanes. He specializes in high energy, maximum performance aerobatic displays and is an active competitor in the North American aerobatic competition community. A professional pilot by trade, Mike also holds a BESC in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Western Ontario. His past experience includes work in aerospace engineering research and development, flight operations at a regional airline as a Training Captain, and most recently, major airline flight operations as a line pilot, Level D simulator instructor & Human Factors/ CRM instructor. After his start in aerobatics in 2006 with a Pitts Special S2A, Mike worked with coaching legend Sergei Boriak and began flying formal competition aerobatics in 2009, going on to compete at the US National Aerobatic Championships in 2014 and 2017. He began flying the Giles 202 in 2012, and has been flying airshows and competitions in it from Abbotsford to Oshkosh to Bagotville in the years since. His passion is showcasing precision, high energy aerobatics to the aviation community across the continent and sharing his experience with fellow aviators to help them achieve their goals. Mike now considers it a privilege to have the opportunity to give back to the NECAS family by sharing his time and expertise to support the group and its members.”
My wife, Janie, and I live on a farm in southern Ontario, where we are involved in community service as well as pursuing our passions of quilting and aviation.
I learned to fly in high school and took up skydiving while at Penn State where I organized the university’s’ sport parachute club. After college I opened a full service parachute center and managed a small airport in Pennsylvania. I was heavily involved in parachute rigging, contracting, test jumping for manufacturers, show jumping, and producing instructional emergency jump videos. In 1996, I planned, produced and executed the first FAA sanctioned tandem skydiving exhibition jump which paved the way for today’s air show VIP tandem jumps.
In 1981, I founded the GEROIMO! Skydiving Team, and worked to set a standard of excellence for civilian exhibition jumping within the air show industry. After more than 43 years of continuous operation, the GERONIMO! Skydiving Team serves both the US and Canada.
Air shows have always been my love and joy and I have produced small scale aviation events and continue today with my wife, Janie, producing the annual Sky Fest aviation festival at Sherkston Shores Resort in Ontario, Canada. The excitement and joy that I see in the eyes of the young spectators at air shows is my reward as both a performer and producer.
Aviation is my passion and has been both a part-time and a full time venture for me over the past forty six years. When not in the air I have pursued a myriad of occupational fields ranging from forester, teacher, farmer, and pastor to name a few. Throughout my work and life experiences I have always valued team work and the importance of having a high degree of honor, integrity, professionalism, as well as a positive proactive attitude which are paramount for success.
Overcoming debilitating injuries from an automobile accident in 1997, I had to learn to walk again. From that humbling life changing experience I learned that there is no obstacle too big to overcome. I see today’s obstacles and challenges facing the air show industry today as opportunities for innovation rather than road blocks to success. Better networking and cooperation between performers and producers as well as a collective strategy to not just survive but to strive as an industry is a must. We should recognize our air show heritage and traditions but move forward through innovation and adaptation into the 21st century encouraging the younger generations to take the lead. The good old days are still ahead of us and I want to be able to help make that happen.
Steven Webster started in the air show business as a volunteer/ sponsor of the first air show in Ocean City, MD. In February of 2011, he took on the role of Director of Sales and Marketing for B.Lilley Productions, LLC. At that time, they had two shows, one with Ocean City, MD and the other with Cocoa Beach, FL. They have since grown to seven shows spanning the East Coast in 2023. He currently serves as the Vice President of Flight Operations for all seven shows, and he is the event manager for Ocean City, New York, Atlanta, and Orlando.
Jim Graham serves as the Chair and is a founding member of Airshow London. In over 30 years of volunteering, founding and leading Boards that produce Airshows he has seen first hand how they bring together the best of communities, educate the public about aerospace and careers and inspire so many dreams! He would bring his experience founding and leading the Boards of the Great Lakes Airshow and Airshow London to the NECAS Board to help develop strategies and business models to thrive through change.
Thanks for the Years of Service Huggie!
Dave “Huggie” Cooper
Rochester International Airshow
Dave Cooper is a native of Pennsylvania, who attended his first airshow in 1982 in Cleveland, Ohio while taking private pilot lessons. He was hooked after watching Bob Hoover’s performance in the “Shrike Commander.” At the time, he was a consulting petroleum engineer in the oil and gas business in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In 1985, he formed “Just Plane People”, a traveling airshow novelty company that participated in over 550 events nationwide from 1985 until 1999. In 1990, Dave moved to Geneseo, NY to independently manage the gift shop and away airshow novelty operations for the National Warplane Museum. In 1994, he was back on the road as a novelty vendor and airshow operations consultant throughout the U.S. In 1998 and 1999, Dave was a consultant to the Promotional Management Group and principal advisor to the March Airfest at March Air Reserve Base in California in the conduct of airshows at a military base. In 2000, he joined Beau Productions as the airshow coordinator for the Rochester International Airshow. Dave is now the Managing Director of PEC Management, LLC, which was awarded the contract to produce the Rochester International Airshow through to 2020, with extensions. In his free time, Dave collects antique glass and serves on the Board of Directors for the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. Dave holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing/Finance from Ohio University.