We're the Pulse of Your Gulfstream.
Director of MRO Operations
Brody McKenna is our Director of MRO Operations. In his previous role with Western as Avionics Manager, he was responsible for day-to-day installations and operations of installations, troubleshooting, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and electrical engineering.
Brody lives in Meridian, a suburb of Boise. His favorite thing about living here is its central location to… the middle of nowhere. Even though the charming, gentle hustle and bustle of Boise is an attraction on its own, Brody appreciates the stillness of nature.
Want to take a little bit of a trip and get away from everyone and everything to clear your head? There are a lot of beautiful places to do that, whether you’re going up in the mountains, or taking the highway to Sun Valley. It’s easy to get to a place where you feel like you’re the only person around… a feeling that never came easily in Brody’s 11 years in the crowded state of California.
Boise itself is growing! “We’re getting a lot of modern stores and modern spaces, so there’s a little bit of everything. Most customers don’t know what’s truly here, so when they get to spend some time while we have their aircraft, they’re pleasantly surprised,” said Brody.
Regional Sales Manager
Doug Wendt, our Regional Sales Manager for Gulfstream aircraft, is a literal pro at listening to you and helping support your maintenance and upgrade needs.
Relationships are Doug’s specialty. He’s been cultivating and maintaining them his entire career, which includes more than 30 years of experience specifically with Gulfstream aircraft owners and operators selling product support, which includes maintenance, avionics upgrades, interiors and refurbishment.
“The people here are awesome. I’ve known many of them in the past because there are a lot of former Gulfstream people here several of us have known each other and worked together in the industry for many years. We know the Gulfstream line very well; I really like that part of it. Working alongside this group makes me better at my job because these are very knowledgeable people,” Doug said.
Doug has maintained his network well, and his customers trust him.
“I also enjoy still meeting with and calling on my customers I’ve had for 20-some years – maintaining those relationships is a lot of fun; they’ve become good friends over the years,” he said.
“My existing relationships with my customers brought them to Western. But once they’re here, they really love it and for many reasons:
Boise is great. They say it’s ‘part rugged, part refined’ and I’d have to agree with that! It’s a new place to go that gets you away from huge crowds and big city life. It has something for everyone, whether you enjoy being in the mountains, floating a river, or sampling all the great dining and shopping options in downtown Boise. You can experience everything Boise has to offer and get excellent work done on your airplane. Western is a clean, intimate facility with people you can talk to - right on the shop floor if you want!
We also have a brand-new hangar which was built for Gulfstream aircraft. Part of the new hangar includes nice, spacious customer offices! Customers want to spend time at our facility while their Gulfstream in in work; the offices are complete with wi-fi, beverages, and are private. Having dedicated space for not only their aircraft, but for them as well, emphasizes our commitment to Gulfstream customers. We offer a great customer experience, which makes it an easy decision all around,” said Doug.
Doug says his customers find the experience of having their Gulfstream maintained here so enjoyable that they tend to talk about it to their own network. The culture at Western sets itself up for natural word of mouth relationship building.
Doug makes sure the experience is memorable from the beginning. He resides in Scottsdale, Arizona but will gladly meet new customers face-to-face when they arrive in Boise for maintenance work.
“I think a familiar face and having someone to personally make introductions goes a long way toward making people feel comfortable,” Doug noted.
And he appreciates that the management at Western Aircraft feels the same way. He says they not only have a strong pulse on what our customers need, but frequently asks them what can be done better.
“We always keep an open ear to ways we can improve,” said Doug. “Our customers trust us and give us honest feedback, which means we know what’s working and what we need to adjust.”
Interior Programs Manager
Meet Jim Fisher, our interior programs manager for your Gulfstream aircraft. His job is to help bring your vision to life as you reimagine the interior of your aircraft.
He handles everything regarding your Gulfstream’s interior - including addressing discrepancies, as well as managing modifications and upgrades. To say he’s the right man for this job would be an understatement.
Jim’s career with Gulfstream Aerospace kicked off in the mid-1990s, where he began working in their Long Beach service center as an avionics technician. He then transitioned into a management role, where he led a team of avionics technicians and mechanics. Next, he served as an interior installation manager, where he ran the team putting in brand new interiors. Jim and his team inspected the pieces coming out of the back shops, prepped for assembly, assembled the full interior of the aircraft, managed flight testing, delivered it to the customer, and handled follow-up communication. In his last position with Gulfstream, he transitioned into interior back shop management, where he and his crew detailed furniture, built the interior panels, fabricated sheet metal parts and upholstered seats and panels.
Today, he’s proud to put his 22 years of Gulfstream specific experience to work for Western Aircraft. Aside from loving his job, he enjoys Boise and the surrounding area.
“I’ll never forget flying into Boise for the first time. It was late afternoon. Beautiful blue skies, a clear shot of the mountains from the airplane’s left side flying in. It was so much more open than what I was used to in southern California where everything’s packed in more tightly,” said Jim. “There’s no shortage of fun things to do around here. Shop, eat, enjoy the buzzing downtown environment… or go on an adventure. Within an hour you can be up in the mountains exploring wilderness, camping, biking, boating, climbing, or even four-wheeling, which is something I’ll be doing very soon!”
Jim’s 22 years of Gulfstream aircraft experience will contribute to impeccable interior work and turn your dreams into reality.
Service Manager
What’s important to you is important to us. You’re more than just a number when you come here; we care for your Gulfstream and you. Russell’s 32 years of experience on Gulfstream aircraft help us better serve you in many ways.
But let's start at the beginning, shall we? Russell began his aviation career with the U.S. Army working on RC-12 Guardrails and OV-1 Mohawks in Stuttgart, Germany. He then worked on OH-58 Kiowa Warriors and AH-1 Cobras while stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia. After completing active duty in the Army, Russell served in the Georgia National Guard where he worked on OH-58s and UH-1 Hueys. He started his 28-year career with Gulfstream Aerospace in 1991, in Savannah - which is also where met his wife. Russell held several positions within Gulfstream Aerospace, working his way up from aircraft mechanic to operations manager in the service center. In 2020, he and his wife moved to beautiful Boise, Idaho, where he has been serving Western Aircraft's Gulfstream customers ever since.
As our service manager for Gulfstream aircraft, Russell manages the Gulfstream aircraft that come in, which can involve everything from tracking parts orders, helping prepare customer proposals and communicating status updates, to visiting customers at their home bases.
Russell talks the talk and walks the walk of creating a fulfilling work environment that produces results customers are happy with. He and his team know Gulfstream aircraft inside and out; they'll stop at nothing to achieve the highest quality standards. But even while focused on a work order, you'll find them laughing together... like family.
Russell loves the way Western Aircraft treats its employees; he says there's a genuine appreciation mentality that trickles down from upper management.
"We do fun little things to show our team members how much we value them like potluck, burgers, breakfast burritos, snacks... it's these little things that make the difference when we spend so much time together here at work. We really do have fun," said Russell.
"Something else I really love about Western is that our customers are welcome to come right out onto the shop floor and be with their Gulfstream aircraft any time it's with us. We'll answer all the questions they have; it's our pleasure to make them feel like true partners in this with us," said Russell. "We especially love showing them our new hangar space!"
Russell and his team are excited to be serving Gulfstream customers out of our brand-new maintenance hangar, which was designed with you in mind. Our new $17M, 93,000 square feet expansion includes a 53,000 square foot hangar and 40,000 square feet of back-office space on our 18-acre leasehold. We’re better equipped than ever to serve you well.
Fully equipped to install, update and repair any aspect of your Gulfstream IV, 450, V, 550 or G650 aircraft, Western Aircraft is pleased to offer a wide range of services, including:
To learn more about how Western Aircraft can provide support for your Gulfstream aircraft, please tell us a little more about yourself:
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