GAMA Flourished With Pete Bunce At The Helm

The recommendations were unambiguous and highly supportive, but Ed Bolen was unsure. He did not know the fellow and wanted assurance because the open executive position was of critical importance.

Fortuitously, Bolen’s former college classmate was a member of the executive candidate’s team. Bolen called and asked for his assessment. The response: “He’s the real deal. You’re gonna love him.” That endorsement gave Bolen the confidence that he was leaving the presidency of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) in capable hands.

Jack Pelton, then the boss at Cessna, was part of the hiring process. He was impressed with the candidate’s “unique skill set,” which included lifelong familiarity with general aviation, command of U.S. Air Force fighter units and management of that service’s congressional relations.

Pelton’s take: “Tough to find someone more equipped to manage industry issues with a diverse group of aviation industry leaders.”

And thus was Pete Bunce, a newly retired Air Force colonel in his 40s, invited to become GAMA’s chief executive in 2005. The following two decades proved Bolen, Pelton and others to have been prescient: The years were momentous for the association and for general aviation with Bunce in the forefront throughout.

Established in 1970, GAMA was initially a U.S.-centric organization focused on the unique needs and priorities of its 11 member companies as compared with those of the broader aerospace industry. In time, GAMA members acknowledged the international nature of their industry and in 2002 invited foreign manufacturers to join.

Bunce accelerated and expanded that outreach in 2009 by opening a GAMA office in Brussels, home of the European Commission and a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) office.

At the time, Bunce noted that the commission and EASA’s jurisdictions were expanding into operations, licensing, environmental matters, air traffic control and airports. GAMA’s presence there, he said, “will ensure the association’s long-term involvement in international aviation issues while helping us to maintain strong partnerships with decision-makers in Europe.”

John Rosanvallon, then president and CEO of Dassault Falcon Jet, an early non-U.S. GAMA member company, says, “Under Pete’s leadership, GAMA really became an international player. That was an important step” for its credibility and impact and for building stronger European ties. To underscore the firmament of that transatlantic connection, GAMA members elected Rosanvallon as chairman in 2010.

Another meaningful Bunce-led expansion occurred in 2011, when the formerly fixed-wing-only organization reached out to rotorcraft manufacturers. Bell Helicopter, a corporate sibling to Cessna, was first to sign. Welcoming whirlybirders, Bunce said, “allows GAMA to better advocate for and promote the interests of the entire general aviation industry.”

A notable and ongoing development in the general aviation sector is the broad effort to develop a hybrid and electric-powered aircraft segment. Although still in technological infancy, the movement holds promise to advance aviation’s utility and participation while reducing its environmental impact. To help in the process, GAMA created an associate member category in 2015 for participants and complemented that by establishing an Electric Propulsion and Innovation Committee.

GAMA membership now exceeds 140 airframe, engine and component manufacturers and service providers.

Beyond growing GAMA’s numbers, Bunce has joined with other general aviation leaders to form a united front in protecting the community from threats—privatizing air traffic control and discriminatory taxation, among them—as well as promoting worthy efforts, including lead-free avgas and net-zero carbon emissions, with notable support.

Pelton, who has headed the Experimental Aircraft Association since 2012, observes: “Pete has shown an uncanny ability to sort the wheat from the chaff when establishing priorities around the most critical issues impacting general aviation. His leadership skills are an art form.”

Russ Meyer, chairman emeritus of Cessna, credits Bunce with doing “an excellent job of expanding qualifications for membership and significantly broadening the scope of GAMA’s role on [Capitol] Hill and with the regulatory agencies. His 20 years of leadership have enhanced GAMA’s effectiveness in dealing with industry issues worldwide.”

Meanwhile, Bolen, who exited GAMA to lead the National Business Aviation Association, says Bunce is “known and respected on Capitol Hill and in the wide aviation community” and has “leveraged that respect to get important things done.” He calls him “a great champion of general aviation writ large.”

When Bunce takes his final leave of GAMA in April, Bolen says, “I don’t think we can thank and celebrate him enough.”