MEET THE BOSS - Sam Iliades | Chief Executive Officer at Australian Corporate Jet Centres 

NGN is thrilled to have Sam as our Boss at our upcoming event! The evenings focus will be on Corporate Aviation. 

Drinks with the Boss gives you an opportunity to virtually connect with an aviation/aerospace leader in an online environment. Grab your favourite drink and listen from the comfort of your own home, as Sam talks about his experiences as he's taken on ever more responsible leadership positions, and ask Same the questions you often don’t get the chance to in more formal settings. 

Who is invited 
In the spirit of keeping everyone connected, A/AA would like to extend complimentary attendance to all, not limited to our members. So, if you’re in the industry or keen to be a part of it, join our (Virtual) Drinks with the Boss’.

How to join Virtual Drinks with the Boss 
This event will be accessed via Zoom link that will be emailed upon registration. If you need any information please contact us at [email protected] 

Biography 

Sam started his flying career at RMIT/Melbourne Institute of Aviation (MIA) in 1993 after completing his Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). The Diploma course was new at the time and was designed to complete the requirements to obtain the Commercial Pilots Licence (CPL) with Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) theory. The course was based at Essendon Airport which remains his home base 27 years later.

Instructing/Charter:

On completion of the Diploma course Sam completed his Night VFR and Instructor Rating courses then he started working for MIA as a junior Grade III instructor eventually becoming a Grade II instructor and Deputy Chief Flying Instructor. Sam continued his instructing role at MIA until he changed companies to fly with National Aerospace Training (NAT) and Direct Air Charter (DAC) still based at Essendon Airport. The change allowed him to continue to instruct whilst transitioning into the Charter side of flying. At NAT he achieved the position of Grade I instructor undertaking Multi Engine, Instrument and Instructor Training and at DAC he was able to fly charter around Australia in various piston twins including the Cessna 421, Piper Chieftain and Beechcraft Baron. His last few years at DAC was spent as Charter/Freight Pilot as well as a Coastwatch Captain patrolling Australia’s southern coastline on behalf of Surf Life Saving and the Victorian Water Police. 

Corporate Aviation:

In 2000 Sam moved to Corporate Aviation with the role of Chief Pilot for the Melbourne Corporate Jet Centre. The business introduced him to Corporate Jets, Fixed Base Operations (FBO’s) and International Travel. In 2001 after progressing to Turbo-Prop aircraft he was asked to carry officials on the Centenary of Federation Air Race route between London’s Biggin Hill Airport to Sydney’s Bankstown Airport. The aircraft he flew on this trip was a Piper Cheyenne IIIA and it remains one the best trips he's done in his life.

Following the Air Race trip Sam found that he wanted to explore the world and made a move to flying Corporate Jets. He started a new flying job with Visy flying on the Gulfstream IV, Citation I and King Air 200. The Visy job opened up the world to him and he had quickly flown all over the world to some amazing destinations. Sam was involved in introducing the Bombardier Global Express into the fleet and the first of type on the Australian register and Australian licence. He had a short spell following his time at Visy with Prime Aviation where he flew the Gulfstream IVSP, Hawker 800XP, Citation I and King Air 200 as the Chief Pilot and Chief Flying Instructor
 

Airline:

In 2005 Sam achieved another goal in aviation by gaining employment with Qantas Airways as a Second Officer on the Boeing 747-400. It was always my dream to work for Qantas and fly the Boeing 747 and he was lucky enough to spend 8 years on fleet. In 2013 he moved to the short haul fleet at Qantas on the 737-800 as a First Officer and continue to fly there today. 

Back to Corporate Aviation:

In 2011 Sam's long-time friend and now business partner,  started a charter company to fly Doctors and Patients (children) requiring cancer treatment from regional centres to Melbourne. They searched for a suitable aircraft and sponsorship to make the flights possible and it was well received. To run the operation, we applied for and obtained an Air Operators Certificate (AOC) which gained some momentum and the expansion was rapid. The company Australian Corporate Jet Centres (ACJC) now operates the following fleet:

/ Bombardier Global Express

/ Embraer Legacy

/ Challenger 604

/ Challenger 600

/ Citation Sovereign

/ Hawker 850XP

/ Hawker 800XPi

/ Hawker 800XP

/ Hawker 800XP (Air Ambulance)

/ Citation Ultra

/ Citation Sierra

/ King Air 200

/ Merlin IIIC

/ Piper Chieftain

/ Beechcraft Baron 

/ Agusta 109 Grand New

/ Agusta 109 Grand

/ Robinson R44

Sam has used his experience and operational knowledge to build an operation focussed on safety and innovation. ACJC is highly accredited and follows the ISO 9001:2015 standard for quality management. ACJC was the first aviation company in the world to achieve this standard.

Philanthropy:

As a company ACJC supports many worthy causes in the community. The company donates to and supports local sporting clubs, orphanages, hospitals and environmental causes. In 2019 Sam and his partner  started a charity called the Altitude Children’s Foundation Limited (ACFL) to support awareness and research for children and families affected by Endocrinological diseases. The ACFL has already raised funds to support the Royal Children’s Hospital and is working to raise AUD$500,000.00 to fund a research program into Addison’s Disease. The recent addition of the Hawker 800XP Air Ambulance will be used to raise funds to support the charity. The Aviation industry has played a huge role in the support and fund raising to date and will always be the backbone of the charity.

TICKETS
/ Complimentary for all