At the helm of The Flying Ship Company is a passionate team of engineers, pilots, captains and executives. The team members have expertise in multiple disciplines, including engineering, international business development, maritime and aviation law, supply chain management, manufacturing operations, external communications, human resources and corporate strategy in the aerospace, maritime and defense sectors.
Our Team
Bill Peterson is the Chief Executive Officer for Ground Effect Technology, LLC, and the group of Flying Ship Companies. He began flying Cessna 150’s and 152’s at the age of fourteen and has been captivated by aerospace ever since. Bill holds an Aerospace Engineer degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an Executive MBA from George Mason University. He is accomplished in developing, managing, and executing corporate strategy, business capture, and economic development activities for a multitude of US and UK aerospace and defense companies.
Gus Bateas is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Ground Effect Technology, LLC, and the group of Flying Ship Companies. Gus is an aerospace, defense and maritime executive with a solid and proven track record. Gus has 35 years of industry experience and held positions of increasing responsibility in design engineering, operations, supply chain, program management, and business development at Boeing (Rockwell), Northrop Grumman, The Ensign-Bickford Company, Raytheon (Collins/UTAS/Goodrich), GMB Associates and Triumph. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from SUNY Maritime College and a Master’s in Business and Management from the University of Southern California. Gus currently serves on the Aerospace Industry Association (AIA) Supply Management Council (SMC) Executive Leadership Committee.
Advisory Board
Sam Aconfora is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) with more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace & defense industry. He spent more than half his career at various operating units of the former United Technologies Corporation and served as Director of HR for the former Goodrich Optical & Space Systems, Segment VPHR for DRS Technologies and Group Director of HR for Wencor Group. Sam has been actively involved in start-ups, private equity owned and publicly traded companies. He holds a BFA from The University of Connecticut, an MS Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an International Dual MBA from Purdue University-Krannert School and the former Budapest University of Economic Sciences.
Capt. Steve Bomgardner is currently Regional Managing Director, Americas & Global Commercial Director at The Bahamas Maritime Authority. He has held global leadership roles in both Oil & Gas and Maritime Industries. Steve has an MBA from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and a B.S. Field Of Study Marine Transportation from Texas A&M University at Galveston.
Nick Breedlove is an entrepreneurial founder of multiple startups. Nick has lived and led the full life-cycle of company creation, market risk assessment, solution development, and innovation implementation to achieve sustainability and growth in challenging market conditions. He is a distinguished leader and decorated combat veteran in the aviation field where his military career culminated at the rank of Commander while serving as an Instructor Pilot for a Navy Boeing 737 squadron. Currently, Nick also serves as a Reserve Officer for the DoD's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU).
Omo Igiehon is a management consultant and engineer with twenty years of experience in infrastructure development, capacity building, international investment banking and global business consulting in the commercial and government arenas. He has worked as an owners’ representative, senior engineer, and program manager overseeing cross functional professional services, engineering management, logistics and acquisition support teams on initiatives worth over $3 billion for private developers and US Government Agencies including the Departments of Defense and Commerce including the US Air Force District of Washington. He works with global executives and senior government personnel to provide solutions and strategies while leveraging an extensive professional expert network.
April Parnell is the legal advisor to the Flying Ship Group of companies. She’s worked in the aerospace industry for the last 16 years, and has led and managed contracts and compliance teams throughout her career. A University of Tulsa College of Law graduate, she has over 30 years experience in corporate and contract law.
Dan Stohr is a communications executive with more than thirteen years’ experience working in the aerospace and defense sector. He served as the primary press contact for the largest and most influential trade association in the aerospace and defense sector for nearly a decade, and has a strong background in government relations, both in the corporate and association worlds. Dan holds a BA in History and Political Science from Va. Tech, and did graduate studies in Political Science at UCSB and in Curriculum and Instruction at Va. Tech.
Market Opportunity
There has been a market surge in the demand for time-sensitive, price-sensitive coastal regions around the world. When shipping goods over large bodies of water, companies have two options. They can either use an airplane, which is fast but can be expensive, or they can use boats which are slow, but inexpensive. There is no middle ground that balances both speed and cost. Unmanned Flying Ships will fill this gap by providing access to countless delivery points at an order of magnitude faster than boats and a fraction of the cost of aircraft.