Ray Lamas has been appointed as the new President of Thrust Flight Group.

Lamas is the former Vice President of Federal Ventures for AECOM where he led a new growth business initiative. He was previously the General Manager of Global Customer Training for Bell Flight where he and his team expanded the global civil helicopter training business for the company.

“The flight training industry is experiencing significant growth at this time and Ray’s talents and previous experience are exactly what we need to continue the momentum we’ve seen over the previous 18 months,” said Patrick Arnzen, CEO of Thrust Flight.

The new position of company president is a critical role for Thrust Flight as they continue to execute their strategic growth plans. Lamas’ addition will allow for increased bandwidth across the executive leadership team as they work to expand Thrust Flight’s operations across the US.

Lamas has a lifelong love of aviation beginning with his time flying in the US Navy, most recently in Strike Fighter Squadron 11 as a Naval Flight Officer and Combat Mission Commander. After leaving the Navy and graduating with an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, Lamas joined global consulting firm Bain & Company as a Case Team Leader where he advised a variety of businesses including several in the aviation industry.

Lamas’ hiring comes on the heels of several announcements from Thrust Flight including the purchase of 22 new Piper aircraft, approval of examining authority for their Commercial Single Engine Land Part 141 curriculum, and number two ranking on Flying Mag’s national list of flight schools.