Sean Elliott
Vice President, Advocacy & Safety
Sean joined the EAA staff in April 1996 and has been Vice President of Advocacy and Safety since December 2010.
With this responsibility, he manages EAA’s government affairs offices at both EAA headquarters and in Washington, D.C. He is responsible for reviewing and analyzing government policy on the federal, state, and local levels that affect recreational aviation, as well as advocacy for EAA members and private individuals who build and fly aircraft for recreation.
After fours years serving as the Executive Director and President for the National Association of Flight Instructors beginning in 1996, Sean took over EAA’s Aircraft Operations and Air Tours in 2000. As the head of EAA Aircraft Operations, Sean is responsible for the development of the Air Tour programs as well as the implementation of pilot training and standardization in some of the most rare and challenging aircraft to fly. In addition, the aircraft maintenance department reports to him and handles the significant challenges of maintaining the fleet. Oversight of a national B-17 tour, national Ford Tri-Motor(s) tour, and the annual carriage of over 16,000 passengers are all part of what EAA accomplishes with its very special fleet of aircraft and is a significant part of Sean’s duties at EAA.
Sean is a pilot and instructor in most of EAA’s vintage and experimental fleet. He is qualified in many different types of vintage aircraft including: 1929 Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor, 1929 Travel Air E- 4000, PT-17 Stearman, 1937 Waco YKS-7, 1930 Pitcairn Mailwing, 1930 Consolidated PT-3, 1927 Ryan NYP “Spirit of St. Louis Replica”, 1935 Stinson SR-9, 1930 Stinson SM-8A, 1930 D-25 New Standard, 1927 Curtis Swallow, 1932 Waco UEC, North American T-6, Socata TBM 700, Douglas DC-3 (type rated), and Boeing B-17 (type rated). Sean’s credentials include holding an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, FAA Aviation Safety Counselor designation, over 8,200 hours of Pilot in Command time, and over 5,500 hours of dual instruction given. He holds CFI, CFII, CFMEI, Gold Seal, AGI,and IGI.
