Alex Gertsen, C.M.
Age: 39
Director, Airports and Ground Infrastructure
National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)
- Alma Mater: George Washington University
- Something that people may not know about me: I have gone around the world twice.
- Favorite book: The Wright Brothers
- Favorite TV show: The Americans
- Favorite movie: Back to the Future
- Favorite hobby(s): Flying, photography
Growing up in a suburb of Moscow in the Soviet Union, Alex Gertsen was exposed to a side of aviation a lot of his peers didn’t have.
His grandfather was a retiree of the Soviet Air Force who stayed in housing on a base and would take him to air shows. His mother was an engineer with Aeroflot, so they had flight privileges in an era when most Russian families couldn’t even fly.
“I think in terms of being on the base, the noise of flying, the vibration of the windows, a lot of people have negative connotations of that,” Gertsen said. “But growing up, whenever I would hear the noise I was always running to the window and hope I could see the plane.”
After immigrating to the U.S. when he was 12 years old, Gertsen learned English, then obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from The George Washington University, a Master of Science from John Hopkins University and his private pilot’s license by the time he was 25 years old.
An instrument rated pilot and aircraft owner with over 1,500 flight hours, he is a regular user of the National Airspace System (NAS).
Gertsen began his aviation career at the White House Travel Office, coordinating aircraft charters and logistics for travel around the globe for four years. Then he joined Lockheed Martin, honing technical and business development skills. He then became director of regulatory affairs at the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), where Gertsen represented airport interests with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other federal agencies, focusing on key issues such as runway safety, general aviation and technology.
Building on the air traffic management expertise gained at Lockheed Martin, he joined the Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) where he facilitated outreach and conferences on key issues such as NextGen and Air Traffic Control modernization.
Following his entrepreneurial spirit, Gertsen started an aviation consulting practice, Aviation Fury LLC. Partnering with leading technology companies, he assisted numerous airports in implementing mobile software tools to more effectively maintain compliance with Part 139 self-inspection requirements.
As director of airports and ground infrastructure for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), Gertsen is promoting general aviation on the front lines, campaigning for airport safety and helping in the fight to preserve several critical general aviation airports.
He recently facilitated a session at the AAAE General Aviation Issues and Security Conference, which he helped start in 2006.
Gertsen is currently involved with preserving the Santa Monica Airport in order to keep the facility for future generations.
