Santo Liuzzo grew up in a small town in Sicily. At age 16, he traveled to California to visit his Uncle Sal. The flight to California was his first time flying and he remembers thinking airplanes were “so cool.” Once in California, his uncle, a pilot, took him on a flight in a Cessna 172. “That blew my mind,” Liuzzo said. “It was my very first time seeing ― let alone piloting ― a small airplane. I thought everything about it was captivating. I knew that day I wanted more of it.”
At 18, he returned to California seeking work. His first job was washing the flight school airplanes and cleaning the offices. He took an English class, and in a few months, he learned enough English and aviation terminology to start taking flight lessons and help the flight school mechanics maintain their aircraft. He learned the tricks of the trade as an apprentice working at Lenair Aviation, and took courses at Av Tech for both his A&P and IA.
Throughout his career, Liuzzo has worked for a flight school, a charter operator, a repair station and an aircraft manufacturer. He gained experience on a multitude of aircraft makes and models, ranging from light single-engine airplanes to large corporate jets.
Today he is the Cirrus-authorized service center manager and Cirrus maintenance inspector at Martin Aviation. He is also the founder, co-owner and manager of SR Global Partners LLC, a partnership founded for the purpose of owning (holding) and managing a Cirrus SR22 aircraft.
Erin Dornan-Liuzzo, PsyD, nominated Santo for the 40 under 40 award: “Santo has been working in this field for 20 years, over half of his life. He is an aviation enthusiast who lives and breathes aviation. He proudly talks about how he started out mopping floors at the flight school while learning English then taking flight lessons while wrenching on airplanes. He was committed to not just learning but perfecting his skills on various aircraft. He is precise, dedicated to safety and accepts nothing less than a job well done.”
Liuzzo worked for Cirrus Aircraft as a regional field service manager and mobile AOG response pilot for nearly eight years. Then COVID-19 hit, and he lost his job due to company-wide layoffs.
“Santo didn't buckle under the pressure or give up in these trying times,” said Erin. “He went to work at Martin Aviation, where he applied his knowledge of Cirrus airplanes. He has worked tirelessly both wrenching and managing and thoroughly enjoys working alongside his guys. As an A&P-IA, Commercial/Instrument/Multi-engine Pilot and Cirrus owner, he serves as a model. From his humble beginnings and through tremendous hardships, Santo has remained steadfast and solid. He will only keep rising to greater heights. The sky is literally his limit.”
