Naval aviator, IAOPA Secretary General John Sheehan remembered

Sheehan was born in Lexington, Kentucky; grew up in Short Hills, New Jersey; and studied mechanical engineering at Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. He was then commissioned as a naval aviator in the U.S. Navy, flying anti-submarine warfare in a multitude of naval aircraft from carriers. He received the Joint Service Commendation Medal for his meritorious service as advisor to the Royal Thai Navy. He retired in 1980 with the rank of commander.

His experience in flying in the Navy, his Bachelor of Arts in international relations, and his enduring passion for aviation uniquely qualified him for a series of positions and a career with AOPA, starting in 1980 with the AOPA Air Safety Foundation and culminating in 1985 as the executive vice president under then-AOPA President John Baker, and in 1997 as secretary general of IAOPA. During the 15 years of his tenure he helped various national AOPAs to move forward on core issues like crew licensing and pilot currency rules. IAOPA also petitioned the International Civil Aviation Organization to recognize light sport aircraft as “real, honest-to-goodness airplane[s],” according to an interview he gave on the occasion of his retirement from the position in 2012. At the time, IAOPA represented the interests of AOPA affiliates in 69 countries. “One size does not fit all for the AOPAs. We have some small AOPAs with as few, in Ghana, as five or six people—but nonetheless it is an AOPA,” Sheehan said.

Craig Spence, his successor, said, “He was a tough act to follow and he has left a mark on the aviation industry.”

Former AOPA President Phil Boyer said about Sheehan, “John was a true international leader and gentleman in every respect. …This very diverse group, with only [a] handful [of] organized paid staff, unlike our AOPA, still held the same passion and energy for general aviation that we have in the United States. John represented AOPA-US on the world aviation stage, and always with a gentle hand and wisdom of the differences between general aviation in the United States versus the rest of the world.”

After his retirement from leading IAOPA, Sheehan went on to consulting work and eventually founded Professional Aviation Inc., advising corporate flight departments on issues of management, safety, and training.

Former AOPA Editor in Chief Thomas B. Haines said, “John was a gentleman and a gentle man. I remember him as kind and always willing to listen. He taught me and several others formation photo flying, leveraging his naval aviator skills. I think of him often when flying. He will be missed.”