Our Staff

Ken Brown - Director of Operations, Pilot

Ken learned the value of personal flight back in the 90’s.  With family in Massachusetts and business in Pennsylvania – an airplane was the only way to make it work.  Now with advanced FAA licenses and thousands of flying hours under his belt, Ken is the number one advocate for using advanced aircraft for smart business travel.  He has owned and managed several businesses and appreciates all the advantages that  personal flight gives to the savvy business traveler.

Ken can’t stay away from mechanical things.  Today’s sophisticated aircraft and yesterday’s classic cars and buses keep him going.

Steve Bennett - Chief Pilot

Steve has been an active pilot for over 30 years, holds FAA Commercial, Instrument and Flight Instructor ratings, and has accumulated over 6,500 hours of flight experience. 

As an electrical engineer, Steve has worked in the field of aviation electronics since 1992.  He was a member of the design team for some of the equipment currently installed in our state-of-the-art Cirrus aircraft.

Whether exploring small airports throughout the Northeast, taking flying vacations to the Bahamas or just hosting hangar parties on Friday nights, Steve and his family have made aviation a central part of their lives.

Marc Catanese - Pilot

Marc is an engineer by trade and currently works full time as a sales director for a data storage software company.

Flying, however, is Marc's passion and he has been an active pilot for over 23 years. He always loved aviation ever since living under the approach path to an airport as a kid. His first lesson got him hooked! He's now accumulated over 2,400 hours of flight time in various types of aircraft. Marc has a commercial certificate with instrument, multi engine & flight instructor ratings. He enjoys teaching others to fly and also using aviation for humanitarian purposes.

When not flying for Skyline, Marc can be found spending time with his wife and two beautiful kids. He also enjoys playing baseball, golf, tennis, poker or flying his classic Beechcraft V-Tail Bonanza.

Ed Ritchey - Pilot

Ed has been a lifelong aviation enthusiast.  He retired from a career with the FAA as an air traffic controller in 2014.  Ed holds FAA Air Transport, Commercial, Instrument, and Flight Instructor Pilot certificates, has been flying for over 30 years, and has more than 2600 hours of flight experience in a variety of aircraft including gliders.

When he's not flying, Ed and his wife enjoy road biking, kayaking and traveling.

Rich Brachold - Pilot

Rich has been a pilot since 1975. He holds Airline Transport, Commercial, Instrument and Flight Instructor ratings. He also has a type rating in Cessna Citations. His long time passion for flying started in a 1946 Cessna 140 "tail-dragger" at a grass strip on Cape Cod.

When Rich isn't flying, he's busy running the family ski shop in Franklin or playing in the classic rock band "Bigelow Station". Rich started Village Ski & Snowboard in 1988. The shop has grown from a small start-up to one of the largest ski specialty shops in the area. Bigelow Station has been playing together since 2005 and organizes an annual fall event that has raised thousands of dollars for various veteran's causes.

Kurt Traffie - Pilot

Kurt has been an active pilot for the last 20 years and holds FAA Commercial and Instrument ratings. He knows first-hand the benefits of using private aviation for business travel – as a principal in his family’s construction business, Kurt has often flown his own plane to out-of-the-way places to support projects.

“Whether it’s a university library in western New York or a private estate in coastal Maine, delaying a construction project costs money. Using these airplanes lets me visit the job sites quickly and efficiently to resolve disruptions and keep things moving,” says Kurt.

Having piloted a variety of small airplanes, Kurt appreciates the safety and comfort of our Cirrus aircraft. 

He adds, “The sophistication of the Cirrus equipment far surpasses anything I've seen before. This is a serious travelling airplane."

Gary Rabidou - Pilot

Gary joined Skyline in 2015 after an extremely  intense ten years of building his aviation skills.  He has been very active as a flight instructor, both for people first learning to fly and for advanced instrument work as well.

He disguises himself as a Program Manager for a local high-tech company during the week, but Gary comes back to life at the airport.  Skyline's clients and Gary's own students both benefit from his aviation knowledge and his mastery of the art of flying.

Gary, his wife and two small children enjoy travelling around New England in their own Piper Arrow. 

Devan Wiebe - Pilot

Devan has been an active pilot for more than ten years. He holds an FAA Airline Transport Pilot license as well as Commercial Glider and Sea Plane ratings and is a Certified Flight Instructor. Devan has flown more than 4,000 hours in many different aircraft.

He also is a member of the FAA Safety Team, or FAAST, in the Boston area. In addition to flying passengers, Devan enjoys teaching beginner and advanced students at a flight school in MA, towing gliders, and ferrying planes across the country for private owners.

On the rare occasion you can find Devan on the ground, he can be found teaching firearms classes as a MA State Police certified instructor, or directing and designing lights for a musical theater production company in Concord, MA. Devan enjoys riding his motorcycle, target shooting at the range, and spending most of his day in airplanes.

Mary Bruno and Robin Merlo – Flight Coordinators

Mary and Robin work with Skyline's customers to build the itinerary that best meets their travel needs.  They make sure passengers have all of the necessary information regarding their flight, assist with ground transportation at their destination, and do whatever else is necessary to make their Skyline flight experience hassle-free.  In addition, they schedule our pilots and airplanes, and handle other back office functions such as billing and FAA compliance.

When Mary’s not busy with Skyline, she enjoys spending time with her family and Goldendoodle, Emma.  Her favorite hobby is traveling the world and experiencing different cultures.
	Robin has worked as an administrator in aviation maintenance for the past fifteen years.  She has worked closely with Skyline since our inception and joined our staff in late 2014. Robin and her husband have raised three great children and are enjoying their ever-growing family. Robin also enjoys cooking, reading and gardening.