James Blackstone Taylor

Taylor was born on December 14, 1921, in New York. He was the son of James Blackstone Taylor, Jr, and Aileen (Sedgwick) Taylor Lippincott.[3]

Taylor was appointed as the Vice President of sales for Mallard Air Service at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey in 1946. One of his initial customers was Arthur Godfrey, a well-known radio and television personality.[4]

He played a role in the success of Cessna's first business jet by introducing an all-inclusive package, which was a novel concept in the industry at that time. Each purchase of the Citation included a fully equipped aircraft, training for two pilots and two mechanics, and one year of computerized maintenance scheduling. Additionally, Taylor's direct-mail marketing campaigns were tailored to different target groups, such as chief pilots, aviation departments, and top executives, with personalized messages that were effective in generating interest and sales.[5]

Taylor started working for Pan American World Airways(Pan Am) in 1963, serving as the Vice President of its newly created Business Jets Division. This move by Pan Am was unprecedented in the commercial airline industry and demonstrated their interest in the emerging field of business aviation.[6] The airline decided to offer the French-built Dassault Mystere 20 in the western hemisphere after carefully comparing it to the North American Sabreliner, the Lockheed JetStar, and the DeHaviland 125 another aviation first.[7]

In recognition of his achievements at Pan Am, Cessna Aircraft offered Taylor the challenging role of Vice President and General Manager of the Commercial Jet Marketing Division in 1969.[8]

After successfully introducing three new business jets the Pan Am Falcon, Cessna Citation, and the Canadair Challenger, Taylor assumed the role of President and CEO at Gates Learjet in 1985, a company that was facing financial difficulties at the time.[9]

In 1976, Taylor discovered a new marketing opportunity at Canadair, which had acquired the manufacturing rights for the LearStar 600, originally designed by Bill Lear. Taylor assembled a team of former associates to focus on sales and rebranded the aircraft as the Canadair Challenger.[10]

Taylor's leadership at LearJet enabled the company to meet its short-term objectives, and as a result, the majority ownership of the company was sold.[11] In 1990, Learjet became a division of Bombardier Aerospace based in Montreal, Canada, with plants in Wichita, KS, and Tucson, AZ.[12]