Peter Bunce

In April 2005, Peter (Pete) Bunce became President and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with additional offices in Brussels, Belgium. He and the GAMA staff travel worldwide engaging regulators, policy makers and elected officials to promote general aviation and advance the interests of GAMA’s international membership of more than 73 airframe, avionics, engine and component manufacturers.

Pete retired from the United States Air Force in March 2005, with his last assignment as the Director of the Air Force Congressional Budget and Appropriations Liaison. During his 26 year Air Force career, Pete flew F-15s and A-10s, while commanding several large operational fighter units.

A Wisconsin native, Pete learned to fly as a teenager in the skies over southern Wisconsin. He entered the Air Force in 1979 as an honor graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. He received his master’s degree in International Affairs from Troy University in 1988 and was an International Affairs Fellow at Harvard University in 1996-97.

Pete is an active pilot with more than 6,000 hours in military fighter and training aircraft as well as civil piston, turboprop and business jet aircraft. He holds FAA multi-engine, seaplane and instrument ratings and serves on the board of directors of Build a Plane, the Recreational Aviation Foundation and Veterans Airlift Command. Pete also serves as co-chair of the NextGen Institute and is a member of MITRE Corporation’s Aviation Advisory Committee.

Pete was named the 2007 Aviation Industry Leader of the Year by the Living Legends of Aviation. In December 2009, Pete was awarded the ICAS Sword of Excellence, the air show industry’s premier annual award. In January 2010, he was inducted as one of the seventy Living Legends of Aviation.