Market Leader Spotlight: Jim Lewis

A Lifetime in Aviation Defined by Experience, Perspective, and Service

For Jim Lewis, aviation has always been part of his story. Long before it became his profession, it was simply the world he knew.

Born on Lajes Air Force Base in Portugal, Jim grew up surrounded by airplanes. His father served as the Operations Officer and Chief Pilot for a wing of C-119s and C-124s for the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), the predecessor to today’s Military Airlift Command. From an early age, Jim was fascinated by flight, eagerly awaiting his father’s Air Force Association magazine each month and reading it cover-to-cover before anyone else had a chance.

That fascination continued to grow. After building model airplanes as a child and reading Richard Bach’s Stranger to the Ground, Jim knew aviation would always be part of his life. While his father wasn’t convinced aviation was the right career path, his mother became his biggest champion and encouraged him to keep pursuing his dream. “If not for her, I’m not sure where I’d be,” Jim says. “She was an incredible woman in every respect. When it was tough, expensive, or I was discouraged about flying, she’d pick me up, dust me off, and get me pointed back in the right direction.” He took his first flight in 1975, soloed in 1976, and now officially celebrates 50 years of flying.

That passion ultimately led to a remarkable career spanning nearly five decades and nearly every facet of aviation. Jim has flown freight and charter operations, served as a regional airline captain and chief pilot, managed flight departments, worked as a senior sales demonstration pilot for two major OEMs, and built a successful career in aircraft sales, brokerage, consulting, and business development.

Few people understand the aviation industry from as many perspectives as Jim does, and that breadth of experience is one of the greatest assets he brings to aircraft owners and operators today. “I know what it’s like in single-pilot night freight operations flying Barons and Cherokee Sixes, running flight departments, demo, and being a senior captain and instructor in regional airlines,” Jim says. “I certainly know what it takes to operate aircraft.”

One of the pivotal moments in Jim’s career came when Gulfstream acquired Galaxy Aerospace. At the time, Jim was serving as a demonstration pilot supporting the worldwide sales team. He enjoyed the role and was comfortable in the cockpit, so when he was offered a Sales Director position, he was surprised. “I was fairly sure they’d lost their minds,” Jim says.

The transition from operations to sales required a significant mindset shift, moving from the precision and predictability of flying into the more complex world of business relationships and negotiations. While the change was challenging, it ultimately expanded his ability to serve clients and gave him a deeper understanding of the many factors that influence aircraft decisions.

Today, Jim’s approach is rooted in trust, experience, and relationships. “When a client makes the decision to trust and hire a powerful, capable broker like jetAVIVA, they’re actually hiring our experience, relationships, and our network,” Jim says.

Aircraft transactions are complex, and Jim understands that challenges are inevitable. The true value of an experienced advisor is not avoiding every obstacle, but knowing how to navigate them when they arise. “These deals fall off the rails often. They all do,” he explains. “It takes a broker with our experience and network to get it back on the rails.” After nearly 50 years in aviation, Jim remains inspired by the industry’s unique challenges and responsibilities.

Jim’s experience with both OEMs and brokerages has also shaped his client-first philosophy. While he spent more than a decade with Gulfstream and remains recognized as a large cabin aircraft expert, he believes the right aircraft is always the one that best fits the client’s mission. “It ultimately doesn’t matter what jet you opt for, as long as it fits all the parameters,” Jim says. That philosophy is one of the reasons he was drawn to jetAVIVA. “I always admired the value they placed on the brand and client experience,” he says. “They fiercely protected it.”

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Jim has dedicated significant time to mentoring and supporting the aviation community through organizations including NCBAA, PNBAA, the Oregon Pilots Association, Veteran’s Airlift Command, Challenge Air, and the Oregon Disaster Airlift Response Team. For Jim, mentorship is about preserving knowledge and helping the next generation succeed. “We all need to leave this place better than we found it,” he says.

He credits one of his mentors, a chief pilot for Air Florida commute, Fred DeBeaubien, with shaping that philosophy. Years after working together, Jim thanked Fred for the education and guidance he provided. Fred’s response was simple: “Pass it along to the next pilot.” That message has stayed with Jim throughout his career.

After five decades in aviation, Jim remains inspired by the same thing that captured his imagination as a child: the incredible challenge of flight. For Jim, aviation has always been about more than airplanes. It is about people, relationships, responsibility, and delivering on the promises made to those who place their trust in you.