Hansel Tookes II / Raytheon Aircraft

Hansel E. Tookes II, a former pilot for the Navy - he flew P-3D Orions - and United Airlines, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Raytheon Aircraft Company, the world’s leading business and special mission aircraft manufacturer. "All I ever wanted to do," Mr. Tookes has been quoted, "was to be a shuttle commander, run an airline or run an airplane company. So my dream came true."

Prior to joining Raytheon in September 1999, Mr. Tookes had been president of Pratt & Whitney’s Large Military Engines group. He joined United Technologies Corp. in 1980, holding a series of increasingly responsible leadership positions at its Norden Systems and Hamilton Standard Division.

Mr. Tookes holds a Master of Science degree in aeronautical systems from the University of West Florida, a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Florida State University, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard.

Mr. Tookes first flight, in 1969 with a Navy recruiter, was in a Beech T-34B Mentor. Now he’s running the company that built the Beech.