Jack Pelton's Favorite Things

A Conversation with Cessna's President and CEO

Jack Pelton always knew he was meant for the sky. He and his twin brother, Danny, were born in Downey, California to pilot parents. Pelton still recalls flying along the Western coastline in his father’s Cessna 140 at an early age. After graduating from high school, he earned his pilot’s license in Long Beach. “At first, I thought I wanted to be a commercial pilot,” he says. “But during the Vietnam War era, there were so many pilots coming out of the service that I decided that path probably wasn’t as realistic.” Instead, he worked his way up at Douglas Aircraft. He later became senior vice president of engineering and programs for Fairchild Dornier. In 2000, he joined Cessna as senior vice president of engineering and was promoted to the position of president and CEO in December 2003. Since then, he’s helped the company grow to more than $4 billion per year in revenue. Pelton recently took time out of his busy schedule to talk about surfing, flying and taking Warren Buffett’s wallet.

Sunday afternoon activity?
Hanging out at Benton Airport. I own four planes that keep me pretty busy: two Cessnas, a 1942 Ryan PT22 and a Citaborea. The Ryan is the same airplane my dad learned to fly in, and it’s the plane that I named my son after. The Citaborea is an acrobatic plane. (It’s “aerobatic” spelled backward.)

Is there something about you that almost no one knows?
I have a 10-foot surfboard in my garage. I moved here from southern California, and I used to surf every week. I haven’t surfed in the last six years, but I’ve thought about getting out on Lake El Dorado on a windy day.

Place to get a haircut?
Craig Allen’s. Really, it’s mainly because I can go at any time, and it’s tough to schedule an appointment anywhere else since I travel so much.

Drink?
Quintessa 2001. It’s a really special wine. The last time I had a bottle was when we signed a billion-dollar order with NetJets. We also did a billion dollars at the National Business Aviation Association, and my wife bought me a bottle of Quintessa that was inscribed with gold-colored lettering.

Place to fly?
I’ll occasionally fly to Beaumont, Kansas for breakfast. You land in a grass field and taxi down a city street, past the four-way stop and there’s the Beaumont Hotel. It’s a great place to eat.

Book?
I just finished the The Reagan Diaries. I’m a big fan of the former president. In fact, I have a picture of him on a table behind my desk. Now, I’m getting ready to read Where Have All the Leaders Gone? by Lee Iacocca.

Sports team?
I grew up as fan of the L.A. Clippers, the Loveable Losers. Part of the reason is you could get really great seats. It’s kind of like the Royals. You could sit in the front row and watch all of the other teams.

Favorite vacation?
My family recently went to Chicago for a Red Sox/Cubs game. The girls went shopping and saw “Wicked” while my son and I spent three hours viciously competing over free throws and bowling at ESPN Zone.

Interesting part of your office?
I have a picture of Warren Buffett handing me his wallet. He was at an aviation conference and someone asked for a picture, so he suggested shooting a photo of him handing his wallet to me.