West Star Aviation names Valdes as Program Director for Embraer, Accessories, NDT at East Alton
Eric Valdes
West Star Aviation recently announced that Eric Valdes has accepted the Program Director role responsible for Embraer, Accessories, and NDT at the company’s East Alton, IL (ALN) facility.
Valdes has over 30 years of aviation experience, with the past 16 years at WSA. He served in the U.S. Air Force as an AWACS crew chief at Tinker AFB. Valdes received his A&P license at Southwestern Illinois College. Valdes was previously responsible for doubling revenue and work force within the ALN Gulfstream program over the past 10 years.
“Eric’s long tenure at West Star gives him the experience and relationships needed to grow and support the Embraer program to meet current and future customer needs,” said ALN General Manager Brian Bauwens.
As an industry leading MRO provider, West Star is proud to have been voted the #1 Preferred MRO for the ninth time from 2014-2021 and 2023 in Professional Pilot Magazine’s annual PRASE Survey. West Star Aviation specializes in the repair and maintenance of airframes, engines and APUs, avionics installations and repair, major modifications, interior refurbishment, exterior paint, accessory services and parts.
In addition to its primary facilities in East Alton, Ill., Grand Junction, Colo., Chattanooga, Tenn., and Perryville, Mo., West Star Aviation also maintains satellite facilities at Chicago Executive Airport in Chicago, Centennial Airport in Denver, Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport in Houston, Texas, and Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport in Minneapolis, Minn.
The company also provides complete FBO services for transient aircraft at its East Alton and Grand Junction facilities, as well as AOG/MRT services worldwide. West Star Aviation is an industry leader in technical experience and expertise while providing world-class customer services in all the organization’s divisions. For more information visit www.weststaraviation.com or call 800-922-2421.
