Meet Chief Astronaut Charlie Precourt: Keynote Speaker at the 9th Annual Jet Linx Safety Summit
As we prepare for our upcoming Safety Summit, we’re thrilled to announce our distinguished keynote speaker: Charlie Precourt, former Chief NASA astronaut, retired U.S. Air Force test pilot, and one of the most respected safety advocates in aviation today.
Precourt’s background as an astronaut profoundly shapes his outlook on safety, setting a standard that is uncompromising and deeply informed by real-world, high-stakes experience. His appearance at our Safety Summit underscores our unwavering commitment to maintaining our position among the safest 1% of operators globally.
An Aviation Champion, At a Glance
Precourt holds degrees from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Golden Gate University, and the Naval War College. During his 23-year Air Force career, he rose to Colonel and graduated top of his pilot class. Â Since he began flying in his teens with his father, Precourt has amassed over 13,000 hours in over 90 different types of aircraft, including the F-15, F-4, F-16, A-7, Spitfire, P-51 Mustang, Mig-21, L-39, U-2, several Cessna Citation models, C-141 and KC-135, the Gulfstream GII, and numerous other light aircraft and gliders.
Selected by NASA in 1990, Precourt flew four Space Shuttle missions, including critical U.S.-Russian collaborations and Mir dockings. He served as Chief of the Astronaut Corps, Director of Operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, and Deputy Program Manager for the International Space Station. Precourt’s work at NASA earned him membership into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
After leaving NASA in 2004, he joined Northrop Grumman as Vice President and General Manager for Propulsion Systems, bringing spaceflight safety standards to the aviation industry. Now retired, Precourt is vice chair of the board of directors for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Precourt is also an NBAA Board Member.
A Relentless Advocate for Aviation Safety
Precourt currently leads the Citation Jet Pilots Association Safety Committee, where his “Safe to Land” initiative emphasizes stabilized approaches to landing. Under his leadership, CJP has achieved a multi-year record of zero inflight accidents while developing comprehensive safety programs and advocating for companion and crew training.
His distinctive “just culture” approach treats incidents as learning opportunities rather than occasions for blame, encouraging transparent reporting across business aviation. For these contributions, Charlie received the Flight Safety Foundation’s 2025 Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award in May 2025. He also serves on the National Business Aviation Association Board of Directors, extending his safety advocacy throughout the industry.
Charlie’s Approach to Safety: Lessons from Space and Sky
Precourt brings spaceflight’s zero-margin-for-error discipline to aviation safety. Despite vast experience in the realms of space and sky, he maintains that he’s never done learning, and we should all take a never-done-learning approach in all phases of life. This philosophy drives his advocacy for ongoing, scenario-based training.
“There’s more to just being proficient, there’s understanding those things that can go wrong and how to recognize them quickly so that you can deal with them before things get out of hand,” Precourt explained.
Precourt also advocates a “just culture” where mistakes become learning opportunities, not causes for punishment. At Jet Linx, we share this approach with our voluntary ASAP program, where more than 75% of our pilots and flight crews report hazards without fear of retribution.
Precourt also warns against the “normalization of deviance,” where safety standards gradually slip away, often with disastrous results. At Jet Linx, we never take safety as a given. This is in large part why we have committed to hosting an annual Safety Summit and shutting down all retail flight operations for a day.
Don’t Miss Charlie Precourt at our 9th Annual Safety Summit
Precourt’s astronaut mindset where preparation, vigilance, and continuous learning are paramount, aligns perfectly with the Jet Linx commitment to safety. By featuring his insights at our Safety Summit, we reaffirm that safety isn’t just a requirement but a mindset of protecting every client, every flight, every day.
Nothing is more personal than our commitment to bringing you home safely every time.
We look forward to celebrating the people that make safety happen at our Safety Summit on June 10, 2025.
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