Frans van de Pol, a seasoned aviation industry expert, has been elected chairman of the executive board of IAMA, the Independent Aircraft Modifier Alliance. He replaces outgoing chair Marc Pinault, who remains a board member but who stepped down March 7th.
Joining IAMA’s board in 2021, van de Pol leads Fokker Services engineering business unit and brings a broad range and wealth of experience to the chairman role. Having started his career in aviation on Fokker’s assembly line, he moved to engineering technical support, then aircraft modifications and leading Fokker’s American and Netherlands component MRO. Along the way, van de Pol also worked in product support, logistics and type certification.
“When I initially heard about IAMA, I thought that this is the type of organization that should have been established 20 years ago,” van de Pol noted.
“There is a perception in the marketplace that some stakeholders don’t accept supplemental type certificates (STCs), but the alliance is swiftly changing the aviation industry’s minds. I am honored to have been elected board chair, and I would like to thank Marc for pioneering the position with IAMA. Under his leadership, the organization has made huge strides forward, developing and publishing the IAMA Rulebook and focusing on advocacy. I hope to keep the momentum going.”
“We are thrilled to have Frans as our new chairman,” said Nina Schulz, IAMA’s managing director. “IAMA takes a holistic view of the aviation environment, looking at the challenges from the modifier, lessor, owner, operator and, of course, the aircraft OEM’s point of view. Frans’ broad experience and understanding of these stakeholders will bring new insights as we continue pursuing our mission to advocate for transparency in aftermarket modifications.”
Van de Pol says he came to aviation by chance while studying mechanical engineering. He has worked at Fokker in various roles for 36 years, during which he developed expertise and experience that covers the gamut of aircraft subject matter, including obtaining his private pilot’s license while leading the Fokker Services business unit in the United States in the early 2010s. On his return to the Netherlands, he became vice president of component and material services & Fokker programs, ultimately becoming Fokker Services managing director of engineering in 2015.
About IAMA
We at IAMA, the Independent Aircraft Modifier Alliance, are advocates and supporters of member companies in the aircraft retrofit modification market. We are educators, identifying and highlighting value of Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) within the aircraft lifecycle. We collaborate to develop standards that streamline communications and documentation within approved STC modification projects. To ensure that effective modernizations meet aircraft operator and owner requirements, we endorse STC-approved solutions. Founded by retrofit market leaders, we believe an independent, transparent market is a strong market that will benefit everyone. To learn more and join, visit: iamalliance.aero.
Featured image credited to IAMA
