Meet Clay Lacy’s new VP, Flight Operations, and our new Chief Pilot
Dondi Pangalangan, Vice President of Flight Operations
Dondi is responsible for providing leadership and guidance to Clay Lacy’s flight operations, control center functions, inflight services, and safety, security and regulatory compliance. He works closely with our pilots, cabin attendants, clients and leadership team, ensuring that safety, service and value are at the core of all flight operations activities.
Dondi brings over four decades of business aviation executive and team leadership experience to Clay Lacy, as well as expertise gained from his military career. Before joining Clay Lacy, he held vice president of operations, assistant chief pilot, and large cabin fleet instructor pilot positions at both regional and national private jet companies, and was a program manager, chief instructor and check airman at FlightSafety International. He holds an Air Transport Pilot license, with more than 13,000 hours of flight time, and is type rated in multiple Gulfstream, Embraer and Citation business jet models.
A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, Dondi was director of operations, training and standards at the Ohio Air National Guard 121 Air Refueling Wing, comprising 13 squadrons with more than 1,000 personnel. Earlier, he was a pilot in the U.S. Navy, flying the Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopter and T-34, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander, holding numerous positions overseeing operations, maintenance, pilot training and other key functions.
He completed the Air Command and Staff College at the Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, earned a BS in psychology from Otterbein College and holds an MBA from the University of West Florida at Pensacola.
Steve Higgins, Chief Pilot
Steve oversees and directs the recruitment, training and mentoring of our nationwide team of pilots. Steve also manages compliance with our Safety Management System (SMS) and Operational Procedures, liaises with executive leadership across the company, works closely with our aircraft owners and assists in planning flights, routes, operations and the adoption of new equipment.
During his decades in business aviation, Steve has held chief pilot, captain, designated pilot examiner, check airman, director of operations and other key positions at leading West Coast charter operators and corporate flight departments. He began his aviation career as a flight instructor in 1978. Steve is a type rated in Gulfstream, Challenger, Learjet and Hawker business jets, with international experience throughout Europe, the Pacific, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. He has flown in more than 55 countries, with over 800 oceanic crossings.
Steve’s aviation credentials includes Airline Transport Pilot, Designated Pilot Examiner, and CFI Instrument/Multi-Engine. He studied aviation, human development and philosophy at universities in California and Oregon.
