Brian Eaton
Brian has been very influential and successful, applying his IEM degrees from OSU
in the aerospace industry as both a manager and a technical / regulatory / compliance
/ certification specialist. Throughout his career, Brian has worked closely and represented
his companies with civil aviation authorities around the world including the
FAA, EASA, TCCA, and more.
He worked for several years in the Quality Engineering group at the Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas. He led the first ISO 9001 registration of Cessna’s extensive facilities in Wichita, and Cessna became one of the first aircraft manufacturers worldwide to achieve ISO registration. He was also key in the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Independence, Kansas following passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994. This marked Cessna’s return to the production of propeller aircraft, which had been halted in 1986 due to uncontrollable product liability issues.
In 1997, Brian accepted a position with Learjet Inc. As Manager of Quality, he was responsible for regulatory compliance of all Learjet aircraft production in Wichita and Tucson, Arizona. More recently, Brian has transitioned to a technical role supporting the “type design certification” of Learjet and Bombardier model aircraft. He has been involved with several new aircraft model programs, including the Learjet 60XR, 70, 75, 85, and Bombardier Challenger 300. Brian has represented Bombardier/Learjet on numerous industry associations including the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the Aerospace Industries Association.
Brian is a native Oklahoman. He was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Tulsa. His father Kenneth is a 1961 OSU IEM graduate. Brian earned Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Industrial Engineering and Management from Oklahoma State University in 1987 and 1990.
In 1993, Brian married Dianne Buffington, who was then IEM’s Financial Assistant. They relocated to Wichita, where they raised two daughters, Lauren and Allison. Lauren recently graduated from Wichita State University, and now works for Koch Industries. Allison is a junior at the University of Kansas. Dianne passed away unexpectedly in 2014.
Brian holds Quality Engineer and Quality Auditor certifications from the American Society for Quality. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Kansas.