EXECUTIVE WATCH John Wyllie CEO of Flightcell By Rick Weatherford


Flightcell’s founding CEO, John Wyllie, calls from perhaps the most majestically picturesque place on Earth: his native town of Nelson, New Zealand, at the northern tip of the South Island. The island has been the location for epic fantasy/adventure movies including “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” What Flightcell does seems magical too. It links and tracks aircraft around the globe, allowing pilots and their flying machines to communicate with a vast array of terrestrial and satellite systems. The Kiwi company of 21 employees punches far above its size, building a global reputation as the go-to organization for avionic communication solutions. You may have heard of some of its approximately 4,000 customers: the


14 July/Aug 2021


U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines; California Highway Patrol, Texas Department of Public Safety, Cal Fire, Royal Flying Doctors, Colombian Air Force, and U.S. Department of State. Yes, Flightcell has street — and air — cred.


What makes Flightcell’s story especially inspiring is where the company started. The business recipe was cooked up from scratch on Wyllie’s kitchen table in 1995. “It started with no money and just an idea,” he says. It was born out of Wyllie’s desire to join his helicopter piloting with his lifelong fascination for communication equipment.


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