About AOPA
Biographies of AOPA Board Members
Lawrence “Larry” D. Buhl III, who was born in 1957, has been a member of AOPA’s Board of Trustees since 2004 and an AOPA member since 1974. He currently serves on the Compensation, Organization and HR Committee, the Audit Committee and the Strategy and Growth Committees of the Board.
Larry has been an active pilot since 1973 and has accumulated more than 3,200 hours of flight time. He currently owns a Piper Malibu Meridian based at New Haven, Connecticut. He holds a Private Pilot Certificate with Multi-Engine and Instrument ratings. Larry’s aviation-related activities have included collecting planes made by Buhl Aircraft Company made in the 1930’s.
A resident of North Haven, Connecticut, Larry is the founder and CEO of Snappy Materials LLC/Tico Titanium, Inc., a mid-sized titanium distribution company with locations in Michigan, Texas, Connecticut, and California
Born in 1967, Darrell Crate has been a member of AOPA since 1992 and a member of the Board since 2004. He serves on the Compensation, Organization and HR Committee, Chairs the Audit Committee and is Co-Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee.
After soloing in 1991, Darrell earned his Private Pilot Certificate in 1993. Today, he holds multiengine land and instrument rating, and has more than 3,000 flight hours. He also owns a Socata TBM 700 based at Beverly, MA. His aviation achievements include flying his single engine plane to all of the 48 continental United States, (and may hold the record for the least number of bathroom breaks when traveling with four children).
Darrell resides in Beverley Farms, Massachusetts.
Matthew J. Desch, born in 1958, joined the AOPA Board of Trustees in 2011, having been an AOPA member since 1976 and a member of the AOPA Foundation Board of Visitors since 2008.
Matt earned his Private Pilot Certificate in 1976 and holds a Commercial certificate with Instrument, and Multi-engine land ratings. He has more than 1600 flight hours today and owns a Cessna T210 based at Leesburg Executive (KJYO).
An early pioneer in the wireless industry, he is CEO of Iridium Communications Inc., a global provider of mobile satellite communications. Matt resides in McLean, VA.
Burgess “Butch” Hamlet was born in 1960. He joined AOPA in 1987 and became a member of the Board of Trustees in 1998. He chairs the Compensation, Organization and HR Committee and serves on the Executive and Nominating Committee, as well as the Strategy and Growth committees for the Board.
After earning his Private Pilot Certificate in 1986, Butch went on to earn an Instrument Rating and now has more than 3,300 flight hours. He owns a Socata TBM 700 based at Blue Ridge Airport, Martinsville, Virginia (KMTV).
Butch was formerly President and CEO of SouthPrint Inc., one of the nation’s largest volume screen-printing companies, and former President and CEO of Checkered Flag Sports, which manufactures NASCAR licensed apparel for retailers. He resides in Bassett, Virginia.
Paul was born in 1940, joined AOPA in 1958, and has been a trustee since 1975. A former chairman of the AOPA Board, Paul currently sits on the Executive and Nominating Committee, serves on the Finance and Investment Committee and Compensation Committees of the Board.
Paul, who soloed in 1958, holds an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, and Instrument Instructor Rating, Glider Pilot Certificate, and Advanced Ground Instructor Rating. He has logged more than 4,000 hours and owns a Cessna 210 based at Wings Field near Philadelphia.
Paul’s aviation-related activities have included service on the boards of the Aero Club of Pennsylvania, Aviation Council of Pennsylvania, and Wings Field Preservation Associates. He has served as chairman of the Aviation Hall Committee of The Franklin Institute Science Museum and the Aviation Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He is a member of the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association. Since 1971, Paul has served as a member of the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam), a role formerly known as an FAA Accident Prevention Counselor. He has written an aviation book, "Flying for Fun" (Bisel 1995), and for 13 years was the aviation columnist for The Philadelphia Bulletin.
His contributions to aviation have been recognized with numerous awards and citations, including lifetime achievement awards from both the Aero Club of Pennsylvania and PennDOT's Bureau of Aviation. In 2008, the FAA awarded Paul its Wright Brothers "Master Pilot" award for 50 consecutive years of safe flying.
Paul, who resides in Haverford, Pennsylvania, is a partner in the Philadelphia law firm of Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell and Hippel, LLP, where he concentrates his practice in aviation law, trust and estate law, and non-profit law.
Herman Neel Hipp Jr., better known as Neel, was born in 1951. He has been a member of the AOPA Board of Trustees since 2000 and a member of the association since 1980. In addition to his roles as Treasurer and Assistant Secretary for the Board, he is Co-Chairman of the Finance and Investment Committee, and sits on the Executive and Nominating Committee, as well as the Audit Committee.
Neel, who owns a Beech Bonanza based at Greenville Downtown Airport, holds a Private Pilot Certificate with Instrument and Multi-Engine ratings as well as a Commercial Certificate. He has accumulated more than 2,300 hours of flight time. In addition to his work on behalf of AOPA, Neel has served on the Greenville Downtown Airport Commission and as Chairman of the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission.
Former chairman of Liberty Life Insurance Company and current owner of Hipp Investments LLC, Neel lives in Greenville, South Carolina.
A former chairman of the AOPA Board of Trustees, R. Anderson “Andy” Pew, was born in 1936 and has been an AOPA member since 1956 and a Board member since 1970. Today, he serves as Vice Chairman of the Audit Committee.
After earning his Private Pilot Certificate in 1956, Andy went on to earn Instrument, Sea Plane, and Glider ratings. Today, he owns a Piper Comanche based at Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), and has more than 3600 flight hours. He previously served with the 111th Fighter Group in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force Reserve.
Andy resides in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He spent his entire career with Sunoco Inc, formerly Sun Oil Company, until he retired in 1996. His 37 years of active employment spanned the company's exploration and production, manufacturing, and financial administration divisions, as well as service as president of Helios Capital Corp. and CEO of Radnor Corp., both Sun subsidiaries. He retired as a parent company director in 2009 after 30 years of Board service.
William C. “Bill” Trimble, born in 1962, first joined the AOPA Board of Trustees in 1993 and has served as chairman since 2005. In addition to his role as chairman, he is chairman of the Executive and Nominating Committee. He also serves on the Finance and Investment Committee, the Compensation, Organization and HR Committee, the Audit Committee, and the Strategy and Growth Committee.
Bill has been flying since 1983 and earned his Private Pilot Certificate in 1985. He went on to earn Glider, Single engine sea, Multi-engine Land, Instrument, and Commercial (certificates and ratings). He now has more than 4300 flight hours and owns a Piper Malibu Meridian based at BWI in Maryland. A resident of Washington, DC, Bill is CEO of Easterly Partners, a real estate investment management company.
Born in 1953, James G. “Jay” Tuthill has been an AOPA member since 1978 and a member of the Board of Trustees since 2009. He is Chairman of the Strategy and Growth Committee.
Jay began flying in 1976 and now has more than 2200 flight hours. He holds Instrument, Multi-Engine Land, and Multi-Engine Sea ratings. He also holds type ratings in the Cessna Citation and Aero L-39 Albatros. Jay, who now flies a Socata TBM850 based at Chicago/Romeoville Airport, has flown numerous aircraft models through the years and admits to having a soft spot for the Grumman Goose. His other aviation achievements include flying his own airplane across the Atlantic and piloting his way through eleven different countries. Most educational, however, was learning how to be the #3 pilot in a 3 pilot corporate flight department.
Jay is Chairman of Tuthill Corporation, a mid-size manufacturer of industrial products for markets worldwide. He makes his home in Chicago.
