Meet the Team
Meet our Board of Directors for the Texas Capital Air Show.
Tim Scherer, Chairman and Founder
Tim is currently a captain at Delta Air Lines flying the Boeing 767 as well as a Colonel flying the C47 and SNJ with the Commemorative Air force in San Marcos.
Tim is the founder of Wheels and Warriors which transformed into Wings & Warriors after 7 years of large car shows in the Central Texas area dedicated to raising funds to combat Veteran and First responder suicide and Complex PTSD
Rusty West, Co-Founder
Rusty is the Co-Founder of the Wings & Warriors Foundation. Rusty founded Market Scan in 1988, a software developing company which he sold in February of last year.
Rusty is currently the President of Modena Aviation which owns and operates 6 aircraft with plans to expand.
Erick "Hom" O'Connor, Director of Operations
Erick has recently relocated to Texas from Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada, where he served as a pilot for the CF18 Hornet with the Royal Canadian Air Force. With over 33 years of military aviation experience, including 15 years in the airshow sector, Erick’s expertise is extensive.
His background includes operational management as the Director of Operations for Canada’s largest military airshow, as well as serving as the CF18 Demonstration Pilot. Additionally, Erick is among the select few multi-venue air bosses in North America. His diverse experience is one of the key factors that led us to seek his assistance in organizing the upcoming Texas Capital Air Show.
A dedicated general aviation pilot, Erick enjoys flying his F1 Rocket alongside friends and family. He currently holds the position of Vice President of Operations at Modena Aviation. We are thrilled to welcome such a well-connected, passionate, and skilled individual to our team, as we strive for excellence in the airshow industry.
Dan Ayres, Director of Personnel
Dan is the father of 2 boys, Daniel and Diesel, both Firefighters and has a deep connection to helping support Veterans and especially First Responders.
Dan along with his wife Tammy of 27 years have been involved with Wheels and Warriors since the beginning, serving in numerous capacities.
Dan has been in the IT industry for over 30 years performing at multiple levels of computer operations and eventually management, and has been the owner of a successful small business in Dallas; A+ Blinds, for the past 24 years. He brings a wealth of experience to Wings & Warriors.
John Lugo, Director of Ground Operations
Master Sergeant John Lugo is currently setting up for retirement after 22 years of dedicated service to the United States Air Force and the Virgina Air National Guard. He is transitioning from the role of the USAF F-22 Demonstration Team Superintendent where he was responsible for the 20-member team representing Air Combat Command, the United States Air Force and the Department of Defense at more than 33 airshows and special events annually throughout the world. John has toured and deployed all over the globe supporting numerous joint force contingency operations and brings over 5 years of airshow experience to the Texas Capitol Airshow Team.
Richard Haltom, Director of Logistics
Richard is a founding and board member of the Wheels and Warriors Foundation and has spent most of his life involved in the automotive industry in some form or other, in addition to building a 34+ year career as a Project Manager for an industrial services company operating internationally.
Transitioning from the Wheels and Warriors to Wings & Warriors is a natural fit for him within the organization as we look to build on our past success and continue to support our Veterans and First Responders.
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