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UPRTA International will announce major leadership roles during the annual UPRT Safety Summit for Pilots Worldwide, scheduled for December 17, 2025. Senior leadership consists of industry experts with decades of experience. The leadership team offers expertise in flight training, flight testing, safety, operations, industry collaboration, and government affairs.The UPRT Safety Summit for Pilots Worldwide is a single-day virtual event that will feature leading experts from across the aviation industry to present and share best practices, new strategies, and the association's strategic vision to save lives by eliminating the LOC-I threat."Our leadership team reflects a unified commitment to advancing upset-training excellence worldwide," said Paul "BJ" Ransbury, President of UPRTA International. "With defined two-year senior leadership terms that keep our organization adaptive and accountable, we're aligning experts from across aviation to maximally reduce the risk of Loss of Control In-flight through proven-effective best practices, deeper collaboration, and improved readiness across every sector of aviation. At the heart of this effort is our core purpose: We Drive Upset Training Excellence in Aviation to Save Lives Globally."UPRTA International Senior Leadership Team:
President - Paul ‘BJ' Ransbury
Former fighter and airline pilot, Ransbury brings more than 30 years of operational, instructional, and executive experience to advancing pilot safety worldwide. As CEO of Aviation Performance Solutions (APS), his team pioneered the All-Attitude Upset Recovery StrategyTM and the "Say and Do" technique, validated through research demonstrating dramatic improvements in pilot recovery performance and skill retention. His leadership, APS helped shape ICAO Doc 10011 and key FAA advisory circulars, and develop the Every Pilot In Control Solution StandardTM (EPIC-S2TM), now recognized as the industry benchmark for proven-effective UPRT.Ransbury is an eight-time Master CFI and former NBAA Safety Committee Chairman.Executive Vice President, Operations - Capt. David Carbaugh
Capt. Carbaugh is one of the industry's most respected leaders in upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) and operational safety. With over 40 years of flight experience, David began his career as a U.S. Air Force pilot, serving as an instructor, check airman, and wing spin pilot before flying the F-15 and C-141 on global missions, including support for the first Gulf War.Most recently, Carbaugh spent nearly three decades at Boeing, flying every major commercial model and serving as Chief Pilot for Flight Operations Safety. He co-led the creation of the Airplane Upset Recovery Training Aid, wrote key pilot training materials, and oversaw global instructor program and safety standard development.Executive Vice President, Industry Liaison - Capt. Kipp Lau
Capt. Lau drives collaboration between operators, regulators, and manufacturers to advance safety initiatives and upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) worldwide. A veteran airline captain with more than four decades of global flight experience, and is type-rated on several Airbus, Boeing, and regional airliners. In the past, he has served numerous international working groups, including the FAA, ICAO, the Global HFDM Steering Group, and the International Helicopter Safety Team.A respected voice in aviation journalism, Kipp has authored hundreds of articles on flight safety and airmanship and is a regular contributor to Aviation International News.Executive Vice President, Regulatory and Administration - Maryanne DeMarco
Ms. DeMarco leads organizational governance, strategic coordination, and stakeholder engagement across global upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) initiatives.With over 25 years of aviation leadership, DeMarco shapes international safety, security, and workforce development policy in collaboration with Congress, federal agencies, and global industry partners. She has advised the FAA, DOT, DHS, TSA, and NTSB on regulatory matters and has served numerous Aviation Rulemaking Committees and leads participation on Aviation Rulemaking and Advisory Committees. Recognized for strategic leadership and initiative within the international aviation community.In 2020, she was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to the FAA Women in Aviation Advisory Board, contributing to a landmark report with 55 recommendations to strengthen workforce diversity and expand pilot career pathwaysSummit Highlights
The "2025 UPRT Safety Summit of Pilots Worldwide" will feature presentations from UPRTA International's senior leadership and expert working groups representing multiple sectors, including:Flight Department - Business aviation, government, and military
General Aviation - Owner-pilot associations and individual pilots
Safety Management Systems - Safety risk management, safety risk profile, ops manual
Science - Human factors and safety data analysis
Regulatory - Airline and flight school
Registration Information: The 2025 UPRT Safety Summit for Pilots Worldwide is free to attend and will begin at 14:00Z on Wednesday, December 17, 2025. Register here.