VanAllen Team

Group's team approach to consulting is an extremely powerful resource for our clients. Rather than relying on the knowledge and opinion of only one individual, the VanAllen Group is comprised of a group of seasoned aviation professionals who work with you to address your specific needs.

Clients of The VanAllen Group benefit from the in-depth practical experience of our team members. Each has achieved notable success in their respective fields. The breadth and depth of our competencies enables us to create exceptional results for you and your organization. We are each committed to making a difference.

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Myrden "Mert" J. Pellegrin

Mert Pellegrin

Mert Pellegrin is a Senior Consultant with The VanAllen Group. Mert is responsible for conducting a wide variety of organizational, operational and technical consulting services we provide for our clients. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our clients’ projects.

Prior to joining VanAllen in 2004, Mert established the multi-aircraft aviation department for a Louisiana-based company. Then, in October 1984, Mert established the flight department at Entergy, a large New Orleans energy company, where he oversaw the domestic and international operations of a wide variety of aircraft. Mert retired from Entergy as their Chief Pilot/Manager in 2004.

While at Entergy, Mert was instrumental in the successful consolidation of the company’s remote flight operations into one service organization. He participated in the selection, acquisition and/or disposal of virtually all of Entergy’s aircraft during his 20 year tenure. In 1995, he was honored by Professional Pilot Magazine as Chief Pilot of the magazine’s “Flight Department of the Year”. Mert successfully led the IS-BAO certification of Entergy’s flight department; the first U.S. based flight department to do so.

Mert has been a valued member of the NASA/Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) Fatigue Countermeasures Task Force and was instrumental in ground breaking publication of NASA/FSF’s “Principles and Guidelines for Duty and Rest Scheduling in Corporate and Business Aviation”, the acknowledged industry guideline for this sensitive subject. Mert was also the co-creator of the Alertness Solutions commercial training program “AvAlert”. He was a member of the Aviation Director’s Roundtable from 1998 to 2002. He has served as Publicity Chairman for all NBAA Annual Conventions held in New Orleans since 1994.

Mert brings to our clients a broad range of expertise in the following areas:

• Aviation department leadership and management,

• Aircraft operations and procedures (including Operations Manual development support),

• Aerodrome and facilities development coordination and support,

• Operational Best Practices and IS-BAO (International Standards – Business Aviation Operations gap analyses and audits, and

• Project leadership and management.

Mert completed his MBA at Nicholls State University. His under graduate studies were at the U.S. Naval Academy (Bachelor of Science – Aerospace). He went on to serve as a fleet fighter pilot and completed Navy Fighter Weapons School (“Top Gun”). He next completed the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and served as an F14A Tomcat Carrier Suitability experimental test pilot. Mert has a full membership in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. Mert holds FAA Airline Transport Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor certificates and continues to add to his over 15,000 hours of flight experience. He was a member of the first group to achieve the coveted designation as an NBAA Certified Aviation Manager.

 

Mert’s Suggested Readings

Audits=5W + H

Many aviation departments avoid audits out of fear or a sense of unreadiness, or because they just don’t want to be told how to operate. Audits can help to improve performance, to establish your baseline level of performance, and to define and isolate problems to be corrected. Read More >>

Building a Safety Culture in Corporate Aviation

Accident rates for corporate aviation and the airlines are virtually identical, but creating a culture of safety in corporate aviation may vastly improve safety performance. The vision for a safety culture is born at the executive level, but implementing and maintaining the culture of safety is the focus of the aviation-services unit leader. Read More >>

Cockpit Discipline v2

PINCs, incidents of Procedural Incidental Non-Compliance, occur when pilots, even well-meaning ones, prioritize “completing the mission” over passenger and crew safety. The effort to prevent PINCs and foster a culture of safety in your aviation-services department will benefit from the commitment of top management. Read More >>