ISTAT Jetrader - Spring 2020 - 12

PERSPECTIVES

Adam Pilarski, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President of AVITAS

ISTAT has selected Adam Pilarski, Ph.D., as
the recipient of the 2020 ISTAT Award. The
ISTAT Award, was created in 2001 to recognize
individuals who have made lasting contributions
to the industry over a significant period of time.
Jetrader recently spoke to Dr. Pilarski about
his history in the industry and what excites him
about the future.
Jetrader: Congratulations on being
honored with the ISTAT Award.
Can you tell us a little about your
background?
Adam Pilarski (AP): Thank you. It is
a great honor, and I greatly appreciate
being selected this year to join a long
list of outstanding aviation industry
leaders. My saying is always "I'd rather
be lucky than good," so while I am not
certain I deserve the award, I will gladly
accept it.
I've been in the U.S. for about 47
years. People talk to me and sometimes
question whether I am an American.
Having lived here for well over half
of my life, I purposely cultivate my
accent - like Dr. Kissinger did - just
to confuse people. You probably do
not know it, but Kissinger actually
was a blue-collar guy from Arkansas
who spoke with an accent, and that's
why people respected him. Sometimes
people will try to sell me something,
and they assume if I say I'm not
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interested that I didn't get it. Then I
explain "I actually do speak English.
I understood everything you said,
and, as a matter of fact, I've been in
America and a U.S. citizen longer than
you have."
I was born in Sweden and grew
up in Poland, Germany, Austria and
Israel. Except for the U.S., I lived in
Poland for the longest time, and that
is where I finished high school. I came
to America - to the Midwest - for
graduate studies. And then lived
a couple of decades in Southern
California and now for another couple
of decades on the East Coast.
Jetrader: When you began your
career, did you have any long-term
goals in the industry, or was it
something you thought you'd only be
involved in for a short time?
AP: Many smart kids go to school, do
well, get an "atta boy" or "atta girl,"
so they say "I like it" and continue.
ISTAT Jetrader - Spring 2020

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