Robert L. Ireland
Vice President, Aerospace
Robert Ireland an active SAE International volunteer for nearly three decades, originally chairing the Wind Shear Subcommittee of the Flight Deck and Handling Qualities Standards for Transport Aircraft Committee (S-7). He was General Chair of the 1997 World Aviation Congress, and served on the Engineering Meetings Board, Finance Committee, and the SAE Board of Directors from 1999-2010.
He is currently a member of the Foundation Board of Trustees, Finance Committee, Technical Standards Board, and the Aerospace Council. Returning to the SAE Board in 2012, he is currently SAE’s Assistant Treasurer.
Mr. Ireland is Managing Director, Engineering and Maintenance at Airlines for America (formerly the Air Transport Association) in Washington, D.C., whose member airlines represent more than 90% of US passenger and cargo traffic. In his A4A role, he coordinates engineering and maintenance interfaces between the airlines and an array of government entities.
Ireland served United Airlines from 1981-2011, originally as a staff engineer, leading their participation in the development of industry-standard wind shear training techniques teaming with Boeing, Douglas, Lockheed and NCAR, as well as SAE Committee S-7. He held a variety of positions including Factory Representative at Boeing, leading the delivery team for 200 new aircraft, and manager of Maintenance Division automation. During his tenure as Manager of Corporate Programs, his team was responsible for $450 million in cabin equipment upgrades for the international fleet. Leading engineering services in United’s maintenance organization at San Francisco, he was responsible for technical data management, maintenance records, engineering standards, and the aircraft delivery activities at Boeing and Airbus.
From 1999 until his retirement from United in 2011, Mr. Ireland was Managing Director of Flight Training Center Services in Denver, overseeing flight simulator engineering and maintenance as well as all facility functions.
Prior to joining United Airlines, Ireland was employed by Boeing, and Honeywell’s avionics division. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Princeton University, majoring in Aerospace Engineering and Secondary Education, and remains an active alumni volunteer.
Mr. Ireland is a private pilot and resides near Washington with his wife, Kris, and occasionally their two daughters, Katy and Jeanne, who come and go the way twentysomethings do.