Steve Padgett OAM has been in aviation for over 50 years, learning to fly at age 16 after winning a RAAF Flying Scholarship. He has held a Commercial Pilot Licence, a Flight Instructor Rating with endorsements on Cessna Citation Business Jets. Mr Padgett launched his own company, Aeromil, in 1980 in Sydney and moved Aeromil to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in 1995, which was the catalyst for the development of Sunshine Express Airlines in 1998 and the formation of Alliance Airlines in 2002 where he is chair. In 2015, the Aeromil Group of Companies was acquired by Hawker Pacific and Mr Padgett became deputy chair of Hawker Pacific Australia. He is a board member and life member of the Regional Aviation Association of Australia, chair of the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame, and was invited to become a member of the National Council of the Australian Air Force Cadets. Mr Padgett is recognised as a leader in the aviation industry in the Asia-Pacific region and has been acknowledged by his peers as one of the region’s Top 10 people of influence. In 2019, he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to aviation.
