SEBASTIAN — RJ Siegel, who earlier in his career was part of the original MacIntosh team at Apple Computer, Tuesday was named Chief Executive Officer at LoPresti Aviation.Siegel is a passionate pilot, a 40-year Experimental Aircraft Association member, aircraft homebuilder, educator, engineer and businessman. While at Apple he worked on the first aviation iPod-based, black-box system which simultaneously played music, logged flight data and had telephonic capability.
“LoPresti has always been known as a creative engineering company, with great ‘bones,'” said Siegel. With certifications on 228 different models, providing for over 72,000 aircraft, LoPresti has installed thousands of aftermarket kits. Founder Roy LoPresti was responsible for the design and manufacture for a number of successful airplanes, including Mooney, Grumman, Beech and Piper. “Today, LoPresti is considered the gold standard in drag reduction, the science of aircraft efficiency. My intention,” said Siegel, “is to bring our expertise to the commercial and military markets, kicking it up a notch. If I can add a bit of Apple passion for innovation and ‘insanely great products’ we will spark an infectious change for the entire industry.”LoPresti serves the General Aviation market, from Light Sport to larger jet manufacturers. “In today’s business, the essentials of surviving and thriving are the ability to focus, the knowledge of what you focus on, and the heart to stick with it. Having all this, RJ Siegel, is perfect for LoPresti’s new direction,” said Curt LoPresti, President of LoPresti Aviation. “You can’t do better then the Apple model. A long-time, close family friend and business counselor, RJ will join us in making LoPresti Aviation a company that excels in engineering design, exceptional aviation products, and extreme customer service.”
