John Benning Senior Technical Consultant

jbenning@wicks-group.com
202-457-7790 (office)
571-733-4676 (mobile)

John Benning, is a Senior Technical Consultant for The Wicks Group (TWG), specializing in airworthiness. John has extensive aviation experience, including more than 28 years in senior roles at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a long U.S. Navy career focused on aircraft maintenance and maintenance department leadership. In his final position at the FAA, John served as a Senior Technical Advisor in the FAA International Program Division (AFS-50), supporting IASA Audit preparation and program management and providing expert technical guidance regarding ICAO Annex standards and recommended practices (SARPs). His preceding senior roles for the FAA included Acting Director for the Accident Investigation & Recommendations Division, International Field Office Branch Manager (AFS-54), Acting Division Manager of AFS-50, and Manager of the FAA Frankfurt International Field Office.

As a Senior Technical Consultant, John supports the firm’s IASA technical assistance projects and advises on other consulting and legal matters.

Representative Experience

• Provided expert technical knowledge to the FAA International Program Division (AFS-50) on ICAO Annex standards and recommended practices (SARPs) and supported IASA preparation and program management.
• Served as Acting Director of the FAA Accident Investigations & Recommendations Division, assigning the FAA Investigator-in-Charge for major/significant aviation accidents.
• Served as FAA International Field Office Management Branch Manager (AFS-54), engaging with over 1000 repair stations across 66 countries.
• Oversaw FAA AFS-50 maintenance agreements with EASA, Brazil, Singapore, the United Kingdom (UK), and Switzerland.
• Coordinated internal and external aviation stakeholders impacted by BREXIT via the development of action plans, potential maintenance agreements based on BREXIT outcomes, and industry briefings for both the UK and the US.
• Assisted FAA AFS-53 with processing and analyzing real-time data from FAA International Field Office engagement to determine candidates for FAA IASA audits.
• Participated in FAA IASA activities and the final IASA audit team for Malaysia.
• Coordinated across FAA divisions and offices for the successful implementation of a Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement and associated Maintenance Implementation Procedures (BASA/MIP) with Switzerland.
• Responsible for certificate management and surveillance of multiple foreign 145 Repair Stations throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
• Served as Principal Inspector of multiple Air Agencies that transitioned to a BASA/MIP in Germany, France and Ireland.