Emilio Saldana
Vice President of Technical Operations
"No one is ever too important to roll up their sleeves, real leadership means being willing to get your hands dirty alongside your team."
Emilio Saldana III is a seasoned technical operations leader with 15 years of experience in aviation maintenance, simulator operations, and engineering support. He currently serves as Vice President of Technical Operations for Avenger Flight Group, where he is responsible for the oversight and execution of all maintenance programs and technical infrastructure across AFG’s global network of training centers. In this role, he leads a team of skilled Directors, Managers, and Flight Simulator Technicians, ensuring operational readiness, regulatory compliance, and consistent performance across a wide range of training devices and platforms.
Emilio brings a diverse aviation background spanning military, business jet, and commercial flight training environments. He began his career supporting Department of Defense electronic countermeasure systems as part of his service in the United States Marine Corps. He later joined CAE, where he worked on business jet simulator platforms, before moving to Avenger Flight Group in 2020. Since then, he has been instrumental in leading technical operations through periods of rapid expansion, supporting four new site activations and driving reliability improvement initiatives.
Emilio is known for his transparent leadership style, hands-on approach, and commitment to team development and operational excellence.