The Advisory Team
Aircraft Advisors
Who Have Done the Work
Our advisors are former airline captains, FAA-appointed airworthiness representatives, and senior aircraft appraisers — professionals who built their expertise through decades of operational work, not classroom study.
The Principals
Experienced Advisors, Direct Client Access
Aviation Asset Advisors is structured so that every client works directly with a principal advisor. There are no junior associates, no handoffs, and no account managers sitting between you and the expert guiding your transaction.
Capt. Ivan Klugman
Principal Advisor
Capt. Klugman brings 35 years of wide-body airline operations to every advisory engagement — a background that sets him apart from conventional aviation consultants. He built Aviation Asset Advisors around a straightforward premise: clients deserve representation from someone who has actually flown the aircraft, negotiated the deals, and stood on the hangar floor during completion programs. He has led acquisition mandates for Boeing BBJ, Airbus ACJ, and widebody VIP platforms on behalf of sovereign clients, royal households, and corporate operators worldwide, and has personally supervised completion programs at major centers across the United States and Europe. His operational depth translates directly into commercial leverage for clients navigating technically complex transactions.
Retired Airline Captain
35 Yrs Wide-Body Ops
Commercial ATP
VIP Acquisition Specialist
Completion Oversight
Head of State Aircraft
BBJ & ACJ Advisory
Asset Management
FAA Compliance
Lease Transitions
Michael Bonventre
Senior Technical Advisor
Michael Bonventre holds a federal appointment as an FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR-T), giving Aviation Asset Advisors the authority to issue FAA airworthiness certificates directly for cross-border aircraft transactions — streamlining export and import documentation without requiring FSDO routing. His 37-year career spans military and civilian platforms, rotary and fixed-wing, from first-flight inspection roles at a major airframe manufacturer through more than sixteen years advising airlines and lessors on technical transitions and redelivery programs. He is a credentialed Senior Appraiser through the National Aircraft Appraisers Association and carries full USPAP endorsement for aircraft valuation work.
FAA DAR-T Appointee
A&P Mechanic License
FAA Airworthiness Designee
NAAA Senior Appraiser
USPAP Certified
Cross-Border Transactions
Aircraft Certification
Rotary & Fixed Wing
Military & Civil Aviation
Ferry Authorization
Extended Network
Specialist Partners — Global Coverage
Aviation Asset Advisors coordinates with a global network of type-rated engineers, maintenance specialists, legal advisors, and financing professionals to ensure clients receive expert support in every functional discipline required for complex aircraft transactions.
Type-Rated Engineers
BBJ and ACJ type-rated maintenance engineers available for pre-purchase inspections and completion oversight in North America, Europe, and the Middle East.
Legal & Finance Advisory
Aircraft financing and transaction legal expertise available through preferred partner relationships with specialist aviation law and asset finance firms.
