About Us
High Altitude Partners is an executive search team for aviation and aerospace — built on the firm we wished had existed, with aligned incentives, real transparency, and a guarantee worth something.
How We Got Here
For years, we watched good companies in aviation and aerospace get burned by a broken model. Operations leaders calling us frustrated, having paid huge fees for hires that didn't stick. GMs telling us they felt like an afterthought the moment the contract was signed. Talented candidates being pushed toward roles that paid the recruiter more, not the ones that fit them best.
We knew there was a better way, because we'd seen what happens when there isn't one. We've sat across from leaders who trusted the process and got let down. We've watched percentage-based fees quietly punish companies for being smart about compensation. We've seen the "black box" leave clients guessing for weeks while a production line, a hangar, or a quality program waited on a critical hire.
So we stopped complaining about it and built something different.
Flat fees, because hiring well shouldn't cost you more. A real-time client portal that opens the door and keeps it open, so you see what we see, when we see it. A 90-day guarantee that keeps us in it with you long after the offer is signed, because a placement isn't a win until it's working a year later.
This is the firm we wished we could have hired back when we were on the other side of the table. Now we get to be it for the aviation and aerospace leaders who need it most.
The Team
Co-Founder · Aviation
Contact Simon Connect on LinkedInSimon brings over 40 years of experience in the aviation industry, and every aviation and aerospace search at High Altitude Partners runs through him personally. From aerospace manufacturing and MRO to aviation services, he has spent his career inside the businesses our clients are hiring to lead — so he knows what great looks like long before a résumé crosses the desk.
Four decades in aviation have given Simon a deep understanding of the complexities and challenges of the industry. He has watched it evolve from the early days of commercial air travel to today's high-rate, highly regulated, safety-critical environment. That perspective lets him cut through buzzwords and assess whether a candidate can actually deliver in operations, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, MRO, engineering, and safety leadership roles.
Simon's network across aerospace OEMs, suppliers, and MRO providers means the right leaders are often a direct call away — not a cold outreach. When he presents a shortlist, every name on it has been vetted by someone who has lived the work, not just read about it.
For Simon, aviation is a critical component of global transportation and commerce, and he takes his role in the industry seriously. He is committed to helping the companies that keep aircraft flying — and the people who build, maintain, and operate them — find leaders worthy of the mission.
Partner · Private & Corporate Aviation
Contact AngelaAngela brings 24 years building relationships at the highest level of private and corporate aviation. From managing fixed base operations to placing crew for ultra high net worth individuals, family offices, and global flight departments, she brings a depth of understanding to every search that only comes from this level of experience.
Her aviation journey began where every flight starts — on the ground. Managing FBO operations gave her a first-hand understanding of what exceptional service to private and corporate clients actually looks like, and a culture of safety that is not a compliance requirement but the foundation every placement is built on. Discretion is the baseline; the best searches in this market are invisible.
Over her career, Angela built Aviation Recruiting Professionals into a trusted name in the corporate and private aviation community, specializing in pilot and flight attendant placement for the clients who demand the very best. In 2026, ARP joined High Altitude Partners — combining her deep candidate relationships and discreet recruiting expertise with HAP's executive search capability, so the team now covers the full spectrum of aviation talent, from flight crew to C-suite, with one uncompromising standard throughout.
For Angela, the right pilot is never just someone with the correct type rating. They are someone who understands the principal, respects the confidentiality, and represents the operation exactly as it deserves to be represented. Every conversation is confidential, and always worth having before the seat is empty.
Co-Founder · Search Model & Process
Connect on LinkedInAndy co-founded High Altitude Partners after 16 years in corporate and agency recruiting. He started his career at DaVita, managing high-volume recruiting across a workforce of more than 30,000 employees and leading the East Coast recruiting team. From there, he spent a decade at an executive search agency, rising to VP of Operations and specializing in Director-level and above placements for clients ranging from small family-owned businesses to billion-dollar enterprises.
Andy built the engine behind High Altitude Partners — the flat-fee search model, the real-time client portal, and the disciplined, guarantee-backed process that every search follows. While Simon leads on aviation and aerospace expertise, Andy makes sure the experience is transparent, fast, and accountable from kickoff to a placement that's still in seat a year later.
Over his career, Andy has led executive searches for 15 Fortune 100 companies and negotiated more than $29M in salaries, with a track record of 75+ C-suite hires and 150+ VP and Director placements. His clients keep coming back, and that's the part he's most proud of.
Beyond recruiting, Andy serves on the board of Canine Partners of the Rockies, a nonprofit training service dogs for people with disabilities. He lives in Denver with his wife and son, supports Arsenal FC and the Colorado Avalanche, and will happily Uber a hockey-playing kid to practice at any hour of the morning.
Why High Altitude Partners
Most retained search firms charge 25–30% of salary with little visibility into what's actually happening. We built High Altitude Partners on a completely different model — 40+ years of aviation expertise, a published flat fee, a real-time client portal, and a 90-day guarantee — one that puts your interests first.
The Numbers Behind Our Success
Whether you're hiring one leader or building out an entire team across aerospace manufacturing, MRO, or aviation services, we'd love to hear what you're working on.
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