Eric Crump | Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Aerospace Center for Excellence

Eric Crump always wanted to fly airplanes. From as early as anyone remembers, he was looking up at airplanes flying overheard and hounding his family members to take him to the airport to watch airplanes come and go. When Eric was 13 years old, he received an intro flight reward for making straight A’s, which only further sparked his desire to learn to fly and become a pilot. He soloed on his 16th birthday and completed his Private Pilot Certificate just after his high school graduation. Eric is still just as much in love with aviation. He has worked as a corporate pilot, flight instructor, flight training administrator, curriculum designer, and as a collegiate aviation department head. The only thing he loves more than flying is inspiring others with the magic of aviation. In June of 2022, Eric accepted the position of Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Aerospace Center for Excellence, the parent company for the world-renowned SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo. His team works to build, enhance, and execute all the educational programming that ACE offers. Because aviation had such a huge impact on him as a young man, Eric is passionate about passing the experience and opportunity of aviation on to future generations – a mission he sees as critical to the long-term success of the aerospace industry.