Draft:Robert (Rob) Paul Mark, MRAeS

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Robert (Rob) Paul Mark, MRAeS (member Royal Aeronautical Society), is an American aviation journalist, author, pilot, and media commentator. He launched the award-winning blog Jetwhine in 2006 and is a longtime contributor to numerous aviation publications, including Flying, AINonline, Air Line Pilot, AOPA Pilot, General Aviation News, Aviation Week, Professional Pilot, P1, Avionics News, NBAA’s Business Aviation Insider, and the Chicago Tribune.

Mark holds a multi-engine airline transport pilot certificate, several aircraft type ratings, a Certified Flight Instructor—airplane, instrument, and multi-engine, and an air traffic control operator rating. He is a former FAA air traffic controller and supervisor and a frequent national news commentator about aviation safety, air traffic control, and commercial and business aviation.

Rob Mark earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Northeastern Illinois University and a master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He later taught business communications and marketing at Medill as a graduate lecturer for five years.

Early Life and Education

Mark’s aviation career began in 1963 when, at age 14, he volunteered to guide transient aircraft to parking at the Rockford, Illinois Airport during the annual EAA Convention. In 1967, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, completing basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. His first assignment was to the USAF Air Traffic Control School at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. Subsequently, he was stationed at RAF Wethersfield, England, where he was trained as a Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) controller and in the Berlin Center in Hof, West Germany, serving as an enroute controller. His final assignment was at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, Texas, where he was honorably discharged in late 1971.

Flying and Air Traffic Control

After his military service, Mark worked for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for ten years as an air traffic controller and supervisor. He held various roles as a pilot and flight instructor until 1989, when he was hired by the original Midway Airlines. Following Midway’s shutdown in 1991, Mark transitioned to flying private business jets in Part 91 corporate and Part 135 on-demand charter operations, during which time he also began writing for aviation magazines. He combined his aviation experience with journalism in numerous publications by traveling worldwide to fly business jets and write about those experiences.

Journalism and Publishing

In addition to magazine journalism, Rob Mark authored several aviation books, including The Joy of Flying, A Professional Pilot Career Guide, and How to Become a Professional Pilot, all published by McGraw-Hill.

Mark received multiple awards during his career, including:

• Two-time winner of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Gold Wing Award for Outstanding Journalism

• Two-time recipient of the Airbus Aerospace Journalist of the Year Award, presented at the Paris Air Show

• Jetwhine was named the Best Aviation Blog of 2008 by FlightGlobal.com

Broadcast and Podcast Work Mark is a frequent expert commentator on aviation topics for U.S. and international news outlets, including:

• CNN • Fox News • NBC-TV • WGN-TV • BBC • NewsNation

He co-hosts the long-running Airplane Geeks podcast and formerly produced the Aviation Minute podcast. He hosted and co-produced the “Attitude Adjustment” show on EAA Radio during AirVenture Oshkosh. Rob was vice president of the Aviation Space Writers Association (AWA) and Chicago chapter president of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Media and Consultancy Work In 1996, Mark founded Commavia, a media consultancy to “deliver leading edge media to the aviation industry.” Commavia was the original PR voice of airports like Dallas Addison, Chicago Executive, Oshkosh Wittman Regional, and many aviation companies. Commavia also produced marketing and safety content for clients across the industry, including training videos such as:

• Alone in the Cockpit (NBAA, 2015) • Flying the Airbus A380 (Commavia)

Personal Life Mark is based in Evanston, Illinois, and remains active in general aviation and aviation journalism. He continues publishing Jetwhine and frequently participates in aviation events and industry panels. His volunteer spirit led him to the Civil Air Patrol (US Air Force Auxiliary), where he holds the rank of Captain.

Rob Mark is a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Mystery Writers of America and the Chicago Executive Pilots Association (CEPA).

Selected Works Mark, R. (2000). The Joy of Flying. McGraw-Hill. Mark, R. (2002). A Professional Pilot Career Guide. McGraw-Hill. Mark, R. (1999) Becoming a Professional Pilot, McGraw-Hill

References

(Articles by Rob Mark) 3. Flying magazine.

ATC Privatization Pilots of the Caribbean We Fly: Pilatus PC-12 NGX We Fly: Gulfstream G500 GE’s Paul Corkery Updates Progress on the Catalyst Engine Flying Seaplanes Learning to Fly

4. AIN Online. (Articles by Rob Mark) Pilot Report: Boeing BBJ Defending Your Business Jet Why Good Flight Attendants Matter

5. P1 Gulfstream G-550 Flight Test report Gulfstream G-280 Flight Test report

6. Aviation Week Aspen Pilots Want to Improve Area Safety Record Encouraging Aviation’s Next Generation Work Force

7. Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University. IMC Program Overview 8. NewsNation. (2025). Rob Mark’s Interview about the DCA midair collision 9. Documentary: Countdown to the Next Aviation Disaster WGN-TV. (2023). [Rob Mark aviation expert commentary]

External Links Jetwhine.com. About the Author Jetwhine – The Blog Airplane Geeks Podcast Robert Mark on Twitter/X Rob Mark on Linkedin Jetwhine on Instagram Jetwhine’s YouTube Channel