There are two ways to learn about a person’s professional background.
The first is to look at their resume and LinkedIn profile, scanning titles, companies, and lists of accomplishments. With Brian Whiteside, OnwardAir COO, you’d see military aviation, an Amazon Prime Air stint, and experience as a startup founder. He’s testified before Congress, served on boards, and held C-level positions. It’s an impressive list.
The second is to spend time talking with that person to discover the stories that never make it onto resumes. The stories that explain why someone became who they are. When I sat down with Brian, I expected to hear about aviation, but I didn’t expect the conversation to begin with water polo.
As it turns out, Brian tried out for the 1996 Olympic water polo team. He also earned a degree in physical therapy, a profession he never practiced. On paper, neither accomplishment seems related to leading aerospace startup operations, but they explain a lot.
Brian has always been drawn to challenges that are both difficult and interesting.
The kid who wanted to fly.
Brian was born in Germany and grew up in Modesto, California, where sports and the outdoors were a big part of his life. He spent much of his time swimming, playing water polo, and working ski patrol.
Flying captured Brian’s attention at an early age. He started flying at 15, and unlike many childhood interests, it never faded. That passion became a career spanning military operations, unmanned aircraft, commercial aviation, startups, and now advanced air mobility at OnwardAir.
There wasn’t a carefully engineered career plan. Instead, there was a willingness to keep saying yes to opportunities that were challenging, interesting, and sometimes risky.
Before drones were cool.
Today, drones are everywhere. They inspect infrastructure, deliver packages, capture real estate photography, and support filmmaking. Brian was working on unmanned aircraft long before the rest of us were talking about them.
His military career included helping stand up the Naval Unmanned Systems Integration Activity at China Lake, integrating unmanned systems with tactical aircraft, and supporting rapid prototyping for classified missions. Over the years, he worked with platforms ranging from small quadcopters to Global Hawk, Reaper, and ScanEagle systems.
The startup reality.
After leaving the service, Brian founded his own company and experienced the realities of building a startup firsthand. Like many entrepreneurial ventures, it evolved, pivoted, and ultimately came to an end. Rather than defining his career, the experience gave him a deeper appreciation for resilience, adaptability, and the discipline required to build something from scratch.
He talked about it matter-of-factly, without drama or excuses. Just lessons.
Working at Amazon offered an entirely different perspective. A large organization brought its own challenges, but it also had the resources and scale to pursue multiple initiatives and support experimentation. Startups don’t have that luxury, and Brian knows the difference. At OnwardAir, that means being deliberate about where the company invests its time, capital, and engineering resources.
A new mission.
Someone with Brian’s background has options, so why OnwardAir?
Brian initially joined OnwardAir as a consultant to help with certification. As he became more involved, his role naturally expanded to include setting operational structure, maintaining focus, and keeping a talented team aligned to the company’s priorities.
Through his work with the team, Brian saw an opportunity to build on OnwardAir’s aircraft design with a modular platform capable of serving a broad range of missions from one airframe. That concept became the foundation for the FLEX Pod™ ecosystem, and he wanted to help bring it to life.
Leading with vision. Executing with focus.
Brian believes leadership begins with a clear vision. People do their best work when they understand why they’re doing something, not just what they’re doing. For Brian, maintaining focus means creating alignment. The best leaders build a shared understanding of where the team is headed, why it matters, and how each person’s contribution moves the mission forward.
His leadership style isn’t flashy or complicated. He’s goal-oriented and doesn’t believe in micromanaging. Instead, he prioritizes setting clear objectives, removing unnecessary obstacles, and giving people the support they need to do their best work. The same philosophy shapes how he thinks about OnwardAir’s future: stay focused on solving the right problem so technology can make the greatest impact.
Beyond the cockpit.
Brian enjoys photography, spending time outdoors, and listening to the Moonshots podcast. He also recently returned from a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with his daughter. Those details may never appear on Brian’s resume, but they offer another glimpse of the perspective and sense of purpose he brings to his work.
The advanced air mobility industry is not for the impatient. Certification is complex, regulations evolve, and success requires discipline and a long-term perspective. Brian understands that. He also brings a willingness to stay curious, keep learning, and take on work that is both difficult and meaningful.