Shawn Pennington

My career journey has been anything but ordinary. I spent 27 years in the Nashville music industry, starting as a musician right out of high school and transitioning to the business side in 2002, where my analytical mindset helped me rise through roles in talent management, logistics, brand development, and team leadership, working with some of the industry’s top names. Despite that success, aviation had always been my first passion—dating back to owning the first flight simulator game in the mid-80s and understanding VOR navigation at age 11. I couldn’t afford lessons as a teen, so I pursued music, but in 2007 a friend encouraged me to chase flying again. I gradually transitioned from recreational flying to using my license for business travel. The events of 2020 offered a chance to reflect and reset, and in 2022, I officially closed the chapter on my music career to fully commit to aviation. Since then, I’ve flown under Part 135 and fractional 91K operations and currently serve as a captain on the EMB-505 Phenom 300 for a Part 91 flight department supporting an energy company in upstate New York. I'm also an NBAA Certified Business Aircraft Scheduler.