LEADERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT

Novelty AIR Expands Leadership as Company Advances New Model for Aviation Maintenance Workforce Development

SEPTEMBER 8, 2026

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan — Founder and CEO Peter Lane has appointed Daniel Coleman as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Instructor. Coleman brings more than 26 years of U.S. Coast Guard aviation experience, FAA Airframe and Powerplant certification, and senior leadership in aviation maintenance, technical training, workforce development, and operational readiness. Dan holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, with minors in Safety and Management, and is pursuing a Master’s of Aeronautical Science at the same institution.

Coleman will transition from military service to the private sector and relocate to Traverse City, where he will join Lane at Novelty AIR's administrative headquarters and help lead FAA certification, employer partnerships, curriculum development, and program launch.

“Dan joining Novelty AIR is a tremendous validation of what we're building. He has spent 26 years leading aviation maintenance professionals, developing technicians and instructors, and improving readiness across a distributed aviation organization. He understands the workforce challenge because he’s lived it—and I'm incredibly excited that he has chosen Novelty AIR as the next chapter of his aviation career.”

— Peter Lane, Founder & CEO

L-R: Peter Lane, Founder & CEO with Daniel Coleman, COO & Chief Instructor

Coleman's Coast Guard career has centered on aviation maintenance, technical training, and readiness across geographically distributed air stations. He has led maintenance personnel, developed instructors, standardized training, and helped prepare technicians to perform safely and effectively in demanding operational environments.

In one initiative directly relevant to Novelty AIR, Coleman helped redesign a maintenance training progression that had traditionally taken about six months. By pairing structured instruction with immediate hands-on application, the program was reduced to approximately five weeks while maintaining its focus on technician capability and readiness.

That experience closely matches the challenge Novelty AIR is taking on in commercial aviation: how to develop qualified technicians more effectively, connect education to real maintenance environments, and maintain high standards across distributed locations, while scaling across a wide geographic area.

From Coast Guard Readiness to the Commercial Workforce

Novelty AIR's model combines centralized academic instruction with supervised practical training and immersive learning labs at employer-partner facilities. Employers can participate earlier in the development of future technicians, exposing students to professional maintenance environments, expectations, culture, and career opportunities before they enter the labor market.

“One of the most rewarding parts of my Coast Guard career has been developing people—giving technicians the training, experience, and confidence to become capable aviation professionals. Novelty AIR gives me an opportunity to carry that work into the next generation of the maintenance workforce. We're not lowering the standard; we're building a better pathway to reach it—one that connects more people directly with the industry and prepares them to contribute when they get there. I'm excited to make that the next mission of my career.”
— Daniel Coleman, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Instructor

Building the Team to Deliver

Novelty AIR is strengthening its leadership as it develops a new approach to one of aviation's most persistent challenges: preparing the next generation of qualified maintenance professionals.

Lane previously led the development of a FAA Part 147 aviation maintenance technician school in Traverse City from concept through certification and operational readiness. Coleman adds decades of maintenance, training, and distributed- operations leadership to that experience.

Novelty AIR has also added a Senior Executive Administrator with experience supporting aviation organizations and executive leadership. The role will coordinate projects, documentation, technology, and executive operations as the company moves through FAA certification and prepares to launch.

The approach is deliberate: Strong aviation expertise must be backed by clear systems, accountability, and day-to-day execution.

A Strong Home Base. A Distributed Aviation Network.

Novelty AIR is headquartered in Traverse City, where Coleman will relocate and join Lane in leading the company. Its reach, however, is designed to extend far beyond Northern Michigan. Employer partners and practical training sites will be located throughout the country, supported by a globally connected administrative team.

The same philosophy applies to instructors. Novelty AIR intends to recruit experienced A&Ps, maintenance leaders, military aviation professionals, and technical instructors based on expertise—and not be limited by zip code. Instructors can remain where they live and travel periodically to support immersive, hands-on learning labs at aviation employer locations.

Building a Larger Pipeline into Aviation Maintenance

Novelty AIR's goal is straightforward: Expand the number of people who can enter aviation maintenance education by removing geographic barriers and optimizing technology, connect their training more directly to employers, and build a larger supply of certificated mechanics for an industry that urgently needs them.

“We're not asking aviation employers to watch us build another school. We're inviting aviation employers to imagine what becomes possible when we modernize training, focus on career readiness, and leverage the aviation infrastructure already in place, bringing them together at scale. We believe we can mobilize those resources through a national workforce platform capable of producing the volume of certificated mechanics this industry urgently needs. Now we're looking for leaders ready to turn that potential into an industry-wide solution.” — Lane

The Conversation Is Just Beginning

Novelty AIR is advancing its FAA Part 147 certification work and engaging aviation maintenance executives, directors, and workforce leaders who see the opportunity to expand how the industry develops career-ready technicians—and are interested in what modern training approaches can make possible at national scale.

CONTACT: Info@NoveltyAIR.com

Learn more and read the full biographies of both Peter and Dan on Novelty AIR’s About, Our Team page.

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Novelty AIR — Built with Integrity.