- Erics career in aviation
- When him and his brother David founded Tradewind Aviation
With over twenty years as a pilot, Eric is the founder of Tradewind Aviation. He began his aviation career as a charter sales representative for Westchester Air, eventually serving as a pilot, Director of Marketing and General Manager. Prior to aviation, Eric developed residential and commercial real estate in southern New York and founded a successful e-commerce business. Eric holds a B.S. in entrepreneurial management and economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate.
He and his brother, Vice President David Zipkin, founded the company in 2001, building on a lifelong passion for aviation. Raised with an entrepreneurial mindset, the brothers had always known that they would work together and embarked on several ventures before identifying the need for high-quality, regional flights in the Northeast. Both were private pilots at the time, and Eric was working for a charter company (a position he attributes to his wife, who said he should probably get paid if he was going to spend every day at the airport). After learning the ins and outs of the charter business, it didn’t take Eric long to determine that there was a niche opportunity waiting for them.
The company expanded to various destinations in the Northeast and Caribbean, with the favorite for both brothers being St. Barth, hands down. A challenging approach – which they will tell you brings out the best in pilots – and the culture of the island itself make it a memorable place to land again and again.
