OSHKOSH, Wis., July 7, 2025 – Aviation leader Louis Seno Jr., Executive Director of the International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) and Chairman Emeritus of Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI),is set to mark an extraordinary milestone: his 70th consecutive year of attendance at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the world’s largest aviation gathering. Seno is also a Board Director of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and the National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA).
Seno attended his first EAA event in 1956 at just six years old, accompanying Louis C. Seno Sr. a WWII B-24 crew chief who became a GA flight instructor and amateur aircraft builder. That moment with his father began a streak that has continued unbroken for seven decades.
From the early grassroots gatherings at Curtiss-Wright Field to the bustling Oshkosh events of today, Seno has witnessed and contributed to the remarkable evolution of aviation culture in America. Seno Jr. was also recognized with the FAA’s Master Pilot Award for 50 years of safe piloting and he has over 7,000 flight hours.
“What started as something special between my dad and me, grew into a lifelong passion for aviation and the aircraft homebuilder community,” said Seno. “There isn’t a year that goes by where I’m not inspired by what happens there.”
This year, Seno will be honored at The Gathering, EAA’s premier fundraising gala held on Thursday night of EAA AirVenture 2025 week, July 21-24. Alongside fellow honorees, Seno will be recognized for his decades of contributions to aviation. The event is expected to raise over $2 million to support EAA’s educational programs, with a fundraising goal of $2.3–$2.4 million in 2025.
As Executive Director of IADA, he will participate in events supporting the organization’s mission to elevate ethics and transparency in aircraft transactions. IADA members will be active across the showgrounds, with a highlight being the IADA/NAFA reception, co-branded with NAFA, held Wednesday night at the GAMA booth.
Seno will join 15 IADA Member exhibitors and many IADA attendees at the annual event. Dealers and OEM Members of IADA exhibiting include Jet Access Group Booth 395, Lone Mountain 220, Southern Cross Aircraft 2091-2093 & 311, Bombardier C3, Gulfstream Aerospace 85, and Textron Aviation 78 & 393. IADA Products & Services Members exhibiting include Advocate Consulting Legal Group 3165, AirFleet Capital 1144, AOPA Aviation Finance Company 463, AssuredPartners Aerospace 459, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 49, JSSI, Pratt & Whitney Canada 444, StandardAero 2010-2011, and Wing Insurance, Inc. 207-208. Throughout the week, Seno will also proudly wear other hats: - As an EAA Board Director, he will be involved in key leadership and donor events, including the Sunday welcome reception at the PHP, and will be easily spotted in an EAA-branded golf cart and shirts throughout the grounds.
- Representing JSSI, Seno’s personally flown Bonanza, in full JSSI livery, will be featured prominently at the company’s Booth 444.
Seno’s personal highlights over the years read like a timeline of aviation history: witnessing the Concorde landing and performing breathtaking fly-bys, seeing both flying B-29s together in formation, watching Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager fly in the Voyager pre-world flight, and enjoying iconic performances from aerobatic legends like Bob Hoover, Gene Soucy, and the Christen Eagles team.
“I’ve seen it all, from Barry Goldwater and John Denver showing up, to watching my heroes fly up close,” said Seno. “AirVenture isn’t just an air show, it’s aviation’s heartbeat.”
Seno also credits his aviation roots and business aviation background to a childhood steeped in flight and entrepreneurship. His family business, Seno Formal Wear, once operated 31 tuxedo rental stores across Illinois.
After the business was sold in 1977, Lou transitioned into aviation full-time, beginning with Bellanca Aircraft sales in 1978, a career that has since spanned executive roles, board memberships, and industry leadership positions.
Today, he and his wife Christine, his co-pilot since their second date in a Beech Bonanza, continue to enjoy aviation as a shared passion. Christine will join Lou for Oshkosh festivities again his year.
For IADA members, EAA participants, and the aviation community at large, Lou Seno’s presence at Oshkosh is more than a tradition, it’s a living legacy.
Photos of Lou Seno are below, with his Beechcraft Bonanza, N89LS. |
