John Hiltz, the newly appointed CEO of Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum since June, signs off on all his emails, “Glad to be here.”
“That's the way we finished speaking to each other on the Blue Angels. It's a way to remind yourself how fortunate we are, despite the rigors and the demands of a job, to be able to live, work and contribute to our community in a place like this,” Hiltz told Aloha State Daily. “So, a culture of both gratitude and growth will be important for us as we chart the next course.”
With a passion for aviation and its history, Hiltz has held several leadership roles throughout is near 23-year U.S. Navy career, including as an instructor pilot, officer-in-charge of multinational exercises, the commanding officer for Navy recruiting in the Pacific Northwest, and most recently, as the executive officer and director of strategy for hypersonic and cruise missile systems within the Indo-Pacific region.
Prior to retiring from the military in March, he was also a Blue Angels pilot from 2012 to 2014, having flown the museum’s Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornet, which was added to its collection in 2021.
Hiltz said he aims to bring passion and a “service-based mindset” to the role, formerly held by Executive Director Elissa Lines, who retired in June 2024.
“I feel very grateful to stand on the shoulders of the men and women that founded this museum, and many of them are still working in various capacities,” he said.
“The good news is that I’ve got a passion for this based on my upbringing. I’m a product of museums like this; my dad took me to aviation museums, and I was able to sit in the cockpit of an airplane and go to airshows. And so, I definitely developed a love for aviation at a young age. I learned a lot of lessons in the military, one of which was in flight school, I got sick on my first nine flights. You quickly realize you can’t always control that, but you can control your preparation, attitude and energy you bring to it. Those things I try to bring to this role … and do a good job to steward this aviation battlefield into its next decade.”
As CEO, Hiltz will lead the strategic vision, planning and operations of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum to advance its mission of preserving America’s World War II aviation battlefield. He is responsible for overseeing the museum’s budget and workforce, exhibit development and educational programming, among other areas, that strengthen its nationwide presence and partnerships.
“The museum is only 18 years old at this point,” he said. “The founding phase took a lot of hands-on effort from the board and staff to get it to where it is. Then, you have a transition phase where you continue to build on that, flesh out policies and procedures, that allow us to appropriately care for this place, and I think the board used this phase three as sort of an institutional phase. … They reimagined this CEO role to be the primary steward of management. The board is entrusting me and the staff to lead us into the next phase of this great institution.”
Hiltz currently manages 73 staff members, not including about 24 contracted support staff and more than 200 volunteers, he noted.
“We’re always looking to hire for passion, train for skill. It's a really unique organization and is very vibrant and fun,” he said. “I can tell you that each person is motivated by a patriotic sense of service to their community, to their country and to the men and women that were serving here on Dec. 7, 1941 – and we take great care to steward that appropriately.”
His current priorities include expanding the campus, improving the visitor experience and education, and providing workforce development opportunities for future pilots.
“One thing that drew me to the role was the growth vector of this museum,” Hiltz said. “We just recently finished a renovation of our operations building of the control tower here, and you can take it right up. We recently added an aviation learning center where we can bring keiki students and educators in to help give them an experience about the science and physics behind aviation. We are about to undergo reimagination of America's aviation battlefield to make sure that our campus is displayed in a way that's befitting of its historical significance.”
He noted that the museum recently acquired a PBY-5A Catalina seaplane on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum. “It was here on Dec. 7, 1941; they were the long-range eyes and ears of the American Navy fleet the Japanese wanted taken out; therefore, the first target of the first wave of the attack.” The Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, will complete the restoration over the next couple of years before bringing it to Hawai’i, he said.
Other acquisitions are underway that are not yet ready to be announced, he added.
Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum also supports two aviation pathways, one on-site pilot training program for ages 16-21 and an A&P program for high school juniors to become certified airplane techs. “Those two efforts we’re really proud of because it's a way to give back to the place where we live and work. I think many people connote Pearl Harbor as just a tourist destination, and we want to be clear that we are more than that."
"Aviation is an expensive business: the equipment, fuel and training is a real cost barrier to people,” Hiltz said. “It's one reason that I never did any flight training, despite my love of aviation as a kid. My family couldn't afford it, so I was lucky to be able to go and get that training through the Navy. But we went to provide kamaʻāina with that opportunity to get that first taste of aviation without the barriers to entry of it."
For more information about the programs and its sponsors, click here.
His advice to those interested in getting their wings? “There are a lot of different avenues can lead to a cockpit. … I was fortunate to learn about the Navy ROTC scholarships, so the Navy paid for my University of Notre Dame degree, and then I returned that in-kind by serving in naval aviation. … Excellence opens doors. If you do a great job with whatever endeavor you’re pursuing, people are going to notice that and want to help you achieve your goals. I think excellence is a great way to open doors for yourself and others."
Within the first few months on the job, Hiltz introduced a daily open cockpit. “I got the spark to fly because I was able to visit museums and put my hands on the controls, flip switches and look at the gauges. So, I wanted to make sure that we offered that same experience to every single guest to maybe launch them to pursue their dreams, as well.
Hiltz added that the museum hosted the Blue Angels before the airshow earlier this month. “It was fun to bring a lot of my new teammates to come see my old team fly the same place where I was flying when I met my wife 13 years ago. It was very poignant for me.”
Many people have helped him get to where he is today, Hiltz said, including his parents, wife, brothers and those he has served with.
Specific to landing this role, he credits his first Air Wing Commander Capt. Sterling Gilliam, who is currently executive director of the National Naval Aviation Museum. “He was very helpful in helping me understand the things that would make a successful career here. I owe him a lot in my previous and current professional life.”
“Additionally, the other person who alerted me to the position opening was my dad’s college roommate, Capt. Eddie Fishburne, executive director of the Navy Supply Corps Officer Foundation. … He’s also the same person that told me about that Navy ROTC scholarship, so twice in my lifetime, this one person really changed the trajectory of my life."
As a leader, Hiltz said he’s been learning to “trust the excellent staff” and “do what I can to empower them to be their best selves."
Having lived off and on the island over the past several years, he along with his wife – whom met in Honolulu in 2012 – and two daughters are settled in Kailua.
When asked what he enjoys most about living and working in Hawaiʻi, Hiltz said, “The spirit of the Islands, the mana – the ability to blend all that together. My drive into takes me up the H3, which feels like you’re stepping back in time with the beautiful vistas, then across the bridge to Ford Island, a reminder of the work we’re called to do here. We’re really fortunate to call this our home, and just remind ourselves every day how lucky we are.”
This weekend, the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum will be hosting several free events in commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the end of World War II. More information about the festivities can be found here and here.
Interested in sponsoring or attending the museumʻs annual "For Love of Country Gala," click here.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
