An accountant became the chief executive of Air Methods, then found a recruiting opportunity in helicopter tours. Aaron Todd’s career connects the balance sheet to the people who fly.

An energy banker became a helicopter chief, helped bring Era and Bristow together, and began placing bets on electric flight. His approach to the future comes with a deliberately unglamorous instruction: crawl, walk, run.

He came to Republic Airways to lead human resources. Twelve years later, Matt Koscal became CEO of an airline whose next chapter depends on the people, training and partnerships he helped put in place.

He started with a $5-an-hour internship and a reporter's instincts. Three decades later, American Airlines' communications chief still builds his work around the same stubborn question: why?