Behind every great company is a number of individuals dedicated to providing excellent service. Here at US Aircraft Finance, we are lucky to have a talented team working behind the scenes to help our customers with their financing needs. In this blog post, we are introducing each of our individual team members. Read on to meet the team at USAF and learn more about our crew.

About USAF

From loans to refinancing, upgrades, and more, our team members know how to help customers and work together to provide a painless “flynancing” experience from start to finish.

USAF was founded by Dave Savoie in 1998 and has grown to include 6 additional employees. Our business is small but mighty, standing against other aircraft financing companies thanks to our unwavering dedication to customer service, our lightning-fast application process, and our unique position as a direct lender for aircraft loans.

Dave Savoie, Founder & Owner

Founder and owner of US Aircraft Finance Dave Savoie joined the US Air Force in 1965. After 22 years of dedication and a number of medals, declarations, and ribbons under his wing, Dave retired from service but continued to fly his own aircraft as he does today.

Dave also spent 30 years in the banking industry as an Executive Vice President, Senior Lender, and Chief Credit Officer of large regional New England based banks. Following these two career paths, he determined he wanted to combine them by establishing a unique aircraft finance company dedicated to providing top-notch customer service and offering the best rates and terms in the industry as a direct lender.

Dave’s experience in the military honed his passion for service, and his knowledge of financing and love of flight created the perfect cocktail to inspire a new business: US Aircraft Finance.

Wendy Savoie, Operations Manager

Operations Manager Wendy, also a pilot, was instrumental in the launching of US Aircraft Finance in 1998. Wendy and Dave met in grade school in Montpelier, Vermont, became high school sweethearts and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2017.

Wendy has served in virtually all capacities for the business, watching it grow significantly over the subsequent 22 years. While her intent is to become “semi-retired” she still keeps her hand in USAF – handling payroll and generating various company reports as well as overseeing the company operations.

When out of the office her passions include hiking, skiing, traveling and walking their two rescue black labs, Lyla and Ellie, who are frequent visitors of the office.

Alex Dubra, Assistant Manager

As Assistant Manager at US Aircraft Finance for the last 8 years, Alex is accountable for business strategy, marketing, and operations, including new business development and origination, among additional responsibilities pertaining to credit administration, loans, terms, and internal operations.

Originally from Minnesota, Alex served on active duty in the US Army for 8 years before switching careers to the Real Estate industry for 16 years. Later seizing the chance to relocate his family out of NYC after Hurricane Sandy hit, Alex combined his sales and mortgage background with his love of planes to pursue a position at USAF. “When the job was offered, I took it and haven’t looked back.”

Alex’s favorite part of working at USAF is “closing an aircraft loan and hearing how happy a pilot is to have their own plane. Whether it’s their 1st or 5th aircraft, pilots closing a loan is like Christmas morning every time and I enjoy being their Santa Claus.”

Alex flies a Cessna 172 aircraft, and while flying most enjoys “the view, being able to see the earth (landscape) in a way I never did before… soaring like a bird and having the feeling and ability of flight.”

Alex has been married for 11 years and outside of work enjoys traveling with his wife and young kids, visiting his family in the Midwest, motorcycles, Texas Holdem, social events with friends, and the Vikings.

Liz Halgas, Loan Processor

Liz has been a part of the team at USAF for 2 years and runs the AR department. Her BS in Economics, MBA in Finance, and experience in the banking industry where she worked primarily with real estate loans provided all the skills she needed to master the aircraft loan world. Liz chose to work in aircraft financing after spending some time as a stay-at-home mom, and decided to jump back into the workforce when she became “intrigued by the aircraft loan product” and wanted to work for a “small business with a financial theme.”

Liz enjoys the small company environment at USAF and how Dave and Alex “have a solid customer service orientated business around a hobby they love.”

Outside of work, Liz enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 teenage boys. “We love to travel, ski, and golf. We also love to spend time at our camp in the summer.”

Pauline Fortune, Administrative Assistant

Pauline is the Quality Control admin for both finance and insurance departments at USAF. Her 8 years of dedication to the company began when she stepped back into the working world after taking some time to care for her grandson. With previous experience in the automotive industry, Pauline was intrigued by USAF, its flexible scheduling opportunity, and its proximity to her home.

Pauline takes care of financing paperwork, prepares them for closing, and ensures FAA/escrow has all of the correct documents.

Pauline’s favorite thing about flying is “getting to my destination faster than driving!” Outside of work, she enjoys attending classic car shows and traveling.

Misty Hubbert, Insurance Processor

Misty has been a part of the team at USAF for one year and is responsible for running the day-to-day insurance department. After working in banking in finance for several years, Misty was drawn to the unique aspect of aircraft financing and was interested in the flexible scheduling opportunities offered at USAF.

As a relatively new member of the team at USAF, Misty most enjoys learning new things, as aircraft insurance is very new for her. She also enjoys working with all the staff.

When she isn’t on duty, Misty likes to “cook, listen to music, and work in my flower gardens.” Her family is also extremely important to her and she enjoys spending time with them as well as with her friends and neighbors.

Melody Danaher, Bookkeeper

Melody has worked with the team at USAF for 5 years as our talented Bookkeeper. Melody graduated from Champlain College in Burlington with a focus on legal administrative assistant work. Mostly working as a freelance bookkeeper, Melody enjoys the flexible schedule she can maintain while working with us.

As a bookkeeper for 40 years, Melody was “interested in learning more about this industry” and was “surprised that this service was operating in a small town in Vermont.” She enjoys the clear duties she has at USAF and says that “the work is enjoyable.” She also enjoys that “the staff is a pleasure to work with and everyone works together to serve one another and the clients of USAF.”

What Melody enjoys most about flying is “the speed in which I get to my destination!” While she isn’t working, Melody spends time with her family including her five granddaughters, which she says gives her “the most joy outside the office.” When she isn’t visiting family and friends, you’ll likely find her “taking a walk or hunkered down with a good book.”

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We are truly honored to work with such a devoted, knowledgeable, and great team here at US Aircraft Finance. Whether you wish to discuss financing options with Dave, clarify paperwork questions with Pauline, or work with Alex on closing an aircraft loan, any member of our team at USAF will be happy to work with you to provide top-notch customer service that is unmatchable within the aircraft financing industry.

We are also proud to offer a 10% down program for well-qualified buyers, with up to 25-year term and fast closing that occurs within 3-4 business days — something you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else aside from right here at USAF.

If you have any interest in working with our team to learn about your opportunities for aircraft financing, insurance, loans, and more, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss your flynancing options!

Phone: (802) 434-4100

Toll Free: (888) 654-8723

E-mail: usaf@usaircraftfinance.com

Additional resources:

• Learn more about the History of US Aircraft Finance
• How much aircraft can I afford? Use our calculator to find out
• Should I refinance? Find out with our Aircraft Loan Comparison Calculator
• Looking for aircraft financing? Apply for an aircraft loan — speed guaranteed