Shane Christopher Lundgren (born March 21, 1961) is an American

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

, and businessman who is the CEO of Metolius Aviation Capital. Shane has been active in commercial aviation operations, aircraft and engine leasing, and finance throughout his career. A Fellow of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

and member of the Explorers Club Lundgren has led a number of aviation focused expeditions.

Early life

Lundgren was born in Palo Alto, California. He attended the

University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University (comprising the College for Men and Schoo ...

and received a degree in economics and history in 1984. Concurrently he attended National Air College and obtained his

Commercial Pilot License A commercial pilot licence (CPL) is a type of pilot licence that permits the holder to act as a pilot of an aircraft and be paid for their work. Different licenses are issued for the major aircraft categories: airplanes, airships, balloons, glid ...

Instrument Rating Instrument rating refers to the qualifications that a pilot must have in order to fly under instrument flight rules (IFR). It requires specific training and instruction beyond what is required for a private pilot certificate or commercial pilot ce ...

, Multi-Engine Rating and Instructors Flight Rating. In 1982, at 21 years of age, he was checked out in the Boeing 737 by Air Berlin USA, founded by father Kim Lundgren in

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constituent ...

. At the time, Shane was the youngest person to fly the 737 commercially.

Career

Lundgren flew as a captain for Air Berlin from 1982 through 2012. With the fall of the Berlin wall he worked with his father during the transition of the company from being a US flag carrier to a German airline, the only airline in history to change nationality. After the IPO in 2006 and the sale of shares to Etihad in 2012 he departed Air Berlin. In 1998 Lundgren went to work for Pembroke Capital in Dublin Ireland where he began to work in commercial aircraft leasing and finance. Lundgren led the North Pole Flight sponsored by Pembroke Capital. From 2000-2012 he was actively involved in aircraft asset sales and leases from the Air Berlin fleet. He is currently the CEO of Metolius Aviation Capital, which he founded in 2015, and is a private investor in commercial aviation assets for high net worth individuals and institutions.

Expeditions

During extensive travels in Russia after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Lundgren conceived a trans-Siberian flight (barnstorming style) in Russian

Antonov An-2 The Antonov An-2 ("kukuruznik"—corn crop duster; USAF/DoD reporting name Type 22, NATO reporting name Colt) is a Soviet mass-produced single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed and manufactured by the Antonov Design Bure ...

biplanes. In 1994, he led the first "online expedition," sponsored by WIRED magazine, Magnavox, and Apple. The flight began in Moscow and proceeded north of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

across Siberia to

Magadan Magadan ( rus, Магадан, p=məɡɐˈdan) is a port town and the administrative center of Magadan Oblast, Russia, located on the Sea of Okhotsk in Nagayev Bay (within Taui Bay) and serving as a gateway to the Kolyma region. History Maga ...

. In 1995, the Smithsonian Institution's Arctic Studies Center joined Lundgren in another flying expedition to chronicle indigenous people from Yakutsk to Alaska across the Bering Straits. Discovery Online was launched through this expedition.
"Discovery Online 1995" Lundgren went on to found WorldSight, an early online magazine. Lundgren led polar expeditions in 1997 and 1998, and was filmed by National Geographic Channel, National Geographic Television in a documentary about the original polar flights. His Expedition Aircraft, the

is now in the Boeing Museum of Flight, Aviation Pavilion.

Civic

Lundgren served on the Black Butte School Board from 2007-2017, and was also the President of the Black Butte School Foundation, which funds scholarships to local students annually.

Family

Lundgren's Great Grandfather was John Adam Zehntbauer, founder of Jantzen in Portland in 1915. His father Kim Lundgren founded Air Berlin in 1978.

Notes

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lundgren, Shane 1961 births American aviators American explorers Commercial aviators Living people People from Palo Alto, California University of San Diego alumni