Meet the team
Meet the team behind the Spirit of Douglas: the pilots, engineers, filmmakers and dreamers who keep this unique feat of engineering and design alive in the skies. Hear about the hours of dedication that keep her airworthy and discover what drives them to give their time, energy and expertise to a project that’s a living and joyous collaboration.
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Mark Stewart
Aviation and flying has always been a part of Mark’s life. With a 40 year career in the Corporate world , he has travelled the globe extensively as a manufacturing exporter clocking up over 20000 hrs in the air.
He gained his private pilots license at the age of 20 and participated in the Singapore to Christchurch air race in 1987 which was also sponsored by his family company. Mark has been a Director of several publicly listed and private Companies and has also been extensively involved in a large number of community and sporting projects for which he has received numerous awards.
Through this community work, Mark’s involvement as Chair of the Antarctic Heritage Trust expanded his passion for exploration and given his lifelong love of flying, travel, heritage and history, the Spirit of Douglas project is a natural fit. He is extremely passionate about the success of this world tour and the Spirit of Douglas DC3 aircraft of which he is the current custodian.
Paul Bazeley
Paul grew up in the United Kingdom before moving to Canada, where he earned his commercial pilot’s licence and cut his teeth flying the “Bush”. He later headed to Southern California to work as a technician at an aircraft museum, gaining his US licences and discovering a passion for vintage aviation.
There he first worked on a Douglas DC-3, volunteering as a mechanic to keep it flying on the airshow circuit. In 2003, Paul joined a corporate flight department in Seattle to oversee their newly acquired DC-3 and soon after founded Aerometal International Inc.
Today, Aerometal employs 37 people and is recognised worldwide for preserving and maintaining large vintage aircraft, ensuring they continue to fly and that their stories continue to inspire.
Nick Cerretani
With over five decades in aviation, Nick began flying in 1973 and co-founded a flight school in Upstate New York that grew into one of the world’s largest Cessna dealers, later merging into Flight Options. In 2001, Nick launched Cerretani Aviation Group, which became a top global aircraft sales firm and was acquired by NetJets in 2018, where he served as an officer in their whole aircraft sales subsidiary, QS Partners. In 2022, Nick left NetJets to return to his own firm, Cerretani Aviation.
Most recently, Nick helped acquire and prepare Spirit of Douglas for the 2024 Legacy Tour to Normandy, honoring the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Now serving as SIC on most flights, Nick has found this project to be one of the most rewarding chapters of his career, combining a lifetime of aviation experience with a dedicated team, close friends and the world’s most iconic airplane.
Nige Watson
Nige is driven by a love of adventure, exploration and the stories that shape our past.He’s spent more than 25 years working on great projects with good people, written books on history and exploration, and shared the legacy of adventure through films and exhibitions.
As Executive Director of Antarctic Heritage Trust he dreamt up, oversaw and led complex projects with multi-national teams to some of the worlds most remote and challenging places. Like Antarctica, Greenland, South Georgia Island and beyond.
Nige’s work has earned him the NZ Antarctic Medal for services to Antarctic heritage preservation. Now, he’s bringing that same passion to the skies and excited to be sharing the legacy ofDonald Douglas, the DC-3 and the Spirit of Douglas.
Tyler Liedtke
Tyler started his career maintaining corporate jets. He quickly moved over to working on antique aircraft at Aerometal International where has been for over seven years. Primarily working on flying DC-3 aircraft, Tyler has extensive experience in aviation field maintenance in both support and lead roles.
This experience includes multiple intercontinental crossings. Tyler earned his Airframe and Powerplant rated certification in Eugene, Oregon in 2018 with the intention of working on antique aircraft. He has had a lead role in multiple restoration projects including DC-3s and the Lockheed Constellation “Bataan”. He was selected to accept the Golden Wrench Award on behalf of Aerometal International at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2025.
Mary Randolph
Mary began her aviation career in 1996 at Scottsdale Airport, where she helped form a Part 135 Charter Company. She soon found her true passion in Part 91 Aircraft Management, working directly with owners to unlock the full potential of their aircraft. Over the past 29 years, she has built thousands of trusted relationships that make aircraft ownership easier and more rewarding.
As a key member of the Spirit of Douglas team, Mary is the wizard behind the curtains. She handles everything from insurance and registration to fuel, customs and crew logistics. Whether it’s rerouting a trip or helping to solve mechanical issues, she ensures every journey runs seamlessly.
Gregory Le Moigne
A graduate of the prestigious Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique, Gregory Le Moigne has been working behind the camera since 2005. Over the past 20 years, he has conceived and directed over thirty documentary films in formats ranging from 12 to 90 minutes, as well as a number of short and medium-length fiction films, television programs, live performance recordings and luxury goods commercials.
Above all, he has produced and directed over 200 aeronautical publicity films worldwide.
Gregory Le Moigne has also developed a real expertise in spectacular aerial shots, and thanks to his background as an actor, he has a natural predisposition for storytelling, in which "human" and "action" become inseparably linked.
Stéphane Marelli
Over the past twenty years, Stéphane Marelli has directed over a hundred commercials in France and abroad. He has also developed, written, and directed TV movies, short films, and comedy shorts for television.
Alongside fiction, Stéphane Marelli has also been involved in editorial content at the crossroads between corporate film and documentary. His most recent productions deal with disability, sport, and organic farming.
Whether in fiction, advertising or documentary, his work is characterised by a staging and aesthetic sense that always places the human element at the heart of the subject.
Geoffrey Thomas
Geoffrey Thomas has been an aviation journalist and commentator for 50 years. He is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of 42kft.com, the world’s first airline environmental ranking website, and runs the YouTube channel @GeoffreyThomasOnAir. He is also the Aviation Editor at Business News.
Previously, Geoffrey was Chief Editor of Air Transport World (2000-2012), SE-Asian Contributing Editor for Aviation Week & Space Technology (1996-2000), and Aviation Editor of The West Australian (1996-2023). He also served as Editor-in-Chief of Airlineratings.com for 10 years.
Over his career, he has received 47 international and national awards, including Aerospace Journalist of the Year (2009), a Lifetime Achievement Award presented at the Royal Aeronautical Society (2018), and an Outstanding Achievement Award for his MH370 coverage (2020).
Geoffrey has produced and presented two aviation documentaries, contributed to programmes such as Air Crash Investigation/Mayday and Boeing’s 100 Years. He is a regular commentator on CNN, BBC and others. He has co-authored 17 books.
Where engineering meets elegance
