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As a starter I present one of the more infamous of this motley crew.

Erhard Milch

Following Hitler’s suicide, Milch attempted to flee Germany but was apprehended by Allied forces on the Baltic coast on 4 May 1945. On surrendering, he presented his field-marshals' baton to British Brigadier Derek Mills-Roberts, who was so disgusted and angered by the atrocities he had seen committed when liberating the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp that he brutally broke the baton over Milch's head with several blows and repeatedly beat Milch with a champagne bottle. This incident left Milch with several contusions and a fractured skull.

How about https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Borman.

Definitely famous although, like many execs hated by many of his work force at the end of his tenure as an airline executive.

Without Juan Trippe the 747 wouldn't have been built!

Hudson Fysh, Paul McGinness and Fergus McMaster...

QANTAS

May I propose Bob Ayling, who starred in his role as the gaffer of BA and who brought us the delights of the "Vomit Comet" tail-fins at an estimated cost of >£60,000,000, a sum which was never recouped by the anticipated increase in traffic and turnover.

I understand such action has to be approved by the board, in order to improve the yield to the shareholders, but nobody in that board meeting had the balls to tell him to catch himself on.

Apparently his wife was heavily into the art scene...

Rumour has it that he'd checked in a hold bag for a flight to the Big Apple and on arrival, on opening his case presumably in the hotel room, there was a freshly deposited human turd, courtesy of the LHR baggage-handlers whom he'd also managed to upset.


Henceforth he never checked in a hold bag on Birdseed routes it is alleged...

Further to my last, a practical illustration of the "Vomit Comet" saga;

Rumour has it that he'd checked in a hold bag for a flight to the Big Apple and on arrival, on opening his case presumably in the hotel room, there was a freshly deposited human turd, courtesy of the LHR baggage-handlers whom he'd also managed to upset.

Not guilty M’Lord, I was at LGW during his disastrous spell.

Topical

https://www.businessinsider.com/donald- ... ?r=US&IR=T

Freddie Laker lived quite near me in Sussex in the 70s. One day I was driving in uniform to work at Gatwick and my car broke down outside the Ardingly Showground near Haywards Heath. I had my head under the bonnet when this jovial chap stopped his Rolls Royce and came over and asked if he could help. It was Freddie Laker. He gave me a lift in his Rolls and dropped me off at our hangar at the Beehive before going to his offices on the airfield.

Sir Adam Thomson(1926-2000) who ran British Caledonian. One of the nicest people I met in aviation. When BCAL took over Ferranti Helicopters in 1979 he came down to Shoreham to speak to us and a few of us had lunch with him in the Shoreham airport bar - an aviator talking to aviators, it was memorable. Most of his 7000 employees would have done anything for Sir Adam - he just engendered loyalty. More than 30 years after BCAL ceased to exist there is still an active former employees website. Sir Adam's obituary was published on that website:

http://www.british-caledonian.com/Sir_Adam_Thomson.html

There was one famous quote of his which still rings true today:

When there's a recession, you tighten your belt. When there's a depression, you have no belt to tighten. When you lose your pants, you're in the airline business.''

In the mid-80s, I was involved with Tony Ryan and his sons as they were leasing two 748s to start up the airline. We had been in Shannon for a couple of days and it was in the heady days of GPA of course. One morning, having sat ourselves round the table in the boardroom. I asked Tony if he had slept well, knowing the pressure that was on at the time.
"Slept like a baby" was his reply.
"That's good," I said.
"No, I woke up screaming every four hours," was his humorous response.

A very nice person with a sharp intellect, but no side on him whatsoever.