From the Flight Deck

What do you get when you mix a passion for aviation, a passion for service, and a passion for advocacy?

Meet Erin Mulcahy. Erin is involved with aircraft management, sales, and acquisitions for Shoreline Aviation, located in the heart of Massachusetts’ South Shore. Shoreline is the long-time fixed base operator managing Marshfield Municipal Airport. Erin oversees management of the aircraft under Shoreline’s wing. She’s also active in charter sales for the company’s managed fleet of jets and turboprop aircraft.

After the South Shore native earned her degree in Communications and Public Relations at Westfield State University, in western Massachusetts, Erin caught the aviation bug with a helicopter company in New York. There she managed heliport locations and customer experience teams. She then grew her aircraft management skills with an FAA Part 135 operator in Bedford, Massachusetts, before locating back to the South Shore, clearly hooked on the industry. Shoreline was the perfect landing spot – a highly respected, spirited, and always growing aviation company in its fifth decade, with current, local ownership and management in its 38th year.

Erin Mulcahy is involved with aircraft management, sales, and acquisitions for Shoreline Aviation.

It was with Shoreline that Erin decided to stretch further in her chosen field and joined the aviation advocacy group Massachusetts Business Aviation Association. That’s when she shifted to overdrive.

“I had been attending MBAA events since 2019 and got to know many of the participants and board members,” she said. “A lot of members noticed my involvement, and I was encouraged to apply for a position on the board. I went through the application process and was appointed in June of 2023. I am now also the board secretary. I take notes at our quarterly meetings, write and distribute the minutes, note what’s going on, what’s coming up.”

It’s what’s going on and what’s coming up that fuels Erin’s thirst to serve. Such as the MBAA’s 12th annual Aviation Day, taking place May 7 at Hanscom Field in Bedford.

“The event connects aviation enthusiasts from all around New England,” said Erin, who is responsible for event registration and security checks, as well as assisting with vendor setup and event prep. “Aviation Day brings people together for networking – 300 business aviation employees, company owners, operators, executives, and service providers will attend. We’ll have displays of aircraft for attendees to tour, and several companies, including Shoreline, will have booths with representatives to discuss their services and share insights.”

Erin Mulcahy, left, enjoys the 2024 Scholarship Golf Tournament with MBAA board members. Photo courtesy Erin Mulcahy

Aviation Day aircraft on static display will include:

• Dassault Falcon 8X
• Gulfstream G600
• Cessna Citation Longitude
• Bombardier Challenger 3500
• Pilatus PC-12
• Leonardo helicopter
• Boston Medflight helicopter

And the event will feature hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.

Aviation Day, MBAA’s annual Scholarship Golf Tournament in August, and the annual Safety Dinner in December, along with membership fees raise funds for scholarships for students going into the field of aviation.

“We want to educate and mentor the next generation of students in business aviation,” Erin said. “We focus on the education of students by raising money for scholarships. Over the last ten years we’ve awarded over $150,000 in scholarships. 2024 saw the highest amount awarded to five deserving students.”

Last year MBAA created a student board member position, which gives a worthy student a chance to join the board for a term as a non-voting member to gain experience.

“We also participate annually in an Aviation Career Fair for Massachusetts students at Cape Cod Gateway Airport,” Erin said. “And we’re planning for next year to host a student career evening as part of the annual Aviation Day. Students can join Aviation Day, where they’d be introduced to many aviation companies, including OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), FBOs (fixed base operators), MROs (maintenance, repair, and overhaul companies), and management companies. Through these programs and mentoring, we assist in securing the future of business aviation.”

That mission is also carried out regularly in board committees such as Government Affairs. “We advocate for general aviation at the state and local level,” she said. “We respond to media pieces and support the progress through speaking with state legislators and local officials.”

Erin Mulcahy takes a brief break on a static display aircraft at Aviation Day 2024. Photo courtesy Erin Mulcahy

All her MBAA effort offers Erin an essential element that contributes to her professional whole.

“I gain a wealth of knowledge from my co-board members, with so many years of experience,” she said. “And there is a great deal of networking with the local aviation community. Building personal and professional relationships is very helpful to me here at Shoreline. Shoreline is so community driven, and it really helps to grow and nurture those relationships.”

Sounds like a boatload of activity, right?

“Oh, and we host networking events and Women with Wings events in between,” Erin added. “Women with Wings is our networking group within MBAA for female professionals in aviation. I’m on the Women with Wings Committee, too.”

Catch Erin at one of the many upcoming MBAA networking events.

Cover photo: Erin Mulcahy poses with the Shoreline team during the 2024 MBAA Scholarship Golf Tournament held at Pinehills Golf Club. Photo courtesy Erin Mulcahy