Born: United States of America
Primarily active in: United States of America

Norbert "Ty" Tyrell Genteman

Ty spent most of his aviation career within the Aviall and Boeing families working on the Rolls-RoyceModel 250 engine. In 1986, he joined Aviall’s engine overhaul facility in Phoenix, Arizona, and quickly rose from delivering parts to an apprentice trainee on the RRM250 line. In 1989, he received both his US Federal Aviation Administration airframe and powerplant license and his level 2 Nondestructive Testing certification.

In 1994, Aviall sold the engine maintenance side of its business and the Phoenix facility closed. Ty and his wife Lydia relocated to California to continue his development as a mechanic on fixed-wing aircraft. Shortly after the move to California, however, Ty felt drawn to the vertical flight community. He and Lydia soon moved back to the Phoenix area to work at a new startup maintenance facility called Arizona Rotorcraft, where Ty advanced from mechanic to maintenance production manager and eventually led the company’s maintenance team.

In the early 2000’s, Ty returned to the Aviall team and relocated to Dallas, Texas, where he became a product line manager on the RRM250 distribution side of the business. This return to Aviall started an uninterrupted career development track for more than two decades that led to promotions and increased responsibilities on the Rolls-Royce engine line.

Boeing acquired Aviall in 2006, after which the new parent company relocated Ty to their Boeing Global Services division as senior manager of helicopter operations. Within this role, Ty continued tomanage the distribution of Rolls-Royce engine material but alsomanaged all of Boeing’s commercial rotorcraft offerings to the market.

Ty’s team, and impact, continued to grow during his work at Boeing. He was eventually promoted to manage further distribution networks for the company, including fixed-wing aircraft. His ties to the rotary wing world remained, as he continued to manage the RRM250 program that brought him back to Aviall and Boeing.

Ty’s professional career is almost dwarfed by his personal life and his community involvement. In April 2008, Ty and Lydia welcomed their newborn son Connor Genteman. A pregnancy sonogram revealed that he had a Trisomy 21 genetic defect, while testing revealed that he would also be born with Down Syndrome. Years later, a young Connor wrote in his blog: “I don't know what either of those things mean, or why I should care.” Connor was born 37 weeks and weighing 6 lb,9 oz — which is close to full-term birth, yet he also had three holes in his heart that required surgery soon after birth. Ty and Lydia’s beloved son spent the first two months of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Connor grew up strong, so Ty and Lydia wanted to give back to the community that supported them during their son’s early years. The couple created a non-profit foundation to host a classic car event, which raises both funds and awareness for families in their community with special-needs members. Named after their son, Connor’s Annual Car Show was launched in 2014 and is now an annual event in the Dallas area. The first charity show attracted over 100 classic vehicles and raised $16,000.

Subsequent shows have raised a total of over $325,000 that have gone directly to special-needs charities in Texas. Ty lives on through both his son Connor and the nonprofit, which can be found online at: www.connorscarshow.com.

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of a truly great individual in the vertical flight community. Norbert “Ty” Tyrell Genteman passed away on Dec. 10, 2025, after a brief battle with cancer.

Source: In Memoriam from Vertiflite, January/February 2026