After retiring from the Canadian Air Force, Willis relocated to St. John’s, NL, in 2012 to take a position as the Executive Director for the Provincial Aerospace and Defence Industry Association. He returned to the helicopter world in January 2015 as the Director Safety and Quality at Cougar Helicopters.
During his RCAF career Willis was employed as an aircraft technician, aerospace engineer and project manager on a variety of helicopter fleets at locations across Canada, Germany and the UK. Staff and Command tours included postings to Winnipeg MB, Ottawa ON, Borden ON, England and with NATO. His last tour was as the Executive Officer for the Directorate Strategic Planning at the NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Mons, Belgium.
Willis is a graduate of Memorial University NL, the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Technology and Engineering, the Canadian Forces College, the RAF Senior Logistics Managers Course – RAF Cranwell, and he holds a Masters of Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada.