Conquistadores del Cielo
Conquistadores del Cielo is a secretive club of high-level airline and aerospace industry executives. The Conquistadores del Cielo are still in existence today, stating that they exist "To develop and promote interest in aerospace activities. Sponsoring and giving educational, social, recreational and athletic events and functions that will bring together and unite in fellowship persons interested in the general purpose of the organization, and any other activities that such fellowship shall kindle and inspire. The organization shall be conducted without pecuniary benefit to the membership."
History
The club was founded by Transcontinental & Western Air, later Trans World Airlines, President William John "Jack" Frye, and Vice President Paul Richert in 1937 as an informal gathering for airline industry giants. Jack Frye was the Conquistadores' first leader. During these initial meetings, Jack Frye proposed a number of his friends and associated come together for an annual meeting at his ranch, A-Bar-A Ranch in Encampment, Wyoming. During these early years, the Conquistadores would go horseback riding, shooting, and hunting, although their recreational activities expanded over time.In 1938, the Conquistadores expanded their membership to include persons involved in the space industry. The group was officially incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1941 with EIN 95-6092475.
The Conquistadores were first named in a major media publication in 2010 as airline executives who were attending a Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit were leaving to go to Wyoming.
According to Rolls-Royce chief executive Sir John Rose, the Conquistadores have a club drinking song, a twist on the song "The Three Caballeros" from the 1944 film The Three Caballeros. The song goes:
'We're Conquistadores, gay ConquistadoresDuring the 2019 retirement celebration of Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher, Bill Franke, chairman of Frontier Airlines, Colleen Barrett, Kelleher's replacement emeritus, Bill Cunningham, Southwest's presiding director, and retired General Duncan McNabb broke with a long-standing tradition of silence and shared several stories about Kelleher and the Conquistadores del Cielo. According to Cunningham, the A-Bar-A Ranch sits on 100,000 acres of land, and is "so large it has four climatic zones". Cunningham also alleges that the Conquistadores spend a great deal of time drinking and hunting, though he claims that despite being well armed, little hunting is done, and the only shots had been "exclusively Wild Turkey".
We're birds of a very fine feather!
We're happy amigos no matter where he goes
The One, Two and Three goes, we're always together.
The accounts of Thomas Petzinger, Jr. in his book Hard Landing, recounts his time at the A-Bar-A Ranch and claims that the members "would turn out in cowboy hats and boots – Stephen Wolf in an elegant knitted sweater, perhaps, and Bob Crandall in a leather vest and bolo tie. They would feast on prime rib, buffalo burgers, trout pate, and bacon smoked on Applewood.”
According to one of the Conquistadores Del Cielo Papers at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, one of the largest events during the retreats is the initiation ceremony.
“The highlight of the week was the initiation ceremony for new members who had attended three meetings. This ceremony is a pantomime induction with processions of Conquistadores riding down from the hills with lighted torches.There were allegations that the Conquistadores del Cielo had no female or non-Europe/North America members until in 2002 Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho announced his attendance. Additionally, in 2017, Mary Nagelmann was the organization's full-time Executive Director and sole employee. Despite this, the organization has historically been called mostly male.
“Initiates are sworn in and dubbed ‘Conquistador.’ The script being read recounts the history of the Conquerors of the Sky. Fireworks conclude the ceremony.
“It is costumed by the workshop which costumes the Royal Spanish Opera in Madrid. Authentic period costumes complete with armor, swords, and full regalia are used. It is an extremely solemn occasion for members involved in the cause of promoting aviation in this country.”
The organization has $1.2m in annual revenue and spends nearly all of its money on two annual retreats.
Members
, Robert Crandall, Harding L. Lawrence, David Barger, and Gary Kelly have been members. 2015 members listed on the annual IRS filing include Tom Enders, Scott C. Donnelly, Mark Dunkerley, Daniel Altobello, and Marillyn Hewson. 2016 members also include Marc Parent, Jerry Atkin, John R. Dailey, Robert Fornaro, Randall Greene, David P. Hess, Dawne Hickton, David L. Joyce, C. Jeffrey Knittel, Lloyd W. Newton, Kelly Ortberg, Curtis Reusser, Christian Scherer, Terry Stinson, and Jeffrey L. Turner. 2017 members also include Daniel Crowley, Cindy Egnotovich, Paul Funchino, August Henningsen, and David Melcher.The Conquistadores became more visible at the public memorial service for Herb Kelleher, when Hudson Drake, an executive with Boeing and Teledyne Technologies as well as a White House Fellow for the Johnson and Nixon administrations, gave a eulogy for Herb. In the short talk, he revealed that the Conquistadores' spring meeting rotates throughout the world and that Herb was initiated in 1990. Conquistadores receive a green jacket and 25-year members receive a yellow jacket. Both Hudson and Herb were at least 25-year members. Herb received the "Big Horse Award", the club's highest honor, in 2005.