George Andrew “Drew” Coats
Drew Coats resides in The Woodlands, Texas with his wife Kirsten. They have two adult children, one in college at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, and the other in graduate school at the University of Houston-Downtown. Mr. Coats was born in Abilene, Texas, and spent much of his early childhood in Lexington, Kentucky. He moved back to Texas in 1982 and has been a resident of the Lone Star State ever since.
Mr. Coats earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin in 1989, and a Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law in 1992. He was admitted to the Texas State Bar in 1992, earned his Private Pilot’s License shortly afterwards, and purchased his first airplane in 1994. Together, he and Kirsten have flown their sturdy Cessna Skyhawk around the United States, using a stack of dog-eared sectionals, dead reckoning skills, and a sense of adventure. They added a Beechcraft Bonanza to the family fleet in 2006, enabling their family of four to see much of the continental United States from 10,000 feet and below. The connection between aviation and law has been inseparable in Drew Coats’ professional and personal life. He uses the Skyhawk and Bonanza as his preferred mode of business travel, operating from grass strips, major airports and hundreds of airports not served by airlines.
Professionally, Mr. Coats is licensed to practice law in Texas, admitted to practice in multiple federal court jurisdictions, and admitted to practice pro hac vice in other states. In 2024, Mr. Coats was among the first eleven lawyers to earn Board Certification in Aviation Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Additionally, Mr. Coats is a licensed mediator, trained by Professor Kimberlee Kovach, the former chair of the American Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section and the State Bar of Texas ADR Section.
Mr. Coats is a member of the State Bar of Texas, former officer of the State Bar Aviation Law Section, and a member of the Aviation Law Association and the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association.
As a private pilot and lifelong aviation enthusiast, Mr. Coats has logged over 2,940 flight hours in a wide variety of aircraft. He is an instrument-rated private pilot in single engine land aircraft, single engine sea aircraft, and multi-engine land aircraft. He is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, the Seaplane Pilots Association, and is an Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association member and Legal Services Plan Panel Attorney. Mr. Coats is a recipient of the National Business Aviation Association’s Silk Scarf Award, served as Aviation Legal Editor for the American Pilot Magazine, and authored several articles for Texas Flyer Magazine. Additionally, Mr. Coats is a past president of the Houston Aviation Alliance.
Philanthropically, Mr. Coats founded and served as President and Chairman of the Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society, initiating and leading its effort to create the 1940 Air Terminal Museum at William P. Hobby Airport. The present existence of Houston’s original art deco terminal building is largely due to his determination to preserve local aviation history and to educate the public about the vital role of aviation in our past, present, and future. Additionally, Mr. Coats has served as a merit badge counselor for scouts and students interested in aviation and law.
AshleyAnn Sander
AshleyAnn Sander has an immense passion for all things aviation related. Growing up surrounded by family members who are pilots and aircraft mechanics, she believes that she was destined for the aviation industry.
Ms. Sander earned her undergraduate degree from The University of Alabama where she studied computer science and telecommunications. She worked in the film industry in Atlanta, Georgia, for eight years employing her creative skills as a production coordinator and manager, working on sets for companies such as SEC Network, Bridgestone, AT&T, Papa Johns, and numerous others. After leaving the film industry and becoming a paralegal, she discovered her passion for the law.
Ms. Sander earned her Juris Doctorate from the Charleston School of Law in Charleston, South Carolina. There, she became interested in aviation law and found the perfect way to combine her family background and professional calling. While attending Charleston School of Law, Ms. Sander received the CALI award for earning the highest grades in her legal writing courses. She served as a student instructor for first-year law student writing courses, and as a research aid for legal professors, while gaining valuable experience as a law clerk for several litigation firms.
Upon graduation from Charleston School of Law, Ms. Sander moved to Texas to begin her legal career. She is an accomplished litigator and excels at representing clients in the courtroom. In her personal life, AshleyAnn lives in an historic neighborhood in Houston, Texas, with her husband Sterling and their dogs, and is pursuing her dream of becoming a private pilot.
Gregory S. Lander
During his highly distinguished career with the Federal Aviation Administration, Gregory S. Lander was one of the FAA’s foremost legal and operational experts.
Mr. Lander served as an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI) in operations for over 20 years, and as an Enforcement Attorney for almost 15 years. His Flight Standards career included serving as an ASI and Principal Operations Inspector (POI) in the Dallas general aviation Flight Standards District Office, later progressing into part 121 air carrier certification and oversight, serving as POI for numerous large air carriers, including American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Later, Mr. Lander served as the manager of the FAA’s largest certificate management office, prior to transferring to FAA legal, where he successfully litigated numerous cases before the NTSB involving violations of the Federal Aviation Regulations.
Additionally, Mr. Lander was a senior policy advisor, writing and teaching training courses for FAA lawyers and inspectors, including the FAA’s Illegal Charter Course. Lander is also an adjunct instructor, teaching aviation law and regulations courses for Hesston College, located in Hesston, Kansas.
Mr. Lander has an encyclopedic knowledge of the aviation regulatory environment. He is an Air Force Veteran, holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate with Learjet and B-727 type ratings. He is a Certified Flight Instructor, Multi-Engine Instructor, Instrument Instructor, Advanced Ground Instructor, and holds a Turbojet Flight Engineer certificate. Mr. Lander was a part 141 flight school Chief Instructor, and flew commercially, including corporate and charter. He exemplifies the highest standards of the aviation and legal professions.
Greg Lander was among the first eleven attorneys in Texas to be board certified in Aviation Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is a graduate of Texas Wesleyan School of Law. Now that he has retired from the FAA, Mr. Lander brings his vast expertise to the practice of aviation law in the private sector.
Greg was born in Oil City, Pennsylvania, and raised in nearly Venus. He and his wife Sherrell met and married in Abilene, Texas, while Greg was serving in the Air Force. They reside in Colleyville, Texas, and have two adult children. Their daughter Hannah recently earned her PhD, and lives in Las Vegas with her husband Seth. Their son Chance is currently completing his PhD at the University of Oklahoma. Together, the Landers enjoy travelling and family gatherings.
