Randy Padfield has been a full-time editor with AIN Publications since 1993, became editor-in-chief in November 1998 and was made chief operating officer in 2012. Based at AIN’s editorial offices in Midland Park, N.J., he has overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the company, including the production of the Aviation International News monthly and Business Jet Traveler bimonthly magazines, the company's daily, on-site editions at conventions and air shows and its websites and electronic newslettters.

Before working for AIN, Padfield published articles in several other aviation publications while working full-time as a pilot. He is also the author of four books on aviation: Flying in Adverse Conditions, Cross-Country Flying—3^rd Edition, Learning to Fly Helicopters, and To Fly Like a Bird (a biography of helicopter pioneer Joe Mashman, published by the American Helicopter Society). In 1998 he received the NBAA's Gold Wing Award for reporting excellence.

Rated as an airline transport pilot in helicopters and airplanes, Padfield trained and flew missions as a U.S. Air Force HH-3E rescue pilot, flew Sikorsky S-61s, Bell 212s and Aerospatiale AS 332Ls for Helikopter Service of Norway for 12 years and was a pilot with Trump Air of New Jersey. He received his bachelor of science degree in engineering management from the United States Air Force Academy in 1971 and his master of science degree in the same discipline from UCLA in 1972.

Padfield and his wife of more than 40 years have three adult children and five grandchildren.