Barbara Cesar, the owner of an aircraft aviation interior company who shared her passion for the industry with a younger generation, died Saturday. A memorial service takes place at 2 p.m., Nov. 16 at the Syncro Aircraft Interiors Inc., 7701 Woodley Ave. at the Van Nuys Airport. Cesar co-founded the business with her husband Ed in 1983 and moved it to Van Nuys in 1990. Ed Cesar passed away in 2002. Aviation and flight was in Cesar’s blood, said Robert Rodine, a consultant with clients in the aviation industry. There were a number of times when Rodine said he encouraged Cesar to consider alternatives to operating from Van Nuys Airport. “She wouldn’t hear of it,” Rodine said. “There was no dissuading her of that.” In 2006, Cesar and Syncro hosted an Aviation Career Day to get students interested in careers in the aviation industry. This year’s event drew some 1,800 students from 24 high school in the Valley region. Cesar was also behind the San Fernando Valley Aviation-Aerospace Collaborative pairing Monroe High School students with Valley employers to gain work experience.
