Barbara Cesar, 56; built the luxury interiors of privately owned aircraft
Barbara Cesar, 56, who with her late husband Ed designed, built and refurbished the luxury interiors of privately owned airplanes, died Nov. 9 at Providence St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank of complications after minor surgery, said her brother, Glen Foster.
The Cesars formed Syncro Aviation and Syncro Aircraft Interiors in 1983. The company, now based at Van Nuys Airport, creates custom-designed interiors for airplanes owned by royalty, celebrities and entrepreneurs.
Over the years, Syncro also sublet hangar space. The World War II-era hangar at Van Nuys was used for filming scenes in big-budget movies, including the 1994 Arnold Schwarzenegger film “True Lies,” “Batman & Robin” from 1997 and Harrison Ford’s 1997 film “Air Force One.”
Ed Cesar, a pilot and champion hang glider, died in 2002.
In 2006, Barbara Cesar helped organize an aviation career day at Van Nuys Airport to educate area youths about job opportunities in the aviation and aerospace fields. This year’s event attracted 1,400 high school students.
She also helped arrange a collaboration between the San Fernando Valley Economic Alliance and the Los Angeles Unified School District to offer aviation and aerospace internships through Monroe High School in North Hills.
Born Barbara Foster in Washington, D.C., on March 15, 1951, she attended Richmond Polytechnic University for a few years and met her future husband in 1977. She was a licensed helicopter pilot and was instrument-rated to fly airplanes.
