UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report: July 29, 2009

Willis Lease Finance Corporation

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Delaware		001-15369		68-0070656
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)		(Commission File Number)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

773 San Marin Drive, Suite 2215
Novato, California 94998

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (415) 408-4700

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

The Board of Directors of the Company has elected Jesse V. Crews Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer commencing on July 29, 2009. Mr. Crews, age 55, has in excess of 30 years experience in the equipment finance business, most recently with Fortress Investment Group as Managing Director and previously with GATX Capital Corporation as President and CEO.

The Company and Mr. Crews have executed an offer letter that provides that Mr. Crews will receive an annual base salary of $350,000. Mr. Crews will be eligible for cash incentive bonuses through his participation in the Company’s 2009 Bonus Plan at a target of 50% of his annual base salary, plus an additional discretionary 50% of his annual base salary, as determined by the Compensation Committee based upon the recommendation of the Chief Executive Officer. In addition, Mr. Crews will be granted 10,000 restricted shares of the Company’s Common Stock under the Company’s 2007 Stock Incentive Plan, which will vest in equal increments over a four-year period.

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.

On July 27, 2009, the Company issued a Press Release announcing Mr. Crews’ election. A copy of this Press Release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements & Exhibits

The Company hereby furnishes the following exhibit pursuant to Item 7.01, “Regulation FD Disclosure”.

Exhibit No.		Description

99.1		Press Release dated July 27, 2009

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Dated July 29, 2009

	WILLIS LEASE FINANCE CORPORATION


	By:	/s/Bradley S. Forsyth
		Bradley S. Forsyth
		Senior Vice President and
		Chief Financial Officer

Exhibit 99.1

	CONTACT:	Brad Forsyth
		Chief Financial Officer
NEWS RELEASE		(415) 408-4700

Jesse V. Crews Joins Willis Lease Finance Senior Management Team;

Veteran Industry Leader Named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Novato, CA — July 27, 2009—Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WLFC), a leading lessor of commercial jet engines, today announced Jesse V. Crews will join the company as Chief Operating Officer on July 29, 2009.

“Jesse Crews is a widely recognized leader in the leasing and transportation finance industries with more than 30 years of experience in our markets,” said Charles F. Willis, President and CEO. “The combination of his solid financial expertise and extensive understanding of aircraft leasing will be very important to us. What’s significant is that Jesse brings a wealth of experience with him in each discipline to our team. In addition, I look forward to having Jesse participate in the formation and cultivation of joint ventures and business development as well as capital markets enhancement.”

“As a consistently profitable firm with a solid balance sheet and assets now above the $1 billion level, Willis Lease is a great opportunity for me to work with a well-respected management team to move the company to the next level of growth and profitability,” said Crews.

Crews spent 26 years with GATX Corporation (NYSE:GMT), where he served as President and CEO of GATX Capital Corporation, a diversified equipment leasing company with approximately $3.5 billion in assets and $5 billion in managed third party assets. Over the past five years, he served as a managing director for Fortress Investment Group, (NYSE: FIG) an equity investment firm with approximately $30 billion of funds under management.

Crews earned a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Yale University. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia.

About Willis Lease Finance

Willis Lease Finance Corporation leases spare commercial aircraft engines and aircraft to commercial airlines, aircraft engine manufacturers and overhaul/repair facilities worldwide. These leasing activities are integrated with the purchase and resale of used and refurbished commercial aircraft engines. In June 2009, Willis Lease Finance was added to the Russell 2000 Index, a subset of the Russell 3000 Index, which are both widely used by professional money managers as benchmarks for investment strategies. In July 2009, Willis Lease Finance was ranked 19th on Fortune Small Business Magazine’s (FSB) America’s fastest growing small public companies.

Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Do not unduly rely on forward-looking statements, which give only expectations about the future and are not guarantees. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made; and we undertake no obligation to update them. Our actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, the effects on the airline industry and the global economy of events such as terrorist activity, changes in oil prices and other disruptions to the world markets; trends in the airline industry and our ability to capitalize on those trends, including growth rates of markets and other economic factors; risks associated with owning and leasing jet engines and aircraft; our ability to successfully negotiate equipment purchases, sales and leases, to collect outstanding amounts due and to control costs and expenses; changes in interest rates and availability of capital, both to us and our customers; our ability to continue to meet the changing customer demands; regulatory changes affecting airline operations, aircraft maintenance, accounting standards and taxes; the market value of engines and other assets in our portfolio; and risks detailed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other continuing reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Note: Transmitted on GlobeNewswire on July 27, 2009, at 4:00 p.m. PDT.