A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Senior Editor

Curt Epstein

Gulfstream Aerospace appointed Larry Flynn senior vice president for marketing and sales. He will replace Raynor Reavis, who has announced his retirement. Flynn remains a v-p of Gulfstream parent General Dynamics. Mark Burns will take Flynn’s positions as president for Gulfstream product support and president of General Dynamics Aviation Services. The company also appointed Wayne Burk director of sales for material services and named Emery Wiltse senior program administrator for final phase service center, supplemental type certificate. 
General Dynamics chairman and CEO Nicholas Chabraja will step down as CEO on June 30 next year and remain chairman until May 2010. Succeeding the retiring Chabraja will be Jay Johnson, who currently sits on the company’s board and is CEO of Dominion Virginia Power. Johnson will become vice chairman of the board and an executive officer of the company on September 2 and then assume the CEO title in July next year.
William Lovett has been named North American president and CEO for AIG Aviation.
Aircraft instrumentation supplier Aero-sonic has appointed Douglas Hillman president and CEO. He will also serve as a member of Aerosonic’s board of directors.
PlaneSmart! Aviation founder, president and CEO Jeffery Cullen is stepping down to become the company’s vice president of strategic development. Michael Brosler will replace him in his leadership positions. 
Shadin Avionics has promoted Allan Kramer to CEO. He was previously Shadin’s executive director of operations. The company has also added Eugene Gray as director of business development and marketing, and Cari Herman as its software engineering manager. In addition, Shadin named Kelly Linnell customer service manager.
Florida-based charter provider Charter Logic has elected Jet 1 Charter CEO Scott Phillips as its chairman. 
Midcoast Aviation president Kurt Sutterer has been named vice chairman of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) for the 2008-2009 term. In addition, Charles Cox, president of Northern Air, was elected to the association’s board of directors for a three-year term.
Russ Meyer Jr., chairman emeritus of Cessna Aircraft, was selected as chairman of AOPA’s Air Safety Foundation Board of Visitors. He takes over from former FAA Administrator David Hinson, who held the position since 1997.
Rob Cowan has been appointed managing director of Aviareto, the Dublin-based operator of the International Registry of Mobile Assets for the air transport industry. Cowan succeeds Niall Greene, who has stepped down as the managing director of Aviareto but remains on the board of directors.
Joe Ponte, NBAA’s former vice president of membership, marketing and regional programs, has joined the FAA’s runway safety office, which is focused on the elimination of runway incursions. 
Charter management company FirstFlight announced Michael Gaffney will lead a new division called JetEquity Solutions, which will focus on aircraft financial services.
Viking Air has appointed Robert Mauracher vice president of business development. Mauracher was most recently CEO of regional airline Hawaii Island Air.
Midcoast Aviation has promoted Jim Zarvos to senior vice president, responsible for MRO and refurbishment activities at its newly acquired Savannah Air Center. He will also head up Midcoast’s satellite operations. The Jet Aviation subsidiary has also promoted Dave Smith from senior director of quality assurance for MRO satellite operations to vice president of satellite operations.
Kevin Perris has been named to lead Standard Aero’s STC program for the Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada PT6A. The company has also appointed Michael Moore senior vice president of Associated Air Center, its VIP transport completion facility in Dallas. 
Bob Agostino has joined Pennsylvania-based L.J. Aviation as vice president of operations. Agostino recently resigned as director of flight operations for Bombardier Business Aircraft.
Bill Minkoff has joined Tennessee-based Corporate Flight Management as its vice president for marketing. &nbsp;
Aircraft management company Arcadia Aviation added Michael Gauvreau as v-p of aircraft sales and acquisitions. 
Jetcorp Technical Services has chosen Danny Farnham as vice president for its modifications and refurbishment division.
Marc Overton has been named vice president of business aviation sales for the Tulsa, Okla.-based Nordam Group. The company also promoted Steve Pack from general manager of its nacelle and thrust reverser systems division to senior vice president of OEM manufacturing. 
Boeing subsidiary Alteon Training has named Leonard Weber II COO. Dr. Weber succeeds Brad Thomann, who assumed a similar position at fellow Boeing property Jeppesen. 
European airframer EADS Socata has appointed Stéphane Jacques its new chief test pilot. He succeeds Christian Briand, who retired after a 40-year aviation career.
Illinois-based charter and management provider Aviation Advisor has appointed Eric Sanchez as its chief pilot. 
Avionics supplier Rockwell Collins named David Yeoman senior director of enterprise communications. 
South Carolina-based Eagle Aviation promoted James Hutto to director of marketing. Scott Gifford has joined the company as marketing coordinator.
Fractional aircraft ownership company Executive AirShare has named Steve Dwerlkotte regional sales director.
Jet Support Services (JSSI) has announced the following changes to its sales team: Terry Flynn, global sales manager; Greg Hampton, sales manager for government programs. Dave Mikalauskas will head up the company’s Tip-to-Tail sales. Tom Cyr, Steve Brozina, Patrick Delahoussaye, Mike Klasing, Richard Ropp and Kandi Spangler have also all assumed new sales positions within the company.
Norman Matheis has joined Universal Avionics Systems as its regional marketing manager for Canada.
Western Aircraft has appointed Ronald Smith a regional director of aircraft sales. 
Brian Waymire has been promoted to general manager of General Dynamics Aviation Services’ MRO facility in Las Vegas. 
Flight Display Systems hired Steve Lord to be Northeast sales manager. Wells Fargo named John Dorenbecher Western region territory manager for its corporate aircraft division.

People in Aviation: June 2008

Gulfstream Aerospace appointed Larry Flynn senior vice president for marketing and sales.

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