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

Signature Flight Support announced several executive promotions. Joe Gibney, formerly v-p of sales, was named v-p and managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and will be based in London. Alicia Rodites was promoted from director of revenue management to v-p of revenue management while John Farmer, most recently regional v-p for the Southeast, was tapped as v-p of network development for the Americas.
Charles Mayer, formerly v-p of marketing for Hawker Beechcraft, has assumed the same role with Pilatus Business Aircraft.
Gulfstream has promoted L.D. Buerger from senior manager of G650 production operations to director of G650 initial phase operations and named Doreen Gonzalez, previously a senior purchasing manager for the company’s completion facility in Savannah, as senior manager of G650 procurement. The airframer also added Jorge Perez to its field service representative roster, serving customers in central and north Florida.
Manufacturer and repair specialist Nordam Group has made several changes to its senior management. Meredith Siegfried, formerly COO of Nordam’s repair group, was named president of the company, while Hastings Siegfried, previously COO of the transparency group, was promoted to vice chairman of the company and chairman of its governance committee. Basil Barimo, v-p of global engineering and quality for the repair group, assumed the new title of v-p/general manager of the firm’s repair division and global technical operations.
Texas-based completions and MRO specialist King Aerospace has named Ron Soret president. Previously he was COO for Gore Design Completions.
Don Haloburdo, most recently v-p of flight operations for Jet Aviation, has been promoted to v-p and general manager of Jet Aviation Flight Services, replacing Bob Seidel, who has left the organization.
Steve Fitz-Gerald has been appointed CEO of UK aerospace services provider Marshall Aerospace, succeeding Martin Broadhurst, who retired.
Industry research provider and auditor Argus International has named former NetJets Aviation executive v-p Richard Smith III to its board of directors.
The Aircraft Electronics Association has appointed Geoff Hill director of communications and editor of Avionics News.
Embraer has promoted Cynthia Marcondes Ferreira Benedetto from director of finance to CFO. She succeeds Luiz Carlos Aguiar, who became the president and CEO of the airframer’s recently created defense and security unit.
Paul Class, previously senior v-p of charter sales at ACM Aviation, has joined TWC Aviation as senior v-p of charter services. The private aviation provider also promoted Scott Cutshall from director of charter sales to v-p of marketing, and named Alex Unterberger, most recently a Gulfstream IV captain with Prime Jet, director of training.
Avionics specialist DAC International, part of the Greenwich AeroGroup, has named Guenter Anschuetz director of business development for Europe.
Dallas-based air medical transport service SevenBar Flying Service has appointed B.J. Raysor v-p of operations.
L-3 Aviation Recorders has named R. Michael Smith president. Most recently he was senior v-p of business development with related company Aviation Communication &amp; Surveillance Systems.
Aviation Communication &amp; Surveillance Systems (ACSS), jointly owned by L-3 Communications &amp; Thales, chose Terry Flaishans, previously v-p of engineering for L-3 Avionics Systems, as v-p and general manager.
Denise Millard was named v-p of international business development for L-3 Aviation Products. She was previously v-p of the customer group for ACSS.
New York-based private aviation provider Arcadia Aviation has selected Debra Higgins as v-p of charter sales. Most recently she was v-p of sales for Capital Jet.�
Landmark Aviation has named Karen Twitchell executive v-p and CFO. Most recently she held the post of v-p and treasurer for LyondellBasell Industries.
Timothy Genc, previously national sales director for American Flyers, has joined Illinois-based JA Flight Services as flight training manager.
St. Louis-based aviation services provider Aero Charter has hired William Fogarty III as captain for its Learjet 55 and Hawker 700 and 800.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based CRS Jet Spares has promoted Kirk Meissner to the position of Colorado sales representative. Previously he was an outside sales support representative for the Southern U.S.
Don Fazio, most recently a flight dispatcher with AIG’s flight department, has joined flight planning specialist Baseops International’s sales team.
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Final Flights
Alfred Kahn, 93, an economist and the architect of airline deregulation in the late 1970s, died on December 27 at his home in Ithaca, N.Y., after a battle with cancer. A proponent of reduced government regulation on industry, Kahn was tapped by President Carter to assume the position of chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board, and spearheaded the U.S. Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, which led the way for industry expansion and the lowering of fares.
Edward Harkin, 84, a longtime corporate pilot, died on November 25 at his home in Franklin, N.C. He began his aviation career during World War II at the age of 15 as a crop duster, before eventually working his way up to flying for several companies, including Wayfarer Ketch. He served 19 years as a pilot for Reader’s Digest, including five years as chief pilot, before his retirement in 1988.
Carl Schultz, 93, one of the founders of the Experimental Aircraft Association and its first vice president, died in Wind Lake, Wis., on December 25. He soloed in 1937 and served as a company pilot for BF Goodrich during the 1940s. After earning his A&amp;P certificate he worked as a mechanic and engineer, helping to develop de-icing boots for the DC-3 before joining the research engineering departments of several major small-engine manufacturers.
Reg Ward, 83, the driving force behind the creation of London City Airport, died suddenly on January 6 near his home in Gloucestershire, England. The first chief executive of London Docklands Development in 1981, he laid the groundwork for the conversion of the depressed East London docklands area into today’s business and residential center.

People: February 2011

Signature Flight Support announced several executive promotions.

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