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

General Dynamics made some changes to its subsidiary leadership. Jason Aiken, previously senior v-p and CFO of Gulfstream, has been promoted to General Dynamics CFO. He replaces L. Hugh Redd, who is retiring. Daniel Clare, formerly president of Jet Aviation, succeeds Aiken. Robert Smith was promoted from Jet Aviation’s CFO to president.
Bombardier promoted Raymond Jones from v-p of worldwide strategic accounts for Bombardier Business Aircraft to senior v-p of sales, marketing and asset management. He replaces Chet Fuller, who has left the company.
Gulfstream has promoted Lor Izzard from G280 entry-into-service program director to director of sales support and technical marketing. The airframer also added two new sales directors. Scott Clarey, previously Piaggio America’s regional sales director in the western U.S. and western Canada, will handle Southwest North American sales; Kevin Brink, formerly Dassault’s regional sales director for western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest, will cover Northwest North America for the Savannah-based company.
John Doman, former v-p of worldwide propeller aircraft sales for Cessna, joined Oregon-based aircraft sales, management and MRO provider Hillsboro Aviation as director of business development for the company’s sales and service division.
Canadian flight planning specialist Skyplan Services hired Shane Harney, previously chief duty dispatcher with WestJet, as its new v-p of operations.
Patrick Goudou, the former executive director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), has been named technical advisor to Christian Mainet, the president of France-based risk management advisors Apave Group.
The board of directors of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) elected Steve Taylor, president of Boeing Business Jets, as GAMA’s chairman for 2014. Joe Brown, president of Hartzell Propeller, has been selected as vice chairman. He will continue to serve as chairman of the policy and legal issues committee.
Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, previously the Nigerian representative to the <a href="http://www.icao.int/">International Civil Aviation Organization</a> (ICAO), has been elected president of the ICAO council after the retirement of Roberto Kobeh González, who served as president for two consecutive three-year terms.
Hawke Aerospace Holdings appointed Jim Fisher, most recently with Air Methods, president of its MRO subsidiary, Uniflight. 
Stefan Buschle, previously with Whitejets Airways, has been named chief commercial officer for Munich, Germany-based business aircraft and helicopteroperator MHS Aviation.
Jet Aviation has promoted Hardy Bütschi from v-p of Jet Aviation Saudi Arabia to v-p and general manager of the company’s maintenance and FBO operations in Dubai. He is succeeded by Alain Champonnois, most recently v-p of sales and business development with Skyservice Business Aviation.
NBAA appointed two v-ps of government relations effective January 1: Dick Doubrava, who has been with the association since 2004; and Christa Fornarotto, formerly the FAA’s associate administrator for airports.
Russian Helicopters, a subsidiary of Oboronprom, in turn part of Rostec, appointed two new deputy CEOs: Vadim Ligay, currently CEO of Kazan Helicopters; and Vyacheslav Kozlov, first deputy managing director for economics and finance at Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant. In addition, the company appointed Vladimir Kudashkin, previously chief of staff at Rostec, deputy CEO for legal affairs and corporate governance.
Ken Sewell has joined the UK-based aviation consultancy <a href="http://www.ibagroup.com/">International Bureau of Aviation</a> as head of aircraft transactions. Most recently he ran his own asset management business.
AgustaWestland appointed Neill Osborne, previously president and COO of Era Helicopters, new business development manager for the oil and gas helicopter market in the Gulf of Mexico.
Don Milum was named director of avionics sales for Hawker Beechcraft Services. Most recently he was a senior sales manager with Honeywell.
Aviation services provider Elliott Aviation hired Lawrence Harting, previously with Dassault Aviation, as general manager of its Minneapolis facility and v-p of flight operations. 
California-based TWC Aviation named Timothy Young, most recently a pilot and aircraft manager for a private flight department, as director of aircraft management sales.
Turbine repair specialist Chromalloy tapped Jason Humphries, previously a business unit v-p with Ametek Amerom, as business development director for the company’s operations in Carson City, Nev., and Mexicali, Mexico. 
Eric Byer, former v-p of government and industry affairs and COO with the National Air Transportation Association, was named president and COO of the National Association of Chemical Distributors.
The American Association of Airport Executives has established its executive management team under president and CEO Todd Haupti. Spencer Dickerson was named senior executive v-p of global operations and secretary to the board of directors; Joel Bacon was promoted to executive v-p of government and public affairs. Carter Morris takes the role of executive v-p of AAAE services, and Jacky Sher Raker is now the organization’s executive v-p of meetings, membership, marketing and administration. AAAE also announced other senior staff promotions: Pat Raker, senior v-p of training and technology services; Melissa Sabatine, senior v-p of regulatory affairs; Brad Van Dam, senior v-p for government affairs; Jeff Holman, v-p of information services; and Steve Gironda, v-p of finance.
Chow Hoon Keung has joined Singapore-based engine MRO specialist Asia Pacific Aerospace as sales and marketing manager.
Airborne communications provider Cobham Satcom has added Jianmin Cui, previously avionics systems technical sales manager with Honeywell, as regional sales director for China.
Kim DiMetro, most recently a consultant with ExxonMobil’s worldwide FBO operations, joined Gray Stone Advisors in the recently created position of strategic marketing manager.
Ralph Leach joined the FlightSafety Academy in Vero Beach, Fla., as managing director of marketing and sales. Before this appointment, he served as v-p of business development for Jet Asia in China, and a senior consultant with CMR, London. The training provider also promoted David Judge to assistant manager of its learning center at London Farnborough Airport in the UK. Most recently he served as the center’s program manager for Sikorsky S-92 training.
Kansas City-based fractional ownership provider Executive AirShare promoted Benjamin Petersen from line captain to assistant chief pilot. 
Russ Piggott joined Massachusetts-based aircraft brokerage Boston JetSearch to help manage the aircraft search and acquisition process for clients. Before joining the company, he spent 14 years as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force.
Isle of Man-based international trust and corporate services provider Equiom Group appointed Marina Gall as head of yachting and aviation.
Vector Aerospace Engine Services Atlantic named Malcolm Venturi as regional sales and service manager for southern and western Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
Chris Grinnell, most recently lead mechanic with Four Points Aviation, joined Dallas-based RBR Maintenance as lead technician. 
Texas avionics developer FreeFlight Systems named Doug Campbell, most recently a regional sales manager with Avidyne, regional sales manager for the West Coast.
Dean Peterson, previously interior install supervisor at Elliott Aviation, has joined Columbus, Ohio-based Spirit Aeronautics as aircraft interiors lead technician. 
Awards and Honors
Don McCarty, a line technician with Colorado-based Mountain Aviation, was recognized with the FAA’s Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award. Named in honor of Charles Taylor, who designed and built the original engine for the Wright Flyer, the award honors those who have achieved 50 years of service in the aviation maintenance field. McCarty began his career in the U.S. Navy’s aviation mechanical fundamentals school in the early 1960s and went on to study hydraulic systems. He transitioned to civil aviation after leaving the service.
Lance Hofmann, EagleMed’s director of safety, has received the Chairman’s Award from the Association of Air Medical Services. The honor recognizes his actions, commitment to safety and leadership at the organization’s safety management training academy and his service as the association’s safety committee vice chair. The Association of Air Medical Services Chairman Awards are presented during the organization’s annual membership meeting at the Air Medical Transport Conference, to individuals who have gone above and beyond in their duties and contributions to the association and its membership. 
Matt Opliger, a graduate student in aerospace engineering and research engineer at Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), has been named 2013 Outstanding Student of the Year by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration. He will be honored at the Council of University Transportation Centers Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C., this month for his research project titled “Development of the Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer Calibration and Testing Procedures,” which was conducted for the FAA’s Center of Excellence for Composites and Advanced Materials. 
Final Flight
Charles Geiger, 60, vice president for business and operations with American Express, died on September 25 in Morristown, N.J. after a brief illness. His more than 30-year aviation career began with Pan Am at Teterboro and then JFK airports, before he transitioned to business aviation, with stints at Falcon Jet and as director of aviation at Warner Lambert. A supporter of the Corporate Angel Network, Geiger recently received NBAA’s Silk Scarf Award for his contributions to the business aviation community.

People in Aviation: January 2014

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