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

Eric Martel, previously president of Bombardier customer services and specialized and amphibious aircraft, has been named president of Bombardier Business Aircraft. He succeeds Steve Ridolfi, who was appointed the Canadian airframer’s senior v-p of strategy and mergers and acquisitions.


Universal Avionics promoted Paul DeHerrera to CEO from COO. Joachim Naimer remains the Arizona-based company’s president and chairman of the board.


Virginia-based private aviation solutions provider Dynamic Aviation promoted David Hoyt from v-p of business development to senior v-p, strategic accounts executive.


Robert Kromer, most recently v-p of marketing with SimCom, has joined Texas-based aftermarket specialist Blackhawk Modifications as senior v-p of sales and marketing.


Aviation consultancy Private Jet Services hired Craig Hutchison, previously v-p of business development for Evergreen International Airlines, as v-p of operations. The New Hampshire-based company also named Monique Albert, most recently Wyvern’s director of business development, director of product development and innovation.


Scott Hayes has joined Texas-based Superior Air Parts as v-p of sales and marketing. Most recently he was a business consultant/direct sales manager for Interstate Battery.


London-based flight operations software and services provider Navtech named Robert Kernahan v-p of charts and navigation data production and general manager for the UK. Most recently he was the head of dangerous goods and special solutions for Lufthansa Cargo.


FlightSafety International promoted Daniel MacLellan from regional operations manager to v-p of operations. He succeeds Greg McGowan, senior v-p of operations, who will retire at the end of the year.


Dr. John Mowell was elected chairman of the board with Albuquerque, N.M.-based Aspen Avionics. Most recently he was executive director and chairman of the board of EMS Technologies.


Global aircraft charter provider Air Charter Service named Elie Hanna the new director of private jets for ACS Dubai.


Lisa Piccione, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Business Aviation Association, will leave the organization at the end of the year.


Emil Iannone has returned to Teterboro Airport-based private aviation services provider Meridian as director of operations.


Beechcraft appointed two new regional sales directors. Patrick O’Connell, previously a company demonstration pilot, will handle the Upper Midwest region of the U.S., while John Kearns, previously with Tulsa Beechcraft, will work the Central and West Texas region.


Renee Wilson, previously business development, sales and marketing manager with Composite Technology, joined Texas-based rotorcraft service provider Uniflight as director of sales and marketing.


Bryan Shelton, most recently senior manager for aviation maintenance operations for the Presidential Helicopter squadron with the U.S. Marine Corps, has joined Virginia-based Zenith Aviation as director of field operations.


Helicopter support provider Heli-One appointed two new members to its helicopter MRO sales team. Carolyn Forsyth, most recently general manager of Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada’s aftermarket engine sales and leasing division, was named regional sales director for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, while Ted Miller, previously president of Matrix Aviation, has joined the company as director of part sales and asset management.


Constant Aviation promoted Lance Lajara from large fleet account manager to regional sales manager. The Cleveland-based MRO provider also hired John Wasmund, previously an avionics sales manager with Hawker Beechcraft, to the same role.


Rocie Park, who was in charge of airline claims with aviation insurance provider <a href="http://www.agcs.allianz.com/">Allianz Global Corporate &amp; Specialty</a>, has been promoted to head of aviation claims, North America. She replaces Tim McSwain, who will retire at the end of the year.


Private aviation provider Business Jet Access has named David Garvey supply chain manager. The Dallas-based company also appointed Jerry Tindel, previously a lead technician with Gulfstream, maintenance supervisor.


Aviation fuel and associated services provider iFuel named Michael Mackonochie, founder of U.S.-based aviation business Elite Flying, its general sales agent for the North Americas, covering the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.


Chow Hoon Keung joined Singapore-based engine MRO specialist Asia Pacific Aerospace as sales and marketing manager.


Airborne communications provider Cobham Satcom added Jianmin Cui, previously avionics systems technical sales manager with Honeywell, as regional sales director for China.


Jason Zelenak was promoted from senior search coordinator to sales manager at aerospace recruitment firm Aviation Search Group.


Ohio-based The Timken Company appointed William Wilson, previously a field-service representative with Vector Aerospace, a field service/sales engineer for its aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul business.


Moreno Aguiari has joined aviation data and online services provider GlobalAir.com’s sales and marketing team, serving the West Coast of the U.S. and international sector.


Helicopter Specialties of Janesville, Wis., named Mike Davis as logistics manager.


Chad Voss has joined the legal team at Kansas City, Mo.-based aviation law firm Cooling &amp; Herbers.


Greg Kinsella, president and CEO of Key Air, and Jeff Madtes, president of FirstFlight, have been selected to the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s board of governors.


Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has named Dr. Kenneth Witcher as dean of the College of Aeronautics. A former superintendent of the U.S. Air Force’s test and evaluation squadron, he previously served as the university’s director of academics.


Awards and Honors


The National Aeronautic Association has released this year’s recipients of the Wesley L. McDonald Distinguished Statesmen of Aviation Award. The award honors Americans who by their efforts over many years have made contributions of significant value to aeronautics, and have reflected credit upon America and themselves.


Matt Zuccaro, president of the Helicopter Association International, has led HAI since 2005. Before joining the organization, Zuccaro had a long career as a helicopter pilot, starting with a stint as a U.S. Army aviator and instructor. He later served as senior pilot and operations supervisor for the Port Authority of New York &amp; New Jersey’s New York City heliports, and operations supervisor at Kennedy International Airport. He also flew as a test pilot for proving the feasibility of landings on the roof of the former World Trade Center.


Bruce Whitman, president and CEO of FlightSafety International, joined the company in 1961 and oversees the one million hours of training provided each year to 75,000 pilots and technicians around the world.


Janice Barden is the founder of Aviation Personnel International, an industry recruitment firm dedicated to serving the needs of business aviation flight departments. In business for 42 years, it claims to be the longest-running aviation recruiting business.


Rounding out this year’s class were former EADS North America chairman and CEO Ralph Crosby and retired Pratt &amp; Whitney executive Hugh Risseeuw. The five were honored last month at the association’s fall awards dinner in Arlington, Va.


Vadim Ligay, general director of Kazan Helicopters, was presented with the Order of Honour by Russian president Vladimir Putin on October 29 at the Kremlin in Moscow. The award recognizes achievements in services to the state, industry and scientific research, as well as in the fields of socio-cultural, public and charitable work, which lead to a significant improvement in people’s standards of living. “This is acknowledgement of the services of the whole Russian helicopter manufacturing industry and an incentive to reach new heights in the sector and achieve even greater results,” Ligay said in accepting the award.


At the 2013 Air Medical Transport Conference held in October in Virginia Beach, Va., the Association of Air Medical Services presented Bryan Clay, rotary-wing maintenance manager with Pentastar Aviation, with the 2013 Transport Mechanic’s Award of Excellence. The award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the safe operation of medical transport vehicles or the improvement of safe maintenance procedures for medical transport vehicles.


Final Flights


Yves Martin, 67, a senior propulsion specialist with Rolls-Royce Canada, died suddenly on October 7. He worked for the powerplant maker for 35 years, traveling extensively in field operations, and was considered an expert resource on the company’s Dart, Spey, Tay and BR710 engines. After graduating from the Université de Montréal with an engineering degree he joined the Canadian Armed Forces as an aeronautical engineer, eventually rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Canadian Air Force reserves, commanding a tactical aviation support squadron and serving as a staff officer with the National Defense Headquarters. During his lengthy military career he received several honors, including the Order of Military Merit.

People in Aviation: December 2013

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