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

Stéphane Mayer, most recently chairman and CEO of ATR, has joined French airframer Daher-Socata as its CEO. He served as the chairman and CEO of EADS Socata from 2003 to 2007.
American Eurocopter has named Anthony DiNota v-p of commercial sales, marketing and customer support. Previously he was president and COO of air medical service provider Omniflight Helicopters.
Jeffrey Schloesser, former director of Army Aviation, has joined AAR as president of its aviation worldwide services business unit. The Wood Dale, Ill.-based company also promoted Steve Peckham from v-p of U.S. Army &amp; rotorcraft programs for AAR’s government and defense services group to general manager of its modification and maintenance subsidiary, STI Aviation. 
Charter and management provider JetFlite International has named former Executive Jet Management president and CEO ­Albert Pod its new president. 
Key Equipment Finance has appointed Patti Ann Sullivan v-p of corporate aviation finance. Most recently she was director of business development, structured aviation finance for Aviation Resource Group International.
Richard Barret has joined Huntington Bank as senior v-p and manager of business aviation finance. He was previously v-p and group sales manager of Merrill Lynch Capital’s business aviation finance team.
Jean-Marc Domergue, previously director of material and engine overhaul solutions for CFM, has been named v-p of customer support for Turbomeca USA. He replaces Leo Morrissette, who will transfer to another position within the company.
Piper Aircraft has named Drew McEwen director of sales for the Americas. He spent 28 years at Hawker Beechcraft, most recently as general manager of the company’s Mesa (Arizona) services facility. 
Stan Rose, the former senior director of business development for CJ Systems Aviation Group, has joined the Helicopter Association International as director of safety.
Hawker Beechcraft has appointed Simon Roads, most recently a completions sales executive at Gulfstream’s Dallas facility, as director for completion sales. The airframer also named Mike Haenggi director of product marketing. Most recently he served as v-p of marketing for Pilatus Business Aircraft.
Phoenix-based L-3 and Thales subsidiary ACSS has named Jean-Michel Clairis-Gauthier v-p of its customer group. 
Maintenance program provider Jet Support Services (JSSI) has promoted Kandi Spangler from marketing director to v-p of marketing. Robert Wilke, previously director of business development for the Middle East and Africa, was named v-p of business development for the Americas.
UK-based private jet services provider Ocean Sky has named three new executives. Capt. Don Sigournay, previously with British Airways CitiExpress, was selected as the company’s director of flight operations, while Lenny Gray took on the role of general manager of Ocean Sky Aircraft Interiors. Paul Macintyre, previously engineering shop floor supervisor, was named engineering manager of the company’s maintenance operations at London Luton Airport.
MRO company West Star Aviation has hired Steve Fleeman, previously with Midcoast Aviation, as accessory sales manager. The Colorado-based company also added Steve Lercel as California area regional sales manager. Before this appointment, he was a project manager for Jet Asia.
Bud Blower has been named director of aviation services for VF, succeeding David Newell, who retired after 33 years. The apparel conglomerate also promoted Terry Wayne to chief pilot for the Greensboro-based team, while Mark Ehrhart was promoted to chief pilot for the Oakland-based team.
General Dynamics Aviation Services has named Jamie Smith, most recently a completion team manager for Midcoast Aviation in Savannah, as a service center coordinator at its West Palm Beach, Fla. facility, while Joe Higgins was promoted from avionics/electrical lead at West Palm Beach to service team manager.
Gulfstream has appointed Charles Yawn, previously a program manager for product support sales, to senior regional sales manager, eastern region, product support sales. The Savannah airframer also named Nick Chantorn, previously an owner services representive with NetJets, senior scheduler, product support at its Long Beach, Calif. facility.
Andy Johnson has been promoted from assistant manager of FlightSafety International’s Cessna Learning Center in Wichita, to manager of the company’s Learning Center in Orlando, Fla.
Enterprise Jet Center has named Kevin Nichols director of maintenance. The Houston-based firm also hired Brandon Davis, most recently an account manager for Universal Weather &amp; Aviation, as its new director of sales.
Adam Mesinger has joined Boulder, Colo.-based J. Mesinger Corporate Jet Sales as director of business development.
Ohio-based aviation component manufacturer Timken has promoted Richard Kyle to the new position of president for mobile industries and aerospace. He replaces J. Ron Menning, who has been named senior vice president–Asia Pacific.
Marquez Transtech, an aerospace component manufacturer, has appointed Steve Vuglac director of environmental control systems design.
Baltimore-based meteorological system manufacturer Belfort Instruments has named Steve Eagan sales and marketing manager, environmental products. Raisbeck Engineering has hired David Lednice, previously with Analytical Methods, as lead computational fluid dynamics engineer in the company’s aircraft design team.
General aviation fuel supplier The Hiller Group has named Curt Spangler, previously with Chevron, as territory sales manager for Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
Capt. Tim Watts, Gama Aviation’s Learjet fleet manager, has retired after 21 years of flying with the Farnborough, UK-based private aviation provider. 

<h2>Final Flights</h2>
Stan Felix, 61, chief instructor pilot for Bombardier’s Learjet 31A and Learjet60/60XR training programs, died on September 9 in Arlington, Texas. A retired career Army Aviation flight officer, he was inducted into the Honorable Order of St. Michael, Bronze Award by the Army Aviation Association of America. Felix also served as a flight instructor for CAE-SimuFlite and was type rated and taught in the Challenger 300, Learjet 60, Gulfstream G159 and GIV, and Dornier Do-328 and 328Jet. 
Marvin Euchner, 56, the senior vice president of operations at Dallas-based air medical transport provider SevenBar Flying Service, died on August 27 after a sudden illness. A commercial-rated pilot, he held CFI as well as A&amp;P certificates. Before joining SevenBar, Euchner held leadership positions at Raytheon Aircraft Services, AvCraft, Garrett Aviation Services and AMR Combs. He was also a certified public accountant and spent a number of years in international finance for GTE.&nbsp; 
Gregg Gammack, 69, a former corporate pilot for Gelco and a retired regional marketing manager for FlightSafety International, died on September 9, when his motorcycle left the highway and struck a guardrail during a tour in eastern Pennsylvania. A former Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, Gammack was awarded the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with Helicopter Squadron 361 in Vietnam. He later transitioned to fixed-wing aircraft and flew the OV-10 Bronco before leaving the service for business aviation. He eventually earned type ratings in several Dassault and Gulfstream jets.

<h2>Awards and Honors</h2>
Angel MedFlight, in partnership with the Arizona Business Aviation Association, has awarded its annual $3,000 Excellence in Aviation scholarship to Andrew “Drew” Cochran, a 20-year-old junior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz. He has earned his private pilot certificate and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s of science degree in aeronautical science. He was named to the university’s Dean’s List every semester of his attendance.

People in Aviation: October 2010

Stéphane Mayer, most recently chairman and CEO of ATR, has joined French airframer Daher-Socata as its CEO.

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