Contact: Dan Hubbard at (202) 783-9360 or dhubbard@nbaa.org
WASHINGTON, DC – The Board of Directors of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has selected Bryan T. Moss, president emeritus of Gulfstream Aerospace, as the recipient of the 2007 NBAA Award for Meritorious Service to Aviation, and E. Patrick Epps, pilot and founder of Epps Aviation, as the recipient of the 2007 NBAA John P. “Jack” Doswell Award.
The Award for Meritorious Service to Aviation is NBAA’s most distinguished honor, presented annually to an individual who, by virtue of a lifetime of personal dedication, has made significant, identifiable contributions that have materially advanced aviation interests. The Doswell Award is granted for lifelong individual achievement on behalf and in support of the aims, goals and objectives of business aviation.
With their strong ties to both the business aviation industry and the state of Georgia, it is fitting that Moss and Epps should receive these NBAA awards in 2007, which is not only the year NBAA celebrates its 60th Annual Meeting & Convention in Atlanta, GA, but also the year that Gulfstream celebrates its first 40 years in Georgia, and that Georgia celebrates its 100th anniversary of powered flight. The state’s first flight took place when aviator Ben Epps, father of Doswell Award recipient Pat Epps, flew his monoplane over an open field in Athens, GA, in 1907. A replica of the monoplane will hang over the lobby of Hall C at the Georgia World Congress Center during the Convention.
Meritorious Award Recipient Bryan Moss
Bryan T. Moss will receive the 2007 NBAA Meritorious Service to Aviation Award in recognition of his 40-year career in the aviation industry and substantial contributions to the advancement of business aviation.
Born in Greenville, PA, Moss was drawn to aviation early on, when in his youth, he visited Air Force bases where a favorite uncle served in the U.S. Air Force. He was fascinated with all types of aircraft but had a special fondness for fighter jets and transports.
In 1966, Moss began his aviation career at Lockheed-Georgia Company, where in the decade that followed, he worked as a sales manager for various Lockheed aircraft, including the JetStar. He joined Canadair as a sales manager in 1979 and subsequently held several positions associated with the Canadair Challenger, culminating with his appointment as president of the Challenger Division, Canadair Group of Bombardier Inc. in 1989. By 1992, he was named president of the Business Aircraft Division of Bombardier Aerospace Group.
Moss joined Gulfstream Aerospace as vice chairman in 1995. He later served a four-year appointment as both president of the company and executive vice president of the General Dynamics Aerospace Group. He became president emeritus of Gulfstream Aerospace in April 2007.
During his tenure at Gulfstream, the company grew from two aircraft models to the six current models, and from five to 12 company locations, including a service center in the United Kingdom. In 1995, Gulfstream had 4,300 employees; today, nearly 8,800 employees wear either a Gulfstream or General Dynamics Aviation Services badge. Also during his tenure, two Gulfstream development teams were honored with Robert J. Collier Trophies for excellence – the GV team in 1997 and the G550 team in 2003.
As a leader, Moss is known as both a consensus builder and a champion of the workforce. In nominating Moss for this award, the Gulfstream leadership team wrote: “His passion for business jets, his singular commitment to the success of his company and his unending spirit and enthusiasm have made Bryan Moss an inspiration to those who work with him.”
An ardent business aviation advocate, Moss has served in a number of industry leadership capacities, including as a member of the NBAA Associate Member Advisory Council, which he chaired from 1994 to 1996, and as a member of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association board of directors. He also has served on the Council on Foreign Relations Mid-East Peace Process International Advisory Board, the U.S.-Japan Business Council, the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S.-Hong Kong Business Council. Last year, Moss was elected to the Georgia Research Alliance Board of Trustees, and he also serves on the Georgia Tech Advisory Board.
Moss has deep roots in Georgia, having graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in industrial management and spent 25 of his 40 years in the aviation industry working for Georgia-based aerospace companies. Married to his wife of 45 years, Carol, the Mosses have two children and four grandchildren, and divide their time between homes in Atlanta and Hilton Head, SC.
Doswell Award Recipient Pat Epps
E. Patrick “Pat” Epps is the recipient of the 2007 NBAA John P. “Jack” Doswell Award, having demonstrated a long, continuous history of volunteer service in the field of aviation.
A Georgia native and youngest son of aviation pioneer Ben T. Epps, Pat Epps was three years old when his father was killed in an airplane crash. Despite this tragedy, Epps and his five brothers and one of his three sisters all went on to receive their pilot’s licenses and carry on their father’s legacy in their love of aviation. Epps first soloed in a Piper J-3 Cub in 1952, and has over 9,000 flying hours as a commercial pilot, with type ratings in the North American B-25 Mitchell, Douglas DC-3, Learjet and Cessna Citation.
His first job in the aviation industry was as a flight test engineer for Boeing on the prototype of what would become the 707, the nation’s first jet airliner. In 1957, he joined the Air Force and began flight training, graduating with distinction in Class58L, and becoming the fifth of Ben Epps’ sons to serve as a military pilot.
Following his military service, Epps became a Mooney Aircraft dealer, and in 1965 opened Epps Air Service with 19 employees, a 40,000-square-foot hangar and a 10-square-foot office and maintenance area. Today, Epps Aviation is among the top 10 independent fixed base operations (FBOs) in the United States, based at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Atlanta, GA, with facilities covering 21 acres and more than 200 employees. Dozens of airline and business aviation pilots have come into the aviation industry through his company, and Epps routinely offers to take people on a first airplane flight, a tradition begun by his father.
Epps is a tireless supporter of general aviation who opens his hangars for fundraisers and community events. He is an avid backer of Angel Flight and the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, GA, and has served on the board of directors for the Museum’s Aviation Hall of Fame since its inception. Epps also is known for his signature red, white and blue aerobatic Beechcraft Bonanza, which he continues to fly at air shows.
Epps’ love of aircraft and adventure extends to his participation as co-leader of the Greenland Expedition Society team that recovered a Lockheed P-38 Lightning – one of several WWII planes forced to make a harrowing ice-cap landing in Greenland – from where it had been buried under 265 feet of ice since 1942.
A member of the Rotary Club for more than 30 years, Epps also is a member of the Aero Club of Metropolitan Atlanta. He received NBAA’s American Spirit Award in 1999, served as chairman of the 1993 Local Committee for the NBAA 46th Annual Meeting & Convention and is a member of this year’s Local Committee for the NBAA 60th Annual Meeting & Convention.
Epps graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in mechanical engineering and married his high school sweetheart, the former Ann Hailey. Today, they live in Atlanta. Their three children all have their pilot’s licenses and work in the family business. Epps has two granddaughters and two grandsons.
Award Presentation
Moss and Epps each will receive their awards during NBAA’s 60th Annual Meeting & Convention, to be held from September 25 to 27, 2007, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. The awards will be presented at the NBAA Awards Luncheon, sponsored by Fortune, on Tuesday, September 25.
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Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association, Inc. (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The Association represents more than 8,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.
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