Rotor & Wing: Rotorcraft Report: People

Royal Air Force Flight Lt. Michelle Goodman on March 7 became the first woman to be awarded the U.K. Distinguished Flying Cross. She was honored for flying her Incident Reaction Team Merlin into "an extremely dangerous area of Basra City" in Iraq on night-vision goggles and under very heavy fire on June 1, 2007 to rescue a casualty despite mortar rounds landing nearby. The DFC is awarded for acts of valor, courage, or devotion to duty while flying in active operations against the enemy. Without the rescue, officials said, injured soldier would have died within 15 min.

Turbomeca Chairman and CEO Emeric d’Arcimoles has been promoted to head of international affairs for Safran Group, parent of Turbomeca. He was to be succeeded as head of the engine maker on March 31 by Executive Vice President Pierre Fabre.

Bell Helicopter has named Greg Williams president and general manager of Edwards & Associates, He succeeds Phil Dieterich, who retired.

Helicopter Assn International members elected a new board of directors at Heli-Expo in February. The new board members are Christopher Erickson, chief repair station office/compliance, Erickson Air-Crane; Gale Wilson, president, Hillcrest Aircraft Co., and Ardis Ashton Jr., transportation policy manager, Bonneville Power Administration-Aircraft Services. The board’s new executive committee members are Patrick Corr, chairman; Mark Gibson, vice chairman; David Chevalier, treasurer, and Art Ashton, assistant treasurer.

Avidyne Corp. has appointed Peter Ring as inside sales representative. He will provide aftermarket sales support in the Northeast and Southeast United States.

Curt Lewis & Associates, a multi-discipline consulting firm specializing in aviation and industrial safety, has named Sergio Sales vice president of Latin America and the Caribbean. He will be based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He has more than 30 years’ experience in aviation and holds dual ratings as an airline transport pilot for fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. He is also certified as an airline operations inspector, functional test pilot, and flight safety officer. A retired lieutenant colonel in Brazil’s air force, Sales spent five years at Brazil’s Agencia Nacional de Aviacao Civil, where he was responsible for its accident prevention program. At BHS Air Taxi, he was responsible for the firm’s helicopter fleet.