Avionics News June 2013 - 13

Gary Harpster

AEA Elects New Chairman,
Vice Chairman, Board Members
Gary Harpster Begins New Role as Chairman

David Loso

Chuck Freeland

Tom Harper

Garry Joyce

Michael Kus

Mike LaConto

Rick Peavley

Members of the Aircraft Electronics
Association recently elected new
representatives to its board of directors, and
the AEA board of directors elected a new
chairman and new vice chairman.
The new AEA chairman is Gary Harpster,
a senior avionics sales representative for
Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, Neb. A longtime AEA member who has served as vice
chairman since 2010, Harpster was first
elected to the AEA board of directors in
2005. After he got out of the U.S. Navy in
1976, Harpster acquired both his private and
commercial pilot’s licenses. He then went
back to school at the University of NebraskaOmaha and later transferred to Iowa Western,
where he received a degree in electronics
technology.
Harpster flew for Omaha Air Supply for
two years before joining Sky Harbor in
Omaha as manager of the avionics shop. In
1985, he joined Duncan Aviation and helped
set up its first satellite shop in Houston,
Texas. After Houston, he helped develop a
second shop in Cleveland, Ohio. During his
early career, Harpster wrote repair station
manuals and bought test equipment to get the
shops running. He then became an avionics
technical representative, troubleshooting
aircraft systems. During the CVR era, he
moved into his current position in avionics
sales. Harpster replaces Greg Vail of
Flightstar Corp., who served as chairman
the past three years and now becomes the
immediate past chairman.
David Loso, manager of avionics sales
for Jet Aviation St. Louis, was elected by
the board to serve as its new vice chairman.
Loso was first elected to the AEA board of
directors in 2009, and he has been in business
aviation for 34 years. Loso began his career

with Bellanca Aircraft Company while
attending Alexandria Technical College in
Alexandria, Minn. After graduation, he moved
to Wichita, Kan., taking a position with
Cessna at the Citation Service Center as an
avionics technician. In 1979, Loso accepted
an avionics bench technician position with
Rockwell Collins in Wichita, Kan. In 1981, he
moved to Houston, Texas, to work for Garrett
Aviation. During the next 18 years with
Garrett, he served in several positions with
the avionics department, including avionics
shop supervisor.
Loso returned to his hometown of St.
Louis, Mo., in 1998, as director of avionics
for JetCorp and then moved to Premier Air
Center four years later as director of avionics.
Loso has been in avionics sales since 2005,
first as national avionics sales manager
with Jet Aviation in West Palm Beach and
now with Jet Aviation St. Louis as a result
of the merger of Midcoast Aviation with Jet
Aviation. Loso has served on the advisory
board for the Alexandria Technical College
avionics program, and he has been selected
to serve on many of the major avionics
manufacturer dealer advisory boards. He
also has served as a member of the board of
directors for the Greater St. Louis Business
Aircraft Association.
The following members also were elected
to serve for a three-year term of April 2013 to
April 2016:
• Chuck Freeland,
Otto Instrument Service
• Tom Harper, Avidyne
• Garry Joyce, IAE Ltd.
• Michael Kus, Avionics 2000
• Mike LaConto, Epps Aviation
• Rick Peavley, Vero Beach Avionics
• Brian Wilson, Banyan Air Services. q

Brian Wilson

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avionics news
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2013

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Avionics News June 2013

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