News Release
NICHOLAS (NICK) D. LAPPOS JOINS GULFSTREAM AS VICE PRESIDENT, GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
SAVANNAH, Ga., March 14, 2005 - Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has hired Nicholas (Nick) D. Lappos as vice president, government programs. In this new role, Lappos will be responsible for all business-jet aircraft programs for government and military use - from the bid and proposal phase through the delivery and post-delivery activities. He will be based at Gulfstream's Savannah, Ga., major manufacturing facility.
Prior to joining Gulfstream, Lappos was a 32-year employee with Sikorsky Aircraft. Most recently, he served as director of the VXX presidential helicopter program. Previously, he was program manager for the S-92 helicopter and director of test engineering for the company's West Palm Beach, Fla., fight-test center. Spending most of his career in research and development, Lappos served as both a test pilot and the chief pilot for R&D. He was also a flight instructor for various Sikorsky model helicopters and has helped train the flight crews of several heads of state, including that of the President of the United States.
"Nick's background, especially his R&D and program management experience, makes him ideal for this position," said Pres Henne, senior vice president, programs, engineering and test, Gulfstream. "We look forward to Nick joining the organization and helping Gulfstream continue to advance in the government programs area."
Buddy Sams, Gulfstream senior vice president, government programs and sales, said, "Government and special mission aircraft have accounted for 10 to 15 percent of Gulfstream's annual production. The addition of Nick to our team will ensure our continuing focus on this important market sector."
A recognized leader in the aerospace industry and author of numerous technical papers and articles, Lappos has been awarded the Frederick L. Feinberg Award by the American Helicopter Society (AHS) for most outstanding achievement as a pilot three separate times - once for his individual effort and two times for team efforts. The AHS also appointed Lappos a Fellow in 1994 for outstanding achievement in the vertical flight industry. A member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, he won the Ray E. Tenhoff Award for the most outstanding presentation to the association's annual symposium.
Lappos earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. A helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army, he logged 900 combat flying hours in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star. Lappos also holds helicopter and a fixed-wing pilot certificates with both instrument and instructor ratings. He has more than 7,000 flight hours of experience in more than 75 different types of aircraft.
NOTE TO EDITORS
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world's most technologically advanced business jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 1,400 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fleet of aircraft, comprising the mid-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G100™; the wide-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G150™; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G200™; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G350™; the large-cabin, long-range G450™; the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G500™ and the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G550™. Gulfstream also offers aircraft ownership services via Gulfstream Financial Services Division and Gulfstream Pre-Owned Aircraft Sales®. The company employs more than 6,750 people at seven major locations. We invite you to visit our Web site for more information and photos of Gulfstream aircraft at www.gulfstream.com.
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 70,200 people worldwide and had 2004 revenue of $19.2 billion. The company is a market leader in mission-critical information systems and technologies; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and business aviation. More information about the company is available on the Internet at www.generaldynamics.com.
