Former Flying Magazine Editor-in-Chief Stephen Pope Joins LifeStyle Aviation

September 25, 2019

Morrisville, NC – LifeStyle Aviation, a leading distributor of new and used Diamond Aircraft in North America, is excited to announce the expansion of its sales and marketing team with the addition of aviation industry veteran and former Flying Magazine editor-in-chief Stephen Pope.

Pope, who brings vast general aviation experience to his new role, has been appointed sales manager for the Northeast U.S. region. He will be based in the New York City metro area. 

"Having closely followed the growth of LifeStyle Aviation going back to when I was an early member of the innovative DiamondShare shared-aircraft leasing program, I have long been impressed with the company's vision for general aviation's potential to transform and improve people's lives," Pope said. "I am a passionate advocate for the modern and highly capable piston aircraft in which LifeStyle Aviation specializes, which makes this new role a perfect fit."

Pope is a longtime pilot who learned to fly at age 15 in a Piper J-3 Cub from a grass strip in his home state of New Jersey. An award-winning aviation journalist for 25 years, he has authored thousands of articles and columns in leading aviation magazines on a vast array of topics from tailwheel flying technique to advanced cockpit technology. His pilot reports on the latest modern general aviation aircraft appeared on the covers of Flying Magazine during the nearly nine years he spent with the publication.

Pope also serves on the board of trustees of the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio, and next month will be inducted into the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame located at Teterboro Airport. He is the recipient of seven Aerospace Journalist of the Year category awards, including being named overall Aerospace Journalist of the Year by the Royal Aeronautical Society at the Paris Air Show in 2007, and three Gold Wing Awards for journalism excellence from the National Business Aviation Association. 

Pope joins the accomplished team of modern aircraft experts at LifeStyle that serve as “Aircraft Counselors,” helping clients achieve their dreams of an aviation lifestyle. He reports to LifeStyle Aviation president John Armstrong.

LifeStyle Aviation specializes in the marketing and sale of modern personal aircraft with Diamond Aircraft being one of the company’s most popular brands. LifeStyle is the leading seller of new and used Diamonds in North America and also delivers aircraft worldwide. The company has invested in being the leading provider of diesel single and twin engine Jet-A piston aircraft, including the DA40 NG, DA42, and the all new DA62. LifeStyle Aviation also created the unique DiamondShare program (DiamondShare.com) that provides attractive shared access to modern aircraft allowing people to justify the plane of their dreams and “Make the Dollars Make Sense."

LifeStyle Aviation created the LifeStyle Aviation Network that includes flight centers, affiliates and international partners to create a productive, pooled source for buying and selling modern aircraft, facilitating flight center development, accessing shared ownership programs and transitioning from entry-level aircraft to advanced high-performance planes. The LifeStyle Aviation Network offers a wide range of quality, modern aircraft from Diamond, Piper, Mooney, Cessna, Cirrus and more.

For more information about LifeStyle Aviation, go to www.lifestyleaviation.com. 

Diamond Aircraft, headquartered in Austria with facilities in Canada and China, is among the leading aircraft manufacturers in General Aviation. Founded in 1981, Diamond has pioneered many aviation firsts and achieved numerous milestones and industry expert accolades. Today, Diamond Aircraft has more than 1,000 employees worldwide and offers the most complete range of certified piston aircraft models: from the 2 seat single DA20 to the stunning 7 seat DA62. With its complete line of piston aircraft including a dedicated flight training concept with Single Engine Piston (DA40 NG, DA40XLT) and Multi Engine Piston (DA42-VI, DA42-L360) trainers, along with type-specific flight training simulators and proprietary engines, Diamond Aircraft is the only sole source provider in the fleet training market.

Diamond Aircraft also made a footprint in the special mission market with the remote sensing turnkey solutions DA42 MPP and DA62 MPP and the soon to be certified aerobatic turboprop tandem trainer series DART. Diamond Aircraft uses proprietary lead-free jet fuel piston engines, made by Austro Engine GmbH (a 100% subsidiary of Diamond Aircraft Austria), for the DA40NG, DA42-VI and DA62. Every one of Diamond’s aircraft shares a common DNA, incorporating leading edge technology, not for the sake of innovation, but for superior performance, efficiency and safety. Over 5,000 Diamond airplanes are flown by private pilots, professional flight training operators and institutions worldwide. 

For more information, visit Diamond’s newsroom at www.diamondaircraft.com/en/about-diamond/newsroom, contact the Media Relations department at media@diamondaircraft.com, or follow us at facebook.com/diamondaircraftind, instagram.com/diamondaircraftind, or youtube.com/DiamondAircraftMedia.