Gordon Bethune’s interest in and knowledge of aviation began at the age of 15 when he helped his father with his crop dusting operation. Later, while serving in the Navy, he worked in avionics and aircraft maintenance. In 1979 Bethune went into commercial aviation and quickly rose through the ranks to executive leadership positions with Braniff, Piedmont and the Boeing Company.   He joined Continental Airlines as its CEO in 1994 and led the airline from near bankruptcy to record profits. Under Bethune’s leadership, Continental achieved high employee and customer satisfaction ratings. His memoir, From Worst to First, chronicles those achievements.