Gunnar Edelstein was born 1949 in Albuquerque, N.M. He graduated from the Wilbraham & Monson Academy, Wilbraham, Mass., in 1968 and received a B.S. degree in biology and chemistry from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1972.
Edelstein joined the U.S. Navy in San Diego, Calif., and served for seven years as a fighter pilot. In 1979 he joined American Airlines as a flight engineer on Boeing 727s and one year later was laid off and joined Air Products & Chemicals in sales and also served in the Massachusetts Air National Guard flying A-10 Thunderbolts. In 1984, he rejoined American Airlines as a Boeing 727 copilot and retired from flying in 2011. He has shared his experience with the A-10 as a speaker at DMA. See “The A10 Thunderbolt, aka the Warthog”
He now lives in New Canaan after 39 years in Darien. Currently with Berkshire Hathaway Real Estate in Darien. He was on the Darien Board of Realtors board for three years and was president in 2011. He and his wife Sarah live in Darien and have a son, Jeff, 26, who is a U.S. Army combat infantryman.
Edelstein is a member of the Silvermine Golf Club, the Darien Sail & Power Squadron and the Noroton Yacht Club. He enjoys golf, sailing, paddle tennis and tennis.