Solairus adds three additional East Coast charter sales team members, increases administration personnel,  and nearly doubles their California-based corporate headquarters.

San Francisco (Mar 20, 2013) -

Solairus Aviation has significantly increased its East Coast presence with today’s announcement that the company has hired three additional charter sales professionals to the team. Northeastern charter market veterans Brian Velelis and Tony Ciaravino will be based out of Solairus’ Manhattan regional sales office, while Lisa Denny will help further establish the company’s presence in the Washington, D.C. area. Velelis, Ciaravino, and Denny will all concentrate on expanding the company’s national and international retail client base in two of the largest markets in the country.
 
Solairus has also secured additional flight coordinators, dispatchers, accountants, and maintenance personnel to provide increased support for the company’s growing managed private aircraft fleet and charter market share. An ambitious renovation of the company’s corporate headquarters will nearly double the available square footage and allow for future expansion to help accommodate current growth and projected positive sales forecasts.
 
Solairus Chairman and CEO, Dan Drohan, attributes his team’s commitment to client service as the motivating factor to expand the company’s capabilities.

“The absolute last thing you want to do in a service-based, relationship driven business is over-promise and under-deliver,” Drohan explained. “So while we are continuing to broaden our management services and simultaneously striving to bolster our charter sales presence in highly competitive markets, we have never lost sight of the need to continue to exceed our current client-base’s high expectations. This balancing act is only achievable by having the absolute best people on your side answering the phones, placing orders, turning wrenches, and completing safe flight operations in a truly 24/7, 365 work environment. Our efforts to establish Solairus as a destination employer that places people first has resulted in an outstanding recruitment effort that has seen our ranks galvanized by the industry’s brightest talents, and our newly renovated headquarters will be the latest proud symbol of our collective accomplishments. By investing in our infrastructure, ensuring that we have more than ample resources for any task at hand, we are demonstrating our commitment to routinely over-deliver to our highly valued clients.”

About Solairus Aviation:

Solairus is a full-service aviation asset management company that provides clients with expertise in acquiring and operating a wide range of private aircraft.

Solairus Aviation is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and has over twenty-five base locations across the United States and Europe. Solairus is an Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operator with a fleet of over 50 managed aircraft. After completion of an intense operations and safety systems audit, the ARG/US Platinum rating has only been awarded to 5% of the world’s charter operators that have demonstrated that their procedures meet or exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified company. Solairus offers a full range of services in addition to aircraft management, which includes aircraft charter sales, aviation support services, and consulting. For more information about Solairus Aviation, visit www.solairusaviation.com or call 800-359-7861.

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Solairus Aviation Media Contact: Eric Wildt - 707-775-2788 - ewildt@solairusaviation.com

Tutima Academy to provide extensive upset recovery and confidence training to Solairus pilots.

San Francisco (Feb 20, 2013) -

Solairus Aviation announced today that it has partnered with Sean Tucker's Tutima Academy to provide its fleet pilots with upset recovery and confidence training. An intensive two-day program has been developed utilizing Tutima’s 2-seat Extra 300L aerobatic aircraft, with Solairus’ crewmembers scheduled to practice recovery techniques from a wide variety of unusual and extreme flight attitudes. In conjunction with their annual training at Solairus’ headquarters in Petaluma, CA, a comprehensive ground school covering the techniques involved with recovery maneuvers, psychological and physiological reactions during stressful situations, and the aerodynamic factors encountered during abnormal flight at and beyond aircraft aerodynamic limits are key features of this unique partnership.

Sean Tucker, the founder of Tutima Academy, is the world’s premier air show performer when it comes to entertainment value, piloting skill, and most importantly, professionalism. Tucker has been flying air shows worldwide since the mid-70’s and has won numerous aerobatic competitions. In that time, Tucker has flown more than 1000 performances at more than 425 air shows, in front of more than 80 million fans.

“I have been impressed with Solairus' commitment to safety for a long time, and this vital training will only enhance their program,” Tucker said. “We’re going to be working hand in hand with Solairus’ pilots to push their basic stick-and-rudder and airmanship skills in a wide variety of extreme circumstances. During their training flights, our students are placed into difficult situations with our experienced aerobatic instructors onboard to ensure a safe learning environment. Working together, we help further condition Solairus' pilots to be able to prevent loss-of-control (LOC) situations by reinforcing their ability to react appropriately during the unlikely scenario that their aircraft experiences impaired control. We will be augmenting Solairus' already strong safety and training programs by returning to the fundamentals and focusing on strong mental discipline in an incredible program to which every professional pilot should have access to."

Solairus CEO, Dan Drohan, considers Sean Tucker's Tutima Academy upset recovery and confidence training to be a natural extension to the company's already comprehensive training and safety programs.

“Anything we can do as an organization to further develop the skill set and expertise of our crew members is a clear safety advantage for all Solairus clients, and partnering with Sean and Tutima is a natural fit for us," Drohan explained. "Response to this program has been very positive, as our pilots are among the most highly trained professionals in the field, and they are very dedicated to honing their skills at every level. In addition to the experience they gain in the cockpit over thousands and thousands of flight hours, Solairus crewmembers are required to attend simulator-training programs multiple times per year. However, as thorough as those programs are, even state-of-the-art flight simulators cannot replicate the severe situations and physiological effects that our pilots will experience at Sean Tucker's Tutima Academy. The unfortunate reality is that many professional pilots have never been past 60 degrees of bank or beyond 60 degrees of pitch. Sean and his staff have utilized their enormous talents and decades of combined experience to create a custom program for our pilots that will safely expose them to these corners of the operating envelope and will teach them how to return to stabilized flight safely. Once their training is complete, our pilots will have immeasurably increased their technical ability and airmanship and, equally important, their confidence in dealing with a potential unusual attitude situation.”

About Solairus Aviation:

Solairus is a full-service aviation asset management company that provides clients with expertise in acquiring and operating a wide range of private aircraft.

Solairus Aviation is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and has over twenty-five base locations across the United States and Europe. Solairus is an Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operator with a fleet of over 50 managed aircraft. After completion of an intense operations and safety systems audit, the ARG/US Platinum rating has only been awarded to 5% of the world’s charter operators that have demonstrated that their procedures meet or exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified company. Solairus offers a full range of services in addition to aircraft management, which includes aircraft charter sales, aviation support services, and consulting. For more information about Solairus Aviation, visit www.solairusaviation.com or call 800-359-7861.

About the Tutima Academy:

Founded in 1997 by airshow pilot Sean D. Tucker, the "School of Aerobatic Flight" began as a one instructor, one airplane outfit based in Salinas, California. With students travelling from all corners of the globe the SAF quickly developed a reputation as "the" place to learn aerobatics. Having relocated operations 50 miles Southeast to King City in 2001, the SAF was rebranded the Tutima Academy in early 2006. This unique partnership was formed with Tutima to better fulfill our goal of becoming the pinnacle of aerobatic flight training.

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Solairus Aviation Media Contact:

Eric Wildt
707-775-2788
ewildt@solairusaviation.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Solairus Signs "Lucky 13" Private Jets in Twelve Months

Thirteen aircraft management clients worldwide respond to Solairus’ adaptive, people-centric management model.

San Francisco (Oct 29, 2012) -

In the past twelve months, Solairus Aviation has added thirteen aircraft to the company’s management fleet, including ten aircraft based domestically, two jets based in Europe, and one in Singapore, Solairus’ first managed account in that country. The latest updates to the roster include seven Gulfstreams, two Global Express jets, two Falcon 2000s, one Hawker 800XP, and one Citation Sovereign.

Solairus senior management credits the company's dedicated team members and their ability to provide individually tailored solutions to the complex and diverse set of needs that each aircraft owner brings. Solairus CEO, Dan Drohan, points out that the firm's unique approach to aircraft management has been fully embraced by the company’s entire fleet.

“I believe that one of the most impressive aspects of our recent growth is that each one of our clients represents a unique challenge to our team, and new opportunities allow the organization to learn and become better and better over time, ultimately improving the experience for everyone,” Drohan said. “Our belief is that a 'one size fits all' mentality cannot possibly serve the sophisticated and comprehensive needs of all of our aircraft owners. You must embrace a philosophy that is deeply rooted in safety and service, while allowing flexibility and customization, in order to offer an adaptable and reactive management service that can meet each client’s individual needs.”

“Another impressive aspect that is easily overlooked by some is that we do not purchase any aircraft ourselves, merely putting them into fleet service,” Drohan continued. “These new management accounts, like the other 50-plus in our fleet, are owned by individuals across the country and around the world. By choosing Solairus, they are entrusting us with a lot more than just a significant asset - they are entrusting us with their families, their friends, their most important employees, and the global competitiveness of their business. It is an enormous responsibility that we take very seriously - and it is an honor and a tremendous source of pride for the Solairus team every time a new client tells us that they have elected to put their faith in us."

About Solairus Aviation:

Solairus is a full-service aviation asset management company that provides clients with expertise in acquiring and operating a wide range of private aircraft.

Solairus Aviation is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and has over twenty-five base locations across the United States and Europe. Solairus is an Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operator with a fleet of over 50 managed aircraft. After completion of an intense operations and safety systems audit, the ARG/US Platinum rating has only been awarded to 5% of the world’s charter operators that have demonstrated that their procedures meet or exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified company. Solairus offers a full range of services in addition to aircraft management, which includes aircraft charter sales, aviation support services, and consulting. For more information about Solairus Aviation, visit www.solairusaviation.com or call 800-359-7861.

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Solairus Aviation Media Contact:

Eric Wildt
707-775-2788
ewildt@solairusaviation.com

A recent spring blossom of four new jets highlights Solairus’ impressive 9-month streak.

San Francisco (May 29, 2012) -

Solairus’ impressive rate of growth continues well into the company’s third successful year in business with a recent influx of four managed private business jets in just the past 30 days. Two Connecticut-based large-cabin jets, a Gulfstream 400 and a Gulfstream 450, are now fully managed by Solairus with a Texas-based Falcon 2000 EX/EZ and an Arizona-based Hawker 800XP also joining the fleet after undergoing Part 135 conformity inspections.

While the month of May has certainly been busy for Solairus, data from the past three quarters shows a similar development path with a total of nine private jets added to the company’s fleet sheet in just the last nine months. Combined with May’s additions, two new Arkansas-based Citation Excels, an Oregon-based Global Express, and two Gulfstream GIV-SPs, one in New York and one in Geneva, Switzerland that is available for charter, have helped push Solairus’ current charter jet fleet total well past 50 managed aircraft.

Solairus President, John King, maintains that quality over quantity remains the primary driving force behind the company’s recent expansion.

“While growth is an important metric for any business, growth in and of itself has never been our primary focus,” King explained. “Solairus has always strived to match our deeply rooted commitment to private jet safety and service to the clients that respect and appreciate that degree of dedication. Our continued fleet expansion allows us to negotiate even larger group discounts and favorable rates for insurance, training, and fuel.  At the same time we continue to  enhance our internal systems and procedures to maintain our status as a destination employer while improving service levels and client satisfaction across the board.  This growth strategy is a critical aspect of how Solairus continues to ensure that we meet and exceed all of our clients’ current and future expectations.”

NOTE TO EDITORS

Solairus Aviation is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and has over twenty-five base locations across the United States and Europe. Solairus is an Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operator with a fleet of over 50 managed aircraft. After completion of an intense operations and safety systems audit, the ARG/US Platinum rating has only been awarded to 5% of the world’s charter operators that have demonstrated that their procedures meet or exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified company. Solairus offers a full range of services in addition to aircraft management, which includes aircraft charter sales, aviation support services, and consulting. For more information about Solairus Aviation, please visit www.solairusaviation.com or call 800-359-7861.

Solairus media contact:
Eric Wildt
707-775-2788
ewildt@solairusaviation.com

ABACE 2012 – 27 March, 2012 - Hong Kong's Metrojet Ltd. (www.metrojet.com) and US-based Solairus Aviation (www.solairusaviation.com) announced today the formation of a strategic alliance to offer both aircraft management services for Asian business jet owners and comprehensive aircraft charter services solutions for clients in Asia.  The partnership, which is the culmination of nearly eight months of planning and preparation, will capitalize on Solairus’ extensive experience in aircraft management, as well as Metrojet’s highly-respected name and brand in the region.
                         
Metrojet and Solairus, as Hong Kong and US AOC holders, provide owners with the ability to offer their aircraft for passenger-carrying air-charter purposes, in order to offset aircraft ownership costs in a professionally managed and efficient manner. While Metrojet and Solairus will each continue to exclusively provide industry-leading management services in their own respective markets, the alliance will focus on meeting the requirements of new aircraft management and charter clients with business aviation needs on both sides of the Pacific.
 
Björn Näf, Chief Executive Officer of Metrojet Ltd., believes the Metrojet/Solairus alliance will have an immediate positive impact.
 
"Metrojet’s relationship with Solairus will be valuable for aircraft owners, who will appreciate and benefit from the strengths of both company’s ability to offer an unprecedented level of service to customers in Asia and the United States," Näf stated. "Many clients are currently forced to use multiple resources to successfully capture the benefits of business aviation overseas. Our alliance with Solairus seeks to eliminate that inefficient model by utilizing the combined regional workforces and infrastructures of both companies to create an integrated management and charter sales initiative that will truly provide a trans-Pacific solution.”
 
Solairus Chief Executive Officer Dan Drohan is equally optimistic about the new relationship and looks forward to working with Metrojet to establish a new standard for clients with business aviation needs in Asia.
 
“Our new alliance with Metrojet represents an important step for Solairus,” Drohan said. “I firmly believe that we have a responsibility to the industry to support, foster and facilitate safe and stable growth of business aviation in Asia -- and I am proud of Solairus' part in that effort. I think the cultures of Metrojet and Solairus will work well together in our new relationship to further that cause, and I am confident that together we will have a positive influence on the business aviation landscape in Asia."

NOTE TO EDITORS
 
Metrojet Limited. Established in 1995 and part of the Kadoorie Group, sister company of The Peninsula Hotels. Metrojet is a leading operator and maintenance provider of business jets in the region, and pioneered business aviation services in Hong Kong. The company was awarded an Air Operator’s Certificate (FAA Part 121 equivalent) in June 1997. Metrojet is Hong Kong’s only fully licensed business jet operator, providing the complete range of business aviation services, including: aircraft charter, comprehensive aircraft management, aircraft maintenance service, aircraft co-ownership programs and aircraft acquisition and sales.
 
Metrojet’s maintenance department is currently a fully certified Repair Station with approvals from the Hong Kong CAD, the United States FAA and is fully authorized to carry out maintenance on aircraft registered in China, Macau, Taiwan, Malaysia, Bermuda, Canada, Isle of Man, and Cayman Islands. Metrojet is an Authorized Gulfstream Warranty Repair Facility, an authorized Bombardier Aircraft Service Facility, an Authorized Cessna Citation Service Facility, an Authorized Embraer Service Facility, as well as a Hawker Beechcraft Authorized Service Facility. Its highly trained engineers have Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, GE and Honeywell APU type ratings, and its Avionics and Airframe engineers have ratings on Gulfstream, Bombardier, Hawker Beechcraft, Dassault Falcon, Cessna, Embraer, Boeing and Airbus aircraft. For further details, please browse our website www.metrojet.com
 
Solairus Aviation is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and has over twenty-five base locations across the United States and Europe. With a fleet of nearly 50 managed aircraft, Solairus is one of only 97 Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operators in the world. After completion of an intense operations and safety systems audit, the ARG/US Platinum rating is awarded to those who have demonstrated that their procedures meet or exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified company. Solairus offers a full range of services in addition to aircraft management, which includes aircraft charter sales, aviation support services, and consulting. For more information about Solairus Aviation, please visit www.solairusaviation.com or call 800-359-7861.
 
Solairus media contact:

Eric Wildt
707-775-2788
ewildt@solairusaviation.com 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Solairus expands IS-BAO Certification to Phase 2, renews ARG/US Platinum rating.

San Francisco (December 1, 2011) -

Solairus Aviation demonstrated its commitment to safety and quality once again by renewing its ARG/US Platinum rating and obtaining IS-BAO Phase 2 Certification this month. The Platinum rating is awarded to those operators who meet the criteria for Silver and Gold, and successfully pass an intensive, week-long ARG/US on-site evaluation. The ARG/US program is a true process audit administered by trained and experienced aviation auditing professionals to evaluate the operator against industry best-practice standards. A Platinum rating requires a functioning Safety Management System, a clear and workable Emergency Response Plan, and appropriate written standards, implementation, and records for all major aspects of operations and maintenance within the flight department.

“The ARG/US Platinum rating and IS-BAO Phase 2 Certification take months of preparation, years of adherence, countless hours of training, and an unwavering devotion to assuring that all aspects of our flight operations are as safe as possible,” Solairus Vice President of Flight Operations, Tom Benvenuto explained. “Our flight and admin support departments have been routinely scrutinized to the highest degree by the most objective auditors in the industry.”

Solairus was originally awarded its ARG/US Platinum rating in 2009, while the company’s initial IS-BAO Certification was earned in February 2010. The International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) introduced the IS-BAO program in 2002 as an industry code of practice to foster standardized, safe, and highly professional aircraft operations. Today IS-BAO is recognized by aviation authorities worldwide as the highest standard for safety, security, and efficiency in business aircraft operations. The program provides a quality management approach to analyzing, controlling, and mitigating risk via performance based-standards and guidance protocols for the operator’s Safety Management System (SMS), including management structure, training programs, operating procedures, and manuals.

“Business Aviation is a people business that is built on trust, and every new client that we meet, whether for aircraft management or private aircraft charter, discusses their safety needs with our management team," stated Solairus Vice President of Maintenance, Rene Cervantes. “We hold personal meetings with our employees as well to learn more about their experiences in the workplace, hangars, and aircraft. We have listened to all of our stakeholders and have instituted an arduous and recurring safety audit program that focuses on ARG/US and IS-BAO Certification. Phase 1 of the IS-BAO Certification highlighted Solairus Aviation’s commitment to safety and the establishment of a comprehensive Safety Management System. Phase 2, in comparison, certifies Solairus’ continued adherence to those rigorous procedures established during Phase 1, as well as a thorough audit of the data accumulated during the last two years of overwhelmingly safe flight operations.”

For Chief Operating Officer, Greg Petersen, Solairus Aviation’s ARG/US Platinum and IS-BAO Phase 2 Certifications reinforce the company’s sustainable culture of safety.

“Solairus continues to grow at an impressive pace,” Petersen said. “Renewing the ARG/US Platinum rating, while attaining the IS-BAO Phase 2 Certificate, validates that we have been able to keep our priorities in order throughout the process. While passing an important audit is great, the more important and arduous challenge is the perpetual adherence to our own rigorous standards, every day, in every task that we undertake. To meet that objective, Solairus personnel from every department must continue to be trained in all aspects of our safety agenda and must work together to implement the program in the real world environment. Our team has a strong history of coming together to achieve goals and maintain very high standards, and I am very proud of their accomplishments and their continued passion to providing an increasingly safe atmosphere for our clients and their fellow employees.”

About Solairus Aviation:

Solairus is a full-service aviation asset management company that provides clients with expertise in acquiring and operating a wide range of private aircraft.

With a fleet of over 50 managed aircraft, Solairus is one of only 85 Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operators in the world. After completion of an intense operations and safety systems audit, the ARG/US Platinum rating is awarded to those who have demonstrated that their procedures meet or exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified company. For more information about Solairus Aviation, visit www.solairusaviation.com or call 800-359-7861.

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Solairus media contact:
Eric Wildt
707-775-2788
ewildt@solairusaviation.com