Partner News
Desert Jet’s Maintenance and Executive FBO Companies Receive Safety Certification & Training Awards
Palm Springs, California, July 13, 2018 – Desert Jet, the only full‐service business aviation company in the greater Palm Springs area and the Coachella Valley, proudly announced the recent recognition awards earned by its maintenance and FBO companies for their continuous commitment to safety and training.
Desert Jet Maintenance, a Cessna Citation‐specialized FAA Part 145 Certified Repair Station, has been designated as a 5‐star award winner of the 2018 Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Employer Recognition Awards by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). This award is presented annually to companies that provide qualified new and recurrent AMT training to their employees. According to NATA, Desert Jet Maintenance is one of only 36 companies nationwide to receive this designation demonstrating the company’s commitment to high quality training for its AMTs.
Desert Jet Maintenance was also awarded the Diamond Award of Excellence by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier this year. “This award exemplifies our commitment to training and safety,” said James Logue, General Manager of Desert Jet Maintenance. “By following a rigorous training regimen, including training with the FAA and OEM manufacturers, Desert Jet Maintenance is now amongst an elite few that qualify for this coveted award. This level of training assures customers of the finest possible care of their aviation assets.”
Every Desert Jet Maintenance Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) participated in this program that annually tests on continuously updated maintenance procedures and FAA regulations. The Diamond Award of Excellence is the FAA’s highest award for Aviation Maintenance Technicians and employers.
Desert Jet Center, the newest Fixed‐Base Operator (FBO) in the greater Palm Springs area, recently became the one and only FBO in the desert southwest region of the U.S. to hold the prestigious IS‐BAH registration and NATA Safety 1st certification, signaling a commitment of its leadership team to safety management and risk mitigation. The desert southwest region encompasses Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.
The International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS‐BAH) follows the structure of the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS‐BAO) program and incorporates the NATA Safety 1st Ground Audit Program. IS‐BAH is the global industry standard for business aircraft handling agents and fixed‐base operators around the world developed to align with existing and future Safety Management System (SMS) requirements aimed at ground handling service providers. According to the National Air Transportation Association’s map of the safety standards status of all FBOs worldwide, few FBOs nationwide are IS‐BAH registered and NATA Safety 1st qualified, and only one FBO, Desert Jet Center, holds both designations in the greater Palm Springs area and desert southwest region.
“Visitors to our region are becoming much more sophisticated about the options provided by aviation service providers and are increasingly looking for full‐service FBOs that provide an anticipatory customer service experience as well as the highest safety and quality standards,” said Denise Wilson, President and CEO of parent company Desert Jet. “Our FBO team’s commitment to ongoing training and professional development has led them to earn numerous accolades and safety nods and we could not be prouder of their achievements.”
“Safety is Paramount is not only one of our CORE Values, it is in our bones,” said Brad Elliot, General Manager of Desert Jet Center. “When we opened the FBO we set out to achieve the top safety accolades in the industry, IS‐BAH registration and NATA Safety 1st, just as Desert Jet Charter and Desert Jet Maintenance have done in their companies. Our culture and SMS program allows us to continually improve as well as be proactive to safety concerns. Attaining these two designations was a momentous investment that has paid dividends in avoiding incidents and accidents. The NATA’s status map is a great reference for schedulers & dispatchers, pilots, and operators to use in choosing which FBOs are committed to safety.”
Denise Wilson added, “As an IS‐BAO stage III jet operator, it was important for us to build an FBO that met our safety standards from the ground up. The day our FBO opened, we had a set of standards developed from over ten years of operating an active fleet of jet aircraft and lessons learned from our SMS. Desert Jet Center was developed to meet the exacting needs of the IS‐BAO‐compliant flight department and we are proud of our FBO team for embracing the IS‐BAH standard so thoroughly.”
About Desert Jet
Desert Jet is a group of aircraft management, charter, maintenance, FBO and aircraft handling companies based in Palm Springs/Thermal, California (KTRM). Desert Jet is a full‐service aviation company providing jet owners with turn‐key management of their aircraft that offsets the cost of ownership.
Desert Jet’s “private car service of the sky” offers private flyers a smart alternative to fractional aircraft ownership and expensive membership programs. Desert Jet’s acquisition service provides aircraft buyers with objective third party oversight throughout all phases of the process, from selecting the right aircraft, projecting operating costs and negotiating the acquisition through pre‐purchase inspection, delivery and placing the aircraft into service.
Desert Jet Maintenance is an FAA‐certified Part 145 Repair Station offering scheduled and unscheduled aircraft maintenance and repair services as well as 24/7 AOG mobile jet services a wide variety of aircraft
Desert Jet Center is a brand new, world‐class independent FBO serving the needs of the business and general aviation community at the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (KTRM). Desert Jet Center is a Preferred FBO for the Corporate Aircraft Association (CAA), the Citation Jet Pilots Association (CJP), and is a member of the EPIC fuel network. Desert Jet Center is the only FBO in the region to have earned the prestigious IS‐BAH safety registration and the NATA Safety 1st qualification. Desert Jet Center offers hangar space that accommodates aircraft as large as the Gulfstream G650 and Global 6000. For more information, please visit www.desertjet.com.