Both Part 135 And Part 145 Operations Recognized By The Agency

The FAA has presented two Diamond Awards for excellence in maintenance and compliance to helicopter tour operator Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters. Founded in 1991, the FAA Diamond Awards are considered the highest industry honors within the William O’Brien Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Awards program.

The first AMT Diamond Award of Excellence was for the 135 Air Carrier and Operation Certificate. Air carriers achieve this status by ensuring 100 percent of their certificated aviation technicians receive William (Bill) O’Brien Awards for various areas and disciplines. The second AMT Diamond Award of Excellence was given for Papillon’s FAA 145 Certified Repair Station, which is a maintenance facility that has an FAA certificate issued under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Part 145 and is engaged in the maintenance, preventive maintenance, inspection and alteration of aircraft and aircraft products.

Recently, Papillon’ safety management system obtained full Stage Three registration with the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO), granted by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC). IS-BAO Stage Three represents the highest level of compliance with IBAC’s standard of best practices for aviation operations. Although voluntary, the IBAC Standard is comparable to the ISO-9000 Standard for manufacturing entities. IBAC granted Papillon the prestigious designation following an extensive, multi-year audit of its safety practices, safety reporting, dedication to ongoing improvement and overall safety-oriented company culture.

(Image provided with Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters news release. Pictured [L-R] Papillon employees John Becker, chief operating officer and director of operations, Tony Martinez, director of training, Raymond Kendall, 145 accountable manager, Luis Garcia, director of maintenance, Brenda Halvorson, chief executive officer, and FAA representative Alan McKinney)

FMI: www.papillon.com