Company Well Kept

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) is an industry trade association representing the interests of general aviation aircraft manufacturers and stakeholders. The Washington, D.C.-headquartered organization seeks to foster and advance the welfare, safety, interests, and activities of the global business and general aviation industries.

On 13 July 2023, GAMA welcomed Aviation Partners, Inc.; Enstrom Helicopter Corporation; HCL America Inc.; and SmartSky Networks into its fold as Members, and Siemens Smart Infrastructure as an Associate Member Electric Propulsion & Innovation Committee (EPIC).

Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Aviation Partners, Inc. is a designer and producer of advanced aircraft winglet systems. The company’s products reduce wingtip vortices, thereby diminishing drag, lowering aircraft fuel-burn, and improving climb and cruise performance. The upwards of ten-thousand business and commercial aircraft equipped to date with Aviation Partners winglets have collectively saved over 14-billion gallons of jet-fuel and reduced global CO2 emissions by some 137-million tons.

Founded in 1959 by mining engineer Rudolph "Rudy" Enstrom and rescued from bankruptcy in 2022 by Sweetwater Music founder Chuck Surack, Enstrom Helicopter Corporation is an American designer and manufacturer of piston and turbine-engine helicopters. The company is based at Michigan’s Menominee–Marinette Twin County Airport (MNM). For 64-years, Enstrom has maintained an unimpeachable reputation for safety, value, and performance. The marque’s helicopters currently operate in over fifty nations.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Indian global technology concern HCL Technologies, HCL America Inc. maintains foci in the digital, engineering, cloud and AI sectors. The company’s interests in the Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industries span business jets, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), air transport, space, defense, and general aviation.  HCL Technologies provides a comprehensive suite of offerings conducive to the traditional, transformational, and future needs of A&D enterprises.

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Research Triangle, North Carolina, SmartSky Networks offers a next-generation Air-To-Ground (ATG) inflight connectivity network, as well as innovative hardware and digital services. The company’s three product lines synergistically advance the aviation sector’s digital transformation. SmartSky leverages 5G, Long Term Evolution (LTE) and patented beamforming technologies to harness 60 MHz in the unlicensed band for unprecedented inflight connectivity capabilities. SmartSky Networks joined GAMA in 2017 as an Associate Member EPIC and has upped the standing of its membership.

Based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois and globally headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Siemens Smart Infrastructure provides Advanced Air Mobility related products, systems, solutions and services encompassing every aspect of extant AAM architectures—from power generation to consumption. The company is dedicated to addressing the challenges of urbanization and climate change.

FMI: www.gama.aero