Able Aerospace Services, an MRO service and PMA parts provider, and one of the largest helicopter repair and PMA facilities, today announced that industry veteran George Powell has joined the company as the Safety Management System (SMS) Program Advisor and will be working as the Assistant to Able Aerospace President Anthony Saenz.

Powell brings decades of diverse and in-depth experience from The Boeing Company and Bell Helicopter. While at Boeing he held positions as a Stress Engineer, Chief Material and Process Engineer, FAA DER and finally as the Assistant Director of Quality. At Bell Helicopter, he continued in executive management roles as the Director of Quality and Commercial Support. Powell is also experienced with TC/PC Holders and is recognized as an expert in FAA regulatory rules and regulations.

In 2001, Powell co-founded the Modification and Replacement Parts Association (MARPA) with Jason Dickstein, and Jim Reum. MARPA was founded to support PMA manufacturers and their customers. The three founders shared the vision that the PMA industry needed a trade association to promote its efforts to support safety, and to provide the industry with tools to meet safety and quality goals.  An important element of these goals was to work closely with the FAA, the JAA and its member states (now EASA) and other aviation authorities. This tactic ensures that all government aviation authority employees understand that PMA companies are eager to work cooperatively to further the safety interests of the industry.  A primary goal of MARPA was to share the importance of reducing costs and improving reliability of air travel by making reliable replacement parts available at commercially reasonable prices.

“As a strategic mentor, George will be pivotal to our success as we continue to expand in many product areas,” Saenz said. “He is a welcome addition to our team.”

In early April, Able will move its 320-plus employees and equipment from cramped quarters in Phoenix into a brand new 191,000-square-foot facility on a 13-acre industrial site at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. The on-airport location and a 25,000 square foot purpose-built hangar are designed for customer convenience, allowing for future fly-in capability and complete aircraft teardown capabilities onsite.

Able Aerospace Services is the largest helicopter repair facility in the world.  We provide Value-Driven MRO solutions for a number of helicopter fleets engaged in petroleum, law enforcement, EMS, tour, transport, ENG and other mission profiles.  Value-Driven MRO Solutions are Able proprietary, FAA-approved repairs and PMA for parts that would otherwise have to be scrapped and replaced with new, often saving as much as 70 percent of the cost of a new part.  Able’s mission is to safely reduce aircraft operating costs by providing resourceful component repair, overhaul and approved replacement parts solutions.