Maverick Helicopters, an award-winning division of Maverick Aviation Group, recently received the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) 2018 Award of Excellence “Diamond Award.” The prestigious honor is a result of the ongoing dedication to maintenance training and aircraft safety. The award is Maverick Helicopters’ eighth consecutive for its Las Vegas and Grand Canyon South Rim locations and the fourth consecutive award for its Maui, Hawaii facility since inception in 2015.

“We are proud of our exceptional maintenance team for the hard work they continuously perform in order to ensure the safety of our guests,” said John Buch, president of Maverick Aviation Group, parent company of Maverick Helicopters. “Receiving one of the FAA’s highest honors eight years running is evidence of our dedication and safety standards.”

The FAA’s Award of Excellence was created to recognize aviation operators and its maintenance technicians for participating in the FAA’s Aviation Maintenance Technician Awards Program. The rigorous program encourages employers to participate in continuous learning training programs in aviation maintenance and FAA regulations. Each participating organization can receive honors ranging from the “Gold Award” to the “Diamond Award,” with the latter being the highest level of program criteria.

In 2018, the maintenance technicians of Maverick Helicopters recorded more than 3,200 hours of training. More than 2,000 of those hours were provided through the company’s internal training courses. The training program at Maverick Helicopters requires all employees to complete a three-week training course, outside of manufacturer and FAA requirements, to ensure safety standards are upheld and surpassed. Additionally, 100 percent of all eligible technicians obtained individual awards through in-house and factory training.