Press Release

Issued by .

January 15, 2008

An investment of £1 million will enable helicopter charter company Severn Aviation to launch a dedicated training centre focused on Instrument Rating qualifications for commercial pilots.

The Training Centre at Severn Aviation will offer state of the art training courses and facilities aimed at pilots wishing to reach the top of their profession.

Company founder Peter Saunders has made the investment to create the centre, which will be located within the Gloucestershire Airport complex, where Severn Aviation is based. He sees this latest venture as a natural progression for the business. "When we launched the helicopter charter service last year, our aim was to be the best. From the growing list of regular clients, our premium service levels have been welcomed," he explained.

"Feedback from our own team of pilots identified that existing training services sometimes fell short of the mark in terms of organisation and support facilities. We realised that there was a need to provide a top-end training service for helicopter pilots looking to achieve their Instrument Rating qualifications. In launching The Training Centre at Severn Aviation our aim is to provide, literally, 'top flight' training facilities."

Head of Training will be Captain Mark Dennis, a highly skilled pilot, with more than 28 years flying experience. Mark has more than15 years of instrument training and as a current IRI/TRI/CRMI he has a proven track record in running successful single pilot IR courses with a very high level of first time passes.

In his flying career Mark has accrued over 10,000 flying hours in both military and civil aviation. As a Royal Air Force Search and Rescue Pilot he flew over 700 missions in both the United Kingdom and the South Atlantic, receiving many awards for operational flying. His last major rescue involvement, for which he received a Commendation, was as the On-Scene Commander at the Boscastle floods, rescuing over 50 people.

As an Instrument Rating Examiner in the RAF he was responsible for the standardisation and examination of Search and Rescue pilots to ensure a safe level of instrument flying was maintained.

Mark's civil flying career has been as a Training Captain including the position of Head of Training for Police Aviation Services where he was responsible for the maintenance of Police Pilot instrument flying skills.

As an IRI, TRI and a CAA Approved 170A signatory he was also responsible for the training of commercial pilot students for their Single Pilot Multi Engine Instrument Rating award, achieving an enviable first time pass rate.

The Training Centre itself has been custom designed to offer the best training facilities available, including flight simulators, training rooms and break-out areas. A separate office has also been created to house the helicopter charter business.

Due to open its doors in March, The Training Centre will operate an Elite Evolution S723 FNPT II simulator, which is based on the Eurocopter AS350, a single engine version of the AS355 which the company uses as its IR training aircraft. A second simulator will be added later this year and both will be upgraded to the AS355 as soon as this software version is launched.

With the Instrument Rating qualification expected to become a requirement for all commercial pilots in the foreseeable future, The Training Centre at Severn Aviation expecting business to be brisk as pilots recognise the superior facilities on offer. For further information please call 01452 716860 or visit www.severn-training.com