Classic Air Medical and its medical evacuations are integral to the history of Classic Aviation—the longest-running FBO at Page Municipal Airport (KPGA) in Arizona. What began as an air medical rescue service evolved into a full-fledged FBO when the city of Page required the facility to become a licensed FBO to store fuel on-site for mounting medevac demand. From its base near sprawling Lake Powell, Classic Air Medical has made a difference in the lives of many patients and family members, including many suffering traumatic injuries. With more than 3 million tourists hiking, boating, backpacking, and biking through a sweeping recreational destination, accidents and illnesses happen frequently. Classic also transports and rescues patients from across the mammoth Navajo Nation. “When you’re severely hurt 150 miles from the nearest interstate, dealing with a traumatic injury becomes a matter of life or limb,” says Matt Stein, chief operations officer for Classic Air Medical. “In 1988, Classic began with its first helicopter. There were awful traumas occurring among Lake Powell boaters, but it would take four hours or more to get to the nearest trauma center.” West Star Aviation, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has named Allen McReynolds as new chief operating officer. The company said McReynolds will support employees by making strategic investments in people, training, tooling, technology, and processes, while improving safety, with on-time and squawk-free delivery performance. He has spent his entire career in and around aircraft maintenance covering business aviation, commercial operations, and defense. Beginning his career in the airline industry, he served in roles of progressive responsibility in nearly every functional area, culminating in the position of senior vice president of technical operations of a large U.S. carrier. Previously, McReynolds held leadership roles in aftermarket and customer support with both Textron Aviation and Hawker Beechcraft, having responsibility over both global sales and the service center network. Most recently, he was the managing partner at SeaTec Consulting for more than seven years. Signature Aviation has opened a renovated private aviation facility at L.G. Hanscom Field (KBED) in Bedford, Massachusetts. The upgraded facility features an array of customer-centric designs and amenities focused on space, speed, and sustainability, highlighted by the construction of a new 6,500-square-foot passenger terminal. This terminal adds 2,500 square feet of space to give customers access to modern, high-end amenities prior to departure. Optimizing landside to airside access at Signature Bedford was a driving factor given the preference of private aviation travelers to board directly at the aircraft door, according to the company. Signature created a one-way airside loop to make aircraft boarding safer and more intuitive, and simplified the landside arrival experience with additional signage and faster-moving access gates.
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