ATP Awarded Agreement to Deliver a Next Generation Compliance System to SP Aviation

Brisbane, Calif., October 20, 2009 – ATP announced today that it has entered an agreement to deliver a next generation document compliance system to SP Aviation in Hayward, California to enhance safety processes, improve internal efficiencies, and prepare for the upcoming SMS mandate.

As part of this agreement, and working closely with the Oakland FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), ATP is helping SP Aviation evaluate and implement next-generation standards for documentation control and distribution. These new processes provide SP Aviation with real and tangible benefits today and are key to implementing the upcoming SMS mandate. According to Darrin Perdue, President and CEO of SP Aviation, “Our goal at the end of this process with ATP isn't just to emerge where a modern Part 135 air carrier should be, but position ourselves where Part 135 is ultimately going to end up.”

Through this agreement SP Aviation is implementing a next-generation, closed-loop compliance and safety environment with real benefits as opposed to just focusing on the possibility of coming mandates. The benefits of implementing a next-generation closed-loop system include improved safety systems oversight for better risk management, better reporting to the FAA for compliance, and improved fleet availability and dispatch reliability for increased return on investment. According to Jeff Perdue, Co-founder and Chief Pilot for SP Aviation, “Any 135 operator looses a little sleep at night thinking about compliance and procedures, but there is no better way to get a peaceful night’s sleep than to have ATP come in and help out. ATP’s ability to identify problem areas is far above and beyond anything we have experienced with any of the other leading firms.”

SMS is coming to Part 135 operators, possibly as early as 2012. It is already an ICAO mandate, and Advanced Notice for Proposed Rule Making (ANPRM) was registered by the FAA on July 23, 2009. “Any FAA rep will tell you that SMS is coming to Part 135 operators, so the sooner they choose to implement modern compliance and safety processes into their operations the better,” said Bob Trevelyan, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at ATP. “It’s better to be proactive and implement these processes prior to the mandate so you can take the time to understand the changes to your operation, and immediately begin to take advantage of the efficiencies they produce,” continued Mr. Trevelyan.

SP Aviation, Inc. is a fast growing, pilot owned, Part 135 Air Charter located in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area at Hayward Executive Airport in Hayward, California. The company was founded in 1992 with four original partners who are all veteran jet charter pilots. The company has a strong history of continued growth and was recently awarded a 50 year lease on the National Guard space at Hayward Airport with plans to build large, new hangars which will be available soon. This new space will be centrally located in the Bay Area with easy access to Silicon Valley and San Francisco. With a staff of more than 40 professional pilots, mechanics, flight controllers and administrative personnel, SP Aviation is poised to continue its mission well into the future.