Gary Porterfield Promoted to Assistant Manager FlightSafety West Palm Beach Learning Center

LA GUARDIA AIRPORT, NEW YORK (February 21, 2006) – FlightSafety International has promoted Gary Porterfield to Assistant Manager of the company’s West Palm Beach Florida Learning Center.

Porterfield joined FlightSafety at the West Palm Beach Learning Center in April 2003 as an instructor for the Bombardier Learjet 55 aircraft. He then led the development of FlightSafety’s Piaggio Avanti P180 training program and was promoted to Program Manager, responsible for the company’s Learjet 55 and Piaggio Avanti training programs, in July 2005.

We are pleased that Gary has accepted this new challenge, said Greg McGowan Vice-President, Operations, FlightSafety International. “His broad experience here at FlightSafety and working for commercial and corporate aviation operations following his service in the US Air Force made him an ideal choice for Assistant Manager of the West Palm Beach Center.”

Gary graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science and Business Administration degree specializing in Computer Science. He served with the US Air Force as a pilot for six years prior to leaving in 1991 to fly for American Eagle and several corporate and charter operators. He holds a number of aircraft type ratings and has supported FlightSafety customers as the West Palm Beach Learning Center’s Learjet 55 JAA Type Rating Examiner and FAA Training Center Evaluator.

The West Palm Beach Learning Center offers safety-centered training programs for business jets and helicopters. Pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians and other aviation professionals train at the Center on a fleet of seven FlightSafety built full flight simulators for aircraft manufactured by Bombardier, Piaggio and Sikorsky.

FlightSafety International is the world’s premier aviation training organization. Over 75,000 pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals train at FlightSafety facilities each year. The company designs and manufactures full flight simulators for civil and military aircraft programs and operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full flight simulators at over 40 training locations.