We decided to try something new - publish a special edition ASOG e-Newsletter. Why a special edition? In this case, last November, many European-based ASOG members and Corporate Supporters had a chance to gather at the EUROPEAN ROTORS VTOL show in Madrid, Spain, for professional fellowship and networking. Based on this, the ASOG Desk Editor captured selected stories to share with the ASOG community regarding fellow members and ASOG Corporate Supporters.
EUROPEAN ROTORS VTOL SHOW
If you didn't know, EUROPEAN ROTORS, Europe's largest vertical flight trade show and exposition, was held in Madrid, Spain, from Nov. 27-30. In the past, the show was held in Cologne, Germany. Still, the organizers - the European Helicopter Association (EHA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) - decided to spread the love to other European locations.
In addition to providing exceptional business opportunities, the purpose of this year's EUROPEAN ROTORS was to bring the VTOL community (manned and unmanned) together to exchange knowledge, learn from one another, and debate with one shared goal - to improve safety in vertical aviation operations, i.e., something ASOG advocates all the time for both fixed-wing and rotorcraft operations.
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ASOG "MEET-UP"
The ASOG professional "Meet-Up" networking event held at Ibis Madrid Aeropuerto Barajas the night before the opening of the show was a resounding success, fostering meaningful connections and facilitating valuable interactions among ASOG members plus future members. The event started with a warm welcome and a drink(s) from the organizers (ASOG – Patrick Ryan and Event Sponsor – OFIL Europe: Dr. Peter Morawitz & Peter Schaffer), setting the tone for a relaxing and engaging atmosphere. Attendees from diverse Aerial Work and Special Mission sectors and expertise gathered in the retro-style hotel bar and made new friends and business connections. Plus, setting the stage for future collaboration, e.g., partnerships, establishing training courses, job opportunities, etc.
From the ASOG Desk Editor perspective, this ASOG in-person "Meet-Up" networking event proved to be a great "neutral zone" for fostering connections, fostering professional growth, and cultivating a sense of community between operators and industry. If you missed this Meet-Up, plan to attend the next events. We have several events in the pipeline planned for 2024 i.e., check them out at the end of this Newsletter.
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ASOG "BASE-CAMP"
At this year's show, our ASOG Networking "Base Camp" was a bustling "neutral hub" for ASOs, aviation professionals, safety experts, and industry. The ASOG Base Camp was situated at the GA Buyer-GA Buyer Europe Magazine booth, with Astrid Ayling, Ian Sheppard and Patrick Ryan hosting. From day one, the base camp had a steady stream of visitors. As always, at an ASOG "Base Camp," attendees rendezvoused with old & new friends, engaged in meaningful conversations, exchanged ideas, and forged valuable connections throughout the event.
Along with this, ASOG Corporate Supporter Centum-LifeSeeker invited many ASOG members who attended the show to a special event in the heart of Madrid. Without saying, we enjoyed some great gourmet food and super conversations. It was an excellent opportunity to connect with industry leaders from Spain and other European countries, exchange ideas, and network among friends in a relaxed environment. Also, without saying anything, we would like to say "Thank you" to ASOG member and CEO of CENTUM Héctor Estévez and his team for a wonderful evening.
ASOG CORPORATE SUPPORTERS NEWS
Based on walking the floor of the show and visiting those ASOG Corporate Supporters who either attended the show or had a booth, we were able to get the latest news regarding their business efforts:
AV Buyer | GA Buyer Magazine – Firecrown Media has acquired AvBuyer. Firecrown Media also acquired GA Buyer Europe and GA Buyer Africa, which offer classified listings and marketplaces that cover the European and African general aviation markets. If you didn't know, Firecrown Media owns some of the most storied publications, such as FLYING Magazine, Plane & Pilot, KITPLANES, Aviation Consumer, AVweb, Aviation Safety, IFR Magazine, Business Air, aircraftforsale.com, and many more.
OLIF Europe – The Team from OLIF (Dr. Peter Morawitz & Peter Schaffer) revealed a new partnership with Phoenix Heli-Flight. This charter helicopter company operates a fleet of ten helicopters out of Alberta, Canada. Phoenix Heli-Flight has recently placed an order for OFIL's ROMLite OGI (Optical Gas Imaging) Hybrid system with radiometric HD LWIR sensors, plus a cooled MWIR imager for detecting methane, propane, and other hydrocarbon gases, marking the first-ever sale of its kind in North America.
CENTUM – LifeSeeker – CENTUM-LifeSeeker highlighted their collaboration with HENSOLDT Avionics and FlySight to improve and enhance the capabilities of the Search & Rescue community. CEO Héctor Estévez participated in the Panel "Independent and Versatile OPENSIGHT Decision Support System: One System for All Missions," sharing a paper with Arend Wedekind from HENSOLDT Avionics and Mattia Carpin from FlySight, i.e., Reflections on emerging trends, integrations and the innovation that LifeSeeker brings to search and rescue missions.
FlySight – FlySight presented its new advanced suite of OPENSIGHT's capabilities by offering live demonstrations of OPENSIGHT's diverse integrations with other SAR systems. With a particular focus on the OPENSIGHT system's versatility, FlySight demonstrated this with their new partnership with CENTUM and HENSOLDT.
Andrea Masini, Marina Ghidotti and Mattia Carpin from FlySight also revealed their desire to sponsor future ASOG organized & Industry provided ASOG Training events. Stay tuned for more information on the first course. Based on current discussions at the show, the first course will focus on "Basic SAR Mission Management."
Airborne Technologies (ABT) GmbH – The team at the ABT booth (George DeCock, Thomas Unger, and Marcus Gurtner) relayed that they are expanding in all cardinal directions. They announced the establishment of an office in Dubai, UAE, and signed a MoU with Norwegian Aviation and Defence Group (NADG).
Additionally, Based on a discussion with Bryn Elliott, PAvCON President, the PAvCon Europe 2024 event will occur at Airborne Technologies. Bryn and the ABT family look forward to welcoming everyone on May 28-29, 2024, at the ABT facility in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
Smith Myers Communications - The team at Smith Myers (Peter Myers and Andrew Munro) announced two new contract awards from European Coast Guard Agencies. Plus, they highlighted their partnership with the UAE's NSRC (National Search and Rescue Center) with ARTEMIS integrated into the NSRC AW139 Leonardo Helicopters SAR fleet.
WHAT'S NEXT
If you missed this ASOG event, we plan to conduct more in-person events in 2024. Here are some of the events we have in the pipeline:
- AERO Friedrichshafen, April 17 – 20, Friedrichshafen, Germany
- PAvCON, May 28 – 29, Wiener Neustadt, Austria
- EUROPEAN ROTORS VTOL Show, TBD – Est. November, Amsterdam, Netherlands
If you're interested in participating in future events or your company wants to sponsor an event, DM us at info@aso-group.org.
Comments
Thank you for sharing this ASOG friends' newsletter and report.
It's truly a pleasure to have gotten to know the European avionics community and even more so to be a part of it, supporting it with our solutions and our team.