ASOG 2023 Focus Area | News & Information, Events & Networking
Soursce | ASOG Desk Editor (Patrick Ryan)
For our first event of this size and a reconnaissance run of our association to field such opportunities, the feedback from many of those who attended was good, and the lessons we learned were noted. Above all else, finally, meeting fellow ASOG members in person was great. Plus, make new connections and learn something new, all in a great historical aviation environment.
Once again, we validated that there is a need for our mission of providing the means or place to collaborate and improve the non-rated aircrew member's professional place in the Multi-Mission or Aerial Work aviation sector. It was a fantastic opportunity and venue for ASOG members, followers, and special guests to focus on aircrew roles, new technologies, sensor operations, and work-related opportunities.
Besides very open, informative, and follow-on discussions during three days of seminars "and" networking in the Multi-Mission Hanger, some of the noteworthy highlights of the conference consisted of the following:
Diamond Aircraft – The team (Mario Spiegle, Stefan Hiam, Jakob Bauer) from Diamond Aircraft flew their new DA-62 MPP VANGUARD aircraft into the expo from Wiener Neustadt Austria for Multi-Mission specialist to get first sight on this new multi-mission capability. The hands-on experience was tremendous for both ASOG attendees and the general public. The aircraft was parked in the Multi-Mission Expo (MME) hanger along with other exhibitors (and the ASOG Networking Zone), allowing for a great mix of technologies within one area.
Riegl – Andrew Fuller from Riegl Laser Measurement Systems presented Riegl's broad product portfolio for airborne and UAV-based laser scanning. Andrew also provided hands-on demonstrations of the new Riegle VQX-1 Wing Pod daily at his booth. Based on what we saw, it's a practical and economical solution for the Aerial Surveying & Mapping community.
2Excel – On the Airborne Sensor Operator (SO) side of the conference, it was excellent to hear and discuss how 2Excel manages their SO team across a broad spectrum of multi-mission operations, i.e., from oil spill response, search & rescue, surveillance, and many more. 2Excel senior SOs Phil Thornton and Gary Lovett walked attendees through their recruiting, training, and general flight ops processes & procedures. From an ASOG perspective, Phil and Gary definitely have a model SO program that many flight departments could emulate.
JD2E ISR – One of the drawn attention presentations at the conference was Jonathan Bramley, a.k.a "Swaz" briefing. If you didn't know, Swaz is the Managing Director of JD2E ISR, a leading Sensor Operator training and simulator firm in the U.K. Based on his many years in the ISR business. He gave an excellent briefing on "ISR in Action - Sinking of the Moskva – How Did it Happen?" Based on current events, the presentation was very informative and professionally interesting. Besides Swaz's excellent briefing, he and his team had two mobile training simulators positioned in the ASOG Zone for Expo and ASOG conference attendees to experience what it's like to be a Sensor Operator…especially in the defense sector.
Smith Myers Ltd – One of ASOG's first members, Peter Myer from Smith Myers Ltd, presented and demonstrated the capabilities of Smith Myers ARTEMIS detect-located-communicate mobile phone systems. Seeing how their system is used across manned and unmanned multi-mission operations was fascinating. I also found out that their systems are popular with 2Excel, Diamond Aircraft, Airborne Technologies, and many other ASOG Corporate Supporters who attended. Additionally, I heard that Smith Myers and JD2E are joining forces to integrate the ARTEMIS simulator into the JD2E training and simulation environment.
As I said, these are just some of the great folks that attended and the activities that took place at our first-ever ASOG conference at Sywell Aerodrome this month. Based on feedback from the organizers of this year's Expo at Sywell Aerodrome, who were delighted with ASOG's participation, they are discussing supporting next year's ASOG conference. If so, anticipate more information on this topic in the coming months. Also, please let me know if you want to participate in or support next year's conference.
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