Page 4 - Sept24T

Editor’s Briefing
by Lance Phillips
A Celebration in Montreal
The Pinnacle Air Network celebrates its 30th anniversary with Pratt & Whitney Canada leadership.
In addition to managing Twin & Turbine Magazine, I have the honor of serving as executive director for the Pinnacle Air Network. Pinnacle started life as a consortium of nine long-time Beechcraft dealers in 1994. Back then, Beechcraft’s owner, Raytheon, was considering taking the sales team in-house, potentially severing the relationships its dealer network had worked to build and nurture over decades. Nine of those dealers banded together and pitched Beech’s leadership team a concept that the group offered Beech and its customers assets that couldn’t be reviewed on a balance sheet. Those off-balance-sheet assets included relationships and trust built since Beechcraft started selling airplanes in the 1930s.
This August, we celebrated 30 years of the Pinnacle Air Network’s existence in a very fitting way. Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) invited the group to Montreal to visit the factory where so many PT6A engines for King Airs have been made. The CEO of P&WC, Maria Della Posta, presented the Pinnacle members with a cake celebrating the 30-year milestone. Two founding Pinnacle mem- bers, Elliott Aviation’s Dan Edwards and Cutter Aviation’s Will Cutter, accepted the tasty gesture after the group toured the manufacturing plant and listened to P&WC leaders discuss the company’s future priorities.
The Pinnacle Air Network has evolved since its begin- ning, bringing in new members when appropriate and always looking for opportunities to make the group more competitive and profitable. The Network comprises 18 successful, independent MROs, FBOs, aircraft sales, and aircraft charter organizations. At the 30th annual meet- ing in Montreal, Pinnacle welcomed its newest member, Fargo Jet Center. Fargo’s president, Jim Sweeney, and its VP MRO, Mike Clancy, joined the other members in Mon- treal to celebrate the anniversary.
Through Pinnacle’s industry-leading relationships with its preferred partners, such as StandardAero, JSSI, Boeing Distribution and Jetnet, members realize the best customer engagement and pricing on services like engine overhauls, aircraft parts, and market intelligence. These relationships mean aircraft owners and operators using Pin- nacle member services get leading support and turn times, often realizing savings in addition to world-class support. Learn more about Pinnacle at www.pinnacle.aero.
lance@twinandturbine.com
2 • TWIN & TURBINE / September 2024