Innovate or Evaporate

Left Seat:
Innovate or Evaporate
By Mark Huffstutler
EAGLE’S NEST
Issue # 45 • April 2014
A Company Newsletter for the Skyway Group companies
T
Edited by Jim Gerrish
here is an old story about two hikers who suddenly happen upon a hungry-looking mountain
lion. Immediately, one of the hikers drops his
backpack, removes his hiking boots and puts on a pair
of running shoes. His panicked companion stammers,
“What are you doing? You’re crazy. You can’t outrun a
mountain lion!” The first hiker responds, “I don’t need
to outrun him. I just need to outrun you.”
In the aviation business, the competition is always nipping at our heels as we try and stay ahead. Intricate regulations, expensive products and an unpredictable economy are continual challenges. As we have seen in recent
years, even large and well-funded legacy companies can
fall by the wayside. In many cases, as they become larger and more successful, they also become ‘set’ in their
ways. They fail to notice when they need to “trade their
hiking boots for running shoes.” In other words, first
they fail to Innovate and then they Evaporate!
Much of our organization’s success has been built on
innovation - innovative products (Citation retrofits) and
services (SierraCom, aircraft and engine leasing, and
much more). Another type of innovation that we’ve
worked hard at is in identifying new markets for our
products and services. Once we saw there was a need for
specialized aerospace engineering and development for
existing aircraft manufacturers like Hawker Beechcraft,
we were able to design programs to fulfill that need. This
led to the creation of SkyWay Aerospace Technologies
(SWAT) and, more recently, to the capture of more government and institutional business – such as the BIRD
project currently underway.
But relying only on those types of innovation is not
enough. Without reinventing our internal structure and
processes as well, we risk falling behind in our ability to
meet our customers’ needs. Throughout all levels of our
company, we need to be continually creative to remain
competitive. So, what does that mean?
To start with, it is a myth that creativity is a trait that
only a few select people are “born with” ...that there are
those with “creative personalities” and then there are the
rest of us. The truth is, we ALL have the potential to be
innovative. Take a look at preschoolers playing. All of
us were creative and innovative as children, but often we
gradually “unlearned” creativity as we grew up. Most
schools reward “playing by the rules”, not “thinking outside the box.” All people are innovative to some degree,
they just need help to un– continued on page 10
Our Core Values
X-TREME QUALITY —
An unwavering determination to demand the best
from yourself and our
organization
UNDER PROMISEOVER DELIVER —
Our customers expect us
to meet our promises
- we should strive to
exceed them.
TEAMWORK —
An environment that fosters the collective efforts
of diversely talented
people - our most valuable resource.
INTENSE INTEGRITY —
A personal commitment to
do what is right in every
aspect of your life and
the courage to stand up
to that commitment.
FAMILY & SERVICE
ABOVE SELF —
Family values and a professional work ethic are
superior to self-indulgence.
HAVE FUN —
Life is too short not to
enjoy every minute.
What’s UP at Sierra Industries...
New Faces in the Sierra Hangars
Jason Miller – Occupying the newly created position of President, Mr.
Miller is rapidly becoming a familiar face in Sierra’s hangars. Jason
is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and an experienced USMC
military pilot. In addition, his post-military career brings a wealth of
real-world aviation, business and management experience to his new
role. As Finance Manager and, later, VP/General Manager of Standard
Aero’s Houston unit, he led over 100 employees with innovative improvements in procedures and profitability.
Growing up on a farm in Minnesota, Miller developed a love of hunting and the outdoors and a desire to travel. Sometime in the ‘80’s,
the film “Top Gun” ignited a passion for flying that led to a career in
first military and then business aviation. Jason still enjoys traveling,
hunting and spending time with his wife, Tiffany, a nursing student in
Houston and his two children, Logan (7) and Ava (5).
Jason Miller and Larry Montgomery examine a
customer’s Citation VI avionics bay
Our new President is a man of high standards and is intently focused on
building Sierra into a winning team. His high expectations are tempered
by an easygoing sense of humor, an accessible “open-door” policy and
- after hours - an appreciation of family, fun and good beer.
Patrick Carter is also new to Sierra, joining our sales team in January
2014. Patrick’s previous experience in international sales and marketing for Rocket Engineering, an aftermarket turboprop conversion firm,
has given him valuable insight into the aircraft modification industry
and the mindset of high-end turboprop owners looking to upgrade into
business jets. A multi-engine rated private pilot, Carter also brings a
valuable background in FBO and Part 135 charter management to his
new role, helping Sierra provide top-notch support for our customers.
Patrick Carter, Sierra Sales & Support
QUIK
Notes
Sierra’s in-house “artiste,” Mark Hernandez, shows off his
stunning multicolor paint job on Sierra’s latest Eurocopter
EC-120B project. Next step will be the addition of registration
number N517SS to the fuselage (not to mention, windows,
engine, rotor blades, seats and a few other items).
page 2
Kudos from another happy customer! After months of extensive inspection and refurbishment, pilot Craig Evans posed
on the airstairs of his vintage 1970 King Air 90 with Sierra
maintenance crew members (L-R) Jason Montgomery, Jacob
Rowan, Hunter Pieratt and Luis Pina.
BIRD is the Word
T
he BIRD project (see the overview article below) provides an interesting mix of work for most of the SkyWay
Group business units: SkyWay Aero to acquire the aircraft,
Sierra for the conversion and modification effort, including
manufacture of the components needed to effect the transformation from (Basic) to Fully Equipped Aircraft (FEA).
SWAT is responsible for the engineering and certification of
the product modification as well as global management of
the program. Flightime will also get their share, being responsible for pilot training and flight test crew support. The
three candidate airplanes for this program are (#1) N-501DR,
(#2) N-74FH, and (#3) N-506TF – all of these are currently
at Sierra in Uvalde, where they are either in, or getting ready
to be inducted into, this program.
The contract with Bird Aerosystems also includes similar
modifications to three (3) Bell 407 Helicopters; these aircraft will also make their way through the Sierra operations
hangar where they will undergo representative special mission configuration changes – expect to see the helicopters
show up starting later this summer.
Eyes and Ears in the Sky
by Gary Buchanan
From drug trafficking and offshore espionage to the highjacking of ships, the world’s shores have become a dangerous and costly place to operate and conduct business. Many
companies can no longer depend on their governments for
their security and the governments may not be able to react
in time. This has transformed the intelligence world. Traditionally, intelligence gathering and surveillance were the
province of government military and intelligence agencies.
Many companies and countries now find themselves in great
need of the ability to capture information or conduct surveillance to protect their equipment and personnel. Recent examples of the need for aerial surveillance include the oil spill
off the coast of Florida and the hunt for the missing Malaysian airliner. It is incredibly important for these companies
to have firsthand knowledge of what is going on. To get that
knowledge, they’ve ventured into a new world, the world of
C4ISR. C4ISR stands for Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance. It includes the development of information gathering
systems and processes for using information in operational
decision making.
So now you know what C4ISR is, let’s get up to speed on the
new BIRD program you see in our facilities. Not long ago,
the SkyWay Group won a contract to supply four Specially
Modified Aircraft (SMA) and three Specially Modified Helicopters (SMH) for C4ISR missions. The fixed wing SMAs
are Eagle II Citations with Radar,
Optic Ball and SATCOM installed
in the aircraft. All of this data feeds
into a workstation in the aircraft. The
rotor wing SMHs are Bell 407GX with the Optic Ball, SATCOM feeding into a workstation. This will give these aircraft the ability to perform our customer’s required mission.
This program pulls in resources from all over the world
and the SkyWay Group is the epicenter for this program.
SkyWay Aero has sourced the aircraft, SkyWay Aerospace
Technology (SWAT) is designing the installation and certification plans, FlighTime is building the training plan for
the customer’s pilots and mechanics, Sierra is integrating the
new systems, turning the aircraft into mission ready assets
and Uvalde Flight Center is supplying the fuel. Everyone has
a part in this opportunity.
We cannot divulge many details — as you can imagine, we
are held by contract to keep the details quiet. However, what
we can say is that our company, with your efforts, is on the
cutting edge of development for the C4ISR products. These
specially modified aircraft, coupled with the performance of
the Eagle II, Stallion, Super II or the Super SII give us a
unique advantage. Our answer for the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft needs of the world is our
aircraft can fly further, faster, higher, longer and see and hear
more!
page 3
STATUS REPORT from
by Mike Edwards
L
et’s talk first, this edition, about the existing programs,
and the people that are pushing these programs to completion. First, the SNECMA program – the team had a goal,
last year, of receiving the Silvercrest engine from SNECMA
and attaching it to the side of the Gulfstream II airplane that
they had been diligently working on to convert from the configuration needed for attachment of its existing Rolls Royce
Spey engine. This goal came to fruition late in the evening
on December 14 when the final attachment bolt was inserted
and the union between engine and airframe was completed.
Since that time the SWAT team, our engineering subcontractors, and a large team of technicians from SNECMA in
France have been working to complete all connections between the engine and airplane systems, as well as the multitude of connections between the engine, engine controls and
monitoring devices, and the sophisticated flight test instrumentation control center onboard the airplane. The airplane
has also conducted low power and high power ground engine
runs and is heading toward its first flight. The airplane will,
once in flight test status, be subjected to a short U.S.-based
flight test program and then, following a brief conversion,
will head over to the SNECMA flight test facility in France
to undergo the extensive flight test campaign needed to support certification of the Silvercrest engine.
G-1 Issue Paper and the program will head to STC approval,
hopefully, in April. Kana Ferguson, who was the PM for this
program has decided to pursue her career as a government
employee for the Texas Parks and Wildlife department. A big
thanks to Kana for her dedication and management of the
program – Donnie Damschen will resume program management duties to get this final effort in place to STC. The other
major effort that SWAT has with Beechcraft is the re-engine
program – replacing the Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5 engine
with the new Williams FJ44-4A-32 engine; this program has
been stymied for several months now waiting for the FAA
Aircraft Certification Office (ACO) in Los Angeles to issue
us our next Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) so that we
can continue certification flight testing on the program. TIA
was finally issued to us on March 20, 2014 and Donnie, the
PM for the program, is now putting his plans together to
continue with the flight test program. STC for this program
is now, as a result of the FAA delays, expected to be close to
the end of Q2 this year.
John Rankin, PM for Avionics programs at SWAT, certainly
has his plate full too – John is engaged in the Avionics follow-on program for the Beechcraft PD440 with the Proline
21 avionics interfaced with the Williams FJ44-4A-32 engine. John is laying out plans to update the wiring interfaces
Other notable news, on
and then ground and flight
the SNECMA program,
test that configuration once
Bechara Charbel, who has
the test aircraft, serial numguided the program to this
ber RK-96, completes its
point, has decided to leave
tour of duty on re-engine
the company to pursue the
program flight testing. Advision of owning his own
ditionally, John is heading
business. Bechara has dedup the next phase of the
icated many hours to this
Garmin 501SP program to
program and, from the team
integrate the engine health
of equally dedicated people
parameters into the flat
Old School vs. New Tech: original Gulfstream GII engine (left) and
he leaves behind; we thank the newly installed SNECMA Silvercrest testbed engine (right).
panel flight displays – enhim for his drive and detergine information system
mination of the past few years, and wish him well in new (EIS). This program is the next-step enhancement to the prebusiness venture. Stepping into Bechara’s role, as Program viously-certified G950 avionics suite and provides a much
Manager, is Terry Gray – Terry is a seasoned aviation leader sleeker-looking cockpit installation.
and, with the help of Wayne Dolvig and Bryan Johnson (our
So…what’s new? Well, SWAT has been working diligently
Chief Test Pilot – care of Flightime), will take this program
over the past several months to bring new and exciting proto the next phase of its life – Welcome, Terry!
grams to the forefront of our agenda so that we can enjoy a
Next up, an update on the PD440 programs that SWAT is en- fulfilling time after some of our near-term-completing projgaged on for Beechcraft. The Winglet program has now com- ects are over. Most notably, we have signed contracts with
pleted its structural static test and all necessary flight test- Bird Aerosystems for the acquisition, conversion, and modiing. The majority of the certification compliance documents fication of three Citation Eagle II airplanes to be delivered in
have also been completed and submitted to the FAA, and we special mission (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance
are effectively waiting for them to pass a final ruling on the (ISR) ) configuration. See the article on page 3 for details.
page 4
– continued on next page
New Program Managers at SWAT
Terry Gray – Program Manager for the SNECMA project. Terry takes over the position
vacated by Bechara Charbel, and charged with continuing the development of the Gulfstream Flight Test Bed aircraft for SNECMA. A graduate of the USAF Academy, Mr. Gray
followed 10 years in the Air Force with a lengthy career at Vought Aerospace in Dallas.
Retiring in 2006, Gray relocated to Tulsa, OK for a position as VP/GM of interiors and
structures for NORDAM. His experience in managing subcontracting activities for a variety of aviation OEM firms will be a great asset in his new role at SWAT. In his “spare”
time, Terry enjoys professional bass fishing. He will be participating soon in the Rayovac
Bass Competition April 3 - 5 at Grand Lake, OK. We wish him the best of luck!
Terry Gray
Other new faces include Don Taylor – Program Manager for the Bird Aerospace fixedwing program (known as SWAT Project SW-260), and also Steve Carlson – Program
Manager for the Bird Aerospace rotor-wing program (known as SWAT Project SW-290).
Don Taylor arrived at SWAT from a 35-year career in engineering management roles for
a variety of aviation companies including Fairchild, Sino Swearingen, Raytheon/Hawker
Beechcraft and Learjet. He and his wife, Margie are longtime San Antonio residents and
glad to be back in their “hometown.”
Don Taylor
Steve Carlson is in the process of moving here from Wichita, a process helped (or at least
encouraged) by Steve’s personal aircraft, a 4-seat Bellanca Viking. After working in a large
and bureaucratic environment as a Senior Project Manager for Learjet, he is excited to be
in a small, entrepreneurial company where he can (and will) wear multiple hats.
Interestingly, Steve and Don are located in the SWAT facility in San Antonio where they
both worked, side-by-side, several years ago, for Sino Swearingen – we really do live in a
small, yet exciting world.
Steve Carlson
Piloting the Perfect Parabola or “Zero-Gee Whiz”
One of the SkyWay Group’s more interesting current projects involves a Citation VI and some very
skillful piloting for a unique “ride.”
Mark Huffstutler explains, “We have a 6 month
contract to provide a “0” G environment for science
research. We purchased N650GC for this purpose
and will outfit the aircraft with the scientific payload and the necessary instrumentation to perform
these flights. If the 6 month program proves to be
successful, it could lead to a long term contract involving more aircraft.
The parabolic flight profile is conducted between
10,000 feet and 18,000 feet and is able to achieve
between 20 and 25 seconds of zero gravity during
each repetition. We will do these successively for
20 repetitions per hour.
NASA has used this routine extensively to train astronauts
SWAT Status Report – continued from page 4
Other projects are also in-work, in the background at SWAT,
for dissemination in later editions of this publication. Oh,
and by the way, you might have noticed on the top of the pre-
in weightlessness and their aircraft was affectionately
called the Vomit Comet. ”
ceding page that SWAT has a new logo and will soon have a
shiny new website. Stay tuned...
page 5
Published by
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas*
Spring 2014
Give the Nod to Better Sleep
Do you feel sleepy and often nod off during the day? You may
have obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that disturbs your
breathing and may cause loud snoring. Being male, weighing too
much or having a small airway raises your chances of having this
problem.
Sleep apnea can cause mood and behavior changes and health
problems such as heart disease and stroke. Talk to your doctor
if you have signs of this condition. Studies show that getting the
right amount of sleep may lower your chances of heart disease
and other health problems. Adults need about seven to eight
hours of sleep each day.
Sources: National Institutes of Health; National Heart, Blood and Lung
Institute
Sharpen Your Chill Skills
Stress is a fact of life, whether you face a hectic
day, job loss, sickness or hear about scary world
events. It may seem hard to chill out when worry
strikes. But handling stress can help protect your
health and well-being. Take these steps to calm
stress:
s4AKEPARTINMOODBOOSTINGEXERCISEDAILY
such as a brisk 30-minute walk.
s3TAYCONNECTEDWITHSUPPORTIVEFAMILYFRIENDS
and community or religious groups.
s-AKETIMEFORFUNCALMINGPURSUITS
s'ETREGULARCAREFORANYHEALTHPROBLEMS
s%ATHEALTHYBALANCEDMEALS
s2ELAXTHROUGHYOGASTRETCHINGOROTHER
programs.
s3EEKPROFESSIONALHELPIFYOUCANTCOPEARE
abusing substances or have suicidal thoughts.
Dwelling on problems can make them seem even
bigger. Try replacing negative thoughts with positive ones to help keep stress at
bay. Signs of stress may include unusual fatigue, a quick temper, feeling sad or
down, sleep problems or coping by using drugs, alcohol or other substances.
Sources: National Institute of Mental Health
page 6
!$IVISIONOF(EALTH#ARE3ERVICE#ORPORATIONA-UTUAL,EGAL2ESERVE#OMPANYAN)NDEPENDENT,ICENSEEOFTHE"LUE#ROSSAND"LUE3HIELD!SSOCIATION
52133.0314
Q&A: Noroviruses —
Don’t Ignore These Bugs
Q. What are noroviruses?
!.OROVIRUSESSPURAWHOLEHOSTOFUNPLEASANT
symptoms — including diarrhea and vomiting.
.OROVIRUSISSOMETIMESCALLEDhSTOMACHmUvEVEN
THOUGHITSNOTRELATEDTOINmUENZA)TSALSOA
cause of food poisoning.
Q. How do they spread?
A. Contaminated food and drinks are often
to blame. However, noroviruses can lurk on
computers and other objects. They also can
spread quickly from person to person, especially in
close quarters, such as on cruise ships. Although
those outbreaks receive a lot of attention, the virus
can occur anywhere.
Q. How are noroviruses treated?
A. Although noroviruses can make you feel very
sick, symptoms usually go away after a day or
TWOWITHOUTSPECIALTREATMENT'ETTINGRESTAND
DRINKINGPLENTYOFmUIDSWILLHELP
Q. What can I do to protect against
noroviruses?
A. Here are some hints to keep your family safe.
Avoid eating raw shellfish such as oysters. Wash
fresh fruits and veggies before eating. Disinfect
surfaces with a cleaner containing bleach.
7IPEDOWNhGERMMAGNETSvSUCHASCOMPUTER
keyboards, faucets and doorknobs. Wash your
hands frequently, especially after using the
bathroom and before eating. Use a hand gel
containing more than 60 percent alcohol to help
wipe out germs.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Pets May Enhance Mental
and Physical Well-Being
If you have a pet, you probably already know that
animal companions can lift your mood. But did
you know that they might even boost your physical
health? Consider these findings:
s$OGOWNERSWERELESSLIKELYTHANNONDOG
owners to die within the first year after a
heart attack.
s/NESTUDYMEASUREDTHENEGATIVEPHYSICAL
effects of stress in women who owned dogs.
They were tested alone, while accompanied
by a friend or while accompanied by their dog. Women with their dog at their side fared
best.
Hands-Free Doesn’t Mean
Risk-Free?
Using a cell phone while driving may quadruple
your odds of having a crash that sends you to
THEHOSPITAL0LUSHANDSFREEMODELSARENTANY
SAFERSAYEXPERTS3OTHINKTWICEBEFOREPLACING
that call on the road.
/THERSAFEDRIVINGTIPS'IVEYOURSELFPLENTYOF
time to get from point A to point B, especially
IFTHEWEATHERISBAD+EEPYOURCARWELL
MAINTAINED2EPLACEWIPERBLADESWHENNEEDED
FOREXAMPLE!NDOFCOURSEALWAYSUSEYOUR
seatbelt while driving.
Source: National Institutes of Health
s!MONGOLDERADULTSPHYSICALHEALTHWASLESSLIKELYTODECLINEOVERTHECOURSEOFAYEARIN
pet owners than in non-pet owners.
Source: National Institutes of Health
De-Mold Your Home and Stop Sneezing
-OLDCANCAUSEALLERGICREACTIONSANDASTHMAATTACKSINSENSITIVEPEOPLE4HATSWHYITS
IMPORTANTTOGETRIDOFANYMOLDGROWINGINYOURHOME(ERESHOW
s!VOIDINHALINGMOLDBYUSINGAN.RESPIRATOR4HEYAREAVAILABLEATHARDWARESTORES
s3CRUBMOLDOFFWALLSANDOTHERHARDSURFACESWITHDETERGENTANDWATERORAWEAKBLEACH
solution. Wear long gloves and goggles. Dry thoroughly.
s#EILINGTILESCARPETSUPHOLSTEREDFURNITUREANDOTHERABSORBENTMATERIALSTHATCANNOTBE
cleaned should be discarded.
2EMOVETHEMOISTUREMOLDNEEDSTOGROW&IRSTlXANYWATERLEAKS+EEPHUMIDITYINYOUR
home low. Dehumidifiers, air conditioners and fans can help.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
page 7
NEWS from
UFC is excited to report that 2013 saw a 12 percent increase in fuel sales — that’s
over 294,500 gallons! Thus far 2014 has been amazing with both Curtis Wilson and
Brandon Dyer joining our team in January and Jamie Hale returning early February.
Last month brought us yet another return as Customs and Border Patrol AirOPS
Uvalde selected UFC as their fuel provider. In other news, we are continuing to
expand our off site fueling sales, and are now servicing customers up to 30 miles
away! We’re expecting great things from Team UFC this year, and plans are being
made for a HUGE event early 2015. Details in a future issue.
NEWS from Sierra — KSAT San Antonio
It’s Official! The company logo, at least. Sierra KSAT Site
Manager Trey Thomas sends this photo of the newly completed Sierra logo sign lighting up the hangar at 1770 Skyplace Blvd. in San Antonio.
Steve Lawrence and Chip King have been hard at work
with the FAA on getting the Repair Station Certificate for
the KSAT facility. Steve relates, “The FAA met us the end
of February for a meeting/audit of the facility in SA. Since
then, Chip and I have been going back and forth with the
FAA airworthiness inspectors tweaking manuals, adding information, and answering any other questions that they have.
They are processing our operational specifications (the authorizations that we will work within) for the San Antonio
facility. Once complete, they will forward all documentation
to the manager of the San Antonio Flight Standards District
Office for review and approval and shortly thereafter will
issue our new certificate.”
Business Aircraft Ownership Made Simple
NEWS from
SkyWay Aero, Inc.
a SkyWay Group company
David Welch notes, “The focus of aircraft (and engine) acquisition, sales and leasing for the entire
SkyWay Group, SkyWay Aero contributes significantly to the business of other Group entities.
Prebuy inspections and maintenance for Sierra, candidate aircraft for management by FlighTime
Business Jets and helping to raise the Group’s visibility in the business aviation industry.”
Aircraft sales — both owned and brokered — are growing in the
first few months of 2014, continuing the trend of the past few years.
Here’s what those years looked like:
In 2010, a total of 5 aircraft were sold; in 2011 that grew to 9 planes
— 4 owned and 5 brokered. 2012 grew again, to 7 owned / 4 brokered, for a total of 11 aircraft, with a combined worth of $15 million. 2013 broke the record once again, with an end-of-the-year total of 15 aircraft sold — 8 owned and 7 brokered. With recent 2014
acquisitions of two Citation 650, we’re not only growing in number
of aircraft, but also in aircraft size. Congratulations to all involved!
page 8
Final
NEWS from
B
rian Taylor and the rest of the aircraft management &
air charter team enjoyed a successful year in 2013 and
have set even more ambitions goals for 2014. More aircraft
fleet and geographic expansions are in the works, along with
additional staff to support the growing operation. Here are
some highlights of the year so far...
The largest aircraft in our fleet (to date), a large-cabin Challenger 601-3A, recently completed our first intercontinental flight with a roundtrip to Hawaii and back. The snapshot
from FlightAware at the right shows the return leg, flying
3,200 miles nonstop - from Kahului, HI to El Paso, TX in
just under 6 hours at an altitude of 39,000 feet.
Austin-based FlighTime pilot
Egill Gudmundsson recently
became the second employee
to achieve US Citizenship. Our
congratulations for his achievement and a hearty “welcome” to
this country and to the SkyWay
Group family.
The first quarter of the year also
brought successful completion
to our longtime effort to add
Egill Gudmundsson
Mexican and Canadian Operating Authority to the FlighTime/Capital Wings certification.
This enables us to service all of North America with air charter and aircraft management services.
Continuing on the theme of expanding service, we also recently added a San Angelo based Cessna Citation V, N18CV,
to our fleet.
Stephanie Forbes continues to grow the Capital Wings brand,
and, in the best tradition of the SkyWay Group “multiple
hats” policy, is also developing new leads for our aircraft
sales, management and maintenance business lines. She is
currently in negotiations to add a Lear 36A business jet to
the fleet, along with a Citation XLS in May. Another possible addition under discussion is a Citation XL in Austin.
Happy Birthday!
In a nod to another of the SkyWay Group’s many facets,
Stephanie recently commented on one of her client’s experiences, “Conrad (Huffstutler) took one of my clients for a ride
in the Huff Air T6. Gui’s comment was “It was one of the
best days of my life!” He was very impressed with Conrad’s
work on the Warbird collection and was stunned at what a
talented pilot he was.”
Debra Clark.........................January 8
Lauren Villagas..................January 10
Stephen Wisser......................March 5
Carlos Londono....................March 18
James Egbert.......................March 18
David Johnson......................March 25
page 9


New
SkyWay Associates




Stephen Wisser.........................FT Pilot
Charles J. Benak.......................FT Pilot
David B. Johnson................ SWAT Pilot
James T. Egbert.........................FT Pilot




Welcome to the Bank of San Antonio
by Bill Micale
O
n March 20, 2014 the SkyWay Group and its subsidiaries inked a new corporate banking relationship with The
Bank of San Antonio replacing its existing financial relationship with Frost Bank. This move was necessitated by the need
for additional lines of financing which will be provided by
The Bank of San Antonio.
The Bank of San Antonio is a medium sized growing commercial business bank with four locations in San Antonio and
assets approaching $400 million. This new lending relationship with The Bank of San Antonio will materially increase
our available Lines of Credit, will refinance select aircraft and
will also provide a portion of the needed financing to fund the
BIRD project in 2014.
Innovate or Evaporate – continued from page 1
learn their uncreative habits.
For us to succeed long term, we need to create an environment where we encourage each other to “think outside the
box” or be innovative. The “box” that most of us operate in
is the “way it has always been done” which is comforting
and easy and doesn’t require a lot of energy. Personal improvement and corporate success however depend on each
of us to examine this box that we operate in and look for
ways to excel.
Take a look at companies that had to innovate or they would
have evaporated – Kodak, Polaroid, Blockbuster, Sears, Apple, Volkswagen and Nintendo to name some we all recognize. All of these companies were near the brink of extinction
yet stepped out of their box to create something new and innovative. While the SkyWay Group is enjoying robust business
activity and in growth mode, I remember the challenges of
the past that we had to power through. Sequestration abruptly
ended the UC-35 program, the economic downturn of 2008
lead to a precipitous drop in Williams modifications and most
recently the Government shutdown last October stopped our
aircraft sales and STC efforts. If we had not changed direction
or focus we could have “evaporated”.
The key ingredient in being innovative is to cultivate an
open mind. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind alert for ways
to improve something. It can be an improvement in almost
anything – from a simple smile for a fellow associate, to
planning your work to minimize unnecessary motion, to noticing something that will improve a customer’s experience,
to creating the next aircraft modification. We all need to improve a little every day - our future depends on it. Be a part
of our innovation!
page 10
Starting on April 01, 2014 all forward supplier and payroll
disbursements will be issued by The Bank of San Antonio.
We are very optimistic that there will be little or no disruptions to our integrated Treasury systems as we switch over to
the new Bank of San Antonio treasury system.
It is our vision that the SkyWay Group relationship with The
Bank of San Antonio will grow over time in both size and
scope as both organizations execute their business plans.
FlightLOG
memorable customer flights
A remarkable recent flight by Sierra Super SII owner
Richard Sugden took place in February - March 2014.
Sugden and several companions flew from Driggs,
Idaho to Nairobi, Kenya for bush pilot training with the
Kenya Wildlife Service (see flight map below).
After arrival,
the intrepid
travellers
spent nearly
a month in
Africa before
embarking
on the 3-day
return flight
to the USA.
The Latest News from...
The Skyway Foundation provides charitable contributions to eligible
nonprofit organizations in our communities. The Foundation seeks to
help our employees and the causes that are close to their hearts. A big
part of this effort is the SkyWay Outreach Campaign (SOC). This is the
group’s way of recognizing, supporting, and encouraging the valuable
contributions of employees’ volunteer efforts. Participation in the SOC
Club is open to all employee volunteers and their family members.
T
he Skyway Foundation was able to bestow many blessings again last year. The company is committed to giving back to the community, and especially to those organizations that the employees and their families are involved in.
And the highlight of course is that we awarded 8 $1000 college scholarships to our employee’s children. Please let Kim
know what organizations are near and dear to your heart and
we will try and bless them.
Skyway Foundation Highlights:
SOC
SkyWay Outreach Campaign
• Cactus Jack Uvalde School Support
• Hill Country Youth Ranch
• Clarity Child Guidance Center
• R.O.T.C. High School Program
• ENAACT (Educational Network for Academics, Arts, and
Character Training in San Antonio)
In mid-March, a group of students from Big Springs Ranch
for Children visited Sierra Industries as part of a “career
day” event, led by our own Larry Montgomery.
These are all the places we made donations in 2013.
Brianne Rangel, Program/Activities Coordinator for the
• Tree City Boxing
Ranch, remarked, “Some of our older residents have been
• Uvalde Coyotes Baseball
facing the challenging question of what they want to do with
• Uvalde Lobos Softball
their lives. To assist with this we’ve searched for businesses
• 8 College Scholarships for children of Skyway Group
that allow our children to come and explore what a career
Employees
in that profession would really look like. Our most recent
• Cactus Jack, providing support for Uvalde Schools
career day took place at the Uvalde Airport. We took chil• Pioneers Youth Leadership
dren interested in aviation as a career and they learned how a
• Uvalde Community College Scholarships
plane is made, what instruments on the pilot panel look like
• Rotary Club
and do, and what it
• Medical Support for Employees and
takes to become the
Families
pilot they hope to be
• Uvalde Lobo Track
one day. One child
• St. Henry de Osso Literacy Project
commented,
‘This
• Big Springs Children’s Ranch
was the best possible
• Uvalde H.S. Band
thing anyone could
• Uvalde Opera House
have done for me
• Uvalde Youth Soccer
because I now feel I
• Uvalde Little League
have the power and
• Uvalde Volleyball
knowledge to do what
• Vietnam Veterans
I have always dreamt
• Uvalde Athletic Booster Club
of. I am encouraged
• Pete Conrad Boxing Club
to do better in school
• Donny Damschen — Nicaragua
and I know I can be
House for Maria
Visitors from Big Springs Ranch (L-R): Somers, Adianna,
a
pilot and it can be
• Sabinal Youth Rodeo
Michelle and Alex, flanked by Sierra President Jason Miller (L)
• Ray of Hope Persons w/Disabilites
and Customer Service / Tour Guide Larry Montgomery (R). a real career for me.’
There could not be a
• Families of The Skyway Group
Medical Help
better outcome of a career day than empowering children to
• Uvalde Memorial Cancer Center
know that no matter how big their dreams are, they are smart
• More Than Compassion Guatemala Orphanage
enough, strong enough, and resilient enough to be whatever
• Free The Captives Trafficking Prevention
they set their minds to be.
• Fire Departments
Dixie Radicke and Kim Huffstutler were the organizers of
• Sheriff Department
this event and helped us connect with the right people to
• Boy Scouts of America
make it happen.”
• Uvalde Animal Shelter
• Uvalde Classical Academy
page 11
SkyWay Group History:
Can you identify them?
#1
#2
About Pilots
Holiday & Event
Schedule –
Courtesy of Mark Huffstutler
Pilots are people who drive airplanes
for other people who can’t fly.
Passengers are people who say they
fly, but really just ride.
Air Force pilots are steely eyed, weapons systems managers who occasionally kill bad people and break things.
They can also be very charming and
personable. The average pilot, despite
sometimes having a swaggering exterior, is very much capable of such
feelings as love, affection, intimacy
and caring. (However, these feelings
don’t involve anyone else.)
Flying is a hard way to earn an easy
living.
Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents
the airplane; the pessimist, the
parachute.
New Sierra Associates
 Orlando Ballesteros........................AMT 
 Patrick Carter................................ Sales 
 Ceasar Jimenez..............................AMT 
Snyder................................AMT
 William

Luis Pina.........................................AMT
 Rey Galvan (re-hire)..... Lead Custodian 
 Stevie Cardona.........................Avionics 
 James Robinson.............PMA Inspector 
Juan Rodriguez..................... Custodian
 Cuauhtemoc Trevino......................AMT 
 Gary McComas...............................AMT 
 Christopher Ontiveros.....................AMT 
Gabriel Moran...........................Avionics
 Raul Nevarro.................. Manufacturing 
 Alan Wiebrand.........................Materials 
Comments or contributions?
Call Jim Gerrish @ ext. 226
#3
This modified G-21 Grumman Goose
was a recent visitor to the Garner
Field Airport, stopping by to visit on
its way to the Caribbean. One of the
most unique and colorful of the many
“twin turbine” aircraft we’ve seen
around here.
Associate
Anniversaries
Chip King..................30 years!
Froy Martinez.............25 years
Steve Lawrence.........24 years
Rosemberg Risa........22 years
Bobby Gonzales........21 years
James Coggeshall.....21 years
Wes Vargulish............17 years
Richard Villareal........12 years
Jose Hinojosa..............8 years
Alejandro Coronado.....7 years
David Welch................5 years
Don Shirley..................3 years
Javier Valdez...............3 years
AnaLisa Trevino...........3 years
Santos Diaz.................2 years
Jorge Escobar.............2 years
Lisa Parker..................2 years
Anthony Trujillo............2 years
Oscar Gonzalez...........2 years
Matthew Puckett..........2 years
Cynthia King................. 1 year
Dayla Zerba.................. 1 year
page 12
Note: Sierra Industries will be
closed on Monday, May 26 for
Memorial Day and on Friday,
July 4 for Independence Day.
Company Events:
April 17...........Huff Lake BBQ
& Fishing Tournament - 5 pm
May 21............Honoring our
Veterans - details to come
June 27............Bowling
July 16.............Jam Fest
(employee talent showcase)
Happy Birthday!
Christopher Ontiveros.........January 3
Albert Corral, Jr...................January 4
Patrick Carter......................January 5
Jacob Rowan.......................January 7
Christina Zamora...............January 15
Atilano Longoria................January 22
Antonio Solorzano.............Janaury 27
Chip King...........................January 28
Gabriel Moran.................... February 3
Jesse Deleon..................... February 3
Gary Cooper...................... February 4
Kimberly Holloway............. February 8
Dayla Zerba....................... February 8
Wes Vargulish.................. February 18
Froy Martinez.................. February 20
Ernesto Diaz, Jr............... February 27
Maricela Alcazar.....................March 4
Dean Forrest..........................March 5
Ventura Terrazas....................March 6
Bobby Gonzales.....................March 8
Johnnie Waters.....................March 20
Jerry Diaz.............................March 29
Chad Comeaux....................March 31