Mike Varney and Mark Dransfield Join Growing Flight Training
    Company to Oversee Strategic, Regulatory, Product and Global Development

European Aviation Training Symposium (EATS) PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ - Mechtronix World Corporation (MWC), one of the top leading providers of airline operations and training solutions in the world, today announced that it has hired Captain Mike Varney as its Vice President of Strategy & Regulatory Affairs and Mark Dransfield as a Senior Director of Business Development and Strategy.

Captain Varney, former Senior Director of Flight Crew Development at Airbus will be a leading player in the company's development of overall corporate strategy and planning for its training and flight operations products within the MWC group.

Mr. Mark Dransfield, a former Strategy & Marketing Director at Thales Training and Simulation will also work as liaison with the regulatory community while overseeing new business development, the design and positioning of new and existing product and services.

These key hirings accent Mechtronix' continuing focus on steady growth and rise as the third leading player in the global flight training product and services market.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome both Mike and Mark to the Mechtronix World team," said Mechtronix President & MWC spokesperson, Xavier Herve. "Both men have the exceptional vision, experience, specialized perspectives and close industry ties that will be essential to directing MWC's continued expansion as a leading global provider of flight training product and services. Their careful selection of Mechtronix demonstrates that our unique culture, successful business model and world class technology is not only turning heads, but winning hearts as well."

"Selecting Mechtronix was not a difficult choice," said Captain Varney. "As a pilot and director at Airbus, I had always admired the company's quality technology and innovative thinking. Mechtronix was not only able to come into Airbus and build a very high standard Airbus A320 Full Flight Simulator, but it went to other top OEMs, airlines and FTOs where it enjoyed great success as well. Mechtronix demonstrates the vision that training needs should lead technology, not the other way around. This is why other industry executives like Mark Dransfield and I have come on board. Its smart and innovative culture is one we can both build on and this will let us bring the company to the next level."

At Airbus, Captain Varney directed an Airbus team responsible for the development of all pilot training products and services to support customer training needs, encompassing everything from ab-initio and MPL pilot training to instructor and examiner training, type ratings, consulting services, training for new aircraft options or customer requests. Prior to that, he headed up Airbus training at Alteon. He has extensive experience in the development of regulations; recently co-chairing the RAeS sponsored ICAO International Working Group. He currently chairs part of the IATA Training and Qualification Initiative in the areas of Evidence Based Training and Global Instructor and Evaluator Standards which aims to change the vision of pilot training for the future. After starting his aviation career in the Royal Air Force, he gained extensive airline experience as a Captain on Boeing 757/767 and then Airbus A320, A330, A340 and most recently A380. He is an experienced instructor and examiner on all these fleets and has spent time working for the UK CAA regulating training, flight ops and simulator qualifications.

Immediately prior to joining Mechtronix, Mark Dransfield served as Director Strategy & Marketing for the civil simulation business at Thales in the UK. During almost 18 years at Thales he also served as Director of Programs covering all civil and military simulation products and services in Sydney Australia between 2004 and 2007. Mark brings with him key regulatory oversight experience having also spent 3 years with the UK Civil Aviation Authority as Simulator Standards Manager responsible for managing the regulatory oversight of Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD) Qualifications. He has chaired the JAR-STD Working Groups responsible for updating JAR-STD requirements into JAR-FSTD A for the qualification of fixed wing FSTDs.

"I want more than anything to contribute to and be a key part of shaping the future direction of civil flight simulation and training and Mechtronix has the vision, strategy and the team to do this" said Mark upon his reasons for joining the company.

As a graduate of London University with a BSc (Hons) degree in Aeronautical Engineering, Mark is a registered Chartered Engineer, a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society Flight Simulation Group Committee and is currently a co-chair of the RAeS sponsored International Working Group (IWG) on FSTD qualification standards and the International Committee on FSTD Qualification (ICFQ).

About Mechtronix World Corporation (MWC)

Mechtronix World Corp. (MWC) is a world leader in the development and delivery of innovative aircrew training solutions for general, business and commercial aviation. Based in Montreal, the holding organization comprises three core operating divisions, Mechtronix Systems Inc., Mechtronix Capital and ETOPS Aviation Services. With a team of 250+ employees strategically located around the globe - America, Europe and Asia - MWC offers integrated solutions to provide customers with training and operational products and services, and to fund and support next generation training centers. Worldwide customers include major airlines, training centers and training organizations. Backed by the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, Canada's largest institutional investor and Richardson Capital Limited, a leading Canadian private equity firm, MWC is one of the top providers in the global flight simulation and training industry.

SOURCE MECHTRONIX SYSTEMS

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