FlightSafety Promotes Alex Thurmond to Manager and Johnny Cruz to Assistant Manager of the St. Louis Learning Center

NEW YORK (January 30, 2018) – FlightSafety International announces that Alex Thurmond has been promoted to Manager of its Learning Center in St. Louis, Missouri. He succeeds David Glass who is retiring from full-time employment with FlightSafety.

“We are pleased to promote Alex to Manager of the St. Louis Center,” said Daniel MacLellan, Senior Vice President, Operations. “Throughout his 20 years with us, Alex has consistently demonstrated his outstanding leadership and management skills, and in-depth understanding of the needs of our Customers and Teammates. We sincerely appreciate David’s many contributions to FlightSafety and look forward to working with him in his new capacity.”

Alex joined FlightSafety in 1998 as an instructor and held a number of positions with increasing responsibility. They included Program Manager, Director of Standards and Director of Training for the Toledo Learning Center, and Regional Director of Training Operations. Alex most recently served as Assistant Manager of the St. Louis Learning Center.

He graduated from Warren National University in Cheyenne, Wyoming with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. Alex earned a Master of Business Administration from Salem International University in Salem, West Virginia. He is type rated in four Cessna Citation aircraft and has more than 3,000 flight hours and 2,000 in simulators as an instructor. Alex holds Airline Transport Pilot and Commercial Pilot certificates.

Johnny Cruz has been promoted to Assistant Manager of the company’s Learning Center in St. Louis, Missouri. He joins Angie Gremard who also serves as Assistant Manager at the Center.

“Our Customers and Teammates who train and work at the St. Louis Learning Center will appreciate and benefit from Johnny’s experience, thorough understanding of FlightSafety’s training programs, focus on service, and ability to manage and communicate effectively,” said Daniel MacLellan, Senior Vice President, Operations.

Johnny joined FlightSafety in 2001 at the Atlanta Learning Center as a Cabin Safety Instructor and has held a number of positions and responsibilities since then. They include Cabin Safety subject matter expert for the Embraer ERJ-145, E-170 and E-190 aircraft, responsible for training FAA Part 135 and Part 121 start-up operators, FlightSafety Teammate Enrichment Training, and Director of the Atlanta Center’s Quality Management System. Johnny was named as one of FlightSafety’s Best of the Best Instructors in 2008.

Prior to FlightSafety he held the position of Manager of Inflight Training for AirTran Airways. Johnny served in the United States Marine Corps with Cobra Attack Helicopter squadrons at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma Arizona, and the Naval Air Station in Atlanta as an Aviation Supply Chief. He deployed to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm/Shield on the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship and served as supply chief and assisting crew chief.

Johnny earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in leadership from Patten University. He holds a private pilot certificate.

The FlightSafety Learning Center in St. Louis provides simulators, training programs and services for operators of Bombardier and Embraer aircraft. The Center is currently equipped with 15 simulators and offers advanced technology equipped classrooms, as well as Customer service and support areas.

FlightSafety International is the world’s premier professional aviation training company and supplier of flight simulators, visual systems and displays to commercial, government and military organizations. The company provides more than 1.4 million hours of training each year to pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals from 167 countries and independent territories. FlightSafety operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full-flight simulators at Learning Centers and training locations in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa and the United Kingdom.