The latest leadership move at Priority 1 Air Rescue signals a strategic push to streamline how military and rescue crews are trained on complex hoist and mission simulation systems. By consolidating its advanced simulators and procedural towers into one product line, the company is positioning itself to better serve a growing roster of defense and emergency response clients.
P1AR Hoist Procedural Tower
Scene from AAMS
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New role unifies P1AR’s mission simulators and hoist training towers in the U.S. and Europe, supporting USCG, USAF, NATO and SAR operators.
MESA, AZ, UNITED STATES, October 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Priority 1 Air Rescue (P1AR), recognized globally for its aircrew simulation technology, has named Kolby Gaertner to the brand-new position of Associate Product Manager, Simulation. In this capacity, Gaertner takes charge of the company’s Advanced Aircrew Mission Simulators (AAMS) and Hoist Procedural Training Towers (HPT) as one integrated product offering spanning both the United States and Europe.
Gaertner’s mandate covers the entire lifespan of the AAMS and HPT systems — from initial engineering and construction through ongoing sustainment, configuration oversight, readiness assurance, and forward-looking upgrades. These platforms are currently in service with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, Army National Guard (ARNG), NATO forces, state and local law enforcement agencies, and commercial search and rescue (SAR) groups. His key areas of oversight include:
- Systems engineering and integration: managing HPT & AAMS simulator fabrication and construction, plus Instructor Operator Station (IOS) hardware, networks and training devices.
- Mission software and training technology: managing SAR and aerial gunnery simulation software, simulated weapons and sensors, and crew-served and precision weapon trainers, including synthetic M240, M134 Minigun, GAU-19, HK417 and Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle systems.
- Sustainment and Operational Readiness: ensuring reliability at every site through sustainment planning, spare parts management and eliminating single points of failure across mission-critical equipment, including Collins Aerospace (Goodrich) and Breeze-Eastern rescue hoists, hoist pendants, power control interface units and other critical components.
Gaertner first joined P1AR in 2023 as Products Manager, coming straight from the University of Missouri where he earned a B.S. in Business with a Management emphasis and a B.S. in Economics. His role soon broadened to include serving as Quality Manager for Synthetic Training Systems, a position that gave him direct, hands-on familiarity with both the AAMS and HPT platforms he now oversees.
“Since joining P1AR, Kolby has grown with the company and taken on more responsibility every step of the way, first in gear and equipment and then in quality for our synthetic training systems,” said Jon McLaughlin, Executive Chairman, P1AR. “His hands-on knowledge of our simulators, combined with his outstanding interpersonal skills, makes him the right person to lead the AAMS and HPT product line. We’re proud to have him in this role and confident he’ll take our simulation programs to the next level.”
Looking ahead, Gaertner will be instrumental in defining the future direction of P1AR’s simulation offerings, expanding the company’s international training footprint, and rolling out next-generation simulation capabilities to customers around the world — all in service of P1AR’s core mission of “Training the Aircrews Who Save Lives.”
About Priority 1 Air Rescue
Priority 1 Air Rescue (P1AR) specializes in training helicopter rear crew members worldwide to operate SAR and tactical systems. Since its founding in 1999, P1AR has instructed more than 15,000 aircrew across 40+ countries with zero accidents since inception, delivering training through a blend of classroom instruction, hoist procedural towers, virtual simulation, and live-flight exercises. The company’s Advanced Aircrew Mission Simulator (AAMS) enables crews to practice everything from basic emergency procedures and crew coordination to full-mission rehearsals involving multiple aircraft, evolving threats, aerial gunnery, personnel recovery, combat search and rescue (CSAR) hoist operations, and geographically accurate mission environments. P1AR counts the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and numerous law enforcement and SAR agencies worldwide among its clients. Training centers are located in Mesa, Arizona, and Bordeaux, France.
David Eng
Priority 1 Air Rescue
+1 480-621-6023
Why it matters: This appointment reflects a broader trend in defense and emergency services training toward consolidating complex, multi-site simulation assets under dedicated product leadership. As SAR and tactical missions grow more technologically sophisticated, having a single point of ownership for simulator development and readiness could become a competitive differentiator in the aircrew training market.
