James E. Mcmillen, AeroThrust President, Will be Awarded the Prestigious Wright Brothers Memorial Award by the Greater Miami Aviation Association.

Business Editors

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 1, 2001

James E. McMillen, President of AeroThrust Corp., will receive The Wright Brothers Memorial Award from the Greater Miami Aviation Association (GMAA). The award is presented annually to a Floridian whose substantial contribution to aviation has gained national recognition and thus reflected favorably upon the state.

McMillen, an aviation industry leader for almost four decades, will have his name engraved on a silver trophy cup with the names of past winners of The Wright Brothers Memorial Award, including George T. Baker, George Batchelor, Frank Borman, L.B. "Bud" Maytag, Curtiss H. Pitts, and John Paul Riddle.

The award will be presented at the GMAA's 74th Annual Wright Brothers Memorial banquet on Oct. 27 at the Miami Airport Hilton. Proceeds from the banquet and a preceding golf tournament planned for Oct. 26 will be used to foster the future of professionalism in aviation achievement, leadership and financial need. Last month, the GMAA awarded over $48,000 in scholarships to South Florida college students who are majoring in the field of aviation.

For the past 20 years McMillen has been President of AeroThrust Corporation, a Miami based company dedicated to the repair, overhaul, sales and leasing of the Pratt & Whitney JT8D aircraft engine. Under his leadership the company has grown from a revenue base of $12 million to $180 million.

During his tenure at AeroThrust, McMillen also served as President of AeroServe Int'l, a sister company involved in the repair and sales of avionics and aircraft components from 1984-1990. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of several companies related through common ownership; FFV Finance, Inc. located in Detroit, Mich.; Celsius Aerotech, Inc. located in Nashville, Tenn.; and the former Celsius Amtec, Inc. located in Miami, Fla.

McMillen is immediate past President of ISTAT (International Society of Transport Aircraft Traders), a 1,000 member, world-wide organization dedicated to improving communication among all those involved in selling, trading, leasing and appraising transport category aircraft. He is a past President of the Miami Aviation Executives Club.

Prior to joining AeroThrust, McMillen spent seven years working for several airlines (Pan Am, National, and Eastern) in various maintenance functions. He also worked for GE's Aircraft Engine Group for 11 years including three years as part of the original CFM International management team in Paris, France. He has an Aeronautical Engineering degree from Penn State and a Master's degree in Flight Transportation Management from M. I. T. McMillen is a resident of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

AeroThrust Corporation employs 260 experienced professional technicians and mechanics at its 115,000 square-foot facility at Miami International Airport (MIA). Capabilities include CNC machining, plating, welding, plasma-spray, NDT inspection, chemical and metallurgical analysis and calibration. AeroThrust also operates a modern engine testcell facility adjacent to MIA to support its overhaul operation.

For 53 years, the company has been located at MIA, and since 1977 has focused solely on the Pratt & Whitney JT8D engine series which power military and civilian versions of the Boeing 727, 737, DC9 and MD-80 aircraft. As an ISO9002 certified company, AeroThrust has a strong reputation for high quality workmanship and the reliability of the engines it produces.

AeroThrust Corp., a member company of the Celsius Aviation Services, which is owned by SAAB of Sweden, is located at 5300 NW 36th Street, Miami, Florida 33122.