EP Aviation based in
McLean, Virginia
McLean ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. McLean is home to many diplomats, military, members of Congress, and high-ranking government officials partially due to its proxi ...
, is an aviation company owned by
Academi
Blackwater was an American private military company founded on December 26, 1996 by former Navy SEAL officer Erik Prince. It was renamed Xe Services in 2009 and known as Academi since 2011 after it was acquired by a group of private investors ...
(formerly Blackwater Security). Assets may include an
Embraer Super Tucano and 28 other aircraft including eight
SA330J Puma and 14
Bell 412 helicopters. Blackwater has another affiliate known as
Presidential Airways which also has a number of registered aircraft. The Pumas were former
Bundespolizei and were purchased from
HELOG
HELOG is a former helicopter airline company based in Germany which runs training courses in Africa.
Overview
According to the company's website, it is headquartered in the Bavarian town of Bad Reichenhall.
Its chief project was an academy in Li ...
. EP Aviation is active in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
and
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
.
EP Aviation is named for Blackwater's owner,
Erik Prince
Erik Dean Prince (born June 6, 1969) is an American businessman, former United States Navy SEALs, U.S. Navy SEAL Officer (armed forces), officer, and the founder of the private military company Blackwater USA, Blackwater. He served as Blackwat ...
.
Fleet
The EP Aviation fleet includes the following aircraft (as of August 2016):
The airline fleet also included the following aircraft (as of October 2011):
* 14
Bell 412 helicopters
* 3
Hughes/MD 369 "Little Bird" helicopters
* 4
Bell 214ST
The Bell 214ST is a medium-lift, twin-engine helicopter descended from Bell Helicopter's ubiquitous UH-1 Huey series. Though it shares a type number with the somewhat-related Bell 214, the 214ST is larger and of quite different appearance.
Des ...
medium-lift helicopters
* 3
Fairchild Swearingen Merlin IIIC turboprop airliners
* 9
Aérospatiale Puma
Aérospatiale (), sometimes styled Aerospatiale, was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale ...
utility helicopters
* 1
Maule Air
Maule Air, Inc. is a manufacturer of light, single-engined, short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft, based in Moultrie, Georgia, USA. The company delivered 2,500 aircraft in its first 50 years of business.
History
Belford D. Maule (1911– ...
MT-7-235
STOL aircraft
* 1
Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano counterinsurgency aircraft
* 1
Mooney M20E fixed wing aircraft.
Incidents and accidents
SA.330J (c/n 1358) N605R, ditched "somewhere in Afghanistan" around 15 December 2008 and there is damage to its tailrotor.
See also
*
Aviation Worldwide Services an affiliated company
References
External links
List of Honeywell modified EP Aviation airframes
{{Airlines of the United States, state=collapsed
Airlines based in Virginia
Companies based in Virginia