Priority 1 Air Rescue Names Kolby Gaertner Associate Product Manager, Simulation

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), the global standard for aircrew simulation, today announced the appointment of Kolby Gaertner to the newly created role of Associate Product Manager, Simulation. Gaertner will lead P1AR’s Advanced Aircrew Mission Simulators (AAMS) and Hoist Procedural Training Towers (HPT) across the United States and Europe as a single, unified product line.

In this role, Gaertner is responsible for the full lifecycle of the AAMS and HPT systems, from engineering and integration to sustainment, configuration management, readiness and future development. These systems currently support 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) organizations. His responsibilities include:
• Systems engineering and integration: overseeing 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 joined P1AR in 2023 as Products Manager, after graduating from the University of Missouri with a B.S. in Business with an emphasis in Management and a B.S. in Economics. He quickly expanded his role to also serve as Quality Manager for Synthetic Training Systems, where he gained firsthand knowledge of both the AAMS and HPT systems he now leads.

“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.”

In his new role, Gaertner will play a key part in shaping the future of P1AR’s simulation products, growing its global training presence and bringing the next generation of simulation technology to customers worldwide, all in support of P1AR’s mission of “Training the Aircrews Who Save Lives.”

About Priority 1 Air Rescue
Priority 1 Air Rescue (P1AR) trains helicopter rear crew around the world to operate SAR and tactical systems. Founded in 1999, P1AR has trained more than 15,000 aircrew across 40+ countries with zero accidents since inception, delivering instruction across a continuum of classroom, hoist procedural tower, virtual simulation, and live-flight training. P1AR’s Advanced Aircrew Mission Simulator (AAMS) allows crews to conduct everything from basic emergency procedures and crew coordination to full-mission rehearsals that integrate multiple aircraft, changing threats, aerial gunnery, personnel recovery, combat search and rescue (CSAR) hoist operations, and geographically accurate mission environments. P1AR provides training for the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and dozens of law enforcement and SAR agencies around the world. P1AR operates training centers in Mesa, Arizona, and in Bordeaux, France.

David Eng
Priority 1 Air Rescue
+1 480-621-6023

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