About Us

Aviation Systems of Northwest Florida (ASI) is a privately held Florida corporation based in Pensacola, Florida.  Founded in 1994, ASI specializes in providing custom manufacturing, repair, overhaul, modification, relocation and support services to the Department of Defense for aviation training devices.

In 1994, Pensacola was working its way through one of its biggest-ever economic reversals, the loss of 3,000 jobs at Pensacola Naval Aviation Depot, a two-year phased shutdown completed in June  1995. 

When the depot closed, most of the remaining employees retired, moved away or took other types of jobs in the area. Gary Boutwell, a 28-year Depot employee, and his wife, Glen, a banker, decided – along with seven of Gary’s fellow Depot workers – to use their Depot-earned skills in aircraft and military training devices repair and maintenance to build a small manufacturing and maintenance business - Aviation Systems of Northwest Florida Inc.  (ASI). 

ASI recruited the best qualified NADEP Aviation Training Device Technicians and engineers. The company was specifically organized to leverage the unique capabilities and extensive work experience of these former NADEP employees.

ASI celebrated its 15 year anniversary in January 2009. ASI now has 81 employees located in Pensacola, FL, Sheppard Air Force Base TX and Peterson Air Force Base  CO. In 2001, we received our certification as an 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business by the SBA. The SBA's 8(a) program, named for a section of the Small Business Act, is a business development program created to help small disadvantaged businesses compete in the American economy and access the federal procurement market.