Blackhawk, a U.S.-based provider of performance improvements for single- and twin-engine turboprop aircraft, is adding staff to meet growing demand in Brazil and other Latin American nations.

Mauricio Onesti Melro has been appointed director of marketing and sales, and Lucimeia Pires Murta will manage sales and customer support. Both will focus exclusively on Blackhawk’s market in Brazil, “the largest in South America with the most civil aircraft in service,” said Blackhawk president and CEO Jim Allmon.

Melro is a private pilot who resides in Sorocaba, Brazil, and has worked in aviation maintenance, sales and consulting for nearly 20 years. Murta brings 15 years of experience to the job from maintenance, procurement and marketing and lives in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

At LABACE, the Waco, Texas-based company is spotlighting performance upgrade packages for new Pratt & Whitney Canada engines for Beechcraft King Air 90s and Cessna 208B Caravans, as well as a range of other upgrades for King Airs, Piper Cheyennes and Cessna Conquests.