MEET OUR Founders

co-founder-mikhel

mikhel sickand

Co-Founder

With over 15 years in rotary wing operations, including managing operations and maintenance for some of Canada’s largest fleets and extensive work with UH-60 Blackhawks, Mikhel has built a reputation for keeping operations on track in high-pressure situations. From solving mid-crisis challenges to streamlining maintenance operations, he’s spent his career making the complex simple for operators.

With an MBA to complement his technical expertise, Mikhel co-founded Blade Turbines to tackle the real challenges operators face every day. His passion for aviation and respect for the people who keep fleets in the air drive his approach—blending big-picture strategy with hands-on experience to deliver practical solutions that work in the real world.

At the core of Mikhel’s leadership is a commitment to making life easier for operators. Whether you’re managing an urgent situation or planning for long-term success, he’s focused on keeping your fleet moving and your operation running smoothly.

co-founder-darryl

Darryl Brown

Co-Founder

With over 25 years in the aviation industry, Darryl brings deep expertise in turboprop aircraft and maintenance control. As a licensed Canadian Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (M1/M2) since 2000, he’s held leadership roles like Director of Maintenance for a Transport Canada-approved 705 Air Carrier and AMO, as well as Director of Quality and Process.

Darryl’s background in quality assurance, backed by a Quality Management diploma from IATA, ensures every lease meets the highest standards. His recent Executive MBA from Queen’s University adds a strategic edge, allowing him to approach challenges with both technical precision and operational insight.

Focused on the details that matter, Darryl is dedicated to making Blade Turbines a partner operators can rely on—whether it’s improving processes, ensuring reliability, or finding smarter ways to keep fleets moving.

aviation demands the best
BLADE TURBINES DELIVERS.

Our Mission:

When we started Blade Turbines, it wasn’t because the aviation industry needed another leasing company. It was because operators needed a better way to lease.

Between the two of us, we’ve spent over 30 years in aviation—Darryl specializing in turboprop, commuter, and regional operations, and Mikhel in rotary wing operations. We’ve worked against the clock, solved problems mid-crisis, and seen how traditional leasing systems often fail operators when they need help the most. Slow turnarounds. Unclear contracts. Rigid commitments.

We built Blade Turbines to change that. Our mission is simple: make engine leasing fast, transparent, and reliable.

We focus 100% on leasing engines. No bundled extras. No hidden fees. No runaround. Every cost is laid out upfront, and every engine goes through its own airworthiness quality checks, so you know exactly what you’re getting. And when you need flexibility, our contracts adapt to your operation, not the other way around.

We’re building Blade Turbines to be the company we wish we could’ve called back then: fast turnarounds, dependable engines, flexible leases, and long-term asset management to keep your operation running smoothly.

It’s engine leasing, simplified.

Mikhel & Darryl

Co-Founders, Blade Turbines