2017 CORPORATE AIRCRAFT PRODUCT SUPPORT SURVEY Jets: 1 Gulfstream, 2 Dassault, 3 Citation-Textron, 4 Bombardier. : 1 Pilatus, 2 Daher TBM, 3 , 4 Cessna TP, 5 Piaggio.

Pro Pilot staff report 2016. Their FAST team has benefited Citation-Textron moved up a notch Data compiled by Conklin & de Decker customers worldwide. to 3rd after placing 4th last year. Cita- Dassault went up to 2nd place from tion took the 3rd spot in all categories ftersale product support from 3rd in 2016. This is another example except for tech reps where they were aircraft manufacturers has al- of efforts and dedication to their oper- 4th. They were 3rd in 2015, 2nd from Aways been vital for all flight ators. Dassault has continued to work 2011 through 2014 and 1st in 2010. departments in order to accomplish hard over the years taking 4th in 2015, This OEM continues to provide excel- their missions. Operators make their 5th in 2014 and 4th from 2010 thru lent service to their operators through decisions of purchasing a new air- 2013. The Dassault product support their 19 worldwide service facilities, craft based on how they can fulfill team this year earned 2nd place in 60 Mobile Service Units (MSUs) and their air travel responsibilities with all categories except for cost of parts. 1Call. Overall score this year is 7.99 aircraft that have been serviced well They continue to provide excellent up from to 7.97 in 2016. and are always ready to fly. AOG support through their FalconRe- Bombardier climbed up to 4th from The race by OEMs to be rated for sponse Team. Overall score achieved 5th in 2016 with an improved overall best product support provider con- was 8.14 this year compared to 8.12 score of 7.87 this year from 7.69 in tinues nonstop all year around. These in 2016. 2016. It was the greatest overall score leading aircraft companies work hard to meet customers’ demands and keep u them pleased with their service. They No rating for 2016 2017/2016 OEM comparison support scores for corporate jets and turboprops are all winners but at the same time we Company Spares Cost Speed in Tech Tech Service Overall believe there is always room for im- Manufacturers Responses Manufacturers provement and the exceptional work response time availability of parts AOG service manuals reps satisfaction scores should continue upwards. Jets 2017 2016 Dif 2017 2016 Dif 2017 2016 Dif Jets 2017 2016 Dif 2017 2016 Dif 2017 2016 Dif 2017 2016 Dif 2017 2016 Dif This year the Jet division 1st place medal goes to Gulfstream and the Tur- Gulfstream 242 8.89 8.86 0.03 8.48 8.36 0.12 6.55 6.42 0.13 Gulfstream 8.83 8.73 0.10 8.58 8.64 -0.06 9.02 8.93 0.09 8.71 8.64 0.07 8.44 8.37 0.07 boprop crown is placed on Pilatus. Dassault 154 8.46 8.48 -0.02 8.33 8.32 0.01 6.30 6.29 0.01 Dassault 8.45 8.38 0.07 8.20 8.16 0.04 8.75 8.73 0.02 8.47 8.49 -0.02 8.14 8.12 0.02 Cessna Citation 333 8.39 8.38 0.01 8.18 8.14 0.04 6.38 6.43 -0.05 Cessna Citation 8.18 8.18 0.00 8.18 8.11 0.07 8.46 8.41 0.05 8.16 8.15 0.01 7.99 7.97 0.02 Jets Bombardier 252 8.16 7.97 0.19 7.77 7.49 0.28 6.50 6.32 0.18 Bombardier 7.92 7.82 0.10 8.03 7.94 0.09 8.67 8.40 0.27 8.03 7.90 0.13 7.87 7.69 0.18 Gulfstream came back strong and Turboprops Turboprops regained the 1st place award held Pilatus 51 8.43 8.91 -0.48 8.46 8.58 -0.12 6.80 6.57 0.23 Pilatus 8.49 8.55 -0.06 8.71 8.64 0.07 8.63 8.90 -0.27 8.73 8.80 -0.07 8.32 8.42 -0.10 from 2011 to 2014 and lost to Em- braer in 2015 and 2016. This OEM has Daher 47 8.60 8.74 -0.14 7.88 8.02 -0.14 6.00 6.50 -0.50 Daher 8.16 8.40 -0.24 8.88 8.73 0.15 9.05 8.93 0.12 8.47 8.61 -0.14 8.15 8.28 -0.13 worked nonstop to fulfill their custom- Beechcraft 97 8.02 7.95 0.07 7.96 7.79 0.17 5.93 5.89 0.04 Beechcraft 8.11 7.70 0.41 8.24 8.04 0.20 8.08 8.12 -0.04 8.05 7.80 0.25 7.77 7.61 0.16 er needs, efforts that have earned them 1st place in all categories across the Cessna 21 7.10 u – 6.60 u – 5.57 u – Cessna 6.33 u – 7.32 u – 7.71 u – 7.05 u – 6.81 u – board. Overall score earned this year Piaggio 20 5.68 u – 4.60 u – 3.45 u – Piaggio 5.20 u – 7.40 u – 7.85 u – 6.00 u – 5.74 u – was 8.44 compared to 8.37 overall in

2017 Pro Pilot Corporate Aircraft Product Support Survey

Jets 27 years of surveys for turbine corporate aircraft manufacturers rated 1991–2017

10 8.44 8.38 8.38 8.37 8.37 8.33 8.30 8.31 8.24 8.23 8.12 8.14 8.14 8.06 8.07 8.14 8.10 8.08 8.07 7.90

8 7.97 7.94 7.91 7.90 7.89 7.88 7.76 7.77 7.86 7.80 7.80 7.62 7.68 7.56 7.59 7.64 7.55 7.54 7.52 7.46 7.46 7.31 7.38 7.23 7.23 7.17 7.07 7.10 6.99 6.87 6.53 6.30 6.27

6 6.00

4

2 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 0 1993 1993

Comparison of overall average scores Gulfstream Dassault

64 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2017 2017 Pro Pilot Corporate Aircraft Product Support Survey

Overall ranking Jets Turboprops

Gulfstream 242 Pilatus 51 8.44 8.32

Dassault 154 Daher 47 8.14 8.15

•Cessna Citation 333 •Beechcraft 97 7.99 7.77

Bombardier 252 •Cessna 21 7.87 6.81 20 0 2 4 6 8 10 Piaggio 5.74 •Now under Textron 0246810 02460 2 4 6 818 100 Jet mfrs rated by 100 responses or more. mfrs rated by 20 responses or more. Overall ranking Responses

2017/2016 OEM comparison support scores for corporate jets and turboprops

Company Spares Cost Speed in Tech Tech Service Overall Manufacturers Responses Manufacturers response time availability of parts AOG service manuals reps satisfaction scores

Jets 2017 2016 Dif 2017 2016 Dif 2017 2016 Dif Jets 2017 2016 Dif 2017 2016 Dif 2017 2016 Dif 2017 2016 Dif 2017 2016 Dif Gulfstream 242 8.89 8.86 0.03 8.48 8.36 0.12 6.55 6.42 0.13 Gulfstream 8.83 8.73 0.10 8.58 8.64 -0.06 9.02 8.93 0.09 8.71 8.64 0.07 8.44 8.37 0.07 Dassault 154 8.46 8.48 -0.02 8.33 8.32 0.01 6.30 6.29 0.01 Dassault 8.45 8.38 0.07 8.20 8.16 0.04 8.75 8.73 0.02 8.47 8.49 -0.02 8.14 8.12 0.02 0246810 Cessna Citation 333 8.39 8.38 0.01 8.18 8.14 0.04 6.38 6.43 -0.05 Cessna Citation 8.18 8.18 0.00 8.18 8.11 0.07 8.46 8.41 0.05 8.16 8.15 0.01 7.99 7.97 0.02 Bombardier 252 8.16 7.97 0.19 7.77 7.49 0.28 6.50 6.32 0.18 Bombardier 7.92 7.82 0.10 8.03 7.94 0.09 8.67 8.40 0.27 8.03 7.90 0.13 7.87 7.69 0.18 Turboprops Turboprops Pilatus 51 8.43 8.91 -0.48 8.46 8.58 -0.12 6.80 6.57 0.23 Pilatus 8.49 8.55 -0.06 8.71 8.64 0.07 8.63 8.90 -0.27 8.73 8.80 -0.07 8.32 8.42 -0.10 Daher 47 8.60 8.74 -0.14 7.88 8.02 -0.14 6.00 6.50 -0.50 Daher 8.16 8.40 -0.24 8.88 8.73 0.15 9.05 8.93 0.12 8.47 8.61 -0.14 8.15 8.28 -0.13 Beechcraft 97 8.02 7.95 0.07 7.96 7.79 0.17 5.93 5.89 0.04 Beechcraft 8.11 7.70 0.41 8.24 8.04 0.20 8.08 8.12 -0.04 8.05 7.80 0.25 7.77 7.61 0.16 Cessna 21 7.10 u – 6.60 u – 5.57 u – Cessna 6.33 u – 7.32 u – 7.71 u – 7.05 u – 6.81 u – Piaggio 20 5.68 u – 4.60 u – 3.45 u – Piaggio 5.20 u – 7.40 u – 7.85 u – 6.00 u – 5.74 u –

From 1991–2001 rating Jets 27 years of surveys for turbine corporate aircraft manufacturers rated 1991–2017 included both jet and turboprop 8.24 8.14 8.14 8.11 8.14 8.10 8.07 7.98 8.01 8.02 7.97 7.99 7.91 7.87 7.84 7.83 7.81 7.77 7.82 7.77 7.71 7.74 7.75 7.74 7.77 7.74 7.72 7.69 7.69 7.61 7.64 7.60 7.58 7.51 7.49 7.49 7.40 7.24 7.30 7.22 7.18 7.24 7.14 Jet OEMs with less than 6.96 6.84 100 survey responses

Embraer

Hawker Beechcraft From 1991–99 Bombardier’s Canadair & Learjet divisions were rated separately. 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 1993 Cessna Citation Bombardier

PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2017 65 improvement in the Jet division. They Daher TBM takes the 2nd place for Piaggio rounded out the survey re- placed 2nd in cost of parts and 3rd in 9 years in a row now. Overall ranking ceiving the 5th spot in the Pro Pilot tech reps. Bombardier continues with was 8.15 this year slightly down from Corporate Aircraft Product Support their efforts to serve their customers by 8.28 in 2016. This OEM earned the 1st Survey. This OEM made the minimum giving access to 24/7 support by spe- spot in response time, tech manuals requirement to rank in the TP division cialists in their 4 Customer Response and tech reps and 2nd in cost of parts, and appeared in this survey for the first Centres for in Mon- speed in AOG service and service time ever obtaining an overall score treal and Wichita. They placed 5th in satisfaction. Daher continues to work of 5.74. Piaggio is now showing strong 2015, 4th in 2014 and 3rd in 2013. hard to please their operators through efforts and is working diligently to their 24/7 support line. provide customer support 24/7 for its Turboprops Beechcraft retains its 3rd spot again Avanti customers. this year since 2009. They earned an Pilatus remains the king of aftersale overall score of 7.77 this year up from OEMs with insufficient survey returns product support in the TP division for 7.61 in 2016. Beechcraft took 2nd in for division rankings 16 years since it was created. Their spares availability and 3rd place in Customer First motto has enabled this response time, cost of parts, speed in Embraer and Swiss company to keep their custom- AOG service, tech manuals, tech reps didn’t make the minimum required ers pleased. They placed 1st in spares and service satisfaction. 100 responses. Therefore they didn’t availability, cost of parts, speed in AOG Cessna placed in the 4th position rank in the jet division. service and service satisfaction and 2nd for 2017 with an overall score of 6.81. Likewise Piper didn’t meet the min- in response time, tech manuals and Caravan and Conquest operators are imum requirement of 20 responses tech reps. Overall score for 2017 was pleased to have Textron’s 1CALL pro- to rank in the TP category of the 8.32 compared to 8.42 in 2016. gram available. Pro Pilot Survey.

Methodology

or 27 years Pro Pilot has used a paper questionnaire to ask corporate Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker is now under Textron. Pro Pilot’s policy Fturbine aircraft operators to rate the quality of aftersale service pro- is to rate newly-acquired product line separately for 3 years. Therefore, vided by aircraft manufacturers. For 16 years jet and turboprop aircraft Cessna and Hawker Beechcraft are being rated separately for the last time support have been rated in different divisions. There are 7 categories this year. They will be rated all together under in 2018. listed on the survey form—company response time, spares availability, Pro Pilot rules for this 2017 survey required a minimum of 100 re- cost of parts, speed in AOG service, tech manuals, tech reps and service sponses to rank in the jet division. There were 4 manufacturers that met satisfaction. the criteria and consequently were rated in this division—Bombardier, During Apr 2017 a target mailing of 7883 survey forms was mailed Cessna, Dassault and Gulfstream. There were other manufacturers that out to a random selection of corporate operators from the Pro Pilot sub- received responses but not enough to rank in this division: Airbus (2 re- scription list. A supplemental mailing of 1464 was sent to other turbine sponses), Boeing (13), Eclipse (3), Embraer (96), Hawker Beechcraft (90), aircraft operators. HondaJet (1), Sabreliner (1) and Worthington Aviation/Westwind (2). A total of 1495 survey forms, representing a 16% return, came back For the turboprop division manufacturers needed 20 responses for in- to the Pro Pilot office by July 21 cutoff date. A total of 1168 survey forms clusion. Only 5 TP aircraft manufacturers met the criteria—Beechcraft, were properly filled out, providing 1457 line evaluations with 1189 for Daher, Cessna, Piaggio and Pilatus. Other TP mfrs that obtained respons- the jet division and 268 for the turboprop division. A total of 327 survey es but not enough to rank were Aero Commander (8 responses), Bombar- forms were disqualified due to inconsistencies, errors, duplications or dier/de Havilland (1), Dornier (1), Mitsubishi (4), Fairchild/Swearingen lateness. (2), Piper (15) and Viking (1). Respondents were asked to rate corporate On March 14th, 2014 Textron acquired Beech Holdings LLC, the par- aircraft OEMs on a scale of 1 (poor) to 10 (excellent) within each of the 7 ent company of Beechcraft Corp, and it brought together Cessna and categories. Conklin & de Decker of Arlington TX acted as research agent Hawker Beechcraft under 1 entity, Textron Aviation. Responsibility for and performed independent data analysis.

2017 Pro Pilot Corporate Aircraft Product Support Survey

Turboprops Comparison of overall average scores *no rating for years indicated

10 8.46 8.42 8.37 8.32 8.32 8.25 8.28 8.20 8.23 8.15 8.16 8.12 8.07 8.05 8.05 8.02 8.01 7.96 7.91 7.94 7.74

7.77 7.77 7.71 7.61 7.65 7.59 7.68 7.62 7.60 7.61 7.61 7.49 7.55 7.54

8 7.51 7.51 7.47 7.44 7.44 7.46 7.41 7.49 7.39 7.38 7.33 7.32 7.32 7.33 7.23 7.22 7.16 7.18 7.19 7.17 7.13 7.13 7.01 6.93 6.89 6.85 6.81 6.72

6 5.74

4

2

0 1998 1999 2000* 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013* 2014 2015 2016* 2017 2017 Pilatus Daher Beechcraft Cessna Piaggio

* 1991 through 1997 & 2000 * 1991 through 2002 * 1991 through 2001 * 1991 through 2002, * 1991 through 2013 & 2016 2016

66 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2017 JETS ustomer of Gulfstream for 13 oth Gulfstream and local tech rep Da- Cyears, and their product support Bvid Winkler do a truly outstanding job has been absolutely extraordinary. supporting our G150 and G280. Dave is Gulfstream Whether at their service centers or for willing and able to help when we have Gulfstream Product an “on the road tech assistance” re- an issue. He’s a great rep for Gulfstream. Support President quirement, they consistently provide Rick Stoulil Derek Zimmerman top-level support. On the rare occa- ATP. Gulfstream G280/G150 can be reached at sion when I had concerns about time- Chief Pilot 912-395-0856, liness of an AOG response, the tech Hormel Foods or via e-mail at ops staff and service team managers Austin MN derek.zimmerman@ always remained on top of the repair gulfstream.com. to guarantee an expeditious return to irst experience with Gulfstream—hap- service. Gulfstream builds reliable, Fpy to report that service and tech sup- high performance planes, but their real port are way superior to any other aircraft forte is a product support system that we’ve ever operated. Customer service ur company recently introduced a keeps their planes flying. and the FAST teams have done a superb OG650 into service. Gulfstream has Wayne Williams job any time we have been away from provided excellent support for their air- ATP. /G550/G450 base. They always provide the same ex- craft. Company response time and tech Chief Pilot ceptional level of service, even for our reps get high marks from me. Williams Aviation Services recurring needs during ops in San Juan. Trevor Jones Naples FL Ricardo Gonzalez ATP. Gulfstream G650/G550 ATP/CFII. Gulfstream G150 Aircraft & Crew Mgr n addition to designing and build- Dir of Ops Ineos Aviation Iing really great products, we operate Dorado Aviation Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK Gulfstreams because of their excellent Guaynabo PR and timely customer support. ntry into service of our G650ER Carl Sorg e have consistently experienced Ehas been trouble-free, despite the ATP. /G450 Wtop-shelf customer service from expected initial anxiety about putting Dir of Aviation Gulfstream. So I give them excellent a new aircraft into service. And it’s Johnson & Johnson scores across the board in all categories. been equal to or better than all pre- West Trenton NJ Lee Bradshaw vious company models that I’ve had A&P. Gulfstream V/G280 the pleasure to fly, including the Gulf- ircraft of choice is Gulfstream, pri- Asst Maintenance Manager stream IV, V and G550. Product sup- Amarily because of its ever-depend- Cox Enterprises port from Gulfstream continues to be able dispatch reliability and excellent Atlanta GA above reproach. customer service. Ken Norman Fritz Oesterle ulfstream continues to do a good job ATP. Gulfstream G650ER A&P. Gulfstream G550 Gfor us. It’s still all about the people Aviation Manager Dir of Maintenance and relationships you develop. Gulfst- Little Aviation Hewlett Packard Enterprises ream has wonderful customer-oriented Attwood, Victoria, Australia San Jose CA FSRs and service center professionals. John Leder 2017 scores by product division for jets and turboprops A&P. Gulfstream G450/G280 Mgr Aviation Maintenance Manufacturer Responses Company Spares Cost Speed in Tech Tech Service Overall Dominion Energy response availability of AOG manuals reps satisfaction average Amelia VA time parts service Jets ove the Gulfstream. Have operated Bombardier Lthem since 1995. My only wish is Challenger/Global Express 195 8.17 7.81 6.67 7.90 7.93 8.70 8.05 7.89 for legacy aircraft support to remain as Learjet 63 8.21 7.77 6.18 8.02 8.45 8.64 8.07 7.90 strong as for the new birds. Cabin man- Cessna agement stands out as 1 area to focus on. Brian Lynn Citation 333 8.39 8.18 6.38 8.18 8.18 8.46 8.16 7.99 ATP. Gulfstream IV Gulfstream Dir of Aviation GII–V, G300–650 182 8.99 8.69 6.70 8.93 8.68 9.10 8.87 8.57 Wren Acquisitions/M Automotive IAI-1125/G100–G280 72 8.66 7.96 6.31 8.59 8.35 8.81 8.33 8.15 Waterford MI

Turboprops ech ops staff and FSRs from Gulfst- Tream are the greatest. They really Beechcraft make my life good with tremendous King Air 97 8.02 7.96 5.93 8.11 8.24 8.08 8.05 7.77 product support. Gulfstream has been Cessna #1 in my book for over 30 years. Caravan, Conquest 21 7.10 6.60 5.57 6.33 7.32 7.71 7.05 6.81 Dennis Phillips A&P. Gulfstream V Some respondents rated a single corporate manufacturer with 2 or more models they operate. Dir of Maintenance (eg. Bombardier for a Challenger 604 and Learjet 45). Because of this, there is a small difference Crown Cork & Seal between total responses for the overall rankings by type of aircraft rated within the divisions. Philadelphia PA

68 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2017 Dassault ery impressed with Dassault Air- ave to say that overall, Das- Vcraft Services heavy service center Hsault has been very responsive Dassault Senior at LIT (Little Rock AR). In addition to to any issues encountered with VP, Worldwide a full range of MRO capabilities, they our aircraft. On rare occassions, it Customer Service have friendly and knowledgeable per- seems that their internal processes Jacques Chauvet sonnel. We also especially appreciate have presented a challenge to the is based in Saint- the fair and accurate billing and on shipment speed of replacement Cloud, France. time deliveries. parts. Of course we always want the Falcon support James Grasmeyer fastest delivery possible to meet our personnel are posi- A&P. Falcon 7X requirements. tioned around the Maintenance Dir Thomas Hansen globe to provide Clay Lacy Aviation ATP. Falcon 2000LXS Falcon operators Santa Ana CA Captain with 24/7 AOG, technical, ops and Green Bay Packaging spare parts services. Chauvet can be e are extremely satisfied with Howard WI contacted at 3314-711-6194 or at Wthe high quality of our Falcon [email protected]. 2000LXS. Our plane delivers an ex- reat product support received cellent service which is highly appre- from Dassault for our Falcon alconCare maintenance program is ciated by all the company passengers G 900EX EASy. I have no complaints the leader in the industry for quick we transport. Performance is excellent, F at all. response, excellent service and the fuel consumption is within our expec- Moises Cruz ability to have FAA certified mainte- tations and these planes are a delight ATP. Falcon 900EX EASy & nance provided quickly when travel- to fly. Hawker 850XP ing outside of the US. Jean-Jacques Quenivet Chief Pilot Wes Gustafson ATP. Falcon 2000LXS Lesortec ATP. Falcon 7X Deputy Manager & Captain Toluca, Mexico Aviation Dept Mgr Michelin Air Services Valkyrie Leasing Clermont Ferrand, Cedex, France Seattle WA ll the staff we depend on at ur Falcon 2000EX EASy is an ex- ADassault Falcon Jet are working njoying flying a Falcon 2000LX for Otremely reliable aircraft. Dassault extremely hard to support our oper- Ecompany business. And in our opin- really backs up their products; the ation. We’re very pleased with their ion, Dassault is doing an excellent job support we’ve received is absolutely efforts to keep us flying. of product support. world class. George Afordakos Andrew Cohen Drew Oetjen A&P. Falcon 2000/2000EX/ ATP. Falcon 2000LX & Gulfstream IV A&P. Falcon 2000EX EASy 900EX President Mgr of Aircraft Maintenance Dir of Maintenance Aviation Consultants of Aspen Union Pacific Railroad Comcast Castle Rock CO Omaha NE Philadelphia PA

2017 Pro Pilot Corporate Aircraft Product Support Survey 2017 Pro Pilot Corporate Aircraft Product Support Survey

Company response time Spares availability Jets Jets Gulfstream 8.89 Gulfstream 8.48

Dassault 8.46 Dassault 8.33 Cessna Citation 8.39 Cessna Citation 8.18

Bombardier 8.16 Bombardier 7.77 Turboprops Turboprops Daher 8.60 Pilatus 8.46 Pilatus 8.43 Beechcraft 7.96 Beechcraft 8.02 Daher 7.88

Cessna 7.10 Cessna 6.60

Piaggio 5.68 Piaggio 4.60 0246810 0246810 Jet mfrs rated by 100 or more. Turboprop 20 Jet mfrs rated by 100 or more. Turboprop 20

70 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2017 Cessna Citation have to applaud Cessna on their re- ervice and product support from (now Textron Aviation) Isponse time, spares availability and SCessna has been excellent, even speed for AOG issues. We always have though our CJ1 has been extremely re- Textron Aviation whatever parts we need the next day. liable. We’ve only had 2 maintenance Senior VP for Edward Carder cancellations in 11 years, and in both Customer Service ATP/CFII. Citation Sovereign cases Cessna responded quickly, even Kriya Shortt is Chief Pilot sending their mobile service truck responsible for all C Jay Aviation when needed. aftermarket service Cartersville GA David Womacks and support for ATP/CFII. Citation CJ1 Beechcraft, Cessna hey always seem to come through Chief Pilot and Hawker Tfor us on product support. Thanks Hudson Co brands. She can Cessna! Scottsboro AL be reached at 316- Brian Pruitt 517-5065 or by e-mail at [email protected]. ATP. Citation X est corporate aircraft made—the Ci- Senior Dir of Aviation Btation X is truly a winner that is next PGA Tour to none. Beautiful on the outside and ur experience with Cessna Mo- St Augustine FL just as well designed and functional Obile Service Unit teams in the on the inside. Once you fly it no oth- last few years has been outstanding. obile Service Units do a good er even compares. Sweet ride for all They’re a very knowledgeable group Mjob. Overall great service across aboard, from staff to guests. I also gave that’s always willing to put in extra ef- all Pro Pilot survey categories. Textron the highest score in overall fort to get the job done. David Miller service satisfaction. Can’t say enough Gary Block ATP. Citation Mustang good things about the Citation X. ATP. Citation Encore Owner Operator Bruce Starkey Chief Pilot Eclipse 1 Management Comm-Multi-Inst. Citation X Meridian Aviation Dallas TX President Parker CO Starkey Express Aviation e took delivery of a new Latitude Medina OH essna does a great job in service Wthe 1st part of 2016, and overall Cand will spend the needed time it’s been a wonderful plane. Most issues roduct support received for our Ci- to get the job done right the 1st time. are still under warranty, and Team Lat- Ptation Mustang has been excellent. AOG techs are knowledgeable and fast itude has been quick to respond when I feel it’s hard to beat a Citation Service to respond. Keep up the good work. problems arise. Center for maintenance. William Hall Travis Sampson Richard Tutt ATP. Citation Sovereign ATP. Citation Latitude ATP/CFII. Citation Mustang Line Captain Captain Principal & Founder NetJets Las Vegas Aviation RJ Tutt Aviation Denver CO Smithfield UT Stockton CA

2017 Pro Pilot Corporate Aircraft Product Support Survey 2017 Pro Pilot Corporate Aircraft Product Support Survey

Cost of parts Speed in AOG service Jets Jets Gulfstream 6.55 Gulfstream 8.83

Bombardier 6.50 Dassault 8.45 Cessna Citation 6.38 Cessna Citation 8.18

Dassault 6.30 Bombardier 7.92 Turboprops Turboprops Pilatus 6.80 Pilatus 8.49 Daher 6.00 Daher 8.16 Beechcraft 5.93 Beechcraft 8.11

Cessna 5.57 Cessna 6.33

Piaggio 3.45 Piaggio 5.20 0246810 0246810 Jet mfrs rated by 100 or more. Turboprop 20 Jet mfrs rated by 100 or more. Turboprop 20

72 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2017 extron Aviation has provided above ong time customer of the Cessna Taverage support for our Citation CJ3 LCitation Service Center at GSO 2017 Pro Pilot and now our CJ4. Whenever we’ve had (Greensboro NC) that’s been in oper- Corporate Aircraft an AOG situation they always take care ation for over 25 years. They opened Product Support Survey of our flight ops needs even if they are with a fairly young but experienced unable to fix our aircraft immediately. staff that has matured into a very Sean Gast knowledgeable and capable force. Job titles of survey ATP. Citation CJ4 Fast forward to today and it seems respondents Flt Dept Mgr & Chief Pilot they are entering a transition—hope- Pacific Intl Marketing fully they have a plan to replace the Castroville CA very experienced employees who have or will retire in the near future. ave good marks in the spares, This, combined with the integration 109 Gspeed in AOG and tech reps cat- with Beechcraft, is a lot for them to egories. One area I would like to see deal with. It’s a nice facility but is 171 them focus on is more electronic pub- too small; they need room to grow. lications and flight manuals for older Fortunately, the staff and mechanics 474 aircraft. are putting out great effort and doing Nick Belvedresi tremendous work. Textron should re- ATP. Citation Encore source their customer support so they Pilot don’t get overwhelmed. 414 University of Mississippi Kenneth Shelton Oxford MS ATP/CFII. Citation XLS Av Dept Mgr aintenance techs at the Citation Pike Electric MService Centers and MSUs are Mount Airy NC Aviation Dept Mgr, Chief Pilot, Dir of highly experienced and do excellent Aviation, Flight Ops Mgr or VP Operations work. But since Textron absorbed Cess- ave used the Cessna Service Cen- na, the admin and financial customer Hters as well as their mobile ser- Captain, Line Captain, service is no longer run like a family vice units in the past year. Response First Officer or other pilot owned and operated business. Our times are good, regardless of the ease customer loyalty (since 1982) is rarely of repair. Also some of the techs are acknowledged or appreciated. Pride in better than others, but overall we’ve Owner, Chief Executive, President, VP, the brand and personal customer ser- had mostly good service experiences General Mgr or other corporate officer vice is not the same as it was. with this manufacturer. Jan Cooper D Johnson ATP. Citation XLS+ ATP. Citation Excel Maintenance Chief, Maintenance Chief Pilot Captain Mgr or Mechanic Lario Oil & Gas Plane Solutions Denver CO Oak Grove MN

2017 Pro Pilot Corporate Aircraft Product Support Survey 2017 Pro Pilot Corporate Aircraft Product Support Survey

Tech manuals Tech reps Jets Jets Gulfstream 8.58 Gulfstream 9.02

Dassault 8.20 Dassault 8.75 Cessna Citation 8.18 Bombardier 8.67

Bombardier 8.03 Cessna Citation 8.46 Turboprops Turboprops Daher 8.88 Daher 9.05 Pilatus 8.71 Pilatus 8.63 Beechcraft 8.24 Beechcraft 8.08

Piaggio 7.40 Piaggio 7.85

Cessna 7.32 Cessna 7.71 0246810 0246810 Jet mfrs rated by 100 or more. Turboprop 20 Jet mfrs rated by 100 or more. Turboprop 20

74 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2017 Bombardier peed in AOG service and quality is ucson service center at TUS (Tuscon San important area where Bombar- TIntl Airport, AZ) is absolutely 1st Bombardier dier does an excellent job. class. Bombardier also provides great VP Customer Russell Arena AOG service. Support & ATP/CFII. Global Express Lynn Allen Training Andy & Challenger 650 ATP/CFII. Challenger 601 Nureddin Mgr Aircraft Chief Pilot can be reached Raytheon Allen Aviation by phone at Littleton MA Waxahachie TX 514-855-8307, fax 514-855-7818, xcellent speed in AOG support ur Bombardier field service rep or use his Eas well as parts availability and OKen Poinski has saved us numer- e-mail of shipping. Our FSR Bill Houst is very ous times. He’s been our FSR since we [email protected]. knowledgeable and always puts the were operating our Learjet 60. Noth- customer’s concerns 1st. ing but great things to say about him ield service rep Mike Zina is the Steve Pacifico and the professional job he has always Fbest thing about Bombardier. His A&P. Global 6000 & Sikorsky S76D done for us. commitment to us is like none I’ve Aircraft Maintenance Tech Richard Sanchez ever seen. EWA Holdings A&P. Challenger 350/300 Robert Freed Flanders NJ Aircraft Maintenance Mgr A&P. Global Express XRS HEB Grocery & Gulfstream G200 earjet field service reps are the best San Antonio TX Chief of Maintenance Lin the industry. I also rated Bombar- Delaware North dier high in the speed in AOG category. ad a flap problem while at IAD Buffalo NY Roger Lipcamon H(Dulles Intl Airport, VA). Fortu- ATP/CFII/A&P. Learjet 75 nately Bombardier mechanics hap- ombardier continues to produce Dir of Operations pened to be at the FBO working on a Bamazingly exceptional products Knapheide Mfg Global Express. They serviced our air- with great support worldwide. Pittsfield IL craft immediately after finishing their James Moore 1st job and put us back on track that ATP. Global Express e’ve received excellent support same evening. I’m so grateful for the SVP & Dir of Flt Ops Wfrom Bombardier for our Chal- professionalism and initiative of Bom- Citi Aviation lenger and 2 Learjets. Especially like to bardier mechanics. Glade Hill VA acknowledge the great service received Alan Yacas from the highly professional team at ATP. Challenger 604 ery satisfied with Bombardier sup- Bombardier FLL (Ft Lauderdale FL). Chief Pilot Vport. They’re easy to work with. Guillermo Vozza ACY Services Tom Sanders ATP. Challenger 604 Frisco TX ATP. Challenger 350 & Learjet 40/60 Chief Pilot Captain y experience has been that ser- Bissell Grupo Dolphin Mvice support is good overall, de- Grand Rapids MI Buenos Aires, Argentina pending on where the aircraft is based. When I was flying the same aircraft with a different operator in anoth- 2017 Pro Pilot Corporate Aircraft Product Support Survey er region, the FSR was excellent and knew the aircraft very well. I haven’t Service satisfaction had the same relationship where I’m Jets at currently. Would appreciate a faster response and better communication Gulfstream 8.71 from the FSRs. Dassault Alberto Bofill 8.47 ATP. Learjet 45 Cessna Citation 8.16 Chief Pilot 51LJ Corp Bombardier 8.03 Hialeah FL Turboprops reat job by the AOG team in Pilatus GMontreal. We’ve had some issues 8.73 with a few parts in North America, but Daher 8.47 Bombardier was willing to pull from production for me a couple of times. Beechcraft 8.05 And the tech reps are great, they’re al- ways there to help. Cessna 7.05 Simelo Joyner A&P. Challenger 300 Piaggio 6.00 Maintenance Supervisor Entergy Services 0246810

Jet mfrs rated by 100 or more. Turboprop 20 New Orleans LA

76 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2017 Comments regarding Jet OEMs that did not receive the 100 responses required to be rated.

Embraer (96 responses)

Embraer Senior VP Customer Support and Services Worldwide Scott Kalister with more than 16 years experience at Embraer Customer Support and Services. Scott can be reached at 321-751-5100 or via e-mail at [email protected].

e been lucky to operate the 1st WPhenom 300 in Australia and have found the OEM service to really be second to none. Jeremy Fraser ATP. Phenom 300/100 Embraer (Center) Senior VP Customer Support and Services Worldwide Scott Kalister. (L–R in the back) VP Ops Mgr & Captain Customer Support and Svcs: Siu Yeung (China), Greg Graber (North and Central America), Marcio Moreira Direct Jets (Asia Pacific), Sérgio G T da Cunha (South America) and Pedro Paiva (Europe, Middle East & Africa). Ocean Grove, Australia

ave owned our Phenom 100 for Hmore than 7 years and continue to ouldn’t be more satisfied with both nly had our new Legacy 450 for be happy with the aircraft. The Embraer Cof our Legacy 500s or the customer O4 months. We’ve had a few nui- team at BDL (Windsor Locks, CT) ser- support given to us by Embraer. sance mechanical issues that were vice center deserve special credit for a Paul Kohler handled for us quickly and efficiently, job well done. ATP. Legacy 500 so high scores for Embraer in all Pro John Wood Aviation Mgr & Chief Pilot Pilot categories. ATP/CFI. Phenom 100 Michels Corp Steven Reed Member & Pilot Fond du Lac WI ATP. Legacy 450 Bedford Jet Flight Former Av Dept Mgr Concord MA ield support engineer at Embraer Asia Bretford Manufacturing FPacific, Sanjay Pandey, has provided Colorado Springs CO pplauding Embraer’s stated goal exceptional service on our Legacy 600 Ato be #1 in customer service. My based in Bangkok. And the service cen- esponse time by Embraer is out- experience and view is that they are ter in Windsor Locks CT was very helpful Rstanding. Their tech reps immedi- taking the proper steps to do that. while we were in the US. Special thanks ately get back to us to solve any issues Scott Durkee to Inflite Jet Centre at Stansted, London we may have. They’re always there ATP/CFI. Embraer Legacy 450 who provided above and beyond AOG for us! & Citation X help through coordination with Sanjay. Fernando Sporleder President Embraer is always available with excel- ATP. Legacy 600 Onflight lent product support. Chief Pilot Cincinnati OH Frank Salinger Mabex ATP/CFII. Legacy 600 São Paulo, SP, Brazil mbraer simplified and streamlined Chief Pilot Ethe unscheduled maintenance pro- Travel World Aviation roduct support for our Phenom cess by having a one-contact call cen- Bellingham WA P300 has been outstanding. This ter. Now it couldn’t be easier to obtain is unquestionably the most reliable service and parts help. Gary Parks and mbraer continues to have a flat-out aircraft we’ve ever owned. And it’s Mike Valek are very responsive and Eamazing commitment to customer comforting to know that Embraer is knowledgeable, along with the rest of support. There is no other OEM in the there for us on the rare occasions we the Embraer team. industry that even comes close. need them. Luke Krepsky Tiron Pechet Jay Obernolte ATP/CFII. Phenom 300 ATP/CFII. Phenom 100 ATP. Phenom 300 Owner & Captain Owner & Pilot President Exec Aire Bedford Jet Flight FarSight Technologies Stevens Point WI Cambridge MA Big Bear Lake CA

78 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2017 Hawker-Beechcraft (90 responses) now Textron Aviation urrently flying a Beechjet 400 and verytime we need to use services CI’m very pleased to see that spare Ein the US we’ve always been well e’ve had a great experience op- parts availability for our aircraft has attended by FBOs and maintenance Werating our Hawker 850XP. It’s greatly improved since Hawker Beech- services of our choice. extremely reliable and fits our mission craft was acquired by Textron Aviation. Amauri Sousa needs. In our experience, it’s also very Good job by Textron tech reps as well. Comm-Multi-Inst/CFII. well supported by Textron Aviation. Peter Van Weele Hawker 800B Tim Richter ATP/CFI. Beechjet 400 & Captain ATP/CFII. Hawker 850XP Citation Sovereign Helibase Svc Manut Aeronautica Senior Base Captain Chief Pilot São Paulo, Brazil INPO Brown and Brown Atlanta GA Port Orange FL am happy Textron is still supporting Ithe Hawker, just sad to see it going away. Kevin Andrew ATP/CFII. Hawker 750 Chief Pilot Kansas City Royals Baseball Kansas City MO

till adjusting to the effects of the SHawker Beech and Textron Avi- ation merger. I’ve found that the parts and personnel resources are not readily available whenever we have issues with our Hawker 850XP. Hope Textron keeps supporting this great jet. Ben Brewer ATP. Hawker 850XP Chief Pilot INPO Atlanta GA

ur has always been Oa very solid and dependable midsize corporate jet. Always starts up and flies the mission. R Risher ATP/CFII. Hawker 800 Chief Pilot Zenith National Poway CA

Darren Paul is a captain flying the Gulfstream G650 with Executive Jet Management, where he’s been for the last 5 years. He is an ATP/CFII who also holds an A&P with Inspec- tion Authorization. Along with over 13,000 logged flight hrs, Darren has garnered 15 years of mainte- nance experience. Here he rates 2 company airplanes – the Global Express and Gulfstream G650 – for manufacturer product support. This Pro Pilot survey received a total of 1495 survey forms from top execs, flight dept mgrs, pilots and mx mgrs.

80 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2017 TURBOPROPS ood spare parts availability from Daher VP GPilatus for the PC12, but they’re Customer & rather expensive. Wish they were Network Care, Pilatus more widely available; you can only Charles Holomek go limited places. is located in Pompano Beach, Piotr “Pete” Wolak Philip Forsgren FL and can be is Pilatus VP for ATP. Pilatus PC12NG & reached at customer service. King Air 200/90 954-893-1408 Wolak welcomes Lead Pilot or by e-mail: calls from Pilatus Sterling Av Service c.holomek@ customers. Corpus Christi TX daher.com. Our support team welcomes Operators can calls from TBM owners and operators. reach him at his office by calling e’ve operated 3 brand new PC12s in the past 10 years and they 303-410-2720. W een a TBM owner for almost 15 Wolak’s cell continue to impress us. Were always pleased with Pilatus’ outstanding after- Byears. Daher continues to focus on phone is 720-201-3765 and his e-mail is excellent customer service and develop- [email protected]. sale product support. Also great assis- tance received from our local service ing a close relationship with its owners. center, KCAC Aviation at OJC (Olathe Really nice to see an aviation organiza- KS). So far, haven’t seen anything that tion making this a priority. This creates a ilatus’ website continues to im- compares to the PC12’s reliability and loyal customer base that pays dividends prove. It keeps us informed on all P utility for either short or long trips. in supporting the future sales of new bulletins and future mods to help our Joey Larrabee aircraft. Daher also makes innovations planning. And the Pilatus Operating ATP/CFII/A&P. and upgrades developed for new mod- Handbook updates are now automatic Pilatus PC12NG els available to owners of legacy aircraft. and no charge. We expect that grow- Chief Pilot Stuart Auerbach ing fleet hours will help Pilatus spot BFD ATP. Daher TBM 850 any potential issues that may impact Enid OK President our 100% dispatch record. SAAir Adam Carroll Dover MA Private-Inst. Pilatus PC12 Owner Operator Daher aher is a wonderful company to Beach Aviation Dwork with. Senior management is Palos Verdes Estates CA visibly engaged with the pilot commu- replaced my C510 Mustang (which nity and listens seriously to their input xcellent service. Very professional, II really enjoyed) with a TBM 900. for product support improvement. Esuperb aircraft. No currently built Have logged 1025 hours since March David Scobey airplane can do the missions the PC12 2014 and it has been a real delight. Private-Inst. Daher TBM 850 can, and I have owned 1 since 1995. Of the 20 aircraft I have owned it’s the CEO Bob Wilson most reliable. Daher really works hard SE Aviation Comm-Multi-Inst/Helo. Pilatus PC12 to make sure I am satisfied. Great air- Alpharetta GA Owner plane and product support. Raw Inc Ross Matthews utstanding product and customer Memphis TN ATP. Daher TBM 900 Ocare from Daher. They’re very sup- Owner portive of their aircraft and customers. ock solid service for a really good, REM Industries Robert Devrnja Rdependable aircraft. Tech reps get Knoxville TN Comm-Multi-Inst. Daher TBM 930 my highest rating. CEO John Swanson ontinue to be most impressed with Bremfour Aviation Group ATP/CFII. Pilatus PC12 CDaher’s dedication to customer Knoxville TN Captain service. Service and parts manuals Alpha Flying are both online and available for the upport and product reliability of our Amherst NH iPad app at no charge. Any phone calls STBM 850 have been great. with parts questions or service issues Matthew Jung ave been flying a Pilatus PC12 are immediately resolved by their Comm-Multi-Inst/CFII. Daher TBM 850 Hfor over 22 years now. And I have knowledgeable specialists. TBM Own- Pilot never had a better experience with any er Association is strongly supported by Rydell Co aircraft or product service and support the OEM. In my opinion other manu- Sioux Falls SD from a manufacturer. Pilatus has done facturers could learn from how Daher a fantastic job in every Pro Pilot survey treats the customer and handles prod- ogged 400 hours in our TBM 850 in category to help us keep our aircraft uct support. Lthe 2 years prior to our TBM 910. in the air. David Kaplan Most reliable aircraft I’ve ever owned. Aaron Henschel ATP. Daher TBM 850 Hannu Halminen Private-Inst. Pilatus PC12/47 & Citation Encore ATP. Daher TBM 910 Owner Partner, VP & Chief Pilot President H-S Air Cloverleaf Cold Storage CAVU Holdings Englewood NJ Sioux City IA Courtice, Ontario, Canada

82 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2017 ove flying our King Air 100, but Lthese older aircraft are becoming Piaggio America now Textron Aviation harder to maintain. With proper main- VP Customer tenance and help from the OEM it still Support Paolo Ferreri ard to beat the King Air airframe provides great transportation for our company. We’re still getting good af- is based in Hand the dependability of P&W en- West Palm Beach, gines. And it’s a real winner with the tersale product support, but I know we need to start looking for a new aircraft. FL and can be great product support from Textron. reached at Danny Culler We’ll still miss it though. Glenn Michael +1 561 253 0104 Comm-Multi-Inst. or via e-mail at ATP/CFII. King Air 100 & King Air 200 [email protected]. Chief Pilot Sabreliner 80 Eagle Carports Aviation Manager Winston Salem NC Aeropac sing the Avanti II for our opera- Merrimack NH Utions and it fills the need. My main ur service has been performed at request to Piaggio is to increase their OStevens Aviation GYH (Greenville Cessna TPs parts and service network so support is SC) and they’ve done a great job for better and closer to our base. us. Cost of parts are high if purchased e fly a Caravan Amphibian and Kenneth Smith from Hawker Beech/Textron Aviation. WI’m glad to report that Cessna ATP. Piaggio Avanti II We’ve found that outside vendors’ has always given us great aftersale sup- & King Air 300 prices are less expensive. port over the last 12 years. Owner JB Hibbitts Mark Stockwell KLS Aviation Services ATP. King Air 350 Private-Inst. Caravan Lake Wales FL Chief Pilot Owner Evans General Contractors MAS Ventures 1 Decatur GA Detroit MI Comments regarding TP OEMs that did not receive the 20 responses eechcraft provides excellent prod- he Conquest II is a wonderful air- Buct support, so they get high marks Tplane that meets our bizav needs. required to be rated. in all survey categories from me. But overall, we would like to see James Myers Cessna do a better product support for ATP. King Air B90 our aircraft. Piper (15 responses) Aviation Manager Bill Ambrose The Fort Worth Co ATP. Conquest II Piper Aircraft VP of Sales, Marketing Haltom City TX Chief Pilot and Customer Peacock Aviation Support Ron s these great aircraft age, parts are Waterloo NE Abecoming harder to find because Gunnarson can be of new design changes. Some parts are reached at 772-299- still interchangeable, but would like to Piaggio 2000. Additional contact information see more STCs for hard to find items is available online such as air conditioning retrofit from roduct support has significantly im- at www.piper.com. R12 to R134A or suitable refrigerants. Pproved over the last 2 years. Piag- Contact your nearest Piper dealer for product Kelly Durgan gio tech reps do a good job. support and service questions. Comm-Multi-Inst/A&P. Conrad Hatcher King Air E90/A90 ATP/CFII. Piaggio Avanti II Chief Pilot & DOM Aviation Manager uring the past 9 years I’ve been COSCO Aviation Services Royal Jasper Resources Dflying and managing a Meridian. Crestview FL Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, Canada Aircraft has 1250 hrs logged since new, and we’ve had only a very few ing Air C90A is a reliable and de- atisfied overall with the service pro- problems that needed factory support. Kpendable aircraft. I just wish we Svided by OEM. Normally use Piag- Ronald Ziller had more product support for aircraft gio Aerospace Maintenance Service ATP. Piper Meridian that can still do the job that bizav in Genoa, Italy. Managers and techs President & Chief Pilot needs. Seems that Textron’s service are very competent and always avail- Airworthy Services commitment to their legacy fleet is able for suggestions and assistance. Pompano Beach FL just above minimal. Parts availability is Planned inspections are normally disappointing, costs of parts are high completed on time. Spares availability ood ratings for Piper product sup- and there have been significant price can be tight sometimes but the situa- Gport from me. They’re getting bet- increases as of late. tion is getting better. ter all the time. Cody Diekroeger Gualtiero Martinelli Dick Rochfort ATP/CFII. King Air C90A Euro FCL/IR. Piaggio Avanti II ATP. Piper Meridian Dir of Aviation Chief Pilot Captain Air Doc Greenwings RWR Pilot Training Cheyenne WY Rotkreuz, Zug, Switzerland Baltimore MD

84 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2017