Older Turboprops results because stream’s high scores for its newer Newer and Older embraer phenom 100 Turboprops not enough AIN readers submit- jets are its 9.3 ratings for overall 2013 ted ratings for older PC-12s. aircraft reliability and technical Only two manufacturers of representatives. The company newer turboprops, Pilatus and Rating the Categories also scored strongly in the war- Beechcraft, received enough rat- The factors that drive the ranty fulfillment, AOG response, ings to be included in this year’s overall average rating for each parts availability and factory- AIN Product Support Survey manufacturer or a manufactur- owned service centers categories. PRODUCT results. Both companies saw a er’s aircraft series derive from Most manufacturers score rise in their overall averages, the 10 categories that AIN read- low–every year–on cost of PART 1 - AIRCRAFT with Pilatus climbing to 7.9 ers rate for the aircraft they parts. In this category, Embraer SUPPORT from 7.6 and Beechcraft seeing operate. Looking at these cate- received the highest rating at 7.0, SURVEY a half-point improvement to 7.7. gories (see chart below) reveals which is 0.2 points higher than Mitsubishi retained its lead specific areas where operators last year’s high-scorer, Cessna. 9.1 for overall aircraft reliability indicating that operators are in older turboprops, climbing see deficiencies and strengths in Among older jets, Bombar- and relatively high scores in most fairly happy with the support slightly to 9.4, while Beechcraft the support provided by the air- dier’s Globals scored the highest other categories. The lowest rat- provided by their first point of saw a 0.2-point improvement to craft manufacturers. rating, a 9.5 for technical repre- ings for technical representatives contact at the manufacturers. o 7.1. Pilatus doesn’t appear in the Major contributors to Gulf- sentatives. Gulfstream rated a in the Older Jets section were 8.0, Report continues on next page u

Newer Business Jets 7.7 rating, while Learjet jumped from Gulfstream, Mitsubishi The first five manufacturers in this last year’s 7.1 to 7.7, a solid move that category match the lineup in the over- likely reflects Bombardier’s continuing 2013 CATEGORY RATINGS all averages for all jets, with four out efforts at improving product support for Factory Overall Overall Rating Change Authorized Maintenance Overall top survey results again of the five seeing ratings improvements all customers, not just for operators of Owned Parts Cost of AOG Warranty Technical Technical Average Average from 2012 to Service Tracking Aircraft Service Availability Parts Response Fulfillment Manuals Reps over last year and Cessna receiving the newer jets. 2013 2012 2013 Centers Programs Reliability by Matt Thurber same rating. Cessna’s Citations showed a clear Centers Dassault Falcon garnered fifth place move in the right direction, tying in sec- NEWER BUSINESS JETS ulfstream, the longtime leader in Beechcraft’s renewed focus, the King Air in the Newer Business Jets category, ond place at 7.7. Dassault Falcon came Gulfstream (G300-G650) 8.5 8.3 0.2 8.4 7.5 8.6 6.4 9.0 8.8 8.4 9.3 8.8 9.3 the AIN Product Support Sur- line saw a 0.2 point improvement from ­followed by Bombardier’s Challengers in third with 7.4, the same rating as Gvey, scored higher this year with last year, with this year’s overall average and Globals. Hawker Beechcraft models 2012, but up from last year’s fifth place Embraer (Phenom, Legacy, Lineage) 8.2 8.0 0.2 7.8 7.8 8.2 7.0 8.5 8.5 8.6 8.9 8.1 8.6 an overall average 8.3 rating for its large- at 7.2. That still wasn’t enough to move saw a further drop in overall ratings for ranking. Hawker jets improved: to 7.2 Bombardier (Learjet) 8.0 7.9 0.1 7.6 7.7 7.8 6.7 8.0 8.4 8.1 8.8 8.2 8.4 cabin jets (newer and older aircraft), up from third place, however. Newer Jets. from 7.0, while the rating for the former although after a large jump last year, Pilatus Aircraft saw a significant jump Hawker Beechcraft’s smaller jets dropped Cessna (Citation) 8.0 8.0 0.0 7.8 7.3 8.1 6.6 8.1 8.2 8.2 8.4 8.3 8.4 Embraer is creeping even closer to the top in its overall average, up half a point Older Business Jets to 7.0 from 7.3. Gulfstream (G100-G280) 7.8 7.6 0.2 7.5 6.7 7.4 6.4 8.1 8.8 7.4 8.4 8.5 8.4 spot, up 0.1 to 8.2 from last year’s 8.1. to 7.9 from last year’s 7.4, but still not Gulfstream also retained its lead in Dassault (Falcon) 7.7 7.8 -0.1 7.0 7.7 7.9 6.0 7.9 8.2 7.5 8.3 7.6 8.5 Last year, Cessna claimed the third- enough to budge turboprop-category the Older Business Jets category, with place spot with a 7.7 overall average favorite Mitsubishi off its longtime first- an 8.1 overall average, down 0.1 from Inside: Bombardier (Challenger) 7.6 7.7 -0.1 7.1 7.0 7.3 6.2 7.6 8.1 7.6 8.6 7.7 8.4 (tied with Bombardier’s Challengers), place perch. This year, the MU-2 manu- last year’s 8.2. Bombardier made a sig- Bombardier (Global) 7.6 7.5 0.1 7.3 7.3 7.4 5.8 7.8 7.9 7.8 8.3 8.0 8.2 but Bombardier’s Learjet division leap- facturer’s overall average climbed 0.1 to nificant move into second place, with Overall Average Ratings...... 20 Hawker Beechcraft (Premier, frogged over Cessna this year with a 7.9 9.4, the highest rating received by any air- all three marques tied for the same 7.7 2013 Category Ratings...... 21 6.8 7.1 -0.3 6.9 6.2 6.3 5.7 7.1 5.5 6.4 7.7 7.8 7.8 Beechjet 400/400A, Hawker 400XP) that carried Learjet into third place. Nev- craft manufacturer in the 2013 survey. rating. (Last year the Global series did OEMs Outline Support Improvements...... 22 ertheless, Cessna did improve this year to In the rotorcraft arena, overall aver- not receive enough ratings for inclu- Methodology...... 22 Hawker Beechcraft (Hawker) 6.7 7.2 -0.5 6.7 5.8 6.0 6.1 5.9 6.3 7.2 6.9 7.7 7.9 Above and Beyond...... 28 an overall average of 7.8 and fourth place, ages in this year’s survey unaccountably sion, hence the N/A in the 2012 col- OLDER BUSINESS JETS climbing 0.1 over last year. dropped, but Bell Helicopter retained umn.) The Challenger series retained its Gulfstream’s midsize jets climbed by 0.2 its lead with a rating of 7.1, followed by Gulfstream (GII-GV, G300-G550) 8.1 8.2 -0.1 8.0 7.6 8.3 6.0 8.6 7.8 8.3 8.5 8.5 9.1 points, to 7.7 and fifth place this year, the AgustaWestland at 6.5, both enjoying Bombardier (Challenger) 7.7 7.7 0.0 6.8 7.3 7.7 6.5 8.0 7.7 8.1 8.0 8.3 8.7 same position the aircraft held last year. the same ranking as last year. Sikorsky Combined Overall Average Ratings of Newer and Older Aircraft Bombardier (Global) 7.7 N/A N/A 6.8 7.2 7.1 6.1 7.9 7.5 8.0 9.5 8.4 8.3 www.ainonline.com Dassault Falcon’s overall average dropped and Eurocopter switched places, with www.ainonline.com The chart below provides the overall average rating of each ­manufacturer when Rating Bombardier (Learjet) 7.7 7.1 0.6 7.9 7.7 7.7 5.7 7.7 7.2 8.2 8.5 7.9 8.3 0.1 to 7.5 this year, not enough to push Sikorsky moving up to third place and Overall Overall the newer and older aircraft scores are combined.­ This gives OEMs and readers Change past Bombardier’s Challenger and Global Eurocopter dropping to fourth. a glimpse of a manufacturer’s overall support ratings for all its products. The Average Average Cessna (Citation) 7.7 7.4 0.3 7.1 7.2 7.9 6.0 7.9 7.7 7.9 8.1 7.9 8.5 from models, which tied at 7.6 and sixth place. While there are other manufactur- chart is broken down by jets and turboprops, as the level of service and support 2013 2012 can vary widely between the two segments. 2012-2013 Dassault (Falcon) 7.4 7.4 0.0 6.3 7.3 7.6 5.6 7.6 7.2 7.5 8.1 7.6 8.6 The former Hawker Beechcraft jets ers of jets and pressurized turboprops, dropped to an overall average of 6.9, not enough ratings were received from Jets Hawker Beechcraft (Hawker) 7.2 7.0 0.2 6.3 6.7 6.5 5.3 7.3 7.6 7.5 8.0 8.2 8.4 likely further reflection of the chal- AIN readers to include them in the over- Gulfstream (GII-GV, G300-G650) 8.3 8.2 0.1 Hawker Beechcraft (Diamond, Premier, 7.0 7.3 -0.3 6.4 7.2 6.7 5.5 6.4 7.1 6.8 8.1 8.1 7.7 lenges the manufacturer faced as it went all average results. Some of these manu- Beechjet 400/400A, Hawker 400XP) through bankruptcy, emerging earlier this facturers did, however, respond to AIN’s Embraer (Phenom, Legacy, Lineage) 8.2 8.1 0.1 NEWER TURBOPROPS year as Beechcraft, no longer a jet maker, request for information about product- Bombardier (Learjet) 7.9 7.4 0.5 and focused on the King Air turboprop support improvements, and these are cov- Pilatus (PC-12) 7.9 7.6 0.3 5.7 6.5 8.4 6.3 7.7 8.5 8.6 8.6 8.6 9.0 Cessna (Citation) 7.8 7.7 0.1 twins, piston airplanes and military tur- ered in the “Manufacturers outline support Beechcraft (King Air) 7.7 7.2 0.5 7.1 6.4 7.7 6.1 7.2 7.6 8.2 8.6 7.7 8.9 boprop trainers. Perhaps reflective of improvements” story on page 22. Gulfstream (Astra, G100-G280) 7.7 7.5 0.2 OLDER TURBOPROPS Bombardier (Challenger) 7.6 7.7 0.1 Mitsubishi (MU-2, Solitaire, Marquise) 9.4 9.3 0.1 9.6 9.6 9.6 8.2 9.8 9.6 9.3 9.7 9.2 9.9 Gulfstream G650 Bombardier (Global) 7.6 7.4 0.2 Beechcraft (King Air) 7.1 6.9 0.2 6.2 6.6 7.4 5.4 7.0 6.8 7.7 7.6 6.8 8.1 Dassault (Falcon) 7.5 7.6 0.1 ROTORCRAFT (All Ages) © 2013 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to © 2013 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to Hawker Beechcraft (Diamond, Premier, Beechjet 400/400A, Hawker 400XP) 6.9 7.2 0.3 Bell 7.1 7.8 -0.7 5.3 4.8 7.1 6.0 7.6 7.0 8.1 8.3 7.6 8.1 Hawker Beechcraft (Hawker) 6.9 7.1 0.2 AgustaWestland 6.5 6.8 -0.3 6.1 5.9 5.9 5.2 6.3 7.3 7.0 7.6 5.9 7.1 Turboprops Sikorsky 6.3 6.6 -0.3 5.6 5.4 5.6 5.3 5.7 6.3 6.3 7.2 7.0 7.7 Mitsubishi (MU-2, Solitaire, Marquise) 9.4 9.3 0.1 Eurocopter 5.5 6.7 -1.2 3.8 5.2 5.1 4.4 4.9 5.1 6.2 6.4 6.0 7.1 Pilatus (PC-12) 7.9 7.4 0.5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2013 Product Support Survey Listed in order of the 2013 overall average (ties are listed alphabetically). Rating 2013 Product Support Survey Beechcraft (King Air) 7.2 7.0 0.2 AIN Rotorcraft ratings are based on all ages of rotorcraft. Scale: AIN Bold indicates highest number in each category. Listed in order of the 2013 overall average (ties are listed alphabetically) Bold indicates highest number in each category. Inadequate Poor Average Good Excellent Source: Source: Source:

20 Aviation International News • August 2013 • www.ainonline.com www.ainonline.com • August 2013 • Aviation International News 21 Martel said, close to customers. cessna mobile support unit China, Hong Kong and Macau Eclipse On the parts side, Embraer Survey Methodology “It’s important that people don’t from a distribution center in has added to worldwide inven- have to wait for North America Shanghai. Key Falcon spares Support for the 260 Eclipse tories, including more material As with AIN Publications’ previous annual Product Support Surveys, the • Factory-owned Service Centers–cost estimates versus actual, to open to get a decision made.” depots are located in Teterboro, 500s built continues to improve, at 55 authorized service cen- objective of this year’s survey was to obtain from the users of business jets, on-time performance, scheduling ease, service experience. Each RSO is staffed with field N.J., Paris and Singapore, and and this year Eclipse Aerospace ters. Prices were reduced on turboprop airplanes and turbine-powered helicopters statistically valid informa- • Authorized Service Centers–same as above. service representatives, liaison there are 10 other depots around is resuming production of the many components, according tion about the product support provided by business aircraft manufacturers over • Parts Availability–in stock versus back order, shipping time. pilots and parts service experts. the world, helping the company very light twinjet, in the form of to Embraer, following a review the last year and to report this information to our readers. The ultimate goal of • Cost of Parts–value for price paid. The parts depot in Frankfurt achieve “98-percent spares ser- the new Eclipse 550. of the parts price policy strat- the survey is to encourage continuous improvement in aircraft product support • AOG Response–speed, accuracy, cost. has been upgraded to have the vice level for all shipments for The company reports egy, “and the escalation average throughout the industry. • Warranty Fulfillment–ease of paperwork, extent of coverage. same capability as Bombardier’s several years running.” improvement in parts delivery in 2013 is below the escalation This survey was conducted via a dedicated website, created by AIN from • Technical Manuals–response time, knowledge, effectiveness. main warehouse in Chicago, Earlier this year, Dassault Air- performance, with 91 percent indices.” West Coast Embraer the ground up to provide improved ease of use and to encourage greater reader • Maintenance Tracking Programs–cost, ease of use, accuracy, reliability. which means accepting returns craft Services opened a new satel- of all parts orders shipped the operators have access to more participation. • Overall Product Reliability–how the product’s reliability and quality and exchanges and receiving lite service station in Van Nuys, same day and a record 99 per- parts, thanks to a new distribu- AIN emailed qualified readers a link to the survey website and questionnaire. stack up against the competition. shipments directly from ven- Calif., including a mobile AOG cent achieved in May. Warranty tion center in Las Vegas. u Qualified readers for whom we did not have an email address were sent postcards Respondents were also asked to recognize individuals who had provided them dors. The Dubai parts ware- Continued from page 22 32,000 parts. Part of the reason go team truck to support custom- on most replacement parts has As certification of the Legacy with the same link. In total, 21,592 readers were invited to participate in the survey. with exceptional product support and service. The list of these people is available house has moved into a new and Daher-Socata that customers complain about ers in the Southwest U.S. Dassault been “significantly increased,” 500 nears, Embraer is preparing The survey website was open from May 1 to June 14. Respondents were asked online at www.ainonline.com/above-beyond-2013. larger facility. parts prices, however, is that now has five factory-owned ser- according to Eclipse. Crownair its Aircraft Health and Advanced to rate individual aircraft and provide the tail number, age (less than 10 years old The 2013 AIN Product Support Survey results for aircraft are published in this Finally, Bombardier intro- Daher-Socata approved four they perceive that prices are too vice centers worldwide and seven Aviation in San Diego joins the Diagnosis (Ahead Pro) system or more than 10), primary region of service and whether they used factory-owned issue, avionics will be featured next month and engines will follow in October. duced the new Smart Parts new service centers this year to high, based on their assessment satellite stations. In addition, a service center network, covering for the new jet. Phenom 100 and or authorized service centers, or both. Respondents were also asked to rate, on For information about the survey methodology and other questions about the Preferred program, with longer- support the 630 TBM 700/850 of the part makeup. As Jacques new subsidiary, Dassault Fal- the Western U.S. 300 operators will be able to start term price commitments, more single-engine turboprops that it Chauvet, senior v-p of customer con Business Services (Beijing), A key limitation on the Eclipse using Ahead by the third quar- a scale from 1 to 10, the quality of service they received during the previous 12 survey, please contact David Leach, AIN director of finance and new product /online component coverage, simplified has delivered. In June, the fleet service, put it, “As much as we’ve opened in April. This facility is airframe has been resolved, with ter. Phenom owners can sign up months in the following categories: development, at [email protected]. –R.R.P. administration and enhanced hours reached more than 1.1 reduced prices, the perception is supplemented by Dassault Fal- the service life now doubled to for the Embraer Executive Care program transfer features, million. The new service centers still that in some instances they con’s new regional customer ser- 20,000 hours and 20,000 cycles engine add-on option, which according to Bombardier. are in Monterrey, Mexico; Lodz, remain too high. Nearly every- complements the Executive Care SURVEY BY THE NUMBERS Poland; Casablanca, Morocco; one has an example of a part and Pratt & Whitney Canada Manufacturers outline Cessna and Bankstown, Australia, and whose size, technology or mate- Eagle Service Plan programs, Respondents who provided some survey data 1,197 Cessna has expanded service now there are 13 in the U.S. and rial of construction suggests according to Embraer. For Euro- capabilities and now offers AOG 30 worldwide. one level of price but the invoice pean operators, Embraer offers Respondents who completed the survey in its entirety 1,064 support improvements services for Caravan turboprop- Buyers of 2013 TBM 850s turns out to be quite expensive, a new airworthiness manage- Aircraft rated 2,334 single operators at its 13 factory- get the L-3 Avionics ESI- leaving the customer perplexed.” ment service, under which oper- by Matt Thurber owned service centers worldwide. 2000 electronic standby instru- To combat this perception, ators can delegate airworthiness Aircraft models receiving ratings 178 Since July last year, Caravan ment as standard equipment, Dassault Falcon implemented management to Embraer, and In the perennial battle to Beechcraft Services maintenance Minimum ratings required to be included in data* 20 operators can sign up for ProAd- and Daher-Socata is offer- “rightsized pricing,” which Embraer provides customers keep customers so happy that facilities, the authorized service vantage programs, which cover ing a retrofit of the ESI-2000 doesn’t just price parts according with a single point of contact they remain in the same man- center network and aftermar- Respondents who rated aircraft 1,185 parts and maintenance. for older models. To help own- to how much they cost to man- and personal consultant. ufacturer family when it comes ket modification programs such *This minimum applies to aircraft with a model and age group as well as a manufacturer’s overall average. The company’s first factory ers make the move to replace ufacture or purchase from ven- time to buy a new airplane, orig- as the 800XPR and 400XPR. service center in the UK, at the three electro-mechanical dors but also takes into account Gulfstream inal equipment manufacturers The Hawker Beechcraft Ser- Hawker 400 and Hawker 800 bombardier diagnostics Robin Hood Airport in Don- instruments with the ESI-2000, customer perceptions of the EMBRAER CONTACT CENTER With the G650 and G280 (OEMs) continue to improve the vices facilities offer maintenance models. Other GCS programs caster, opened in September, Daher-Socata is offering to buy entering service last year, services they provide. Every year on all the company’s products, include the synthetic vision following the acquisition of the back the old instruments “for and no calendar limit (the previ- Gulfstream has added $200 mil- AIN asks OEMs to provide an including the jets that it no lon- upgrade to the Rockwell Collins former Kinch Aviation Cessna the first group of customers who ous limit was 10 years). Eclipse lion worth of parts and materi- update on improvements to their ger manufactures (Hawker 400, Pro Line 21 system in the King authorized service facility. The commit to this modification.” has also developed a new glass- als to its worldwide stocks since product support services, and fol- 800/900 and 4000 and Premier). Air 200/300 series; Blackhawk Doncaster operation is Cessna’s New this year is Daher-Soca- faced windshield with a longer June 2012, bringing the total lowing are summaries from infor- GCS opened two new engine upgrades on the Pro Line fourth factory-owned service ta’s new maintenance program service life as well as anti-skid inventory to about $1.4 billion. mation provided by those OEMs Hawker Beechcraft Services 21-equipped King Air 200; and center in Europe. The company (NMP), which extends recom- brakes and autothrottles. The To improve delivery times and that responded to the request or facilities since July last year, installation of CenTex Halo 250 also has facilities in Valencia, mended maintenance inter- windshield, anti-skid system and communication with custom- in some cases based on informa- one in Wilmington, Del., and mods for King Air 200s. Spain; Paris; and Prague, Czech vals to 200 hours or 12 months, autothrottles will be available for ers, Gulfstream has added a tion released during the past year. another in Monterrey, Mex- Republic. The Valencia facility double the previous 100 hours. retrofit in the fourth quarter. parts backorder process. Cus- ico. In addition to maintenance Bombardier opened on September 17. Ear- While the NMP is included with Eclipse has upgraded more tomers can now purchase parts Airplanes and avionics services, the Wilm- “The world has changed,” lier last year, Cessna and sis- new TBM 850s, older 700s and than 430 engines to resolve the and materials over-the-counter ington facility houses a mobile said Eric Martel, Bombardier ter company Bell Helicopter 850s can transition to the NMP airworthiness directive that lim- from Gulfstream using a new Beechcraft support team and the Mexico president of customer services opened a joint regional service at their next annual inspection. ited maximum altitude to 30,000 online quoting system. More Beechcraft emerged from center provides interior modifi- and specialized and amphibi- center at Seletar Aerospace Park Maintenance tracking for feet, restoring the jet’s original than 200,000 hours of hands- bankruptcy in February as man- cations and exterior paint. Five ous aircraft. Whereas 10 years in Singapore. TBM owners is now offered falcon factory service center 41,000-foot ceiling. on technician training was ufacturer of the King Air tur- new authorized service cen- ago Bombardier’s business avi- The number of Cessna through a partnership with Camp parts’ value. According to the vice headquarters in Beijing, accomplished on the G650 and www.ainonline.com boprops, Bonanza and Baron ters were appointed during the ation fleet stood at about 2,500 totals more than 60. Services at mobile service units grew to 22 www.ainonline.com Systems, and this includes Camp’s company, “Rightsized pricing which began operating on June Embraer G280 during the second half of piston airplanes and special- past year, in Bogotá, Colom- airplanes, with 80 percent of the factory-owned Amsterdam worldwide during the past year. Trend Group engine health moni- will put perceived value at the 1. Operators closer to Shanghai During the past year Embraer­ last year. mission King Airs and sin- bia; Curitiba, Brazil; Phoenix, those located in North Amer- facility have improved, with the There are now 18 mobile units in toring services. All services on the center of the equation. It will can have their Falcons serviced focused on adding service centers Business is booming at Gulf- gle-engine military trainers. Ariz.; Peterborough, Canada; ica, the fleet has grown to 4,000 addition of engine support by the U.S. and four in Canada and mysocata.com website are avail- involve a review and realignment at Dassault Falcon Aircraft Ser- and expanding support, services stream’s factory-owned service The company’s product-sup- and Farnborough, UK. airplanes, 40 percent of which Dallas Airmotive, interiors ser- Europe. Capable of performing able on Apple iPads and Android of pricing for a certain number vices-China at Shanghai’s Hon- and expertise to its product-sup- center network. The Westfield, port efforts are embodied in GCS is also active in the are located around the world, vices by OHS Aviation Services scheduled maintenance events devices. A new feature is the dis- of Dassault Falcon parts refer- gqiao International Airport. port efforts. As well as expanding Mass. facility saw the addition the Global Customer Support aftermarket, offering the primarily in Europe, Asia and and cleaning and paint repair and other services, the mobile play of images alongside parts in ences to eliminate inconsisten- For operators of Falcon 2000s capabilities of the authorized ser- of a new 125,000-sq-ft hangar (GCS) organization, which 400XPR and 800XPR modifica- Africa. Now Bombardier has by The Allen Groupe. Later units are part of Cessna’s Ser- the price catalog, along with sug- cies and make the process more and 900s with the EASy cockpit, vice centers and hiring more field that nearly doubled the under- includes factory-owned Hawker tion programs for the Beechjet/ to expend much more effort to this year, Bombardier will open viceDirect initiative. ServiceDi- gested retail prices. The images transparent to customers.” the FalconBroadcast airborne service representatives, Embraer roof capacity. With a new over- support aircraft worldwide. “Of a new factory-owned service rect includes AOG go teams, an should help prevent erroneous This year Dassault Falcon health monitoring system is added 17 new centers world- night shift from 10 p.m. to 8:30 course it’s putting tremendous center in Singapore. air response team, HomeService orders, according to Daher-Socata. added more parts inventory in now available. FalconBroadcast wide, and the total is now near- a.m. five days a week, Westfield pressure on us, but we’re up to Seven mobile response teams (assistance with long-term dedi- China and India, to support was introduced on the 7X in the ly 70. Mobile response units be- has added 60 jobs and plans the challenge,” he said. have been added in the U.S., and cated support at the customer’s Dassault Falcon new customers in those regions. middle of last year and allows gan operating in the U.S., Brazil another 40 by year-end. In the past 12 months Bom- two in China. New regional sup- facility) and temporary person- A major area of focus for The company partnered with operators to communicate main- and Europe, and Embraer has In Appleton, Wis., the bardier has added nine new port offices (RSO) opened in nel support (supplying tech- Dassault Falcon during the distributor Aerospace Products tenance issues to appropriate added personnel to its customer Gulfstream facility is adding authorized service facilities Farnborough, UK; Moscow; nicians to assist during large past year was lowering the cost International in an expanded parties on the ground to help support contact center technical 100 jobs (65 of them were filled and the number of non-Bom- and three in the U.S. The idea is maintenance events). of spare parts, and the com- logistics services agreement, expedite troubleshooting and team, which handles customer is- by early June), all to support beechcraft mobile service unit bardier-owned centers now to have “boots on the ground,” Report continues on page 24 u pany has done so for more than which supports customers in problem resolution. sues worldwide 24/7/365. Report continues on page 26 u © 2013 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to © 2013 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to

0022 Aviation International News • August 2013 • www.ainonline.com 24 Aviation International News • August 2013 • www.ainonline.com new satellite service centers (Million Air reduction on the 407. Another key effort Gulfstream Airborne support Twin Commander Houston, Northern Air of Grand Rap- to lower costs is a new memorandum of AIN readers honor those ids, Mich., and Landmark Aviation, Twin Commander Aircraft supports understanding for Van Horn Aviation to Scottsdale, Ariz.) during the past year. the remaining fleet of Twin Commander develop composite tail-rotor blades for who go above and beyond To make working with Pilatus easier, twin turboprops and piston twins, devel- the Bell 212 and 412. the company introduced an electronic oping new products and fixes to keep them by Matt Thurber payment system for all technical publica- flying efficiently and long into the future. Eurocopter tions. The 700th customer has opened a Owned by Firstmark since 2008, Twin Eurocopter has applied lean processes We asked AIN Product Support Survey participants to list their favorite support MyPilatus account. And Pilatus has cre- Commander Aircraft recently introduced to re-engineer the customer-support personnel and what they like about the service provided. Here are some of the people ated an online parts sales portal for North four new hardware kits for the twins. operation to improve efficiency, increase respondents chose to recognize. For the complete list go to www.ainonline.com/ and South American service centers. These include a kit to replace Weldon fuel performance and boost responsiveness. above-beyond-2013. New products for PC-12 operators pumps with Parker Airborne pumps, new The first application of the lean process include the PC-12 NG Connected Flight main landing-gear linkage parts, new cen- was on the NH90 military helicopter, Chris Richard Rennie Reynolds European support. And at the Westfield Deck with wireless Fastload system, which ter fuel-tank liner fasteners and a new oxy- where Eurocopter achieved a 30-percent Bombardier Dassault Falcon and Houston facilities, Gulfstream posi- will make loading navigation databases gen-bottle fill port. “They’re small, but AGUSTAWESTLAND reduction in repair time for certain NH90 Our field service representative, You can’t find better technicians tioned new Fast vehicles equipped with much easier. The Garmin G600 New Per- still important for the Commander fleet,” uContinued from page 26 equipment. The next helicopter to get the Chris Richard, continues to be a pillar anywhere in any facility. Rennie Reyn- tools, parts, generator, hydraulic mule, air spective avionics system is now available said a Twin Commander spokesman. and training within the organization to lean process treatment will be the EC175, of the Bombardier customer support olds is the best there is. compressor and aircraft jacks. for retrofit on older (non-NG) PC-12s. In April, Twin Commander held its further enhance its partnership with cus- then the new processes will be applied to brand and always comes through for Gulfstream customers that use the annual Twin Commander University, with tomers,” according to the company. Sup- the rest of the Eurocopter family. our operation. Scott Bohl, Hank Hillsman, CMP.net maintenance-tracking service can Piper 72 attendees sharing information and learn- port and training accounts for 40 percent For fleet operators, Eurocopter is offer- Jeff McClain now access their data using an iPad version Operators of Piper’s Meridian turbo- ing about new techniques and products. of total AgustaWestland revenues. ing performance-based contracts, which Paul Howell Dassault Falcon of the software, introduced last October. prop single have seen improvements in Twin Commander service center Eagle guarantee fleet operability, according to the Bombardier Excellent, and the help desk is a parts availability, with 20-percent addi- Creek Aviation is developing a Garmin Bell company, “ensuring operators will be able My local tech rep, Paul Howell, is great asset. Scott Bohl and Hank Hills- Mitsubishi tional inventory worldwide, according to G1000 installation package for the Twin Bell Helicopter is expanding its service to fly their missions with a mutually agreed the best I’ve seen in the business. He man have been great to work with. Also Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the Japa- Piper Aircraft, and “increased stocking lev- Commander turboprops. By combining center capabilities in China with the addi- level of aircraft availability.” The first cus- won’t quit and pulls out all the stops for Jeff McClain as our customer rep has nese manufacturer of the twin-turboprop els based on global usage.” Piper has created the new avionics with the Grand Renais- tion of two new authorized customer facil- tomer to experience the effectiveness of the each and every problem. been very helpful. MU-2, continues its strong support, via a “mission-critical list for active production sance airframe refurbishment package and ities in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Bell new performance-based contracts was a an agreement with Turbine Aircraft Ser- models,” and also is stocking more parts the Honeywell TPE331-10 engine upgrade, also received Part 145 maintenance orga- government; Eurocopter is now offering the Elisio Cruz and Paulo Rodrigues Sean Peterson vices of Dallas, which provides the MU-2 closer to customers using Aviall’s distribu- “You end up with an airplane that is con- nization approval from the Civil Aviation service for civil and parapublic operators. Bombardier Embraer community with parts, maintenance doc- tion network. Piper has 38 international temporary in terms of sophistication and Authority of Singapore for Bell Helicop- Eurocopter has added to parts inven- Elisio Cruz, our field service rep- I have tremendous respect for Sean uments and information about service service centers and 42 in the U.S. performance. The focus of the company is ter Asia. In the Czech Republic, Aviation tories in Brazil, Hong Kong and Aber- resentative, and Paulo Rodrigues, our Peterson, who has been very helpful and operational changes. to keep the airplanes viable and state of the Service can now perform major changes deen, Scotland, to serve operators in those regional support office chief, are out- and is basically our go-to guy. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America Sabreliner art as possible,” the spokesman said. on primary structure and cabin interiors regions. Maintenance, repair and overhaul standing professionals, always con- gulfstream service (MHIA) and training provider SimCom The 50-year-old Sabreliner line of There are 19 Twin Commander service of Bell helicopters under expanded and (MRO) resources have been added in Bra- cerned about finding the best solutions Jim Doyle International sponsor the free Pilot’s business jets continues flying, with more centers worldwide, and a big job for these updated terms of its EASA design orga- zil, Australia and Malaysia, and Eurocopter for the customers and for the best opera- Embraer uContinued from page 24 Review of Proficiency seminars every two than 400 manufactured and currently 18 is the Service Bulletin 241 (FAA AD 2013- nization approval. A new Bell mobile ser- has increased the number of authorized tional and maintenance aspects of each Jim Doyle is knowledgeable, avail- growing volume in completions work, (even) years during April and May, and companies having operated Sabre jets for 09-05) inspection and modification to vice truck is based in Fort Lauderdale, service centers for its helicopters. aircraft. Congratulations to the OEM able and very helpful. according to Gulfstream. last year four events were held. While the 25 years or more, according to Sabreliner the aft pressure bulkhead. In partnership Fla., under a pilot program launched with Vector Aerospace, which Eurocopter for having both as part of the team. The new Gulfstream Beijing service MU-2 has been out of production since Corp. Owners and operators have access with FlightSafety and Eagle Creek, Twin Bell sister company Cessna Aircraft. purchased in 2011, has added new MRO Jim Beebe center began operating late last year 1985, a third of the attendees at Prop to dedicated Sabreliner technicians and Commander is developing a new techni- Bell continues to work to help operators capabilities, including major inspec- Joe Hepburn, J.D. Terry, Gulfstream and is approved as a Part 145 repair sta- 2012 were first-time owner-operators, customer support staff and, the com- cian training program. The program will lower the direct maintenance cost of flying tion, upgrade and retrofit on the AS332, Jeff Johnson Jim Beebe from Gulfstream is the tion by China’s regulators, allowing the and 20 prospective buyers showed up to pany noted, “Phones are answered by first focus on teaching technicians how to their helicopters, and so far the company EC135 and EC145. Cessna best. Top notch in knowledge and will- facility to provide maintenance on Chi- learn more about the MU-2. Four Prop human beings around the clock and accomplish the SB241 mods, then later has achieved a 14-percent reduction in Joe Hepburn, J.D. Terry, Jeff John- ingness to help nese-registered Gulfstreams. To further seminars are scheduled for next year, in expert troubleshooting and AOG sup- other Twin Commander technical train- parts costs on the 206L-4 and a 22-percent Sikorsky son and all the team at Citation cus- assist Gulfstream’s Chinese customers, Dallas, Phoenix, Orlando and Columbus, port are always available.” ing, using experienced technicians from Sikorsky Aerospace Services is taking tomer support, as well as all the team at David Pérez the Long Beach, Calif., facility has hired Ohio. According to MHIA, 704 MU-2s Sabreliner offers upgrades and main- Eagle Creek to provide the training. advantage of the health and usage mon- Cessna Service Parts & Programs, do a Gulfstream Mandarin- and Cantonese-speaking ser- were produced and 301 are still active. tenance support. A recent upgrade is iPad Winners itoring system (Hums) data generated by great job for us. Very happy with our rep in Madrid, vice center coordinators. MHIA, Turbine Aircraft Services and dual Universal Avionics UNS-1LW Helicopters The following people were randomly onboard systems installed on the S-92. In David Pérez, [who is] always available At the Brunswick, Ga. service/com- SimCom worked together to add another flight management systems with coupled selected as winners of an Apple iPad for what it claims is an industry first, Sikorsky Chris Webber, Tony Herschberger, and supporting our operation. He is an AgustaWestland pletions center, Gulfstream is in the pro- MU-2 flight training device certified to vertical approach capability for the Sabre participating in our annual Product Support received FAA approval for a longer life Chris Worrell, Walt Glosson ace as a rep. cess of adding 35 positions, 30 of which Level 5 with full visual system and two 65. After completing the comprehensive AgustaWestland has introduced what Survey: Ronald Zahoryin, aviation man- for the S-92 main rotor hub based on Cessna had been filled by early June. The Dal- different cockpit configurations to give structural inspection program, Sabre 65 it calls “an all-new concept and approach ager, Van Nuys, Calif.; Brian Stinson, direc- component usage from data recorded by Team Mustang is through the roof Dallas Gumm las service/completions center has also pilots more training options. operators never have to pay for corrosion to support and maintenance.” For oper- tor of maintenance, Southern Tire Aviation, the Hums. “This innovative application in service, knowledge, response time and Gulfstream hired more technicians to handle new repairs “as long as they own the aircraft,” ators of at least two of the three-fam- Hattiesburg, Ms.; Joseph Statt, chief pilot, paves the way for potential future part life can-do attitude. Chris Webber, Tony Her- Dallas Gumm has got to be the business and staff the facility’s new Pilatus Aircraft according to Sabreliner. To maintain ily AW139, AW169 and AW189 models, extensions that are based on actual versus schberger, Chris Worrell and Walt Glos- best [field service representative] in Scottsdale Hangar One, Scottsdale, Ariz.; wheel and brake shop. During the past year, Pilatus has held coverage under the program, owners and maintenance costs will be lower because engineering-estimated part lives, result- son are available 24/7 and are invaluable the business. www.ainonline.com

www.ainonline.com Nelson Foote, director of maintenance, Gulfstream’s field and airborne sup- 10 maintenance and operations seminars operators need to have a Sabreliner tech- of component commonalities (up to 20 ing in direct operating cost reductions for in troubleshooting and problem solving, TPS, Seattle; and Bruce Edgerton, lead port teams (Fast) can reach customers and regional operator conferences world- nician inspect their jet once a year. percent), cockpit layout and tools/main- customers,” according to Sikorsky. particularly identifying those situations John Frees n in AOG situations more quickly, thanks wide. Meetings in Brazil and Mexico At Sabreliner’s Perryville, Mo. facility, tenance equipment (up to 30 percent) tech, Coventry First, Ewing, N.J. Hums data also supports an effort to where one may wait at a service center, Hawker Beechcraft (now Beechcraft) to replacement of the Fast aircraft unit’s were added, too. The company appointed the paint shop features new technology and new levels of cost effectiveness and reduce turnaround times between flights, saving time and money for the owner. Our tech rep, John Frees, was always two G100s with G150s. Fast engineers a new Pilatus sales and service center that “results in a longer-lasting and gloss- flexibility, according to AgustaWestland. by transmitting Hums data to ground sta- These guys rate 11 on a scale of 0-10. there for us. Day and night, always were added in Kiev and Paris to bolster (Tronrud Aviation in Norway) and three ier finish,” according to the company, Now with nearly 90 authorized service tions and mobile devices, which then “con- going above and beyond. “and it also allows Sabreliner to offer centers worldwide, AgustaWestland added vert data into actionable information.” Rick Hoisington mitsubishi mu-2 some of the most competitive pricing in UT Air of Russia as well as new centers Sikorsky’s Fleet Maintenance and Oper- Cessna Robert Lawson, Gregg Chimich the industry.” The improvements include in the U.S., Canada, Chile and Nige- ations Center uses operational, mainte- I won’t buy another aircraft unless Hawker Beechcraft (now Beechcraft) an integrated and climate-controlled ria, among others, during the past year. nance and material support information, it comes with its own Hoisington. Seri- Robert Lawson provides great sup- facility, with precise control of temper- AgustaWestland has integrated “support in partnership with operators, to further ously, it’s a safety issue. Having Rick port. Gregg Chimich in Wichita is the ature and humidity levels and smart Report continues on page 28 u develop availability and cost-reduction proj- always available is as good as it gets. best in the business. o lighting to help ensure paint uniformity. ects. Sikorsky is also improving forecasting Sabreliner paint technicians spray with techniques, consignment inventory reallo- Graco Pro Xs4 electrostatic spray guns, cation and continued component reliability which use much less paint than standard improvement initiatives through “develop- guns and also reduce ozone-depleting ment and application of aircraft availabil- © 2013 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to emissions by about 35 percent. © 2013 AIN Publications. All Rights Reserved. For Reprints go to ity algorithms,” the company stated. o

26 Aviation International News • August 2013 • www.ainonline.com 28 Aviation International News • August 2013 • www.ainonline.com