The Duncan Download Blog: Business Aviation Advice & Observations

The business aviation industry is highly technical, highly regulated, extremely dynamic and full of acronyms. If you are like many in the industry you don’t have the luxury of time or resources to do proper research and fact-finding on the most important issues facing your flight operations.

That’s why we do it for you. It’s free of charge and yours for the taking.

Todd Duncan was recently asked why, in this highly competitive industry, the company gives away such robust technical resources to operators. Here is what he had to say.

“This is not a new concept by any means. Duncan Aviation has been educating customers for decades. Aviation is highly regulated and mandates can be confusing to those who don’t live and breathe them every day. Ultimately, our goal is to guide operators to make the most of their assets and be able to use them efficiently and effectively. The best way to do this is to ensure they are able to make informed decisions for their aircraft and their flight department. Doing so ensures that they will continue to operate their aircraft, and we will be able to continue providing them with meaningful and valued services. If operators really understand the work they need and want to have completed on their aircraft, they are able to make decisions that allow them to maximize their downtime and, in turn, make more efficient use of their asset.”

That’s why we do it. Now here’s how.

Straight Talk Books

The first Duncan Aviation Straight Talk book was written in the early 1990s by our avionics experts when the mandates for Traffic Alert & Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) in business aircraft were being discussed and implemented.

Since then many Straight Talk books have been published to address complicated avionics mandates and other industry initiatives, such as NextGen, FANS, ADS-B and RVSM. The same Duncan Aviation technical experts who author these informative books are available to operators by phone anytime they wish for clarification or more information.  

Download Straight Talk books here: http://www.duncanaviation.aero/resources/straight-talk/

Duncan Intelligence newsletters

Twenty years ago, we started a quarterly technical newsletter with airframe-specific information that was faxed to operators. Our goal was to share technical tips and information that operators could use to better maintain and care for their aircraft.

Our goal has remained the same, but now the Duncan Intelligence is a monthly e-mail subscription for business aircraft operators around the world. All articles are written by our team of airframe-specific technical representatives.

Subscribe to the Duncan Intelligence here: http://www.duncanaviation.aero/intelligence/

Presentations and Seminars

In keeping with our goal of educating aircraft operators, we have held a variety of seminars and educational courses over the years, from two-day-long conferences at our facilities to hour-long presentations at major industry tradeshows and events.

In 2016, we will continue this tradition. Those events will include our popular ADS-B and NextGen seminars.

Check out all future Duncan Aviation events here: http://archive.da.aero/events/

2016 is a special year. It is Duncan Aviation’s 60th year of helping business aircraft operators be safe, efficient and productive. For six decades, customers have asked us for solutions and services. We are celebrating our 60 years by telling the stories about the people of Duncan Aviation who listened and took action.

Celebrate with us by subscribing to the Duncan Download blog, following us on Facebook and Twitter (@DuncanAviation) and visiting our anniversary website at www.DuncanAviation.aero/60.

In the early 1960s, Donald Duncan was operating a Beechcraft distributorship in Omaha, Nebraska. Business airplanes at the time couldn’t fly nonstop from one coast to the other. Donald’s customers expressed the desire to have an executive lounge and meeting spaces available at a centrally located fuel stop.

In 1963, the city of Lincoln, Nebraska, was developing a new Municipal Airport for general aviation. Donald acted and built a first-class facility with a warm reception area, a plush executive lounge, a flight planning room, and catering services. In addition, the facility boasted hangar space for complete, certified aircraft maintenance and repair.

In 1965, Donald’s son, Robert Duncan, was fresh out of college and began working at Duncan Aviation. He flew charters, pumped fuel, swept floors and answered telephones. Duncan Aviation had only 15 employees and was just beginning its transformation from an aircraft sales organization to what would become its future: aircraft service and support.

Duncan Aviation was a distributor for both Beechcraft aircraft and Learjet aircraft. With Learjet manufacturing increasing and Beechcraft sales still growing, Duncan Aviation was beginning to get very busy servicing the aircraft it sold. The company sold its Omaha offices and consolidated at the hangar in Lincoln. 

They have been breaking ground in Lincoln, Nebraska, ever since

Donald’s reputation for fair deals and excellent customer service, which so impressed buyers of new aircraft, now impressed those who needed servicing of those same aircraft. Knowledgeable people in the industry began to talk about the small aviation company located in the central plains of the United States. And Duncan Aviation became the place to receive aircraft maintenance and excellent service.

Soon the company had 200 team members, then 300 and 400. But one thing remained consistent: a team philosophy that included listening to customers and acting to meet their needs.  

2016 is a special year. It is Duncan Aviation’s 60th year of helping business aircraft operators be safe, efficient and productive. For six decades, customers have asked us for solutions and services. We are celebrating our 60 years by telling the stories about the people of Duncan Aviation who listened and took action.

Celebrate with us by subscribing to the Duncan Download blog, following us on Facebook and Twitter (@DuncanAviation) and visiting our anniversary website at www.DuncanAviation.aero/60.

Lori Johnson has been the Marketing Communications Manager for Duncan Aviation for more than 20 years. She enjoys working with the smart and passionate aviation experts at Duncan Aviation, helping them connect with and educate customers about important industry topics.  

Iowa farmer and automobile salesman Donald Duncan learned how to fly in the 1950s. As he gained aircraft experience and developed deep friendships with aviators, he heard business operators asking to utilize aircraft as business tools. In 1956, he acted, buying into the Omaha, Nebraska, Beechcraft dealership that would become Duncan Aviation.

In addition to selling aircraft, Donald used them extensively as he spent two years commuting daily from his home in Clarinda, Iowa, to Omaha. One day, while preparing for the commute, Donald’s aircraft experienced a technical issue and he became intimately familiar with the term AOG.

Harry Barr, now Duncan Aviation’s Senior Captain and its longest-employed team member at 58 years, came over to help Donald. During the course of conversation, Donald discovered that Harry’s radio needed work. Donald had the connections to get the radio fixed and Harry had an operational airplane that could get Donald to Omaha.

That summed up Donald’s business sense: when two parties can both benefit from a single collective act or exchange. And so it was with Donald’s business actions; both parties always benefitting.

In addition, Donald’s word was his bond; he never went back on a deal. Once Donald committed, the entire resources of Duncan Aviation were also committed to making the deal work for the customer and the company. And although Duncan Aviation drew up written contracts, when a deal was made over the phone or with a handshake, it, too, was considered solid.

“Donald could read a customer better than anybody I’ve ever known,” remembers  J. Robert Duncan, Chairman Emeritus of Duncan Aviation and son of Donald Duncan. “He demonstrated great care and concern for his customers, and he always seemed to understand what their needs were.”

In addition to his ability to listen to customers and act to meet their needs, Donald had a strong sense of  creativity, drive and integrity. And he planted those seeds within the early company culture at Duncan Aviation, where those values continue to provide the solid foundation on which Duncan Aviation’s reputation rests.

Largely through the efforts of Donald Duncan, an entire generation of businesses learned what kind of freedom and flexibility could be attained through owning a business aircraft.

2016 is a special year. It is Duncan Aviation’s 60th year of helping business aircraft operators be safe, efficient and productive. For six decades, customers have asked us for solutions and services. We are celebrating our 60 years by telling the stories about the people of Duncan Aviation who listened and took action.

Celebrate with us by subscribing to the Duncan Download blog, following us on Facebook and Twitter (@DuncanAviation) and visiting our anniversary website at www.DuncanAviation.aero/60.

Lori Johnson has been the Marketing Communications Manager for Duncan Aviation for more than 20 years. She enjoys working with the smart and passionate aviation experts at Duncan Aviation, helping them connect with and educate customers about important industry topics.  

In 1956, Duncan Aviation started as a three-person aircraft sales endeavor. It has since blossomed into a world-renowned aircraft support company with 2,200 team members who provide every service a business aircraft operator needs.

We thank our customers for being an integral part of our growth and innovation over the last six decades. You see, customer requests have been the essence of that growth. Clients came to us with requests for new services and ideas about how to better meet their needs. Our team members then collaborated and responded, adding capabilities, services, features and amenities.

Duncan Aviation’s comprehensive tip-to-tail service offerings exist because of specific customer requests made over the years, and the actions of Duncan Aviation team members to meet those requests. Our paint and interior completions, satellite avionics services, Rapid Response in-field engine services and accessory repair and overhaul all began with customer requests. So did myDuncan, our online project management and approval system, and our 24/7/365 parts support, where you can talk with a live parts expert anytime of the day or night.

As we celebrate some of the milestones of our history, we continue to keep an eye on the future. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with customers and together developing solutions and services that create an even better environment for the operation of business aircraft.

Just ask. We’ll act.  

Lori Johnson has been the Marketing Communications Manager for Duncan Aviation for more than 20 years. She enjoys working with the smart and passionate aviation experts at Duncan Aviation, helping them connect with and educate customers about important industry topics. 

Duncan Aviation believes strongly in developing business aviation by heavily investing in its people and facilities. So it should be no surprise that the company’s new booth (#N4910) for the 2015 National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) annual convention and exhibition Nov. 17-19 in Las Vegas will highlight every single one of the company’s 2,253 aviation experts.

The convention has long been an event where Duncan Aviation representatives catch up with longtime customers, vendors and business partners as well as begin developing relationships with new prospects. And every one of Duncan Aviation’s team members has developed great relationships, contacts and friendships with others throughout business aviation.

Realistically, of course, we cannot send everyone to the show. But we can make sure they are present in some form. That is why our booth once again highlights each and every team member’s photo scrolling through our booth display.

Stop by booth #N4910 and catch a glimpse of all of your Duncan Aviation contacts. While you’re at it, talk to the team members there who will be telling attendees how Duncan Aviation provides every support service a business aircraft operator needs today.

The Fall 2015 edition of the popular Duncan Debrief magazine has been published to Apple’s Newsstand for the iPad.

Newsstand lets us easily deliver the latest edition of the Duncan Debrief. Allowing our readers to receive the most recent copy immediately, as well as providing a quick reference to back issues and linked material, like videos and other articles.

The Fall 2015 edition of the Duncan Debrief features news about the business aviation industry as well as Duncan Aviation customers and team members. Highlights include information about upcoming avionics mandates, photographs of recent projects and new capabilities and services.  

Duncan Debrief App

To install, search for the Duncan Debrief in Apple’s App Store and download it by tapping the Free button. The app is then placed in the iPad’s Newsstand shelves. Once downloaded, users  can request to receive push notifications each time a new Duncan Debrief magazine is published.

The Duncan Debrief is a free, award-winning business aviation publication for aircraft owners and operators. Written and designed in-house at Duncan Aviation, each edition includes articles on topics and trends in business aviation.