The Duncan Download Blog: Business Aviation Advice & Observations

501-1228-04: Lead Acid Emergency Power Supply

If you are waiting more than two weeks for an offer on your available aircraft avionics inventory, you are waiting too long. 

The business aviation industry is growing rapidly and the demand for good, serviceable avionics parts to support customers’ current and future needs is strong. So Duncan Aviation’s Parts & Rotables Sales has stepped up efforts and increased on-hand inventory of avionics parts for all makes of business aircraft, including modifications packages removed for avionics upgrades.

Every day, customers reach out to Avionics Acquisitions Manager, Jamie Blackman, and her team offering a list of inventory to purchase. Most lists average 20-50 part numbers, but can be as high as 5,000.

• Aircraft inventory companies that purchase aircraft to part-out offer us avionics units, knowing our customer base will likely be able to use the inventory.
• DOMs will sell their rotable pools if their aircraft is traded in for a larger or newer aircraft. These pools consist of good, serviceable units they no longer need. So they sell the units and then turn around and buy inventory for their new rotable needs.

“We have no limits on how large or small of a list we’ll buy,” says Jamie. “If a customer presents us with a list, we’ll take it all whether we have repair capabilities or not.” This makes it easier for the customer, she says, saving them the time it takes to go to multiple outlets to sell their inventory.

501-1712-02: Emergency Power Supply	071-01519-0101: King Ant/RCVR/XMTR	622-1270-001: Collins Transponder

Best Price First

But they won’t haggle on price and Jamie explains why, “We always offer our best price out of the gate, never low-balling or engaging in time-consuming negotiations. We won’t waste your valuable time exchanging emails or phone calls to come to pricing terms. By offering your the fairest price upfront, we save ourselves time and make you money.”

William Calgagni of the Calin Corporation explains why he selected Duncan Aviation to sell his avionics parts. “Out of the three companies I contacted, Duncan Aviation was the easiest to work with and the best fit for my needs, offering a competitive price.”

Jamie knows by offering the fairest price upfront the seller is more likely to come back again the next time they have additional units for sale. William agrees, “The next time I have any avionics units to sell, Duncan Aviation will be on the short list again.”

“We are more than happy to explain how we arrived at our offer,” explains Jamie. When a list is received, it is examined and compared to all of the historical data that has been collected by Duncan Aviation. Each Individual part number is researched to find sales history as well as repair capabilities and average repair costs. Even our own stock quantities are examined to determine the current number of units on hand. All of this information together provides the most accurate fair market value and is used to formulate the purchase offer extended to the customer.

Our offers are competitive and, in most cases, higher than others because we have more than 45,000 different repair manuals and a large team of avionics repair professionals. These in-house repair capabilities keep costs under control, allowing us to offer more money for the units. And our wide and active customer base ensures that we are able to maintain multiple units in our inventory.

Best Price Fast

071-01550-0101: King Radar Antenna

Not only will you get our best offer out of the gate, you’ll have that offer within one to two business days of receiving the list. There is no waiting up to two weeks to hear back about an offer or to find out that most of the list is rejected. We have a proprietary computer program that compares individual part numbers to Duncan Aviation’s entire historical experience with each unit. With a click of a button, we are able to replicate the thoroughness of manual line-by-line research, but have results within a matter of a few hours.

Over the past three years, the Duncan Aviation Parts & Rotable Sales has added over $2.5 million in avionics inventory. And recently started an Avionics Purchasing Program to build an inventory of avionics units for which we don’t have repair capabilities. “The market demand for these newer systems is beginning to grow,” says Jamie. “Our customers need these units and we want to be able meet those needs by being their best source.”

WeBuyAvionics@DuncanAviation.com

If you have avionics inventory, whether it is one unit or thousands of piece parts, we will be the first to respond and with the best offer. When receiving your payment you have the option of cash, trade or putting credit on your account for future Duncan Aviation work, anywhere in the company.

Contact Duncan Aviation to sell your excess avionics inventory by emailing an Excel spreadsheet of your parts list, including part numbers to WeBuyAvionics@DuncanAviation.com. We are also interested in purchasing surplus inventories of airframe and engine accessory components.

Spring is here and that means storm season is upon us! Because radar is a great tool to avoid severe weather, spring is not the time to find out your radar is not functioning properly. For this reason, the Duncan Aviation avionics and instrument shop is kept very busy, servicing thousands of radar units every year.

Watch the video (below) and follow a radar as it makes a roadtrip through our Lincoln, Neb. facility during a routine inspection.

Radar Rotable Exchanges

Also every year, we process hundreds of radar exchanges. In order to meet this growing demand, we continually increase our radar exchange and outright inventory options so AOG customers don’t have to wait. There is also a loaner pool available.

To save you money and provide peace of mind, we offer one year warranties and flat rate exchange options on rotables that are notorious for add bills. To keep our pricing low and to avoid the ever-dreaded add bill, we use serviceable parts from hundreds of on-site core units.

Duncan Aviation Parts Sales is running a June promotion on radar rotables.  If we receive your core back at our Lincoln facility within five business days of the radar exchange unit shipping, we will issue a $50 credit to your Duncan Aviation account for future business.  Contact any Duncan Aviation Parts & Rotable Sales Contact. 

This was our first year at HAI HELI-EXPO as an exhibitor. We had so much fun and met so many very important people; we will be back next year.

OK…we admit it. We are HAI HELI-EXPO exhibitor newbies and should have been at this show years ago, but we are not rookies when it comes to aviation component services. In fact, we are one of the oldest, most established avionics and accessory service companies in the world.

• Component shop technicians with over 1,944 years of experience
• 40,000+ aviation component service and support capabilities
• Authorized sales and factory service center for all the industry’s top-line brands including Rockwell Collins, Honeywell/Bendix King, Avidyne, NAT, Garmin, Chelton/Wulfsberg and JET/BF Goodrich/L3
• We are the only authorized Universal Avionics Service Center in the United States. 
• Helicopter avionics available for immediate exchange

AOG Services (800.568.6377)

We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for component AOG support. So whether you call us at 2 PM, or 2 AM, you will get a live person, experienced in component sales, repair, and overhaul support. We can schedule your exchange or repair anytime, day or night.

Component Repair / Overhaul Services

• Technical / Repair / Overhauls Services: Contact our go-to guy, Jerry Cable, Component Tech Rep.
• Online repair & overhaul capabilities, components inventory search: https://myduncan.aero/online/parts/index.jsf

In the News

• Duncan Aviation Expands its Helicopter Avionics Capabilities http://www.duncanaviation.aero/news/duncan-aviation-expands-its-helicopter-avionics-capabilities
• Duncan Aviation to Perform NDT Inspection for Enstrom Helicopter Service Direct Bulletin http://www.duncanaviation.aero/news/duncan-aviation-to-perform-ndt-inspection-for-enstrom-helicopter-service-direct-bulletin
• Overhauling NAT (Cobham) Avionics Units http://www.duncanaviation.aero/intelligence/2013/July/overhauling-nat-cobham-avionics-units

So you see. We may be new (to the HAI HELI-EXPO), but we’re not new. We’ve been around awhile, owned by the Duncan family since 1956. Few companies in the aviation industry, if any, are 60 years old and still operating under the same name. We have seen competitors come and go and companies bought and sold, some several times.

But, if you are looking for a company that has truly demonstrated stability, integrity, longevity; a company that will be here to support you not only this year, but for years to come, Duncan Aviation is the company you want to do business with.

“Duncan Aviation has excellent aircraft parts availability, good prices and great service. We regularly use their parts and rotables services because their quality is awesome.” –Francisco Carrillo Peralta, Purchase Agent for ALE Service Center in Mexico.

With more than 15 years of experience as a maintenance and repair organization working in the Mexican market, ALE Service Center has three locations in Mexico and provides service for about 100 clients who operate Hawker-Beechcraft, Agusta, HondaJet and Bombardier aircraft.

“I can trust what Duncan Aviation tells me,” Francisco says. “If they say they have a part available, they do. And their ship times are accurate and fast.” No other aviation parts company can compete when it comes to customer value.

Chris Gress, Duncan Aviation Parts and Rotables Sales manager says it comes as no surprise when customers like Francisco keep coming back. “Duncan Aviation’s reputation in providing quality aircraft parts is widely known throughout the aviation industry. Our repair capabilities are top-quality and our prices are always a fair value. Anyone who has ever purchased an aircraft part that is tagged with a Duncan Aviation 8130 knows that they are getting a part that will be reliable with no warranty or failure issues.” 

Chris will be at AeroExpo at the Toluca International Airport March 16-18. Stop by booth #20 to talk with him and other Duncan Aviation representatives.

Duncan Aviation’s international parts sales experience includes parts and rotables with completed and accurate 8130 paperwork, the management of repairs and overhauls sent to the U.S. to be serviced both by Duncan Aviation and other FAA approved U.S. Repair Stations; the consolidation of return shipments of freshly serviced components back to countries all over the world; and the safe shipment of hazardous material from the U.S. to countries around the world while meeting all regulatory compliance.

Just call +1 402.475.4125 to get instant service, 24/7/365, including holidays, nights and weekends. Or visit Duncan Aviation’s There’s no need to make dozens of calls and scour the internet looking for a part or service. Duncan Aviation has the component solutions you require and will quickly fulfill those needs.

To see more, check out our Parts Search at www.DuncanAviation.aero/parts. You can also download our mobile parts app to search from your phone. Just visit www.DuncanAviation.aero/apps.

“When I’m told I’m going to get my unit back in three days, I get my unit back in three days, usually before.”
—Paul Paxton, Director of Maintenance

Paul Paxton runs a tight flight operation for Herzog Contracting Corp., performing a delicate balancing act keeping their fleet operational and ready for their weekly flights. “Wherever we have business, the aircraft have to be ready to go,” says Paul.

Headquartered in St. Joseph, Missouri, their weekly flights have taken them to 46 states and six countries. Herzog supports the growth of community and state infrastructures by building commuter rail and freight systems, as well as road, highway and airport construction projects.

Their flight hours fluctuate widely from week to week and month to month. This heavy flying schedule takes a lot of planning and constant communication. As the director of maintenance, Paul follows a detailed plan to keep the aircraft and all of the hourly components up-to-date with their maintenance schedules.

But as we all know, things happen and not always according to a set schedule. And when they do, it is important to have a back-up plan to get things back on track.

Paul recently found himself in a situation where his aircraft were going to be down at the same time due to the actual hours flown being nearly double what was expected. That caused one of the starter generators to get critically near the end of its hours. It needed to come out immediately and get sent in for overhaul.

Paul doesn’t keep a lot of spares on hand. Therefore, when he pulls a component for overhaul or repair, it essentially creates an AOG situation. “I either have to exchange it or have it expedited through the overhaul.” Preferring to have his own component back, he picked up the phone and called his back-up plan, Joy Damian. Joy is a customer account representative for Duncan Aviation’s Accessories department.

It was 4 o’clock in the afternoon on a Wednesday when Joy received Paul’s call. “I’m pulling a starter and I need it back ASAP. Can you help me out?” To which she replied, “We’ll work it in.”

After Paul made the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Duncan Aviation in Lincoln, Nebraska, the starter generator was entered into the work order system and on the bench by 7:30 p.m. that same night. Once the overhaul was performed with brush replacements and final inspections, the work order was signed off at 6:37 a.m. Friday morning.

It was delivered back into Paul’s hands Friday afternoon and was installed and ready well ahead of the following week’s busy schedule.

Paul explains why he turns to Joy and Duncan Aviation when time is critical. “When Joy tells me I’m going to get my unit back in three days, I get my unit back in three days, usually before. There’s a high level of comfort knowing that I can confidently schedule future flights and other activities based on the date she promises.” Paul goes on to say the reason Joy is successful in her position is that she is backed by a team of skilled technicians who tackle the work. “I can rely upon what she says. That’s huge.”

Read more from the Fall 2015 Duncan Debrief Magazine

Duncan Aviation has acquired the capabilities to completely overhaul and repair landing gear for both commercial and business Embraer aircraft at our Lincoln, Nebraska, facility. With the necessary technical data, maintenance manuals and aircraft landing gear parts, Duncan Aviation's Accessories Services has received and successfully overhauled its first set of ERJ-145 landing gear.

Before

"We have been completing landing gear inspections and overhauls on the most popular business aviation make/model landing gear for 30 years," said Tony Curtis, accessories team leader. "There were no surprises with the Embraer landing gear."

He explained that landing gear all perform the same basic function and have similar features and load capacities appropriate for the aircraft. The only difference was learning the uniqueness of the Embraer gear.

In 2013, the aircraft accessories shop in Lincoln, Nebraska, went through major renovations that more than doubled the shop area, gaining approximately 6,300 square feet of service area, doubling its work benches and adding new tooling and in-house capabilities, including an overhead crane and a new paint booth with curing room.

After

Tony's team is trained, experienced and equipped with the proper tooling and access to Embraer parts and repair processes. 

Duncan Aviation Embraer Landing Gear Capabilities include the following:

• Embraer 135 (Legacy 600/650) business aircraft
• Embraer 145 series commercial airline

For more information, contact Duncan Aviation accessories service sales for quotes and scheduling information.

Take a moment and watch this before and after ERJ-145 overhaul video. 

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"Space and time—they're the top two reasons operators come to Duncan Aviation instead of trying to sell their excess parts on their own," says Parts Expert Susan Masek.

After all, how many operators have the extra square footage required to house all of their surplus parts? And who has the time and marketing resources to match these parts with potential customers?

Not many, which is why so many operators choose to pair up with Duncan Aviation's aircraft parts consignment program.

"Instead of an operator storing, cataloging, advertising, selling, invoicing, collecting payment, packaging and shipping parts on their own, we take care of it all for them," says Susan. "We buy parts. We buy avionics. But sometimes consigning is the best option."

For three decades, the consignment experts at Duncan Aviation have helped operators convert surplus parts to cash. They have it down to a science.

To read more about this process, view our Spring 2015 Duncan Debrief. 

Every minute of every day, Duncan Aviation Parts Sales is waiting for your call.

“Some of my customers say they feel bad calling at 1 a.m., or on a holiday, but I tell them these are normal hours for us. We’re here, waiting to help,” explains Shirley Crouch, team leader for Duncan Aviation Parts Sales. “And at the end of the day, I really love helping customers find a solution when they keep running into walls.”

Shirley’s years of experience combined with her team’s 24/7/365 availably means each customer who calls receives streamline, top-notch customer service.

Duncan Aviation Parts Sales in Action

Shirley recently answered a call from a customer in Spain who had to be up and running in less than 24 hours. Based on past experience, she feared customs might cause a delay.

So she opted to have a courier hand-carry the aircraft parts to ensure all customs requirements were addressed along the way, reducing the AOG time from days to just hours.

“We will go to the ends of the earth to get a part to a customer who is AOG,” says Shirley.

The customer was ecstatic, as he fully understood how difficult his request was to fulfill on a short timeline as well as adhere to all import and export regulations—a task Duncan Aviation team members continually educate themselves on.

His aircraft was up and running in more than enough time to make the trip to Singapore.

Contact Us Today

Duncan Aviation’s Parts Sales team provides customers with an experience, unlike any other. They use their imagination to creatively solve the issues their customers face, and Shirley says customers know they can depend on her and the rest of the Duncan Aviation team.

That's why customers call back—all hours of the day, 365 days a year.

A near-record number of landing gear sets and components are in-house at Duncan Aviation’s accessories shop in Lincoln, NE.

According to Tony Curtis, landing gear team leader, seven full sets of landing gear and a “whole slew” of individual components, such as struts and oleos, have filled the shop and kept the schedule very busy. All shifts are working tirelessly overhauling or inspecting gear sets and components from Challenger 300, Challenger 604, Challenger 601, Learjet and King Air aircraft.

Although three sets have been completed and already shipped back to operators, Jon Hein, accessories service sales rep, says the workload doesn’t appear to be letting up anytime soon. “Over the next several weeks, many more sets and component parts are scheduled to arrive.”

Because an aircraft can’t go anywhere without its legs, Duncan Aviation has invested heavily in the landing gear customer more than doubling its Accessories shop area, gaining approximately 6,300 square feet of service area, doubling its work benches and adding new tooling and in-house capabilities, including an overhead crane and a new paint booth with curing room.

In 2014, they acquired the capabilities to completely overhaul and repair landing gear for both commercial and business Embraer aircraft. With the necessary technical data, maintenance manuals and aircraft landing gear parts, Duncan Aviation’s Accessories Services has received and successfully overhauled two sets of Embraer gear to comply with the 144-month landing gear restoration.

Take a moment and watch this before and after ERJ-145 overhaul video.

 An aircraft’s battery is one of the highest-maintenance components on board. Not many other items are due every three months or 100 hours. And for organizations with heavy flight schedules, such as charter services or air ambulances, batteries could require the aircraft to be down nearly every month.

Yet this workhorse of a unit is continually ignored, left idle and unused for long stretches of time, pushed hard with low levels and occasionally allowed to deep discharge. Through it all, it is expected to function without fail.

And it is cursed when, during that one critical flight when the company’s president is on board, the battery will not crank and the aircraft and passengers are stranded.

Although the first reaction may be to fault the battery, according to Brian Teeters, aircraft battery technician for Duncan Aviation, most premature battery failures can be contributed to one thing…human error.

Purchase the Correct Battery

A well-maintained battery will provide three to five years of dedicated service, maybe even more. And that premature failure is not a defect or fault on the part of the battery, but rather on the operator for not purchasing the correct battery required for their flying schedule. 

The best battery purchase for a charter company, air ambulance or any other company that flies short, frequent one- and two-hour flights many times a day or week is not be the same battery that will provide years of faithful service to a flight department with a less demanding schedule.  

Environmental conditions are also a factor. Brian says extreme cold and hot climates, such as the northern territories of Canada or along the equator will impact the longevity and effectiveness of battery life.

Brian warns, however, that just having the correct battery for your flight operation will not prevent premature failure. Batteries still require regular maintenance and care.

Properly Care for the Battery

When asked for one piece of advice regarding batteries, he was quick to point out “most problems could be avoided if the last one out of the cockpit would simply shut off the lights.

“The number one reason aircraft batteries fail at start-up is because they were allowed to deep discharge overnight when the master switch was left on.”

An overnight deep discharge is especially devastating for lead acid batteries. When a small charge is left to pull from these batteries, even for just a few days, the cells are destroyed. There is no alternative but to replace them.

“Make sure all the switches are off before putting the aircraft to bed. It takes only a few seconds to shut it down, but many pilots miss that step,” Brian says.

To some, an aircraft battery is a simple purchase. However, based on the number of batteries that come to Duncan Aviation for maintenance and repair, it is a purchase that should be taken seriously.

Brian and the rest of the Duncan Aviation battery team see up to 150 batteries every week.

This two-room shop has every test set, battery charger and capacity gauge available to perform capacity checks, testing and maintenance for every aircraft battery in service on the various business aircraft in use today. About 75 percent of the batteries that arrive at the shop are checked, charged and returned to customers in fewer than five days, with many others in fewer than two.

He knows more about aircraft batteries than most. And he wishes operators would give batteries more credit.

Think about it. The batteries are the first component to engage an aircraft’s electrical system and the last line of defense before everything shuts down in an emergency.

You want them to work.

You need them to work.

Before making this important purchase, discuss your needs and operation requirements with a provider who has extensive technical experience and knowledge servicing aircraft batteries. Might I suggest this smart guy. 

Brian’s advice for getting the most out of your aircraft battery:

• If operating with lead-acid batteries, having the electrolytes at a proper level is necessary. Too often this gets checked only once a year.
• Make sure the master switch is in the off position before shutting down the aircraft and walking away.
• When on the ground, disconnect the aircraft batteries and use ground batteries.
• Use ground power assist at start-up.
• Perform periodic voltage and visual inspections. There should be no excessive voltage difference between cells, electrolyte build-up or bulging cells.
• Don’t ignore the 100-hour inspection requirement.