The Duncan Download Blog: Business Aviation Advice & Observations

Duncan Aviation recently refurbished a 12-year-old Gulfstream G550, giving it a whole new interior, a new exterior paint scheme, and an upgraded CMS (Cabin Management System). During this refurbishment, we also performed scheduled maintenance to minimize the impact of the downtime for the client’s flight schedule.

“Because of the reliability of Gulfstream aircraft, they continue to be dependable business tools, regardless of age,” says Completions/Modification Sales Manager Nate Klenke. “This serial number was a top performer in our client’s fleet, so they decided to give it a facelift and keep it flying.”

In addition to the newly painted exterior and company logos to match the fleet, the aircraft was the recipient of the first Honeywell Ovation CMS to be installed on a Gulfstream G550.

Whether passengers are looking for entertainment or a few quiet hours of productivity, the all-digital Honeywell Ovation CMS interfaces with a variety of carry-on devices (Smartphones, iPads, laptop computers) and gives passengers a range of controls for maximum comfort.

Typically, the cabin monitors in a Gulfstream are inset in the windows. Instead, Duncan Aviation Lead Designer Rachael Weverka’s design included one flush-mounted, 22-inch monitor on the right-hand forward partition and one, 19-inch monitor mounted aft on the sidewall over the credenza.

After nearly two years of planning and preparation, our client brought the G550 to Lincoln in June 2016, and we delivered the completed aircraft on budget in September 2016. A client representative was on-site while the aircraft was here, and as part of the team, the representative attended the daily team meetings, was involved in day-to-day decisions, and had access to every Duncan Aviation team member who touched the aircraft.

“We like to partner with our clients on these complex projects and be transparent throughout the entire process,” says Nate Klenke, Completions/Modifications Sales Manager, “This is an example of how Duncan Aviation supports operators through the entire life of the aircraft. Rene Cardona, one of Duncan Aviation’s Aircraft Sales Representatives, helped the customer buy the aircraft 12 years ago and now we have helped extend its usefulness in a very active fight department.”

Read about the rest of this project in the Spring 2017 Duncan Debrief magazine.

Aircraft landing gear overhaul is often viewed as a behind-the-scenes inspection and scheduled alongside, but taking a backseat to, a major airframe inspection. However, it can have a huge impact on the entire project's schedule if the landing gear restoration runs into major squawks. Because an aircraft can't go anywhere without its legs.

XOJET is a leader in private jet travel that is personal, flexible, and on-demand. Headquartered in Brisbane, California, the company operates a fleet that includes Bombardier Challenger 300 and Cessna Citation X aircraft. Although XOJET has only been in business since 2006, this modern alternative to fractional ownership is definitely in demand.

According to Carlos Partida, Senior Maintenance Planner at XOJET, the company’s fleet flies 40% more flight hours per aircraft per year than their closest Part 135 competitor. "Our fleet is smaller by comparison to our competitors," says Carlos. "Making sure the aircraft are available as much as possible is one of my top priorities." Needless to say, that makes downtime very important. And if you ask Carlos, no one manages downtime better than Duncan Aviation.

Work Completed Quickly

Since 2014, Carlos has been sending all of XOJET’s Citation X oleo sets to Duncan Aviation for inspection. They are nearly always returned to service and headed back to XOJET within a week. Prior to using Duncan Aviation, Carlos was used to waiting months. "It takes Duncan Aviation a week, including shipping, to do something that previously took two months for completion."

Of course, Citation X oleos are not the only gear Duncan Aviation services for XOJET. Our Accessory shop regularly has a complete set of the fleet’s Challenger 300 gear in the shop for 96-month inspections.

Switching to Duncan Aviation was not only a time saver, Carlos says. It has had a positive impact on XOJET’s bottom line. "When our aircraft are not flying, they are not producing revenue." 

Work Completed Well

Carlos also expresses his appreciation for the level of customer service he has received from everyone at Duncan Aviation. "They always deliver the highest in quality work at the best possible downtime savings, served up with a level of customer service that is first rate. Everyone on the Duncan Aviation team is so willing to accommodate all of my requirements. I can’t speak highly enough about the customer service," he says.

Chris Fields

Chris Fields is a Duncan Aviation Master Technician working on the landing gear team since 2008. He knows a thing or two about landing gear and he knows a lot about the Challenger 300 and Citation X gear that come off of XOJET aircraft.

When XOJET sends their gear sets to Duncan Aviation, Chris often takes the lead, especially when it comes to the Citation X main gear oleo doc inspections.

"XOJET takes great care of their gear. They schedule inspections on time and everything is well-documented," says Chris. "We see several sets of oleos every year and typically will have them completed and returned within four days."

This story was recently published in the Spring 2017 Duncan Debrief magazine. Follow the link below to find more stories like this or subscribe to receive your own copy. 

A little more than 10 years ago, a team of Duncan Aviation project managers and computer programmers had a vision for a communication tool that would help them provide even better customer service and more efficient approvals and keep everyone involved in a complicated multi-shop aircraft project up-to-date. The result, which launched in September 2006, was myDuncan, a web-based portal that allows customers greater access and better control of their projects from anywhere in the world.

myDuncan has been a phenomenal success. It is available to all Duncan Aviation customers with aircraft onsite for airframe, avionics, and engine projects. They can also manage send-in repairs with Component Status Tracking. Nearly all customers transform their computers and mobile devices into “virtual offices” to manage their aircraft projects whether they stay with their aircraft or not. And many travel back to their home bases.

Of the 2,343 aircraft projects delivered in 2016, more than half were managed off-site, allowing the aircraft representatives to stay current on project status, item approvals, and budget while keeping up on things at work and at home.

 Read what Duncan Aviation customers are saying about the benefits myDuncan in the Spring 2017 Duncan Debrief magazine.

Did you now the U.S. House of Representatives are expected to vote on the privatization of the ATC? How about how to help prevent corrosion to the avionics units in the radome? No? Then you haven't read the July issue of the Duncan Intelligence.

July Duncan Intelligence

You Have 48 Hours To Stand Against The Privatization of ATC    The General Aviation industry stands against the privatization of ATC. They need our help.  Honeywell Issues Reliability Service Bulletin AS907-73-9005 This Honeywell SB replaces the main fuel control on the AS907-2-1G model engine found on the Gulfstream G280 aircraft. Pratt & Whitney Canada Service Bulletin Update This is a brief update and guidance on maintenance topics for Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW500 engine family. Is Your Radar Unit Always Corroded? Check the Radome. A solid seal around the radome will help prevent corrosion of the avionics units inside. Intermittent Switches on JET Yaw Damper Computers  The Yaw Damper switches are well known for becoming intermittent and stuck causing the unit to not function.

Duncan Aviation’s First Honeywell TFE731 CZI Event Lands in Lincoln Read More. Duncan Aviation Assigns Dedicated Program Admin for After Market Warranty Programs Read More.

Be Kind. The person you help today may turn out to be the person you need tomorrow.

In 1997, Susan Masek was calling on aircraft parts brokers to locate parts in support of Duncan Aviation’s in-house aircraft maintenance customers. Every day she picked up her phone and attempted to locate the units on her list.

While searching, Susan often called the same brokers again and again. Over time, she learned who she could rely on to find what she needed. Susan’s first phone call was always to Meredith Daoud, who, at the time, worked for an aircraft parts broker in California.

"I knew Meredith had hundreds of customers, OEMs, FBOs, other MROs, and aircraft management companies. But when I called her, I always felt like I was the only one she was helping that day," says Susan. "She was the best at customer service and nearly always delivered what I needed."

Making Changes

 In 2005, Meredith and her husband Jerry stepped out on faith, moving to McKinney, Texas, and starting their own parts brokerage business—Trinity Aviation.

And because Susan wasn’t the only customer who thought Meredith was exceptional at her job, when Trinity opened for business, many of Meredith’s former customers became Trinity customers. "I work hard to build relationships," says Meredith. "I want to get to know clients beyond the transaction. People appreciate that and respond."

At about the same time, Susan was in the middle of her own transition at Duncan Aviation, leaving the maintenance side and joining Duncan Aviation’s Parts & Rotables Sales team. Instead of purchasing parts, it was now her responsibility to locate and sell aircraft parts, instruments, and components. Guess who called?

Meredith knew from the beginning that she would be relying heavily on Duncan Aviation to help her fulfill the needs of Trinity Aviation’s customers. On one of her first calls to Duncan Aviation, by chance, she was connected to a new Parts Sales Rep, and an old friend.

Thirteen years later, the relationship between Trinity Aviation and Duncan Aviation is a strong one, connected by a professional friendship between Meredith and Susan.

Susan Masek

"When we think of Duncan Aviation, we think of Susan. For us, she is Duncan Aviation."
–Meredith Daoud, Trinity Aviation

When Meredith Daoud has a customer in search of aircraft parts, her first phone call is to Susan Masek. "She is extremely knowledgeable," Meredith says. "I trust all the information she provides and if she doesn’t have the answers right away, she’ll research it and call us back. Her customer service is first-rate."

This story was recently published in the Spring 2017 Duncan Debrief magazine. Follow the link below to find more stories like this or subscribe to receive your own copy. 

In the fall of 2016, Duncan Aviation refurbished a 12-year-old Gulfstream G550, giving it a whole new interior, a new exterior paint scheme, and an upgraded CMS (Cabin Management System). During this refurbishment, we also performed scheduled maintenance to minimize the impact of the downtime for the client’s flight schedule.

Duncan Aviation Lead Designer Rachael Weverka redesigned the interior for the Gulfstream, proposing an updated color scheme, all new soft goods (fabrics, seat upholstery, headliner fabrics) in the cabin and a unique combination of natural veneers and colored accents.

She has been designing aircraft interiors at Duncan Aviation for the last 6 years, and recently, she’s noticed a shift in customers’ preferences. In 2010, her customers were concerned about the resale value of their aircraft, and that translated into fairly conservative designs.

Although they were elegant and professional, the interiors featured muted colors, and there were few personal touches. In the relatively small business aviation market, an interior with the vibrant colors of an owner’s favorite sports team, for instance, wouldn’t have had wide appeal. Only rarely did companies put their logos on the aircraft, inside or out.

“Now, owners want their interiors to reflect their personalities,” says Rachael. “The custom designs involve colors, fabrics, and textures we haven’t often used in aircraft interiors. It’s been fun to be part of this shift.”

In the last few months, for instance, Rachael has designed seats that match the colors, fabrics, and styling of a customer’s sports car, and she’s currently incorporating gold-toned snakeskin fabric in another interior.

Read about the rest of this project in the Spring 2017 Duncan Debrief magazine.

Lyn Johnson, Director of Maintenance for Gaughan Flying for the last 29 years, has done business with the Duncan Aviation Las Vegas Satellite Shop since it opened in 1995.Additionally, Lyn has been friends with Duncan Aviation’s Engine Tech Rep Bill Walker from Battle Creek, Michigan, for nearly 15 years.

Lyn and Bill have been friends for years.  Before coming to work at Duncan Aviation in 2004, Bill was an engine mechanic for a company near his home in Granite City, Illinois, where Lyn took his Challenger for maintenance. After moving to Duncan Aviation as an Engine Tech Rep, Lyn and Bill have maintained contact and their professional friendship. Lyn considers Bill a CF34 guru, and Bill continues to do the engine work for the Challenger 850 SE.

In early 2017, Bill and two Engine Techs, Team Leader Jeff Lowery and Tech Dave Cordova from the Scottsdale, Arizona, Rapid Response Team performed a borescope on the Challenger’s CF34s, also in its own hangar in Las Vegas. 

Bill is always happy to get together with Lyn to talk and work on the Challenger’s engines.

“Lyn is a mechanic’s mechanic. He's one of those guys who has encyclopedic knowledge of aviation; he has an answer for everything. He’s a great guy who’s been in aviation long enough that he's seen it all, and he takes it all in stride,” says Bill. “Running a flight department and managing a big jet is a challenge, and Lyn does it with ease.”

"Everything works as advertised,just like everything Duncan Aviation does." -Lyn Johnson, DOM, Gaughan Flying. Read more about this project in the Spring 2017 Duncan Debrief Magazine. 

During the last several years, Duncan Aviation took the lead in the aviation industry and held dozens of free seminars explaining the ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) mandate.

Now, Duncan Aviation has once again taken the lead to get the word out about the urgency of installing ADS-B in your aircraft well before the January 1, 2020, deadline.

ADS-B by the Numbers

The math doesn’t favor general aviation operators who wait. Estimates put the number of aircraft that need modification in the many thousands. In the remaining 30 months, operators will need to schedule hangar space at shops with qualified, experienced avionics technicians who have access to STCs (Supplemental Type Certificates), SBs (Service Bulletins), and pairing data.

“Everyone in the industry seems to be putting off the upgrades,” says Ed Hillman, DOM for two Citations. “In our opinion, there’ll be a rush of operators trying to get their aircraft in compliance at the last minute. There won’t be hangar space or enough qualified technicians available.”

Duncan Aviation has a network of 26 Satellite Avionics Shops and work-away stations located at the busiest airports in the United States. Each shop has knowledgeable, experienced avionics technicians who have already brought dozens of aircraft into compliance with the ADS-B mandate.

“In the last two years, we’ve upgraded close to 300 aircraft of all makes and models,” says Matt Nelson, Manager of Satellite Operations. “Because the techs at our Satellite Avionics Shops have done these installations, and they currently have hangar capacity, we’re encouraging our customers to contact the Satellite nearest their home hangar and schedule a two-week time slot.”

Duncan Aviation’s ADS-B Slot Program

The ADS-B mandate has presented the business aviation community with some challenges, but the Duncan Aviation Satellite network has stepped up to help our customers get their aircraft in compliance. The slot program allocates two spots per satellite per month for ADS-B upgrades. This program holds a confirmed date and hangar space for one aircraft, and operators can call now to reserve the spots for 2018 and 2019 and throughout the rest of 2017.

To reserve your slot today, contact the Satellite Avionics Shop nearest you.

For more information call Duncan Aviation or Regional Avionics Sales Manager Mark Francetic (702.303.4888). 

 Learn More About Why NOW is the Time to Complete the ADS-B Mandate

There are 1,500 plank screws in the wings of a Falcon 900 aircraft, and 2,100 in the wings of a Falcon 7X. Every time a plank needs to be removed for inspection, all screws must come out, get cleaned, and replaced in their original positions. The whole process is labor-intensive and used to take more than 40 labor hours to complete. But no longer…

During a time they would much rather forget, the Duncan Aviation Fuel Team spent hours preparing for the removal of every Falcon wing plank by manually creating cardboard cutouts that matched the unique screw patterns of each section. One by one the screws were removed from underneath the wing and placed in the corresponding hole of the cardboard. This individual attention continued as hand tools were used to remove the sealant one screw at a time.

It is very important to keep the screws in order so they are put back in the exact position they were removed from. If they are not, the nutplates on the inside of wing can be damaged. If this happens, the wing plank has to come off again to repair it.

Each time an aircraft needed a plank removed, a new set of cardboard sections were prepared.

The process worked, but not without some headaches and mishaps. The cardboard planks were often jostled or bumped causing the screws to spill, resulting in more time spent consulting airframe manuals and sorting them out.

Born out of the frustration of doing the same activity over and over again for hours at a time, a set of aluminum screw boards was fabricated for each Falcon aircraft model, eliminating hours of prep time.

The largest reduction of labor hours was realized during the cleaning phase. After much discussion, research and testing, a stainless steel tank was purchased to submerge the boards in solvent. After soaking for a couple of nights and being rinsed with water, the screws come out looking like new.

The boards and soaking tank took what was once a 40+ labor hour job down to three hours. Now, operators down for fuel leaks or a fuel tank inspection can potentially be back in the air in a matter of days.

The Primary Driving Force Of New Inventions Is Need.

Duncan Aviation technicians are some of the most forward-thinking aviation professionals. Their desire to make their work environment safer, time more efficient, and provide a better service has produced tooling, fixtures and maintenance procedures that have fulfilled some very real needs.

Read more examples of how this innovation affects work for Duncan Aviation customers and team members in the Spring 2017 Duncan Debrief. 

They say the business of business aviation happens at EBACE (European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition). No where did that happen more than the Duncan Aviation booth. 

Over three days during EBACE 2017, hundreds of attendees stopped by to say hello, giving our team the opportunity to connect with customers, business partners and friends. We value this time to strengthen established relationships and forge new ones. 

According to the EBACE website this year's show occupied more than 40,000 square-meters of exhibit floor by more than 400 exhibitors. The static display featured 56 business aircraft. EBACE 2017 attendees came from more than 100 countries, from the European region and beyond.

We had a lot of fun. Hope you did too. Have a look at our EBACE 2017 photo album below.