The Duncan Download Blog: Business Aviation Advice & Observations

That screwdriver that mysteriously went missing from the toolbox, a scrap of wire or a pack of Lifesavers might not look threatening. But as any A&P Tech will tell you, anything that’s somewhere it doesn’t belong sets the stage for a potentially dangerous situation. Such objects are known as FOD, and Duncan Aviation’s technicians are finding more of them more frequently.

It is common knowledge that any foreign object in, on or around an aircraft can have tragic results. Yet some of our airframe techs have discovered many of these objects during inspections across all makes and models of aircraft. Everything from small bits of trash to misplaced pieces of on-board equipment have been found trapped under floorboards and lying on top of wire bundles.

The definitions of FOD can be as varied as the objects that can cause it: Foreign Object Damage, Foreign Object Debris, etc. One thing all aviation experts agree on is that if FOD is in your aircraft or if it affects the external areas of your aircraft it can lead to an extremely serious situation. FOD comes in many forms–typically debris from other aircraft. It can be nothing more than a small rivet or any other type of object on the ramp or runway.

Tire punctures are common with runway FOD. Hopefully this type of debris is caught during pre-flight inspections and the result is only an inexpensive tire replacement and not a blowout during takeoff.

Internal FOD can result from work crews leaving an object trapped behind a panel or floorboard somewhere on the aircraft. It can even be a part of the airplane that was moved and not returned to its proper place.

During inspections, our techs have discovered items ranging from tie-raps, avionic control buttons, pencils and even an auxiliary gear handle that was lying on top of the flight control pulleys under the co-pilot floor. Any FOD trapped under floorboards can be a potential hazard to the safe operation of an aircraft. Sharp objects found lying on wire bundles, hydraulic lines, pitot static lines, etc., are especially dangerous and can have a chafing potential which can again lead to a catastrophic failure.

Consider this fictional nightmare scenario: After a maintenance event, an auxiliary gear handle is left under the pilot’s floor lying on top of the flight control pulleys. The crew has done a thorough preflight, but does not have X-ray vision and has no idea what’s below them. They start down the runway for the flight home and just as the PNF (pilot not flying) calls V1 (the decision speed to abort the takeoff or fly) one engine quits, so the PF (pilot flying) immediately adds rudder for directional control. The auxiliary gear handle slips from its resting place due to the abnormal side loads and wedges into the rudder cables. The rudder is designed to travel a set number of degrees to give a pilot the required directional control at the speed above V1. Since the handle is now restricting the designed amount of deflection, the pilot’s only option is to reduce power on the good engine to match what rudder is available and PRAY that is enough.

Depending on the type of FOD, a loss of any system aboard an airplane is possible. This can lead to a life-threatening scenario during takeoff, flight and landing. Normally these types of FOD issues don’t arise because of the professional training and maintenance ethics of A&Ps. Vigilance to the task at hand can eliminate many forms of FOD.

When it comes to FOD, carelessness should never be tolerated and strict procedures must be followed. Duncan Aviation is extremely serious about FOD and has an inspection system in place that is strictly adhered to in order to ensure that all foreign objects, regardless of area of origination, are secured prior to panel/floor close up. At Duncan Aviation a task on or around an aircraft is not completed until FOD is eliminated. Make sure to review the FOD procedures at any maintenance facility you might choose and make sure they take FOD as seriously as they should.

Engine FOD Potentially Catastrophic

Engine FOD can be the most dangerous of all FOD. Any material that rips through any engine can cause a catastrophic failure. Engine FOD is both internal and external. Internal FOD can be mitigated through the use of strict procedures. (Check to see the procedures your service provider uses.) External FOD requires proper planning and observation to eliminate.

Internal FOD may include any tool, part or anything a technician may use while servicing an engine. Rivets are common FOD elements for engines. Years ago, a chief pilot decided to test his flight crew’s FOD procedures by placing his hat inside an engine intake. Before he could warn them of his plan, they tested the engine. Several thousand dollars of damage resulted.

External FOD is much more dangerous if the aircraft is in flight. External FOD may include airborne debris such as a sand storm or volcanic ash from an eruption or even hail or ice ingestion. Be aware of FAA NOTAMs in the area of your flight plan. Also be careful when taxiing behind large aircraft as their jet blast and general size can kick up quite a bit of debris.

The damage to the TFE731 engine above was caused by a bird strike. We found damage to the fan blades, nose cowl leading edge, fan stator, and compressor impeller... just to name a few. Depending on the strike, one bird can cause more than half-a-million dollars in damages.

Duncan Aviation's Battle Creek, Michigan, avionics team recently rolled out an off-site avionics service that allows business aircraft operators in the Chicago area to schedule comprehensive avionics line service in their hangars and at their airports instead of at one of Duncan Aviation's maintenance facilities.

"We value our many customers and contacts in the Chicago area and want to make sure they receive the avionics line support they need," says Paul Cummings, avionics manager at Duncan Aviation's Battle Creek facility. "So we have evaluated our avionics team and determined a way to provide scheduled in-the-field service for operators at the Chicago area airports. This saves the customer fuel and travel time, decreases their aircraft usage and makes avionics line maintenance events less disruptive to their overall schedules."

To schedule avionics line service in Chicago, call +1 630.207.7460.

Here are other in-field services available to operators across the United States.

Engine

Duncan Aviation also continues to staff an engine Rapid Response Team (RRT) in the Chicago area. Duncan Aviation engine service offices support AOG engine emergencies and scheduled engine maintenance events at our full service facilities in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Battle Creek, with RRTs supporting operators in the field. Each service office is interdependent, sharing staff and resources to support customers wherever and whenever they need engine service. To reach Duncan Aviation's engine RRT services, call 877.522.0111.

In-The-Field Interior

Duncan Aviation interior service specialists are able to provide scheduled, unscheduled and road trip interior service to customers requiring aircraft interior needs outside of a major Duncan Aviation facility.

In-The-Field Maintenance

Duncan Aviation has airframe maintenance teams ready to spring into action when needed for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance services in the field. Duncan Aviation has several company aircraft at its disposal to help move people, tools and parts quickly to best meet customer needs.

To the average person, a 96-month Embraer Legacy 600 inspection looks a lot like organized chaos—organized being the key word.

Neatly catalogued aircraft parts surround a gutted fuselage. Airframe technicians line the interior and exterior of the aircraft, checking and testing every inch, looking for needed repairs.

Add an interior refurbishment, new paint, a Wi-Fi system installation and you'll start to understand why a project of this magnitude takes time to plan and complete.

"Upon delivery, the jet is, in many ways, new again," explains Project Manager Tracy Hein. "Every inch of that aircraft is touched by several professionals—from airframe technicians to interior install experts and paint team members. And before delivery, we go over it again, ensuring the aircraft leaves our facility as flawless as it was on its first flight."

Read more about the Embraer Legacy 600 custom solutions, spot-on paint and final business jet touches here.

Or watch the tip-to-tail refurbushment in the following three-minute video.

 

Duncan Aviation works with a variety of customers. The majority use their aircraft for business purposes, some have personal aircraft and a small portion are pilots themselves. A very select group fit all three categories.

When a customer came to Duncan Aviation's Battle Creek facility with a Dassault Falcon 50EX, his mission was to leave with the best upgrades in the cabin, as well as the flight deck.

"Our customer dubbed the Falcon a Time Machine, and wanted to ensure this time saver was the most comfortable and efficient tool to get from point A to point B," says Completions Sales Rep Nate Darlington, confirming that the creative tail number M-CFLY was, in fact, a Back to the Future time-traveler movie reference.

After completing a pre-buy inspection through Duncan Aviation, the aircraft went directly into an airframe inspection, complete interior refurbishment, complete aircraft paint refurbishment, Cabin Management System (CMS) installation and flight deck upgrades.

Read more about the completed Time Machine in the Spring 2015 issue of the Duncan Debrief.

 

In the April 2015 Duncan Intelligence, Dave Ungvarsky, Hawker tech rep, talked about how some of the information in Chapter 24 of the AMM goes unnoticed or unheeded.

During a recent project, the Duncan Aviation Hawker airframe team troubleshot an aircraft with intermittent static plate heat. Their investigation revealed a damaged terminal block which most likely resulted from improper torqueing of the terminal nut and improper orientation of the terminals themselves.

Most of us are familiar with the torqueing of fasteners as required in the AMM for the task being performed. If no specific torque value is noted, then we rely on Chapter 20 (Standard Practices) for determining the proper torque value. Unfortunately, sometimes the information on torque loading contained in Chapter 24 (Torque Loading of Electrical Connections) goes unnoticed or unheeded.

That appears to be the situation here with the damaged terminal block. Not only were the terminals not oriented correctly, it appears an improper torque was applied.

Chapter 24 contains essential information to assure that electrical connections are properly made to ensure that systems operate correctly and are safe.

Duncan Intelligence

Do you want to read more technical articles about the Hawker airframe? Go to the Hawker Duncan Intelligence archives  here.

For more than 18 years, Duncan Aviation has been producing the Duncan Intelligence, a free, technical newsletter for business aircraft owners and operators.

Written in-house by experienced technical reps, each edition includes technical tips and advice on topics and trends in business aviation.

It's free. Subscribe now and have it sent directly to your in-box every month. 

Tim Garity, a longtime Tech Rep with Duncan Aviation, loves aviation, but he also enjoys the people he has met along the way.

Like many 18-year-olds, he joined the military so he could see the world. Originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, Tim was thrilled to be stationed on a naval aviation base in Hawaii and rotate from there to bases in Thailand, the Philippines and Japan. His stint in the Navy did more than offer travel opportunities; through it, he found his calling in life.

In 1977, Tim began working in the business aviation industry. In the intervening years, industry changes have been numerous and momentous, and he has enjoyed being on the forefront of aviation technology and mechanics.

However, what he values most are the ongoing, long-term relationships he’s established with Duncan Aviation customers over the years – particularly those who own Astra aircraft.

“I’ve enjoyed working on the Astra because I know the aircraft pretty well, and I’ve always thought the Astra is a well-built, easily maintained plane,” says Tim.

Tim first learned about the Astra in 1985, the year they were type-certificated. And in his Tech Rep position at Duncan Aviation, he began working on the newly certified Israel Aircraft Industries’ Astra in 1986.

“Astras have a niche in the industry where the pilots and mechanics both really like the aircraft,” says Tim.  “Owners who have bought one tend to buy them again and again.”

It’s All About Relationships

Phil Carrell, Director of Maintenance at Cin-Air, shares Tim’s long history with the Astra. Phil went to A&P school at the Somerset State Vocational Tech school in Somerset, Kentucky, and the opportunity for hands-on experience is what drew him to aviation in the first place.

“When I was growing up in Bloomington, Indiana, my next door neighbor built airplanes in his garage,” says Phil. “It intrigued me that someone could build an airplane out of nothing.”

In the late 1980s, Cin-Air managed a fleet that included a Citation II, a Westwind and a King Air, and looking to replace the Westwind, Phil’s boss began researching the Astra. They had worked with Duncan Aviation in the past, so when they decided to add to their fleet, they contacted Rene Cardona, a member of Duncan Aviation’s Aircraft Sales and Acquisition team.

“We had worked with Rene in the past and trusted his recommendations,” says Phil. “Our boss believed that the Astra would be a good fit for our company, and when Rene confirmed it, we decided to fly over to the UK and take a look at one.”

In 1990, Phil and Tim traveled to Manchester, England, to look at an Astra SP. Based on that assessment and the market information Rene had provided them, Cin-Air bought the Astra.

Extending the Family

“We liked the economics of the Astra and appreciated its operational capabilities; it was a high-speed, long-range aircraft with a stand-up cabin, and it had all of the latest comforts,” says Phil. “The Astra was a great airplane, and I loved to fly it. It was reliable, and I got to know it well over the years.”

In 2000, Cin-Air added another SP to its fleet because they were so pleased with the aircraft’s reliability. Cin-Air kept the first Astra SP for about 14 years, and in 2004, traded it in for an SPX. Last year, they traded both Astra aircraft for a G200.

“We like the G200 quite well; it was the second in our fleet,” says Phil. “We got our first G200 brand new in 2006. Because we know and like this airplane, and it’s in the same family of aircraft, we bought a third, so now our fleet consists of three G200s.”

Despite changing the composition of the fleet, one thing has remained fairly constant in the last two and a half decades: Cin-Air has turned to Duncan Aviation to service its fleet and provide sales assistance on many occasions.

“When we need refurbishments or paint, I always call Tim Klenke,” says Phil. “My company and I have always valued our relationship with Duncan Aviation because of the honesty and integrity of everyone at the company. Honesty is paramount in our business. We will absolutely continue to do business with Duncan Aviation, and we’ve started taking our aircraft to the Battle Creek, Michigan, facility because it’s so much closer for us.”

Submitted By Jeff Schipper, Project Manager PVU

Duncan Aviation’s Provo, Utah, facility both gave and received an early Christmas present this year in the guise of an Embraer Legacy 144-month (L24) inspection. During this inspection, we restored the landing gear and installed an Aircell ATG5000 cabin Wi-Fi system, among many other smaller items.

Space constraints presented the Provo crew with unique challenges, but with the requested outdate in mind, our teams worked together and creatively resolved those challenges. We aggressively dealt with the turntimes on the landing gear in order to meet our customer's limited downtime. The landing gear team at our Lincoln, Nebraska, facility finished the overhaul and shipped the landing gear back to Provo within a day of the requested return date.

Another challenge resulted from a missing aircraft Electrical Load Analysis (ELA) document. The ELA is comparable to the aircraft Weight and Balance Manual—only it’s for the aircraft electrical system. Our avionics install team worked with our Embraer contacts and procured a manual for this serial number in time for our team to perform the final calculations and produce the appropriate paperwork on our end for delivery.

To limit yet maximize downtime for this popular charter aircraft, our interior team worked with the customer on which repairs we could accomplish after the interior was removed for the inspection. The team ended up finishing several high-profile pieces of woodwork and had everything looking like new by the time installation day rolled around.

As often happens, a couple of gremlins dogged the final day—a landing light burned out and a flow pack gave up just before delivery. Troubleshooting and procuring parts ended up pushing delivery back a day, but the aircraft arrived at its home on Tuesday, December 23.

Once home in Scottsdale, the delivery gremlins reappeared; this time, an APU issue sent our Scottsdale Rapid Response team into action and they resolved the issue by early the following morning. 

One of the things that really shined through to our customer with this project was the way Duncan Aviation as a team banded together to support them no matter what facility they were in. This aircraft was worked on in our Provo facility, the landing gear was completed at our Lincoln location and when the aircraft needed after-delivery support in Scottsdale, our Rapid Response team there was quick to respond. This inspection was a true multi-shop, multi-site success story.

Since becoming a Legacy Authorized Service Center, we’ve completed several types of inspections, including L1, L2, L4, and this most recent L24.

Jeff Schipper is a Project Manager at Duncan Aviation's Provo, Utah, facility serving as the central point of contact for his customers' projects ensuring overall project quality and timely aircraft delivery. His aviation career began in 1987.

The Embraer Legacy takes off from Duncan Aviation's picturesque view in Provo, Utah. 

Nondestructive testing, or NDT, is a method of testing for defects in materials without destruction of the materials.

There is some form of NDT testing on nearly every aircraft inspection. It is often required to test aircraft parts, assemblies and other materials to determine if useful life remains or if cracks or corrosion hide below the surfaces.

Eddy current, dye penetrant, ultrasonic and magnetic particle inspections are all NDT methods used for required NDT testing. For major structural inspections on several aircraft models, NDT x-rays are required.

Duncan Aviation has one of the highest skilled in-house non-destructive testing teams in the industry. All technicians are trained and certified for basic Falcon NDT and several certified for advanced Falcon NDT testing. 

It is what they do full-time every day, day in and day out. They do not divide their time with other areas and work NDT part-time. 

The team currently has 8 certified NDT technicians, but to meet increasing demands, both internal and external, more certified NDT technicians are being added. 

Capabilities in Lincoln, Nebraska, are being expanded to include Bombardier Global and Embraer aircraft. And an NDT lab will open soon in Provo Utah. 

Duncan Aviation believes that being prepared to meet the smallest needs of every customer has the biggest impact and has invested millions of dollars in tools, equipment and talent to quickly and efficiently provide for required aviation maintenance services.

Keep reading about Duncan Aviation’s  NDT capabilities  and what sets us apart from other MRO service providers.

When buying or selling an aircraft, nothing can be more stressful than the "moment of truth"–that point in the transaction where the buyer and seller are presented with the aircraft squawk list and it is time for them to negotiate and finalize. Partnering with a service provider who knows how to clearly present its findings and communicate well with all parties involved can allow the key players to breathe a bit easier.

"Pre-purchase evaluations are complex, there’s no way around it," says Tim Klenke, an airframe service sales representative with Duncan Aviation. "Stress can be tempered somewhat, though, when the pre-buy evaluation occurs at a facility with a good reputation, excellent communication and integrity."

Pre-purchase events and aircraft purchases are uncharted territory for many operators. There are a lot of people involved, lots of choices to make and usually some surprises along the way.  

Here are Tim's suggestions on what to look for when selecting a service provider for a pre-buy evaluation.

Top 6 Things When Selecting a Pre-Buy Provider

1. Reputation. How is the facility viewed within the industry?
2. Experience. How many pre-buys does a facility perform? Do the buyer and seller feel comfortable with the provider and have confidence in the provider’s ability to understand and execute the pre-buy according to the terms and conditions of the buyer/seller agreement?
3. Post pre-buy capabilities. Can the facility perform interior work, exterior paint, avionics upgrades and larger inspections?
4. Import/export proficiency. Does the facility have these services if the airplane is coming from or going overseas?
5. Communication. This skill is critical in pre-buys; everything must be crystal clear and understandable for all parties – buyers, sellers, brokers, lawyers and the service facility.
6. Technical support. Does the facility offer in-house Technical Representatives for each model airplane who can engage quickly with OEMs and teams to resolve unexpected issues without disruption in schedule?

This summer, Duncan Aviation will complete the largest expansion project its Lincoln, Nebraska, campus has ever seen. The 175,000-square-foot facility will be comprised of two 40,000-square-foot maintenance hangars and a 95,000-square-foot office and shop space.

As the industry continued to trend toward larger business aircraft, Duncan Aviation recognized their current hangars would soon be unable to accommodate the volume of maintenance, modifications and completions work their customers requested and required. This industry shift is fueled by technological advances and increased globalization

Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Lake said the company decided to build now because the size and number of aircraft they are working on and will continue to work on simply did not fit well in the current hangar space.  

“We anticipated this trend, which is why we invested in the new 45,000-square-foot aircraft paint facility two years ago. Now it was time to support the maintenance side,” Lake said.

Duncan Aviation already boasts a row of hangars that dot the runway at Lincoln’s Municipal airport. Now as the expansion is nearing completion, they will add two more.

To view the progress through photos and a time lapse video, visit http://www.duncanaviation.aero/airframe/promotions/maintenance_hangar_construction.php

To get information and register to attend the Open House Celebration, go here.  

Going Green

When Duncan Aviation’s Senior Team decided it was time to invest in a new, larger hangar facility, they wanted to ensure it was of the highest quality, just like the aircraft services provided inside. That priority also aligned well with the company’s desire to make “green” decisions whenever possible.

“Things that are good for the environment are good for our employees, and that translates into an excellent experience for customers as well,” Lake said.

Kyle Link, Tectonic Management Group, Inc.’s designer/builder senior project manager for the expansion said the materials and design elements chosen are a new concept in hangar environment. From the LED lighting that senses daylight and automatically dims itself to the radiant floor heating, it’s top of the line.

“You can’t cost effectively dim fluorescent lights. You would have to shut off individual bulbs. But LED lights can be dimmed gradually, saving energy and making it less apparent to team members,” Link said. That combined with the skylights and windows, makes the hangar brighter with all the lights off than any of the other hangars with every bulb lit.

During construction, Duncan Aviation made deliberate decisions to go above and beyond the energy code and choose more cost and energy-saving options such as skylights, sidewall daylight panels and radiant floor heat.

“It was really an easy decision to invest a bit more up front and do what’s right for our environment, especially if it means we’ll save money in the long run,” Lake said. “With as quickly as technology changes, we need to be a bit ahead of the game.”

Read more about Duncan Aviation’s Green Hangar in the Spring 2014 Duncan Debrief.