The Duncan Download Blog: Business Aviation Advice & Observations

When it comes to comparing aircraft maintenance quotes, you should be more concerned about what is not listed than what is.

When comparing maintenance quotes from different MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) facilities, there are a staggering number of variables to consider. It is always unwise to assume the final number on each proposal represents the same level of detail. You should always be asking, ‘What does the quote include?’

To help make this process easier, we have compiled a list of questions and discussion points to help you get the details behind the numbers. This is not an all-inclusive list, but it is a great place to begin.

Here are some things to begin the proposal conversation with your sales rep.

Airframe

• Is the interior R&R included? This is often required to gain access below the cabin floor.
• What about paint touch-up? And if so, is touch-up completed by spray or brush?
• Are there state taxes on parts and labor? Consumables and freight charges? Are they included?
• Are support services like NDT, machining services, hydrostatic testing, included?
• Is tool rental included or an additional charge?

Avionics

• Are engineering fees included?
• Are any additional mods required to complete the workscope, like relocating antennae?
• Does the proposal include just the baseline package or does it outline optional features of the system being installed?
• Is the MRO including other recommended options based on feedback from other operators who have installed the system?

Paint

The number of variables that impact a quote for paint and interior completions work is nearly inexhaustible.

• In addition to the base paint quote, does the proposal include painting the entry air stair?
• Does that include replacing the step tread or masking around it?
• How many stripes and stripe colors are included?
• Are metallic stripes an up-charge?
• Is there design support if the paint scheme is changing?
• What are the options if you request a custom or second base color, wing color, tail color, or logo?
• Is painting of the wheels and landing gear included?
• What is the warranty?

Interior

Aircraft interiors is an area where it can be difficult to gauge the extra effort and care that might go into the project but that isn’t clearly represented by a number. Clarify if your interior proposal includes:

• Is the foam replaced during the seat upholstery or just the dress covers?
• What type of material is being quoted for upholstery of the divan, leather or fabric?
• Is rewebbing of the seatbelts included in the upholstery of the seats and divan?
• If it is a partial interior, and the leather color is changing, are all the leather items quoted for recovery (curtains, entry door shrouds, lavatory seat, etc.)?
• Is the carpet being replaced hand-made or machine-made? Is the carpet pad being replaced and if so, is the new pad being installed equivalent to the existing pad or does it provide additional thermal or acoustical qualities?

Engine

Always provide your logbooks up front. Doing so will get you an accurate quote on Service Bulletins, life-limited component replacements, and required Airworthiness Directives.

For non-program engines determine what level of service is being quoting. If only quoted the lowest minimums available for the engine, you can bet you will end up paying more in the end. Always ask the MRO to be up front about the expected expenses and the parts and other components that typically need replacement.

In addition to the base engine overhaul price, ask if the quote includes:

• Service Bulletin status
• Life-limited component replacement
• Airworthiness Directives
• Shipping charges
• Discrepancies

Landing Gear

Landing gear quotes can be offered in a variety of pricing structures. NTE (Not To Exceed) is the most popular and the structure used most often at Duncan Aviation. With NTE, you are provided with the maximum quote and an assurance your final bill will not exceed that quote. Often, the final bill is under the NTE price.

Other options are Firm Fixed and Standard. With Firm Fixed, you are provided with the final bill before your gear arrives. It comes with a no bill-back guarantee, regardless of the condition of the gear. Standard Pricing includes all labor required to perform the normal inspection or overhaul and required parts. Any discrepancies found during the inspection that require additional parts and labor will be quoted over and above.

Whichever pricing structure you select, pay close attention to the exclusions on the contract. They can add extensive additional costs not included in the quote. These include additional customer requests, optional Service Bulletins, missing or abused parts, replacement of life-limited parts, and engineering fees, if required.

When reviewing your landing gear proposal, ask the following:

• Does it include shipping costs for outsourced components?
• Are parts or other special programs included in the pricing?
• What are the contract exclusions?
• What parts are considered over and above?
• Are discrepancy and repair costs included in the labor flat rate?

You Play A Part

Evaluating the many quotes an operator receives in the course of preparing for an aircraft service event can be an overwhelming experience.

Ultimately, the success and satisfaction of a maintenance event is a team effort. You are as much a part of the team and its success as we are.

Bottom line…call and allow us the opportunity to walk you through the quote so you can better understand the proposal details as well as the ultimate workscope.

If you upgraded early for ADS-B between 2012 and 2014, your equipment is not compliant with the January 1, 2020, mandate deadline.

Duncan Aviation has spent the last 5 years educating our customers about the FAA’s upcoming mandate deadline for ADS-B Out (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out). We’ve also performed hundreds of upgrades at our full-service facilities in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Provo, Utah. Duncan Aviation’s network of Satellite Avionics Shops have performed more than 500 installations and even have a dedicated reservation program to make it easier for our customers to get their aircraft into compliance before the deadline at 12:01 am on January 1, 2020.

Recently, several of our customers who upgraded early for ADS-B to the DO-260A standard (to meet compliance in Australia, the Hudson Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico) have received letters from the FAA, alerting them to the fact that they are not in compliance with the ADS-B mandate.

The letters state that the aircraft is equipped with an NPE (Nonperforming Emitter), and that means the system in the cockpit is not transmitting data in compliance with the mandate’s standard. This may have been caused by installation errors, flight crew errors, or hardware that doesn’t meet the performance standards. If the older transponder in your aircraft was simply swapped out, chances are your aircraft is not compliant.

The standard adopted by the FAA in 2010 and the rest of the world’s civil aviation authorities is DO-260B, and it requires the following equipment:

• 1090-MHz Mode S Extended squitter transponder capable of transmitting data from the cockpit without prompting from the pilot or ATC (Air Traffic Control)
• GPS/WAAS (Wide-Area Augmentation System) position source (normal GPS does not meet the standard)
• ADS-B system fault annunciator
• A path to certification

The mandate requires the entire upgrade unless you plan to fly below 10,000 feet and avoid Class A, B, and C airspace.

Problems With Earlier Standards

Duncan Aviation experts have spoken with several operators who believe that their aircraft is ADS-B compliant. Upon receiving the FAA’s letter, however, it became apparent that they were not, and they sought advice from some of the managers at the Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics shops.

“If an operator upgraded their equipment from 2012 through 2014, the standard for ADS-B at that time was DO-260A,” explains Matt Nelson, Duncan Aviation’s Satellite Operations Manager. “Since that time, the FAA and Civil Aviation authorities around the world agreed on the DO-260B standard for transponders. That means equipment manufactured and installed before that agreement is not compliant with the January 1, 2020, mandate deadline and the older transponders do not use the predictive forecasting or annunciators that are required by the DO-260B standard.”

For more information, contact Matt Nelson. 

These transponders can be upgraded and brought into compliance by Duncan Aviation or the OEM by installing a WAAS position source, fault annunciation system, and wiring interface—as previously mentioned.

How to Check Your Compliance
If your aircraft has been upgraded for ADS-B, the FAA advises you check to make sure it is working properly. You can do this with the FAA’s Public ADS-B PAPR (Performance Report) tool, inputting information about your aircraft, including tail number, ADS-B equipment, make/model , and flight date.

The FAA then sends the PAPR to the user’s provided email address, usually within 30 minutes. The PAPR can detect operational deficiencies with your ADS-B transmitter as well as verify if your system’s call sign is matched properly with the aircraft. The FAA cautions that operations close to ground level or near the fringes of ADS-B coverage might not yield accurate results.

You can find this tool at the following link:

https://adsbperformance.faa.gov/PAPRRequest.aspx

When to Check Compliance
“When we upgrade your aircraft for ADS-B, our techs perform the ground testing required by AC 20-165b to verify the ADS-B integrity before the aircraft flies,” says Manager of Satellite Operations Matt Nelson.

James Kenney, an aviation safety inspector with the FAA, suggests operators run a PAPR report after conducting a few flights in rule airspace after an ADS-B installation.

“This will let the operator know if everything is functioning properly,” Kenney says.

He also suggests that a new report be run after a few flights in rule airspace if maintenance or repair work is conducted on the aircraft’s avionics systems.

Peace of Mind

We are 20 months from the ADS-B Out mandate deadline. To provide peace of mind for your flight operations, be sure to schedule your ADS-B installation now . . . and remember to verify your compliance with the FAA.

For more information, contact Matt Nelson.

According to the most recent data from the FAA (Federal Aviation Association), slightly fewer than 10% of all U.S. registered ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast)-equipped aircraft are NPE, or non-performing emitters. Having NPE means the aircraft’s ADS-B Out system is not transmitting in compliance with FAR (Federal Aviation Regulations) 91.227.

Here are some common issues that result in having NPE:

1. Incorrect software version or improper system configuration can result in reduced aircraft position integrity/accuracy.
2. Incorrect emitter category results when the aircraft’s ADS-B system is transmitting the wrong emitter category based on its maximum take-off weight.
3. Incorrect Flight ID is a result of the aircraft registration for Mode S not matching the Flight ID.
4. Transmitting airborne data while the aircraft is on the ground.

Is Your ADS-B Equipment Compliant?  

Go to FAA Website: https://adsbperformance.faa.gov/PAPRRequest.aspx and request a PAPR (Public ADS-B Performance Report). A PAPR provides an additional method of verifying proper operation of ADS-B equipment.

After answering a few questions about your ADS-B installation, you will receive a report from the FAA showing what parameters have failed, if any. Instructions and a User’s Guide can be found on the website.

If you have not complied with the upcoming FAA ADS-B mandate, the time is now. For more information, go to: www.DuncanAviation.aero/adsb

If aircraft are sitting on the ground after the deadline, they aren’t useful to anyone.

For the April 2018 issue of AvBuyer magazine, Matt Nelson Manager of Satellite Operations at Duncan Aviation wrote the Guest Editor’s ViewPoint. There are about 20 months remaining until the FAA’s December 31, 2019, deadline to upgrade aircraft to ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast), and Matt wants to reiterate Duncan Aviation’s message regarding ADS-B.

Qualified Shop With Experienced Avionics Technicians

It’s important to get the upgrade done at a qualified facility. Counting installations performed before 2017, Duncan Aviation has completed more than 520 ADS-B installations to date, and has capacity for another 1500 by the mandate deadline. We consider our organization to be the foremost ADS-B compliance experts across all aircraft makes and models.

Qualified shops around the United States are making a dent in the numbers; it’s estimated that roughly 40% of the fleet has been upgrade. Matt pointed out that Duncan Aviation and other MROs are trying to let our customers know that aircraft in need of ADS-B upgrades are going to be vying for available space in the remaining 20 months. In fact, the monthly rate at which the remainder of the fleet needs modification is 390 aircraft, and the current rate is 190 aircraft per month. As we get closer to the deadline, there will be an increasing shortage of hangar space and qualified shops with experienced avionics technicians.

Hangar Space

In 2017, Duncan Aviation’s nation-wide network of Satellite facilities allotted space and labor for 300 upgrades. Because our technicians gained proficiency with every installation, the shops increased their capacity to 460 installations in 2018 and are planning for nearly 600 in 2019.

At several of the Satellite Avionics Shops Duncan Aviation’s customers are taking advantage of the proximity of our skilled technicians and having their entire fleets upgraded.

Deadline Firm

We’ve been repeating this message for several years: Upgrade now, please don’t wait until the last minute; the deadline isn’t going to change, and parts and labor prices are not going to drop. We really want to reiterate that there are no magic bullets on the horizon for your ADS-B upgrade. The OEMs have spent millions of dollars developing solutions for their platforms, and they aren’t going to develop anything with a lower cost or that’s easier to install in the final months before the deadline. In fact, most vendors have already announced price increases for this year and next.

We also want to make sure that the industry understands our objectives in light of the mandates in general. Our objective is to ensure that our customers become compliant by the deadline in order to keep their aircraft flying. If aircraft are sitting on the ground, they aren’t useful to anyone.

Click below for information on scheduling a time to upgrade your fleet or aircraft.

The Avionics Technicians at Duncan Aviation go to great lengths to help customers.

 On a snowy Saturday in Lincoln, Nebraska, Manager of Satellite Operations, Matt Nelson, got a call from a customer with an N-registered Embraer Phenom 300 that was AOG in Medellin, Colombia in South America.

The customer had a flight scheduled on Wednesday, but his Phenom needed an RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum) inspection before it could fly again. Another company had been scheduled to perform the inspection but had canceled at the last minute, so the inspection date had passed and the customer and his Phenom were AOG.

Edduyn Pita, Manager of the Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics Shop in Atlanta, Georgia, offered to fly to Medellin, Colombia and perform the inspection. First, he had to locate PitoStatic adapters, necessary for the inspection, and he found them at the Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics Shop in Kansas City, Missouri. The Kansas City shop Manager, Jeff Aman, shipped the parts, Edduyn received them on Monday, and he flew to Colombia early Tuesday morning with the parts and test equipment.

“As soon as I landed, I went straight to the airport authority where I had to go through extensive security procedures,” says Edduyn. “In addition to passing through top security, I had to watch a 15-minute safety video, sign a bunch of forms, and get a badge. I was also briefed on how to conduct myself at the airport!”

By 4pm that day, Edduyn was working on the Phenom, and he finished the inspection around 9pm. The following morning, he performed a compass swing, which calibrates the compass system, and he signed the Return to Service certification

An hour later, the Phenom was on its way to Miami, Florida, 3 ½ hours away. Before flying back to Atlanta, Edduyn visited a local market, where he sampled wares from a few food vendors. His favorite was bandeja paisa (paisa platter), the national dish of Colombia.

You can download the free Duncan Aviation AOG Services app from iTunes or Google Play before you’re AOG so you can send an AOG request immediately, find tech support 24/7, contact the team or shop nearest you for assistance, and much more (www.DuncanAviation.aero/services/aog).

To schedule inspections and routine maintenance and prevent a potential AOG situation, call one of our full-service facilities in Battle Creek, Michigan, Lincoln, Nebraska, and Provo, Utah (www.DuncanAviation.aero/locations/#fullservice) or call the Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics Shops and workaway stations is nearest you (www.duncanaviation.aero/locations/#satellites).

Everyone at Duncan Aviation laughed along with most of the rest of the business aviation industry on April Fool’s Day when the spoof press release claimed the deadline for the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) mandate had been extended until 2040. Not long after the laughter died down, though, the FAA reiterated that the agency’s deadline will not change, saying, “We have a sense of humor, too, but an April Fool’s joke that the FAA is extending the ADS-B deadline is just that.”

The FAA went on to say:

As stated in the final rule published with industry input in May 2010, all aircraft flying in designated controlled airspace—generally the same busy airspace where transponders are currently required—must be equipped with ADS-B Out avionics by Jan. 1, 2020. Only aircraft that fly in uncontrolled airspace, and aircraft without electrical systems, such as balloons and gliders, are exempt from the mandate.

The joke brought attention to the rumor mill that has consistently insisted that the FAA will delay the deadline. Not only did the FAA take the opportunity to squelch those rumors, but it also reminded the businees aviation industry that there are only 21 months remaining until the mandate deadline.

Because time flies and aircraft without ADS-B probably won’t after the deadline, Duncan Aviation would like to remind its customers that the company has numerous certified paths to upgrade equipment to comply with the FAA’s ADS-B mandate. Duncan Aviation holds (or has access to) 42 STCs for dozens of aircraft models.

Additionally, the experienced avionics installation techs at the three main facilities (in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Provo, Utah) and at all 26 Duncan Aviation Avionics Satellite Shops and workaway stations throughout the country have performed hundreds of upgrades during the last several years, often combining the upgrade to ADS-B with inspections and other routine maintenance to condense downtime.

The company currently has space available for ADS-B work. Call the shop nearest you to schedule a time to upgrade your aircraft or fleet (www.duncanaviation.aero/locations/#satellites).

Yesterday, Tuesday, March 27, 2018, during an in-booth reception at the 61^st Annual Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) International Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas, Duncan Aviation was named a Gogo Business Aviation Top Dealer for 2017. Duncan Aviation received the highest Gogo Business Aviation dealer honor, The Gogo Business Aviation 51,000 Five. Representing a pinnacle of achievement, the award’s name was inspired by the highest altitude reached by aircraft in the business aviation industry–51,000 feet.

Dave Salvador, Vice President of Aftermarket Sales and Regional Managers Andy Fernandes and Chad Ostertag presented the award to Duncan Aviation Vice President of Components Services & Satellite Operations Mark Cote and Duncan Aviation Business Development Manager Kevin Miesbach. Cote and Miesbach accepted the award on behalf of Duncan Aviation but expressed there was a large group within the company who contributed a great deal of time and effort to achieve this status and all deserve to be recognized.

L to R: Gogo Vice President of Aftermarket Sales Dave Salvador, Gogo Regional Sales Manager Andy Fernandes, Duncan Aviation Vice President of Components Services & Satellite Operations Mark Cote, Duncan Aviation Business Development Manager Kevin Miesnach, and Gogo Regional Sales Manager Chad Ostertag.

“It is an honor to be recognized as one of Gogo's top dealers again this year,” says Cote. “But everyone from the technical expert who wrote the sales quotes to the engineers who drew up the prints, and from the technicians who installed the systems to the quality control personnel who returned the aircraft back to service all deserve to be recognized for their contributions.” He went on to say that without the outstanding teamwork that goes on every day at Duncan Aviation, this accomplishment wouldn't be possible. This is the sixth time Duncan Aviation has received the Top Dealer Award dating back to 2011.

Duncan Aviation is a market leader in business aircraft internet installations with Wi-Fi and is proud to partner with Gogo. Their products have met and exceeded customer needs and expectations for both aircraft communications and High Speed Data solutions.

Broadband internet systems with in-flight Wi-Fi capability can be completed at any of Duncan Aviation’s major service locations in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska; or Provo, Utah. In addition, upgrades can be completed at any of Duncan Aviation’s avionics satellite locations. For a complete list of Duncan Aviation's avionics locations, go to www.DuncanAviation.aero/locations.

Duncan Aviation and its multi-shop capabilities can save you a whole lot of money. 

For instance, if you’re planning to refurbish your aircraft interior, consider adding an internet connection or upgrading your existing service to one with faster speeds at the same time.

For both jobs—refurbishing an interior and installing/upgrading an internet connection—your interior will need to be removed.

Typically, an aircraft is down for two weeks to install an internet connection, and it usually takes longer to refurbish an interior. Completing the projects simultaneously won’t add time to the work scope.

Combining the two projects saves on labor costs because your interior will have to be removed and re-installed only once. Performed separately, you will incur labor costs every time your interior is removed and re-installed.

When you’re ready to install new or upgrade your existing aircraft Wi-Fi, call the knowledgeable Avionics Service and Sales Representatives at Duncan Aviation or visit our web site for more information: www.DuncanAviation.aero/services/avionics-installation

Duncan Aviation Aircraft Sales Representative Doug Roth has seen a great many changes in his 42 years in the aviation business. Aircraft have grown in size and sophistication, and Doug has seen changes in tastes and preferences, too.

Today, buyers who are in the market for a new aircraft echo the sentiments of their terrestrial home-buyers in that they want a move-in-ready, or take-to-the-skies-ready, aircraft.

Buyers don’t want to immediately put down an aircraft for several weeks for costly upgrades after buying it. They want an aircraft equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, including Wi-Fi.

An aircraft with Wi-Fi lets cabin passengers stay connected in-flight, meaning they can access the internet, send and receive email, and more.

That means owners who are planning to see their aircraft won’t escape the connectivity issue by selling their aircraft.

“If you’re selling your aircraft to a buyer who will put it on a 135 or charter certificate, the buyer definitely wants an internet connection, and that affects the value of the airplane,” says Duncan Aviation’s Aircraft Sales Representative Doug Roth. “The lack of internet drops the sale price by the cost of the installation. Because the aircraft will have to be removed from service for the duration of the installation, factor in the cost of the downtime, as well.”

Roth goes on to say that roughly 75-80% of the buyers of private aircraft want an internet connection, so again, an internet connection adds to the value of the aircraft; conversely, the sale price of an aircraft without a connection will drop by the cost of the equipment and installation, including the downtime.

“Even with the small number of buyers who see zero value for themselves in having a connected aircraft, we point out that installing internet adds at least 50% of the installation cost to the aircraft resale value,” says Roth. “The majority of buyers looking for aircraft today want an internet connection.”

If you are planning to buy or sell an aircraft and have questions about the often complicated process, give the members of our Aircraft Sales & Acquisitions team a call.

DOM Greg Donegan, at Cincinnati, Ohio-based Cin-Air, had an inspection due on a G-200 in October 2016. While it was down, he had the Duncan Aviation techs from the Satellite Shop at Lunken Field in Cincinnati cross the ramp from their hangar to his and upgrade the G-200’s avionics equipment for ADS-B.

Greg has worked on aircraft at the Cincinnati, Ohio Municipal Airport for 30 years, and he has his own maintenance and inspection crew for his fleet of six aircraft. However, he now relies on Manager Bruce Miller and the proximity of the Duncan Aviation Cincinnati Satellite Shop for avionics repair, installations, and upgrades.

Three of Greg Donegan’s six airplanes have had the necessary upgrades for the FAA’s ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) mandate, and he has two others scheduled. He knows exactly when the deadline for ADS-B is, and Greg intends to have all of his aircraft completed long before that.

“We didn’t want to wait until the last minute and get burnt,” says Greg. “The deadline isn’t going to change, and we don’t want to be on the outside knocking on the door, waiting to get in on Jan. 1. My goal when I took over as DOM last year was to have the entire fleet upgraded at least a year ahead of the deadline.”

Duncan Aviation Cincinnati Satellite Manager Bruce Miller (left) with DOM Greg Donegan

The skilled technicians at the Duncan Aviation Satellite facilities and workaway stations have upgraded hundreds of aircraft, so they’re ADS-B-compliant well before the midnight deadline on December 31, 2019.

Located at 27 of the busiest business aviation airports around the country, most have hangars in which they can perform the upgrades, but all Satellite facilities and workaway stations have technicians who will travel to your hangar, particularly if your aircraft is down for routine maintenance. The upgrade itself usually takes less than two weeks, so getting upgraded for ADS-B while your aircraft is already undergoing engine work, an inspection, or any other routine maintenance means you only put it down once.

To schedule an ADS-B upgrade at one of the Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics Shops near you, call any of the Satellite shops (www.duncanaviation.aero/locations/#satellites) or Regional Avionics Sales Manager Mark Francetic.