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The Duncan Download Blog: Business Aviation Advice & Observations

Duncan Aviation Releases December Duncan Intelligence

Posted by Diane Heiserman on Fri, Dec 15, 2017 @ 10:49 AM

Do you know how to close the outside baggage door on your Falcon 900 without having to turn on any generator or battery switches? Or have you heard we expanded our Honeywell Primus II Capabilities? No? Then you haven't read the December issue of the Duncan Intelligence.

December Duncan Intelligence


Falcon 900: Closing the Baggage Door
Want to know how to close the outside baggage door on your Falcon 900 without having to turn on any generator or battery switches in the cockpit?


Citation Sovereign Inspection Safety
Citation Sovereign has many items that come due at high hours/cycles. We have performed work on items that the rest of the fleet has yet to realize will be required.


CASP Elite And ADS-B
There are many advantages offered with the CASP Elite aftermarket warranty program that specifically target ADS-B upgrades.


Cessna CIL-21-03: Water Separator Corrosion Repair
Duncan Aviation has the proper tooling to provide Cessna operators a more cost-effective option with a reasonable turntime on Cessna CIL-21-03.


Duncan Aviation Adds To Honeywell Primus II Capabilities
We've added repair and overhaul capabilities for the primary interface used to control the Primus II radio system in the Primus 1000 and Primus 2000 flight decks.  

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Scott Kruce Joins Duncan Aviation’s Avionics Install Sales Team
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Duncan Aviation Parts & Rotables Sales Open 24/7/365
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The Duncan Intelligence is a free, technical newsletter for business aircraft owners and operators. Written in-house by Duncan Aviation's technical representatives, each edition includes technical tips and advice on topics and trends in business aviation. It is a free, monthly e-mail subscription for aviation enthusiasts around the world.

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Tags: Cessna, Parts & Accessories, ADS-B, Announcements, Falcon

Who's Looking at Your Legs!

Posted by Diane Heiserman on Thu, Jul 27, 2017 @ 11:45 AM

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.

22-chris

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. 

READ NOW Spring 2017 Duncan Debrief Magazine

Tags: Cessna, Parts & Accessories, Landing Gear, Challenger

Duncan Aviation Unveils Double Take Design on Company Citation

Posted by Duncan Download Blog on Wed, Feb 12, 2014 @ 08:51 AM

Duncan Aviation's latest creative paint scheme of a Mustang.Chairman Emeritus Robert Duncan and his wife, Karen, surround themselves with the things they’re passionate about: aviation and art. So, when Duncan Aviation acquired a new Citation M2, they wanted the jet’s paint scheme to reflect the brush strokes of an artist, an abstract artist. They also simultaneously took the term “green plane” to another level with this lime green wonder.
“This is a flying billboard for Duncan Aviation’s paint department,” says Robert Duncan at the jet’s unveiling last week.

Painting an aircraft takes a significant amount of time and an incredible team. Enjoy this timelapse video of the M2's unique scheme as we celebrate another delivery from our impressive paint shop.

The paint scheme’s designer, Teri Nekuda, has 24 years of experience combining colors and materials to match a variety of customers’ needs and desires, and she used the same approach she does with all her customers when Robert and Karen asked to explore paint schemes at Duncan Aviation’s Lincoln, Nebraska, facility’s design center.

“It's enjoyable to create a paint scheme that people don't readily expect to see on an aircraft. The wow factor gets people to react, contemplate and dream of what possibilities lay on the horizon,” says Nekuda.

After more than 50 renderings, Nekuda and the Duncans had the paint scheme narrowed down to two options: a lime green or bright blue base with paint splatters dotting the fuselage. When asked to describe the final product in one word, Teri responds with “fun.”

“It’s fun on so many levels. I look at it and I start to recognize shapes and images. There’s a pair of Mickey Mouse ears over here and Woodstock there. It spurs this childlike sense of excitement and creativity. That’s a cool feeling to have at any age,” she says. 

Of course, there were several other ideas on the table before the final was approved. Robert initially wanted to explore the idea of a decal on the aircraft, allowing it to be easily changed after just a few years.

“It a great idea and I think we’ll end up using decals eventually, but this one looked a bit thick after the clear coat was applied. Also, the decal isn’t simply printed on a clear background, so any space outside the paint splotches would have to be lime green and match the paint perfectly, or have a black outline. In the end, this was too complicated of a paint scheme to try and implement decals for the first time.”

The Duncans also toyed with the idea of having graffiti on the M2, but the design team was concerned that even though the graffiti might be well-received and have a positive message in the United States, not all countries will view the symbol the same way. So when Paint Shop Manager Doug Bohac mentioned he had recently seen a motorcycle covered in paint splotches, the idea stuck.

“Robert makes me explore other ideas I might not normally gravitate toward because he gives me some direction, but not enough that he stifles my creativity with suggestions,” says Nekuda.

Even after all these changes and updates and scrapped ideas, Nekuda says it’s so rewarding to see how excited a customer gets when the project just—clicks.

“That’s when I know I’ve succeeded at something—when they can’t wipe that smile off their faces,” she says. “That’s a good feeling. That makes every minute worth it.”

Nekuda has also helped determine the paint scheme on several other Duncan Aviation aircraft.

“Robert and Karen Duncan want something unique. A lot of people like a simple aircraft, but I don’t see Robert as ever having a white airplane. We do things a little differently here,” she says.

Though the paint shop sees a lot of white jets, they didn’t bat an eye when they first received renderings of this complicated scheme. They treated the project just like it was any other customer, providing Duncan Aviation-level quality, delivered the aircraft early and celebrated another job well done.

Click here to view another time-lapse video featuring a creative and detailed paint scheme from Duncan Aviation's taleted design and paint professionals. 

Tags: Cessna, Announcements, Paint Refurbishment, Videos

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