Ask experienced aircraft owners and pilots what good product support means to them and they will likely tell you it is extremely important to every safe flight and every successful flight operation.

Don’t bother asking aircraft maintenance technicians what product support means to them, however. That would be like a preacher asking the choir what they think about singing in church. For AMTs, having good product support every day is absolutely essential.
Every year, AIN conducts a survey of its readers who maintain, operate and own turbine-powered business aircraft. Every year, we report the results of this survey in three consecutive editions of Aviation International News: aircraft in August; avionics in September; and engines in October.

The aircraft, engine and avionics manufacturers tell us they take our survey very seriously, in part because they find it a way to obtain honest feedback via a third party. Many OEMs do their own surveys about their own product support. Some have told us they worry that their customers may not be fully honest when completing their survey forms. Because AIN is outside the manufacturer-client relationship, these OEMs believe the material we gather in our surveys is often more representative of their customers’ actual product support experiences and opinions.

We know it takes time to fill out the online AIN 2011 Product Support Survey questionnaire. So, as an incentive, we are offering 10 Apple iPads with free subscriptions to three apps: Aircraft Performance Group Weight and Balance (APG WB), LogTen Pro Logbook and WingX Pro7 Moving Map, Charts and Weather. You will be entered into the drawing to win one of these iPads only if you complete the online survey questionnaire.

This impressive incentive notwithstanding, we encourage every AIN reader invited to participate in the AIN 2011 Product Support Survey to complete the questionnaire for both personal and altruistically broader reasons. Your opinion counts. By contributing your product support experience via this annual AIN survey, you give business aircraft, engine and avionics manufacturers valuable feedback that helps them improve their products and product support, ultimately benefiting yourself and the entire business aviation community.

Thank you for your support, and please forgive me if I appear to be preaching to the choir.

LOGGING ON

The website hosting the questionnaire for the AIN 2011 Product Support Survey is open to qualified subscribers of Aviation International News who maintain, operate and own turbine-powered business aircraft.

If you have not yet completed the survey, you can go on the website right now. To gain access to the questionnaire, simply enter your last name and AIN subscriber number, which is on the address label of every issue of Aviation International News you receive.

If we have your email address, you should have received a notice about the survey via email. If we don’t have an email address for you, you should have received a post card. Both the email and post card include your subscriber number.

If you can’t find your subscriber number or otherwise need help with the survey, please contact Forecast International
support@forecast1.com, (203) 426-0800 or (800) 451-4975 (U.S. & Canada).

Do it now! The survey website will close at midnight on Friday, June 3, 2011.