A PROMISE IN ACTION

No one likes to make an AOG call, but when it becomes necessary, the maintenance team at Shoreline Aviation calls Duncan Aviation when their aircraft are AOG away from home base.

Shoreline Aviation is an aircraft charter, sales, and management company with locations in Marshfield, Massachusetts; Bedford, Massachusetts; and Palm Beach, Florida. In late November 2020, a Falcon 2000LX had an issue in Palm Springs, California, just prior to taking off. After a short consultation with the OEM, a call was made to Duncan Aviation’s AOG line giving details of the situation.

Fifteen minutes later, a Duncan Aviation RRT Team Leader located at the Provo, Utah, MRO facility, was in touch with Shoreline’s maintenance team.

Within 30 minutes, plans were made and work was authorized. Within hours, the technician was en route to Palm Springs, landing around 11pm. He met the aircraft and crew first thing in the morning.

A quick inspection revealed the AOG required parts, engineering review, and NDT analysis. Through connections on and off the airfield, the Duncan Aviation technician coordinated all necessary resources and had the aircraft returned to service quickly and efficiently.

Shoreline Vice President Ann Pollard said the Duncan Aviation response was not a surprise, and that the Duncan Aviation representative displayed a work ethic she has come to expect.

“The Falcon 2000LX owner was appreciative of Duncan Aviation’s quick response and dedication. As were we,” Ann says. “Knowing that Duncan Aviation has our back, even when we are AOG in inconvenient locations, makes all the difference in the world. They have been a key part of our support network for more than 10 years. We have done many projects in Lincoln and Battle Creek, and hope to visit their Provo facility in the near future.” 

A PROMISE KEPT

Duncan Aviation’s AOG promise is backed by more than 175 airframe, engine, and avionics technicians strategically located across the US. They arrive on location with fully equipped vehicles able to provide what is needed, when and where it’s needed.

“Being able to stand behind this promise with confidence began when we changed the way our teams communicated with each other,” says Kasey Harwick, Duncan Aviation’s Vice President of Aircraft Services. “We developed an internal communications app that facilitates getting an AOG customer to the right team as quickly as possible.”

A call received through Duncan Aviation’s published AOG number is answered by a team trained to ask the right questions to identify the AOG issue, whether it is airframe, avionics, or engine related. This information is immediately routed through the app to the person on-call and nearest to the event, putting the right person in contact with the customer as quickly as possible.

When asked what AOG services are available through this mobile network, Kasey said it was difficult to quantify.

“Our airframe and engine RRTs and Satellite shops can handle many different types of squawks and services, planned and unplanned. However, when it comes to strict AOG events, we can be boots-on-the-ground troubleshooting the squawk while keeping in close contact with our main MRO facilities for tooling, GSE, and potentially additional support depending on the issue. We come prepared because it is our mission to ensure our customers don’t miss theirs due to an AOG situation.”

Kasey says the entire AOG team stands united to meet their customers’ needs wherever they are and with whatever they need.

“It doesn’t matter what the needs of our customers are,” Kasey says. “When we get the call, we respond. We promise.” 

THE COMMITMENT BEHIND THE PROMISE

Duncan Aviation has made huge investments to fulfill the Rapid Response Team promise to customers, says Andrew Arcuri, Duncan Aviation Rapid Response Team assistant manager for the East Coast.

“We have 18 RRT dispatch offices around the country and over 30 specially trained technicians in our ‘work away’ network. They’re supported by 28 vehicles equipped with all the latest tools and equipment,” Arcuri said. “We also have the backing of our three MRO facilities, which have RRT representatives on-site and support our in-field experts.

“Each AOG situation is further backed by up to 11 points of contact here at Duncan Aviation,” he added. “We help put together the detailed plan of the required workscope, parts, logistics, and timing. Then we all get together to clarify and coordinate our goals to line up with the customer’s expectations. That’s extremely important to all of us.”

Duncan Aviation has the largest independent road team in business aviation and continues to expand the scope of its RRT services to provide routine inspections and maintenance at customer locations.

“We are doing everything from routine engine and airframe inspections to detailed aircraft pre-buy inspections,” Arcuri explained. “This segment has grown enormously due to the convenience and cost savings our customers experience by not having to relocate their aircraft for routine work.”

That’s not the only segment of Duncan Aviation’s RRT business that has grown of late: its team is being called in with increasing frequency by aircraft and engine OEMs to act on their behalf during AOG situations.

“About 25 percent of our RRT calls are from OEMs,” Arcuri noted. “We’re very proud that they trust us to help their direct customers. Many of these operators are new to us. We’re confident that once they experience Duncan Aviation’s ‘promise,’ they will remain mutual customers for a long time.”