Flight Dept 1.qxp_Finance 18/07/2022 16:16 Page 1
FLIGHT DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT
AVBUYER.com
Aircraft Maintenance Choices: Getting them Right… Have you thought through your aircraft’s maintenance needs adequately? Are your operations safeguarded against an unexpected aircraft maintenance issue? Andre Fodor shares some thoughts on flight department maintenance choices...
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hen buying a business aircraft, one of the most important things to consider is how it will be maintained. Having a clear vision will help ensure that all the owner’s expectations are met, and that the required destinations are reached safely, and when planned. One of my greatest challenges is to explain the processes of maintenance and airworthiness to the aircraft’s owner. Owners, who in most cases don’t involve themselves in the intricate day-to-day running of the flight department, understandably expect their airplanes to be like cars: they just need fuel, a ‘driver’, and an occasional oil change. Helping them comprehend the airworthiness processes and the airplane’s specific maintenance schedules, based on 72 ❘ Vol 26 Issue 8 2022 ❘ AVBUYER MAGAZINE
calendar months and hours flown, is no easy task. This can be further muddled when an unexpected Airworthiness Directive grounds, or restricts the aircraft’s operational ability. Juggling all of these, it remains essential to meet an owner’s expectation even if supplemental lift is needed to cover for a maintenance event. Learning that an aircraft has calendar-due items AFTER it is grounded for an inspection can be puzzling for owners, and it takes an experienced aviation manager to combine and organize due items into cohesive, scheduled tasks that prevent a never-ending cycle of smaller, recurring inspections that disrupt the aircraft’s availability and add cost to the balance sheet. www.AVBUYER.com
