Flight Dept 3.qxp_Finance 27/10/2021 10:11 Page 1
FLIGHT DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT
Tips for Incorporating a Jet into your Flight Department (Part 2) Mario Pierobon explores the principles for managing a change of aircraft in the flight department, including aspects of maintenance and airworthiness change management, plus learning newer technology types.
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t a time that the pre-owned aircraft sales market has been very active, many flight departments around the world will have been integrating, or will be planning to integrate, one or more new jets into their operations. But what are the challenges of doing so, and how can a flight operation prepare? The introduction of a new aircraft type into the flight department will, of course, require formal change management with an organization’s safety management system (SMS). From a technical point of view, change management considerations must be made if maintenance is contracted to a Part 145 maintenance organization (in Europe). Moreover, “If it’s contracted, is the new aircraft within the scope of work of the contracted Part 145 organization,” Wolter Portier, a Continuing Airworthiness Surveyor, asks, “or is there another Part 145 organization available with the correct approvals? “If the operator has its own Part 145 approval, does it plan to perform the maintenance itself? If so, the certifying staff and maintenance technicians need to have specific type-training, and obtain proven experience at another MRO,” Portier continues. “The same holds true for the Continuing Airworthiness Management Organization (CAMO), 88 Vol 25 Issue 11 2021 AVBUYER MAGAZINE
within Europe. Is the CAMO capable of extending the approval with the new aircraft type? If not, is there a CAMO organization available with the correct approvals?” An important requirement to satisfy is the training for all personnel involved in the acquisition and management of the new aircraft, notes Fleet Technical Management Specialist, Sara Zerbini. “An additional requirement is to update all manuals and documentation, namely the continuing airworthiness management exposition, and any equipment compliance list that is needed. And it will be necessary to plan to undertake difference training courses in the case where an aircraft that is similar to those already operated is acquired,” she says. “It is necessary to identify what the differences are as a matter of safety, because if the aircraft types are similar, the technical management personnel may not realize those differences that have an impact on airworthiness management, or maintenance operations.”
Newer Levels of Technology
Considering how fast business aircraft technology has developed, change management considerations must be given to the hazards that can manifest when the new aircraft type has significantly more technology and/or automation. www.AVBUYER.com
