Avionics News December 2014 - 44

series
At the 2013 AEA International Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas, AEA President Paula Derks asked member companies
the question: What's working for you? Derks challenged AEA members to share their success stories, best practices and
ideas that are working for their respective companies. This article is part of a series that highlights how AEA member
companies recognized challenging economic circumstances, and how they responded and overcame them.

What's

Working?

Business initiatives that are elevating companies to success
S T O R Y

B Y

T H O M A S

I N M A N

Duncan Aviation's
On-Target Turntime

checks are a big deal for aircraft owners. It's
considered heavy maintenance, is complex, and
requires some disassembly of critical aircraft components. Like an extensive avionics retrofit, C checks require
considerable man hours, special tooling and unique expertise.
As a result, these inspections are performed
typically at a maintenance, repair and
overhaul facility.
Duncan Aviation technicians and managers have been exploring project efficiency and planning in an effort to get customers back in the air faster, and to continue
to ensure accurate out dates for aircraft
service work. The result is Duncan Aviation's On-Target Turntime program. The
first project completed under this program
was a Falcon 2000EX with a C Check
inspection and due items along with EASy
II provisioning. The work was completed
as promised in just 21 days, a full week
faster than the typical Duncan Aviation
turnaround time for that type of inspection.
In order to meet the promised completion date, lots of
forethought and planning were required by Falcon crew lead
RJ Riedel and his team located at Duncan Aviation's Battle
Creek, Michigan, facility. The same methods used to maximize
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2014

efficiency on the project will be repeatable for similar projects
at Duncan Aviation's other locations.
To meet the promised turnaround time, Riedel and his team
focused on efficiency and planning. They planned for the
necessary tooling, parts and support equipment to be available
and ready when they needed it. They shifted
their work schedules, changing technician
hours and implementing staggered breaks
and alternate shifts, allowing project work
nearly 24 hours a day. Moreover, they took
advantage of tools like electronic work
order enhancements and a smooth and
preapproved path for potential squawks, all
with the goal of giving technicians uninterrupted time to complete the work. The
project became a challenge the technicians
were excited about.
"We take promised out-dates very
seriously at Duncan Aviation," said John
Slieter, vice president of sales at Duncan
Aviation. "To us, a promise is a promise.
Therefore, we manage every project very
carefully, examining milestones along the way and tweaking
the project plan as needed when unforeseen circumstances
arise."
John Johnson, director of maintenance for LJ Aviation in

Avionics News December 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News December 2014