AEA Pilot's Guide 2022-2023 - 36

PATIENT TOLERANCE
Continued from page 34
While the pandemic helped its backlogged work, she
expects that to change. " The only thing we can do to
mitigate them right now is to try and find projects that
don't have the same lead time issues. Engine monitors
have really helped, but navigators drive the installation
upgrades, so they dominate the supply chain challenges. "
Technicians, according to most shops, are a more
pressing problem. One of her technicians retires this year
after 40 years, and the other is two years into his on-thejob
training, Rustin said. " It took us two years to find him.
He can handle the smaller projects, but it will probably be
a couple of years before we can launch into a big project. "
With three techs, Twin City Avionics of Northborough,
Massachusetts, has all the work it can handle, said
Kenneth MacLean. " We're backlogged not because of
supply chain challenges but because the techs can only
do so much work. This is a particularly difficult business
because you need people with specific skills and training,
and those people are not in abundance, and trying to get
people trained is time consuming. I'd like to have more,
but where are they? "
Without a doubt, OEMs have been dealing with these
challenges for the past year, MacLean said. " But being the
end of the chain, the higher prices and longer lead times
make quoting a project that won't start for a month or two
a challenge, because by the time we can start work on it,
the price of everything has gone up. "
" I've been doing aviation since 1981, and supply has
evolved over the years, " said Wayne Harris of San Diego's
Aircraft Service Center SD, a 10-person maintenance and
avionics repair station. Factory replacement has replaced
bench repairs and the internet and overnight delivery
has replaced the need for shop storerooms. " Why would
I stock my shelves with expensive parts if someone else
will do it for me and I can order the part and get it the next
day? "
Until early 2021, he said, " We used to order things
from our supplier in Corona, California, with a day's UPS
or FedEx Ground delivery. All of the sudden, it's taking
three days to get here. " Getting avionics consumables
hasn't been a problem, he said, but equipment lead times
is a different matter. While the OEMs have not explicitly
explained what's behind the delays, " they are good on
reporting lead times on the equipment we order. "
" Whack-a-mole " is the only way to describe lead times,
according to Mitch Steinburg at Rocky Mountain Aircraft
Services, a full-service maintenance and avionics repair
station in Kalispell, Montana. With 20 technicians, the
shop has eight to 10 jobs ongoing at any one time, from
tube and rag fun flyers to business jets. " We have more
than 15 radios to install, and we're up to six months on for
delivery, " an outlook the OEMs update weekly.
South Carolina Avionics Services of Sumpter, South
Carolina, saw its first supply chain problems in late 2021,
up and down lead times of four to six weeks, according
to Janson Finkbeiner. The seven-person shop has been
scheduled six months out since 2020. " It's a nice problem
to have. It really hasn't affected us that much, but when
we have a part to replace, that's a different issue. We deal
with those in whack-a-mole mode, and it leads to some
tense moments. "
Until Mayday Avionics of Grand Rapids, Michigan,
started to see shortages of avionics consumables in the
second quarter of 2021, said Tim Brouwer, " We didn't
have any real problems. Our saying around the shop now
is expect less than what you've had. " Looking forward,
Brouwer was realistic and pragmatic. " My crystal ball is
cracked. My guess is that we're not at the end of this. We'll
be dealing with this through 2022, and what happens after
that, it is too early to tell. "
COVID-19 cascading consequences ultimately affect
the end users, Schwinn said. " It's a terrible way to treat
customers. Going into this, we said product availability
is the No. 1 priority, and we try to never accept an order
that we're never 100% sure we can fill. My hope is that
we can minimize the impact by getting dealers and their
customers back to normal even though we still face the
residual supply chain challenges. "
" Supply will continue to be whack-a-mole for a while, "
Alpiser said, " but I'm seeing and hearing things in other
industries that suggest some strain relief is on the horizon.
It's been a while since I've heard of any new supply issues
popping up, so I'm going to hold my breath and cross my
fingers that we continue to minimize any new issues. "
Ultimately, the forces of supply and demand will, in
time, again reach some level of equilibrium. If the past
year has been an example, this will not be an angst-free
experience, but reinforcing one's patience and tolerance
through understanding should mitigate the anxiety. q
- 36 -
AEA Pilot's Guide 2022-2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AEA Pilot's Guide 2022-2023
