Keep Your Options Open
Directors of maintenance in a corporate aviation setting face unique issues when it comes to determining what maintenance or alteration activity should be accomplished by contract. Most operators of business aircraft “fleets” hire individuals who hold mechanic certificates with airframe and powerplant ratings and inspection authorization; they also hold a repair station certificate with limited ratings. This arrangement provides the most options for performing the maintenance needed to ensure the highest aircraft utilization. Unlike air carrier fleets (including Part 91, Subpart J, Part 121 and Part 135 certificate holders), the business aircraft maintenance program is usually the one recommended by the manufacturer with little or no changes. Adherence to the recommended inspections, overhauls and upgrades creates unique maintenance scheduling challenges.
It might be easier to schedule regular and required maintenance activities with a manufacturer’s facility — but, for the instances when something breaks unexpectedly and as aircraft age, it is best to have more options. Getting to know and creating relationships with both manufacturer-blessed and independent repair stations and mechanics is a key to ensuring the highest utilization of business aircraft. Whether a company owns and operates one aircraft or many, things will break unexpectedly in unusual places and the aircraft will age. Older aircraft will take more maintenance time and dollars, will not be as handily supported by the original manufacturers, and will require inventive measures to ensure continued airworthiness at a reasonable and predictable cost.
Independent repair stations and mechanics are essential to the continued health and viability of business aircraft. They often specialize in a particular make, model or component. They come up with alternatives when part or repair support become problematic, provide services at remote locations and ensure competition that keeps pricing reasonable. These facts don’t take anything away from the support provided by manufacturers; they merely ensure a director of maintenance can have options when seeking relationships with maintenance providers.
Sarah MacLeod is executive director of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA), an organization she helped found more than 25 years ago. She is a managing member at the law firm of Obadal, Filler, MacLeod & Klein P.L.C. and is engaged in the legal representation of foreign and domestic air carriers, aircraft maintenance and alteration facilities, distributors, pilots and other individuals and companies in federal court and before federal administrative bodies. She also serves as assistant chair for Air Carrier and General Aviation Maintenance of the FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee, a post she has held since 1996. A globally recognized expert in aviation regulatory compliance, Ms. MacLeod is a sought-after speaker and has appeared a numerous aviation and MRO events. She is admitted to the bar in Virginia.