Jetrader - July/August 2008 - 15

must exert a presence to ensure robust ongoing inspections. Company reps are required onsite to oversee supplier production. Avionics and software testing must be monitored throughout the development process, and documentation programs must be carefully monitored and tracked in accordance with best-practice software quality inspection processes. Maintenance Infrastructure Receipt of an aircraft that meets its operating speciﬁcations is only part of the solution for the airline and its ﬁnanciers. It is imperative to adopt a systems engineering approach to the development of the aircraft if the aircraft is to be operated as planned. From inception the plan must incorporate assets, engineering and time to build an infrastructure to ensure that there is a product support structure to receive the aircraft after it leaves the factory. This is a complex task because the rules for maintaining and supporting an aircraft in the ﬁeld are different from those for the manufacture of that same aircraft. Harried managements can overlook these differences as they try to solve pressing manufacturing and certiﬁcation problems. For example a part that is replaced on the assembly line is subject to one set of rules for FAA/quality inspection while that same part, when installed after the issuance of a Certiﬁcate of Airworthiness and aircraft sell off, is subject to different rules and administrative handling. Consequently, the management of these two very different administrative oversight tasks demands different skill sets on the part of the staff, as well as different systems to administer the differing procedures. Moreover, the administrative tasks and the parts themselves must be physically separated to ensure the certiﬁcation of the parts and the process. Without these systems in place at the time of production ramp up, delivery is likely to be delayed and aftermarket support problematic. Aircraft maintenance will be slow and costly, and the aircraft can easily become subject to issues of non-compliance. Excel Jet’s Sport-Jet. Image courtesy of Excel Jet. Logistics Support The operating capability of the VLJ allows them to operate around the world. Establishing service centers in support of worldwide deployment is a major undertaking and is driven by local resources and local government regulation. Facilities, tooling, training staff and the process of getting certiﬁed as a Part 145 maintenance operation require lead time and signiﬁcant ﬁnancing. Facilities themselves are insufﬁcient unless the manufacturer and its supply chain can support them with parts in a timely manner. Aircraft operators and their ﬁnanciers need to have conﬁdence that the factory/supply chain has sufﬁcient capacity to support ﬁeld operations, considering the likelihood of high failure rates that are typical of electronic and avionics systems in the early months of a new program. Virtually all of the VLJ manufacturers are systems integrators who must coordinate a larger supply base than would be the case if they manufactured a substantial number of their own parts. The larger the number of suppliers, the more complex the logistical challenges. As a result, VLJ owners will have a more difﬁcult time evaluating the likelihood of the manufacturer meeting dispatch reliability targets and turn around times for routine maintenance. Aircraft owners need to know if supplier parts have to go through the factory, or if they can be delivered directly to the maintenance site. If these procedures have not been established prior to, and in step with, aircraft deliveries, there is a signiﬁcant risk that essential aftermarket support will not meet expectations. The establishment of the support organizations and of the logistics pipeline to feed the ﬁeld operations is a major un- dertaking, which if not addressed early in the development stage, will be costly to the manufacturer and the aircraft operator and will adversely affect the aircraft’s residual value. The requirements for establishing a maintenance training credential are complex and quality driven. Aircraft buyers and their ﬁnanciers may want to demand that aircraft production be scaled to what the maintenance and support system can manage. Maintenance Technician Training One of the most visible and important elements of aircraft introduction is the training system necessary to support both ﬂight crew and maintenance technician training. This function needs to Fourteenth Annual! September 15-17, 2008 Loews Miami Beach Hotel Join over 500 aviation professionals at seven informative sessions and seven networking events! For more information or to register contact Marquita Fortner at +1(206) 587-6537 or mfortner@cargofacts.com Jetrader 15 6/14/08 385054_Air.indd 1 9:01:58 PM

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Jetrader - July/August 2008

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