No one likes to make an AOG call, but when it becomes necessary, the maintenance team at Shoreline Aviation calls Duncan Aviation when their aircraft are AOG away from home base.
Shoreline Aviation is an aircraft charter, sales, and management company with locations in Marshfield, Massachusetts; Bedford, Massachusetts; and Palm Beach, Florida. In late November 2020, a Falcon 2000LX had an issue in Palm Springs, California, just prior to taking off. After a short consultation with the OEM, a call was made to Duncan Aviation’s AOG line giving details of the situation.
Fifteen minutes later, Cameron Arthur, a Duncan Aviation RRT Team Leader located at the Provo, Utah, MRO facility, was in touch with Shoreline’s maintenance team.
Within 30 minutes, plans were made and work was authorized. Within hours, Cameron was en route to Palm Springs, landing around 11pm. He met the aircraft and crew first thing in the morning.
A quick inspection revealed the AOG required parts, engineering review, and NDT analysis. Through connections on and off the airfield, Cameron coordinated all necessary resources and had the aircraft returned to service quickly and efficiently.
Shoreline Vice President Ann Pollard said Cameron came prepared to get the job done, and his can-do attitude was reflected in his work. “He took immediate action by rallying the necessary support to get us back up and running as quickly as possible. He worked hard and didn’t stop until the work was done.”
Ann was not surprised, saying this is the typical Duncan Aviation work ethic she has come to expect.
“The Falcon 2000LX owner was appreciative of Cameron’s quick response and dedication. As were we,” Ann says. “He worked closely with our maintenance team and kept us informed with regular updates. Knowing that Duncan Aviation has our back, even when we are AOG in inconvenient locations, makes all the difference in the world. They have been a key part of our support network for more than 10 years. We have done many projects in Lincoln and Battle Creek, and hope to visit their Provo facility in the near future.”
Duncan Aviation’s AOG promise is backed by more than 175 airframe, engine, and avionics technicians strategically located across the US. They arrive on location with fully equipped vehicles able to provide what is needed, when and where it’s needed.
“Being able to stand behind this promise with confidence began when we changed the way our teams communicated with each other,” says Kasey Harwick, Duncan Aviation’s Vice President of Aircraft Services. “We developed an internal communications app that facilitates getting an AOG customer to the right team as quickly as possible.”
A call received through Duncan Aviation’s published AOG number is answered by a team trained to ask the right questions to identify the AOG issue, whether it is airframe, avionics, or engine related. This information is immediately routed through the app to the person on-call and nearest to the event, putting the right person in contact with the customer as quickly as possible.
When asked what AOG services are available through this mobile network, Kasey said it was difficult to quantify.
“Our airframe and engine RRTs and Satellite shops can handle many different types of squawks and services, planned and unplanned. However, when it comes to strict AOG events, we can be boots-on-the-ground troubleshooting the squawk while keeping in close contact with our main MRO facilities for tooling, GSE, and potentially additional support depending on the issue. We come prepared because it is our mission to ensure our customers don’t miss theirs due to an AOG situation.”
Kasey says the entire AOG team stands united to meet their customers’ needs wherever they are and with whatever they need.
“It doesn’t matter what the needs of our customers are,” Kasey says. “When we get the call, we respond. We promise.”