One Of The Industry's Most Aggressive Product Support Teams Fights The Menace Of 'AOG'

AOG... it stands for Aircraft On Ground and what it really means is that an expensive and critical asset, a company's much needed business aircraft, is not in the air when it needs to be. To the folks at Gulfstream, those are fighting words... even though the Gulfstream line is rumored to boast over a 99% reliability rate.

Gulfstream's Airborne Product Support team is ready 24/7/365 in order to keep down the expenses of 'down time." As a matter of fact, a timely Gulfstream assistance flight can reportedly save two days or more of waiting for a replacement windshield or tire. The Gulfstream APS has two dedicated G100 aircraft to "transport technicians and/or flight-essential parts to aircraft under warranty at airports within North America, Central America and the Caribbean." Even if the stricken bird is outside of a G100's range, the birds can be used to rush the parts and/or technicians to a major airline hub where they can hop a commercial flight to reach the customer's aircraft, ASAP.

These folks don't live by a calendar, they live by a stopwatch... According to Gulfstream, the APS Team employs eight dedicated pilots and a full-time manager to oversee the operation. Even more important; Gulfstream Boss Larry Flynn has insisted that the service manager on duty at Gulfstream's headquarters in Savannah, GA, have the authority to dispatch the G100 without seeking approval from senior management.

FMI: www.gulfstream.com, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews