SE Reg'l Maintenance Facility to Service DayJet Fleet
DayJet and the
Gainesville Regional Airport have announced that DayJet's first
Southeast DayBase and maintenance facility will be located in
Gainesville, Florida - in the center of the company's launch
region. The Gainesville Regional Airport's role as a DayBase
complements its previously announced status as one of the first
five DayPorts in DayJet's "Per-Seat, On-Demand" jet service
network.
The Gainesville DayBase will be home of DayJet's aircraft fleet,
flight operations and maintenance personnel serving North Florida.
DayJet pilots and aircraft will return home to the Gainesville
DayBase each day, allowing for proactive daily light maintenance on
DayJet's fleet of Eclipse 500 very light jet (VLJ) aircraft. The
company will operate a second DayBase at a location to be named
later.
Gainesville Regional Airport will also serve as DayJet's
Southeast Regional Maintenance Facility where all heavy aircraft
maintenance and inspections will occur, including work on the
Eclipse 500's Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F engines. These
"heavy check" maintenance operations will be performed at Eclipse
Aviation's Gainesville Factory Service Center - a new 61,000 square
foot facility currently under construction and scheduled for
completion in early 2007.
"Gainesville Regional Airport is an ideal location for our first
DayBase and plays a critical role in providing reliable 'Per-Seat,
On-Demand' jet service to Florida and the entire southeast region,"
said Mark Reed, DayJet vice president of maintenance
operations.
"Historically, on-demand operators have no control over where
aircraft will be at the end of the day, making proactive daily
maintenance all but impossible," Reed continued. "The combination
of our real-time operations system, high employee quality-of-life
philosophy and innovative DayBase structure make DayJet the first
on-demand operator to create a maintenance program where every
aircraft receives proactive light maintenance every single
day."
At the end of each service day, DayJet pilots and aircraft will
return to their assigned DayBase. Upon arrival, each flight crew
will debrief the maintenance team on the status of the aircraft and
any minor systems that may need to be adjusted. Overnight proactive
light maintenance will be performed daily: the aircraft is cleaned,
tires checked, brakes inspected and consumables replaced. The
aircraft will be returned into service by the next morning
shift.
DayJet's proprietary optimization technology plays a critical
role in its maintenance strategy, including optimal routing of
aircraft from DayBases to the Southeast Regional Maintenance
Facility where "heavy check" scheduled service is performed. With
innovative "smoothing algorithms" DayJet's real-time operations
system determines which aircraft need scheduled service and
optimizes fleet availability, balancing passenger demand with
maintenance requirements.
"Aircraft and passengers are not the only beneficiaries of
DayJet's innovative service model," explained Don Osmundson, DayJet
vice president of flight operations. "Another breakthrough benefit
of this structure is improved pilot quality of life, which allows
DayJet pilots to return to their home DayBase every night. For
professional pilots, this means that only weather or mechanical
disruptions should keep them away from home base overnight - they
will not be scheduled for shifts that take them from city to city
for days. Improving pilot quality-of-life means happier employees,
safer operating conditions and the highest customer service."
When fully operational, the Gainesville DayBase will be staffed
by approximately 60 DayJet employees, while Eclipse aviation will
hire up to 160 employees at its Gainesville facility. In addition
to DayJet's direct economic impact via fuel, rent and employee
payroll, regional travelers coming to Gainesville and Alachua
County will consume related goods and services like car rentals,
taxis and food. Taken together, these activities are projected to
generate an average annual economic impact of more than $26 million
for the Gainesville community in the first three years of DayJet
operation.
"DayJet will not only provide a fast, affordable and direct mode
of transportation linking Gainesville to other important Southeast
cities, but it also serves as a powerful engine for economic
growth," said Gainesville Regional Airport CEO Rick Crider. "The
high-skill, high-wage jobs DayJet brings to East Gainesville are a
good fit for our tech-savvy and educationally-rich community. We
hope that this is just the first of many new business activities
that will be attracted to East Gainesville when DayJet service
begins. As DayJet service develops, the area around the Gainesville
Regional Airport will become an increasingly attractive place for
new businesses--particularly those high-tech and biotech businesses
that rely on air transportation for their connection to the
world."
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.15.24)
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