New Aircraft And Personnel Added To AOG Team
Gulfstream recently enhanced its Airborne Product Support (APS)
program, adding a back-up aircraft, three pilots and two
technicians to support customers facing aircraft-on-ground (AOG)
challenges.
Gulfstream introduced the industry’s first airborne
aircraft maintenance and support program in May 2002. It is the
only support program in the industry with a dedicated aircraft
available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to
deliver flight-essential parts or technicians to customers whose
aircraft are under warranty in North America and the Caribbean. The
addition of another Gulfstream G100 means one aircraft should
always be available for customer support.
“As the in-service fleet of Gulfstream aircraft continues
to grow, we are committed to enhancing our product support
capabilities along with it,” said Mark Burns, president,
Gulfstream Product Support. “Since we launched the first
Airborne Product Support aircraft in 2002, we have heard time and
again from customers how much they appreciate this high level of
service. Having a dedicated team — two aircraft, nine pilots
and eight technicians — as well as behind-the-scenes
logistical support, gives us the rapid-response resources needed to
get AOG customers back in the air and avoid a missed trip. We are
committed to enhancing the APS program to remain at the forefront
of AOG support.”
In addition to the two aircraft, Gulfstream has four flight
crews and a full-time manager dedicated to the APS program. The
three newest pilots on the team are Duey Kautzmann, Jonathan
Headley and Durban Morrow. They join John Berry, James Blase, Glenn
Gonzales, Tenille Latourrette, Warren Snider and Joe Zingaro. The
new chief pilot is Tim Riddell, who has been on the APS team for
nearly five years.
Gulfstream also has two new technicians assigned to APS,
bringing the total to nine. The newest members are VonRonstead
Wright and Derek Johnson. The original group is made up of Brent
Migues, Rafael Rivera, Rich Hogan, Brian Justus, Davy Norris, Noel
Velez and Nathan Krall. Their combined aviation experience is 142
years, including 75 on Gulfstream models. The technicians are
capable of everything from tire replacement to an engine change or
major structural repair.
In situations where an operator’s aircraft is outside the
G100’s range of service, Gulfstream will fly parts or
technicians to a major airline hub, where they can connect to
commercial flights to reach the customer’s aircraft.
Since the start of the APS program, Gulfstream has completed
nearly 2,650 missions, including 350 outside the continental United
States. The APS aircraft is easily identified because of its
livery, which includes the logos of many suppliers in the
Gulfstream Product Support network.