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Avionics Technician Joshua Hernandez at Duncan Aviation's Houston Satellite builds a wiring harness. The Houston Satellite and Duncan Aviation's other 23 certificated repair stations are now all under the FAA Repair Station certificate issued to Duncan Aviation's Lincoln facility.Duncan Aviation has been awarded the first-ever FAA-issued Repair Station certificate. Now, every Duncan facility and Satellite are united under a single Repair Station number (JGVR194F).
On Wednesday Duncan shared the big news, celebrating the unification of its facilities under the FAA-issued certificate. On Oct. 29, the Duncan Aviation Satellites and Additional Fixed Locations (AFLs) in Oxford, Connecticut; Bedford, Massachusetts; Teterboro and Morristown, New Jersey; and White Plains, New York began operating as AFLs under Duncan's Repair Station certificate in Lincoln, Nebraska.
"Although, briefly, the transition complicated things on our end because the Satellites have been operating the same way for more than 38 years, it will actually make our goal of meeting our customer needs much easier," Enterprise Manager of Satellite Operations Matt Nelson said. "We're now able to send technicians from one location to another without worrying which repair station number they're working under. It will also allow us more flexibility in the addition and removal of certain capabilities."
The other Duncan facilities in Battle Creek, Michigan and Provo, Utah as well as other Satellites and AFLs, transitioned to the Lincoln Repair Station certificate on Dec. 10. The Quality team at Duncan Aviation is led by Enterprise Quality Manager Mike Mertens. The Duncan Quality team transitioned the first five Satellites, resolved problems and transitioned the larger enterprise before surrendering dozens of separate repair station certificates.
The exciting achievement marks a monumental change for Duncan. This is the first time the FAA has granted a single repair station certificate for multi-location facilities. With this single certificate, instead of consulting dozens of FAA Flight Standard District Offices representatives in locations across the country, each Duncan location will consult the FSDO in Lincoln.
With one group overseeing and supporting every location, the service will remain consistent across the country. Utilizing a single repair station number will also allow the FAA to shift its focus from administrative tasks to safety concerns.
"Theoretically, the service we provide has been the same no matter the location, but with each location dealing with different FAA personnel, there was always the possibility of slightly different interpretations of rules," Mertens said. "Now, with only one person, there will be one interpretation. As a result, we will be even more consistent in providing the same service at every location."
In actuality, Duncan has been operating under the same Repair Station manual. Still, up until Dec. 10, there were dozens of FAA inspectors overseeing the 23 different certificated repair stations and each required a separate review.
"A further benefit to Duncan Aviation's customers is that the FAA will look at work orders for technicians on the floor," he said. "Roughly one-third will be looked at by the FAA FSDO team in Lincoln, one-third will be looked at by the local FSDO team at the request of Lincoln, and one-third will be inspected by Duncan Aviation's Enterprise Manager of the Safety Management System Mike Brown and Quality Chief Inspector Jeff King. This allows inspectors at all locations to focus on airworthiness instead of administrative issues."
Duncan supports aviation needs for business aircraft operators, government agencies and other aircraft service providers. These services include major or minor airframe inspections, engine maintenance, major retrofits for cabin and cockpit avionics systems, full paint and interior services, engineering and certification services, fabrication and manufacturing services and preowned aircraft sales and acquisitions. The company has locations around the country to supply services to the aviation community.RELATED STORIES:Duncan Aviation transforms Falcon 900EXDuncan Aviation reveals refurbished Hawker 800XP
In 2023, Duncan has seen other milestones. In February Duncan painted the first PC-24 outside of a Pilatus production facility. Duncan showed off a completely refurbished Hawker 800XP from its full-service facility in Battle Creek, Michigan in June. In August, Duncan developed a Supplemental Type Certificate covering the equipment upgrade from Gogo Business Aviation's legacy Air-to-Ground systems to the newer AVANCE L3 Wi-Fi system for operators of the Hawker 800XP. In September, Duncan delivered a Falcon 900EX with a unique custom interior. In October, Pratt andamp; Whitney Canada shared that Duncan's Lincoln facility had been appointed a Designated Overhaul Facility for maintenance, repair and overhaul of the PW300 and PW500 turbofan engines that will become operational in the next two years.
This unification of facilities will allow Duncan to continue to provide a wide range of aviation services in an efficient and effective manner. The company has complete service facilities in Battle Creek, Lincoln and Provo. The dozens of Satellite facilities are located throughout the U.S. to provide customers with scheduled regional support and fast response to possible avionics, engine and airframe Aircraft On Ground (AOG) situations. This certification will simplify administrative tasks for both Duncan and the FAA.
"This unification will simplify things dramatically for the FAA, by having only one group inspecting the standard requirements," says Mertens.