Aircraft Completions: Tips for success

So you are working in a corporate flight department and are called to assist in a completion of the new aircraft being delivered. What are some of the things you should keep in mind? What are some of the factors that will make this task run smoother? This article will touch on some of these topics to make your job easier.

Communication
The path toward a successful completions project begins with communication. A good line of communication between all parties involved is crucial.

First on the agenda is to contact several completions centers. When contacting them, you will let them know what type of aircraft will be worked on, the scope of work to be done, and an estimated timeline for the work to be scheduled. Talk to as many shops as possible. This offers the greatest possibility of choosing the facility that best fits your needs.

Evaluate your needs
One thing that the completions shops will do is to sit down with the customer and find out exactly what they are looking for. In its article "Interior Completions: State-of-the-craft trade tips" Elliott Aviation offers the following tips:

First, assess the aircraft's mission. Will it be shuttling technicians and managers between plants every day? Will it be transporting top-level executives on long trips? Short hops? Will the basic mission profile change in the near future? How?

Evaluate the needs. Will passengers use the cabin primarily for relaxing and socializing? Do they need workspace and equipment for conferences and presentations? What about phone, fax, and Internet capabilities?

Once you have determined exactly how your aircraft will be used, you can make choices about furnishings and technology that not only support your objective but also give you the most function and flexibility.

Early planning
Mike Fitzgerald, project manager for Stevens Aviation, discusses the importance of planning ahead of time. "We will sit down with the customer before the job is sold. This helps us to understand some of the prerequisites of the job, the things that are going to be required, and the amount of time that we are going to be looking at, based on the magnitude of the work scope. That may mean sitting down three weeks ahead of time or it may mean three months."

There is value in this early discussion. Fitzgerald explains. "The customers come in with a certain set of ideas of things that they would like done. And part of the reason that they do speak with us is to hear our ideas and find out what kind of alternative solutions we may have for some of the issues they are looking for, if you will."

Rely on the experts
Although your company may have an idea of what you want installed in the aircraft, there are many options available. Relying on the knowledge of the experts at the completions center will make your job easier. They keep up with all the latest products in the market and can make valuable suggestions on available products. Fitzgerald explains, "You have to do a lot of listening and talking to the customer and find out what it is that they really want. While we know a lot about airplanes in general, we don't necessarily know an awful lot about specifically what this particular customer wants until we listen for a while and try to figure it out, read between the lines if you will. Where appropriate, we'll make suggestions and offer alternative solutions. There may be new things out in the market that they might have not heard about yet, and we'll bring it to their attention. Maybe it's something they want, maybe not. But we'll bring it to their attention. But we kind of owe it to them to lend our expertise to that discussion."

Considering all your options
In "Interior Completions: State-of-the-craft trade tips," Rich Morgan, completions manager for Elliott Aviation, points out:

"A makeover can transform a 20-year-old aircraft into one that seems brand new, with the latest innovations and amenities for both style and functionality."

Start with seating since it is the most visually dominant component of the cabin. Seats, benches, and divans give you instant results when you update style and colors. Lumbar supports and in-seat massage and heating systems are relatively inexpensive and available for most aircraft.

Updated styling, new latches, new drawer slides, and a high-gloss finish will revive older cabinets, galleys, and worktables. Reconfigure what you have or add new ones for more work surface and storage space.
Many options are available for cabin lighting, including fiber optics systems. Aesthetics, better performance, weight savings, and decreased maintenance costs are some of the benefits of new lighting.

Even if you don't have strong opinions about decor, discuss your likes and dislikes with the designer. Do you prefer subdued colors? Bright colors? Dark? Light? The designer can also help you with selections of leathers and fabrics and assist in all interior decor decisions.

Bring a photo of any interior that you like even if it's a '57 Chevy or a 57-foot yacht, because good designers can make any aircraft reflect your preferences in car, boat, or home interiors.

"The aircraft's entire interior will be dismantled, making it the most logical and economical time to upgrade. So consider all of your options," advises Rich Morgan. "For example, cabin noise reduction systems are a frequent request. One option for King Airs is a state-of-the-art Active Noise Control (ANC) system that reduces sound levels by more than 50 percent. This dramatically improves passenger comfort and creates an ideal environment for an airborne office."

On considering the big picture while the aircraft is disassembled, Denise DeYoung, interior completions specialist with Stevens Aviation explains: "We are going to make suggestions to the customer as to what's out there in the market that is going to make it easier. If someone comes in and wants to change out their headliner panels and change them into a one-piece, we would do that. In turn, we may also try to talk him into putting in different lighting, making it more maintenance friendly, so that when he changes his bulbs he doesn't have to take out the whole panel at one time."

Reducing downtime
As we have seen, careful planning can help ensure the aircraft has as little downtime as possible. One way that many customers reduce the downtime is to schedule the interior work to be done in conjunction with other maintenance such as a major airframe or engine inspection. The "one-stop-shop" completions centers offer the ability to perform more than just interior work, adding value to the project. Fitzgerald explains, "You may come in here to do an interior job and a paint job and get some avionics upgrades as well as several inspections knocked out. How that work is scheduled through the system has a large impact on that downtime. And downtime is money. If you can't have use of the aircraft, you are not necessarily losing money, but it's a possibility that you are not able to get out there and see your customers and do the things you need to do to raise revenue for your company. So project management has a large impact on that."

So get the communication lines opened up with various completions centers. Let them help you make the best decisions for your interior completion. For contact information on completions centers, you can visit our Buyers Guide.