Duncan Chose Provo for Community Feel

In October, Duncan Aviation announced plans to build its third full-service facility for business jet aircraft. The facility will provide airframe, engine, interior completions, exterior paint and avionics installation services. The new maintenance center will encompass 320,000 square feet of hangars, paint facilities and offices.

New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Oregon and Washington state were considered in the site selection process. But the determining factor was the stable community that "looks like" and has a "feel like" Lincoln, Neb. and Battle Creek, Mich., their two current locations. "We wanted a family-oriented town, not too expensive, where mechanics and technicians could raise a family," says John Slieter, vice president of service sales. Several sites in California and Reno, Nev. were ruled out due to the high cost of living and prohibitive licensing requirements to build. Provo, Utah offered a good incentive package, including tax credits, but Slieter says the decision was not incentive-driven and that, in fact, the Provo package was not the best one the company received. "We are really satisfied that we have found a place that’s right for our employees and for our customers," he says. "Utah is a beautiful place with a lot of entertainment options like hiking and skiing."

The wheels were set in motion for this facility years ago as part of a long-range plan, according to Slieter, and the company is moving swiftly now that the decision is made. "We are working with architects, finalizing drawings and moving forward with permits," Slieter notes. "We’ll be putting steel up in the spring and plan on being open July or August of 2010."

Slieter says the company is working on transition plans and will transfer 125 – 150 employees from both current locations. Duncan plans to expand the facility to 450 – 500 employees within five years. When asked about the recent downturn in the economy, Slieter said, "There are some positives for us. Contractors are more readily available and steel prices have plummeted." This has made the building process move faster and made it less expensive. Duncan says it is renewing its commitment to strategic partners like Embraer and Dassault and is expecting service center authorizations from several OEMs upon the facility’s opening. — Joy Finnegan

Lufthansa Begins Repairs on Antique Lockheed Super Star

Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin-Stiftung has started repair work as part of its project to restore a Lockheed L-1649A Super Star. A total of 44 aircraft were built between 1956 and 1958, and only four are preserved. None are airworthy. Lufthansa will conduct the work at a new maintenance hangar (right) at Auburn-Lewiston Airport (LEW) in Maine, where a formal opening ceremony was held on Nov. 20. The Super Star is scheduled to undergo full checks of the primary aircraft structure and various systems, and receive an updated cockpit and cabin, including replacement of wires, cables and leads. Prior to a D-check, technicians removed many components that are not part of the primary structure, including engines, radome, landing flaps, rudders and fairings. Tulsa, Okla.-based BizJet, an LHT subsidiary, has also completed renovations on the tail unit. During the Nov. 20 ceremony, LHT Chairman August Wilhelm Henningsen noted that the hangar opening "is an important milestone on the way to a Super Star [being] restored to airworthiness." Updates will include the cockpit, cabin and various systems, with the goal of keeping the historical look of the aircraft. The Super Star is scheduled to fly again in 2011.

Jet Aviation Bolsters Falcon Completions With Hangar Addition in Basel

Swiss MRO provider Jet Aviation has opened its 35,520-square-foot (3,300 square-meter) hangar expansion in Basel. Dedicated to Dassault Falcon completions, hangar 1A took seven months to construct. It will compliment hangar 1, which performs Falcon 900, 2000 and 7X completions. André Wall, COO EMEA & Asia, notes that the addition "will also free up space to expand our maintenance capacity in our other hangars."

EASA Grants Maintenance Certificate to TAM

Sao Paulo, Brazil-based TAM Technological Center has received EASA approval to perform C- and D-checks on Airbus A321 and A330 aircraft. The designation enables TAM to provide all major scheduled maintenance on aircraft registered in Europe. TAM plans to increase services at the center to A319/A320/A321, A330 and Fokker 100 jets. The certification is part of a wider TAM effort to transform its tech center into an MRO business unit that supplies maintenance to third parties.

Air Force Orders Modified HBC King Air 350ERs

Hawker Beechcraft Corp. has reached a $171-million agreement to supply 23 King Air 350 extended range (ER) turboprops for the U.S. Air Force. The aircraft will be modified with military equipment and used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Hawker Beechcraft plans to begin deliveries in 2009. The King Air 350ER includes nacelle fuel tanks, an increase of gross weight from 15,000 to 16,500 lbs. and heavy weight landing gear.

Air Canada Taps Servigistics For Parts Support

Atlanta, Ga.-based Servigistics has obtained a contract to supply Air Canada with its service parts management program. The carrier will use the service to manage its pool of parts inventories in Canada, APAC and EMEA. Servigistics says the package will improve Air Canada’s operational efficiency and supply chain responsiveness while lowering operating costs and AOG times.

German Office Joins Bombardier Network

Bombardier’s Commercial Aircraft Customer Services and Support group has opened a new regional support office (RSO) in Garching, Germany, near Munich. It is the company’s fourth RSO — they opened locations in Tokyo and Sydney earlier this year, and expanded in Shanghai, China. The Munich office will support CRJ and Q-series airliners in the region.

Cornel Hehn will manage the office, coming from Bombardier’s manufacturing facility in Toronto. The company plans to open another RSO in India next year.

Barco Display Gains ETSO Approval

EASA has granted ETSO-C113 certification for Barco’s CDMS-3000 control display unit. Yves Vanhauwaert, general manager of the company’s avionics division, explains that the European approval concludes the airworthiness authorization for the CDMS-3000 and "paves the way for aerospace companies to equip their cockpits" with the technology.