Working on corporate jets is challenging in many ways. An airplane on the ground does an operator no good, as it costs the owner money. The airplane doesn't like sitting, either--when an airplane sits, stuff breaks due to lack of use. But the biggest challenge is making the delivery date after a large maintenance event or modification. You can only estimate things like that, for the most part. Experience tells you how long that inspection should take if all goes well, and that same experience tells you how much additional time you need to add when a discrepancy comes to light. When everything is being done in-house, it can be relatively easy. But when you deal with outside vendors (Non-Destructive testing technicians, engine shops, interior shops, paint shops, etc.), you are sometimes left to their mercy--you can only tell them what your time line is, but you can't make their schedule for them, too.
We're in the middle of a fairly large inspection at work, one that involves taking the airplane down to component parts, replacing worn and time-limited parts, inspecting and having the lot X-Rayed, etc. We have a small crew, and only three of us have extensive experience on the make and model of airplane--the other full-time guy we have has very little experience on this type, and the three contractors we used had little to none as well. So, the heavy lifting is being put on the shoulders of three people, and all in all, the entire crew is doing a fine job. However, we have those outside forces at play--both engines needed heavy maintenance which required their removal, and the interior is likewise away getting refurbished. Well, we're at that point where we need to get everything back in the same building and back on the airplane. There's still plenty to do, yet some things are not going to get done until we get the other components. Think of it this way--you've disassembled a puzzle that someone else put together, and then you have to put it all back together again--four weeks later. You have to remember not only what you had for breakfast yesterday, but you have to know where that odd-shaped panel that only has a label reading "R/H LAV" on it actually fits. Fun, yes?
When a job gets this close to the end, the customers get antsy. You can only tell them what's going on and hope they understand. For instance, once we get this airplane back together, we have several days worth of functional tests and ground checks to do in order to make sure everything is working as it should be. Then we have several known issues we need to troubleshoot and repair yet. And, when you take an airplane apart this much, invariably other issues get introduced that need to be addressed, too. Add to it that this particular inspection on this type of airplane requires not only a post-inspection test flight, but said flight must be done by a factory test pilot. So, there's another scheduling kink to factor in--after all, you don't want to pay any contractor--let alone a factory pilot--to stand around and wait. If you tell him the airplane will be ready on a given day, it had better be ready. In the best scenario, the flight will go well and the airplane will be ready for final spiffing--clean the interior, touch up the paint, clean the airplane, and call the customer. But sometimes small things are discovered during the flight--and they too will have to be addressed before we can put our stamp of approval on the airplane and send it out the door.
The old saying, "We will sell no wine before its time" comes to mind at this point. As much as we would love for the customer to come by, pay the bill, and fly away tomorrow, the fact remains that we will not release the airplane until we are satisfied that it is ready to be flown and delivered. It will be ready when it is ready, all we can do is offer an estimated completion date. I would hope the customer understands...
Thanks for reading. Be good to one another, and, as always, I bid you Peace.
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