SAVANNAH, Ga., April 25, 2011 — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. 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.

Source and photo: Bombardier