One of the great pleasures of my job as President of Twin Commander Aircraft is meeting with Twin Commander owners and operators. You are the reason I and my colleagues at Twin Commander Aircraft and at our authorized service centers are here. Our sole mission is to support you with technical resources, quality replacement parts and upgrade kits, trained and experienced maintenance personnel, and properly equipped and staffed service center facilities. Talking with you gives me invaluable insight on why you prefer to fly a Twin Commander, and fosters productive ideas on how to make your owner/operator experience the best it can be. That is why one of the great frustrations of my job is that I don’t get to meet with you as often as I’d like.
I’m happy to say that frustration was nowhere to be found last April when more than 120 Twin Commander owners, operators, factory and service center representatives, and product and service providers all gathered in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the biennial Twin Commander University. For three-plus days it was nothing but Twin Commander talk, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
The clear consensus was that the 2013 University was the best in years. Owner/operator attendance was excellent with a lot of new faces and a decidedly international flavor; the program was packed with interesting and informative presentations and product and service displays; and the late-April desert weather was gorgeous.
Twin Commander Aircraft prides itself on our communication with you through the quarterly Flight Levels magazine, our monthly electronic newsletter, press releases to more than five-dozen aviation publications worldwide, our ePostcard product news, and, of course, the relationship you have with your authorized service center. But nothing can top the face-to-face interaction that characterizes the Twin Commander University.
Whether it is the formal seminar presentations, the Welcome Reception and banquet, sharing a golf cart in the Club Benders Scramble, or the many casual conversations that take place, the University offers a unique and irreplaceable opportunity for you to get to know us, and even more important, us to get to know you.
One of the primary topics at this year’s University was Service Bulletin (SB) 241 and the airworthiness directive that mandates compliance with SB241. As noted in the SB241 story in this issue of Flight Levels, Twin Commander Aircraft and its service center network have been working for several years to define a procedure that, above all, ensures the continued safety and reliability of affected 690/A/B aircraft while minimizing the impact to operators in terms of the compliance schedule and downtime required to complete the inspection and modification.
We believe we achieved those objectives. However, to our surprise the airworthiness directive based on SB241 that was issued last May following the University dramatically shortened compliance times. This put a severe strain on operators and service centers as the demand for shop space and technicians accelerated due to the challenging compliance schedule in the AD.
I’m pleased to report that Twin Commander Aircraft and the service center network have been working productively with the FAA to devise a workable solution to the compliance issue. A proposed revision to SB241 will allow some operators to conduct a modified inspection of the affected area in the aft pressure bulkhead. If no problems are found the operator can continue to fly for 100 hours or 110 flights, whichever comes first. This modified inspection can be performed up to three times before the full inspection and modification must be completed.
This revision should provide a viable option to those operators faced with an otherwise long downtime in the midst of a busy flying season, meanwhile allowing them to work with their service center to identify an acceptable time to conduct the full inspection and modification.
Supporting your commitment to operating a Twin Commander is my commitment to you. Participating in events like the University, where I get to meet and talk with you, is my reward.
Matt Isley,
President
