Upgrading Bizjet_Finance 16/12/2014 12:33 Page 1
FLIGHT DEPARTMENT T MAINTENANCE
Modernizing Your Aircraft: Part 3 - Schedule
Kevin Hoffman concludes our series on modernizing and upgrading business aircraft with an examination of the primary drivers that affect schedule and timely delivery of the completed aircraft.
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ritical path items, which affect the entire completion schedule if not completed on time, range from engineering drawings, to timely procurement of parts, up to and including aircraft certification. Completion schedules have four levels: Tier I through Tier IV. Tier I schedules provide a basic overview of the work to be accomplished, while Tier IV schedules deal with detail that is often several hundred pages in length. Understanding how the various tasks listed on these schedules relate and depend on one another is key to keeping the critical path items on track and the modernization project on time. 88
AVBUYER MAGAZINE – January 2015
Communication Customer responsibilities include understanding and communicating to the completion center precisely what they are seeking by way of specification, design and options. Without such specificity, completing the desired program on schedule and on budget is unlikely. It is the customer’s responsibility to know what is wanted before meeting with the completion center, and a detailed discussion with the center must be held to avoid “change orders” and other redirections that result in delays and usually higher costs. Beware, change orders can also occur because an
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Aircraft Index see Page 4