AIN Staff

Whether supporting business opportunities, providing humanitarian aid, or delivering critical parts to keep production moving, in today’s world, a business aircraft’s “value” is directly tied to what it enables its operator to accomplish.
That is, of course, if the aircraft is available when it’s needed to fulfill those roles. Woe is the chief pilot who has to tell the “boss” that their high-priced asset “can’t fly today.”
“Aircraft availability is the most important thing for every business aviation user today,” states Andy Robinson, Rolls-Royce Business Aviation’s senior vice president of customers and services. “That’s why we’ve invested heavily in building our network including our state-of-the-art Aircraft Availability Center (AAC), headquartered in Dahlewitz, Germany, just outside of Berlin.”
“It gives us 24/7/365 capabilities to coordinate the rapid solution of AOGs anywhere our customers fly,” he continues. “The AAC is home to a team of technical engineers and customer managers that can orchestrate everything from on-wing technicians to replacement parts to complete engines to all the logistics required for a quick and successful aircraft recovery operation.”
“Rolls-Royce is the only business jet engine manufacturer with a dedicated business aviation group,” adds Rolls-Royce Business Aviation’s v-p of aircraft availability, Robert Werner. “We recognized early on that our business aviation customers have much different needs than commercial operators.”
“We’ve built a dedicated organization and global service infrastructure around delivering on those requirements,” he continues. “We have more than 85 authorized service centers, 80 dedicated on-wing technicians, 10 strategically located CorporateCare parts &nbsp;stores, and over a billion dollars invested in parts and lease assets—all to help ensure our customers enjoy 100% aircraft availability.”

<h2>Say aloha to the AOG</h2>
Just how far does Rolls-Royce Business Aviation’s team go to support a customer? In one recent instance, they went all the way to a small airport located on the western side of Hawaii’s Kona Island. (Yes, it’s a tough job, but somebody had to do it.)
“The crew contacted our AAC team and after a lot of troubleshooting, we decided the issue required an engine exchange,” Werner explains. “We chartered a 747 to carry the engine along with a hoist and all the technicians and equipment required to complete the change in the remote location.”
“But that wasn’t the end of it. The aircraft was located at an airport that is too small for the 747,” he continues. “We had to hire a barge to take everything to the aircraft’s location. It was a major logistical challenge, but we got it done. It was all seamless and done at no cost to the customer, who was enrolled in our CorporateCare program. That covered the entire rescue operation.”
As Robinson explains, Rolls-Royce Business Aviation really does put care into its CorporateCare programs. “Ensuring the availability of our customers’ aircraft is very much at the heart of what we have always done. If they have a problem, we are driven to do what it takes to get them back in the air as quickly and safely as possible,” he says.
“Right now, we have more than 8,000 engines in the fleet, and 72% of them are on&nbsp; CorporateCare or CorporateCare Enhanced ,” Robinson continues. “And currently, 80% of new Rolls-Royce powered aircraft deliveries enroll &nbsp;on the Enhanced program immediately.”
He also explains that while CorporateCare provides complete coverage for all the engine’s components and systems, the CorporateCare Enhanced coverage includes the full Powerplant - the engine’s nacelle, thrust-reversers, and all other Rolls-Royce components.
“It not only includes all repairs and damage; it also provides unlimited repairs from erosion and corrosion,” Robinson says. “We’re the only ones that offer that level of complete coverage.”
Werner adds that this high level of support evolved from direct feedback from Rolls-Royce Business Aviation’s Corporate Customer&nbsp; Counsel (C3).
“We held an event back in 2017 and we heard that customers were unhappy with the inconsistencies they were experiencing in how repairs were being covered by the then version of the CorporateCare program,” he explains. “Now, every engine type &nbsp;has the same coverage with &nbsp;CorporateCare Enhanced. For engines where we provide the nacelle, we will cover every Rolls-Royce-supplied component.”
Another benefit of CorporateCare and CorporateCare Enhanced is that the coverage is proven to add to the aircraft’s resale value.
“In many cases, the added residual value has been increased by the same amount the owner had paid for CorporateCare,” Robinson says. “The program almost pays for itself while helping to ensure the aircraft’s 100% availability.”

<h2>100% committed to total customer care</h2>
The company’s array of CorporateCare and CorporateCare Enhanced services aren’t the only parts of the company’s commitment to 100% aircraft availability that have evolved to meet changing customer needs.
“We are always enhancing our services. For example, we’ve seen an issue with maintenance facility capacity constraints in some areas of the world,” Werner says. “After talking with customers in those regions, we made the decision to rent our own hangar and hire our own technicians to staff this location. Now we can offer basic ‘drop-in’ services at these facilities.”
“We are always looking for the next issues they may face in the changing market conditions,” he continues. “We need to be able to identify them and adapt quickly to ensure our customers have the services they need.”
Robinson adds that Rolls-Royce Business Aviation is continually adapting not only physical locations and services but also how it uses emerging technologies to enhance the ongoing performance and reliability of its engines.
“We are continually expanding our ability to collect and analyze real-time data from our engines,” he says. “For example, our new Pearl Series engines have an advanced Engine Vibration Health Monitoring Unit (EVHMU) which has the capability to monitor around 10 thousand engine parameters in real-time.”
“Once there’s weight on the wheels, the EVHMU automatically transmits the data from every second of that flight so we can analyze it for trends,” Robinson continues. “It’s not just the engine but also the subsystems and line replaceable unit (LRU) components. If the torque motor is taking longer to open or close a valve, then we can plan to proactively change that motor to avoid an AOG.”
“Being able to be that proactive is a game changer in the industry, and we are the first to offer it,” Werner says. “It’s one more example of the depth of our commitment to delivering the Rolls-Royce-level business and personal travel experience our customers expect from us.”
“We’re not perfect. But right now, we’re at a 99% aircraft availability rate with our CorporateCare and CorporateCare Enhanced customers,” he adds. “And that’s a huge accomplishment, and while we’re incredibly proud of where we are today, we’re still striving for 100%. That’s what our customers expect, and that’s what we’re continually striving to deliver.”

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Ensuring your aircraft is ready when you are

Rolls-Royce is the world’s leading engine supplier in business aviation, powering some of the largest, fastest, and longest-range business jets available. Rolls-Royce powers aircraft built by Bombardier, Cessna, Embraer and Gulfstream. Our products and services include the Pearl, BR725, BR710, AE3007, Tay, Spey, MR&O, and CorporateCare® Enhanced, the leading solution for engine care. This maintenance program offers increased asset liquidity, nacelle coverage and complete engine management, from line maintenance to shop visits. CorporateCare Enhanced, the comprehensive, fixed-cost engine maintenance management plan, provides customers with a global support infrastructure which includes: Engine Health Monitoring, a worldwide network of Authorised Service Centres and globally distributed spare parts and engines, all managed by our dedicated 24/7 Business Aircraft Availability Centre.

With over $1 billion invested in a network that includes a global team of experts and replacement parts and engines at the ready, Rolls-Royce Business Aviation’s Aircraft Availability Center is unparalleled in its ongoing commitment to ensuring that its customers’ aircraft are ready to fly when they are.

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