Category Archives: Fall 2015

January 2017

GLOBAL AVIATION SERVICES RELOCATES

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Global Aviation Services has moved! The factory-authorized Twin Commander Service Center relocated in January to David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (KDWH) from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (KIAH), where it had been based since its founding in 1987.

The new location at David Wayne Hooks, a privately-owned public-use general aviation airport in Tomball north of downtown Houston, is far more accessible to customers, especially those flying in, than was Houston’s huge airline airport, explained Doug Ray, president of the company. Global is operating out of Tomball Jet Center on the west side of KDWH.

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Global is an FAA-approved repair station authorized by Twin Commander Aircraft to provide the full range of inspection, repair, modification, and upgrade services and parts sales. Global also services avionics with an emphasis on Garmin equipment.

Global was founded by Jim Ray to provide brokered maintenance services, primarily to AiResearch (now Standard Aero) located across the runway. When Jim’s son Doug and his wife Sherrie took over the business in 2001, they brought maintenance in-house. Since then the Rays’ strategy has been a steady, deliberate growth with an emphasis on customer relationships and preserving aircraft.

The company specializes in turboprop and jet services, but Commander work has been its “bread and butter,” Doug said, especially during the sluggish economy of the past several years.

Two things customers appreciate about Global are its small size and stable workforce, Doug said. “We are a smaller shop, and customers are happy to see the same crew servicing their aircraft. We have a loyal work force that is very knowledgeable. One example is our landing gear overhauls—we have no repeat or warranty claims on the work we do.”

For more information, contact Global Aviation Services at 281-443-3533 or visit the website at http://www.global-aviation.net.

AOPA LOOKING INTO EXCESSIVE FBO FEES

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Think you’ve paid excessive fees at some FBOs in the past? AOPA would like to hear from you. AOPA says its review “has found indications that some fixed-base operators may be charging excessive fees for fuel and other services. According to federal law, prices and services at airports that receive funds under the Airport Improvement Program must be ‘fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory,’ but AOPA members have reported experiencing issues with things like landing fees, ramp fees, and fuel pricing,” mostly at larger airports where FBO consolidation has occurred. AOPA would like to hear from Twin Commander owners and pilots who believe they have been subject to excessive FBO charges.

To read more, and to contact AOPA with your experiences, go to: https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2017/january/13/high-prices-at-certain-fbos-under-review

PARTICIPANTS HELP GROW TWIN COMMANDER’S SOCIAL SIDE

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Twin Commander Aircraft has been notably social over the last two years. The proof is in the numbers, including a doubling of followers of Twin Commander’s Facebook page, Twitter postings, and Instagram photos and videos.

Social media is a powerful tool for engaging customers and enthusiasts, keeping them informed of the latest developments, sharing interesting trips and events, and making it possible to communicate instantly and directly.

Twin Commander thanks those who actively participate in its social media platforms, and encourages everyone to join in the conversations and sharing. To join in the social conversation and stay connected with all ‘things’ Twin Commander, click on one of the icons above.

Special Discount on Enviro Air Cycle mod

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Get some climate change going in your Twin Commander. Twin Commander Aircraft is offering a special discount off the list price for Custom Kit (CK) 183 to convert a Sundstrand bleed-air environmental system to an Enviro system. CK 183 is applicable to all serial-number 690Cs, and Ds, and all 695s, 695As, and 695Bs. If you fly a 690C or 695 that has had CK 141 installed, you can upgrade to CK 183 for even better airflow at a fraction of the cost of the complete CK 183 install. The special discount applies to CK 183 kits ordered before the end of the year. Plus, take an additional 10 percent off all parts required to complete the installation of an Enviro air cycle machine that isn’t already included in the CK183 kit. Kits are in stock and available for immediate shipment.

For more information, contact an authorized Twin Commander Service Center. For a list of authorized Twin Commander Service Centers, visit our Service Centers Page.


Custom Kits Offer Choice of Improved Dorsal Fin

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A recent Maintenance Alert issued by Twin Commander Aircraft addresses the potential for corrosion to develop as a result of moisture that becomes trapped under the dorsal fin on Model 690A and B Twin Commanders. The original dorsal fin design for the 690A/B does not allow for dispersion of moisture that builds up on the fuselage beneath the dorsal, and this can lead to corrosion on the fuselage skin.

The trapped moisture problem can be eliminated by installing Custom Kit (CK) 193, which is comprised of a weep-hole system of parts, including shims, to be installed under the existing dorsal to provide channels for moisture to drain out of the cavity. Or, better yet, replace the original plastic dorsal fin with one constructed from stronger, more durable composite laminate material. The new dorsal fin also incorporates channels to disperse moisture. CK 195 is the new dorsal fin for Twin Commander models 500S, 681, 685 and 690; CK 196 is for the 690A/B. Contact your Twin Commander-authorized Service Center for more details.
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Flight Levels Online Ready for Viewing

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If you haven’t yet seen it, a new issue of Flight Levels has been posted on www.flightlevelsonline.com. The issue features Desert Air, which operates four soon to be five Twin Commanders in the southwest coastal African nation of Namibia, known for the variety of its plentiful wildlife. Desert Air uses its Commanders for charters, and taking tourists to Namibia’s colorful deserts and lush, wildlife-rich grasslands.

Winner Aviation, an authorized Twin Commander Service Center in Youngstown, Ohio, and its new president, Neal Gallagher, are celebrating Winner’s 20th anniversary, and the occasion warrants a profile in this issue of Flight Levels. Winner, which grew out of the original Youngstown FBO founded in 1941, is a full-service service center with highly experienced technicians.

The Internal Revenue Service has sent you a notice indicating that they intend to audit your aircraft ownership or operation company. What next? How do you navigate this process without it taking over your life or leading to more taxes that are unwarranted or unsupported? In her column “Business Flying and Taxes,” Suzanne Meiners-Levy offers a few tips to help keep you sane as you approach one of the most feared government actions: the IRS audit.

And, though it may seem highly unlikely that you’ll ever encounter an active volcano while flying, you might be surprised to learn that there are more than 1500 active volcanoes throughout the world. In his “Flying the Engine” column, Honeywell TPE331 Pilot Advisor Helmuth Eggeling details the devastating effects that ash expelled by an active volcano can have on turbine engines.

The next Flight Levels will be a print issue, as well as electronic, to be distributed in mid-November. Sign up for a free subscription at www.twincommander.com; click on the “Flight Levels Registration” button.


Legacy Acquires Parts Overhaul and Repair Business

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Legacy Aviation, an authorized Twin Commander Service Center, has acquired the landing gear and component repair and overhaul business from Higher Planes, a long-time provider of parts for Twin Commanders and several other airframes.

Legacy has moved tooling, equipment, inventory, and FAA-approved data from the Higher Planes facility in Conroe, Texas, to Legacy’s base at Clarence E. Page Field in Yukon, Oklahoma, west of Oklahoma City. The business will be renamed Legacy Aviation Components. Higher Planes founder Barry Cain is serving as a consultant to Legacy during the transition. Trey Wallace will make the move from Higher Planes to become shop supervisor at Legacy Aviation Components.

“Higher Planes has been in business for 23 years,” noted Legacy President and CEO RJ Gomez. “Every Twin Commander Service Center uses Higher Planes for landing gear, hydraulic, and component overhaul and repair.”

The Legacy Aviation Components shop should be fully operational by the end of 2015, Gomez said. There should be no interruption in providing parts, nor any decrease in the quality of repairs and overhauls as a result of the transition, he added.

For more information, contact RJ Gomez at Legacy Aviation Services at 405-350-2100.