A More RAPID Solution to AOG Problems

Having decades of experience with legacy aircraft, Sean Lynch founded Engine Assurance Program (EAP) because he, like other owners, was having trouble finding affordable service and parts for various engines and APUs.

Now, 10 years later, with over 350 engines/APUs enrolled on its program, EAP is one of the largest independent providers of hourly maintenance programs for Honeywell and most models of legacy GE, Pratt & Whitney Canada and Rolls-Royce engines and APUs.

“When you enroll the engines on an hourly program, you also help to ensure the ongoing value of the aircraft,” Lynch, EAP’s managing director, says. “This is especially true for out-of-production models. We are here to fill that void and keep those aircraft flying.” There is a massive trickle-down revenue stream that feeds the entire industry if we can keep these aircraft flying for their entire useful life.

Controlling the rapidly escalating costs of engine maintenance is EAP’s primary focus. Lynch adds that service and parts costs have doubled in the last five years, and the company provides other benefits, like delivering critical parts when others can’t.

“It’s been six years since a customer of ours has had to wait more than 24 hours to get a fuel control unit shipped,” he explains. “It’s routine for other operators to be grounded for weeks waiting for the same part.”

Parts are just a piece of EAP’s RAPID solution

While having the parts readily available is critical, EAP customers still need qualified technicians to install them. That’s why the company created its RAPID TEAM.

“The RAPID TEAM is our commitment to providing the fastest AOG responses for all engines covered by an EAP program, helping to find available vendors to dispatch to the aircraft,” Lynch says. “Parts aren’t much good if you have to wait days to get trained technicians to install them.”

Another advantage EAP’s RAPID TEAM provides is getting the engine’s MRO plugged into the troubleshooting process as quickly as possible. “Their expertise makes it pretty clear what the issue is, and we can then send our technicians out with parts in hand,” Lynch says. “All by itself, that solves the problem days faster than it takes other providers.”

He adds that the benefits of EAP’s RAPID TEAM aren’t limited to AOGs but extend into scheduled engine maintenance events.

“If you don’t have an expert standing behind you while your engines or APUs are in the shop, you are much more likely to pay more and have longer shop events,” Lynch says. “We have great relationships with all the leading engine MROs, and we all work as partners to solve customer problems faster and more cost-effectively.”