Story ID: 018aMROFlyingColoursKSUSAINOct14EditedByAY_NM.doc
MRO Profile: Flying Colours St. Louis
By: David A. Lombardo
Caption: MRO expands its refurb capability
Word Count: 1057
Peterborough, Ontario-based Flying Colours is a privately owned and operated aviation services company. The 25-year-old MRO specializes in maintenance, repair and overhaul services, completions and modification services for business aircraft. In 2009 Flying Colours acquired JetCorp, located on Spirit of St. Louis Airport (KSUS) in St. Louis, Mo., to enable the Canada-based company to expand its overall MRO and completion capacity with more hangar space, specialized skilled workers and a U.S. presence.

JetCorp, a charter company formed in the early 1980s, maintained its own fleet of Learjets for about 10 years before offering maintenance to the public. One of its early clients operated a fleet of Falcons, and the MRO developed a significant reputation for working on both types.

When Flying Colours acquired the St. Louis operation it kept the JetCorp name to maintain continuity. In addition to its strong reputation for maintenance, JetCorp was a growing name for completions/conversions, and the new owners believed it would not benefit from an immediate name change to Flying Colours. The operation was rebranded to Flying Colours KSUS last year.

“The decision to rename the St. Louis operation had the effect of bringing the full scope of Flying Colours service under one company name. It served to align the operational activities at the two locations, which now mirror each other in terms of capabilities and output,” said Troy Funk, vice president of technical services in St. Louis. “Since then, Flying Colours has experienced significant growth in maintenance activity, in addition to its completion, refurbishment and avionics capabilities. Much of this has been underpinned by activity at the JetCorp site.”

The Flying Colours KSUS facility consists of five buildings totaling 60,000 sq ft, including 40,000 sq ft in three separate hangars for maintenance and avionics, 15,000 sq ft for interior upholstery and woodshops and 5,000 sq ft for components/accessory shops. The MRO is a Bombardier authorized service facility with particular expertise on Challenger 300, 604 and 605 maintenance, including the heavy 96-month inspections that entail a comprehensive review of the entire aircraft. As a Bombardier ASF, the MRO is approved for all maintenance/avionics/interior refurbishment related to the Challenger 300/601/604/605/850 and all the Learjet 31/35/40/45/55/60s. It has also been approved for work on the new Challenger 350 and Learjet 70/75. The company has extensive experience servicing Falcons, Citations, Gulfstreams and Hawkers.

Flying Colours KSUS has 136 employees, with specialists in avionics, maintenance and most recently design engineering, which expands its special-mission offering. The staff includes 45 dedicated A&Ps and 18 avionics techs, allowing the MRO to operate three shifts and provide 24/7 service. The company has 28 technicians dedicated to interior-related work and four who specialize in accessories and components. In addition, it shares personnel with the Canadian location as needed, with each pulling needed skills to one site or the other, or sending teams on the road for maintenance work as far away as China.

On-site Design Engineering

“We have recently set up a complete design engineering team. They will be responsible for program design engineering for all major completions, including Global/Challenger/CRJ, across the two facilities,” Funk said. “This has been integral in supporting our reputation for expertise in working on the Challenger fleet and will it provide the same level of support for the new 350.” Kelly Sepe was brought aboard to head the new engineering department, and the company plans to add two to three more engineers to the six-person team “in the near future,” Funk said.

Flying Colours KSUS supports a number of different engine types, including the General Electric CF34 series as used on the 601 and subsequent Challengers; the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW300 series on the Learjet 60; the Honeywell HTF7000, HTF7350 and TFE731 used on the Challenger 300/350 and Learjet 35/45/55/70/75, respectively.

“The engine approvals, combined with our maintenance, refurbishment and interior capability, ensure owners needing maintenance can be assured of minimized down time as all scheduled and unscheduled maintenance work can be undertaken in a single location,” Funk said. The company also offers NDT level II, with nondestructive testing level II approval offered in-house, 24 hours a day.

Highlighting the MRO’s variety of services, there were recently eight aircraft being serviced:

• a CL601 for a major phase inspection

• three CL604s (one for a 96-month inspection, landing-gear overhaul and miscellaneous interior refurbishment; one for installation of a satellite TV receiver; and the third for an emergency AD covering inspection of the integrity and orientation of the fastener heads in the flap hinge box)

• a CL605 for a soft goods refurbishment

• and a trio of Learjet 60s for phase checks, one of them as part of a prepurchase inspection.

“We’re doing more prepurchases this year than the last three combined,” Funk said, a gain that he attributed to putting a greater focus on establishing relationships with aircraft brokers.

While the St. Louis operation is an FAA- FAR 145 and EASA-approved repair station, it works closely with its Peterborough counterpart, which holds additional approvals from Transport Canada, Caymans, GACA, CCAA and the Isle of Man. All Flying Colours bids are generated from Peterborough.

Both operations also hold the AS9100 certificate for quality and safety management for the aerospace industry. The certificate was awarded in March last year to the St. Louis facility and reflects the significant investment Flying Colours has made in developing the Lean technology production and manufacturing systems at its facilities. Flying Colours implemented the use of Lean technology two years ago and since that time has improved efficiency as well as enhanced production times and quality standards. According to the company, it was one of the principal factors behind Bombardier’s appointing Flying Colours a preferred completion center.

“One of our strong points is we’re small enough that we can respond quickly to customer requests but large enough to offer essentially everything that a customer might need. We’re a 24/7 operation, which, combined with an ample and well trained team of technicians, allows us to be serious about getting work done on time for our customers. However, we’re always looking for experienced mechanics, especially on the Bombardier line in general and the Challenger specifically, to meet the increasing demand for our services,” Funk told AIN.