Story ID: 160Sept17
New Dassault Unit Packages Pre-Owned Falcon Services
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: The reorganization comes as Dassault has seen a jump in pre-owned Falcon transactions.
Word Count: 437
Seeing a jump in pre-owned Falcon transactions, Dassault Aircraft Services (DAS) has created a new organization—Falcon Pre-Purchase Services—that packages services to help customers transition into the Falcon series.

The intent of the organization is to provide potential customers of pre-owned Falcons an experience on par with that for customers of new aircraft, said Michelle Averso, director of the organization. These services range from detailed aircraft evaluations to a complete walkthrough of requisite updates to meet upcoming NextGen requirements such as ADS-B out {{sm caps}} and Fans-1/A to coordination of any other updates or modifications that the customer might seek.

Among the services offered are physical evaluation records research, systems operational checks and other evaluations that draw on Dassault’s experience in engineering, production and aftermarket support. The modifications and other upgrades could vary from paint or interior refreshes to installation of new avionics or cabin management systems.

DAS, the Falcon support network, also will coordinate on propriety modifications and updates that are designed to keep the existing in-service fleet at the level of new production aircraft. DAS is cross training a dedicated staff on these services to bring expertise to the buyer. The advantage of going through DAS, said general manager Gary Schiff, is that the specialists have access to all the original drawings, engineering and STCs, thus lowering the cost and time of any requisite and many desired updates. He added that with Dassault as the parent company, they can “smooth the process” of imports and bringing foreign-registered aircraft up to U.S. standards.

The changes are preparing DAS for an anticipated uptick in pre-owned activity, said Mark Ozenick, president of DAS. Dassault officials recently noted they have seen more activity in the first half of this year than they did throughout last year. As the number of Falcon transactions picks up, so too has the need for these services, Averso said, noting that at one point the company had three evaluations under way simultaneously at the Little Rock facility. “There’s been a lot of activity since the beginning of the year,” she said.

While the used market has heated up in recent months, the overall demand for such services has evolved since the market downturn. Working with brokers, DAS has seen its share of pre-purchase Falcon services grow from 10 percent in 2011 to 75 percent. Ozenick said the goal is to capture all that business, noting that the services build brand loyalty, trust and relationships for future work. “It’s a great introduction to the Falcon brand.”

, full_html