Podcast: Best Practices for Small Flight Department Maintenance

Nov. 2, 2020

The new NBAA members-only resource “Best Practices for Small Flight Department Maintenance” offers practical guidance for small aviation operations managers who may not have a background in maintenance, or the resources to hire a full-time maintenance professional. A panel of four industry experts recently discussed the guide as part of NBAA’s Small Operator Learning Series of instructional programming created by NBAA’s Small Flight Department Subcommittee. “Under Part 91.7, the pilot in command is responsible for the airworthiness of their airplane, [but] that doesn’t mean you just throw the keys to the maintenance center and give them your airplane,” noted subcommittee chair David Keys. “You need to have some kind of system to make sure the sign-offs are proper, the work was done and everything is legal in your airplane.”

This episode of NBAA’s Flight Plan features insights from:

  • Caleb Gibson, pro ownership maintenance specialist with Textron Aviation
  • Elaine Karabatsos, director of aviation maintenance at Encompass Health
  • David Keys, chair of NBAA’s Small Flight Department Subcommittee and chief pilot at Citrus River Products
  • Dylan Miller, a Bombardier Challenger 604 pilot with a small flight department

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