Aircraft Completions - The Details of Specking an Aircraft
By: Karin Worthman, Aerospace Completion Solutions

The decision to purchase an aircraft, be it new or used, is not without its share of endless questions, among which are what to buy, who to buy it from and when to take possession. Whether you are a first time or seasoned buyer, one of the most overlooked questions is who will perform the interior completion or refurbishment of the newly acquired asset. 
 

The interior completion process can vary depending upon the complexity of the chosen interior or the extent of refurbishment required, which could lend to either a very exciting to extremely frustrating process. The key factor lies in understanding both the role of the Client and that of the Completion Center.

Given the current downturn in corporate aviation, aircraft manufacturers and Completion Centers alike have had to reduce their internal costs, often times through narrowing the spectrum of what is offered by leaning towards interior standardization. Options offered outside of the "standard" are priced as catalogue items, which tend to be less economical for the Client if the Client chooses to deviate from the standard being offered. This also adds additional time to the completion cycle, which often times impacts the final price. In addition, the Client with a need for customization will require a guide on how to navigate through a non-standard completion, which may include, among others, a customized cabin configuration, specific certification requirements and medical needs. 

When dealing with extremely high quality standards, attention to detail is tantamount to an exquisite end product. One critical factor towards achieving a successful interior completion or refurbishment is to ensure the Client's expectations are clearly understood and documented into the scope of work. There are a multitude of steps, items and details to be agreed upon and integrated into the appropriate documentation to establish a final completion price and schedule. This document is intended to provide you with a road map that defines specific key milestones and what to expect in developing the interior completion specification and layout and design package. 

Be prepared for a series of meeting dates, typically 3 or 4 that will be determined by the Completion Center in order to finalize and approve the interior completion package. These meetings will require the input from the Owner, Flight Department, Maintenance, Designer (if the Client chooses to use the services of an independent designer), and Program Manager. There will be specific dates established by the Completion Center at the outset of the meetings in order to obtain Customer approval of all documentation, layouts and design. It is important to respect the meeting and approval dates in order to maintain the initially agreed upon schedule.

The initial meeting with the Completion Center will be to discuss the floorplan arrangement, upgrades and selection of the standardized offered options, and obtain direction and input on the overall feel and ambience of the interior. If this is a new "Green" aircraft completion, the OEM will present several standardized floorplan options for consideration. One of the presented floorplans may fit the Client's requirements with little or no modification. If there are specific requirements that are outside the presented options, this is the time to clearly identify the requirements, whether it is the placement of a handset, location of a cabinet, position of a lavatory, replacing a divan for a permanent bed, dedicated workstations or incorporating a medivac unit. 

Selection of standardized options is relatively simple by reviewing the options list provided by the Completion Center. The Client will need to be prepared and has researched other options that are available but are not presented. These options or additional modifications are usually newer technology in communications / avionics / cabin management and entertainment systems as well as specific modifications that the Client has either heard of through the industry or seen on other same type aircraft, or are quite specific needs of the Client.

During the initial meeting the Completion Center will provide the Client with a baseline Completion Specification that generally describes the baseline standards that will be installed in the interior and the standard floorplan. The Client will need to ensure that the details of specific installations and design criteria are clearly defined and incorporated into the Completion Specification. Failure to do so will result in costly Change Orders, potential schedule delays or disappointment with the end result.

During the next series of meetings the Completion Center will present the Client with the modified floorplan, modified Completion Specification, preliminary detailed layouts and preliminary interior design materials, woods, fabrics and finishing materials and exterior paint schemes for review. The objective is to review each layout to ensure that function, accessibility, ease of operation, location of components and overall design and trim meet the Client's requirements. The Completion Specification will require a thorough review to ensure that the details of the layouts are captured within the Specification. Once this process has been completed within the specified timeframe the Completion Center will then update all of the "red lined" documents and present the Client with the final documents for approval at the next scheduled meeting. 

The direction provided by the Client on the presented interior design color and fabric boards is the first step in the process of establishing the interior design. There are a multitude of design details to be specified i.e. type of inlay details on table tops, side walls, dado panels, bulkheads, type of moldings, positioning of switches, type of latches, etc. All of these details need to be clearly defined in the Completion Specification and layout package.

The amount of time required from the initial meeting until approval of the interior completion package typically will take upwards of six (6) months prior to the Green Aircraft induction into the Completion Center. 

The same process will apply for a major refurbishment or a soft goods re-rag. The timeline changes somewhat in that typically a soft good re-rag would require approximately a six (6) weeks lead time, and dependent on the extent of the major refurbishment, the lead time could be as long as six (6) months.

As soon as the interior completion package has been finalized and approved, the completion center can now plan the Work Package with their engineering, certification, production and planning groups. There will be several more meetings required as a result of the internal reviews at the Completion Center. Additional changes will result from these meetings and the key is to ensure that all parties clearly understand the requirements and expectations, as often times what the Client has envisioned and incorporated into a design concept has a different meaning to either the engineering or production groups. 

Now that the interior completion has been defined, engineered and planned, the aircraft will be inducted into the Completion Center to begin the interior completion process. The interior build process will take up to twelve (12) months to complete the aircraft. During this time, there are countless inspections and reviews that will take place from cabinet build for conformity and access, quality inspections of all components, underfloor inspections prior to floorboard close outs, veneer lay up, skin inspection prior to paint, program reviews, vendor reviews etc. 

Unless the Client is extremely well versed on the product line and experienced with the Completion Center's operation and standards, and can dedicate themselves full time to the entire completion process, it is highly recommended that a completely independent consulting firm to professionally manage the specification development, design integration and the completion process be hired. 

The experienced independent consulting firm when brought into the process in the early stages of discussion with the manufacturer or Completion center, will provide valuable input during the negotiation phase, specification development and design integration, which in many cases will save time, money and risk of misinterpretation. Ultimately reducing or eliminating the amount of costly change orders. The consulting firm will monitor the milestone schedule, participate in all program reviews, design reviews and inspections and will identify potential issues early in the program before they become major issues resulting in re-work, change orders or schedule delays. 

There are many independent consulting firms to choose from within the industry offering various levels of completion management services. Aerospace Completion Solutions has a team of associates that have been involved in corporate aviation for over eighteen (18) years. Our associates have experience in the areas of:


Contract negotiation
Completion Specification development
Design integration
Interior Completion program management
Technical Representative support
Aircraft inspection and acceptance

We would be pleased to tailor a proposal to meet your requirements of part time or full time management assistance. Please contact Karin Worthmann at 514-426-5656 or at Karinworthmann@earthlink.net for further details.