maintenance procedure, and then another would step up a couple of minutes later with a manual in hand to inspect the work. The price paid for this approach is that they may spend two to three times more labor hours on a procedure than estimated in the manual. Aside from planning the maintenance schedule 90 – 120 days in advance, the other area that the company’s maintenance is known for is not cutting corners when it comes to replacing parts and maintaining a large supply of spares in-house. One saying that I heard from several different sources within the company originated with the owner: “When in doubt, change it out!” Most operators will try and operate certain parts or components right up to the end of their life-hours, a function of pinching pennies and improving cost efficiency. Maverick Helicopters does not do that. As an example, if there are 10 hours left on a part and the helicopter is down for maintenance after 100 hours of operation, the mechanics may go ahead and remove the part so as not to
take the aircraft out of service again, or worse, encounter an unscheduled maintenance event.
The other tool in the company’s arsenal for maintaining an uber-high rate of availability is the dedicated safety ship. This is a spare helicopter ready to fly at all times, but kept off the flight line. Should an unscheduled maintenance event occur, say during startup for example, passengers can be
immediately views moved paying to
the spare aircraft, avoiding a delay, or worse, cancellation. Maverick
for
these extras—which come at
considerable cost—as investments toward achieving their goal of 100 percent availability. The return on that investment is a very satisfied guest who will return again, or better yet, refer others.
SAFETY IN ACTION
Since Maverick has one of the best safety records in the tour industry, I asked the team how they approach safety.
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