You have decided to acquire your own business jet. This is a brilliant decision! By now, you’ve probably realised that owning an aircraft isn’t quite the same as owning a car. It’s more complicated and time-consuming, requiring expertise and vast industry knowledge. This is precisely the reason why you need a completion manager. Here are the top 5 reasons to hire one so you can sit back and enjoy your dream jet.

1. Transforming your vision into reality

Understanding a client’s needs is the first step in ensuring project success. The completion manager assists clients in defining their requirements and preferences for their ideal aircraft. This includes the number of passengers that will be carried, the destinations they fly to (Trans-Atlantic, short runways, high-altitude airports, etc.), the maximum flight times (will passengers be sleeping onboard and is a crew rest area needed), communication systems (satellite or air-to-ground communications with voice, text and high-speed data), entertainment options (LiveTV, streaming latest movies, music, news, etc.), in-flight service expectations (freshly cooked meals, warmed entrees, snacks and beverage services), cabin noise levels, cabin air quality and hygiene protocols. The list of requirements can be quite long, but you can always rely on your completion manager to convert it into a detailed brief for the selected designers. The designer interprets client needs to create cabin layouts, 2D and 3D renderings, and to provide visualizations of their wishes, with the completion manager providing important insights.

2. Creating the design

Your perfect completion manager will have considerable experience and knowledge to apply to the development of the cabin design. He acts as a bridge between design and engineering, guiding the process and bringing a practical perspective on functionality and reliability throughout the process. Once the cabin design and its capabilities are defined, the completion manager captures the details in the aircraft specification, reflecting the interior layout, system definitions, functionality, reliability and quality deliverables that will form the basis of RFQ to qualified completion centres.

3. Selecting the best completion center

This is an incredibly important part of your private jet journey. Selecting the wrong completion center results in headaches and additional costs. The completion manager can save you from both. He assists the owner in selecting the preferred completion center and in negotiating the Outfitting Agreement including deliverables, processes, warranties, support, schedule and cost. Furthermore, he understands best practices from multiple successful projects, having worked with world-class designers, engineers and completion centers on different aircraft types and manufacturers (each of these have their own way of doing things and are often not aware of other effective methods that may be used). Completion center bids should be carefully reviewed with your completion manager, who will provide insightful guidance necessary to reach the right decision and reduce project risk.

4. Creating the cabin

Now outfitting begins and soon your dream cabin will become reality. The completion manager provides full technical oversight throughout the cabin outfitting process, resolving issues as they will inevitably appear and ensuring adherence to the program schedule. The manager reviews the ground and flight test programs and participates as an observer, noting issues and recommending effective solutions. Once the aircraft is certificated, your completion manager performs the technical acceptance of the completed aircraft, including cabin, systems, flight deck enhancements, livery, etc. and negotiates any Commitment Letter Items.

5. On track, in budget and ready to fly

During outfitting, the completion manager prepares for the aircraft’s entry into service, supporting the owner’s team by reviewing the infrastructure, operations and support services to ensure all are in place for the delivery your finished aircraft.

These steps are absolutely necessary before you can relax and begin to use your very own aircraft. The completion manager saves you from the issues that could arise during this complicated process, allowing you to enjoy your new jet.

Nevertheless, there can still be challenges coming your way. And like before, your completion manager is the person to manage and resolve these issues, professionally while preventing possible headaches. One of the possible challenges, in light of the recent pandemic is how to park your jet, whether for a short or long period of time?

Next on “Saving Private… Jet” series, we will talk more about “a parked jet” issue and its recovery process, and how the completion manager can play a critical role once again.