Blog | November 10, 2020 Written by: Camber Media Team
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Head of State cabin completion management.
Heavy maintenance, technical compliance and redelivery management to OEM.
VIP Cabin completion management, green and completed aircraft acceptances, heavy maintenance and modification project.
Green aircraft and completed aircraft technical acceptance, cabin refurbishment, heavy maintenance oversight, aircraft survey and technical records review.
Tom Chatfield has over 35 years’ experience working with highly respected companies in the aviation industry. A trained avionics technician holding Transport Canada and EASA Aircraft Maintenance Engineer licences, with a MSc in Airline Transport Management from Cranfield University, Mr. Chatfield is characterised by his professionalism, technical insight and solutions-oriented approach.
In high school, Tom worked at a flying school to pay for his flying lessons. After gaining his pilot’s licence, he attended Canadore College before being hired by de Havilland Canada in 1986. Starting as a production flight test technician, he was fast-tracked into avionics engineering, later becoming de Havilland’s youngest international field service representative.
Tom joined Lufthansa’s partner, Contact Air, in 1992 to lead the Avionics Department and, later, to manage the Engineering and Maintenance Planning Teams. Recruited as Maintenance Manager in 2000 for DaimlerChrysler’s new corporate jet division, he led the team to achieve 100% dispatch reliability of its A319CJ during the first two years of daily trans-Atlantic business-class shuttle operations. Tom oversaw the maintenance, modification and AOG recovery of DaimlerChrysler’s global operation of Airbus, Global, Challenger, Falcon, Learjet and Cessna business jets.
A boutique leasing consultancy, Santos Dumont Aircraft Management, hired Tom in 2004 as VP Technical to develop processes and train specialists to support an impressive list of client airlines and leasing companies.
Qatar Airways’ offered an opportunity in 2009 to join the senior management team of its new business jet operation. Mr. Chatfield managed Qatar Executive’s technical operations, defining new aircraft specifications, overseeing completions and leading the team to receive Part 145, CAMO and Bombardier Service Center approvals.
In 2013, after 24 years of working abroad, Tom returned home to Canada to launch Camber Aviation Management with a trusted team of professionals to deliver technical advisory services and unique custom designed, world-class corporate and private aircraft to the high net worth, corporate and head of state clients worldwide.
Since January 2020, Mr. Chatfield is the CEO of Camber Aviation Management.