Gulfstream recently completed its 5,000th airborne support flight, 13 years after Gulfstream launched business aviation’s first airborne maintenance and support service in May 2002.
The Gulfstream Field and Airborne Support Teams, known as FAST, use two dedicated aircraft to deliver flight-essential parts and technicians to operators in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The service, which has accumulated more than 16,600 flight hours and eight million nautical miles since its inception, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In the case of airborne mission No. 5,000, FAST pilots Ty Ung and Shanon Baker departed Savannah to deliver a section of an engine bleed air duct to a G450 at its home base at Illinois’ Waukegan National Airport, which is approximately 45 miles north of Chicago. The G450 made its scheduled flight the next morning.
“Returning an aircraft to service with minimal downtime is what FAST is all about,” said Derek Zimmerman, president, Gulfstream Product Support. “It takes a tremendous effort to pull off a swift, well-coordinated response to operators whose aircraft are unexpectedly grounded as a result of needed parts or technical assistance. FAST members have consistently met the challenge and continue to find ways to improve on what they do.”