Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Gulfstream Aerospace is investing $100 million in the service center complex at its Savannah, Georgia headquarters as it looks to add another 200,000 sq ft of capacity, build on its customer support hub, and continue the growth of its global footprint. Announced last month, the newest expansion at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport would augment the airframer’s service center that opened in 2019 and also spanned 200,000 sq ft. The resulting facilities would be among the largest in the world dedicated to business aviation.
Slated to open in 2024, the Savannah expansion will result in the creation of 250 jobs and increase capacity for customer support at the location, which includes a 24/7 technical operations call center and a main parts distribution center.
This investment is part of a global strategy that Gulfstream (Booth S120, Stand AD_08) has undertaken to keep up with its increasingly large fleet. In the past 15 years, the company has added more than 2 million sq ft of hangar and warehouse space, shops, and offices, and it has expansions either in the works or completed recently in Farnborough, UK; Mesa, Arizona; Fort Worth; Palm Beach, Florida; Appleton, Wisconsin; and Van Nuys, California.
The manufacturer of the super-midsize G280 and line of large-cabin, long-range twinjets estimates that it has poured some $500 million into these facilities.
“When the G650 was introduced in 2008, we saw the need to modernize our service facilities to accommodate the very large-cabin business aircraft Gulfstream brought to the market, and with that came building larger hangars and streamlining the support experience for our customers,” explained Derek Zimmerman, president of Gulfstream customer support. “The introduction of the G400, G500, G600, G700, and G800 further reinforced that need for modernization and expansion.”
Not only is the aircraft size growing but the fleet itself is rapidly expanding, Zimmerman said, prompting the airframer to implement the strategic expansion plan throughout Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere. This plan involves an enlarged footprint as well as investments in people and parts. “We are increasing our workforce across all sites,” Zimmerman said, noting that Gulfstream’s customer support team now numbers nearly 5,000 individuals in more than a dozen MRO locations across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
The company believes its factory-owned networks provide an opportunity to directly engage with its customers, Zimmerman said. “We work closely with them so that we can understand their end-service experiences and use this information to enhance our programs and projects.”
Zimmerman noted that having in-house capabilities such as for repair and overhaul helps the company “gain more control of the supply chain.” To that end, Gulfstream is adding shops, including a component repair and overhaul facility in Dallas that will open in 2024.
As for future projects, he said, “We feel confident in our current footprint and customer-support offerings and continually assess them to identify opportunities for growth.”
While it has its own expansive network, Gulfstream also has the advantage of having Jet Aviation as a sister company. Acquired by parent company General Dynamics in 2008, Jet Aviation helps extend Gulfstream’s service offerings, Zimmerman said, noting that the multifaceted aviation business chain remains its partner of choice in the regions it serves.
And while the airframer remains focused on its in-house expansion, Zimmerman noted that it is also enlarging its authorized warranty facilities (AWF) footprint. “We have aircraft based around the world and these AWFs offer convenient access to warranty service, maintenance, and parts for our customers,” he said, noting the recent addition of ExecuJet Aviation Nigeria in Lagos to provide warranty and maintenance service and spare parts in West Africa.

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

Gulfstream is investing $100 million in its service center in Savannah, Georgia.

Gulfstream is investing $100 million in its service center in Savannah, Georgia, as it grows its customer-support footprint worldwide.

Gulfstream Building on Service Center Hub

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Matt Thurber

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Software is for MRO facilities and continuing airworthiness management organizations

Team Targets Fatigue Management for Aircraft Mx Techs

Jessica Reed

New developments and products in avionics, specifically about aircraft electronics in the cockpit.

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

LT-2400 enables verification of system integrity before scheduling formal inspections

AIR Quality Training Introduces Pitot-static Leak Tester

Facility is the company’s tenth and will be joined by one in Sydney

Bombardier Adds Line Maintenance Station in Perth

Amy Wilder

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

MRO’s technicians will perform quick-turn repairs and troubleshooting 

Elevate MRO Partners with JSX for Light Maintenance

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

Work on the wing, cabin, and landing gear was conducted during a 2C inspection 

Falcon 900EX Upgraded with Extensive Mods in South Africa

Curt Epstein

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

EBACE Convention News 2023

More In Maintenance and Modifications

Team Targets Fatigue Management for Aircraft Mx Techs

Software is for MRO facilities and continuing airworthiness management organizations

AIR Quality Training Introduces Pitot-static Leak Tester

LT-2400 enables verification of system integrity before scheduling formal inspections

Bombardier Adds Line Maintenance Station in Perth

Facility is the company’s tenth and will be joined by one in Sydney

Elevate MRO Partners with JSX for Light Maintenance

MRO’s technicians will perform quick-turn repairs and troubleshooting

Falcon 900EX Upgraded with Extensive Mods in South Africa

Work on the wing, cabin, and landing gear was conducted during a 2C inspection

Enstrom Adds to Service Network in Ontario, Canada

Heli-Lynx is now an authorized maintenance provider

Gogo Obtains PMA for Galileo HDX Broadband Antenna

STC work will be underway for installation on 30 aircraft types of all sizes

West Star Launches 109,000-sq-ft Expansion in Grand Junction

Project includes more than 100,000 sq ft of additional hangar, backshop, and ramp space

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