by CJP Newsletters Editor Rob Finfrock
Thanks to efforts by the CJP Advocacy Committee over the past 12 months, Textron Aviation recently rolled out a new low utilization maintenance program (LUMP) for Model 525 Citation aircraft that builds on the successful implementation of similar programs for legacy Citation models.
“Existing [Model 525-series] maintenance programs were developed in the late 1980s and designed for operators flying 400-450 hours per year,” said committee leader Jason Talley. “Most owner/operators, me included, fly closer to 150 hours per year or less.”
The new, FAA-approved LUMP allows Model 525 owner/operators to extend several 24-month inspections to 48 months, and the normal three-year Doc 10 inspection to five years.
“We sat down with Textron Aviation’s engineers and parsed through the maintenance manual to identify opportunities for longer intervals and find where some of the hiccups might be,” Talley said. “The end result is a program that’s pretty groundbreaking for the operator who isn’t flying hundreds of hours per year.”
Interested operators may visit here and complete the form titled “Custom Maintenance Program Request Form.” There is a one-time enrollment cost of $8500, with ongoing error and safety revisions provided by Textron Aviation.
Talley commended Textron Aviation personnel, including company SVP for Customer Support Brian Rohloff, for their hard work in making the new LUMP a reality.
“The easy response would’ve been, ‘sorry but no, what’s in the maintenance manual is final,’” he added. “Instead, Textron Aviation really rolled up their sleeves and worked collaboratively with CJP to find opportunities for our members to save on their operating costs, which also takes some money away from Textron. They’re looking at long-term benefits, not short-term gains.
“And, this also demonstrates the very purpose of CJP and what we’re doing,” Talley concluded. “This is a concrete example of our advocacy and ability to deliver results to our members, and the Citation owner/operator community, in ways they may not have ever realized before.”
Currently, the Model 525 LUMP applies only to CitationJet, CJ1 and CJ1+ aircraft, although Talley hopes to soon extend it to the M2 and, ultimately, 525A and 525B models.
The CJP Advocacy Committee is also exploring the viability of a LUMP for Model 510 Citation Mustangs, although that aircraft’s newer maintenance program already incorporates some low utilization guidance.