AOG aircraft parts delivery can be a complicated logistics mission. Airplanes malfunction in the most unpredictable and undesirable circumstances. Our clients know it, and so do the Sterling sales and operations teams. The rest of us, that includes corporate staff like myself, don't often (if ever) have a chance to witness the logistics machine in motion. We just know it needs to function like a Swiss watch - with perfect synchronicity and reliability. And obviously on time!

That's why I jumped at the opportunity to assist Karin Muller, Sterling's Business Development Manager, in handling a rush AOG shipment.

We were both attending the annual NBAA Trade Show in Atlanta when Karin got a call from one of her customers. His Gulfstream V's Navigation Computer had failed and the plane was scheduled to leave that night. The call came in at lunchtime and by 5.10pm the unit arrived at the Atlanta aviation terminal from Florida. Karin and the engineer, Devinder Kalsi, were there to inspect and install the unit.

Here is a brief photo account of a critical part delivery to a grounded aircraft as provided by Sterling Aviation Logistics Specialists.




 
They say that the only consistent thing within Aviation is change. We certainly felt it when we got back to our hotel at 2 AM in the morning tired but happy that the navigation device was successfully loaded and the aircraft was up in the air. None of the passengers were ever aware that their VIP Jet was tech and grounded only a few hours earlier!