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Press Release
Issued by RAI Jets Service Center.
June 19, 2024
RAI Jets Service Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is proud to announce that it has been approved to service Cessna Citation 560 (XLS), 650 and 750 aircraft via a limited airframe rating. This is in addition to the limited instruments and radio ratings already approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). RAI Jets Service Center is a Part 145 repair station (#RJSR819D) and a sister company of RAI Jets, an aircraft management and jet charter company located at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (KAZO). The certification was issued in March 2024.
"I'm pleased that the FAA has certified us to service a broader array of aircraft, including Citation 560s (XLS), 650s and 750s," said David Riley, director of operations at RAI Jets and accountable manager for RAI Jets Service Center. "We look forward to our expanded service offerings and welcoming more mid-sized jets to our MX department for maintenance."
The RAI Jets team opened the RAI Service Center in 2021 after a two-year application process. Until the recent announcement, the repair station handled 91.311 and 91.413 inspections to evaluate the transponder and altitude reporting systems, including secondary surveillance radar (SSR) beacon codes. The inspections are required every 24 months and are crucial for maintaining the safety of operations in IFR (Instrument Flight Rules conditions.) The repair station will be able to add additional models of fixed-wing aircraft to its lineup of those it already serves.
RAI Jets Service Center's personnel have extensive experience with:
- Beechjet 400(A)
- Challenger 600 Series
- Citation 550/560/XLS, 650 (III, VI, VII) and 750 (X)
- Hawker 800 and 900
- Falcon 2000 and 900
- Helicopter maintenance
RAI Jets works closely with the RAI Jets Service Center to offer turnkey aircraft management, including all required maintenance. RAI Jets is a Part 135 operator, so aircraft owners seeking management services from RAI Jets can qualify to be added to the operator's air carrier certificate and recover some of their operating costs by allowing RAI Jets to charter their aircraft when it's not in use.
The MX department at the RAI Jets Service Center has grown substantially throughout 2023 and expanded its services. Riley said he is proud of the maintenance team and especially the current leadership and regards the repair centre as the home of Cessna specialists.
"The addition of industry veteran Joe Phelan at the end of last year allowed us to expand our service to include XLS aircraft," said Riley. "Joe was previously the head of maintenance for one of the largest fleets of XLS in the world. At the beginning of 2024, we promoted Dave Lillie, who had been with us for five years, to director of maintenance. He has more than three decades of experience in the business and has helped us aggressively grow our maintenance capabilities."
In addition to all the changes in maintenance at RAI Jets, Riley said the company is making further plans to expand operations and will have more news to announce in 2024.
