Two of Duncan Aviation's satellite avionics shops have moved into new hangars. The East Coast shop, formerly located at Igor I Sikorsky Memorial airport in Bridgeport, Connecticut, has moved to a more spacious hangar owned by Clay Lacy Aviation at Waterbury-Oxford airport just 30 miles away. The Oxford satellite shop is easy to reach from I-84 and will be managed by Bill Gunter.

“Duncan Aviation is well-known for its satellite avionics services and its ability to provide a variety of avionics services for operators while at their base airport,” says Clay Lacy SVP of northeast operations Chris Hand. “We are pleased to bring Duncan Aviation into our facility and have its expertise available to our mutual customers.”

“The move to Oxford gets us closer to our main customer base in the area,” adds Gunter. “We spend a lot of time working on aircraft there.”

On the West Coast, the Sacramento satellite avionics shop has moved about 300 yards to its new location in a brand new, 30,000 sq ft hangar. Manager Bob Hazy has been with Duncan Aviation for 22 years and has been at the Sacramento shop for the last two. He sees this move as a great opportunity for the company, its customers and his crew at the shop.

“The new hangars that the Sacramento Jet Center has invested in will attract new customers to the area. It's less expensive here than at nearby airports,” says Hazy. “We're excited for the move because we have state-of-the-art office facilities and adjacent hangar space.”

Manager of satellite operations Matt Nelson adds: “We are really happy to have our Sacramento and Oxford satellite facilities up and running in their new spaces. Both of these moves are very exciting and have been in the works for a long time.”

It's been a busy year so far for the Duncan Aviation satellite shops and workaway stations. The proximity of the experienced avionics installation technicians has been a benefit for many of its customers who share hangars, ramps or airports with the satellite shops, especially as the final months tick away before the FAA's mandated deadline (1 January, 2020) to get aircraft outfitted for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ASD-B).

At its Battle Creek, Michigan location, the company has promoted Luke Swager to manager of customer service. Swager began his career with the facility there as an airframe mechanic on the Falcon/Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) team. He became project manager in 2005 and then assistant manager of customer service in 2013.

“Luke has a drive for providing excellent customer service. He leads by example and builds long-lasting relationships with fellow team members and customers alike,” says vice president of customer service Doug Alleman. “These skills make Luke a perfect fit to provide our customers with service unlike any other.”

After pursuing a degree from Western Michigan University in Aeronautical Engineering, Swager realised that working with people, developing relationships with them, and resolving their problems appealed to him far more than problem-solving from a desk. Instead, he earned his A&P licence and learned about the business aviation industry.

“I truly enjoy being a part of a team whose passion is to build relationships with our customers,” says Swager. “It's also great to help grow the team that communicates with our customers and provides them with such incredible work.”