Crew Chiefs has been launched with the aim of bringing technology to supervise business aviation pre-buy inspections. The founders created the company to set a higher, more consistent standard for overseeing pre-buy and other aircraft inspections, developing proprietary technology and having experts based around the world on all continents where aircraft pre-buy inspections occur.

Founder and ceo Chris Buchholz explains: “Crew Chiefs' customised software for inspection oversight results in a more disciplined approach to ensure the inspections are performed correctly, while enhancing transparency and improving productivity. The company's quality management system (QMS) integrates all activities for continuous improvement.”

Crew Chiefs provides on-site aircraft maintenance professionals anywhere in the world to oversee pre-buy or other inspections on behalf of the buyer, the seller or other clients. It can provide an on-site technical representative to oversee pre-buy inspections for the client; oversee completions at the OEM prior to new aircraft deliveries; oversee refurbishment of business aircraft, including concurrent heavy maintenance inspections; provide asset condition and end-of-lease surveys for financial institutions; and provide entry into service on-board techs to go with the aircraft following completion, pre-buy or refurbishment to proactively coordinate potential AOG and scheduled items to support the owner.

Buchholz continues: “It's a privilege to be working with my fellow founders cto Mark Thibault and coo Warren Curry to finally bring new technology to better support the market. Thanks to Mark's decades of remarkable OEM, operator and MRO technical leadership, and to Warren's decades of outstanding aviation and OEM sales and marketing execution leadership, we are strongly positioned to lead our team of OEM-trained seasoned Crew Chiefs who are based around the world.”

After an initial career in investment banking, Buchholz led the growth of the largest aircraft operator and MRO in the Asia Pacific region.