Duncan Aviation is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its first mobile engine rapid response team (RRT), located at Dallas Love Field in Texas.

In 2000, a dedicated team of mobile-ready turbine engine technicians was formed, becoming the company’s first engine rapid response launch office. Other teams quickly followed in Chicago, Denver, Phoenix and Fort Lauderdale, providing mobile troubleshooting and AOG engine support for Honeywell TFE731 engines. The goal was to support operators with essential engine support in the field.

As the teams grew in reputation, each team developed relationships with local customers and began handling more routine inspections closer to home. They were also asked to perform work on additional engine platforms, including Honeywell AS907, Pratt & Whitney, Williams and GE models.

Today, Duncan Aviation’s engine RRT comprises more than 30 factory-trained technicians who travel over 250,000 land miles annually in 27 fully stocked service vehicles. They perform nearly 1,500 AOG and in-field events each year and are strategically positioned across the US, from Seattle to Fort Lauderdale and Long Beach to New York, remaining in the Dallas area at Addison airport. Technicians are equipped with the necessary tooling and capabilities, including troubleshooting, routine periodic inspections, vibration surveys, on-the-wing repairs, engine removals and reinstallations, line maintenance such as LRU (line replaceable unit) changes and borescope inspections.

The RRT’s engine capabilities now cover all Honeywell engine and APU models, Pratt & Whitney JT15D 300 and 500 series, General Electric CF34, Williams FJ44, and Rolls Royce Spey, Tay and BR engine models. The teams operate with full support from Duncan Aviation’s three full-service MRO facilities in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Provo, Utah, providing additional tooling and technicians as required.

In 2019, the RRT expanded further to include airframe services. Three new rapid response teams, specialising in airframe services, were formed at Duncan Aviation's MRO facilities, adding 18 airframe technicians and eight fully stocked service vehicles on call for airframe inspections, maintenance tasks and discrepancies.

Shane Heier, RRT manager, engine, and Russ Haugen, RRT manager, MRO, lead the company's rapid response network across the country, ensuring customers are connected to the nearest team equipped to meet their needs. “It doesn’t matter what the needs of our customers are,” says Heier. “When we get the call, we will respond accordingly.”

Although the teams primarily focus on airframe and engine work, they coordinate with nearby Duncan Aviation satellite shops to assist with avionics needs. Future growth plans include placing more airframe-qualified technicians in the field at RRT launch locations nationwide.