Clay Lacy Aviation has completed its tenth 10-year/120-month inspection on Embraer Phenom 100 and 300 aircraft, with five additional inspections underway. Inspections are being completed at the company's FAA Part 145 repair stations at Van Nuys airport and McClellan-Palomar airport near San Diego. Popular additions to the scope of work include seat reupholstery, new carpet, baggage area refurbishment, Gogo Avance L3 high-speed internet, and for Phenom 100 models, the Garmin G1000 NXi integrated flight deck upgrade that will be available for the Phenom 300 later this year.

The 120-month inspection is the largest and most thorough in the Phenom maintenance manuals to date. The interior is completely removed and all inspection panels are opened. The inspection takes three weeks without landing gear overhaul, and four to five weeks if the landing gear overhaul is included. Avionics, Wi-Fi and interior upgrades can be accomplished without extending downtime with Clay Lacy's on site avionics dealerships and complete interior shop.

“The Phenom is a tremendous aircraft, and demand for inspection and upgrade services has been very strong,” said Ned Zolota, Clay Lacy's Embraer programme manager. “The comprehensive capability of our shop provides real value for owners who want to accomplish a lot of work with minimal downtime. We also recently added $1.8 million in Phenom-dedicated parts inventory to support common issues we are discovering during the inspections to ensure on-time delivery.”

Clay Lacy is celebrating 11 years as an authorised service centre, providing factory-trained maintenance, repair and overhaul services for Embraer Legacy 450, 500, 600, 650 models, Praetor 500 and 600 jets, and Phenom 100 and 300 aircraft. The company currently supports over a hundred Embraer Phenom 100 and 300 aircraft, including the Phenom fleets with NetJets and Flexjet. Mobile AOG teams and more than 20 Phenom technicians at Van Nuys and McClellan-Palomar airport provide around-the-clock support throughout the southwestern United States.

To minimise downtime, Clay Lacy recommends that Embraer Phenom owners schedule their inspection six months in advance.

In other news, Clay Lacy has reimagined every aspect and touch point for all operations to ensure a clean, safe and healthy environment today and for the future. Committing to new sanitising and cleaning procedures and service protocols, Clay Lacy has designed and implemented its CleanCheck Standard to provide customers and guests the highest level of confidence in their safety and health for each phase of the flight experience.

The CleanCheck Standard was carefully developed to eliminate the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases by evaluating, cross-referencing and implementing new technologies and the best practices from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), aircraft manufacturers and other industries.

“Health and safety is always our first priority,” says Brian Kirkdoffer, president and CEO, Clay Lacy Aviation. “We examined every department, facility and process and asked how we could thoughtfully change to provide the absolute safest service and environment for our clients, guests and employees during COVID-19 and beyond.”

The CleanCheck Standard incorporates the use of advanced bipolar ionisation technology and antimicrobial barrier application, in addition to EPA-registered and aviation-approved products to deliver a clean, safe and healthy environment for guests and employees. Aircraft are cleaned and disinfected after each flight, and facilities are receiving increased cleaning frequency. Bipolar ionisation machines produce no ozone, while killing surface and airborne pathogens, sterilising bacteria and mould, removing pet and cooking odours, reducing static electricity and neutralising common industrial gasses. ClearCabin antimicrobial barrier is an odourless, colourless product applied to surfaces, and provides 90-day protection from bacteria, fungi, yeast and algae from attaching to surfaces.

Each touch point has also been thoughtfully reevaluated, and new processes put into place to protect Clay Lacy guests and employees. This includes pre-flight health and travel declarations, temperature screening, luggage handling and personal protective equipment for crew members. There is also extensive coordination and auditing of partners for catering, ground transportation and crew accommodations. Clay Lacy has analysed every aspect of its operations and incorporated new protocols that meet or exceed best practices while providing an exceptional aviation experience.