Duncan Aviation’s Provo Facility Adds SWAT Services

Duncan Aviation's Provo facility now offers interior SWAT services. Small things that can be fixed or improved while the aircraft is down for other work can mean a lot for the longevity and appearance of interior items. Here, Completions Spec I Alex Upah works on aircraft step tread. Click image for high-res download.

LINCOLN, NEB —Duncan Aviation is pleased to announce that all three of its three full-service facilities located in Lincoln, Nebraska, Battle Creek, Michigan, and Provo, Utah, now offer SWAT services. SWAT stands for:

S—Survey aircraft interiors

W—Write prompt quotes

A—Artistically clean, touch-up, dye, correct

T—Transform appearance and functionality

The goal of the Duncan Aviation SWAT teams is to go through the aircraft and take care of the small items that are not part of the scheduled service. The reason is aesthetics; small things like touching up paint, spot dying leather seats, and resewing curtain glides quickly give the interior a facelift.

“We are excited to add the SWAT capabilities as part of this phase of our growth in Provo,” says Modification Manager Jeff Schipper. “We'll continue to bolster our Modifications capabilities as our teams grow to meet the ever-increasing demand for modification services.”

One of the reasons Duncan Aviation developed these services years ago is because SWAT is also synonymous with preventative maintenance. The company’s teams can do a little work to a customer’s well-maintained and well-cared for interiors, making small improvements by repairing the little nicks, scuffs, scratches, and dings, and those minor fixes go a long way to help hold the value of the aircraft.

In late 2020, Interior SWAT Team Leader Mike Upah reached out to Completions Crew Leader Robert LaGrange and asked him if he’d be interested in helping build a SWAT team for Duncan Aviation’s Provo facility. Upah has worked at Duncan Aviation since 1996, getting his start in the Cabinet Shop at the Lincoln facility. He learned about aviation working on B-52s while serving in the United States Air Force in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. LaGrange has 8 years of experience working on aircraft interiors, and attention to detail has always been his strong suit.

“I leapt at the chance and was excited to be both working on the floor and developing a new service from scratch,” says LaGrange. “I understand the benefits of a SWAT team for the company, our team members, and customers—we’re building our future, and as we grow, we are keeping the same experience that Duncan Aviation’s customers are accustomed to getting in Lincoln and Battle Creek.”

Although Duncan Aviation has had a presence at the Provo Municipal Airport since 2010, the company recently expanded its facilities to include mutiple, state-of-the-art buildings and hangars to provide its West Coast customers with the same range of services available at the other full-service facilities, including paint, interior completions, avionics installations, engine overhaul and repair, and much more.

About Duncan Aviation

Duncan Aviation is an aircraft service provider supporting the aviation needs of business aircraft operators, government agencies, and other aircraft service providers. Services include major and minor airframe inspections, engine maintenance, major retrofits for cabin and cockpit avionics systems, full paint and interior services, engineering and certification services, fabrication and manufacturing services, and preowned aircraft sales and acquisitions. Duncan Aviation also has international aircraft components solutions experts available 24/7/365 at +1 402.475.4125 who can handle any aircraft system problem with immediate exchanges, rotables, loaners or avionics/instrument/accessory repairs and overhauls. Complete service facilities are located in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Provo, Utah. We also have dozens of other facilities strategically located throughout the United States to provide customers with scheduled regional support and the quickest response possible to avionics, engine and airframe Aircraft On Ground (AOG) situations.

For more information about any of Duncan Aviation’s services, call +1 402.475.2611 or visit https://www.DuncanAviation.aero/services