Bristow is pioneering a new role in the civil helicopter industry by having aircraft acceptance representatives work directly out of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) facilities. Bristow’s Will Gearing in Europe and Jeff Ryhti in the U.S. work side by side with the OEMs on the aircraft delivery process, service, support and future aircraft design.

By reducing inefficiencies in the acceptance process, Bristow is able to reduce the amount of time it takes to have a new aircraft ready to serve a client. Gearing and Ryhti follow each aircraft during production, monitoring delivery quality and timelines, and sharing potential issues with Bristow management at an earlier stage than what was historically available.

“Our business unit clients depend on us to deliver aircraft to them on time and in the correct specification,” said Bristow Fleet Management Director Nina Jonsson. “Having Will and Jeff on-site radically changes what was previously an inefficient process and allows us to foresee potential challenges at the earliest possible stages and put the appropriate fixes in place.”

To the OEMs, Will and Jeff serve as valuable conduits of Bristow’s knowledge of the aircraft and are accessible on site in their time zones. As Bristow employees with extensive experience in maintenance and aviation, they bring learnings from the field directly to the production line.

“The ultimate goal is to have the aircraft go straight from OEMs to Bristow with minimal modifications,” said Gearing.