Worldwide Customer Service & Service Center Network
Dassault Aviation
In the maintenance world we regularly respond to unusual events: an aircraft blown across a street and into a barn on a windy night; an airplane peppered with rocks from an airliner aggressively departing a ramp; frostbite-inducing airframe repairs in Arctic conditions.
This is the tale (or tail) of the havoc caused by one small and elusive rodent.
Specifically, a rat that had made a Falcon 8X its home. I’m recounting the story to highlight the capabilities at ExecuJet MRO Services Belgium. It is ExecuJet’s sole European operation and has earned a reputation for AOG skills, upgrades, innovation, and problem-solving.
The rat’s presence was suspected when a crew boarded the 8X in Farnborough to find that much of the catering had already been consumed. Security cameras soon confirmed the culprit. Rodents don’t just steal food; they chew on everything. They can multiply quickly and gnaw on electrical wiring. So it was imperative to remove the rat, and this was accomplished by DABS personnel in Farnborough.
Following initial wiring inspections at Farnborough and a brief period of operation, the aircraft was sent to Kortrijk, Belgium for a 48-month inspection and Starlink installation.
The 8X was then thoroughly inspected. There is no specific procedure for rat infestations; it’s not considered normal wear and tear. Kortrijk technicians found that the rat had chewed through a lot of insulation, so a priority was to source and install new insulation packets in coordination with the Teterboro parts team and fabricators in Little Rock.
The Starlink installation actually made the process easier. The headliner and portions of the interior already had to be removed for the modification, making it relatively straightforward to remove the remainder for inspection and repairs.
The 48-month inspection is basically complete and the 8X will shortly leave the Kortrijk hangar sans rat damage, with Starlink and fully ready for renewed global flying. But that hardly tells the full story of ExecuJet MRO Services in Belgium.
Kortrijk, despite its relatively small size (with three maintenance bays) has built a significant business in aftermarket upgrades. Beyond Starlink installs, Kortrijk became the first in the Eastern Hemisphere to perform an EASy IV upgrade, in this case on a 7X. They’re now ready to install Gogo Galileo and are installing popular Garmin 275s as backup PFDs. These are just some of their specialties.
The Belgium team is experimenting with drones for surface mapping. In one case a drone quickly identified pinhole entry and exit points from a lightning strike, speeding up inspection and repairs. They’ve tried augmented reality glasses allowing specialists in one location to see exactly what a technician elsewhere was troubleshooting.
ExecuJet Regional VP Matthijs Hutsebaut and GM Nadia Coetzee are also responsible for line service in Brussels, where the staff forms one of our most eager and effective global AOG response teams.
So, while ExecuJet MRO Services Europe and its 48 employees represent one of our smaller operations, they routinely accomplish big and complex jobs. They are one of 60 worldwide service locations, and one we are proud of.
Senior Vice President, Worldwide Falcon Customer Service & Service Center Network
Dassault Aviation
