Worldwide Customer Service & Service Center Network
Dassault Aviation
The U.S. now has two major hubs for engineering and maintenance: Melbourne and Little Rock. They anchor the eastern U.S. and the central states, respectively (in fact, Melbourne is a hub for the entire Americas and beyond).
Still, what about service in the Western U.S.? Our factory service center in Reno, Nevada doesn’t get the attention it deserves, so I wanted to tell you a little about it and its able GM, Kevin Yahn.
You might call it Fort Reno, an essential outpost for Dassault in an important region—the great American West. Reno puts us in easy reach of major West Coast aviation markets from Seattle to San Diego, without the congestion, high costs and space constraints of coastal airports.
As with other locations, we continue to invest in upgrading Reno, recently including $1 million to upgrade tooling and facilities and more in the training budget to enhance skills and expand capabilities.
Andy Alberti, head of MRO Americas, assigned Reno to certify Starlink for the Falcon 2000 series and supported Yahn with engineering resources and specialists from Little Rock when needed. Mission accomplished, on schedule.
Reno is a humming service center and essential resource in the Western U.S., keeping its six bays full. It’s busy with Starlink upgrades, as are other centers, and C-checks for all models. It recently completed a 4C (24-year) inspection on a Falcon 900EX and 2C-checks on two 7Xs. It services all models from the Falcon 6X to the 50-series, though Yahn acknowledges he hasn’t seen a 50 in a while (though everyone loves to see one of these stalwarts pull up).
Reno dispatches maintenance crews throughout the West for regular maintenance, recently replacing an APU in San Diego, and responds to AOGs around the region.
A word on our new GM. Kevin discovered aviation at 24 as a technician in small-town Arkansas, without an A&P certification. It was a job, then quickly something more fulfilling. He earned his A&P and over time found he had a knack for mentoring and managing others. Aviation appeals him because, in his words, it’s a “high-integrity, high-passion” business.
After nine years with other repair stations, he joined Dassault Falcon Jet, spending five years as an inspector at Little Rock, learning the planes, people, company and culture. Later, he became Operations Manager. But he enjoyed coaching younger A&Ps most. All of this made him a natural candidate for Reno GM when the position opened about a year ago.
I want to acknowledge the entire Reno team for what it has accomplished, and Kevin, who exemplifies the kind of leader we value at Dassault: someone who knows the aircraft, stays close to the shop floor, inspires others and keeps the whole team focused on customer service. You’ll find that spirit alive and well at Fort Reno.
Senior Vice President, Worldwide Falcon Customer Service & Service Center Network
