Lombardo covers business aviation maintenance-related issues. He is also a writer and on-air reporter for AINtv. He has over 3000 articles published and is the author of several books on aircraft systems for pilots and on the topic of flight simulation.
He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from the University of Illinois, has taught aviation for over 35 years in industry and as a university professor and academic dean at three different universities. He is also a frequent seminar and after-dinner motivational speaker.&nbsp;
Lombardo holds an A&amp;P Certificate, ATP, CFI and Ground Instructor ratings. He was a corporate pilot and was a research pilot and flight instructor at the University of Illinois. An FAA Safety Counselor for over 25 years, he was one of the original 13 Counselors appointed to the FAA’s Airworthiness Safety Program for maintenance technicians.&nbsp;

Contributor

David A. Lombardo

The Business Jet group of services, Business Jet Access (BJA) and Business Jet Center (BJC), is a family-owned enterprise. The Business Jet brand was established in 1993 when Robert Wright and son Michael started BJA, an aircraft management, charter, maintenance and consulting services business, on Dallas Love Field. Four years later the Wrights added an FBO, Business Jet Center. In 2003 BJC acquired and renovated the historic passenger terminal on California’s Oakland International Airport and opened its second FBO.
As BJA’s charter and management program continued to grow, the company developed maintenance expertise working on its own fleet. With 10 aircraft on its Part 135 air carrier certificate, BJA routinely worked on a BAC 1-11, Challenger 300, Citation VII, Falcon 900B, Gulfstream GIII and GIV-SP, Hawker 850XP and King Air 350. The company opened the maintenance shop to the public last year. It is now an FAA Part 145 repair station. BJA is also an Argus platinum operator and holds a Phase 1 certificate of registration for implementation of the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations. Service Expansion A growing maintenance operation did pose one problem: lack of space. Late last year the company renovated a newly acquired 50,000-sq-ft facility sitting on seven acres on the west side of Dallas Love Field. The new space includes two large hangar bays and a main office terminal building. By the end of the year it had also hired John Burnum as director of business development to focus on expanding the MRO segment.
“The acquisition enables BJA to significantly expand its maintenance capabilities and also allows us to expand our fleet of managed aircraft. The new facility has already allowed us to serve our customers better as the additional space facilitates a more efficient work flow for our team,” said Brian Hoffman, Business Jet Access general manager.
“This new stand-alone facility will enable us to expand our business footprint at Love Field to better serve our many customers both regionally and nationally,” he added. “Here we have plenty of existing space for our aircraft charter, management and FAA Part 145 repair station business, with additional room to expand as our business grows.”
BJA’s FAR Part 145 repair station has limited airframe, powerplant, instrument and radio ratings. It works on the Beechjet 400/400A; Cessna Citation 500/501, 525, 550, 550 Bravo, S550, 551, 560, 560XL, 650, and 750; Challenger 300; Falcon 10, 20, 50, 900 and 900EX; Hawker 800B, 800XP and 850XP. The MRO’s limited powerplant capabilities include the Honeywell TFE731 and the Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada JT15D-5.
The company is also “continually looking for ways to identify and mitigate possible safety risks,” Hoffman told AIN. “Business Jet Access is at the forefront in implementing the latest safety initiatives, including a safety management system [SMS] and fatigue risk management system. We were one of the first to volunteer for the FAA’s pilot program for SMS implementation and have been instrumental in assisting the agency with the program’s direction,” he said.
“With fatigue risk management we are using the latest studies by both federal agencies and private institutions to identify and reduce unnecessary fatigue exposure for both flight and ground operations employees. Maintaining a safe environment in all phases of operation is the primary concern at Business Jet Access,” he said.
The company has a staff of more than 130 employees, including 52 with Business Jet Access. Twenty are dedicated to maintenance, including 10 A&amp;Ps, two avionics techs and three in quality assurance. Business Jet Center has 56 employees at its Dallas FBO and 28 at its Oakland FBO.
“We now have the room for growth and we’re definitely growing both in customer base and facility capability. We’ve added structural repair and avionics, and we’re adding back shop capability as demand dictates. As the economy improves and business aviation continues to grow we’re going to be in a good position to take advantage of it.”

MRO Profile: Business Jet Access

The Business Jet group of services, Business Jet Access (BJA) and Business Jet Center (BJC), is a family-owned enterprise. 

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