Textron analytics and customer boards ‘boost innovation’
Textron Aviation’s predictive maintenance analytics and the use of Customer Advisory Boards help to drive the manufacturer’s innovation, according to Lannie O’Bannion, the firm’s senior vice-president of Global Sales and Flight Operations.
The manufacturer has been using the Textron Aviation Maintenance and Intelligence
(TAMI) service for nearly a year to speed operations, O’Bannion told a panel focusing on innovation at our Corporate Jet Investor London 2025 conference last month. The service provides analytics and insights to help optimise aircraft maintenance, reduce downtime, and improve overall fleet performance.
“Technicians have been using it to improve the productivity of the aircraft in the service shop,” said O’Bannion. “Using the system, we developed they can use the AI portion to quickly troubleshoot and determine the best solution for that maintenance event.” TAMI is also said to help technicians locate relevant documentation quickly.
Innovation extends beyond the aircraft to the whole customer experience, he added. “It’s the whole life cycle. So, we are looking at innovation around service, parts and distribution [as well as product].” Textron Aviation recently added 180,000sqft to its parts warehouse in Wichita, Kansas to expedite the delivery of parts to customers with aircraft on the ground.
The company is looking to extend the benefits of TAMI to other parts of its aftermarket service.
Meanwhile, Textron Aviation credits its Customer Advisory Boards (CABs) with helping to drive innovation in its product range. For example, the latest Cessna Citation M2 Gen3, CJ3 Gen3, and CJ4 Gen3 business jets are equipped with Garmin Emergency Autoland system, introduced in response to consumer requests, according to the OEM. (The Autoland system engages at the touch of a button or automatically to direct the aircraft to the nearest runway if the pilot becomes incapacitated).
“We were able to bring the Autoland feature to our owner-flown segment because the customers were asking for it,” said O’Bannion. “We were able to collect that information and make it happen.”
In addition to the inclusion of Autoland, announced at the National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Las Vegas last November, Textron also revealed that the CJ4 Gen3 would also be equipped with Garmin’s new G3000 Prime avionics suite.
Customer Advisory Boards have also played a role in helping to redesign aircraft interiors, said Jimmy Beeson, director, Product Development, Textron Aviation. Initial plans to increase legroom in the CJ3 Gen 3 cockpit were upgraded to 4.5 inches after listening to customer feedback. The advisory boards survey a range of industry opinion including owners and their families, operators and technicians. Different types of users – for example fractional users – are also invited to contribute their views.
Returning to the Autoland system, Dan Lind, Garmin’s senior director, Aviation Sales, Marketing & Support noted that thankfully the safety device has not yet been deployed in an emergency. Lind described the project as “an incredible investment over a long period of time”. While it may never repay the direct investment, it is helping to sell aircraft, he added. “If you can make a difference with the technology, not to do it would almost be wrong,” said Lind.
While Lind declined to comment specifically on current Garmin research projects, he did suggest innovation was continuing to focus on “safety and innovation”. Topics under investigation included technology to prevent runway occupancy conflicts and weather radar innovation.
Meanwhile, read more about our CJI London conference here.
