Alpine Air Support, a global support service

WHAT EXACTLY DOES ALPINE AIR SUPPORT DO?

Alpine Air Support is an independent Swiss company that stocks helicopter spare parts for exchange and sale to operators, maintenance facilities and other dealers. We are original equipment manufacturer (OEM) approved distributors for major suppliers, and this gives us an edge on our competitors. The supply chain and logistics delays that our industry face can cause critical parts shortages; we’re here to bridge that gap. Our market extends way beyond our small country, we sell all across the globe.

WHICH AIRCRAFT TYPES ARE SUPPORTED?

We concentrate on the Airbus helicopter range, specifically the EC135, EC145 and the Dauphin mid-size range including the EC155. That’s not to say we only cover these helicopters; the AS350/355, EC120 and EC130 also have some common units that we carry in stock. Our exchange pool has a great range of avionics that fit business jets and some regional airliners.

WHY WOULD PEOPLE BUY FROM ALPINE AIR SUPPORT AND NOT JUST GO STRAIGHT TO THE MANUFACTURERS, WOULDN’T THAT BE CHEAPER?

Alpine Air Support offers services way beyond what a manufacturer can provide. We have parts ready to ship rather than having to wait months or years for a single part. Most OEMs don’t have an exchange program where you can swap out your unserviceable component for a freshly overhauled or repaired unit, which is where Alpine Air Support excels. And our pricing structure is ambitiously structured to compete with both OEMs and the helicopter manufacturers, and dare I say it, we pick up the phone and answer emails straight away!

HOW BIG IS ALPINE AIR SUPPORT’S STOCK?

We have about 750 individual line items of materiel in stock, most of these with multiple quantities, totaling around 3,500 parts. But bear in mind, that number is only for rotables, there’s no nuts and bolts in our inventory. These are all serialized parts like avionics, autopilot controls, radar indicators, and all the way up to hydraulic servo actuators and main gearboxes. There are many parts on helicopters that are constantly in demand, especially life-limited and time between overhaul (TBO) components that take a very long time to get overhauled, so these units are almost always back-ordered. A big amount of our time is making sure we get these highly desirable units available to ship back from the OEMs after the repair cycle.

HOW QUICKLY CAN ALPINE AIR SUPPORT DELIVER A PART IF A CLIENT HAS A HELICOPTER GROUNDED?

We take great pride in our quick response times. Our logistics staff process sales orders getting units carefully and well packaged for dispatch within an hour of receiving a demand. Getting the paperwork right the first time makes sure that there are no snarl-ups with customs or with quality departments. Our ASA-100 approved quality system guarantees that the correct airworthiness documentation accompanies all the units we sell. Using the major courier services, we can reach most places on the planet within a couple of days maximum, and its usually the next day for Europe or the USA.

WHERE DO YOU SEE ALPINE AIR SUPPORT IN, SAY, FIVE YEARS’ TIME?

I’d like to have us increase the range of parts we supply and cooperate even better with the OEMs that we currently represent, but also add new manufacturers who may realize their skills at manufacturing don’t always translate that well into the aftermarket. And the other direction we’re headed is into more helicopter teardowns, which is the most economical way of taking ownership of major parts as there’s no waiting list required when you own the whole airframe!

ARE THERE AREAS THAT YOU STAY AWAY FROM?

We all have our areas of expertise and as we operate in a niche market, which itself is a niche with rotorcraft, we like to be active with components we know about and have a good support network. One area that I personally avoid is engines. All clichés aside, they’re expensive, get very hot when working and can bite you badly commercially if you get your math wrong, so yes, engines can be a bit of a nemesis.

FINALLY, DO YOU HAVE ANY GO-TO ADVICE FOR HELICOPTER OPERATORS REGARDING PARTS?

Absolutely, before you sign on the dotted line for your shiny new helicopter, make sure that you know what kind of warranty and parts you’re going to get. And work out if that power by the hour (PBH) program that the manufacturer is offering is really the best you can do with your money. We’d say it’s over-insuring something that will just add cost to flight operations, as it’s not unlikely that the manufacturer won’t have that critical part you need at the right time anyway!