Falcon 900 Maintenance Gets Easier as SafeSmart Aviation Shines

SafeSmart Becomes a Household Name at SC Johnson

Global household products company SC Johnson have a headquarters in Racine Wisconsin, from where they manage and sell brands such as Raid, Glade, Duck, Windex, Baygon, Mr Muscle and more. They are a 5th generation family-owned business, and since around 1930, all directors have been trained pilots.

For attending business appointments across America, SC Johnson’s directors currently fly a 1987 Dassault Falcon 900, which they have owned since 2000. The aircraft is maintained and serviced at SC Johnson’ own hangar in Racine by their own team of technicians. These technicians have a diverse range of skills; they also maintain the company’s helicopters and a 1930s-era replica Sikorsky S-38B, similar to the aircraft flown by Herbert Fisk Johnson Jr, whilst researching Carnauba for their wax products.

Whilst maintaining the Falcon 900, directors observed that technicians were using height access equipment—standard ladders and the like—that was slowing down the process and presenting fall dangers from various heights above the concrete floor. And this equipment wasn’t the best option for safely and efficiently scaling the French Falcon’s unusual tri-jet engine configuration.

SC Johnson commissioned Safesmart Aviation—headquartered in Oxbow Canada, NYC, LA and Cleveland OH —to build a customized solution that would accommodate safer access around the plane’s tail end. With decades of experience in providing solutions for some of the world’s largest civil and military aviation operators, SafeSmart were well-equipped for the task – SafeSmart’s own design team were able to spec the aircraft, for being able to design a platform that could be positioned as close to the fuselage as possible without coming into contact with it.

Sensitive protrusions like communications aerials were taken into design consideration, and the platform was designed to be easily handled manually – strong yet lightweight marine grade aluminum was used for manufacture in SafeSmart’s New Zealand factory. Upon delivery, the unit was supplied to SC Johnson with full documentation outlining compliance with OSHA regulations for height access safety, and technicians were given a briefing in best practice for the platform by SafeSmart Aviation’s’ representative Shane Wearmouth.

SC Johnson’s new SafeSmart Aviaiton platform is easily wheeled-in by hand, with the need for motorized towing equipment:

The platform height is optimized to snugly fit in between the aircraft’s side-mounted engines and its horizontal stabilizers, too, so work on either section can be carried out without a technician having to climb up and down the unit repeatedly to change positions. And the platform is large enough to accommodate several tools on the deck while the technician needs to free their hands.

Directors at SC Johnson have observed a quicker turnaround time on the servicing of this part of the aircraft, and in turn a greater availability of the Falcon for deploying it on more business flights, due to the commission and installation of the aircraft’s tail dock.

Do you have a similar aircraft, and you want to bring more safety and efficiency to your hangar? Get in touch with SafeSmart Aviation now.

Perfect platform height fits in between side-mounted engines and stabilizers to allow safe work on both:

SC Johnson’s aircraft maintenance crew are delighted with the results: