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Whether scheduled, on-demand, or emergency customer service, the marketing of the availability of the service should be part of company sales strategy.

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Some companies use aircraft only for customer service; some never use them for that purpose.

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Proactively, warranty service on production installations and con-struction projects can require scheduled visits.

Personal Safety & Industrial Security

Safe and Secure
Companies that operate their own aircraft can exercise maximum control over their employee’s travel safety and security.
Ocean Mist Farms of Castroville, Cali-“Most of our trips are upper- and fornia, is the world’s largest grower of mid-level management, and produc-artichokes. They grow other things too: tion people, from the CEO to the head lettuce, broccoli, spinach, cauli-people who are in charge of harvest-flower and fennel among others. The ing,” says Greg O’Neal, vice president, ag company is headquartered in the finance, and one of the company’s Salinas Valley with operations spread most frequent flyers. “Instead of out over central and southern California. having a duplication of staff at all our locations, we use the airplane to get our production people out to where they need to be. In the agriculture business, we’re very schedule sensitive. It’s key that we keep these people moving around and updating our production estimates to a pretty high degree of precision.”
And that means that the company travels safely. “Being in the farming business, most of the people in this company are familiar with things that are mechanical. They have a feel for the operation of a machine, whether it is an airplane or a tractor. Safety is our number one concern. That’s the way we want it to be. Years ago, on my first trip on the company plane, the radar wasn’t working properly, so we turned around and headed home. That was a smart thing to do, even though it meant that we ended up being a day late to where we were going. But we appreci-ate those decisions and we’re better off for them.

“Aircraft – ours included – are exceptionally safe. Our culture is safety first – no ifs, ands, or buts. Nobody will question if, for some reason, we don’t go,” he says.
The crew also has to preflight itself in addition to the aircraft, he says. “I don’t think everyone understands just how important a well-rested pilot is, but they’re learning. That comes down to staffing and crew scheduling. But some missions are tougher than oth-ers. It might be a very easy trip one day in clear conditions to a well-visited field. The next day it can be a very dif-ferent situation, when they fly through weather at night, to an unfamiliar airport. That’s when you generate fatigue and that’s when companies are wise to be particularly sensitive to crew performance.”
　
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