Frequently-asked questions

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I already have a terrific mechanic. Why do I need SAMM?

Because hiring SAMM to manage your maintenance will improve the quality of your maintenance, while relieving you of the hassle of managing your own maintenance, and very likely saving you thousands of dollars year after year. We love working with top-notch mechanics and shops, and most of them love working with us. No single shop or mechanic, no matter how terrific, can offer the expertise and experience of SAMM's technical team.

In addition, SAMM can be a godsend when you face an aircraft owner's worst maintenance nightmare: a mechanical problem away from home. Instead of having to deal with unfamiliar shops and mechanics, you simply contact your SAMM account manager and he handles everything for you. He'll ensure the problem is diagnosed properly, that it is repaired in the most cost-efficient fashion, and that the charges are fair and reasonable. That kind of peace of mind is priceless!

Look at what our clients are saying about SAMM...

I have an excellent relationship with my mechanic. Won't he be offended if I hire SAMM to manage my maintenance?

In our experience, some mechanics are a bit doubtful at first (and understandably so) because they are unfamiliar with the concept of professional maintenance management. Once they've had a chance to work with SAMM, however, most support the concept enthusiastically. We interface with many of the top GA shops and technicians in the industry, and almost all are absolutely delighted to have a technical team of SAMM's caliber backing them up and assisting them with troubeshooting and decision making.

Imagine your doctor told you that you needed major surgery. Would you hesitate to seek a second opinion because you were concerned that your doctor might be offended? Of course not. Good physicians encourage their patients to seek a second opinion before undergoing any major medical procedure. The same thing applies to aviation maintenance professionals.

I love the SAMM concept, but my next annual inspection isn't due for many months. Wouldn't it make more sense for me to wait and sign up then?

For heaven's sake, please don't wait until the eve of your annual inspection to sign up for SAMM! This makes it very difficult for us to do all the necessary preparation, logbook review, and service center selection and due diligence that are necessary for us to do the best possible job for you.

Also, even though your annual inspection isn't due for awhile yet, delaying your sign-up will deprive you of one of the most important aspects of SAMM: having a seasoned professional account manager to help you deal with unscheduled maintenance and problems you encounter, particular when you're away from home. Our clients tell us that they really appreciate all the money we save them during annual inspections, but that when we come to their rescue when they have mechanicals on the road, it's priceless!

My airplane is still under warranty. Should I wait to sign up for SAMM when the warranty expires?

We suggest you don't wait, for three reasons:


  1. The vast majority of your maintenance expenses are not covered by warranty. Warranty doesn't cover the annual inspection (or other inspections), nor does it cover maintenance of wear-and-tear items like tires, wheels and brakes. We have many clients with aircraft under warranty, and we routinely save them thousands of dollars annually on their maintenance costs.
     
  2. When we manage the maintenance of an aircraft under warranty, one of our priorities is to make sure that everything that can possibly be covered under warranty will be covered under warranty. We pursue warranty claims aggressively, and our success rate in obtaining warranty consideration even in difficult cases has been sensational.
     
  3. Whether under warranty or not, an aircraft owner's biggest maintenance nightmare is when you find yourself stuck (AOG) away from home with a mechanical problem. That's when being a SAMM client can be priceless.
Most of these reasons also apply to aircraft that are under a factory pre-paid maintenance program (like Cirrus CMX).


Does SAMM manage pre-buys?

Yes we do, provided the client intends to place the aircraft under SAMM management if and when the purchase is consummated. We charge a flat-rate fee for managing a pre-buy that varies with the complexity of the aircraft involved. In most cases, we charge a fee equal to our standard annual management fee for the type of aircraft, and then credit 50% of that fee against your first year management fee if you purchase the aircraft and place it under SAMM management. We ask you to complete and sign a simple letter agreement that defines what you can expect us to do during the pre-buy. If you are interested in having SAMM manage a pre-buy for you, please contact us and we'll send you a customized letter agreement and answer any questions you may have.

Does SAMM manage aircraft upgrade projects (e.g., avionics, paint, interior)?

Yes we do, for aircraft that are under SAMM management. Major upgrades are not covered by SAMM's standard annual management fee. We charge a modest supplemental flat-rate fee for managing the upgrade. Such fees generally vary between 50% and 100% of our standard annual management fee for the class of aircraft involved. For avionics upgrades, we evaluate and recommend avionics shops, secure and evaluate competitive bids, assist with panel layout design, and manage each phase of the upgrade process.

Does SAMM manage maintenance of Part 135 aircraft? Multiengine turbine aircraft? Large aircraft over 12,500 pounds MGTOW?

No, we don't. The maintenance of aircraft in these three categories fall under a different set of FAA regulations that severely limit SAMM's ability to depart from the manufacturer's maintenance program. It is difficult for us to "earn our fee" for such aircraft, so we stay away from them.

Does SAMM manage maintenance of airplanes on leaseback to an FBO or flight school?

Generally no. Most such leaseback arrangements provide that the FBO or flight school to which the aircraft is leased back have dictatorial control over the maintenance of the aircraft, giving SAMM very little leverage to influence the way maintenance is done.l If you believe this does not apply to your leaseback situation, please contact us and we'll discuss it with you and see if we agree.

Does SAMM manage maintenance of aircraft located outside of the United States?

It depends. If the aircraft is not US-registered and its maintenance falls under the jurisdication of a non-US civil authority, we cannot manage its maintenance. If the aircraft is N-registered and it maintenance falls under the US FARs, and if it is maintained in shops staffed by mechanics who hold US A&P certificates and speak fluent English, then we can manage the maintenance even if the aircraft is based outside the US.

Does SAMM manage aircraft restorations?

Generally not. However, we do manage repairs of gear-up landing damage, prop strikes, and other accidental damage covered by insurance.

Does SAMM manage the maintenance of homebuilts, kitplanes, warbirds, or other aircraft in the experimental category?

No, we don't. We manage only aircraft that have a standard US airworthiness certificate.

Does SAMM manage the maintenance of antique, classic, or contemporary aircraft?

Generally not. SAMM reserves the right to decline to manage the maintenance of any aircraft manufactured prior to 1970. We do evaluate these on a case-by-case basis, with strong emphasis on determining whether or not the aircraft still has factory support and parts availability. For example, we will sometimes accept a late-60s-vintage Bonanza or Cessna because those aircraft are still well-supported by the manufacturer and most parts are still readily available. When in doubt, please contact us for a determination before you sign up.

(EAA presently defines aircraft built before 1945 as "antique," from 1945 to 1955 as "classic," and from 1956 and 1970 as "contemporary." EAA updates these definitions from time to time.)

Why does SAMM require its clients to belong to a type club?

We require that a client be a member in good standing of the applicable type association (e.g., American Bonanza Society, Cessna Pilots Association, Cirrus Owners & Pilots Association) for two reasons:

  • Type associations are an essential source of crucial maintenance information. As maintenance managers of the aircraft, we require access to the type club's technical support staff, just as the owner would if (s)he were managing the maintenance.
  • In order to be assured of the ongoing support and cooperation of key type associations (which we consider to be essential for SAMM's success), we need to ensure that those associations understand that we are not competing with them. We never want to be in a position where an aircraft owner says "since I've hired SAMM to manage my maintenance, I no longer need to be a member of a type club."


Why does SAMM require its clients add SAMM as an additional insured to the client's aircraft liability insurance policy?

SAMM has to be very careful with respect to protection from liability, given the extremely litigious nature of today's aviation maintenance environment. SAMM carries its own aviation comprehensive general liability (ACGL) insurance. SAMM's service agreement with its clients also includes a mutual hold-harmless clause.

In addition, SAMM also requires that every client add SAMM as an "additional insured" to their aircraft liability policy each aircraft under management. We require this for two reasons:

  • In the event that the client is sued and SAMM is named as a co-defendant, we want to be sure that the client's insurer provides a common defense for both the client and SAMM. The defense can be common since the client and SAMM have signed a bilateral hold-harmless and consequently have coincident interests. Therefore, the incremental cost to the insurance company is negligible.
     
  • In the event that the client's aircraft is damaged and the client makes an insurance claim to cover the cost of repairs, we want to minimize the likelihood that the client's insurer does not bring a subrogation action against SAMM to recover those costs.

Having SAMM added to the client's aircraft liability policy as an additional insured accomplishes these objectives. In our experience, almost* every insurance company that insures GA aircraft is willing to do this at no additional premium, since underwriters realize that SAMM's professional maintenance management actually lowers their risk of having a claim. (This is really no different than when a client takes flight training from BPPP or CPPP or FlightSafety International or SimCom, and the training organization requires that it be added to the owner's policy as an additional insured.)

*NOTE: At this writing, the only GA underwriter that has been unwilling to add SAMM as an additional insured is Phoenix Aviation Managers. Prospective clients insured through Phoenix will need to change underwriters in order to be eligible for the SAMM program.

How do I get SAMM added to my insurance policy?

Call or email your insurance broker or agent and ask that SAMM be added to your aircraft liability policy as an "additional insured" (AI). Ask your broker or agent to obtain a "certificate of insurance" (COI) for:

Savvy Aircraft Maintenance Management, Inc.
4801 Braeburn Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89130

Ask that the certificate either be emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or be faxed to 1-646-607-0144. We will need to have that COI in hand before we can start managing the maintenance of your aircraft.

IMPORTANT: If your broker is unfamiliar with SAMM, make sure to explain that SAMM is not a maintenance provider, and is in fact forbidden from performing maintenance on your aircraft by the terms of the SAMM service agreement. If your broker has any difficulty with this, please ask him or her to contact us and we'll help get things straightened out.

IMPORTANT: If you are applying for new insurance coverage or renewing your coverage, please make sure that your broker understands that you want to avoid insuring with Phoenix Aviation Managers, the only GA underwriter that has been unwilling to add SAMM to its policies as an additional insured.