Frequently-asked questions

Attention, open in a new window. PDFPrintE-mail


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 while away from home.

 

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 situation in today's aviation maintenance environment.

SAMM carries its own professional liability insurance. SAMM's service agreement with the client also includes a mutual hold-harmless clause. However, we also require that the aircraft owner add us as an "additional insured" to their aircraft liability policy for two reasons:

  • In the event that the client is sued and SAMM is named as a co-defendant, we need the client's insurer to provide 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.)
  • In the event that the client is sued, we want to make sure that the client's insurer does not bring a subrogation action against SAMM.

Having SAMM added to the client's aircraft liability policy as an additional named insured accomplishes these objectives. Most underwriters are willing to do this at no additional premium, since the underwriters realize that SAMM's professional maintenance management actually lowers their risk of having a claim.

This is really no different than the situation where a client contracts with FlightSafety International for initial or recurrent pilot training, and FlightSafety requires that it be added to the owner's policy as an additional named insured.

How do I get SAMM added to my insurance policy?

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

Savvy Aircraft Maintenance Management, Inc.
7356 Treeline Drive SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

As that the certificate either be emailed to  or be faxed to 646-607-0144.

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 to contact us and we'll help get things straightened out.