West Star Aviation of Grand Junction, Colo. is performing its first 96-calendar-month heavy inspection on a Legacy 600. The inspection removes the interior down to fuselage skins and frames, all large exterior fairings, landing gear, flight controls, wing leading edges and flaps. On average the inspection requires more than 3,000 hours of labor. The work will be done in-house and requires West Star to conduct various system functional tests and NDT inspections. The event includes an interior and corrosion inspection and fuel tank inspection. West Star Aviation is an authorized Embraer Service Center for base maintenance, and this inspection is one of the two most extensive inspections on the Legacy.

The inspection requires seven to 10 weeks of downtime. In that time, "We are able to perform other maintenance, and with our new 25,000-square-foot three-bay paint facility…we can service paint and interior as well," said Joe Carr, Embraer program manager.