Soniq Aerospace

Soniq Aerospace is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified, boutique aircraft repair station in business for more than a decade. It specializes in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of aircraft cockpit and windshield assembly and interior components for commercial airlines. Soniq’s comprehensive services portfolio includes inspection, repair, overhaul, modification, and exchange of aircraft windows for Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, and Airbus.

“Our commitment to providing the highest-quality repair services and products has enabled us to build long-term relationships with customers,” says Dustin Ronk, MD, Soniq Aerospace. “We specialize in complex openable cockpit windshield assemblies for Boeing and Airbus commercial aircraft and regional aircraft. We also undertake various cabin component repairs such as side walls, bulk heads, and passenger service units.”

A Comprehensive Process to Ensure Quality

Complex cockpit windshield assemblies undergo a lot of stress and are one of the most frequently replaced parts on an aircraft. The life span of a laminated window is 4 to 6 years, and windshields are a significant maintenance expense.

“We educate our customers about the issues that make a window beyond economical repair (BER), such as cracking or delamination in the vinyl layer, cracked glass, burned spots or arcing in the internal heat bus, or sensors and heaters that are out of tolerance,” says Travis Ronk, director and partner of Soniq Aerospace.

Soniq performs its services in accordance with the latest manufacturers component maintenance manual (CMM). As an example, during the overhaul of a complex openable, they completely dismantle the window frame assembly and strip the paint from all metal parts in a media blast cabinet.

If the glass ply quality is good, Soniq cleans and polishes it. In certain cases, they replace it with new or overhauled glass.

All seals, hardware, and bearings are replaced as needed, and all moving parts are lubricated. The glass is covered with protective paper, and the frame assy gets a fresh coat of paint.

For interior parts, work begins with inspection and bench tests in accordance with the CMM. Parts that are out of tolerance will be replaced with eligible and certified new, overhauled, repaired, or inspected parts.

Repairs are covered by the company’s three-year workmanship warranty. Soniq has not had a warranty return in over ten years due to its close attention to detail, vast worker experience, and expert workmanship.

With this constant focus on quality, Soniq is expected to add the UK CAA certification in 2023.

Growing with the MRO Space

Whether it’s a minor or major modification, Soniq never follows a one-size-fits-all approach, employing its component maintenance repair station manual for every aircraft-specific procedure.

“We have a system and process in our procedures manual that assures we have the tools, qualified and trained technicians, facilities, and tech data to add a new part. If we have what we need, it’s simply a process of adding the part number to the capabilities list and forwarding a copy of our new list to our FAA PMI,” says Travis.

Soniq has started working with parts brokers to locate hard-to-find parts for aircrafts undergoing maintenance and for airline inventories. In some cases, it requires extra homework to determine alternate parts and working with airline engineering departments to determine if the airline will accept those parts.

The outcomes of this approach can be best exemplified through the success story of a global company that was looking for specific overhead electrical units. It had an interior reconfiguration modification center and wanted hundreds of those units. Soniq worked with its engineering team to identify an alternate part number that was readily available.

It came up with the solution to add the new electrical units to the company’s illustrated parts catalog (IPC) and supplied theparts at a 40 percent discount. It also reduced the lead time from 18 to six months, making the client extremely happy.

People Hold the Key

Soniq puts a lot of care into their work to ensure that every customer is more than satisfied with their services. With combined experience of over 100 years, its team understands all intricacies of MRO work and plays a pivotal role in building a culture of customer-centricity.

Soniq’s highly trained and experienced crew is more than just employees. The company considers them friends, family members, and partners. It never fails to appreciate their dedication, professionalism, hard work, and commitment to the business. It empowers and encourages team members to take pride in their work and make decisions on their level, like a repair station owner.

“We keep the stress level and work environment light and encourage everyone to enjoy their work and their time off,” says Dustin.

Toward a Bright Future

As a relatively young repair station, the future looks bright for Soniq. The company has been purchasing the majorityof replacement parts from Boeing. However, during the Covid-19 slowdowns, there was a significant supply chain crunch. Parts and materials were difficult to acquire, and costs increased, which slowed delivery times and raised repair costs. Soniq was able to overcome these challenges by keeping its labor cost unchanged without sacrificing quality.

“We always quote the repair to our customer prior to performing work and keep an open and transparent line of communication about costs or any associated delays on replacement parts,” says Travis.

As the economy recovers, parts and materials are becoming more readily available, and prices are becoming more consistent. Overall, business is back to pre-covid levels, and Soniq is busier than ever. The company will continue to build on its strengths and expand its repair capabilities as opportunities present themselves.

“The MRO business is expected to grow considerably in the coming years, and Soniq expects to be part of that growth,” says Dustin. “We have plans to add other interior components to our capabilities list and to increase investment in those repairs. We are currently in the process of building test benches for the new repairs.”