Legendary Desert Aircraft SERVICE

I am in the service business. We are constantly measured on the quality of our service. As a matter of fact, there is a universally recognized measure of customer service known as ‘NPS’ or “Net Promoter Score” - NPS relies upon the results of a single question: “Would you recommend (fill in blank) service to a colleague? The respondent must provide a rating, from 1 to 10. A rating of 9 or 10 is a “Promoter;” a rating of 7-8 is a “Neutral;” anything below that is a “Detractor.” THIS is NOT a cake walk!
How many times have you been surveyed and given a 10? Most folks assume a rating of 8 is pretty darn respectable, but an 8 won’t elevate the company into the ranks of an Apple or Harley… The measure asks for FAR more than “Are you a satisfied customer?”… A high NPS score reflects on legions of enthusiastic, LOYAL supporters of the product! Apple and Harley Davidson have consistently high NPS scores,; as you can imagine, the users of those products are fiercely LOYAL to the brand!

Desert Aircraft, makers of premium quality gasoline engines, has always been high on my list of companies that stand behind their products, but they go further than that. DA ultimately does THE RIGHT THING when it comes to customer service, regardless of the circumstances.
Yet another case in point:

I was examining my DA70 twin recently and found that the right cylinder was literally COOKED! Btw: WORD TO THE WISE.. If you are shopping for a used gasser, specifically a DA… IF the cylinders have a pinkish hue? The engine has been over-heated! Put your wallet in your pocket and RUN (don’t walk) AWAY!

My first indication that all was not well with the engine was several times it sagged while flying my Mr. Mulligan. It was not over-propped or too lean, so I just assumed it was still breaking in. It never quit and never sounded strange or labored at any other time. It idled and transitioned like a DA—excellent. But after several flights when I examined the engine closely, I could see the right spark plug cap internals had literally been turned to POWDER! And then the tell-tale pinkish coloring of the right cylinder indicating it had been over-heated, so I removed the engine to examine it more closely. A look inside the right cylinder exhaust port revealed severe ‘pitting’ on the top of the piston!

Well, I packed it up and sent it to DA. When it had been in their hands for a couple weeks, I called them about it. They were running behind on service due to their annual involvement in the Tucson Aerobatic Shoot Out. Their findings were inconclusive as the root-cause of the over-heating, but they suspected a faulty ignition. The engine was just outside of its warranty period, but they completely rebuilt it and replaced the ignition at NO CHARGE!
Desert Aircraft always installs any updates that may have been released since the purchase of the engine—no charge. Their rule of thumb is: ANYTHING they do to the engine that the owner did not request, is FREE. Now, there are exceptions… mis-use, abuse, wrong oil, wrong prop, wrong needle settings may void your warranty or their willingness to fix the engine at no charge, but it has been my consistent experience that DA always goes the extra mile for their customers, EVEN IF you aren’t the original purchaser of the engine.

Now, I am NOT going to talk down anyone else’s product, but GOOD LUCK getting that kind of service on your DLE (and I own a DLE) or other brand. When I phone DA, I can speak to the guy who built my engine or is repairing my engine.

In my book, Desert Aircraft gets an NPS score of 10… “Yes I would enthusiastically recommend DA service to a colleague!”
Richard Geertson

p.s. before I get labeled a "DA cheerleader" let me add that IF I compare the best 3W to the best DA, I would give the edge to 3W as far as overall quality, precision, and longevity. IF I were powering a plane where reliability was #1 and weight was no object, my choice would be ZENOAH. The "best" engine truly depends on the intended use, but there is no arguing the quality of DA service.