Welcome to the Vertical MRO Podcast, brought to you by Vertical HeliCASTS, in partnership with Vertical Magazine.

In this episode of the Vertical MRO Podcast, Jon Gray and co-host Howie Murray sit down with Brad Leonard, owner of KonectaUSA, and Dave Schilling, director of business development, to explore one of the quiet challenges facing modern maintenance operations: reliable connectivity inside the hangar.

As MRO teams become increasingly digital—relying on tablets, cloud-based manuals, real-time collaboration, and GPS or satellite testing—poor signal coverage can quickly become a bottleneck. Brad and Dave explain why traditional connectivity often breaks down in hangar environments and how KonectaUSA’s solutions are designed specifically to support maintenance teams on the shop floor.

The conversation dives into real-world use cases, including site surveys, installation challenges, and what it takes to ensure technicians can access critical information when and where they need it. Brad and Dave also share their own career paths and how working in aerospace has led them into some uniquely restricted environments, reinforcing how closely technology, infrastructure, and maintenance readiness are connected.

This episode highlights how behind-the-scenes connectivity plays a growing role in efficiency, accuracy, and uptime—and why solving it is becoming essential for today’s MRO operations.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Robinson Helicopter, Airbus and Vertical.