As commercial and military airframe OEMs make greater use of composites in primary and secondary structures, they and their customers are becoming increasingly aware of the need for erosion control, an issue for which there is no permanent fix. While minor erosion on a composite component does not present an immediate safety of flight issue, it still mandates vigilance and early intervention, because the longer the repairs are deferred on the part, the more involved and expensive the scope of repairs will become.

MRO IT developments are not confined to business-wide solutions. Two companies have identified very specific areas of IT application, considered critical in today's cost containment world Right Hemisphere in Fremont, Calif., provides software for computer-based training, marketing, technical documentation and support applications using the OEM's original computer aided design (CAD) data, which employs 3-D design technology.

Airlines are willing to spend money to increase productivity and cut costs if the payback period is quick. Real quick. Software suppliers understand this and are creating solutions that can be as broad or as narrow as operators choose. So while airlines are renegotiating labor agreements and aircraft leases to quell costs, they are planning to invest in information technology to help myriad operational quandaries.