The aviation aftermarket has become more sophisticated about how it repurposes aircraft, engines and material no longer needed in operation. Some aircraft still get parked, but the number that remain inactive in deserts or on tarmacs is dwindling because aircraft financiers, lessors and parts providers employ asset-valuation strategies earlier in the game. Today, many mature aircraft are worth more as parts than as a whole.
Washington FAA officials have spent considerable energy this year warning industry that shrinking resources tied to federal budget cuts would put the squeeze on myriad airworthiness approvals, new product certifications and related tasks that keep aviation going—and innovating. One way to ensure your projects are moving, the officials says, is to take on more of the FAA's work by creating an Organization Designation Authorization (ODA).
Merging companies, moving and culling unneeded inventories can be both energizing and stressful. There is the excitement generated from new opportunities and the prospect of creating something superior—but there is also the sheer hard work of overcoming unexpected obstacles to make this happen.
•We used a program to laser cut foam silhouettes. This has been beneficial for inventory and organization. •We are introducing cutting foam for controlling personal toolboxes and rolling tool boxes—and shadow board for company tools. Tool-shadowing is a very simple and effective tool control. •Most of our tool inventories are done manually, which is error-prone. We would like to know how other MROs manage their tooling.
1. Cold Starter Supplier: AIR BP Lubricants Offering: BPTO 2389 is a low-viscosity, gas-turbine oil, offering exceptional cold-start capability. Many airlines rely on BPTO 2389 in their auxiliary power units (APU) because it gets them started after long cold-soaks at altitude. BPTO 2389 is the only MIL-PRF-7808 Grade 3 qualified oil that is fully approved in all Honeywell and Hamilton Sundstrand APUs. www.airbp.com/lubricants Link 601
To make the concept of an inflatable hangar fly, first you've got to make sure the structure itself does not fly away. Jose Antonio Sanz insists his company's inflatable structures can cope with winds of 100 kph (62 mph), even 150 kph (93 mph). “We're talking to a customer who will require 180 kph,” protection, says Barcelona-based Buildair's commercial director. A telematic control system, coupled with multiple 20-cm (7.87-in.) screws drilled into the tarmac, is essential to a structure's stability.
The Integrated Vehicle Health Management Center at England's Cranfield University was founded five years ago, after a proposal for it won an international competition sponsored by Boeing.
Washington Cabin 'Crewmembers' Take Note The aviation maintenance world needs no introduction to the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. Typically, MRO-related OSHA rules are linked to hangars or back shops and associated with risks such as exposure to chemicals. But an FAA policy issued in August and effective Sept. 26 brings OSHA regulations to aircraft cabins and reads broadly enough to cover mechanics that work in them.
EASA Outlines Upcoming Rulemaking The European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) four-year rulemaking outlook includes little of significance to MRO in 2014, but work on several key initiatives with longer-term deadlines is featured prominently. Reviewed annually, the planning document sets deadlines for the following year and tentative schedules for the three subsequent years. EASA released the 2014-18 version in late August.
As aircraft increasingly depend on electrical power, sensors need to keep up with overheating-detection capabilities, and repair stations need new certifications. Here is a sampling of some new electrical components and services: 1. Let Me See Supplier: LoPresti Aviation Offering: The BoomBeams lighting system is designed to provide higher landing and taxi light output, and consume less power than stock lighting equipment, to reduce overall lighting and maintenance costs, according to the company.
When the nearest hardware store is 350 mi. straight down, tool control takes on a whole new dimension. Take away gravity, and air, and it gets even harder. Just ask Jill McGuire, a private pilot who was also the engineer in charge of crew aids and tools for the last servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009. “You have to take everything with you,” she says. “You don't get a chance to run to Home Depot.”
In the aircraft parts world, speed matters. If properly applied, it reduces inventory, saves money and assures components are where they need to be when they are needed. The trick is flowing those parts through the system more quickly. That is the aim of Southwest Airlines' recently initiated “Project Velocity,” an effort that promises a 5-7% reduction in per-aircraft parts inventory, according to Peter Requa, director of supply chain management. “We expect to take our per-aircraft inventory down from $650,000 . . . to $610,000 or $600,000,” he says.
In late December 2011, a U.S. Marine Corps mechanic conducting a routine phase inspection of a UH-1Y Huey discovered that the helicopter's transmission pylon beam and the main beam joint were disintegrating. Left unchecked, the problem would have resulted in disaster. The mechanic's finding led to a Corps-wide inspection and, ultimately, the release of an engineering advisory report.
The aircraft brake market—like much of the rest of the industry—is changing rapidly. New materials and new technologies are allowing operators to gain improved useful lives out of lighter-weight products without sacrificing performance. Here are a few companies that are keeping the aircraft brake world moving forward. 1. Coast to Coast Supplier: Heico
On the sidelines of the Aviation Suppliers Association's (ASA) annual conference in Las Vegas this month, a few parts distributor executives told me that they have been receiving partnership, joint venture and/or acquisition offers in the last several months.
