1. Racing Ahead MRO: Applied Composites Engineering Offerings: Indianpolis-based Applied Composites Engineering (ACE) got its start in 1982 in the motor racing industry. By 2007, the company's focus was 100% aerospace, including manufacturing and aftermarket support. ACE has 12,000 sq. ft. of dedicated MRO space and services radomes, engine nacelles, flight controls, interior components, and more for airline and business aviation customers. www.appliedcomposites.com Link 610 2. Chasing Dreams
FAA officials have long touted efforts such as the agency's systems safety approach as more efficient uses of its resources. The congressionally mandated budget cuts are putting this to the test—and industry had better hope the agency is right.
No Fault Founds (NFFs) occur when parts appear faulty on an aircraft or in a line check, but test as fault-free in the shop. They are a frustrating waste of money and effort because although they appear to be benign, they still must be vetted. Reducing NFFs remains tough to accomplish. As old causes are discovered and resolved, new challenges arise, for example in increasingly complex avionics software.
Blowing sand in the Middle East and high levels of airborne particulate matter from industrial pollution in Asia are parts of the impetus behind a new generation of thermal barrier coatings (TBC) designed to better protect engine components and withstand corrosive elements. TBC corrosion is becoming a growing issue, specifically attributable to the build-up of calcium magnesium aluminosilicates (CMAS).
As more nacelles are made of composites, their repair market is becoming quite diverse. “Fleet transitions are adding complexity, failure modes vary as aircraft age, and operators are customizing work scopes to fit their needs,” says Meredith Siegfried, CEO of Nordam, a major nacelle OEM and repair specialist. Siegfried says most of today's nacelle work stems from mature aircraft, which generally employ comparable technologies and materials, so today's primary focus is on doing the work faster and cheaper.
Finance is playing an ever-increasing role in today's airline industry, with nearly half the world's commercial fleet under lease, according to Lufthansa Technik. And that trend is growing. Banks and private-equity firms are becoming more involved, expanding their investments from aircraft into engine and component financing as well.
The recent announcement of a merger between US Airways and American Airlines does far more than create the largest airline in the U.S. (see page MRO28). It may be releasing vast amounts of cortisol into the brains of workers who are unsure what this combination may mean for their jobs and future.
Lease returns have a tendency to generate a lot of angst. There are myriad things to check, including big objects like airframes and powerplants, and less obvious items such as lowly seat covers and cushions.
Washington Benefits Of Outsourcing A new report from the bipartisan analysts paid to educate Congress puts a pile of facts in the way of a pretty good story about the perils of airline maintenance outsourcing.
The global civil aircraft fleet should increase 3.9% over the next 10 years to 32,500 aircraft, and the value of the aftermarket supporting that fleet likely will grow at a 3.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to $69 billion by 2022, according to an Aviation Week forecast. While the growth percentages look small and could indicate a constrained airline capacity increase for the next few years, while keeping maintenance costs in check, a look at the underlying numbers make this a much more dynamic story.
In September 1996, Embraer announced the arrival of its regional jet family in North America when Continental Express ordered 200 ERJ 145s. Even though only 25 of the commitments were firm, the message was clear: Embraer's 50-seat market entry was going to be a major player in the world's biggest aviation market. Recently, a few ERJ 145s were involved in a very different kind of transaction that delivered an equally emphatic, but different message.
An American Airlines-US Airways merger offers the combined carrier clear opportunities to leverage existing assets as part of a long-term MRO strategy that mixes in-house and outsourced work. Just how much work will stay in the new American's hangars is anyone's guess, however, particularly considering the apparent clash of philosophies.
New-generation turbine engines are being designed to run hotter for better fuel efficiency and lower emissions. This requires a second generation of thermal barrier coating (TBC) technologies that offer greater protection for costly engine components such as the high-pressure turbine blades and vanes. “The new generation of ceramic TBCs, which are referred to as 'Low K TBC,' will provide lower conductivity, resulting in greater insulative conductivity,” says Ravi Shankar, director of coating and process technologies for Chromalloy.
As the average age of the global commercial fleet continues to get younger, is the corresponding aftermarket becoming more mature? In the last three years, the average aircraft age has decreased to 11.9 from 12.2 years, according to Aviation Week data. While that is not a precipitous drop, it is significant in that it corresponds to younger aircraft and engines being torn apart because their values are higher individually. (Don't miss the AW&ST package on life cycles in this issue.)
Line maintenance and ground support equipment appear to be two of the industry sectors with an outsourcing growth trend, from specialized tools to inflight entertainment systems (IFE). While line maintenance was once focused purely on safety, it now encompasses inflight entertainment, with special cabin teams tasked with ensuring airlines' marketing promises and customers' expectations are met.
Forty-three years after entering revenue service, the Pratt & Whitney JT9D series continues to power a cross section of operators sprinkled around the globe. While still diverse, the cross section is much thinner than in years past, however, with many operators flying just a handful of engines. It's a sign of the steady and inevitable decline facing the venerable series.
