https://aviationweek.com/themes/custom/particle/dist/app-drupal/assets/awn-logo.svg
Skip to main content
  • Market Sector
    • Aerospace
    • Air Transport
    • MRO
    • Defense and Space
    • Business Aviation
  • Markets
    • Aerospace
      • Aircraft & Propulsion
      • Connected Aerospace
      • Emerging Technologies
      • Manufacturing & Supply Chain
      • Unmanned & Urban Aviation
      • Commercial Space
      • Program Management
      • Sustainability
    • Air Transport
      • Aircraft & Propulsion
      • Interiors & Connectivity
      • Airports & Routes
      • Airlines & Lessors
      • Safety, Ops & Regulation
      • Maintenance & Training
      • Sustainability
    • MRO
      • Aircraft & Propulsion
      • Interiors & Connectivity
      • Emerging Technologies
      • Supply Chain
      • Safety, Ops & Regulation
      • Workforce & Training
      • Sustainability
    • Defense and Space
      • Aircraft & Propulsion
      • Sensors & Electronic Warfare
      • Missile Defense & Weapons
      • Supply Chain
      • Budget, Policy & Operations
      • Space
      • Sustainability
    • Business Aviation
      • Aircraft & Propulsion
      • Interiors & Connectivity
      • Airports, FBOs & Suppliers
      • Flight Deck
      • Safety, Ops & Regulation
      • Maintenance & Training
      • Sustainability
  • Marketplace
  • Services
    • Services
      • Advertising
      • Marketing Services
      • Fleet, Data & APIs
      • Research & Consulting
      • Network and Route Planning
      • Marketplace
  • Store
    • Market Sector

      • Aerospace
      • Air Transport
      • MRO
      • Defense and Space
      • Business Aviation
    • Type View All Products
      • Intelligence Bundles
        • AWIN - Premium
        • AWIN - Aerospace and Defense
        • AWIN - Business Aviation
        • AWIN - Commercial Aviation
      • Market Briefings
        • Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
        • Aviation Daily
        • SpeedNews
        • The Weekly of Business Aviation
      • Directories
        • Air Charter Guide
        • Aviation Week Marketplace
        • Route Exchange
        • The Engine Yearbook
      • Data Services
        • AC-U-KWIK
        • Aircraft Bluebook
        • Airportdata.com
        • Airport Strategy and Marketing (ASM)
        • CAPA – Centre for Aviation
        • Fleet Discovery Civil
        • Fleet Discovery Military
        • Fleet & MRO Forecast
        • MRO Prospector
      • Publications
        • Air Transport World
        • Aviation Week & Space Technology
        • Aviation Week & Space Technology - Inside MRO
        • Business & Commercial Aviation
        • CAPA - Airline Leader
        • Routes magazine
        • ShowNews
      • Resources
        • Downloadable Reports
  • Events
    • Events View All Events
      • MRO
        • MRO Americas
        • MRO Asia
        • MRO Baltics, Eastern Europe and Russia (BEER)
        • MRO Europe
        • MRO Latin America
        • MRO Middle East
        • MRO Transatlantic
        • Military Aviation Logistics and Maintenance Symposium (MALMS)
      • Commercial Aviation
        • Aero-Engines Americas
        • Aero-Engines Asia
        • Aero-Engines Europe
        • Commercial Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference (ASC)
        • Commercial Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference - Europe (ACE)
        • Engine Leasing, Trading & Finance
      • Aerospace and Defense
        • A&D Mergers and Acquisitions Conference (ADMA)
        • Aerospace Manufacturing Conference (AMC)
        • Aerospace Raw Materials & Manufacturers Supply Chain Conference (RMC)
        • DefenseChain Conference (DCPE)
      • Air Transport
        • CAPA Australia Pacific Aviation Summit
        • CAPA Latin America Aviation & LCCs Summit
        • CAPA Live
        • Routes Americas 2021
        • Routes Asia 2021
        • Routes Europe 2021
        • Routes Reconnected
        • TakeOff North America 2020
        • World Aviation Outlook Summit 2020
        • World Routes 2021
      • Business Aviation
        • Business Aviation Week 2020
        • Business & General Aviation Conference (BGA)
      • Awards
        • 20 Twenties
        • Aviation Week Laureates Awards
        • Program Excellence Awards and Banquet
    • Webinars
      • Upcoming Webinars
  • About
    • About Aviation Week Network
      • Our Story
      • Content and Data Team
      • Aviation Week & Space Technology 100-Year
    • Contact Us
      • Subscriber Services
      • Advertising, Marketing Services & List Rentals
      • Content Sales
      • Events
      • PR & Communications
      • Content Licensing and Reprints
      • FAQ
  • Log In
  • Register
  • My Account
    • Profile
    • Sign Out
  • AWIN Access
  • My cart
  1. Back to MRO

Share

American Airlines’ Tulsa Maintenance Base

Lee Ann Shay
Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

American Airlines' technical operations in Tulsa includes 3.3 million sq. ft. of hangar and shop space on 330 acres. Tulsa Tech Ops relocated to Tulsa from New York's LaGuardia Airport in 1946.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

The base performs maintenance on Boeing MD-80s, 737s, 757s and 767s.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

Plastic covering this Boeing 737 window prevents dust from entering wiring and avionics systems.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

American continues to install Gogo’s Wi-Fi system in its aircraft, even though the airline filed a suit against Gogo in February.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

This Boeing 737 includes nine Gogo antennas, such as the one pictured, spaced throughout the cabin.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

This Boeing 737-800 is undergoing a heavy maintenance check that will take 14 days.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

American Airlines’ Tulsa base has extensive component repair capabilities. Here, Teradyne automatic test equipment is being used to monitor various aircraft line replaceable units.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

The base started to use point of use tools, such as the ones in this Williams toolbox, about six months ago.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

The seat shop recently transformed the way it maintains crew and passenger seats. It converted the operation to a pulse line—including teardown, refurbishment and recovering. Previously, one person worked on a seat from start to finish. The first step is to strip off the cushions and wash the seat.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

Refurbishing and replacing things such as tray tables and headrests occurs in the middle of the seat subassembly. Instead of maintaining seat pans in the pulse line, however, American’s composite shop completes the repairs, which take 2-3 hr. per seat.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

The pulse line has made the seat operation more predictable, cut average seat time and increased the overall quality. The employees suggested most of the improvements.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

During Aviation Week’s visit, seven engines were in production. Typically 16 of the 22 bays are in use—with room for drop-in work. The shop outsources some blades and rotables work.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

The Tulsa base performs engine maintenance for CFM56 (pictured), CF6 and JT8D engines. Overhauls typically take 52-56 days from introduction to testing and quick engine change installation. CFM56 overhauls usually require 53 days.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

When the shop started overhauling CFM56s, it took a collaborative approach and held regularly communications meetings with supply chain, procurement, production control and engineering members and mapped out plans such as what’s pictured here.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

This 737-800 made its maiden flight from Boeing’s Seattle facility to Tulsa. The brand-new aircraft will undergo a four-day entry-into-service check, which includes tasks such as installing Gogo’s Wi-Fi system, relocating some safety equipment and installing placards.

Lee Ann Shay/AW&ST

The interior of the brand-new 737. As one engineer remarked after walking in, “This is better than new-car smell!”

Previous
Next

American Airlines’ technical operations base employs 5,200 people. In 2015, the base’s employees completed 549 aircraft visits and 38 heavy maintenance overhauls.

Read more: American Airlines’ Tech Ops Focus For 2016​

Lee Ann Shay

As executive editor of MRO and business aviation, Lee Ann Shay directs Aviation Week's coverage of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), including Inside MRO, and business aviation, including BCA.

Follow us on

Markets

  • Aerospace
  • Air Transport
  • MRO
  • Defense and Space
  • Business Aviation

Products

  • AWIN Intelligence Bundles
  • Market Briefings
  • Publications
  • Data Services
  • Directories
  • Resources

Contact Us

  • Subscriber Services
  • Advertising, Marketing Services & List Rentals
  • Content Sales
  • Events
  • PR & Communications
  • Content Licensing and Reprints
  • FAQ

Other Resources

  • Aviation Week Marketplace
  • Knowledge Center
  • Newsletters
  • ShowNews
Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC.
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use