Touching Base On Wheels And Brakes

MGT, with its main location in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and another facility in Paris, stocks and distributes landing gear, hydraulic components and wheels and brakes replacement parts mainly for Messier Bugatti Dowty (Safran Landing Systems). Its customer base consists largely of global MROs and repair stations but can support airlines on an aircraft-on-ground (AOG) basis. MGT focuses on customized solutions like blanket orders, kitting, competitive pricing and same-day shipping. For 2017, Olivier Mongenot, president, says that he would like MGT to increase the inventory of spare parts available in stock for families of aircraft currently supported, including the Airbus A320 family, A3100/A310 and ATR 42/72. He would also like to develop spares capabilities for other programs such as the Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 and 767 and increase direct support to airlines and operators.

T.T. Repairs is an FAA-certified and EASA-Approved Repair Station for wheel and brakes part repairs located near the Louisville International Airport in Kentucky. It supports repairs for all major OEMs including Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems & Dunlop, Safran Landing Systems, Honeywell and UTC Aerospace Systems. The components are sent to T.T. Repairs for additional repairs, then the parts are returned to the customers for the completion of the overhaul or repair. Its capabilities include welding, machining, thermal sprays, high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) tungsten carbide repairs, plating and shot peen. Custom tooling fabrication is also available on-site.

For 2017, T.T. Repairs is expanding its facility to an additional 16,00-ft.² with a newly designed parts fabrication department and an updated plating line for mass production. It will also look to expand its workforce to include more machinists, welders and engineers.

FL Technics provides in-house wheel and brakes capabilities to support the Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 NextGen and Classic types. Internationally, partnerships with networks of wheel and brake shops in Europe, North America and Asia allow support of other aircraft types as well. Support programs can include repairs, logistics and access to FL Technic’s’ asset pool of spare wheels and brakes—all provided in exchange for a monthly or power-by-the-hour programs. Currently in the company’s strategic development areas, the wheel and brakes program will see an increase in in-house repair capacities, further cooperation with OEMs for cost-effective access to materials and customer expansion in Europe and other regions in 2017.

World Aero, based in the UK, is EASA-, FAA- and TCCA-approved for wheels and brakes maintenance, parts, exchange and inventory management. The wheels and brakes products include Goodrich, Honeywell, Meggitt and Messier Bugatti Dowty (Safran Landing Systems) and for some of its current customers, time and materials repair, cost-per-aircraft-landing contract or fixed price repair structure is offered.

In July 2016, World Aero announced its 16,000th component repair since 1999 and saw a 25% increase in its customer database in the six weeks after announcing FAA approval in April. Phil Randell, managing director, also says World Aero would like to increase its brake production in the next year.

The wheel and brakes services provided by AAR in Miami includes full in-house repair capabilities and overhauls for more than 40 types of commercial and military aircraft. The facility houses the machinery, electroplating equipment, systems and personnel for inspection, non-destructive testing, machining, plating, painting and final assembly.

The 24-hr. aircraft-on-ground (AOG) support consists of stock retables for contract and non-contract customers to be able to quickly provide exchange brakes, wheels and tires, says Peter Loeb, vice president of AAR landing gear, wheels and brakes services.

Sherwood Aviation’s, a provider of component repairs, overhauls sales and exchanges, customers include OEMs and airlines including Airbus España Honeywell and other commercial and defense sectors of the aviation industry. “Sherwood offers disk-grinding and pad-riveting services to pass substantial cost savings on to the customer by not having to replace the assemblies,” says Bruce Owens, director of programs. “We are able to replace individual components in the assembly as well as repair parallel flatness to the disks from heat distortion by pressure-heat treatment and surface-grinding procedures. In addition to saving the customer money, this reduces the turn time of the repair.”

For 2017, Owens says that Sherwood Aviation is looking at a 12% increase to shop personnel to support existing and new contracts for 2017 as well as additional machines and capabilities to support the wheel and brakes operations and increased quantities.