Business aircraft MRO shops are adjusting to a lackluster refurbishment and modification market, reeling from the impact of tight budgets, cutbacks in flying and a huge inventory of unsold pre-owned aircraft.
Plating Maskant Wax Petroferm Inc., Cleaning Products offers a new, highly refined plating maskant wax with a melting point of 168-180 degrees F, designed to be suitable for nickel sulphamate and other selective plating applications. AEROMAX MT should exhibit excellent flexibility, adhesion and substrate compatibility, and it should be able to mask both simple and complex geometries, Petroferm says.
Inlet Barrier Filter The European Aviation Safety Agency recently issued Aerospace Filtration Systems a Supplemental Type Certificate for its inlet barrier filter (IBF) system for MD Helicopters’ MD900/MD902 Explorer series. IBF-equipped MD900/MD902 helicopters should be able to operate freely without engine inlet imposed flight or gross weight restrictions, the Donaldson Filtration Solutions subsidiary says.
Elbit Systems received an operation and maintenance contract from the defense ministry covering the Israel Air Force’s (IAF) new Hawker Beechcraft T-6 (Effroni) turboprop trainer. The value of the deal has not been disclosed. The contract runs for five years and contains an option for five more. Elbit has provided MRO services to the IAF for training aircraft and helicopters since 2002.
The U.S. and India have begun working on a bilateral aviation safety agreement (BASA), which will lead to mutual acceptance of aeronautical products and parts developed in either country.The two countries saw the need for the pact, now that aeronautical products are being designed and manufactured in India. According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the steps involved in a BASA process include: Skill upgrades of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) certification experts through advanced training;
Lufthansa Technik, Bombardier and ExecuJet Aviation Group agreed in September to modify and extend the terms of the agreement that forms Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS) for an unlimited period of time.
Low-VOC Contact Adhesives, Cements A new line of low volatile organic content contact adhesives and cements is available from Royal Adhesives and Sealants. The new Silaprene brand contact adhesives and cements contain less than 250 grams per liter of VOCs, compared to more than 600 grams per liter of VOCs in traditional solvent-based contact adhesives and cements.
Canard Aerospace reissued STC to install a Honeywell Mark VII enhanced ground proximity warning system to replace the Mark II system on Bombardier DHC-8-200 series aircraft, STC ST01331CH
Portable Ultrasonic Flaw Detector A new, portable ultrasonic flaw detector from GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies weighs just 2.2 lb. and is designed for prolonged use in harsh environments. The USM Go inspection tool is equipped with a pressure-responsive, joystick control; ergonomic design features; and a data display screen with the largest pixel count of any instrument in its category, according to GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies.
StandardAero added Scott Taylor as SVP for business aviation. Taylor previously led sales and marketing for Honeywell Aerospace's business and general aviation division.
According to Greek legend, Prometheus brought fire to Earth by lighting a torch from the sun’s chariot. That same fire is being harnessed today at General Electric’s Repair Technology Center of Excellence, taking the form of a laser beam. The center’s research teams are finding more uses of this modern technology to repair a widening range of parts.
Latin American maintenance, repair and overhaul providers continue to expand their offerings in the worldwide MRO market, with new capabilities and certifications coming on line all the time. With increasing numbers of new-generation Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer jets being delivered into the region, and still hundreds of older-generation aircraft needing more intensive maintenance, the potential market from Latin carriers alone is enough to spur MRO development in the region.
Rockwell Collins reissued STC to install Rockwell Collins GLU-920 multi-mode receivers in place of AlliedSignal or Sextant multi-mode receivers on Boeing 737-700, -600 and -800 series aircraft, STC ST00983LA-D
Mubadala Development Co. of Abu Dhabi is on its way to building a major MRO center in the area, after signing an agreement with GE Aviation that finalizes a strategic partnership the companies initiated in 2008. Highlights of the deal include a commitment by GE and its affiliates to provide technical support and services to SR Technics and Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies, Mubadala’s affiliate MRO companies, as well as material support and licenses to service select GE engines.
Beagle Aerospace added full CFM56 series thrust reverser overhaul, repair and test capabilities at its Christchurch, Dorset, U.K., facility per a successful July 29 audit by the U.K's Civil Aviation Authority.
A series of “meet and confer” discussions between Pratt & Whitney and the International Association of Machinists over the future of two maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities in Connecticut was scheduled to conclude early in September. A Pratt & Whitney representative said the company is looking for concessions in the union’s collective bargaining agreement that will keep the Cheshire Engine Facility and the Connecticut Airfoil Repair Operation (CARO) in East Hartford open beyond the first half of 2010.
Chromalloy named Jimmy Ravenne general manager of its turbine engine MRO operation near Paris. Ravenne most recently was integrated supply chain and site leader for Secan, part of Honeywell’s aerospace aftermarket operation in France, and previously worked as VP Engineering and Maintenance for Brit Air/Groupe Air France and for SR Technics. Ravenne replaces Christophe Lecanu, controller, who served as interim general manager.
On June 28, 2008, the pilots of an ABX Air Boeing 767-200, N799AX, were performing an engine start checklist for a cargo flight from San Francisco International Airport when they heard a loud pop and hissing sound from the “supernumerary” compartment behind the cockpit. The first officer had just been in the supernumerary a minute before and everything appeared fine.
U.S. Naval Air Systems Command awarded Bobby Stroud, production director at the Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, the Department of Navy Superior Civilian Service Award “for outstanding technical and managerial contributions,” including the “pay-for-performance system that [he] devised and implemented [that] drove cost-conscious behavior” that saved at least $5 million. Stroud also emphasized workforce development that “institutionalized a culture of continuous improvement and problem solving.”
—In 2008 American Airlines’ 12,000 techs performed nearly 90% of maintenance in house, compared with 30-70% by other major airlines. AA does all its own airframe maintenance, another departure from common practice in the U.S.
Houston Precision Fasteners gained Lockheed Martin approval for the MS14181 spline bolt for the F-35 program. Bombardier also selected Houston Precision Fasteners for two proprietary fasteners for the aileron on the CRJ1000 NextGen.
