The first of four radar systems being upgraded by ITT’s Brazil PAR-2000 modernization team recently completed Site Acceptance Testing (SAT). The four-day test included logistic and quality inspections, system on- and offline checks and flight certification. The Brazilian special flight inspection group performed the flight certification. The Brazilian Air Force uses ITT’s Precision Approach Radars to ensure safe landings in all conditions, especially where visibility is impaired, including night and severe weather landings.
Goodrich Corp.’s Aerostructures business opened a 50,000-sq.-ft. facility at Tianjin Airport Industrial Park for MRO activities and to support original equipment manufacturing of nacelles and thrust reversers. The plant is, however, only a steppingstone to a larger facility that is scheduled to open in 2010—a 170,000-sq.-ft. site in Tianjin that will be across from the final assembly line for the Airbus A320 aircraft.
The U.S. Trade Development Agency (USTDA) and Bell Helicopter Textron are cooperating with India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to support the growth of the Indian helicopter market. A USTDA grant for $501,849 for “rotorcraft rulemaking, capacity assessment, airspace classification and airspace design” was to be signed under the U.S.-India Aviation Cooperation Program with the DGCA before Aug. 15.
In 2005, Rimsky Buitrago, CEO of Coopesa, realized that his business model was changing. To remain competitive, Coopesa’s supply chain processes inside and outside the hangar would have to change as well. Based at the Juan Santamaría International Airport in Costa Rica, Coopesa is a mid-size MRO specializing in Boeing narrowbody airframe maintenance. The facility can service up to seven aircraft at once.
MTU Aero Engines of Munich has for long touted its ability to repair aircraft components when possible rather than replace them with new—and presumably costlier—parts. The company credits its engineering skills for the expertise it has developed in this area. Now MTU is working with a partner, GE Aviation, to develop ways to repair all brands of engine components and assemblies and restoring them to as-new condition. The Component Repair Development Agreement is the first such deal formalized with an OEM, says Stefan Weingartner, president and CEO of MTU Aero Engines.
Fire-Safe Storage Buildings Safety Storage’s FireShield buildings are designed for installation near or within existing facilities to store potentially hazardous chemicals and other materials safely. The pre-fabricated, code-compliant buildings meet varied size, access and storage requirements: Safety Storage offers UL-approved two-hour bi-directional fire-rated (FR) model and two-hour bi-directional fire-resistance enhancement (FRE) model buildings, as well as four-hour bi-directional FR model and four-hour bi-directional FRE model buildings.
The U.S. military is known for its odd, sometimes inexplicable acronyms. But the Air Force’s F2AST program, which stands for Future Flexible and Sustainment Tool, seems to hit the nail on the head.
MTU Aero Engines and GE Aviation signed a 10-year agreement to jointly develop component repairs, with the initial focus on repairs for the hot section components in GE CF34 engines. MTU said the first repairs should be available in early 2010. This is the first agreement of this type that MTU has signed with an OEM. Repair development is not restricted to GE engines.
Most maintenance, repair and overhaul organizations serving the aerospace market today feel increasing pressure to boost profit margins and reduce operating costs. In the past, whenever the MRO industry prospered, the airline industry was flying older fleets that required extensive and more expensive maintenance. But the recent credit crunch has triggered a paradigm shift of sorts. Aircraft manufacturers are pitching and winning maintenance work that MROs once performed.
Flightstar Aircraft Services inked a contract with Precision Conversions to convert a Boeing 757-200 from passenger to freighter configuration for a Chinese carrier, to be completed by November. Engines
Grommet Edging System Protects Superjet Sukhoi’s Superjet 100 features a grommet edging system designed to protect its wiring from wear without requiring adhesives. The Spring-Fast M22529/2 grommet edging system is fitted on Sukhoi’s original prototypes, one of which made its debut at the Paris Air Show in June. The system’s manufacturer, Device Technologies, says the grommet edging should cut production and maintenance times and enhance operational safety.
Component Control upgraded its Internet-based parts database StockMarket to include more than 80 million records of U.S. government procurement data, including Master Cross Reference List, characteristics and CAGE Code, following the integration of Resource Data Services’ AvRef National Stock Number database with StockMarket.
Jet Aviation added maintenance services at its Seletar Airport and Moscow Vnukovo International Airport facilities. Jet Aviation Singapore added services for Bombardier Challenger 601/604/605 and Cessna 560XL aircraft under its EASA 145 maintenance approval. The company also plans to add to its line maintenance capabilities in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur. Jet Aviation Vnukovo now offers 24/7 line maintenance services and AOG support, and it expanded its AOG services to Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and other Russian airports.
The Air Force isn’t the only service in the fast lane. The Army has its third-generation Rapid Response Command and Control project (RT23G), a fee-for-service program after which the FAST program was modeled. The Army’s streamlined acquisition process is a multiple–award IDIQ vehicle created to provide critical equipment and support services to government systems and equipment worldwide.
Limco Airepair of Tulsa will not be relocating its operations to North Carolina after all. The company, a subsidiary of TAT Technologies of Gedera, Israel, was scheduled to move to the site of Piedmont Aviation Component Services of Kernersville, another TAT subsidiary. Officials at the Israeli company say that a number of Limco’s major customers asked them to reconsider the move. Another factor was unanticipated expenses that would have “significantly diminished” the savings that were expected to result from the move.
Extended-life Reading Lamps Welch Allyn reading lamps for Boeing, Airbus and ATR aircraft now feature longer lifetimes, which translates into less maintenance. It increased the lifetime ratings for three models of its halogen lamps to up to 10,000 hours, around 20% more than previous generation models. New lifetime ratings and extended warranty offers apply to lamps produced since June. Lamps 998502-4 and 998502-8, original equipment on Boeing 777 and 747-400 aircraft now feature a lifetime rating of 10,000 hours.
Curtiss-Wright Controls signed a license agreement with Boeing to make and sell replacement flight control spare parts and utility actuation products directly to operators of the 737, 747, 757, 767 and 777.
Australian Aerospace signed a five-year contract with Nexter Systems to provide support services for the turreted gun in use on the Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters flown by the Australian Army.
U.S. Navy nominated Capt. Timothy Matthews to the rank of rear admiral and he will report from commanding officer of the Fleet Readiness Center Southeast in Jacksonville, Fla., to commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, as well as assistant commander for Logistics and Industrial Operations at Patuxent River, Md. Capt. Paul Sohl assumed command of the FRCSE, and Capt. Rob Caldwell became the executive officer position. Capt.
Pratt & Whitney Canada has opened a regional service center at Lethbridge, Alberta. The facility, co-located with the manufacturer’s PT6A main production plant, has advanced tooling and component repair capabilities. It performs light and heavy maintenance on PT6, JT15D, PW100 and PW500s, and light maintenance for the PW600 engine series.
