SR Technics appointed André Wall COO and member of its group executive board, effective May 15. Wall joined SRT from Jet Aviation in Zurich, where he was COO. Prior to this, Wall served as president and CEO of MTU Maintenance in Berlin for three years.
With a combined staff of around 15,000, Air France Industries and KLM Engineering & Maintenance are responsible for more than 622 aircraft from their parent airlines and provide third-party maintenance on more than 900 aircraft for 150 customer airlines. There are six maintenance sites: Five are in France, and one is in the Netherlands, at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. (They also have KLM U.K. Engineering, which provides MRO services for narrowbody and regional aircraft at its facility at Norwich International Airport.) Combined, the two divisions have 1,200,000 sq.
American and Polish crews delivered the first of five refurbished and upgraded Lockheed C-130E military transports plus spares on March 24, to the Polish air force (SPRP) at Powidz Air Base, for service with its 14th Airlift Squadron. Maj. Gen. William A. Chambers, director of air and space operations for U.S. Air Forces in Europe, lauded Poland for its support of American and allied forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. Poland’s Brig. Gen.
Vietnam Airlines will receive engine MRO and management support from SR Technics and Pratt & Whitney under new contracts announced in April. SR Technics will provide MRO services for the Hanoi-based carrier in Zurich. The three-year contract covers 23 CFM56-5B engines and is an extension of an agreement signed in 2006. Engine monitoring services for Vietnam’s 58 PW4000 and IAE V2500 engines will be provided by Pratt & Whitney under a five-year engine management contract. Avionics/IFE
ILS celebrates its 30th anniversary on May 31. ILS President Bruce Langsen said ILS has about 60 million line items in its database. Each business day ILS on average receives 60,000 access, 150,000 part searches, 5,000 repair capability searches and 40,000 requests for quotes.
IAI’s Bedek Aviation Group picked AAR Corp. to provide the cargo system for its soon-to-launch 767-300 conversion program. AAR will manufacture the system, which will be installed in the aircraft IAI Bedek is converting from passenger configuration to its General Market Freighter configuration, at its Goldsboro, N.C. facility.
Lockheed Martin added the Turkish Air Force (THK) 2nd Air Supply and Maintenance Center in Kayseri, Turkey, to its global network of authorized C-130 service facilities on April 17.
Second-phase mid-life upgrades of Finnish Air Force (Suomen Ilmavoimat) Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet combat aircraft are being funded from a recently approved $280 million government contract. Installation of new software and systems upgrades in 64 Ilmavoimat Hornets, plus acquisition of Raytheon AGM-154C Joint Stand-Off Weapons systems, will be undertaken by Finland’s Patria group, for 2016 completion.
To compile our biennial Top 10 lists, we survey dozens of airframe MRO providers around the world, and we rely completely on their integrity in providing accurate, relevant numbers. We ask only for their civil aircraft airframe maintenance man-hours—excluding component, engine, line maintenance and any other related aftermarket man-hour figures. For example, we queried PEMCO World Air Services, the commercial arm of the former PEMCO Air Group, but not Alabama Aircraft Industries, Inc., which emerged from the split-up of the group with all of the military work.
Miro Technologies received Frost & Sullivan’s 2009 European Defense Logistics Product Line Strategy Award for its insight into customer needs and product demands.
Chromalloy joint venture BELAC reduced the price of its high pressure turbine blades by 9% in early May under a new pricing structure. The company estimates the operators can save $200,000-$300,000 on a single set of BELAC HPT turbine blades over OEM products.
Two new models of replacement reading lamps for several Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier aircraft should last four times as long as current equipment, according to Welch Allyn Lighting Products.
Component Control is integrating Avtrak GlobalNet’s Web-based maintenance tracking system into its Quantum software, to allow users to monitor maintenance progress from anywhere in the world via the Avtrak program. Two-way communication and automatic updates are designed to ensure all data is up to date, Component Control says.
Goodrich’s Alabama Service Center received Boeing approval to provide overheat service bulletin inspections and modifications for Boeing 737NG aircraft. The service bulletin, SB1079, mandates inspection of the aircraft’s GE CFM56-7 engine thrust reverser inner walls and insulation blankets as well as checking for signs of heat damaged and correcting possible heat-related issues.
FlightSafety International says 40 of its full flight simulators have been qualified under the EASA flight simulator training device catch-up process, which allows European licensed flight crews under EASA to train with simulators located outside EASA member states’ jurisdiction. The 40 simulators are located at 15 FlightSafety learning centers in North America. Three new simulators at its London/Farnborough training center also received JAA Level D qualification from the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority.
The Commemorative Air Force brought James C. “Woody” Woodford on board as director of maintenance for its headquarters in Midland, Texas. Woodford, a 27-year CAF member, will report to Bob Stenevik, VP of operations and maintenance.
Government signature was announced on April 14 with Embraer of a $140 million contract to modernize a Brazilian Naval Aviation (FAMB) squadron of 12 Douglas A-4 (locally AF-1) Skyhawk light attack aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney J52-P408 turbojets as the main component of its maritime air force. The Skyhawks comprise nine single-seat AF-1s and three two-seat AF-1A trainers, from 23 FAMB A-4KUs previously operated by Kuwait.
Abrisa offers color correction filters for LED lights that allow customers to diffuse brightness instead of replacing bulbs. The dichroic LED filters are designed to be interchangeable for color variation, light diffusion or dramatic lighting purposes. The filters come with transparent or antireflective coatings and can be made with custom designs, patterns and screen prints. Sizes range from micro-optics up to 27 in. in diameter; the filters can operate between -60 degrees C and 100 degrees C. Abrisa, 200 S. Hallock Dr., Santa Paula, Calif. 93060
Lufthansa Technik Switzerland launched a new VIP cabin interior facility in Basel, adjoining its maintenance hangar there. Its extended portfolio includes technical services for Boeing Business Jets and Airbus Corporate Jets.
