CAE received FAA Inspection Authorization approval for six of its e-Learning maintenance training courses, which cover Boeing 737NG engine ground operations, advanced digital principles, human factors, maintenance diagnostic systems and reduced vertical separation minimums. It signed a technical training agreement with Canada’s Jazz Air, under which Jazz maintenance training programs will be licensed to CAE.
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.
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
StandardAero named Jack Lawless president of Associated Air Center in Dallas. Lawless will take on the new role alongside his current position as StandardAero’s COO. Airframes
Ameco Beijing inducted its 50th United Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft for heavy maintenance. Work on the earlier 49 aircraft, carried out over the last four years, has been completed on time, Ameco says. By the end of this year, Ameco’s four-bay hangar will see three more United 777s, raising the total number of the aircraft serviced under the five-year contract signed in 2005 to 53. The 777 contract is one of the airframe contracts United will rebid this year.
A US Airways V2500 engine set a new time on wing record, completing 30,520 flying hours on its first run. This is the third time a US Airways engine has surpassed 30,000 hours before being removed for its first scheduled overhaul, and breaks the previous IAE time on wing record, also held by a US Airways engine.
Kelly Aerospace Energy Systems, reissued STC to install the JanAero Devices Division Cycle air conditioning system on various Cessna 310 model aircraft, STC SA775CE
Rhinestahl Corp. inked a deal with GE to become its authorized provider of aircraft and gas turbine engine customer tooling solutions. Rhinestahl has acquired GE Aviation’s Customer Tooling Solutions business and now is the OEM’s preferred tooling provider.
Pratt & Whitney Canada Customer Service Center Europe appointed Aero-Dienst of Nuremberg, Germany, and Altenrhein Aviation at St. Gallen-Altenrhein Airport in Switzerland, recognized maintenance facilities for PT6A, JT15D and PW300 series engines.
Just as MROs tout high quality, safety and turnaround time as imperative elements to successful maintenance, Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings is positioning its full-fledged entry as a commercial aviation paint supplier in a similar fashion. Its Jet Glo Express coating systems, which consists of a pre-treatment, corrosion protective primer and topcoat, is designed to be applied within a few days, last a long time and maintain a vivid appearance, while delivering green benefits.
Armstrong Aerospace, reissued STC to install a Honeywell RESCU 406AF emergency locator transmitter system on McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 aircraft, STC ST01997CH
Dallas Airmotive signed a five-year engine service agreement with Avantair to repair, maintain, overhaul and provide field service on PT6A-66 engines that power the operator’s Piaggio Avanti turboprop aircraft. Dallas Airmotive has been a PT6 OEM-authorized distributor and designated overhaul facility since 1967.
All airlines with a Benin operating certificate, along with several other carriers, have been added to the European Union’s airline blacklist. The EU says the decision on Benin came after an audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization highlighted problems.
I look forward every year to AVIATION WEEK’S MRO Americas and MRO Military conferences in the spring as opportunities to get a sense of the industry’s mood and direction. This year’s event was one of conflicting signals.
BEIJING—China’s newly formed military aircraft and missile company, Avic Defense, is emphasizing maintenance as part of a business model that it has expanded far beyond just making original equipment. General Manager Wang Yawei says the company will forge a complete value chain covering the whole life cycle of its products, from weapons system predevelopment to maintenance and support guarantees for equipment that it has sold.
Madrid Aerospace Services delivered its first overhauled landing gear , an Airbus A320 gear belonging to Iberia Airlines, in early April. The 50/50 joint venture of ST Aerospace and Iberia Maintenance, formed in February 2008 and approved by the European Commission last June, operates two lines, one for A320s and one for A330/340s, but it plans to expand its capacity to six lines. Located near Madrid Barajas Airport, Madrid Aerospace Services received AESA and EASA approval in December 2008.
StandardAero appointed Chris Swan VP/general manager of its component services operation in Cincinnati. Swan joins the DAE company from GE Aviation, where he served as regional director, Americas for commercial field service among other roles. Airframes
AirCell, amended STC to install an AirCell Broadband Services system on various Boeing 767 and 757, McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and MD-88, and Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, STC ST02541CH
For many of its sensors, PCB Piezotronics offers a sealed, watertight, integral cable assembly for protection from liquid ingress. The submersible accelerometers offer an alternative sealing technique that PCB Piezotronics says adds value when used in gearboxes, transmissions, flow tubes and valves, sealed chemical reactors with mixers, and when measuring structural reactions to turbulence.
Qantas cut 500 more management positions in mid-April, to slash costs and streamline the airline. CEO Alan Joyce said a statement that Qantas wants to avoid redundancies but is exploring alternatives to further cuts, such as part time work, various types of leave and other tactics. He said the the group’s diversified business portfolio and financial management have “cushioned” the impact of market conditions on its business. “Taking further action on costs and capacity will ensure we can continue to benefit from these strategies,” Joyce said.
Lufthansa Technik scored two big wins for its photo-luminescent strips for commercial aircraft. It signed a preferred supplier agreement with Airbus on March 31, making Lufthansa Technik’s Guideline ColourFit emergency floor-path guidance system standard on Airbus’ complete line of aircraft. And, C&D Zodiac, one of the main suppliers for Bombardier’s CSeries aircraft, selected LHT to supply the Guideline ColourFit floor-path marking for use in the 100-149 seat aircraft.
