Warner Robins Air Logistics Center 402nd Maintenance Wing won the 2008 Secretary of Defense Maintenance Effectiveness Award in the Depot category for its work from Oct. 1, 2007 through Sept. 30, 2008, including its response to the worldwide grounding of the F-15 fleet in the fall of 2007. Airframes
AC TECH received a 2008 Boeing Gold Performance Excellence Award, signifying that it achieved 100% on-time delivery and quality acceptance for a 12-month period. The Garden Grove, Calif.-based company manufactures aircraft sealants and surface treatment products.
A nearly two-year-old law is prohibiting the Federal Aviation Administration from awarding certification to any new foreign repair station applicant. Now, a potential new law could prevent existing foreign repair stations from renewing their certification.
As fire seasons lengthen and wildland fires become increasingly destructive, the availability of airborne assets is becoming more critical. For Neptune Aviation, assuring the readiness of its aerial tankers has resulted in one of the most comprehensive in-house maintenance capabilities, specifically focused on the total support of a unique, aging aircraft.
Northrop Grumman named Jay Shiba VP of supply chain management for its Electronic Systems sector. Shiba joined the company in 1978, and most recently served as business manager of the Surface Combatant business area.
Carlo Gavazzi Computing Solutions’ ATR enclosures are designed to protect commercial off the shelf circuit cards from damage in hazardous or extreme environments, and its new 715 series incorporates new features to better resist vibration, very high or low temperatures, humidity and contaminants.
Gulfstream installed its 50th Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display . It began offering the system, which was developed with Honeywell Aerospace, in February 2008.
Japan Airlines parent JAL Group plans to integrate its four maintenance subsidiaries : JAL Narita Aircraft Maintenance Co., Ltd; JAL Tokyo Aircraft Maintenance Co., Ltd; JAL Engine Technologies Co., Ltd; and JAL Aviation Technologies Co., Ltd. The integration is to take effect on Oct. 1, although details of what changes this will mean for the group’s maintenance business aren’t spelled out.
O&M will present its annual O&M Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul on April 21 as part of AVIATION WEEK’s MRO 2009 Conference & Exhibition in Dallas/Grapevine, Texas. This year, O&M also will recognize a Lifetime Achievement Award winner during the conference.
MICHELIN NORTH AMERICA, reissued STC to install Michelin tires on the main and nose gear of Bombardier CL-600-2C10/2D15/2D24 aircraft wheel assembly, STC SA03642AT
AERO MEDICAL PRODUCTS, amended STC to install an Aero Medical Products air ambulance stretcher on various Pilatus PC-12, PC-12/45, PC-12/47 and PC-12/47E aircraft, STC SA01570CH
DRB AVIATION CONSULTANTS, to install an executive interior and reduction in maximum zero fuel weight from 28,814 lbs. to 28,279 lbs. on Dornier 328-300 aircraft, STC ST10933SC
Boeing carried out the first test flight of the third U.S. Air Force C-130 Avionics Modernization Program aircraft three weeks ahead of schedule, completing the major modifications and upgrade package on H3 about 13% faster than the upgrade to H2.5. Aircraft H3 flew Jan. 13, accomplishing both functional check flight and acceptance check flight tests. This third AMP aircraft soon will join aircraft H2 and H2.5 in the flight test program, which Boeing says is 81% complete. Boeing also transferred a third KC-767J tanker to Japanese partner Itochu Corp. on Feb.
After 10 years of working on a program, you’d think it might get a little easier, the pace might slow a bit, the targets might become a little more readily achievable. But that’s not the case when it comes to performance based logistics-type sustainment efforts generally, and it certainly doesn’t appear to be true for the C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership (GSP). In fact, when you hit your targets and achieve your goals, what you get are more distant targets and more aggressive goals.
Leigh Sargent of ACE Applied Composites Engineering saw his company’s need for turnaround time-focused service as an opportunity for growth. ACE repairs radomes for a variety of aircraft, and before returning these to customers, it used to send the large components to other service providers for tests. If the third party couldn’t return the radome quickly enough, then it impacted ACE’s TAT. ACE decided to take the matter into its own hands: the Indianapolis-based company built its own radome test cell, focused on speed and quality.
In the MRO world, configuration management (CM) is, as the name implies, the control of the parts that make up an assembly. When used to help determine the economics of repair, CM could be described as a tracking mechanism for new, repaired or re-engineered parts. First developed in the 1950s by the U.S. Department of Defense as a technical management tool, CM is used by OEMs and larger MROs to track the operational performance of a part.
SuperJet International opened its North American sales and customer support office in Washington, D.C. John Buckley, VP, business development, joined SuperJet International from ATR North America. Patrick Sullivan is head of customer service Americas.
Pratt & Whitney’s Columbus, Ga., engine center finished the first retrofit of an IAE V2500-A5 engine to the V2500 SelectOne engine. It says benefits of the retrofit include 1% lower fuel burn and corresponding lower emissions, less noise and lower overall operating costs. The V2500-A5 engine (V10301) belongs to US Airways and has been in service for about 11 years.
In the old days, repair facilities would take on just about any job to keep the revenue stream going. But, today, MROs are more discerning, carefully considering whether a repair or engineering solution is in their best interest. Some companies have an assortment of ways to determine the various costs associated with a repair: research and development, engineering, regulatory, expediency and labor costs.
Conferences & Exhibitions April 14-15 Helicopter Safety & Operations Management Forum, San Diego, Calif. April 21 2009 Lean Six Sigma for Military, Grapevine/Dallas, Texas April 21-23 MRO Americas 2009 Conference & Exhibition, Grapevine/Dallas, Texas April 22-23 MRO Military 2009 Conference & Exhibition, Grapevine/Dallas, Texas May 5-6 Forecasting for Airline Pricing & Capacity Planning, Chicago, Ill. May 6-7 Bird Strike Prevention Forum, Chicago, Ill. Contacts
