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.
Airbus added Mexicana MRO Services to its MRO network, effective Feb. 27. The Mexico City-based carrier joins 14 other MRO providers that provide maintenance and repair services for Airbus aircraft and work with Airbus in its Flight Hour Services offering.
Esterline and Avio-Diepen signed a distribution agreement for the group’s Auxitrol and Weston product lines, including sales support and product marketing of temperature sensors, transducers, probes, thermocouples and harnesses, RTDs, pressure and temperature switches, resistors, TAT Probes and pressure probes for various engines and Airbus aircraft. Boeing also formed an agreement with Esterline CMC Electronics to provide Class 2 Electronic Flight Bag hardware on selected aircraft for production and retrofit, starting with the 737NG.
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.
The growth and diversity of Latin American carriers, their increasing aircraft fleets and growing financial strength are expected to continue to spur an expansion of maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities in the region, despite the current economic downturn. While MRO activities in Latin America date to the beginning of the air travel age, in large part because travel times to the U.S., where aircraft were being produced, were so great, there has been a spate of activity in recent years.
Rite-Hite Corp.’s new Revolution Fan features an advanced design aluminum fan blade intended to provide more consistent air circulation and ventilation with better energy efficiency than traditional high-speed ceiling or floor fans.
ARMSTRONG AEROSPACE, amended STC to install a Honeywell RESCU 406AF emergency locator transmitter system on Boeing 747-400, -400D and -400F series aircraft, STC ST01742CH
Federal Aviation Administration Acting Administrator Lynne A. Osmus made several personnel changes in early March. Peggy Gilligan became the new associate administrator for aviation safety. Gilligan had served as deputy assistant administrator for aviation safety since July 1995, and has served as chief of staff for four FAA administrators among other posts. John Hickey, director of FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service since 2000, replaced Gilligan as deputy assistant administrator for aviation safety.
BAE Systems received two contracts worth £119 million ($170 million) from the U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) to provide additional support for in-service Tornado and Harrier aircraft under a strategy known as CAPS (Commodity Availability Procurement Strategy). Under CAPS, the current Tornado availability contract (known as ATTAC) has been amended to include an availability service to support key primary warning and defensive protection equipment for RAF Tornado GR.4 and Harrier fleets.
Eurocopter plans to open a second service center in Hong Kong to serve customers in Asia-Pacific, where the helicopter maker says 1,264 Eurocopter helicopters currently are in service. The center, called CSC Asia-Pacific, will be operated by Helicopter CSC and local staff.
Air Canada will deploy TRAX’s EVO maintenance software to handle maintenance and engineering IT requirements across its fleet of close to 200 Boeing, Airbus and Embraer aircraft. Air Canada Jazz, the company’s regional partner airline, already uses TRAX maintenance.
3M introduced a new cleaner for sensitive electronics in its line of Novec brand cleaners, which offers non-ozone depleting, low-toxicity alternatives to HCFCs. HFCs and nPB. 3M’s new Novac Contact Cleaner Plus is designed to remove oil, grease and silicones while meeting California’s recent volatile organic compound regulations for electrical cleaners.
ELECTRONIC CABLE SPECIALISTS, to install ECS EZMount tilt mechanical mounting assemblies in cockpit of Boeing 747-400, -400D and -400F aircraft, STC ST02683CH
SriLankan Engineering, which had a partnership with Emirates in the past and has carried out heavy checks for Emirates and Pakistan’s private carrier Airblue, has been marketing itself in the region as an alternative to India. Sri Lanka is an ideal location given its short flying time from India, slot availability and low labor costs. However, GMR insists that it is no competition.
STA Systems gained recognition by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems as a Boeing MRO center for the CH-47 Chinook engine transmission. The Chinook engine transmission is the first Boeing IDS component set up for repair and overhaul by parent company ST Aerospace. With this approval, ST Aero says it is poised to take on more repair and overhaul work for other components of Boeing military aircraft.
EMTEQ ENGINEERING, to install an EMTEQ seat warmer system in Hawker Beechcraft B200, B200C, B300, B300C, 200, 200C, 200CT, 200T, B200CT, B200T, 300 and 300LW series aircraft, STC SA03669AT
The Royal Australian Air Force awarded a C-130J Hercules deep maintenance and support contract on March 11 to a team comprising Australian Aerospace (a subsidiary of Eurocopter), Lockheed Martin and StandardAero. The Team Aero members will maintain and support 12 C-130Js via a $292 million five-year rolling contract with the Defense Materiel Organization.
