The Boeing Co. in Ottawa completed its Industrial and Regional Benefits program for Phase 1 of the Canadian Forces’ CF-18 Fighter Avionics Modernization Program a year ahead of schedule. Boeing has successfully implemented industrial participation (IP) programs totaling more than $29 billion in 35 countries over the past 30 years.
Supply chain software systems are designed to manage processes, people and assets. Service lifecycle management is a different kind of software system. Sitting at the junction of ERP, MRO and content management solutions, it is designed to put a comprehensive maintenance library of technical information in the hands of maintenance technicians, engineers and parts managers as they are performing their jobs.
Two new personal flashlights from Streamlight are designed to be super-bright, lightweight and durable. The lithium-powered devices should be compact, with a nylon polymer casing and high light output for use in a variety of industrial and personal settings. An LED model and a xenon incandescent bulb model are available.
Saab received a SEK 550 million ($67 million) contract from the Swedish Defense Material Administration (FMV) for program management, product maintenance, support, flight testing, pilot equipment and simulators to support the Swedish Air Force’s (SAF) Saab JAS 39 Gripen combat aircraft. Work on this contract should be completed this year, but Saab is expected to continue further Gripen support and development for the SAF.
DUBAI—Middle Eastern carriers will spend about $2.2 billion on airframe, engine and component maintenance, repair and overhaul this year, which represents about 5% of expected global demand, according to forecasts presented at AVIATION WEEK’s MRO Middle East Conference & Exhibition in January.
More than 40 years ago, in 300-ft. ceiling fog on the morning of Nov. 22, 1968, a Japan Air Lines DC-8-62, s/n 45954, landed short of SFO runway 28L in San Francisco Bay following an otherwise routine flight from Tokyo-Haneda. According to the National Transportation Safety Board report of Dec. 31, 1969, “The captain reported that his speed at the time of water contact was 137 kts.” The report also indicates that Capt. Kohei Asoh, who had nearly 10,000 hrs.
Birds are more likely than bank bailouts to have caused US Airways flight 1549 to ditch in New York’s Hudson River on Jan. 15, but it’s the economy that has prevented the 10-year old Airbus A320 from being salvaged and returned to service. “Why repair this airplane when I have three of them on the ground?” asked Jim Jijawi, managing director of Source One Airplane Repair (SOAR) in Newport Beach, Calif., summing up the stance of the owners/operators. “The repairability decision on the airplane depends in large part on the economy,” he said.
If you have any questions as to the worth of the A-10 Thunderbolt II (a.k.a. Warthog), just ask the soldiers in Wanat, an impossibly mountainous region of Afghanistan. They were fighting for their lives this past July. U.S. Air Force A-10s and other craft flew into a river valley near the place and laid down withering fire, helping hold back the opposition until U.S. troops could evacuate their wounded. Absent the rugged, “low ‘n slow” Hog, what was a very bad day for these men could have turned out far, far worse.
Honeywell International, reissued STC to install dual Sperry EDZ-601/603 electronic flight instrument systems, a Global GNS-500A VLF/Omega navigation system and, a Sperry Data Nav IV system on a specific Hawker Beechcraft 200 aircraft, STC SA3235M
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Shangri-La Industries hosted a green business leadership roundtable at Avjet’s Burbank facility to explore ways governments and businesses can better support practice sustainable s. “Our goal was to facilitate a discussion with leaders from the political, business and environmental world where they could share challenges and start a dialogue as to how we meet those challenges,” said Tim Donovan, Shangri-La’s COO.
Panasonic Computer Solutions introduced upgrades for its Toughbook 30 rugged laptop and Toughbook 19 rugged convertible tablet computer. Both notebooks will incorporate anti-glare/anti-reflective screen treatments for viewability in sunlight, a necessity for a mobile worker in the field.
Honeywell International, reissued STCs to install various performance management systems on Boeing 737-200, Boeing 737-200, and Boeing 727-200 (Air Canada configuration) series aircraft, STCs SA2407NM, SA2018NM, SA2001NM, and SA1984NM
In December, the Spanish government’s Council of Ministers authorized the Ministry of Defense, or whomever it designates, to award the contract mentioned in the memorandum of understanding between France, Germany and Spain for Tiger attack helicopter MRO. At the same time, it also approved related payments totaling about €155 million ($201.1 million), divided into seven annual payments between 2009 and 2015.
The French Defense Procurement Agency (Délégation Générale pour l’Armement, or DGA) has confirmed initial deliveries of production Dassault Rafale F3s to the French air force (AdlA`) and navy (Aéronavale) from early 2009. Qualification of the full standard F3 multi-role version of Rafale combat aircraft was announced on July 1, 2008. Earlier Rafale F2s, operated by AdlA since June 2006 and Aéronavale since May 2008, also are being upgraded to similar standards.
Emergency locator transmitters that operate on frequencies 121.5 and 243 MHz can no longer be used, as a notice of final rulemaking by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority informs operators in the region. The changes took effect Feb. 1, meaning that all ELTs used in Australia now must operate on 406 and 121.5 MHz.
Bell Helicopter closed out 2008 with delivery of the ninth OH-58D armed reconnaissance aircraft to be modified under the current Kiowa Warrior Safety Enhancement Program contract. “[The] nine OH-58s we delivered in 2008 were six more than required by the contract schedule,” said Amy Tedford, director of Bell Helicopter Military Fielded Systems.
Avidyne Corp., amended STC to install Avidyne TWX 670 Tactical Weather Detection System, consisting of an Avidyne processor and antenna with doubler plate and mounting tray, on numerous general and business aviation models, STC SA00269BO
CORRECTION: Delta AirElite won a contest held by PPG Industries' aerospace transparencies business to promote PPG's new glass-faced heated acrylic replacement windshield for Bombardier Challenger 600, 601, 604 and 605 aircraft. Terry Bowling is director of maintenance for Delta AirElite.
Hawker Beechcraft Services, amended STC to install an L3-Communications modular airborne data recording acquisition system - cockpit voice/data recorder to implement a digital flight data recorder system on Hawker Beechcraft B200, B200C, B300 and B300C aircraft, STC SA10478SC
Recently, a congressional hearing contained discussions surrounding the topic of voluntary safety reporting programs that are used in collaboration between the aviation industry and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Basically, there are three major programs: Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Programs, Aviation Safety Action Programs and Flight Operations Quality Assurance Programs. However the focus of late has been on Aviation Safety Action Programs (ASAPs).
BALTIMORE—“Customers are looking for revolutionary enhancements” to their F-16 radars, at affordable upfront and life-cycle costs, which is part of the reason Northrop Grumman has created the Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), said Arlene Camp, director of advanced F-16 systems for Northrop Grumman.
Shedding, integrating and consolidating should be major themes of aircraft maintenance in the next few years. Some airlines want to shed technical tasks and management burdens that others can do more economically. Maintenance providers will need to integrate repairs, materials, logistics and management to take over these tasks. And because there are so many parts suppliers, efficient support will require some consolidation of the supply chain to make it all workable.
