SIMMAD, the Integrated Maintenance Organization for French MoD aircraft, recently awarded Dassault Aviation a 10-year contract to provide maintenance for equipment in the 120 Dassault Rafale combat aircraft ordered by the French Air Force (AdlA) and Navy (Aéronavale). The global support contract, based on payment per flying hour, includes fleet operational availability and Rafale maintenance costs. Dassault Aviation is committed to ensuring that future costs will be regressive.
The value of the Middle East commercial MRO market will increase by more than half by 2018, driven largely by an increase in the size of the region’s airline fleet, according to data pulled from AVIATION WEEK’s MRO Prospector.
Health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS) have made a major contribution to helicopter safety by keeping a watchful eye on engines, gearboxes and rotors. Now GE Aviation Systems is adding the capability to monitor airframe corrosion under a two-year, $2 million research contract from the U.S. Armys Aviation Applied Technology Directorate.
Conferences and Exhibitions March 11-12 Defense Technology & Requirements Conference, Washington, D.C. March 26-27 ADS-B Management Forum, Washington, D.C. April 21-23 MRO USA Conference & Exhibition, Dallas, Texas April 22-23 MRO Military Conference, Dallas, Texas Contacts Registration Info: Anita Joyce Wright, registration producer, 800-240-7645 in the U.S. or +1 212-904-6344; fax +1 212-904-3334
Little changed on the rulemaking front as the Federal Aviation Administration closed out 2008. The agency published the Boeing 737/Part 125 digital flight data recorder final rule early in December. The agency also slightly pushed back (from April to May) the release date for a final rule that would change the certification procedures and identification requirements for aeronautical parts and products. That proposal is expected to be ready for OMB review this month.
AAR Corp. added Dave Cann as VP, regulatory compliance. Cann, who retired as manager of the FAA Flight Standards Service, Aircraft Maintenance Division, in January 2008, now is in charge of quality and regulatory compliance efforts for AAR’s repair station business under senior quality officer Mickey Cohen. On the safety and environmental side, Rayner Hutchinson continues as VP, quality and safety, also reporting to Cohen.
Like fixed-wing, the landing gear services market for rotorcraft has evolved over the years. Initially, landing gear manufacturing and services were core products, as with models like the older Sikorsky S-61 and S-70 (the military Blackhawk). But, with the development of the ubiquitous S-76, landing gear manufacture was outsourced, and Sikorsky lost design authority. Today, Goodrich makes the landing gear for the S-76, for which there are a lot of corporate operators that do not have full service MRO capabilities.
Ameco Beijing’s test equipment for air cycle machine (ACM) repairs passed airworthiness audits , the MRO said in late December. The equipment simulates ACM conditions on both Airbus and Boeing aircraft to check the air conditioning system component’s temperature, pressure and airflow.
TransDigm Group acquired Aircraft Parts Corp. from Unison Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of GE Aviation, for about $68 million. Holtsville, N.Y.-based APC supplies proprietary engineered parts to the commercial aerospace industry, including turbine engine components used on Citation business jets, Bell and AgustaWestland commercial helicopters, Bombardier Learjets and Dash-8-400 turboprop aircraft, among others. Facilities
IFS enhanced its IFS Applications maintenance suite with a constraint-based scheduling tool for work orders designed to allow users to see how project changes affect return to service dates for improved turnaround times. IFS says the tool also can help lean programs by identifying bottlenecks and maximizing throughput.
Boeing submitted a proposal to the U.S. Air Force in mid-December for contractor logistics support services for USAF’s Raytheon/Beech T-1A Jayhawk transport/training aircraft. Under the eight-year agreement, Boeing, if selected, would provide field service personnel; manage a parts warehouse; issue and replace parts; and overhaul major aircraft components for 179 T-1As at five bases: Randolph and Laughlin AFBs, Texas; Vance AFBs, Okla.; Columbus AFB, Miss.; and Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla. Contract award is expected mid-year.
Bell-Boeing won a $55.6 million contract from the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Md., to incorporate engineering change proposal #708R2, which includes making kits, completing engineering work and installing the changes needed to convert nine U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 tiltrotor aircraft to Block B configuration from Block A. The U.S. Department of Defense, in awarding this contract on Dec. 8, said $47.9 million of the funds will expire at the end of the government’s fiscal year.
Growth, consolidation, globalization. Industry leaders agree these three factors will continue and multiply. Maintenance executives around the globe see eye to eye on another shaping factor: human resources, or the lack thereof. The number of people entering the workforce at every level, but particularly as operational employees, struggles to keep pace. This shortage of human resources is the most important issue facing companies and the MRO industry at large, according to a 2008 survey conducted by TeamSAI and Heidrick & Struggles.
Etihad Airways selected Rolls-Royce’s Trent 700EP engines to power eight new Airbus A330 aircraft. The engines will be covered under a long-term TotalCare aftermarket package. Together the services and new engines are worth $575 million at list prices. Etihad Airways will take delivery of the aircraft starting this year and is scheduled to receive the last in 2011, when the Abu Dhabi-based airline will operate a total of 24 A330s.
StandardAero appointed Mary Ellen Keegan VP, contracts of its Cincinnati component services facility. Keegan previously served as counsel, financial transactions to GE Engine Services.
Messier Services U.K. (Safran Group) and EADS are providing landing gear overhaul services for the RAF’s Tornado combat aircraft fleet, via BAE Systems as prime contractor. This 8.5-year contract covers 134 Tornados.
Ansell debuted two new types of cut-resistant gloves in January: the PowerFlex 80-658 and HyFlex 11-435. The PowerFlex gloves feature a three-layer construction of steel, fiberglass and Kevlar for maximum cut resistance, and they have long, knitted cuffs to protect the forearm. These gloves also are 3/4 dipped and liquid repellent to protect wearers from water-based contaminants and EN407 level two rated for safe handling of warm objects.
Southwest Airlines is upgrading the flightdecks of its Boeing 737-300s to more closely align them with the 737-700s in its fleet and to give them advanced navigation capabilities. Southwest says this will help it reach its goal of employing Required Navigation Performance operations. Boeing is designing, installing and integrating the new hardware and software from GE Aviation, Honeywell and Rockwell Collins. Parts/Components
A new, premium line of wheeled tool storage units from Stanley-Proto are designed for technicians who need compact but sturdy chests to move their tools from place to place in crowded work areas.
Rockwell Collins, amended STCs to install in-seat equipment provisions for Rockwell Collins entertainment systems on Boeing 747-400 series aircraft, STCs ST01549LA and ST00720LA
