Mod Works , amended STC to install Vision Micro Systems VM1000/EC100 digital/analog engine instrumentation and caution advisory system on various Mooney, Piper, Tiger, True Flight and Navion aircraft, STC SA01516AT
AeroStrategy plans to establish its first Asia-Pacific branch in Singapore. It recruited Dennis Ling, formerly of Singapore Airlines, who will be based in Singapore. The consultancy also has offices in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Amersham, U.K.
SkyTrac Systems , amended STC to install a SkyTrac ISAT-100 airborne position/data communicator system on various Bell, Eurocopter, Robinson and Agusta helicopters, STC SR02189NY
Duncan Aviation partnered with Honeywell Aerospace to install its NZ-2000 FMS 6.1 WAAS with LPV upgrade in Falcon 900B model aircraft. The package is available for aircraft equipped with Honeywell NZ-2000 Flight Management Systems, and includes hardware modifications and a software upgrade to version 6.1.
In partnership with Safety-Kleen, Kimberly-Clark Professional offers safe disposal options for its WypAll disposable wipers. It says the disposable wipers are safer than reusable ones, which can contain traces of oil, grease and heavy metals even when freshly laundered. Its disposal methods aim to make using disposable wipers more convenient and more “green.”
Marshall Business Aviation opened a £5 million facility in Cambridge, U.K., to provide executive handling and MRO services. Maintenance facilities comprise 50,000 sq. ft. of the new center.
Post Sept. 11, 2001, MROs and parts distributors fixate on the formidable formalities connected with shipping aircraft parts overseas. Given the tone of the times and extant export restrictions, there’s good reason for that. But, there’s another side of the equation that receives less attention—the intake element.
Houston Precision Fasteners was approved by Boeing IDS for PH13-8Mo, Inconel, A-286 and alloy steel bolts and screws under the 3M and ST3M standards. HPF currently is in the process of qualifying for titanium fastener approval, which should be complete by the end of the first quarter of 2009.
Airbus picked Rockwell Collins to provide its Dispatch program for full life cycle service for 19 leased A330 aircraft to be delivered to Singapore Airlines next month. Singapores six in-service A380s, plus the additional seven firm and six option aircraft it has on order, also are covered by a Dispatch service plan, per a 10-year contract signed in August 2007. This cost-per-flight-hour deal marked the entry of Rockwell Collins Dispatch program into Asia-Pacific.
The Supplier Excellence Alliance (SEA) recognized winners of its Aerospace & Defense Industry Supply Chain awards. The winners were Esterline Engineered Materials Group, Kirkhill-TA Co. (Leadership & Culture Award); Acutec Precision Machining, Inc. (Workforce Development Award); Photo Etch Co. (Operational Excellence Award); Roberts Tool Co., Inc. (Supply Chain Innovation Award); Celestica Inc. (Performance Award: Most Improved Supplier); and Honeywell Aerospace (Customer of the Year Award).
Global Jet Services launched its first e-learning course, Barfield 450 for AMTs. Students can use the interactive program to gain Inspection Authorization and eight hours of FAA Awards Program credits. This particular course teaches the fundamentals of pitotstatic systems; courses in Human Factors Awareness and Aircraft Electronics Technician training will be available in the first quarter of this year. IT
A Boeing-led team concluded major mission-system upgrades for the last of 17 NATO AWACS aircraft being modified under the $1.32 billion Mid-Term Modernization Program. Industry partner and subcontractor EADS carried out modifications on the final AWACS aircraft, finishing on schedule Nov. 3. Boeing also delivered two NATO AWACS mission simulators modified into Mid-Term configuration.
On Nov. 10, Israel’s Elbit Systems, announced receipt of an initial $67 million development and prototype contract from Embraer to supply new avionics for Brazilian Air Force AMX light strike jet-fighter upgrades. Total contract value, including subsequent production, is around $187 million for scheduled completion through 2014. Production implementation following completion of development and prototype phases awaits further approval.
Integrated Flight Systems, reissued STC to install a Freon air conditioner (belt driven) on various Eurocopter France AS-350 and EC 130 B4 helicopters, STC SH3509SW
Broadcast Microwave Services , reissued STC to install electrically actuated retractable microwave antenna on landing gear skid on various Bell 206 and 407 helicopters, STC SR01866CH
SR Technics inked a five-year, exclusive Integrated Engine Solutions agreement with Maximus Air Cargo, covering MRO services on the Pratt & Whitney PW4158 engines on the carrier’s two Airbus A300-600 aircraft. The Abu Dhabi-based all-cargo aircraft carrier plans to add two Boeing 747 cargo aircraft, which also will be covered under the contract. Work under the deal will take place at SRT's Zurich Engine Service Center. Avionics/IFE
WestWind Technologies broke ground on a new modification and integration center at Huntsville International Airport. The 65,000-sq.-ft. hangar will have MRO capabilities for military and commercial aircraft, as well as on-site manufacturing. Capabilities also will include integrating new technologies into existing aircraft platforms with full engineering, electronics integration, and structural modifications. Close to the U.S.
A U.S. Navy squadron in Brunswick, Maine, has taken redelivery of the first red-striped Lockheed Martin P-3C maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft following the rectification and repair of structural problems by the Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE), at the Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Fla. The “red stripe” designation derives from a diagonal marking on the airworthiness bulletin that grounded 39 Navy P-3C aircraft in December 2007, because of structural fatigue concerns in the Zone 5 portion of the lower outer wing.
The Federal Aviation Administration finally published the Boeing 737/Part 125 digital flight data recorder final rule last month, ending a 10-year rulemaking odyssey. [See main story beginning on p.17 for more details on the new DFDR parameters.]
Large, multi-location MROs can spend $500,000 per year on manual subscriptions, making sure they receive the latest aircraft, engine and component maintenance information, said Vince Dohery, AviIT’s VP of business development. He said many of these big MROs have duplicate subscriptions because different sites don’t coordinate them, which increases technical publication costs. MROs know they need the latest versions to ensure safety and regulatory compliance, but some aren’t managing the data control as well as they should.
HEICO Corp.’s research and development group released 450 new PMA parts during the year ended Oct. 31, 2008, the company’s fiscal 2008, and has targeted 500 new PMAs for the year that began Nov. 1, company executives said in mid-December when releasing its fourth quarter and full year financial results. The 450 new PMAs represent 50 more than had been expected. The company now has more than 7,000 parts approved by FAA.
