Aero Dynamix , to install night vision imaging system/night vision goggles and cockpit lighting on Eurocopter Deutschland MBB-BK 117 C-2 and MD Helicopter 369E, 369FF and 500N helicopters, STCs SR09526RC and SR09528RC
McDonnell Douglas won a $5.5 million indefinite delivery indefinite quantity technical service firm fixed fee price contract to support additional efforts for the Aircraft Survivability Product Improvement Kit improvement for the Longbow Apache Program-AMCOM. Work will be performed in Mesa, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2010. U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity.
U.K. accident investigators are urging U.S. and European officials to take steps to reduce risks of ice buildup in the fuel systems of Trent 800-powered Boeing 777s and to review other aircraft and engine systems to ensure that they are not susceptible to ice. The U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) released three recommendations in an Interim Report of its investigation of a 777 accident earlier this year.
Airline and union representatives are protesting a new Department of Transportation rule that requires “intrusive,” direct observation methods for testing of certain employees for drugs and alcohol. DOT released the new rule June 25, to cut down on the potential for cheating on drug tests.
On July 11, 2007, a Delta Air Lines Boeing 757, with 167 passengers, was about to touch down at Fort Lauderdale International Airport when a United Airlines Airbus A320, carrying 133 onboard, pulled onto the same runway on which the Delta crew had been cleared to land. Quick action by the Delta pilot, who executed a go-around, averted a disaster. The two aircraft purportedly missed each other by 100 ft.
The Bird Buffer, a programmable, electronic aerosol generator, is designed to keep birds away by emitting a repellent haze. Fog Force, the repellent, is harmless to both birds and painted surfaces; it consists of liquid grape food flavoring, which the Bird Buffer unit converts into nanoparticles and expels at 90 mph. This creates a haze that can stay suspended in the air for up to six hours.
Two- and three-axis lift systems for use in hard, abrasive chemical environments can provide better access to products and allow for better worker positioning. LPI Lift Systems manufactures units equipped with up to five axis of directional movement, designed specifically for large-product finishing operations. The company’s lift designs can be ordered in a range of power and productivity-increasing options. LPI, Inc., 800 Wisconsin St., Unit 10, Eau Claire, WI 54703
Spirit AeroSystems opened a new MRO repair station at its European headquarters in Prestwick, Scotland. It initially will focus on engine nacelles and components for Boeing 737NG and 777 aircraft.
British company Fire Fighting Enterprises offers a new type of optical beam smoke detector equipped with a motorized auto-alignment feature. The detector can be retrofitted, said Peter Bangham, a press representative for the company. Bangham said that the devices are designed to need minimal wiring compared to normal “point” detectors, since one beam unit can safely cover an area that would need 15 point units. Fire Fighting Enterprises Ltd, 9 Hunting Gate, Hitchin, Herts, U.K. SG4 0TJ
October’s Upgrades/Retrofits referred to OGMA - Indústria Aeronáutica de Portugal, S.A., by its former name, Oficinas Gerais de Manutenção Aeronáutica.
Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services Co. received FAA Part 145 repair station certification. The MRO initially is carrying out heavy maintenance on Boeing 737NG aircraft, of which Boeing says there are more than 235 in operation in East Asia and more than 260 on order. In the future the facility is slated to move into twin-aisle airplanes, beginning with the 767-300, and later into passenger-to-freighter conversions.
Duncan Aviation was named the first Raisbeck Propeller Service Center, which allows its Lincoln, Neb., modification center to service all Raisbeck Quiet Turbofan Propellers, part of the EPIC Performance Packages.
Jet Aviation signed an MoU with Vnukovo Invest to form a joint venture that will triple the Zurich-based company’s footprint at the Moscow airport. Jet Aviation Vnukovo plans to move into a 32,827-sq.-ft. hangar close to the large Moscow Vnukovo-3 FBO next year, where it will offer support for Bombardier and Gulfstream aircraft. Facilities
Pratt & Whitney named Todd Kallman president of its newly formed Commercial Engines & Global Services organization, which encompasses former Commercial Engines, Global Service Partners and Global Material Solutions. Kallman has headed P&W’s commercial engines business since 2006. Matthew Bromberg, former VP and GM of Global Material Solutions, now is VP, product line management for Commercial Engines.
Rolls-Royce signed a long-term CorporateCare agreement with private investment management firm Berwind. The deal covers support for Berwind’s BR725-powered Gulfstream G650, which is scheduled to enter service in the second half of 2012. Rolls says it has signed 150 new CorporateCare deals to date. Another first for Rolls: the first Trent engines entered service in Latin America, equipping Avianca’s first of 10 Bogota-based, Trent 700-powered Airbus A330s.
Lufthansa Technik Switzerland launched in Basel , where the MRO will support regional aircraft for Swiss Air Lines and other customers, in addition to larger VIP versions of the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family, from its 500-employee facility at Basel Mulhouse airport.
Gulfstream Aerospace , to install airplane interiors on GIV-X and GV-SP aircraft, STCs ST03576AT-D, ST03577AT-D, ST03566AT-D, ST03586AT-D, ST03583AT-D and ST03584AT-D
Boeing plans to acquire San Diego-based Tapestry Solutions, a services and software systems provider. The deal, which was expected to close at the end of October, would integrate Tapestry Solutions within Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems Global Services & Support segment.
Glynn Williams has been an owner, advisor and partner in various aerospace companies, including MROs, for over 25 years. He is president and CEO of Navhouse Corp., a Bolton, Ontario-based company that repairs inertial navigation systems. His private equity company, Reliance Aerotech of Toronto, purchased Navhouse in June 2006 from Northstar Aerospace (Canada) Inc.
Certain Pratt & Whitney PW2037 engines should be removed from service for recurring inspections to prevent possible uncontained engine failure, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) urged in a letter to FAA on Oct. 16. The NTSB recommends FAA enact regulations that: • Require that Pratt & Whitney PW2037 engines be removed from service for inspection of the 2nd stage turbine hubs when they have accumulated significantly fewer hours and/or cycles than the incident engine (10,880 hours and/or 4,392 cycles).
Take a money-losing MRO, add the sudden departure of its CEO and the loss of business, and the rumors start flying like plates at a Greek wedding. Example: the company is up for sale, desperately seeking partners or about to go out of business. Such was case with Montreal-based ExelTech Aerospace, whose CEO Derek Nice resigned this summer as chairman and CEO. Also finding the exit was CFO Roland Blais.
Thales was selected in mid-September by the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA), to upgrade electronic intelligence (ELINT) systems in France’s Transall C-160G Gabriel intelligence aircraft. The system provided by Thales allows the interception, analysis, decoding, recording and processing of signal intelligence (SIGINT). Beginning in 2011, the Transall Gabriel’s optimized system will meet technical requirements to protect naval and air combat platforms against current and future threats.
PATS Aircraft , amended STC to install provisions for a two forward/two aft Cell Auxiliary Fuel System in the forward and aft cargo compartment of Boeing 757-200 series aircraft, STC ST02423NY
