Helicopter Association International (HAI) offers its Maintenance Malfunction Information Report (MMIR) system as a free service for the aviation maintenance community, and it recently enhanced the tool to simplify the search process.
PAS Technologies signed a two-year agreement to supply coating and brazing support to Doncasters Shrewsbury, from its PAS Technologies Ireland facility.
Pratt & Whitney Canada launched the second phase of expansion at its Halifax, Nova Scotia, facility -- part of an investment altogether worth $45 million, the company says. The first phase, begun in 2006, saw new manufacturing equipment installed in Halifax. Sub-assembly of engine components also began there. The current phase of investment will include building a modern engine assembly line and test cell at the facility. The PW617 engine will be the first to be assembled and tested once production begins, P&WC says.
PAS Technologies named Mark Hui senior manager, sales and marketing, for Asian Surface Technologies Pte Ltd. Hui's responsibilities include sales and marketing activities for PAS Technologies in the Asia-Pacific region and sales responsibilities for AST. He succeeds Eric Yeo, who became senior manager oil field and gas.
In March 2007 when Southwest Airlines (SWA) discovered it had flown aircraft that were not in compliance with an airworthiness directive, the carrier took actions to address the problem. SWA reported the error to its Certificate Management Office (CMO), which is responsible for the airline's regulatory compliance, through a voluntary disclosure program and began to take steps to address the AD. But the carrier also continued to fly the 46 Boeing 737 aircraft that were not in compliance for nine days.
NEW DELHI -- A recent amendment to India's investment policy allowing 100% foreign direct investment in MRO providers is expected to benefit the sector once constraints such as a lack of trained personnel, high taxes and a large, overlying bureaucracy are addressed. The potential scope of MRO in India is vast, with the market expected to grow by at least 10% in the coming years, according to a KPMG report. The advantages of setting up an MRO facility for commercial aircraft in India include labor costs that are nearly 60% lower than international standards.
Siemens PLM Software introduced the next generation of its Teamcenter MRO software-based solution. Its service data management module has new features, including a Services Dashboard for value chain, compliance and PBL or SLA contract management, Siemens says. See AviationWeek.com's MRO channel for a podcast with Tim Nichols, head of Siemen's A&D unit.
Canada-based Flying Colours picked Audio International to exclusively supply the AI Select digital cabin management and inflight entertainment system for its CRJ Execliner conversion program.
The European General Aviation Safety Team (EGAST) elected co-chairs Eric Mandemaker, CEO of the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), and James Black, board member of the European Council of General Aviation Support (ECOGAS) and the European Airshow Council (EAC).
The National Business Aviation Association's Forum for Enhanced Reliability and Maintainability Standards (FERMS) slowly is gaining traction in the business aviation community. Since being rolled out in January 2006, the Web-based tool has provided business aircraft manufacturers and operators with real-time information about aircraft maintenance and performance.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense in March, ITT Avionics of Chandler, Ariz., is being awarded a modified firm fixed price contract for $78.17 million. This requirement is for Foreign Military Sales of the ALQ-211(V)4 Advanced Integrated Defense Electronics Warfare system for Pakistan. This electronic warfare system will be used on Pakistan Air Force Fighting Falcons being procured under separate acquisition by the F-16 program office.
Israel Aerospace Industries' Bedek Aviation Group delivered its 34th Boeing 767-200 Bedek Special Freighter Configuration (BDSF) aircraft to Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM), following conversion from passenger to freighter configuration. The aircraft is the first of four that CAM has on order for conversion by Bedek.
The shortage of licensed engineers remains a growing issue because many airlines have cut their apprenticeship schemes. As a result, the process of gaining an aircraft engineer license has grown quite tortuous. In the U.K. today, any would-be aircraft engineer would have to self-fund his or her way through college and then do the required modules at a recognized university. Following that, she or he would need to find a company to provide them with work experience -- so those who want a career in aircraft engineering have to be very determined.
In February, Sikorsky Support Services, Inc., (SSSI) at Chase Field, Texas, announced delivery of the first aircraft to be repaired, upgraded and overhauled at its new field operations maintenance facility in Beeville, Texas. The S-70 helicopter was delivered to the Colombian Air Force under a contract with Sikorsky Aircraft.
Hawker Beechcraft's Support Plus program celebrated its fifth anniversary with the enrollment of its 500th aircraft customer. The program, introduced in 2002, provides scheduled and unscheduled maintenance services, including components and consumables, at a fixed cost per flight hour, and is available for new and in-service aircraft.
Ineffective Or Inadequate Maintenance Control: * Airworthiness data that is ambiguous, incorrect or conflicting * Airworthiness directives and other mandatory tasks that have been incorrectly or improperly controlled * Component robbery: e.g. inadequate control of parts removed from one component or aircraft to be fitted to another * Configuration control: e.g. inadequate control of the design or build standard of the aircraft or component such that it remains within the approved Type Design Standard
KLM Engineering & Maintenance received authorization from Japan's Civil Aviation Bureau to carry out Boeing 747-400 base maintenance in Amsterdam, making it the first European company, and only the second outside Japan, to be authorized for the work, according to the MRO. Authorization applies to aircraft registered in Japan.
The Indian Navy recently reported availability problems with its BAE Sea Harriers, from spares shortages and attrition of its original fleet of 23 single-seat FRS.51s acquired from the U.K. by 1983, some of which are currently undergoing local systems upgrades. Fewer than 15 Sea Harriers now are thought to be in current IN service. The contract for limited Sea Harrier upgrades signed with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) in March 2005, is expected to be completed by 2009, according to a recent statement by India's Defense Minister Shri A.K. Antony in the Lok Sabha.
Pratt & Whitney's Global Material Solutions received an FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) covering three CFM56-3 fan module life limited parts. The three parts -- the fan disk, booster spool and fan shaft -- are the first of 19 CFM56-3 LLPs for which Pratt & Whitney is developing STCs. The OEM expects the three additional STCs covering the remaining 16 LLPs to be certified by mid-year, according to Matthew Bromberg, vice president and general manager, Global Material Solutions.
Iberia will inspect, maintain and repair components for Ljubljana, Slovenia-based Aurora Airlines' fleet of three current MD-80 aircraft, plus the two others it soon expects to receive, under a new contract.
Iberia Maintenance signed a five-year contract with Spanish carrier Air Europa to repair and maintain the CFM56-7B engines that power Air Europa's fleet of 33 Boeing 737-800s.
MUMBAI -- In an economy ready to take off, one would hardly expect runways -- which should be secure areas -- to face animal incursions, but this is becoming a common occurrence in India. At the end of March, a Kingfisher ATR 72-500 on takeoff to Hyderabad from Bangalore's HAL airport collided with a stray dog. The landing gear was destroyed and the aircraft suffered extensive structural damage. International and domestic flights to Bangalore, the silicon valley of India, were rerouted, causing chaos to schedules.
Zirconium dioxide, also known as the zirconia of costume jewelry fame, has long been used as a ceramic coating for engine components because of its low thermal conductivity. With a protective, 250 micron-thick layer of it, metallic components can perform in the intense heat of aircraft turbine engines, which spikes at over 1,000º C during takeoff. Damage to a component's coating, however, compromises its ability to withstand intense temperatures; sand is a common culprit.
Circor Aerospace appointed Hangxin Aviation Engineering Group as an authorized repair center for its hydraulic, pneumatic and fuel system control valves in the Asia-Pacific region.
