HOUSTON -- Operators of aging helicopters have new options for maintaining and upgrading their aircraft, thanks to manufacturers who are capitalizing on the rise in demand. Helicopter OEMs also are catching on to the fleet maintenance trend, and they're taking an increasingly global approach to service and support. Many of these new options for helicopter MRO and mods were touted at Heli-Expo, the Helicopter Association International's (HAI) annual gathering.
If this is April, this must be MRO. This year, the industry is going to gather in sunny Fort Lauderdale for AVIATION WEEK's annual MRO Conference & Exhibition. But the event comes at a difficult time for the industry, particularly here in the U.S., where airlines are struggling with rising fuel prices, declining consumer confidence and a faltering economy. Watching the stock market day to day is like riding a roller coaster. FAA is under fire for its oversight of foreign repair stations and for its handling of the missed 737 inspections at Southwest.
Timco promoted Jeff Luedeke to vice president of sales & marketing from his previous position as director of sales and marketing for Timco Aerosystems. Luedeke now will be responsible for both Timco Aerosystems and the Brice Manufacturing Co. brands, and will report directly to Gene House, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Timco.
Lufthansa Technical Training and City University, London, now offer a Master's degree in Aircraft Maintenance Management. The new degree program, based on existing LTT courses offered with other modules at City University, is intended for mid-career professionals and is offered part-time in London, Dubai, Germany and elsewhere, LTT said.
Bell Helicopter Textron was awarded an $11.1 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract for systems engineering and program management under the H-1 Upgrades program. Work is expected to be completed in December. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is responsible for the contracting activity.
François Planaud was named Snecma vice president and general manager commercial engine division in October 2007. Since 2003, Planaud had served as CFM56 engines program director and executive vice president of CFM International. He talked with O&M about the challenges and opportunities of launching new business jet and regional aircraft engine programs, PMA parts and the CFM56 engine. Edited for length and clarity.
Aertec and SNLPA merged under the name Aertec, as of Feb. 1. The newly formed company groups all of the Aertec Group's activity covered under Part 145 certification into three sectors: maintenance of aircraft cabin equipment (seats and luggage compartments), surf ace treatment and painting, and aeronautical construction.
A major change in its military support structure was announced in February by the U.K. MoD, from news that its Defense Aviation Repair Agency (DARA) businesses at Fleetlands, in Hampshire, England, and Almondbank, in Perthshire, Scotland, were to be sold to Vector Aerospace. These two rotary wing and components businesses undertake vital maintenance and repairs for MoD helicopter units, and the move is expected to secure their long term future.
COVER STORY: MRO Spending, Unit Costs To Rise Sharply The value of the worldwide commercial jet transport MRO market is forecast to jump a surprising 10 percent or more this year to $45.1, but more modest growth is expected over the next decade. Military MRO Expenditures Increasing, 47 Departments From the Editor 4 Biznet 9 Interview 14 François Planaud, Snecma Commercial Engines Safety & Regulatory News Washington in Action 19
A J Walter Aviation Singapore appointed Allan De Cruz vice president of sales for the Asia region. De Cruz joins A J Walter from The Memphis Group/GE Commercial Aviation Services.
Structural netting provides a solution for bird exclusion, which is a serious safety concern for aircraft maintainers. Nixalite of America offers K-Net High Tensile Bird Netting, which is designed to be high-strength for architectural and structural applications. K-Net now is available in a stone color as well as black. Nixalite of America, 1025 16th Ave., East Moline, IL 61244.
Adobe made free downloads available on its website to upgrade 3D CAD translators for Acrobat 3D Version 8. With the upgrade, Acrobat 3D can support many major 3D CAD file formats. Atlas Air, Royal Jet and transavia.com implemented TRAX USA's EVO application, the latest version of its TRAX Maintenance software. transavia.com started implementing the software and is scheduled to complete it by early 2009, said Anthony Bustos of TRAX. With the Abu Dhabi-based Royal Jet agreement, 68 airlines now have implemented TRAX.
Delta TechOps promoted Tony Charaf to president. It also promoted John Laughter to senior vice president - maintenance operations, Neil Stronach to senior vice president - operations control and Jack Turnbill to vice president - sales and marketing. It added Gil West, formerly with Laidlaw Transit Services and TIMCO Aviation Services, as senior vice president - airport customer service.
China and India typically are considered two of the commercial aviation industry's most dynamic MRO markets, but a look at AVIATION WEEK's MRO Prospector shows that the buzz about India revolves more around potential, while the China market already is well-developed and growing. According to MRO Prospector, which was developed in collaboration with TeamSAI and Ascend, there were 2,718 turbine engines powering commercial transports in China at the beginning of March, compared to 730 in India.
The National Transportation Safety Board is concerned that certain GE Aviation CF34-3 turbofan engine fan blades are failing relatively early in their service life and is urging that the blades be removed well before their safety is compromised. The problem first came to light during the investigation of a July 27, 2006 incident involving a CRJ-200 operated by Spanish regional Air Nostrum, and less than a year later on an Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) CRJ-200.
A new line of Stanley-Proto round head ratchets designed for delicate jobs in confined areas now is available. The new design features a compact circular head smaller than that of a pear head ratchet and a five-degree wing arc, the company said.
Northrop Grumman won an award from the U.S. Naval Aviation Systems Command for the phase two upgrade of its APR-39 radar warning receiver integration program for the Navy's CH-53K fleet.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association brought W. Casey Kinosz on board as manager of operations. Kinosz will support the organizations work in safety, risk analysis and accident investigation.
MRO unit costs, which have been declining for the past several years, are expected to spike upward in 2008, driven by higher labor rates in many parts of the world, including China, and only moderate capacity growth. As a result of these and other factors, worldwide spending on commercial jet transport maintenance, repair and overhaul will increase a surprising 10.2 percent, from $41 billion in 2007 to $45.1 billion this year, according TeamSAI, the consultancy that produces O&M's annual MRO Forecast with fleet data provider Ascend, Ltd.
Cathay Pacific Airlines selected Stork subsidiary Fokker Aerotron to provide component support under a long-term cost per flight hour agreement. Fokker Aerotron will be responsible for repair services and inventory support of the Chapter 21 system components on Cathay's Boeing 747 Classic and 747-400 fleet.
APEM Components, a manufacturer of industrial switches, offers the MT series, recommended for applications requiring a sealed, ergonomic electrical interface, such as radio remote controls or other portable, hand-held devices. The series features an environmentally sealed toggle switch that can function as a rotary or rocker switch, APEM said.
General Dynamics Aviation Services named Brian Waymire general manager of its Las Vegas site. Waymire most recently served as operations manager for GDAS Las Vegas.
ExecuJet Aviation Group set up its first maintenance base in Asia at Seletar Airport, Singapore, about 20 km outside Singapore City. The 2,800-square meter facility, located on the former military airfield, provides hangar space and local maintenance support capabilities for five widebody business jets, ExecuJet said.
