The first modified Project Sea 1405 Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter was handed over to the Australian government by BAE Systems and Tenix. The handover, held at HMAS Albatross, Nowra, marked the successful delivery of Seahawk helicopter N24-013, the first aircraft to complete the integrated Seahawk 1405/Deeper Maintenance Integration Program (DMIP), activated by Tenix Defense Aerospace Division and BAE Systems Deeper Maintenance, in September 2006.
Gradient Lens introduced longer 4mm-diameter Hawkeye Pro and Classic Slim borescopes. The 22-inch scopes are designed to make inspecting for parts defects quicker and easier. The scopes feature a 42-degree field-of-view and a rotating 90-degree direction-of-view with a mirror tube attachment. "Before these new 22-inch Hawkeye Pro and Classic Slim borescopes, users had to either use more expensive, more fragile flexible borescopes or video scopes, or engage in destructive testing," said Dr. Douglas Kindred, Gradient Lens' president. Gradient Lens Corp., Dr.
Precision Conversions re-delivered another 757-200PCF freighter to Varig Logistica (VarigLog). The Rolls-Royce powered 757-200 is the fifth full 15-pallet position Precision Conversions 757-200PCF freighter to be re-delivered to VarigLog under a seven aircraft deal. VarigLog's fourth 757-200PCF was re-delivered in of June. Both modifications were accomplished at the Precision Conversions authorized modification facility, Flightstar Aircraft Services.
CMC Electronic will provide CMA-9000 flight management systems to Marshall Aerospace for the avionics upgrade of nine Royal Air Force Tristar transport and inflight refueling aircraft.
Air Berlin selected Honeywell wheels and brakes to retrofit its Boeing 737-700/800 fleet. The fleet could be up to 130 aircraft by the time the program concludes.
Centrax, which produces turbine components, reduced the time to inspect turbine blades by 97 percent by switching from a coordinate measuring machine to NVision's MAXOS optical scanning system, said NVision. "We originally planned to purchase several touch probe coordinate measuring machines to keep pace with production during ramp up of our blisk manufacturing program," said Kevin Vickers of Centrax. "But we discovered that the MAXOS system is so much faster than the other machines we had considered that a single MAXOS scanner handles our planned output," he said.
Atlas Inspection Technologies now repairs Olympus Series 6 videoscopes. It disassembles the videoscope to the component level and repairs or replaces any necessary parts. Besides repairing the scope, camera controller and light sources, Atlas Inspection also makes adjustments to Olympus IPLEX Systems. Atlas Inspection Technologies, 1315 NW 85th #3, Seattle, WA 98117
The Carlyle Group plans to acquire ARINC, a communications and systems engineering company that had revenues of $919 million last year, in the third quarter for an undisclosed amount.
Ask Kimberly P. Gavaletz, vice president of F-35 autonomic logistics global sustainment at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, about MRO and the first comment will be a gentle correction. It's not MRO for the F-35; it's sustainment. If Gavaletz could wave a wand and change the world of defense MRO, "we would use the magic wand to eliminate MRO."
Cathie Gridley, president, Systems Customer Services of GE Aviation, runs an organization that has 1,400 customers, is in the process of being absorbed into GE (until early May it was Smiths Aerospace), is preparing to support the A380 and the 787, and, like the rest of the industry, already is looking ahead to the next generation narrowbody. Edited for length and clarity. O&M: How is the integration of Smiths into GE going, and how do you fit a systems support organization into an engine support structure?
Here in Washington, D.C., August usually is pretty hot and sticky. Mid-day temperatures often reach into the high 90s (F), with humidity in the 80-90 percent range. The sun beats down mercilessly on wilting tourists schlepping from museum to monument to Metro. But August also is a popular time for the locals to get out of town and head to the beach, which I bring up only because that's what I'll be doing around the time this issue of O&M finds it way to you. Can you tell that I'm looking forward to a few days away?
AEROMECH, to install Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) Integrated Air Data Display Units (IADDU) on Gulfstream G-1159, G-1159A and G-1159B aircraft, STC ST01742SE AEROMECH, amended STC for group aircraft approval for Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum on various Hawker Beechcraft 125 Series 400 and 600 aircraft, STC ST01486SE AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERS, reissued STC to install a main deck cargo door on the Boeing 737-200 series aircraft, STC ST00287AT
Aeronautical Repair Station Association promoted Christian Klein to executive vice president from legislative counsel. The association also promoted Virginia Scattergood to director of government relations and legislative counsel from associate counsel.
Sweden's Saab Aerotech and the Austrian Armed Forces in June signed a new long-term service agreement for logistic and technical support of Österreichischen Luftstreitkräfte (ÖLk) Saab 105OE GE J35-engined two-seat advanced jet-trainer/light ground-attack aircraft. From deliveries beginning in 1970 of 40 of these aircraft, the Austrian air force still operates about 25, and the new service agreement is scheduled to continue for another 10 to 15 years.
Southwest's maintenance materials and repair line item had the largest rise - 29 percent --in the carrier's second quarter operating expenses released July 18. Management attributed the bulk of the rise to the transition of its older Boeing 737-300/500 classics to the MSG-3 program it uses for its next generation -700s. It's a process the airline started in 2006 that triggered some additional maintenance costs in both the first and second quarters of this year.
Iberia announced signed a new contract for its ground staff, which includes 18,000 employees, or about 72 percent of its total workforce. The agreement covers Iberia's Maintenance and Engineering division, which has new productivity standards it must meet. Employees receive a two percent wage increase.
Bell Helicopter Textron received two contracts for MV-22 spare components from the Naval Inventory Control Point that should conclude in December 2009.
Rockwell Collins Government Systems received a $24.8 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-priced contract to exercise an option for AN/ARC-210(V) electronic protection radio systems for the U.S. Air Force.
Marshall Aerospace, based in Cambridge, England, has teamed up with Derco Aerospace and the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and is now well advanced in rebuilding two ex-U.S. Navy C-130 Hercules aircraft transported from desert storage in Tucson, Ariz., for future Dutch military service. Derco disassembled the aircraft with Marshall's technical support at Davis-Monthan AFB's Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC), and trucked for seven days to the port of Houston, for shipping to Tilbury Docks, in London.
International Lease Finance Corp. selected Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines to power 40 of 74 Boeing 787 Dreamliners it ordered. The contract, which is valued at $1.3 billion at engine list prices, supersedes a previous agreement for 10 firm aircraft announced at Farnborough in 2006. A Rolls-Royce spokesman said the agreement include a TotalCare package but details are not being disclosed, and that ILFC offers the coverage to lessees.
When Gen. Bruce Carlson, commander of USAF Materiel Command, provided a review of MRO priorities for his command during AVIATION WEEK's MRO Military Conference in April, he mentioned that his team had identified issues to be resolved. MRO providers attending the conference began clamoring for the list before the general flipped to the next slide. The list of issues resembles a roadmap for defense MRO leaders in the U.S. but also for U.S. allies. It covers topics such as:
British Airways selected International Aero Engines V2500 powerplants for its eight new Airbus A320 aircraft and awarded IAE a long-term maintenance agreement. CFM and IAE both competed for the engine contract. British Airways is scheduled to receive the new A320s between 2008 and 2010. The carrier operates 67 short-haul Airbus aircraft -- V2500 engines power 58 of them and CFM engines power the other nine.
