SR Technics appointed Helmut Himmelreich to assume overall management of the group's Aircraft Services business on July 1. Himmelreich, who previously was with Swiss International Air Lines, succeeds Alex Kugler, who will join CEO Hans Lerch's staff. SRT also named Erwin Bamert as acting head of the company's Component Services business. Bamert, who succeeds Mike Humphreys, previously was in charge of SR Technics' component business in Switzerland. Humphreys, a long-time executive of FLS/SRT, is leaving the company.
American Airlines Maintenance Services is very serious about growing its third-party maintenance business. It hopes to generate $175 million in revenue from third-party customers this year, compared to $95 million last year.
AAR acquired Brown International, a privately held defense contractor in Huntsville, Ala., that provides engineering, design, manufacturing and systems integration services. Brown will operate as part of AAR's Structures and Systems segment. Brown's primary clients are the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and General Dynamics.
Air Transport Association awarded its Nuts & Bolts honors to three talented people: (left to right) FedEx's Ron Wickens, Delta's Tony Charaf and Heico's Eric Mendelson. Wickens, who won the 1997 Nuts & Bolts award, was honored for his lifetime achievements in maintenance and engineering.
Boeing Aerospace Operations won a $26 million time and material and firm-fixed-price contract from Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center the to provide engineering services support sustaining and non-recurring engineering services to support research and development, aircraft modifications, aircraft maintenance and technical services for Boeing commercial derivative military use aircraft.
In wartime, Lean production techniques take on a whole new dimension. No longer merely a matter saving time and money, Lean saves lives, keeping airplanes up and operating providing critical fire support to troops on the ground.
Southwest Airlines selected Boeing's Maintenance Performance Toolbox for use with its entire fleet of Boeing 737s. Southwest flies 219 Classic 737s and 264 737NGs. Southwest plans to use three of the Toolbox modules: Library, Authoring and Tasks.
KLM Engineering & Maintenance appointed Peter de Swert senior vice president operations, effective April 1. de Swert started his career as a maintenance engineer and quality assurance manager at Sabena Engineering, and in 1998, he became president and CEO of Sabena Technics. de Swert left Sabena Technics in 2005 to fulfill interim management positions.
Two new government contracts to upgrade and support aircraft of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) were announced in late March by Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering). Being undertaken by its aerospace arm, Singapore Technologies Aerospace (ST Aerospace), the first is for modernization of the RSAF's fleet of 10 Lockheed C-130B/H transport aircraft. The second contract is a Total Aviation Support program for the RSAF's fleet of 16 A-4SU/TA-4SU Skyhawk aircraft for RSAF's Advanced Jet Training.
Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) contracts are increasingly important in the support of U.S. military aircraft, as are similar Availability-Based Contracts (ABC) in the U.K. But there stilll are many questions to be resolved in pursuit of this support strategy. Major aircraft primes are committed to PBL. Boeing is proud of its PBL performance on both the C-17 Globemaster and F-18 Hornet. BAE Systems is embarking on a 10-year ABC agreement on the Tornado, worth nearly one billion pounds, which BAE expects to be the model for supporting other aircraft.
In the pages of O&M, we write fairly often about new aircraft and engines and about the potential impact of new technology on the MRO world of the future. But when I travel to MRO facilities around the globe, the equipment I generally see in the hangar or on the shop floor has been in operation or on-wing for a while. It's pretty rare that I get to spend any time on something that is brand new.
Boeing started training U.S. Air Force maintenance personnel and flight crews in preparation for fielding the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) aircraft in 2010. Maintenance training includes classroom training; instruction in Boeing's System Integration Lab, which is an engineering test device that looks like a flight simulator; and hands-on aircraft experience. Boeing instructors are former U.S. Air Force and Navy trainers, who are emphasizing the new digital avionics systems and related procedures.
Nayak Aircraft Services opened a second hangar (Hangar 6) at Dortmund Airport, which allows it to work on two BAe146 or Avro RJs. In October 2006, Nayak started working in Hangar 3.3, which accommodates one ATR 42/72 for base maintenance, A checks and phase tasks, and two Hawker 850XP size aircraft (routine inspections and modifications).
Israel Aerospace Industries' Military Aircraft Group named Jehezkel "Hezzi" Grizim as corporate vice president and general manager. He joined IAI's Elta Systems Group in 1981 and has held a number of managerial positions in the Radar Systems and Airborne Early Warning Systems divisions. He was appointed director of the AEW Systems Directorate in 1996 and general manager of the AEW division in 2002.
Designed Metal Connections' tube fitting system for 5080-psi hydraulic systems on the Boeing 787 meets AS5958 and AS5959 specifications. The tube repair tool and fittings kit features tools for sizes -04 (1/4" OD) to -16 (1" OD) including the manual pump, tube cutters, gages, marking templates and deburring tools. The swage tools can operate in push and pull mode, so technicians only need one tool per tube size. DMC says its tools are 30 percent smaller and lighter because of the tools' forged body construction.
North American Airlines awarded GE Aviation a five-year OnPoint Solutions agreement for the maintenance and overhaul of the CF6-80C2 engines that power the operator's five Boeing 767-300ERs. The contract is worth $20 million.
KLM U.K. Engineering and the Air Transport Training College of Singapore signed a memorandum of cooperation and agreement to provide EASA approved training at ATTC's facilities in Singapore. The program will start on April 1 at Changi, Singapore, and is the first EASA approved training of its kind in the region.
Patria in February selected Canada's CMC Electronics to undertake an integrated glass cockpit avionics upgrade of 15 Finnish air force (Suomen Ilmavoimat) BAE Systems Hawk Mk 51/A jet-trainers. Ilmavoimat has been operating some 57 Hawks for basic and advanced training at Kauhava Air Base since 1980, for pilots destined for its F-18C/D-equipped front-line squadrons.
Working under a U.S. Air Force research contract, TRI/Austin received a patent for a new system, using ultraviolet light and a special resin, for repairing glass or quartz composites on aircraft. The system is much quicker and requires less heat than conventional composite curing procedures. Although this is essentially a depot-level repair, the new technique can be deployed in the field when necessary to return aircraft to service promptly.
Landmark Aviation received the first Flight Options Embraer Legacy 600 at its service center in Augusta, Ga. The aircraft came in for warranty and repair work under the Embraer Executive Care warranty program. Landmark is a new Embraer authorized service center and has a contract with Flight Options to perform inspections and scheduled maintenance on engine, airframe, avionics and other systems, as well as APU unscheduled maintenance and AOG support on the operator's Embraer Legacy aircraft.
HAECO signed a joint venture agreement with Air Arabia to establish HAECO Sharjah Aircraft Maintenance Co. Ltd., based in Sharjah. The 49:51 (HAECO/ Air Arabia) joint venture will take care of the low-cost carrier's engineering and maintenance requirements and will specialize in A320 MRO. Air Arabia plans to operate a fleet of 34 aircraft by 2016.
L-3 Communications received a contract from the U.S. Navy to serve as prime contractor on the C-9 Contractor Logistics Support program. The base contract is worth $43.7 million, but if the Navy exercises four annual contract options, the value climbs to about $230 million. L-3's Link Simulation & Training division is responsible for the C-9 Contractor Logistics Support program, which includes aircraft depot, engine depot and site support at six U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force facilities.
COVER STORY: MRO Market Is Up and Down Engine MRO costs are pushing upward MRO spending, but unit costs continue to decline. 49 Forecast Background Departments From the Editor 6 Biznet 11 Interview 16 Shinsuke Maki, All Nippon Airways Safety & Regulatory News Washington in Action 21 Human Factors 26 International Safety & Regulatory Briefs 28 Technical Innovation 31 Calendar 103
CFM International plans to open an engine maintenance training school in India. CFM has not yet determined a location or the new school, its fourth in the world, but it said it plans to be able to train up to 500 engineers there annually.
