AeroStar named Greg Guzman general manager and executive VP of marketing and sales for the company and will oversee its strategic direction. Gordon Smart, VP of operations for Star Aviation, will assume the role of executive VP of operations for Aerostar and will assist the company as a managing partner.
Locatory, owned by Avia Solutions Group, specializes in the Eastern European, African, Middle Eastern and Asian emerging markets. It provides access to Russian aircraft parts in addition to those of Western aircraft. The platform is offered in seven languages and enables paid subscribers to upload unlimited data on parts and MRO services. Companies can upload their profiles to the website and access statistics on the number of RFQs Locatory has received, as well as how many times prospective buyers viewed its parts in a search. www.locatory.com
Wall Colmonoy has added two new management employees to their team. Ed Ridge has been named COO for the Aerobraze Engineered Technologies and Gary Peterson joined the company as operations. Airframes
MTU Aero Engines and US Airways has extended its maintenance agreement for the IAE V2500-A1 engine until the end of 2016. The contract began in 2008. Avionics/IFE
Continuum Applied Technology has announced the release of version 10 of its Corridor Aviation Service Software. It offers more than 200 enhanced features including compliance and work order integration and quoting and an archiving scheduler.
Virgin Australia signed a multifaceted component maintenance, financing and training contract with SR Technics, a Mubadala Aerospace company, for its Airbus A330, the value which it did not disclose. The contract initially covers the carrier's two A330 but it will expand to cover at least five A330s in 2013 as the airline grows. The 13-year nose-to-tail component deal includes component exchange, repair, engineering services and access to spares.
Turkish Technic completed 1,007,721 base maintenance man-hours and 452,526 component maintenance man-hours in 2010. This gave it a 87% utilization for base maintenance and 80% utilization for component maintenance last year. Of its $480 million in revenue, $95 million of that came from line maintenance services in 2010. The MRO expects most growth to stem from aircraft heavy maintenance; component pool services; aircraft and cabin reconfiguration and modifications; and parts repair, design and manufacture, says Dr. Ismail Demir, Turkish Technic's general manager.
While the Internet makes finding aircraft parts easier, inventory locator websites still run into entrenched problems. Unanswered requests for quotes (RFQs), out-dated inventory lists and price fishing are issues that established and new markets will have to resolve. Although companies such as Inventory Locator Service (ILS) and PartsBase have dominated the parts market in the past decade, a few ambitious newcomers are encouraging customers to migrate to new platforms with innovative ways of doing business.
TAM MRO, TAM Airlines' MRO unit has received EASA accreditation for line maintenance services of Airbus A3330-200 and A330-300 aircraft. TAM MRO will conduct the repairs in the Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador and Fortaleza. The accreditation will cover ETOPS pre-flight inspections, transit checks and daily checks. TAM MRO is in the process of requesting the same line maintenance services in the Brazilian cities of Sao Paulo, Campinas and Brasilia.
American Fuel Cells and Coated Fabrics Co., amended STC to install an Amfuel internal auxiliary fuel system completion kit on Sikorsky S-92A helicopters, STC SR02298LA
The recent trend to modify older cabin interiors signals not only that the aftermarket is growing, but also that the airline industry is getting back on its feet. Carriers, inspired by next-generation aircraft, are moving beyond the cost savings of performing only required maintenance to paying renewed attention to their narrowbody fleets. Multiplying Modifications
AJ Walter Aviation has completed the first phase of relocating its operations to a new 60-acre site near Slinfold, England. The asset management company's new 200,000 sq.-ft. logistics center will contain offices and warehouses to house its Airbus and Boeing component, engine and consumable inventories. AJ Walter plans to complete the new 60-acre campus in fall 2012.
Talk to airlines, OEMs, distributors and MROs about Spec 2000, the industry's communications backbone, and you are likely to hear that the system has been in place for years. “We have Chapter 3 for exchanging purchase orders installed in our IT system and it's managed very well,” says Adrien Guillame, a project manager for logistics services with Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance.
Airborne installed four Universal Avionics Systems Corp. EFI-890R flat-panel integrated displays on the DC-9 in a primary flight display/multi-function display format. The 10-in., 780-by-780-pixel color liquid crystal display screens are twice as big as the legacy units and controlled by five panels installed in the glareshield and pedestal. Display capabilities include video, airport diagrams and checklists, charts, synthetic vision, a Terrain Awareness and Warning System and weather data. The front-mounted unit is available in gray or black. www.uasc.com
Source One Aircraft Repair (SOAR) and engineering services provider Tass Inc. have partnered for a renewable three-year cooperative working agreement to offer aircraft on ground field support services. Tass brings capabilities of aircraft recovery, repair, logistics, engineering, planning and touch labor under FAA DER, EASA, CASA CAR 35 and CAANZ Part 146 approvals.
TDG Aerospace, reissued STC to install a TDG Aerospace universal fault interrupter on Boeing 737-600, 700, 700C, 800 and 900 series aircraft, STC ST02076LA
Inflight Warning Systems, issued STC to install inflight warning systems fan vibration motor unit on various Airbus A318 and A319 aircraft, STC SA02356LA
It just doesn't pay to assume anything in this business. A case-in-point is Southwest Airlines Flight 812, a Boeing 737-300 that suddenly depressurized at altitude on April 1. The initial assumption was that the 39,781-cycle, 737 was the latest craft to succumb to the popular media's venerable villain: the aging aircraft syndrome. It seems that may not be the case. While no probable cause has been established, the focus has shifted to manufacturing issues.
New Systems, amended STC to install dual Universal Avionics flight management systems with GPS on Bombardier DHC-800-100, 200 and 300 series aircraft, STC ST10977SC
Whether you are using barcodes, direct part marking or RFID, the ability to automatically enter information about a part into an ERP system could lead to benefits from other chapters, including Chapter 14, which automates the process to file warranty claims. Many fleet operators don't take full advantage of warranties because the administrative costs associated with filing claims are high, contends Hannes Sandmeier, VP of application development for Oracle.
