The inexorable link between technical documentation and technician performance is taking on new dimensions within the U.S. Navy as it moves toward a paperless state.
SR Technics signed a five-year agreement with Vueling Airlines to provide an Integrated Airline Solution (IAS), including fleet technical management and component support, for the airline's fleet of nine Airbus A320s. Vueling plans to add up to 50 more aircraft to its fleet over the next three years.
High above Iraq's sandy surface, an unmanned aerial vehicle pivots its forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera toward a possible target. In real time, the image is down-linked to the "rover" television screen carried by a U.S. Army platoon leader in the field. Instead of sending his men into harm's way, he sees what's behind the building 100 meters in front of him. Instead of waiting for an Air Force "fast mover," an A-10, to take out the target, the platoon leader calls on the unmanned UAV's pilot thousands of miles away in the U.S. to launch a Hellfire missile.
Japan Airlines ordered a CAE Maintenance Training Simulator System for Boeing 737NG aircraft for the carrier's training center at Tokyo Haneda Airport.
IAI's and ST Aerospace's joint Boeing 757-200 conversion program, which is licensed from Boeing, has received 34 orders for the 14.5-pallet version from DHL and two from Royal New Zealand Air Force. All conversions will be done at Mobile Aerospace Engineering or IAI facilities.
Uvex's Protege line of safety eyewear is designed to offer technicians lightweight comfort and a sporty style. The glasses weigh less than one ounce and feature a secure, wrap-around brow that expands to accommodate a range of users. Soft temple tips and nose pad are designed for comfort and fit. The lenses come in clear, gray and SCT-Reflect 50 mirrored tints with a choice of anti-scratch or anti-fog coatings. Frames comes in two colors: glossy black and sandstone. The eyewear meets ANSI Z87+ and military standards.
Boeing received the first Joint Tactical Radio System Cluster 1 radios from BAE Systems and Rockwell Collins for the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems program.
The Department of National Defense is seeking increased effectiveness and efficiency of Canadian Forces' in-service support management from two long-term contracts totaling CAD961.1 million ($828.7 million) with IMP Group and L-3 Electronic Systems, both of Enfield, Nova Scotia. These will provide optimized weapon system support for the CAF's Lockheed Martin CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft, supplying complete fleet life-cycle minimum-cost maintenance and support services.
L-3 Communications WESCAM (L-3 WESCAM), a wholly owned subsidiary of L-3 Communications, announced in October that it has been selected by Poland's PZL-Mielec to supply MX-15i EO/IR vital imaging sensors needed for the Indonesian Navy's fully integrated airborne surveillance solution. The contract includes seven MX-15 electro-optical and infrared imaging turrets, with ongoing deliveries scheduled through September 2006, for installation in some of Indonesia's 11 Antonov/PZL M28 Skytruck twin-turboprop maritime patrol aircraft.
Pratt & Whitney plans soon to open a 15,000-square-foot logistics hub at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) as part of its recently announced deal to handle all materials management for United Airlines' fleet of well over 300 PW4000 powerplants. The contract with United, announced in October, is the largest logistical support contract Pratt & Whitney has ever won on a specific engine family under its long-running Materials Management Program (MMP), the OEM said.
Repair station oversight was a hot topic inside the Washington, D.C., beltway for a few weeks as 2005 came to a close, starting with a Senate subcommittee hearing in mid-November and cresting with the release of a DOT Inspector General report on non-certificated repair facilities a month later. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee's aviation subcommittee convened on Nov. 17 for a hearing on aviation safety. Among the topics on the agenda -- "contract" maintenance.
All Nippon Airways plans to retire its last Boeing 747SR-100 on March 10 after 27 flying years. It first flew on Jan. 25, 1979 and was affectionately referred to as "Super Jumbo." The 747SR-100 was the world's first aircraft to carry 500 people in an all-economy configuration, and it became a new symbol of mass transportation. In 1989, ANA flew 23 Super Jumbos, which represented 22 percent of the airlines' entire fleet at the time. ANA sold its last 747SR-100 to Boeing.
The Saab Group is consolidating its civil and military overhaul and maintenance units into a new aftermarket support business called Saab Aerotech. The new organization will have five divisions: Ground Support Services, Aircraft Services, Electronic Systems Services, Metech Calibrations Services and MainPartner, which will include component support business Saab Aviocomp. This business also will handle logistics support, maintenance, support areas and be responsible for developing component repair infrastructure.
TAM Brazilian Airlines awarded GE a 15-year OnPoint Solutions agreement for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of its CFM56-5B engines. TAM also awarded GE a seven-year OnPoint Solutions contract for its 12 CF6-80E engines.
The U.K. Ministry of Defense is streamlining the Defense Aviation Repair Agency (DARA) and the Army Base Repair Organization (ABRO) to further modernize its military logistics support structure. Announcing this in November, Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram said that rationalizations will further improve front-line support without affecting operational capabilities.
JetBlue Airways awarded Goodrich a contract to maintain components on up to 200 Airbus A320s. Components range from actuation and lighting to fuel and utility systems.
Third-party maintenance's next turn in the spotlight began on Dec. 15 with an IG report on airline usage of non-certificated repair stations. While the use of such facilities is a well-known and accepted part of aviation maintenance, the IG determined that "non-certificated repair facilities are now performing more significant work than anyone realized."
Basler Turbo Conversions in Oshkosh, Wisc., received a $7.1 million firm-fixed price FMS contract in November, via Ogden Air Logistics Center, Hill AFB, Utah, for additional P&WC PT-6 converted AC-47T Fantasma (Turbo Dakota) aircraft for the Colombian air force (FAC).
AgustaWestland appointed Abu Dhabi Aviation in the UAE and Deftech in Malaysia Agusta authorized service centers. Both facilities will provide maintenance and repair services, as well as spare parts for a variety of helicopters.
