Bombardier Aerospace and Lufthansa Technik signed an agreement to secure space for 17 Challenger 850 business jet completions over the next three years at LHT's Hamburg facility. LHT started completing the first Challenger 850 in September.
Aircelle won a contract from ExpressJet Services to repair the engine thrust reversers on the operator's Embraer 135, 145 and 170 regional aircraft, as well as those on Legacy business jets. Aircelle manufacturers the thrust reversers and engine inlets on those aircraft.
Airbus announced a research & technology framework agreement with Australia's Cooperative Research Centre for Advanced Composite Structures Limited (CRC-ACS) based in Melbourne, Victoria. The agreement follows Airbus' 10-year working relationship with CRC-ACS and will facilitate further joint technology projects in the future.
On Nov. 8, 2005, Congress, acting on the recommendation of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), authorized the closure of 22 major military bases in the United States by no later than Sept. 15, 2011. Those are in addition to 97 base closures approved under the four previous BRAC rounds, which took place in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995.
KLM Engineering & Maintenance signed long-term contracts with Focus Air to handle the cargo carrier's engine and component maintenance, A checks, engineering services and line maintenance for its fleet of Boeing 747-200 and -300 freighters.
Sikorsky Aircraft won a $9.7 million contract from the U.S. Army to overhaul and upgrade UH-60 CAT IV main rotor blades. It also won a $5.4 million contract to overhaul UH-60 L transmissions.
The U.K.'s BMI group is to cut its engineering workforce by up to 30 percent in a bid to consolidate maintenance functions into three, fleet-specific maintenance bases. From March, its Airbus fleet maintenance will be based at Heathrow while low-cost arm bmibaby will focus Boeing engineering capability at Nottingham East Midlands Airport. Bmi regional will continue its Embraer fleet maintenance at Aberdeen. Equalized maintenance programs also will be introduced for all three fleets.
Emirates ordered several CAE simulators, including an Airbus A380 maintenance/flight training device, a Boeing 777-300ER procedures trainer and some visual equipment and services. The contract is worth about $4.3 million.
First Choice Airways renewed its component support agreement with SR Technics for its fleet of 18 Boeing 757-200s. The agreement includes the provision of consignment stock at First Choice Airways' main base in Manchester, England, access to SR Technics' pool stock, and repair and overhaul of components.
Universal Avionics dealer IFR Avionics received a contract to complete and certify a four-panel EFI-890R suite in a Gulfstream GIII, the first on this aircraft type.
GE Aircraft Engines won a $9.6 million modification contract to overhaul and repair the U.S. Army's T700 engines. The Nov. 21 contract called for the work to be done by Dec. 31, 2005.
Duncan Aviation named Paul Cummings manager of its avionics team in Battle Creek, Mich. He had been assistant manager of the avionics shop there since 2002.
Evergreen International Aviation promoted Brian Bauer to president. Raymond Wright succeeded him as executive vice president of Evergreen International Airlines.
Question: What happens when you equip a bunch of aviation maintenance technicians with snazzy portable PCs in the pursuit of better productivity on the flight line? Answer: Not much.
Welcome to 2006 and the year's first issue of Overhaul & Maintenance. If you'll notice, this is the January issue of O&M as opposed to the January/February issue. That's right, for the first time in O&M's history, we'll publish issues in each month this year. Going to a monthly publication cycle long has been a goal of mine, and the editorial and advertising support that has made that possible is truly gratifying. Thank you to everyone who enabled us to take this big step. O&M Databook
Lockheed Martin won a $98 million time and material and cost-reimbursable U.S. Air Force contract to provide services for C-5 AMP modified aircraft for supply support, engineering and technical support, software maintenance, spares and non-warranty repairs.
Boeing began installing the first of 17 NATO AWACS major mission system upgrades as part of a $1.32 billion Mid-Term Modernization program. EADS, a Boeing subcontractor, is performing the work in Germany and expects to complete in November. The entire fleet is scheduled to be upgraded by 2008.
SR Technics signed a memorandum of understanding with Okay Airways, the first privately owned Chinese airline, to form a joint venture in Tianjin, China. SR Technics already support airlines in the region out of Hong Kong and sees the JV as way to provide a local presence to support the "new paradigm carriers."
Boeing's Quiet Technology Demonstrator 2 program completed a flight-test program that the OEM says confirmed the effectiveness of the program's noise-reduction technologies. Boeing has partnered with GE, Goodrich and NASA. All Nippon Airways provided one of its 777-300 ERs with GE90-115B engines for flight-test activities. The 777 was fitted with eight different noise-reduction engine inlets and exhaust combinations, which provided as much as a two-decibel improvement.
Hong Kong Aero Engine Services Ltd. (HAESL) and Singapore Aero Engine Services Ltd. (SAESL) have signed a new contract with Emirates for the ongoing maintenance and repair of its Rolls-Royce Trent 500, 700 and 800 engines. The new contract, potentially worth $600 million, lasts three years. Up to 200 engines could be overhauled, with the work shared between HAESL and SAESL.
