Benedict Miller produces close-to-net shape aircraft quality steel parts to meet supply chain and manufacturing demands of the maintenance market. The close-to-net shapes require minimal handling and machining of parts, which enables manufacturers to limit machining, increase product output, reduce tooling setups, simplify the automation process and abbreviate work handling. Customers can e-mail custom shapes direct from their DXF files to eliminate time-consuming manual layout operations, labor costs and human error.
The Naval Air Systems Command awarded McDonnell Douglas a $102.4 million modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 22 An/APG-79 low-rate-initial-production II Active Electronically Scanned Array radar systems for the F/A-18E/F aircraft.
Picture a several-story apartment building turned on its side with enormous swept wings lumbering down the runway. At 150 kts., the one million-plus-pound (560 tonnes) Airbus A380 lifts effortlessly into the air. The nose and main landing gear slowly retract as the airliner makes a lazy turn toward its next port of call. The exercise would seem mundane were this not the largest and heaviest commercial airliner ever built.
Midcoast Aviation began operations in its new 15,000-square-foot, $500,000, climate-controlled Customer Equipment Center located at St. Louis Downtown Airport. The Center is designed to improve storage conditions, maximize security for removed customer components, increase control over those items and make it easier and faster for technicians to retrieve customer equipment needed for reinstallation.
Laser Design introduced the SLP-330 Scanning Laser Probe for use with the Romer CimCore Infinite, 3000i and Stinger II - Portable CMM Articulating Arms. The SLP-330 provides a 33% to 50% reduction in scanning time on any complex part. The articulating arm provides the ability to scan parts with dimensions as long as 12 feet without moving the base of the arm. The arm can scan if it is moved.
Representatives from the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) have asked to meet with European civil aviation officials in September to flesh out a disagreement over repair design approval parameters recently established by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
E verest VIT (EVIT) expanded its CA- ZOOM Pan-Tilt Zoom (PTZ) 6.0 Digital Video Inspection System to include a fully integrated parallel laser measurement accessory. The lasers, which can be mounted on the PTZ140 or PTZ100 camera head, provide a 50.8 mm. (2 in.) reference target on the image being inspected to allow use of built-in comparison measurement software for video caliper or circle-gauge measurements.
KLM Engineering & Maintenance named Peter Somers executive vice president. Somers, previously KLM chief information officer, succeeds Ad Rutten, who becomes the new chief operations officer for the Schiphol Group at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Boet Kreiken was appointed chief information officer. Previously, Kreiken was senior vice president and area manager Asia Pacific for the company.
Universal Avionics announced that Duncan Aviation completed an STC for a three-display EFI-890R installation on a King Air B-300. A Universal Avionics TAWS, UNS-1L Super Flight Management System, and provisions for a Vision-1 Synthetic Vision were included in the flightdeck upgrade. The company will install 8.9-inch flat-panel displays, replacing Bendix EFIS-10 display systems currently interfaced with the existing KFC-400 flight-guidance system. Stevens Aviation will perform the retrofit work on the King Air B-300 at its Nashville, Tenn. facility.
Boeing will upgrade 25 C-17 Globemaster IIIs with the Northrop Grumman large aircraft infrared countermeasures defensive system in a $31.2 million contract with the U.S. Air Force.
September 05 7-10 American Society for Engineering Education: SEFI Annual Conference; Ankara, Turkey. Contact William Ryan, ASEE; 202-331-3522; fax 202-265-8504 7-11 American Bonanza Society: ABS Annual Convention & Trade Show; Addison, TX. Contact Peggy Fuska, American Bonanza Society; 316-945-1700; fax 316-945-1710 10-17 Intl. Society of Air Safety Investigators: 36th Annual Air Safety Seminar; Dallas, TX. Contact ISASI; 703-430-9668; fax: 703-430-4970
General Electric Transportation Aircraft Engines received $5 million from the U.S. Navy against a previously awarded basic ordering agreement for the purchase of 1,994 turbine nozzle segments used on the F404 engine. The company was also awarded a $9.9 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for the overhaul and repair of the U.S. Army's T700 family. The work will be completed in Corpus Christi.
Korean Air will perform heavy maintenance on United's fleet of 27 Boeing 747-400s. The five-year renewable contract is valued at approximately $12 million per year. Korean Air will perform C and D checks in addition to overhaul services.
FAA granted Midcoast Aviation an STC to install a solid-surface, mid-cabin door between the forward and aft sections on Dassault Falcon 900- and 900EX-series aircraft. The door is a breakable, manually operated pocket door with upper and lower sections that work independently.
FAA in early July quietly issued the long-awaited Advisory Circular (AC) on developing the newly required repair station training program. At O&M presstime, the 49-page AC's issuance hadn't been announced with a usually customary "AC-available" notice in the Federal Register.
The desire for decreased costs and increased efficiency in an airline maintenance operation often leads to the hangar, where quests for increased intervals, decreased labor costs and faster turntimes seemingly never end. But there is plenty to be gained at the front end of the maintenance chain as well. Operators taking the time to look are finding ways to improve their maintenance control and short-term planning efforts.
Finmeccanica's Alenia Aeronautica received a $74.5 million two-year Nigerian Air Force contract in July for refurbishment, assistance and logistic support of the NAF's Aeritalia G.222 twin-turboprop tactical transports. The NAF received five of these beginning in 1984, but like many of its aircraft, the G.222s have achieved low utilizations in recent years because of military budget and spares problems.
Keystone Helicopter broke ground on the next phase of what it says is the largest, independent maintenance, repair, modification and technology development center dedicated exclusively to rotorcraft in the country. Keystone is based in West Chester, Pa.
Israel's Elbit Systems Ltd., in cooperation with Romanian aircraft manufacturer IAR S.A. Brasov, received two contracts in July worth about $25 million to supply enhanced avionics and night-vision systems to upgrade Romanian air force (AMR) and navy helicopters to meet NATO standards. Elbit Systems has been participating with local aerospace companies in defense platform programs in Romania for over 10 years.
BAE Systems won a $31 million production contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide 31 AN/ALR-56M radar warning receiver systems for a new fleet of Air Force and Marine Corps C-130J aircraft and line-replaceable-unit spares for the Taiwan air force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.
L-3 Avionics Systems was selected by Switzerland's Pilatus Aircraft in May to provide their tactical airborne navigation system (TACAN) to upgrade six PC-9M advanced turboprop trainers operated by the Bulgarian air force (BVVS) since 2004. These were ordered in late 2003 from a SwFr50 million ($38.4 million) contract, which also included a PC-12M light utility transport.
LEDtronics introduced drop-in replacements BSD1890 and BSD1888 LED passenger reading lamps for incandescent lamps #2232, #2266 and halogen lamp #0201789-001 that are used in 28V reading-light fixtures in airplane cabins, passenger trains and coach buses. The illuminators are available in 9 mm. and 15 mm. and do not require modification prior to installation. Because LEDs create little heat and the bulb and fixture remain close to room temperature, the BSD1890/1888 LED lamps reduce the chance of burning.
Structural Associates was awarded a $32.9 contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the construction of an aircraft hangar to be built at Fort Drum, N.Y., and completed by Nov. 2006.
Aircraft Components Co. (ACC) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of America (MHIA) announced an agreement in which ACC will provide overhaul services on certain Japanese-manufactured components, including those for the MU-2 aircraft. Under the agreement, ACC will have exclusive license to use the latest technical data for component repairs and overhaul of struts, actuators, motors and other similar components.
