Eaton Corp. will provide engine-driven hydraulic pumps as well as pump repair and overhaul services for Berlin-based airline Germania's new fleet of Airbus A319s. The value of the contracts was not disclosed. Eaton Corp. manufactures hydraulic pumps for the Airbus A319 in Bedhampton, England, where the repair and overhaul services for Germania also will take place.
The lines separating major carriers from regional carriers continue to blur, and that's having an impact on the way the latter look at maintenance. Consider that larger regional jet aircraft such as the Embraer 170 and 190 family and Bombardier's forthcoming CSeries are—or soon will be—ranging farther afield. These types supplant major carriers' mainline jets on routes that were once a sole province.
The Persimmon Group appointed Ray H. (Tray) Siegfried director, aerospace services. Siegfried joins the Oklahoma-based business management consulting firm from The Nordam Group, the Siegfried family business, which he most recently served as vice chairman of the board.
Navairsyscom reissued STCs to install dual universal UNS-1D flight management systems and Raytheon APX-119 IFE transponder on various DC-9 aircraft, STCs ST01513AT and ST00022MC
Chromalloy is developing a new technology center of excellence in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., dedicated to gas turbine engine repair, parts and coatings research and development. The company also plans to move its corporate headquarters to the new campus from its current location in Orangeburg, N.Y. It expects to employ 52 staff at the Florida site, which is slated for completion by the fourth quarter. Florida is a nexus for Chromalloy activity: parent company Sequa Corp.
Sifco Applied Surface Concepts in Cleveland completed its fifth consecutive Nadcap aerospace chemical processing audit, which recognizes conformity for chemical processing.
Modern aircraft are generating much more data that can reduce maintenance costs by reducing downtime and improving repair efficiency. However, “there is more talking going on than listening,” stresses Peter Feldmann, VP of the Cavok division of Oliver Wyman. Translation: aircraft and everything on them talk, but systems are not fully exploiting the data because sometimes they are not even connected, and sometimes they speak in different languages.
Nordam offers cabin windows and transparencies for most types of commercial aircraft, either directly to airframe manufacturers for installation during production or to third-party MRO providers as PMA parts. The company's capabilities include Airbus A320, A330, A340 and A380 models; Boeing 737, 747, 757 and 777 aircraft; Bombardier CRJ regional jets and Dash 8 turboprop aircraft; the Comac ARJ21 and Embraer 145. Nordam's transparency division supports American Airlines' Boeing fleet and Delta Air Lines' A320s and 747s. www.nordam.com
Sargent Aerospace & Defense's aftermarket services group acquired more than 1,200 Boeing 737 line-replaceable units worth approximately $4 million in mid-March. Sargent's Miami facility was expected to receive the majority of these components—which range from avionics, fuel pumps, electromechanical actuators and engine components to landing gear top assembly units—in overhauled condition, ready for outright sale and exchange and lease programs.
Like many major carriers, United Airlines had developed its own in-house tools for doing diagnostics on its fleet. But around 2005 and 2006 the airline was starting to fly more routes to very distant destinations where the costs of having a grounded aircraft, and ferrying parts and repair crews, could be very high. So it took a look at Boeing's Aircraft Health Monitoring, speaking both to the airframe manufacturer and early adopters of the system.
LONDON—Aircraft docking systems can substantially boost an MRO's profitability, especially if they are tailor-made to enhance the business. The advantage such systems provide can be considerable, according to Robin Wohnsigl, president and CEO of Laurentian Aerospace Corp., who is backing his belief with hard cash. His new MRO is not only investing in an automated, laser-guided, self-positioning docking system for its state-of-the-art maintenance hangar in Plattsburg, N.Y., but it also has acquired Contec Multidocking Ltd. (CML), the company that made the system.
For life-limited consumables, more airlines and MROs are looking at small kit packaging as one approach to inventory control that saves money and reduces waste, says Randy Wilt, director of corporate marketing for Graco Supply and Integrated Services.
Lufthansa Technik's Hamburg auxiliary power unit (APU) shop added the Hamilton Sundstrand APS2300 to its repair portfolio with certification from the German Federal Office of Civil Aviation. The APS2300 APU equips Embraer 170/190 family aircraft. Lufthansa Technik says it has signed a contract with Air Dolomiti for APS2300 services, and work on the first APS2300 started in March.
The advent of a new Congress this year brought new budget realities for the FAA. The turnover, and work left undone in the previous Congress, has left the agency to grapple with an uncertain budget. The FAA has faced a series of short-term funding extensions while key lawmakers work out the fiscal 2011 appropriations levels and a multi-year, comprehensive authorization bill.
In June 2009, the Air Transport Association published its Spec 2000 Chapter 9 data standard for the permanent identification of parts, the identification of receiving/shipping information and traceability. Contrary to popular belief, Spec 2000 Chapter 9 is strictly a “data standard”—not a technology standard. Fourteen required fields of information have been defined, including a small section providing an option to record additional information.
Super98, a group of mostly ex-McDonnell Douglas and Boeing engineering veterans, said in March that it is in discussions with potential launch customers for an aerodynamic improvement kit designed to reduce the drag of MD-80 family twinjets by at least 3.5%. The kit is about to be certificated and offered for retrofit for both passenger and converted freighter models. It is the first of a potential two-phase improvement plan that could ultimately see MD-80 drag reduced by as much as 7.5%.
STS AeroStaff Services promoted Brian Boje to director of technical recruiting. Boje jointed STS in 1992 as an aircraft maintenance contractor and most recently was manager of recruiting.
Air BP Lubricants launched software that helps customers measure how high-performance lubricant BPTO 2197 is performing in their engines. Air BP says the BPTO lubricant is in use on more than 9,000 installed engines and more than 30,000 engine accessories.
Timco Aviation Services announced a series of leadership changes that took effect April 1. Ron Utecht retired as CEO, a position that he had held since 2005, and that capped his more than 50-year career in aviation. Utecht will continue to support Timco in a senior advisory role. Kevin Carter, who had been co-CEO with Utecht for 2.5 years, assumed full responsibility as CEO.
Atlantic Fasteners launched a new website, www.AFAero.com, to give aerospace customers better access to its inventory of nearly 10,000 fasteners, connectors, screws and other mil-spec hardware.
Standard 1926.502 of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Regulations for Construction (part 1926, subpart M) contains specific guidelines for lifeline systems, including the requirement that fall protection must be provided to an employee working more than 6 ft. off the ground. OSHA Standard for Occupational Safety and Health Standards (part 2010) also covers fall systems and personal protective equipment such as harnesses.
