[Editor's Note: With this column we are launching a regular feature on human factors and its role in aviation maintenance.] Back in June 1988, I was leaving Maui after a vacation when I noticed an oddity parked on the tarmac, far from the terminal. It was a Boeing 737, but there was something amiss because the front half of the fuselage was covered with a tarp.
The Department of Defense manages 4.5 million stock numbers, parts that are scattered around the world, and it needs to have a better sense of when items are used to make its logistics chain more efficient, said Michael Wynne, DOD acting under secretary.
TAP Maintenance and Engineering will provide overhaul services for Varig's CFM56-7B engines. ``The contract on non-exclusive basis presumes reciprocity in services between TAPME and VEM in contracts yet to be signed and the business will boost as the exchange of work expands,'' said Morvan Viana, senior manager of engine contracts for Varig Engineering & Maintenance.
Mercury Air Centers dedicated a new hangar and tenant office facility at its Charleston, S.C. facility. The 45,000 sq. ft. facility is adjacent to the existing Mercury Air Centers terminal that can accommodate large business jets including Gulfstream V and Global Express aircraft.
O&M: How many aircraft does easyJet operate? Marking: We currently operate a mixed fleet of 90 aircraft comprising 43 Boeing 737-300s and 31 737-700s delivered new with the same specification; plus 11 new [Airbus] A319s which, by the end of this year will grow to 27. We also have five A319s operated from Geneva by easyJet Switzerland. It's a large and predominantly Boeing fleet, but in the next few years we'll have migrated from 737-300s to 737-700s and Airbus A319s.However, it won't be long before our Airbus fleet exceeds our Boeing fleet.
MTU Maintenance Hannover signed a multi-year agreement with SmartSignal that will allow MTU to expand its Total Engine Care offering. The deal will help MTU provide real-time monitoring on all engines and provide better fault detection.
IFS signed an agreement with The Marmon Group to offer ERP II, supply chain and product life cycle management solutions to The Marmon Group companies' needs.
SAS Component received a contract from Nova Airlines (Novair) to provide its Free2Fly component supply program. The contract covers two A321s, plus a third aircraft that the Stockholm-based carrier will add in 2005.
Alan Estevez, DOD assistant deputy under secretary of defense, has been actively communicating and meeting with industry to spread the news that RFID is coming. Because Wal-Mart and DOD both share a Jan. 1, 2005 RFID implementation deadline, participate in EPCglobal standards setting and have parallel RFID requirements, Estevez said DOD officials have been meeting with Wal-Mart, Gillette and Coca-Cola to share best practices. However, he also said some people are questioning why DOD doesn't follow Wal-Mart more closely since it is known for being so lean and efficient.
The Purdy Corp. of Manchester, Conn., received a delivery order amount of $11.5 million as part of a $33.6 million firm-fixed-price contract for UH-60 Blackhawk spare parts. Work is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2008. There were two bids solicited on Oct. 1, 2003, and two bids were received. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is responsible for the contracting activity, as well as for another one announced on May 13.
MOOG Aircraft Group received a $5.9 firm-fixed-price contract modification from Warner Robins Air Force Logistics Center for gearboxes on C-5 aircraft. The work should be finished by December.
Bombardier Aerospace is offering a service package for new orders of Learjet 40s in Latin America. The deal includes 25 free flying hours on Flexjet and 60 months of free coverage under its Smart Parts Plus component coverage, which is above the standard 60-month aircraft warranty.
Dassault Falcon signed a maintenance training services agreement with CAE SimuFlite. Dassault's technical education services group will work with CAE SimuFlite to develop and deliver the training program, and the OEM will recognize CAE SimuFlite, in turn, as a Dassault-approved training provider.
Pemco Aviation Group appointed Glenn Hess president of Pemco Aeroplex. He most recently was president and COO of Bell Helicopter, and previously spent 23 years with McDonnell Douglas/Boeing.
J.A. Air Center named Bradley Zeman its new president. He replaces Bernie Klotz, who owns the facility and has served as president the past 29 years. Zeman joined the company as sales manager in 1986 and worked up to vice president of sales before accepting his new position.
Spectrum Technologies' CAPRIS 50-100 is a benchtop UV laser wire marking system that is an alternative to hot-stamp wire marking, which can damage wires, especially thin-wall aerospace ones. This easy to use system just requires operators to insert the wire, use the touch-screen to program marking details, and press the green start button. It can be used on single core wires or multi-core cables that measure 0.75 mm to 8 mm (26 AWG up to 4 AWG). Up to 30 characters per identification mark can be used. Three print sizes are standard.
Representatives of the repair station industry, motivated by an ominous deadline inserted as part of the rulemaking directive, are working to help the Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) meet a Congressional mandate to craft repair station security rules, even though they question the need for such an exercise.
Active RFID -- No governing standards, being developed -- Transmit energy often in 400 MHz, 900 MHz and 2.45 GHz ranges -- Requires onboard power source with large memory -- Can be read, or written to, from about 300 ft. or less -- Costs about $100 per tag -- DOD already is using active tags -- Primarily used on costly items -- Their physical size is larger than passive tags Passive RFID
International Air Transport Association promoted David Mawdsley to safety director. He joined IATA in January 2001 as assistant director of safety and previously was head of corporate safety at Cathay Pacific.
Garrett Aviation selected Rockwell Collins' Pro Line 21 avionics to include in its Cessna Citation 501 retrofit program. System deliveries will begin in January 2005.
ABAQUS received a contract from Boeing Intellectual Property Business to develop technology to predict fracture and failure in laminated composite materials.
