For the past five years, Boeing and Fujitsu have been working together to develop an aircraft maintenance solution that incorporates radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and contact memory buttons (CMBs) with an integrated suite of software applications. Boeing will begin rolling out the system, known as automated identification technology (AIT), in the spring.
Delta TechOps will provide engine overhauls for at least half of GOL's CFM56-7s and maintenance services for various parts and components on GOL's Boeing 737NG fleet. Delta TechOps also will assist GOL as it works toward FAA Part 145 repair station certification. In return, GOL will assist Delta with line maintenance services in Brazil. The five-year contract includes a five-year option.
Until 2010, Boeing 737NG and 737 Classic aircraft models had metal proximity sensors with a design that facilitated moisture damage. Over the years, the possibility of damage increased. Newer deicing fluids such as potassium formate catalyzed the corrosion inside these sensor casings. To solve the fluid ingress problem, Crane has developed new titanium proximity sensors for the 737NG, with support for the 737 Classic following early this year. Crane’s new titanium sensor configuration, 80-207-01, will replace the 1-899-29 metal sensors that have been developing corrosion.
What’s your growth support plan? Sayani: PIA has a five-year growth plan that includes increasing our fleet size by 25 aircraft in addition to retiring some of our old Boeing 727s, so we’re looking at increasing numbers on the narrowbody side. We are moving toward an increased frequency model. We would like to do a number of our flights seven days a week.
Turkish Technik will provide 15 C checks, seven redelivery checks, seven landing gear overhauls and painting for 10 aircraft in the Pegasus and IzAir fleets. Additionally, it carried out a C check on a Spanair Airbus A320 and two base maintenance C checks on Tailwind Airlines Boeing 737-400s in January, and a C check on a Kolavia Airlines Airbus A320-232 in February. Engines
TAP Maintenance & Engineering Brazil's hangars were full in February thanks to its first Airbus A340 from Europe, steady work from the Air Transat and Centurion Air Cargo, GOL 767s, Webjet 737, growing Embraer aircraft MRO for Trip Airlines and Azul, and MRO for the Brazilian air force. It's also expanding engine MRO: it received Pratt & Whitney PW100 approval in December and hopes for PT6 approval in April, says Nestor Koch, senior VP.
When it comes to retrofitting landing gear on in-service fleets, operators look at two main trends: lighter-weight components and “intermixability,” a buzz word that signifies new landing gear equipment that works well with older but still functional equipment. For example, Goodrich’s lightweight wheels and brakes system for the Boeing 777 can be used with the aircraft’s existing landing gear assembly, which allows operators to upgrade if they want the weight reduction or as the older parts wear out.
Draeger’s CPS 5900 Level A hazmat suit keeps technicians safe from gases, liquids and particles. The suit is approved to NFPA 1994 standards and European laws for protective wear in the workplace. The suit’s material is a soft laminate that technicians can wear with closed-circuit breathing equipment. It comes in five sizes for both men and women. www.draeger.com
If the demand for passenger cabin power is propelling STC and retrofit growth, so too might the cockpit. Some carriers are considering adopting commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment, such as iPads, for use as electronic flight bags (EFB). To make such a switch, “You have to have a power supply that satisfies the certification requirements of a power supply system for a [portable electronic device], like the passenger has in the back” of the airplane, says ASIG's managing director Luke Ribich.
Lufthansa Technik inked an agreement with Oman Air that will send 15 Boeing 737NG C checks to Lufthansa Technik Budapest. The contract extends an agreement for base maintenance that has been in effect for the last year, as well as component support that LHT provides for Oman Air’s Airbus A330s. It also links to plans for a “wider cooperation,” as LHT says, related to a 2009 agreement that set plans for a joint venture MRO in Oman.
Maintenance gets more complicated when multiple airlines operate an aircraft over its service life. Given that almost 40% of the global airline fleet is leased rather than owned, the way leasing companies, airlines and to a lesser extent maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) providers structure contracts to ensure proper asset maintenance has become an increasingly complex and important part of the industry’s landscape.
Avtrade director sales and technical Tim Large has retired after 21 years at the company. Avtrade also restructured management: Nathan Kent has been appointed director of sales and marketing, Tracy Keegan becomes director of contract management, Tom Lane now is director of asset management and Chris Christou will take the role of director of finance.
Rockwell Collins Aerospace & Electronics flight dynamics division amended STC to install a head-up guidance system Model 4200 on Bombardier CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700/701/702), CL-600-2D15 (Regional Jet Series 705), CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900) and CL-600-2E25 (Regional Jet Series 1000) aircraft, STC ST01390LA
Baines Simmons partnered with the Gulf Aviation Academy in Bahrain to provide specialist training and consulting services in the Middle East and North Africa.
PIA Engineering Location: Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, Pakistan PIA Fleet: 40 in total Seven ATR42-500s, six Airbus A310-300s, six A310-320s, six Boeing 737-300s, one Boeing 747-200B Combi, five 747-300s, four Boeing 777-200ERs, two 777-200LRs and three 777-300ERs Expertise: Boeing 777, 747 and 737; Airbus A310 and A300; ATR72
The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) is fighting perception issues. It has begun the second phase of its multi-year Positive Publicity Campaign, designed to educate decision makers in Washington on the importance of contract maintenance. ARSA launched the campaign about a year ago and initially focused on public opinion data. Its second phase is designed to develop economic data on the aviation industry’s impact, in the U.S. and internationally.
Finnair Technical Services and Finnair Engine Services operations are undergoing a shakeup. Finnair decided to discontinue third-party base maintenance and focus on its own fleet. The move could shed 450 jobs.
Mubadala Aerospace is progressing toward the merger of its two MRO subsidiaries in Zurich and Abu Dhabi, says Mubadala Aerospace senior business development manager Abdulla Shadid. “We continue to work on [the merger of SR Technics and Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies]," Shadid says. "Airlines are being approached with a Mubadala network-type offering." The ultimate objective, he says, is to unify the companies under a global brand. “Behind the scenes, a lot of that work has gone into place.”
Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services Co. will do heavy checks on S7 Airlines’ Boeing 767s for two years and A checks on World Airways’ Boeing 747-400s for an undisclosed term.
British Airways expanded its successful engineering apprenticeship scheme by adding a fourth partner, Uxbridge College. This year, BA will recruit 120 students, up from 90 in 2010, from four colleges. IT
Pyramex’s dual-pane safety lenses feature a polycarbonate outer lens and an acetate interior lens to trap heat away from a worker’s face. The goggles provide 99% UVA and UVB protection as well as resistance to glare and are secured with an adjustable elastic strap. These goggles can work with prescription frames. www.pyramexsafety.com
Archeion Holdings to install an Avionica satlink system to provide voice and data communications over the Iridium satellite network on Boeing 747-100/-100B/-100B SUD/ -200B/-200C/-200F/-300/-400/-400D/ -400F series aircraft, STC ST03900AT
