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
Messier-Bugatti’s carbon brakes are certified for the Boeing 737NG family. The carbon brakes use the same heat pack as older 767-200/-300 brakes, which have been in service for a decade. Retrofitting four carbon brakes with four next-generation wheels can generate to up to 700 lb. of weight savings per each 737-700, -800 and -900ER aircraft retrofitted, compared to steel brakes. These carbon brakes average 2,200 landings per overhaul. www.messier-bugatti.com
Ultra Electronics Controls and Satair renewed their 1996 partnership, which covers Ultra’s landing gear control interface units on several Airbus aircraft. Satair also partnered with Dasell Cabin Interior and will take on exclusive distributorship in Asia. Joint Ventures/Acquisitions
Fokker Services and Navtech debuted hardware and mounting equipment and electronic flight bag (EFB) software designed for the Apple iPad. Swedish cargo airline Amapola received Swedish CAA approval for the Class 2B EFB and is using it on Fokker 50s. Parts/Components
Gazpromavia Aviation signed a five-year contract with AFI KLM E&M for its subsidiary Epocor to maintain Boeing 737NG auxiliary power units. Gazpromavia is Epcor’s first Russian customer.
Roger van der Velden teaches aviation professionals how to interpret and implement the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)’s regulations at Jargon Aviation Consultancy, his training company in The Netherlands. But he found that hard copies of the EASA regulations went out of date quickly as the agency made amendments to the rules, making it hard for companies to interpret the most recent version of the laws. To solve the problem, van der Velden invented eParts, a consolidated, searchable PDF document updated by the date of the regulations' entry into force.
Dunlop Aircraft Tyres appointed Marcus Hancock technical director. He joins Dunlop from Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. Europe, where he was general manager of the company’s European Technical Center.
