Messier-Bugatti-Tracer signed a five-year contract to service wheels and brakes and support Spirit Airlines' rotable parts pool for the fleet's 26 Boeing MD-82/83 aircraft.
Patrick Gavin, executive vice president customer services for Airbus, created quite a stir last fall at Aviation Week's MRO Europe Conference & Exhibition when he spoke about the airframe OEM's plans for the aftermarket. Recently, Gavin spoke with O&M's European Editor (Commercial) Bill Burchell about those plans and what they mean for airlines and MRO providers. Edited for length and clarity.
Triumph Group plans to acquire United Aircraft Products from Parker Hannifin for an undisclosed sum. At presstime, the deal was pending ratification of a collective bargaining agreement between Triumph and the UAW union.
Capt. James Woolway assumed command of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) near San Diego, Calif. Woolway most recently was aircraft maintenance officer for the commander of the Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific fleet. He relieves Capt. Peter Laszcz.
Aircraft Maintenance Society (AMS) made its debut mid-May at several industry events. Dave Benoff, aircraft maintenance editor for Aviation Week's Business & Commercial Aviation, introduced the society, which is a coalition of associations, OEMs and maintenance training providers that will recognize technicians for training above the federally mandated minimums. The voluntary AMS Certification Program is modeled after the Automotive Service Excellence Blue Seal program.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is concerned that certain fuselage repairs could be masking fatigue cracks that, if left undetected, may pose structural failure risks to aircraft. The board recommended that FAA tackle the problem with rulemaking and education of technical personnel. NTSB's concern stems from the still-open probe into the May 2002 in-flight breakup of China Airlines Flight 611, a Boeing 747-200, over the Taiwan Straits.
Flight development and service trials are reaching an advanced stage with the first of the Italian air force's (AMI) 15 follow-on upgraded Aermacchi MB-339CD lead-in fighter trainers (CS X606), which made its initial sortie from the Venegono factory on May 24, 2002. Compared with the AMI's first 15 MB-339CDs, which entered service with the 61st Wing at Galatina, Lecce, in 1998, the second batch (CD2) feature enhanced avionics, conferring improved training and operational capabilities.
Latin America is poised to become a bigger player in the MRO market -- both as a generator of outsourced maintenance and as a provider of third-party services, according to presentations made at Aviation Week's MRO 2003 Conference & Exhibition here in mid-April. The Latin American MRO market, which was the subject of a full day of sessions at the annual conference, currently is valued at $1.6 billion, but Christos Markou, project manager for business development at Delta TechOps, expects that to grow by 5.5% to $2.1 billion by 2008.
The first of three Royal Danish Air Force Bombardier CL-604 Challenger twin-turbofan transports to be modified by Field Aviation in Toronto for enhanced maritime surveillance, fishery patrols, SAR and VIP transport roles (O&M, November 2002) made its initial flight in Canada in March. Flight trials of its new sensors, including Telephonics surveillance radar in a large fairing under the forward fuselage, and a retractable FLIR Systems electro-optical housed behind a sliding door beneath the rear fuselage, with associated flightdeck displays were continuing.
Honeywell named Russell Turner president and CEO of its Engines, Systems & Services business. He will start his new role on June 1. He most recently was president and CEO of United Space Alliance, which is part of Boeing.
Robert Baker, retired vice chairman of American Airlines, died April 20 at the age of 58. Baker's career with American spanned 35 years, starting as a marketing trainee in 1968 and spanning to senior executive for maintenance and engineering, flight, operations planning and performance, corporate security, corporate real estate, cargo and safety, before becoming vice chairman in 1998. He retired in December 2002.
Ray Goldsby, a long-time aviation industry advisor who spent much of his career working to improve MRO, died April 30. Memorials in his name can be made to the UCSF Foundation, American Aviation Historical Society and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Sabena Technics received a full support contract with Martinair Holland to support two Airbus A320s for the Dutch carrier. Contract calls for Sabena Technics to provide engineering and component support, consignment stock, line maintenance and base maintenance, including A checks and C checks. The contract could be expanded to cover up to four A320s.
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) sent its first of 15 E-6Bs to the Boeing Aerospace Support Center at Cecil Field, Fla., to receive an avionics upgrade. The mission systems and cockpit upgrades are designed to expand data processing capabilities, increase systems reliability and decrease maintenance. This first aircraft is scheduled to be completed in August, and the second E-6B will arrive at Cecil Field in July. All 15 aircraft should be modified by December 2005. The E-6B provides airborne command and control between the U.S.
Rockwell Collins received an STC for installation of its Pro Line 21 CNS radio sensor package on Challenger 601s. These sensors support the transition from voice to data communications and are lighter and smaller than the existing sensors. They can be installed as stand-alone units or as part of an integrated package.
Barry A. Dorfman & Co. unveiled a new website (www.Barrydorfman.com) that allows customers to get quotes online for raw materials such as stainless steel, titanium and aluminum in sheet, bar, plate and tubing.
A new series of compact and lightweight rigid couplings and mating machined flanges for corporate and commercial aircraft jet engine bleed air ducting is available from Voss Aerospace. Voss specifically designed the couplings as an alternative to traditional sheet metal for lightweight compact joints in tubes with diameters from one to four inches. The couplings and mating machined flanges are used with all-metal seals for various bleed air ducting joints for cabin pressurization, environmental and pneumatic operating systems.
Vendors peddling cost-saving products and solutions will be the dominant MRO theme for the 45th Paris Air Show, scheduled for June 15-22 at le Bourget. Salon International de l'Aeronautique et de l'Espace (SIAE), the show organizer, expects about the same number of attendees (306,658) and exhibitors (1,856) this year as in 2001, despite the economic downturn and lingering tensions between France and the U.S. However, based on an informal polling of companies, most were sending smaller contingencies than in the past.
Alitalia Engineering & Maintenance and Lufthansa Technik have agreed to set up a new engine overhaul joint venture that will start in July. Alitalia will have a majority stake in the JV, which will concentrate on CF6-50, CF6-80, CFM56-5 and GE90 engines. The joint venture will be housed at Alitalia's existing engine shop in Rome and will be the workbench for both parent companies, according to an Alitalia executive.
Boeing delivered components for the 67th and last WAH-64 Longbow Apache attack helicopter for the British Army Air Corps ahead of schedule on March 27. Boeing built the first eight Apaches at Mesa, Ariz., from the March 1996 2.7 billion ($4.24 billion) MoD contract and shipped to the U.K. for final assembly by the-then GKN Westland, for delivery to the AAC from March 2000. Boeing also provided partly assembled fuselages and other components for the 59 remaining WAH-64s, assembled under license by AgustaWestland for production completion by April 2004. U.K.
Lockheed Martin started a certified parts program for C-130 Hercules aircraft that will allow authorized parts manufacturers to apply a distinctive hologram on each part. ``The use of the hologram sticker became necessary with the proliferation in the market of C-130 parts with the unauthorized use of Lockheed Martin data and parts numbers,'' said David Posek, president of Lockheed Martin Aircraft & Logistics Centers. ``Recently, a number of customers have informed us that they unknowingly purchased unacceptable parts from unauthorized sources,'' he said.
