Singapore Technologies Aerospace (ST Aero) signed a seven-year, US$7.5 million agreement with AirAsia to provide rotable component management and support for five Boeing 737-300s.
Snecma Services introduced a control display unit (CDU) training device for CFM56-7B engines that is designed to simulate the CDU installed on a 737. The device, originally designed to support the CFM56-7B training course, now is available as a stand-alone product supplied on a CD-ROM. One of the advantages of this product is that it's always available on a PC, accessible anytime, to run engine fault messages and tests. It displays about 250 screens to help technicians learn how to retrieve a message and its relevant complementary information, according to its type.
FAA approved Aviation Learning's new Standard Practices courses for one-hour training credits as part of the agency's AMT awards program. FlightSafety Boeing Training International and Virgin Blue Airlines selected Brisbane, Australia for its new joint-venture training center. (FSBTI plans to change its name in the first quarter to reflect that it is now a wholly owned Boeing company.)
ASG introduced the IS-1000 line of inspection systems. They are designed to provide nondestructive methods of visually inspecting hidden solder joints. They are designed to be used to reduce field failures and detect tiny cracks, surface defects and other abnormalities. All three models include an LED light source and resolution of 330 by 350 lines. The IS-1000H system provides 130 times magnification, which makes it good for detailed component inspection, while the IS-100L system provides 70 times magnification, making it better for internally inspecting components.
The Performance Engineering Group's Thaw-Pak radiant heating and snow melting systems are designed to prevent ice and snow accumulation on hangar door rails. The system automatically detects moisture, and when it does, Thaw-Pak's non-ferrous, copper tube boilers are designed to heat a water and glycol mixture that flows through plastic tubes embedded in the concrete next to the hangar door rails. When the concrete's temperature reaches around 38 degrees Fahrenheit, the boilers and snow melting systems turn off automatically.
FAA issued notices of civil penalties to United and two other airlines for alleged maintenance violations in December. United's violation was the biggest in terms of penalty size, as FAA proposed the ailing carrier pay $805,000 for operating three Boeing 757s with improperly repaired holes in spoilers. United said it is fighting the penalty, with a spokesman noting that the problems did not threaten the plane's safety or airworthiness. FAA inspectors found that United mechanics used speed tape to repair several holes on the 757 spoilers last March.
Airbus received a renewed JAR 145 certificate on Dec. 10. This is the first certificate issued to the integrated Airbus company by DGAC, on behalf of the JAA and FAA.
Having converted four ex-airline Airbus A310s as multi-role cargo/passenger transport aircraft for the German Luftwaffe, EADS Elbe Flugzeugwerke engineering division began further adaptation in November of another two for additional air tanker roles. As multi-role tanker/transports (MRTTs), the A310s will be equipped with a hose-and-drogue air-refueling pod beneath each outer wing. Additional lower fuselage tanks will be installed for 70 to 90 metric tons of fuel, for initial deliveries after flight-development and certification, from early 2004.
Carpenter Technology's line of aerospace alloys in strip form can be used to make critical parts and components that require heat resistance up to 2,000 degrees F (1,093 degrees C), corrosion resistance and high strength. The alloys can be used for parts like fasteners, turbine blades and jet engine components. The alloy strips are 0.003 to 0.240 inches thick and 3/8 to 13.5 inches wide. Carpenter Technology, 1047 N. Park Rd., Wyomissing, PA 19610-1339
A Final Operational Clearance Recommendation (FOCR) from EADS Military Aircraft cleared the way for delivery of the first MDC F-4 kit-proof production aircraft to the Hellenic air force. EADS Military Aircraft is prime contractor for the F-4E Phantom II Avionics Upgrade Program (AUP). The hand-over of FOCR documents marked successful completion of both the second test phase in Greece, and the development, prototype modification and validation elements of the HAF's ``Peace Icarus 2000'' AUP contract No.4/97 by EADS.
TIMCO took over the Aviation Management Systems (AMS) facility at Phoenix Goodyear Airport in December, following AMS's Chapter 7 filing. A TIMCO spokesman said the company had been looking for a West Coast maintenance facility for quite a while. After AMS's bankruptcy filing, TIMCO sent a team of 30 technicians to support aircraft stuck there. It now has 35 staff in Phoenix, but it plans to expand that after reconfiguring the facility.
Venture capital companies 3i and Star Capital, together with the management of SR Technics, signed a contract with SAirGroup on Nov. 6 to buy its aircraft maintenance subsidiary SR Technics Switzerland for 425 million (US$427 million). Under the contract, SR Technics management and its workforce will have a 12% stake in the company while 3i and Star Capital take holdings of 56% and 20% respectively. Other equity partners will hold the remaining 12%. The deal is subject to approval by the Swiss and EC authorities; approval was expected by mid-January.
Textron named Steven R. Loranger executive vice president and chief operating officer, overseeing Textron's manufacturing business units as well as the corporation's information technology functions. The company also announced that Richard Millman, president of Textron Systems Corp., assumed the additional responsibility of executive in charge of Textron's Lycoming business unit.
Regional aircraft manufacturers are stepping up efforts to convert their equipment to all-cargo service as airlines park more and more turboprop aircraft. With some backing by lessors, OEMs are trying to extend the useful life of these airliners, many of which aren't flying but remain on iron-clad, long-term leases.
Flight development of the RAF's first BAE Harrier GR.7 V/STOL ground-attack fighter with an uprated Mk 107 turbofan started on Sept. 20 at Warton, in the hands of BAE test-pilot Mark Bowman. The successful initial 45-minute sortie followed the December 1999 MoD contract to replace the GR.7's original 21,500-pound thrust 11-21 Pegasus Mk 105 engine with the Mk 107 unit, similar to the Pegasus 11-61s in the U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Plus Harrier IIs.
Icelandair ordered the CTT Zonal Drying System for three of its Boeing 757-200 aircraft. The first installation of the Zonal Drying System in the Icelandair aircraft started this year. The Drying System eliminates condensation on the aircraft structure by drying out the critical area between the cabin and the aircraft skin.
Rockwell Collins appointed John W. Borghese as vice president and general manager of Kaiser Aerospace & Electronics, a Rockwell Collins company. He previously was vice president of Kaiser electronics.
Despite the awareness of human factors in the aircraft maintenance industry and the general acknowledgement that it reduces errors and accidents, few airlines and MROs have committed to full-blown programs. In Europe, there's no doubt the Joint Aviation Authorities' (JAA) Notice of Proposed Administration-12 (NPA-12) once mandated will change the way business is done forever. The JAA submitted NPA-12 to the EC for approval and Gert Litterscheidt, JAA maintenance director, believes it will be approved in this form and become law in early 2003.
The subject of cargo conversion is somewhat analogous to the aerodynamic effects of a boomerang. In your grasp, there's a flat, angular throwing club. You hurl it far into the air, only to have it return again. Such can be said about the profit potential of converting passenger airliners to freighters -- a topic that comes back for review and implementation, time and again. But this time, the urge to hurl the idea away is suppressed somewhat by several factors.
FAA's proposed timeline for implementing reduced vertical separation minimum (RVSM) standards in U.S. domestic airspace will put tremendous pressure on non-airline operators to get their equipment certified or face significant operational penalties come December 2004. That's according to several organizations that filed comments on FAA's proposed domestic RVSM (DRVSM) rule published earlier this year.
EADS Aeroframe Services, Lake Charles, La., received JAA certification to perform overhaul, maintenance and refurbishment on aircraft registered in Europe. EADS Aeroframe Services, a joint venture of EADS Sogerma Services (81%) and Northrop Grumman (19%), also is an FAA approved repair station.
Jet Aviation London Biggin Hill recently was named an approved repair station by the Civil Aviation Authority of Saudi Arabia. The new approval allows the facility to perform scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, airframe and engine repairs, avionics modifications, inspections, defect rectifications and painting on Falcon, Hawker and Gulfstream aircraft registered in Saudi Arabia.
Unison Industries appointed Michael Sanders vice president of engineering. Sanders, most recently manager of electrical control systems at GE Aircraft Engines, was a member of the Unison/GE engineering integration team following GE Engine Services' acquisition of Unison in April.
