Since 2007, Baines Simmons Americas has surveyed more than 2,000 maintenance technicians across North and South America to assess risk tolerance and safety culture. In May 2010, the consultancy set out to get management’s perspective on the same questions. Via its monthly newsletter, it invited more than 1,800 people to participate in an abbreviated version of its standard assessment. Roughly 330 managers and senior managers participated.
Emirates Current Fleet: 153 (146 passenger and seven cargo, five of which are wet leased) Employees: Around 3,350 in engineering Facilities: Dubai Engineering Technical Center has seven hangar bays (all Airbus A380 capable), one A380-capable paint facility, one engine run pen, nine parking bays, plus overhaul workshops, a supply center, training facility and offices; an engine test cell around 40 km. from DXB has capability on engines up to 150,000 lb. thrust. Square footage: Approximately 250,000 sq. meters
Rolls-Royce and British Airways completed contracts for Trent 900 and Trent 1000 engines to power up to 61 new widebodies. The order, originally announced in September 2007 and worth in excess of $5 billion at list prices if all options are exercised, is for Trent 900 engines to power 12 Airbus A380s (with seven options) and Trent 1000 engines to power 24 Boeing 787 aircraft, with 18 options. Both of the contracts include TotalCare long-term support agreements. British Airways is one of nine customers that have selected the Trent 900 for the Airbus A380.
Chromalloy principal engineer Steve Schultz received special delegation from the U.S. FAA as a repair specification designated engineering representative (DER). Schultz received DER appointment in 1996, and has approved hundreds of repairs since then.
BusinessObjects. AJ Walter Aviation awarded its annual maintenance management scholarship to Yassine Herraz, maintenance planning and packaging manager at Royal Air Maroc. Herraz will attend the City University London’s MSc in aircraft maintenance management program with AJW sponsorship. IT
PAS Technologies added Dennis Orzel as COO, reporting to President and CEO Phil Milazzo. Orzel most recently was president of Triumph Aerostructures Vought Integrated Programs division. PAS Technologies also brought Robert Suhs onboard as director of business development, reporting to Mark Greene, VP of sales and marketing. Prior to joining PAS Technologies, Suhs was a sales executive for Delta Air Lines TechOps; he also has held management positions at Honeywell Aerospace and Sermatech International. Airframes
As both an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and aftermarket service provider, Sargent Aerospace & Defense has a unique advantage in creating high-value repairs. In late November, Sargent announced that its new, 70,000-sq.-ft. facility in Tucson, Ariz., set to open in March, will launch a new product introduction (NPI) department.
LONDON—The number of fatal air accidents and passenger fatalities increased in 2010, according to figures released by Ascend. The company recorded 28 fatal accidents in 2010, compared to 23 in 2009—a 22% increase. Additionally, the rate at which fatal accidents occurred rose from around one per 1.5 million flights in 2009 to one per 1.3 million flights last year.
Constant Aviation brought Kevin Dillon onboard as VP operations at its Birmingham, Ala., facility. Dillon joins Constant Aviation from his most recent position as managing director at Avantair; prior to that, he managed sales and acquisitions for Flight Options.
CFM International and Air China finalized a joint venture agreement established in 2007 to set up Sichuan Services Aero Engines Maintenance Co. in Chengdu.
TeamSAI M&E Solutions expanded its technical services support for World Airways. In addition to reliability and maintenance program support, TeamSAI M&E Solutions will provide all engineering functions and responsibilities including liaison and operational support, on-wing powerplant engineering, modification programs, reliability improvement, configuration management and service bulletin evaluation.
Much to my chagrin, I spotted an error in our January issue about two minutes after opening it. I bristled and wondered how this could have happened—especially in my editor’s message! This is the only mistake I found in the issue, thankfully, but my disappointment made me backtrack. How could it have happened? Voilà, it was human factors error. I was rushed and facing a deadline, subject to the same pressures that weigh on airlines and MROs as they hurry to get aircraft back up in the air!
Turkish Technic signed agreements with Yakutia Airlines for one Boeing 737NG C check and one 737NG A check to be performed in Istanbul. It also grew its work for OrenAir with two Boeing 737-800 C check and painting contracts, plus a VSV bushing replacement on two CFM International CFM56-7B engines and one 737-500 landing gear set overhaul; Turkish Technic provided six C checks, several mod applications and engine/APU removal/installation services to Orenair in 2010.
ST Aerospace was picked by Guggenheim Aviation Partners to perform a passenger-to-passenger/cargo or combi conversion on a Boeing 757-200 aircraft for TNT Airways. The conversion is ST Aerospace’s first 757-200 combi conversion on a commercial aircraft. To complete it, ST Aerospace will obtain FAA and EASA STCs based on its existing FAA-approved STC for 757-200 passenger-to-freighter conversion work. ST Aerospace says it has redelivered 50 converted 757-200 freighters to date, with a backlog of 56 aircraft.
New market forces are shaping the once-staid realm of cabin interiors, sparking a slew of new services and product offerings. Boeing 787 delivery delays and the yet-to-fly A350 have created a bit of a cabin chasm for carriers. “They’re facing the need to find alternatives before their [current crop] of aircraft are replaced,” says Jean-Jacques Michel, senior VP of engineering and aircraft modification for Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance. “They’re in a situation where some of [their present] kitting becomes totally obsolete.”
Rockwell Collins amended STC to install in-seat equipment provisions for a Rockwell Collins video entertainment system on Boeing 747-400 series aircraft, STC ST01549LA
When the European Aviation Safety Agency made its latest data available in 2009, passenger fatalities were just 0.01 per 100 million miles flown—roughly the same as 2008 numbers and one of the best safety records in air travel history. However, the agency goes on to warn that the percentage of accidents involving ramp/ground handling events is on the rise.
Communications Software (Airline Systems) Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore-based FD Aviation, which will market and sell Commsoft’s Oases software to aircraft operators in Asia. Commsoft in turn will support FD Aviation and its customers, working toward a joint support framework.
The little engines that start, assist and sometimes replace propulsion engines are taking on many of the characteristics of their on-wing brethren. Auxiliary power units are becoming more reliable, thriftier with fuel and more environmentally friendly. Furthermore, APU maintenance increasingly follows wing-engine practices, covered by maintenance contracts from manufacturers and guided by sophisticated analysis of sensor data.
MTU Maintenance Hannover extended its contract with TAM Airlines to cover 57 additional IAE V2500 engines powering Airbus A320 aircraft. The contract is expected to earn an additional $653 million by 2019.
