Aircraft Technical Publishers (ATP) introduced an international regulatory library that contains FAA, ICAO and JAA aviation maintenance regulations. The library is available on DVD and CD-ROM for an annual subscription.
Eleven U.S. airlines are using some $3.3 million in FAA grant money in a pilot program to test cabin video surveillance and other security enhancements that, if found effective, may become mandatory. Meanwhile, the first so-called Phase II cockpit door kits are also are being shipped and U.S. airlines are scrambling to meet FAA's mandate of having them fleet-wide by April 9, 2003.
Pratt&Whitney Canada received Transport Canada and FAA type certification for its new PW306C engine and expects to soon receive JAA certification. The engine manufacturer also announced it selected DynCorp to produce installation kits for the UH-1 Huey engine upgrade program. The kits will provide a turnkey installation, kitting and support package that upgrades the helicopters with PT6C-67D engines.
Assuming growth returns to air transport this winter as expected, the need for better aircraft will remain, with designers focusing on cost and reliability criteria. So how will these aircraft be made and, for those in MRO, what concessions will be made to people who maintain them?
Goodrich completed FAA certification testing of its Universal Transient Suppression Device at Southwest Airlines. The FAA certification covers 737 Classic models that are equipped with either Goodrich analog or digital fuel quantity indicating systems.
ARINC Engineering Services developed modular transport pallets for the U.S. Air Force that are designed to quickly convert a standard cargo aircraft into a high-capacity air ambulance. The pallets, called Aeromedical Pallet System, feature a rigid aluminum pallet that carries up to eight patients who are belted into seats or strapped into standard NATO medical litters. The pallet locks to the aircraft floor. Depending on the aircraft size, up to 18 pallets can be installed. ARINC Engineering Services, 2551 Riva Rd., Annapolis, MD 21401-7465
DPI Labs offers a peer-to-peer (P2P) cabin management system that allows computers and processors to work without a central server computer. It requires fewer components and wiring than conventional systems, so the wiring weight alone can be two-thirds less than a client-server-based cabin management system. In addition, the modular system is designed to be easier to maintain so if one part breaks, the whole system does not become inoperable. The P2P systems also are easier to install and can be tested and configured with a laptop.
Honeywell and Rohde&Schwarz released a new aviation communication radio, the M3AR, that operates on both civilian VHF (very high frequency) and military UHF (ultra high frequency) bands. It can be used in the U.S., Europe and other regions, according to Rohde&Schwarz. The M3AR radio meets European requirements for 8.33 kiloHertz channel spacing and immunity from strong commercial FM broadcast transmitters. It also includes electronic protective measures to secure speech and data transfer.
United Airlines named Peggy Dedo vice president-engineering and technical support at its Maintenance Operations Center in San Francisco. A 33-year United employee, Dedo will lead the carrier's 700 engineers at maintenance centers in Indianapolis, Oakland and San Francisco. She succeeds James E. Keenan, who left the company.
SpaceRak's Selective pallet rack system is designed to accommodate almost any combination of size and capacity required. Upright frames are 50,000-psi steel with one-piece welded construction for strength and rigidity, and beams are made of continuous-welded tubular construction. Replaceable safety locks are made to prevent accidental beam dislodgement. The company also offers several decking options and accessories. SpaceRak, 2420 Wills, PO Box 249, Marysville, MI 48040
Sierra Industries and Garrett Aviation Services signed an agreement to re-engine the Citation 500/501SP series aircraft with Williams/Rolls FJ44-2A engines. Garrett estimates there are 400 candidate aircraft for the reengining program and predicts it can complete 10 to 12 modifications per year.
CFM announced its CFM56-3 Time On Wing upgrade package received FAA and French Direction Generale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC) certification. Launch customer Southwest Airlines will take delivery of the first 50 kits this year. In addition, CFM began full-scale testing of its CFM56-5B engine equipped with an acoustic upgrade package. The manufacturer plans to offer the upgrade to customers in 2003. CFM also announced that the U.S. Air Force bought 24 more CFM56-2 engines worth $120 million to re-engine six RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft.
Beta Transformer developed a Mil-Std-1553 pulse transformer series called MLP-2000, which is a surface-mount package with an 0.185-inch maximum height and is designed to provide a 70% reduction in board space compared to Mil-PRF-21038/27 QPL listed surface-mount pulse transformers. The transformer is designed to operate in temperatures ranging from -55 degrees to 105 degrees C. It is available in five-, 12- and 15-volt turn-ratios. It can be used with Mil-Std-1553 drivers, receivers and transceivers.
Maltese flag carrier Air Malta and Lufthansa Technik (LHT) are launching a new joint venture company, Lufthansa Technik Malta, based at Malta`s Luqa International Airport. Air Malta will hold a 49% a stake in the company and provide technical personnel and facilities. Current capacity will allow the new company to run two lines for C check and modification work, with both having the flexibility to handle a mix of Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s including Next-Generation variants.
Innotech-Execair Aviation Group opened a facility in Toronto that will be a Cessna Citation service center for maintaining all Citation models. It is one of 24 authorized Citation service centers in the world.
Garrett Aviation received an STC for Cessna Citation 560 (serial numbers 259 and lower) RVSM certification. Garrett received RVSM STCs earlier this year for later-model Citation 500s, 501s, 550s and 551s.
Enigma is launching a new version of its 3C web-based architecture supply chain management solution, Version 8, this month that features integrated CD, Internet and wireless delivery; advanced search capabilities; dynamic content filtering; automatic link creation; full printing capability and better data conversion techniques. John Snow, Engima vice president of marketing, said Version 8 represents about three years of development, and he believes this product will be competitive for about four years.
Abaris Training modified a few of its hands-on composite repair courses to address Qantas' need for Airbus- and Boeing-specific repair procedures. Abaris completed a two-week course for Boeing procedures and delivered four weeks of courses to satisfy the airline's Airbus-specific training.
Completion of second-phase flight-testing of the prototype F-4E Phantom, which is being upgraded for the Hellenic air force (HAF) with new digital avionics and mission systems by the Military Aircraft division of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space (EADS) company is ending (O&M May 2001). Work on the HAF's ``Peace Icarus 2000'' F-4 avionics modernization program, based on a similar Luftwaffe Improved Combat Efficiency (ICE) upgrade, was started in 1997 at Manching, Germany.
Euravia Engineering&Supply Co. in Lancashire, England, received FAA repair station approval. Euravia already has JAR 145, ISO 9001, NATA, NAMSA and U.K. MOD approvals.
Pemco Aviation Group named Phillip Panzera president of its manufacturing and component group. He most recently served as chief financial officer and then executive vice president of Hawker Pacific Aerospace.
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Norton Radomes announced that Dan Orwig, its quality assurance manager, became an FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR). Orwig, a 14-year employee with the company, has been a Designated Manufacturing Inspection Representative since 1989.
By all standards, America West Airlines was a woeful place to work in the mid-1990s. Employees, and more than a few passengers, derisively nicknamed the airline America's Worst. On-time arrival figures pegged the carrier at the bottom of the list, and it had been fined more than $5 million by the FAA for maintenance violations.
