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.
Boeing released its 2002 Current Market Outlook report at Farnborough and predicted the commercial aviation support services market will be worth about $3.1 trillion during the next 20 years.
Barnes Aerospace appointed Lawrence Falco division manager of its APEX manufacturing division. He most recently was division manager for the company's ceramics division.
Jet Aviation Dusseldorf became an authorized service center for the Raytheon Premier I aircraft, which allows it to perform heavy and scheduled line maintenance, airframe maintenance and engine repair on the business jet.
Commercial aviation is a creature of cycles, of fiscal thermals thrown off by an ever-changing economy. The people who pilot the spare parts business understand this. They've weathered the rough air, witnessed Braniff, Pan Am and Eastern fall from the heavens. Parts people kept plowing ahead, adjusting to the market through tried-and-true techniques: buying low, selling dear.
Swiss International Airlines will likely end up with an equity stake in SR Technics (SRT) when the MRO giant is sold off by SAirGroup, Swiss CEO Andre Dose said. SAirGroup in mid-June was reviewing five bids for SRT. Dose would not discuss specifics, but he confirmed that each bidder had talked to Swiss about equity participation and the airline's recently struck deal with SRT. ``After all, we are their biggest customer,'' he said. SRT in late March won a deal to do maintenance on Swiss' 52 mainline aircraft, including Airbus A320s, A330s and A340s.
FAA, responding to concerns expressed by a group of American Airlines Airbus A300-600 pilots, said in late April that the visual inspections recommended by both Airbus and Boeing for checking composite vertical fins are sufficient for detecting damage that could compromise a plane's airworthiness. FAA's position, outlined in a letter signed by certification director John Hickey, is that composite structures are ``designed and certified with an appropriate, intended inspection method.''
AVEXUS launched a Federal Systems Division in a Maryland suburb outside of Washington, D.C. to support its existing government customers and expand its customer based within the U.S. Navy and Air Force, in addition to looking for other capital asset-intensive defense and civilian customers. In addition, Avexus opened a U.K. office in Guildford, Surrey, to market its products to the European community, where Avexus already has clients such as GE Caledonian and Astrium. John Wolfenden will serve as managing director Europe.
Mask-Off Co. offers the Protex line of coating products designed to protect various parts of an aircraft from scratches during maintenance or painting. For example, Protex 10VS is a 10-mil thick latex saturated paper with an exterior vinyl coat for abrasion resistance that can protect interior wood from being scratched or nicked. The Protex 10VS is coated with a
Northwest Airlines and Pinnacle Airlines, a Northwest Airlink carrier formerly known as Express Airlines I, completed a 55,000-square-foot maintenance repair and overhaul facility in Knoxville, Tenn. The facility can house four Canadair Regional Jets.
National Flight Services promoted Dan Poling to aircraft and service manager for its Toledo, Ohio maintenance operation. He started his career with the company as an A&P.
Aerodyne Ulbrich Alloys received AS9100:2001 aerospace quality management system standard. The company supplies stainless steel, nickel alloy and titanium shapes to aviation companies.
Honeywell added an engine troubleshooting service for the TFE731 engine called Spotlight to its e-Engine internet site. Spotlight is a software system that uses field service reports, maintenance manuals and troubleshooting experience to lead users to the most likely fixes to maintenance problems they're experiencing. All MSP operators started having access to the service in June.
Logbook Organizer released its new Internet-based aircraft maintenance tracking system called S.M.A.R.T. (system maintenance aviation record tracking). Users can project maintenance for an entire fleet or an individual aircraft, automate weight and balance changes, track equipment lists and monitor engine trends. A report also can show an aircraft's annual labor and material costs. The system is automatically backed up on the Internet so users don't have to worry about lost logbooks. Signatures are secured by maintenances entry number, date and serial number.
While the U.S. military pursues funds to acquire state-of-the-art training aircraft, there are older systems that aren't going away anytime soon. In the Navy, an exemplary case in point is the T-39, which is undergoing an aggressive modification program involving major structural and avionics upgrades to assure an indefinite service life.
Precision Aircraft Components moved into its 11,600-square-foot facility in Palm City, Fla., which will house its design, engineering and custom interior fabrication products for corporate jets. The new company will start delivering its various interior aircraft products in August.
Wall Colmonoy added coating, vacuum furnace brazing and heating treating capabilities to its services. The additional coatings primarily are used to protect metals from corrosion, abrasion and erosion. Thermal-spray coating technologies include HVOF, plasma, combustion and wire arc. Wall Colmonoy Corp., 30261 Stephenson Hwy., Madison Heights, MI 48071
Aviation Suppliers Association (ASA) petitioned FAA to extend maintenance and manufacturing Designated Airworthiness Representative's (DAR) authority to sign 8130-3 tags for parts held at FAA AC 00-56 accredited distributors.
