Here’s a wake-up call to the maintenance industry: More than half of all maintenance managers in a May 2010 Baines Simmons Americas survey* think their employees complete jobs despite the non-availability of specified tools or equipment. Another 16% said they believe their employees have signed off for uncompleted work due to limited time or resources. And one in 10 managers admitted their line supervisors would approve a mechanic’s actions if he didn’t follow procedures in order to get an aircraft out.
Air Works India Engineering expanded its line maintenance services to Trichy International Airport—its second location after Bengaluru International Airport. It plans to add a third facility at a non-metro airport in South India.
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.
Avionics Support Group amended STC to install an International Communications Group ICS-220A iridium satcom system in Boeing 747-400/-400F series aircraft, STC ST03700AT
Want to take one big step toward improving safety? Make that step onto the hangar floor to talk with technicians, and make it regularly. Don’t just show your face, warns Ann Rhoades, formerly chief people officer for Southwest Airlines and author of Built on Values (Jossey-Bass, 2011). “Like a doctor who never has time to listen to the nurses or the patients, you can do more harm than good by ‘jogging’ your way through this exercise,” says Rhoades. “People need to know that you’re listening. Yes, take notes. And, yes, get back to people with answers.”
Russia’s aging fleet of Tupolev Tu-154B tri-jets have been grounded by Russian transport authorities following a fire on a Kolavia aircraft at Surgut on Jan. 1, that killed three people onboard. The aircraft carrying 116 passengers and eight crew was due to operate Flight 7K348 from Surgut to Moscow Domodedovo but caught fire after starting its engines. More than 40 people were treated for injuries. The 27-year-old aircraft was completely destroyed by the fire, but the cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders were recovered from the wreckage.
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
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.
Snaky Creek Enterprises dba Spectrum Aeromed amended STC to install an air ambulance conversion on Airbus A319-133 and A321-232 aircraft, STC ST02340CH
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.
StandardAero signed a 10-year agreement with Rex Regional Express subsidiary Pel-Air Aviation, covering maintenance services for its Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42 turboprop engines. The contract allows for an optional two-year extension.
A little-publicized proposed policy clarification of the term “actively engaged” is raising alarms among hundreds of mechanics and others who believe that it could strip away their inspection authorization (IA) authority. Close to 800 commenters weighed in on the clarification before the FAA’s comment period for it closed. FAA released the proposed clarification in early November, saying it is designed to clear up confusion among aviation safety inspectors (ASI) as they evaluate applications for IAs.
Timco Aerosystems offers a new overhead stowage compartment for life rafts on Boeing 737NG and Boeing 757 aircraft. The product was first developed for a U.S. airline that was required to install life rafts when it added new overseas routes. Jeff Luedeke, Timco’s VP sales and marketing, says that retrofitting narrowbodies with Timco’s overhead storage bins is an easy option for airlines starting to fly smaller aircraft on short overseas routes.
Back in 2007, a group of forward thinkers at Eurocontrol raised a question: Could air traffic control safety be improved through better information sharing? They thought that if controllers across Europe had universal access to best practices, investigation results, solutions to common problems and other safety-related ATC information, it would create a safer operating environment.
Emirates had a great 2010. How does it plan to invest in maintenance and engineering moving forward? Lachlan: Emirates’ fleet growth is very exciting. It’s going to be very challenging for everyone, not only engineering. What we have done to try to cope with the fleet growth is: we run our five-year rolling maintenance planning needs and resource requirements based on the fleet growth, and that allows us to plan for success in supporting the needs of the business.
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.
CFM International and Air China finalized a joint venture agreement established in 2007 to set up Sichuan Services Aero Engines Maintenance Co. in Chengdu.
