FAA named Nicholas Sabatini as associate administrator for regulation and certification. He previously was director of FAA's Flight Standards Service. Sabatini replaces Thomas McSweeny, who retired.
Cathay Pacific Airways launched the Boeing 747-400 with Rolls-Royce engines in 1989. It also launched the Airbus A330 with the Trent 700, and the Boeing 777-300 with Trent 900s. The carrier also was responsible for 777-200 ETOPS flight testing, and launched Matsushita's inflight entertainment equipment on the 777. And currently, Cathay is demonstrating the first-ever, live, onboard Internet service on one of its A330-300s. In all, it is an impressive list of engineering accomplishments for the Hong Kong-based carrier.
Singapore Technologies Aerospace Aircraft Maintenance&Modification (AMM) business saw a (Singapore) $32 million increase in sales in the first nine months of this year, largely because its SASCO and ST Mobile Aerospace facilities grew their hangar capabilities. The company's third-quarter report also said additional component deliveries from its Component/Engine Repair&Overhaul (CERO) group resulted in $32 million in sales, and improvements in the rotables business from its Engineering&Material Services (EMS) group contributed $12 million in sales.
Affinity Solutions applied for a patent for its two-component paint touch-up kit to be used on aircraft applications. Its EZ2-PaintKit is designed to eliminate the need to mix small batches of paint, which requires cleanup and hazardous waste disposal. The kit is designed to be simple to use and be supplied with any two-part paint grade or color. Affinity Solutions, PO Box 2492, Alpine, CA 91901.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has a large in-house maintenance department, but makes significant use of third-party providers and its executives are looking to outsource more work. Of its total work volume, 38% is outsourced to third parties, 35% is done in-house and 27% is handled by ``Team ANA,'' which includes the airline and its subsidiaries (see table, p. 36).
Photograph: This Su-30KN prototype, displayed for the first time at the Moscow Air Show, incorporates basic avionics upgrades for the Russian air force. John Fricker Service flight-tests started in June of the first upgraded Russian air force (VVS) Sukhoi Su-30KN (s/n 302) multi-role combat aircraft, which first flew in March 1999. The VVS has completed about 100 initial sorties. VVS flight trials also have begun of the similarly upgraded two-seat Su-27UBM (s/n 20) combat-trainer version, formally delivered from IAPO in Irkutsk on March 6, 2001.
LanChile signed a 12-year agreement with Lufthansa Technik to supply component and spares services for the airline's 27 Airbus A340 and A320 aircraft. Lufthansa Technik's Total Component Support contract handles the whole supply chain for aircraft components, from maintenance to logistics.
The U.K.'s Defense Aviation Repair Agency (DARA) signed a contract with Eurocopter to repair and overhaul Gazelle helicopter components and structures.
B/E Aerospace acquired Denton Jet Interiors, a supplier of upholstery for business jets. The acquisition will help B/E provide a seamless procurement process for business jet seat orders.
America West is contesting the severity of fines proposed by FAA for maintenance-related violations, arguing FAA should reduce the penalties because the airline voluntarily disclosed many of the infractions, and that it was responsive to corrective actions ordered by the agency.
Air France Industries received a contract from Asiana to repair the fan thrust reversers on the airline's fleet of Boeing 747s, 767s and 737s equipped with 80 GE CF6-80 and 44 CFM International CFM56 engines.
Lockheed Martin U.K. Integrated Systems was looking for a commercial-off-the-shelf software product that would improve its internal business processes and would position it for growth opportunities. It selected Spirent Systems' AuRA maintenance, repair and overhaul software, which includes inventory management, purchase/repair order management, and vendor tracking. Lockheed Martin U.K. Integrated Systems is the prime contractor and systems integrator for the Royal Navy's Merlin Mk1 anti-submarine warfare helicopter.
Garrett Aviation Services named Harvey Ticlo vice president and general manager of the The Jet Center, Garrett's Van Nuys, Calif.-based completion center. Ticlo replaces Jim Thompson, who has been appointed to the newly created position of vice president and general manager of technology and programs.
GE Engine Services Xiamen (China) added another shareholder: Hainan Airlines Group. Other shareholders include China Eastern Airlines, Taikoo Aircraft Engineering Co. (TAECO), Xiamen Aviation Industry, and Engine Services (Asia) Investment. GE Aircraft Services Xiamen opened in June as an engine overhaul facility for CFM56 engines. In a related deal, GE Aircraft Services Xiamen will maintain the CFM56 engines that power Hainan Airlines and China Xinua Airlines aircraft, both of which are operated by Hainan Airlines Group.
CIMx signed an agreement with Bell Helicopter to provide the manufacturer with Apps software to help it collect, manage and disseminate information between its legacy computer systems and Bell's new APS (advanced planning and scheduling) applications from i2 Technologies.
O&M: Why did you move to the West Coast? Garville: We had some challenges finding people to help grow our business, especially in the New York area because New York in the last 15 or 20 years has really become a financial services marketplace. We had a hard time bringing people in and retaining them.
Gulfstream parent General Dynamics launched new product support initiatives as it continues to integrate the former Galaxy Aerospace and BBA Aviation maintenance facilities into its business jet services network. General Dynamics is applying the business and product support practices of Gulfstream Aerospace to GDAS facilities. This involves GDAS obtaining FAA authorization at all of its locations to provide maintenance for all Gulfstream aircraft, including the Gulfstream 100, Gulfstream 200 (former Galaxy airplanes) and Astras.
Advocate General of the European Court of Justice invalidated the European Commission's ruling that restricted older aircraft retrofitted with Stage 3 engines from being registered in the European Union. The Aerospace Industries Association said a final court ruling is expected by year-end and claims the court usually accepts the Advocate General's ruling.
Rolls-Royce contracted Aviation Learning to develop and market CD-ROM and Internet-based training products for its customers. The first product resulting from the agreement is the ``Borescope Inspection for the AE3007 Series Engine'' course, which provides three hours of interactive instruction online. The course includes component overviews, inspection video, procedures and quizzes. The Rolls-Royce training materials for the Dart, Tay, Spey, Trent and AE3007 engines can be found at www.aviationlearning.com.
Ontic Engineering and Manufacturing hired Jan Hiszpanski as director of engineering. He has extensive experience in engineering design, analysis and manufacturing of aerospace accessories.
Rockwell Collins introduced Collins eFlight, a high-speed data communications capability that is designed to improve situational awareness, productivity and connectivity for pilots of business and regional aircraft.
Embraer received the first upholstered seats from B/E Aerospace for its new Legacy business jet. Embraer named B/E Aerospace as its preferred seat supplier for this aircraft.
Critical Research launched a Internet-centric software for optimizing manufacturing aftermarket sales and service. It features interactive XML and 2D/3D and CAD data to help maintenance companies diagnose problems, improve parts ordering, quicken repair, track maintenance and ultimately speed turnaround times. Critical Research, a German-based company, launched the software in the U.S. on Sept. 4.
