The Airbus Corporate Jet Center (ACJC) offers a VIP conversion kit for the A320 that can be installed in less than eight hours by any EASA Part 145 or approved maintenance organization. ACJC delivered the first kit to an undisclosed customer in July, and hopes to attract more attention to the product from Middle Eastern and Asian airline markets.
The chain of errors in aviation maintenance begins long before the first bolt of the day is turned, long before one shift hands over to the next. It begins when the human resources department tells a new technician: “You’re hired.” With the right people, the right results tend to follow.
Ramco Systems Canada will provide its Aviation Series 5 software to Aveos under a late November contract. The software suite includes Ramco’s financials and aviation analytics modules.
Baines Simmons brought John Anfield on board as an associate partner in charge of long-term support for its safety management system. Anfield formerly was head of civil aerospace learning and development for Rolls-Royce.
LONDON—Western European interests see air transport as key to growth in Russia, and it wants the country to improve its infrastructure so that business can expand there. “The absence of any competing surface system and structure in Russia makes regional air transport the key enabler for growth in this area,” said Mike Ambrose, director general of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA), at a conference on EU-Russia air transport issues in November.
ST Aerospace gained Chinese and Canadian approval to do passenger to freighter conversions on Boeing 757-200s—two separate supplemental type certificates developed based on its existing FAA-approved STC. ST Aerospace made no mention of who its potential Chinese and Canadian customers will be.
AJ Walter, British Airways and Iberia jointly will provide component by-the-hour and leasing support to Thomas Cook for avionics components of its 22 Airbus A320 and seven A330 family aircraft based in the U.K and Scandinavia under a five-year agreement with the potential to be renewed for three more years. Thomas Cook Airlines U.K. will send avionics components to AJ Walter, while Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia will send them to BA or Iberia. Iberia will handle A330 parts repairs, while BA will handle A320 parts repairs.
Boeing announced plans to launch a rotable parts exchange program in conjunction with the entry into service of its 787 Dreamliner, still slated for February 2011. It aims for the program to offer another alternative to GoldCare, its comprehensive maintenance package for 787 customers. The 787 Rotable Exchange Program, which it describes as a basic, entry-level-type exchange offering, is part of its strategy to set up a shared global inventory pool for customers enlisted in 787 OEM support packages.
Airline passengers and air cargo handlers may take little notice of cabin and cargo doors, but for air carriers and MROs, doors are among the more damage-prone structures on the aircraft. The impact of ground handling equipment collisions, environmental factors and aging, along with new structural safety rules coming into force in the U.S. and Europe, likely will result in more MRO resources being focused on the doors.
Pratt & Whitney Canada added Kansas Aviation as a repair and overhaul supplier for constant speed units, prop governors and oil-to-fuel heaters for a variety of engine types, including the PT6T, PT6A, JT15D, PW100, PW150, PW200, PW300 and PW500.
GE Aviation celebrated a record surpassing 100,000 flight hours for the CF6-80C2B1F turbofan engine on Lufthansa 747-400s maintained by Lufthansa Technik. Lufthansa operates a fleet of 120 CF6-80C2B1F engines, five of which have greater than 100,000 flight hours each. An additional eight engines in operation all have greater than 99,000 flight hours. Together, the fleet of Lufthansa's CF6-80C2B1F engines has achieved a grand total of 10 million flight hours.
When two airlines merge, there are some important human factors considerations for maintenance organizations. What are they? O&M put that question to Hal Heule, president of HMH Consulting, who was senior VP technical operations during the America West-US Airways merger.
Netherlands-based HKS Metals launched into the aerospace scrap metal recycling business by winning a contract to demolish used engine parts for KLM about 10 years ago. Since then, it has begun scrapping according to Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association reccomendations at its Gravendeel site close to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for all commercial aircraft. The components are fed through a 4,000-hp. shredder and reincarnated into material for furnaces and motor vehicles. www.hks.nl/
SR Technics will provide Aigle Azur Transports Aeriens with A and C checks for 12 Airbus A320 family aircraft. Work will take place at line stations at Orly, where the French regional airline is based, and at Zurich. SR Technics has completed checks in the past for Aigle Azur, which serves locations in Algeria, Mali, Morocco, Tunisia and Portugal in addition to France.
Turkish Technik is aiming for the first quarter of 2011 to begin working with Goodrich on a joint-venture company announced in July to provide nacelle and thrust reverser maintenance, and related component work, although it still has not chosen the exact location for the plant. The company, which is seeing its landing gear maintenance business provide great profits, will double its employees to 4,000-plus by 2015.
United Parcel Service Co. to install an L-3 cockpit voice recorder system including a cockpit voice recorder control panel and area microphone, STC ST03874AT
