Like Boeing, Airbus Service Co. (ASCO), the parts and services subsidiary of the European airframer, also operates a modern training facility in Miami, where it trains personnel from all North American Airbus operators and the vast majority of crews from Latin American carriers taking delivery of new or newly leased A320s, A330s or A340s.
US Airways' board of directors approved construction of a new $10 million hangar in Charlotte to accommodate overnight maintenance of aircraft. The 46,000-sq. ft. facility will be constructed next to existing hangar facilities used for heavy maintenance. Completion is set for early 2001.
Lufthansa Technik (LHT) received an order from a Mideast head of state to acquire, complete and deliver a VIP Boeing 747-400, a contract valued at $300 million. LHT called the contract ``a first-of-its-kind all-inclusive program'' that covers aircraft procurement, writing of system specifications, supervision of manufacturing and overseeing of modifications and completion.
Lufthansa Technik delivered the second Airbus A319CJ it has completed and its fifth Executive Jet overall. The A319CJ, which was completed two weeks ahead of schedule, was delivered to the Italian government.
GERMANY-BASED ENGINE COMPONENT MANUFACTURER and engine repair and overhauler MTU was not included in the consolidation that created European aerospace giant EADS. Rather than being rolled up into EADS, MTU was placed directly under DaimlerChrysler. ``Being released from DASA means we have to create our own face,'' according to Dr. Klaus Steffens, president and CEO of MTU.
Crane Aerospace named Martin Baillargeon regional business manager for Canada. He most recently served as North American customer liaison engineer for Intertechnique.
Dunlop Aviation Services (DAS) has moved its main wheel and tire repair shop from London Heathrow Airport to the company's Coventry, U.K., headquarters. The move will increase working space by 50%, DAS said.
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft and West Air Sweden launched a jointly funded passenger-to-freighter conversion program for the ATP regional turboprop. Cargo carrier West Air Sweden has acquired six ATPs and has options on three more. Also, BAE Systems agreed to purchase Lockheed Martin's aerospace electronics systems business for $1.67 billion.
Airinmar signed a five-year agreement to provide component and overhaul services in support of BAE Systems' BAe 146, Avro RJ/RJX, Jetstream 31/32/41, HTP and HS748 aircraft.
AAS Landing Gear Services named Pablo Prieto president and Jay Palmer vice president of sales. Prieto most recently was president and general manager of Menasco Aerospace; Palmer was vice president of marketing for Cleveland Pneumatic Co.
BFGoodrich Aerospace had a very active Farnborough Air Show, signing several multi-year landing-gear support contracts, as well as deals to provide airframe MRO and completion services, nacelle construction and support, and wheels and brakes services. The highly diversified aerospace company's Everett, Wash.-based MRO division announced the opening of its new 90,000-sq. ft. VIP completion center along with two multi-million-dollar deals for the facility.
Smiths Industries Leland Electrosystems won a $6.6 million firm-fixed-price order under an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to repair 462 electric engine starters and provide 65 spares for AH-1W Cobra helicopters. Work will be performed in Vandalia, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by July 2003. The Naval Inventory Control Point, Philadelphia, Pa., awarded the deal.
Argentina awarded a five-year contract to Lockheed Martin to continue to provide maintenance support for Argentine Air Force aircraft. LM will build 12 Pampa jet trainers as part of the bargain.
Orenda Aerospace Corp. and National Flight Services have formed Orenda National Aerospace LLC, a joint venture to overhaul gas turbine engine components at Glendale, Ariz.
As the aviation e-commerce industry has taken shape over the course of the year, the noisiest entries have come largely from the big OEMs or their proxies, and second-level spare parts suppliers under those schemes have been at the mercy of those at the top. In addition, the little guys -- comprising 80% of aviation parts suppliers -- have been shut out technologically from the e-commerce/electronic data interchange (EDI) world.
The Nordam Group named several new division vice presidents, including: Donald ``Dick'' Clark vice president of the Nordam Repair Division; Ron Richman vice president of the Nordam Manufacturing Division; and Andrew Altendorf vice president of World Aviation Associates. The company also named Meredith Siegfried manager of international operations for the repair division.
After three months of relative quiet on the aerospace e-commerce front, a number of developments bubbled to the surface at mid-summer, with several announcements timed to coincide with Farnborough International 2000 in late July. For instance, the Boeing et al, global exchange now has a name (Exostar, see box); MyAircraft, now minus the dot-com, has a new partner (BFGoodrich); and Aerospan began beta testing with a major, but unidentified, airline.
Alaska Airlines appointed Brian Hirshman staff vice president for maintenance, where he will have oversight for all airline maintenance. He was formerly senior operations manager of Northwest Airlines' DC-10 hangar operations in Minneapolis.
Wahl Instruments, Inc. introduced its new DHS 150 XEL Heat-Spy laser-sighted, hand-held non-contact infrared thermometer. The new unit measures temperatures from -26 deg. F to 932 deg. F and has an extended spectral range of 8 to 14 micrometers, making it well-suited for use in environments high in CO2, steam or water vapor. Unit includes main backlit display switchable from Celsius to Fahrenheit readings and a smaller display for maximum, minimum and average values. Unit features a 10:1 distance-to-spot ratio and emissivitiy can be adjusted from 0.2 to 1.0.
Pratt&Whitney signed a 12-year, $110 million fleet management agreement with American Eagle and its affiliate Executive Airlines for their ATR turboprop aircraft.
CEC Vibration Products Division of Sensortronics Inc. has introduced the 1-890 multipurpose vibration switch. This digital vibration switch can monitor machines and provide local or remote indication of machine faults. System includes two built-in level alarms, LCD display and calibrated 4-20 mA output proportional to input. System includes 30-sec. startup delay and alarm reset initiated via remote input Three-digit display indicates current vibration level.
