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.
Lufthansa Technik expanded its services for Riyadh-based National Air Services with a 10-year engine and component support agreement that covers its entire fleet. It also will help NAS build up the line and light base maintenance capabilities of its new maintenance subsidiary, NAS Tech.
Electronic Cable Specialists to upgrade the internal core software of the ACARS data link management unit (DLM-900) on various Airbus A300 and A310 and McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and MD-11F models, STCs ST02866CH and ST02865CH
STS Component Solutions formed a business partnership with Aero-Instruments to distribute and sell Aero-Instruments’ air data sensors. Joint Ventures/Acquisitions
The European Commission, ICAO, IATA and the U.S. Department of Transportation signed a memorandum of understanding to create a “framework and path” toward the creation of a global safety information exchange. The four organizations will begin by reviewing the safety information each collects and selecting items “most relevant to improving safety by risk reduction.” IATA has committed to providing de-identified information from 345 airlines participating in its operational safety audit program. ICAO will coordinate the exchange.
Fokker Services helped new Dubai operator SKA Air & Logistics launch services in September with a Fokker 70 aircraft covered by its FlyFokker Take Off program for training, logistics, MRO and engineering services.
Problem: Delta Air Lines and Toshiba GE Turbine Components in Japan were having a hard time accurately measuring the dimensions of turbine blades with hand tools. Solution: ScanTek’s Maxos non-contact measuring system, distributed by NVision
Pratt & Whitney Global Service Partners signed an exclusive, five-year engine management program agreement with Air Memphis for its IAE V2500 engines. The contract includes Pratt & Whitney analysis of engine health via its Web-based Advanced Diagnostics & Engine Management tools.
The Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 will offer maintenance managers more data for understanding aircraft and keeping them flying. But exploiting this data will require expensive investments, in engineers and information technology (IT) staff and in communication linkages. Justifying this financial commitment requires that non-maintenance departments also exploit the digital aircraft.
GE Aviation held its second M601 line maintenance training course at its Cincinnati-area Customer Technical Education Center on Oct. 25 and 26. It plans to offer the course, which it launched in March, twice per year.
The European Parliament approved a new law on Sept. 21 intended to ensure the independence of air accident investigations. The new law provides that any statements taken from individuals by a safety investigator, as well as recordings from cockpit voice and image recorders and air traffic control units, will be used only for safety investigation purposes, “unless there is an overriding reason for disclosure to the judiciary.”
Lufthansa Technik Aero Alzey will provide MRO services for Air Nostrum’s Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127 turboprop engines and GE CF34-8C5 turbofan engines, in addition to onsite services at Air Nostrum’s home base in Valencia, Spain.
The first of four new-generation regional jets should make its airline debut by the end of the year, heralding a new era of super-efficient aircraft that promise to cut fuel consumption and maintenance costs significantly compared to current types. Assuming Sukhoi receives type certification for its SSJ100 Superjet from Russian aviation authorities this month, the first of these should be delivered to Aeroflot and Armavia before the end of the year. Eighteen aircraft are now in production, with six in final assembly.
Enigma and Rusada software modules will form Atitech’s new MRO planning and execution system. It will implement Enigma’s InService MRO, Job Card Generator and Revision Manager modules, with Rusada’s Envision asset management system.
Do operators of small aircraft fleets get shafted in aftermarket support? I hope not, but they do have a challenge simply due to economies of scale. While these operators may not be able to support in-house maintenance for their petite fleets, they provide great opportunities for MRO service providers that can tailor services for them.
ARC Avionics to install dual Collins DME-42 interrogator sensors (transceiver-receiver), dual antennas and 28 VDC circuit breakers on Boeing 737-200, -300 and -400 series aircraft, STC ST03861AT
As activity slowly begins to pick up in the passenger-to-freighter conversion market, the segment’s long-term outlook remains strong, with 70% of the freighters that will be needed over the next two decades expected to be conversions. In the short- to medium-term, however, the picture is less clear, particularly in the medium widebody segment, where feedstock availability and competition from purpose-built freighters continue to be significant issues.
ARC Avionics amended STC to install dual Universal Avionics UNS-1F flight management system or UNS-1Fw WAAS-capable FMS on Boeing 737-200 series aircraft, STC ST03362AT
Federal Express amended STC to install a Honeywell head-up display and a Kollsman infrared enhanced flight vision system on McDonnell Douglas MD-10-30F, MD-11 and MD-11F aircraft, STC ST03557AT
Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. is converting a Boeing 737-400 built in 1989 into an 11-pallet freighter for an undisclosed customer. The aircraft was at AEI conversion center Commercial Jet, Inc. in Miami, as of early October for heavy maintenance and freighter modification work.
TAP Maintenance & Engineering Brazil implemented an operational security management system, which it plans to deploy in four stages by December 2012. Training
