The avionics maintenance industry is booming. Installations are piling up and radios with the latest displays are back-ordered up to six months. Good times, however, also are exacerbating industry problems, according to attendees at the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) convention held in Atlanta.
The Americas A&S Helicopters Inc. Steven Bortscheller, Owner&Pres. 17 Omni Dr., Cahokia, IL 62206 Phone: 618-337-2600; Fax: 618-337-2601 Employees: 5; Facility size (sq. ft.) 6,000 Airframes Serviced: All models of Bell, Robinson and Hiller helicopters; Boeing 500 series Capabilities: AOG; line maintenance; NDT; painting/stripping; Inventory mgmt.; maintenance mgmt. Regulatory Approvals: FAA SI2R162L A.O.G. Inc. Robert J. Eicher, Chrm.
Colder Products Co. introduced its APC Series couplings, made of Acetal plastic and available with automatic shut-off valves to prevent spills during disconnection. Couplings were designed for use in difficult fluid-handling operations, such as cooling lines and lubricant lines. APC Series couplings have 1/4-in. nominal flow capacity and feature patented thumb latch for intuitive operation and audible click to verify secure, leak-free connections. Automatic shut-off couplings feature a shrouded clip to protect against accidental disconnects.
Perhaps the most important tenet Mike Rioux brought to commercial aviation from a 20-year Navy career was the need for teamwork. ``You can't work in a vacuum,'' he says. ``You can't solve a problem by yourself. You have to utilize the expertise and resources available . . . work cooperatively with your industry and government partners, agree on direction and on strategies if you are going to deal with very difficult issues.'' And, he adds, ``If you want to be successful in this business, all the parties have to work together.''
STS Avanex Industrial Lubricant provides heavy-duty lubrication and protects industrial parts and equipment from harsh and corrosive environments. Product has flashpoint of 140 deg. F and above, uses a non-flammable propellant, contains no CFCs and is non-ozone depleting, and is safe for use on most plastics and metals. Container features 360 deg. invertible valve for all-angle spraying. Lubricant prevents corrosion of metals and other substrates in use or in storage, both indoors and out.
Also in this issue, you'll find Part I of the second annual O&M Guide to MRO Companies Worldwide. Unlike last year, when we published Part I in the spring and Part II in the fall, the two halves of 1999's O&M Guide will appear in consecutive issues of the magazine to ensure more up to date information and so the product as a whole will be more useful.
Originally conceived in the mid-1960s as a supersonic advanced trainer and light ground-attack aircraft, the Anglo/French Jaguar was developed and produced by the British Aircraft Corp. (later British Aerospace) and Breguet Aviation (later taken over by Dassault) through the joint SEPECAT organization from the Breguet 121, designed for NATO's late 1950s Lightweight Tactical Strike-Fighter competition.
Lockheed Martin and Israel's Elbit Systems have teamed to pursue avionics upgrade opportunities for C-130 aircraft. Separately, Elbit has agreed to acquire privately held International Enterprises, Talladega, Ala., which repairs, maintains and provides logistics support for military electronics on aircraft and ships.
Dassault Aviation will open a new general aviation service center at the under-construction Athens International Airport scheduled to open in 2001. The business jet service center will be built with assistance from Hellenic Aerospace Industry and Aeroservices S.A. The facility will serve southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, and is scheduled to open in about two years.
EDO Corp.'s EDO Fiber Science unit received FAA approval for its newly designed Boeing 747-400 external air/water separator for vacuum waste tanks. Unit removes moisture from air exiting vacuum waste tanks during flush cycles, preventing waste moistures from collecting on the aircraft exterior and causing ``blue ice.'' EDO's new product is mounted outside the waste tank, saving maintenance workers from having to reach in waste tanks to repair or replace the separator, making replacement easier, faster and more sanitary. EDO Fiber Science, 506 N.
FLS Aerospace will perform heavy maintenance on the worldwide fleet of aircraft owned and managed by GE Capital Aviation Services. The annually renewable contract covers all types for which FLS holds heavy maintenance approvals, and will include work at FLS' Stansted and Manchester facilities. Also, FLS Aerospace signed five-year contract to provide all A and C checks for Virgin Sun's fleet of Airbus A320s.
With markets that are expected to grow as much as 10% annually over the next few years, MRO is an alive and thriving business in Asia. Established MRO providers in Hong Kong, China and Singapore are attracting business from North American and European airlines hoping to take advantage of the region's lower labor cost per hour.
Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) named Richard Higgins, who is vice president maintenance, engineering and publications for Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, chairman of AIA's commercial customer support committee.
AlliedSignal and Honeywell signed a definitive merger agreement that, if it withstands government scrutiny, will see AlliedSignal acquire Honeywell in an all-stock transaction worth roughly $14 billion. The merged company will have annual revenues of $25 billion. Aerospace will be the company's largest single business segment, with approximately $10 billion in revenue.
Rockwell Collins President Clayton M. Jones has been appointed to the Policy Board of the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA), a private, not-for-profit organization that addresses requirements and technical concepts for aviation.
Rockwell Collins named Neal J. Keating vice president and general manager of Rockwell Collins Passenger Systems. Steven J. Piller has been named to succeed Keating as vice president and general manager of Rockwell Collins Air Transport Systems.
Lista International introduced the Storage Wall Roller Shelf, designed to be used within Lista's modular Storage Wall system. Constructed with standard conveyor rollers, roller shelf allows items to glide on and off shelves easily, for safer, more ergonomic storage. Available in standard and shallow depths, product is useful for storage of dies, molds and other heavy equipment and parts. Shelf positions can be adjusted in 1-in. increments; shelves have 770-lb. load capacity. Lista International, 106 Lowland St., Holliston, MA 01746.
Boeing and Aviation Partners plan to form a joint venture to offer retrofit winglets for Boeing 7-series transports. Boeing said the composite winglets increase mileage by about 6% during long-range cruise. The first aircraft to apply for FAA approval likely will be the 737, because test flights already have been performed on the 737-derivative Boeing Business Jet. Retrofit cost is estimated at $900,000.
Assistance of a U.S. partner is being sought by the Israeli Defense Ministry for disposal of surplus spares, powerplants and equipment, valued at over $1 billion, for aircraft no longer operated by the IDF/AF, including A-4 Skyhawks and early- model F-4 Phantoms. Selection of a U.S. industrial company for this project is expected later this year, as part of Defense Ministry plans for privatizing much of the IDF/AF's logistic support organization.
Turbomeca Engine Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding with Keystone Helicopters to acquire Keystone's engine repair and overhaul division. Keystone will remain at its West Chester, Pa. location and its 21 employees will become Turbomeca employees. Transaction is expected to be completed by the end of August.
As air cargo shipments continue to expand, a growing number of operators are seeing a need to deploy more capable aircraft into markets that cannot justify the capacity of even the smallest traditional cargo jets such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 or Boeing 727. In addition, many markets are served by airports that cannot accommodate large jets due to limitations in runway length or local noise restrictions.
Dallas Airmotive and Stage III Technologies completed a test on a Rolls-Royce Spey 511-8 hushkit that showed no difference in operational parameters between the engine with or without hushkit. FAA noise certification of the modified engines on board Gulfstream II aircraft is scheduled for July.
