Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) named Robin Beard chairman of AIA's International Council. Beard is president and CEO of Raytheon's Washington corporate operations and president of Raytheon International.
Lucas Aerospace will supply Boeing 747 passenger-to-freighter conversion kits to Cargo Conversions LLC, formerly GATX-Airlog. Agreement could bring Lucas $250 million over 10 years.
Honeywell Space&Aviation Control is consolidating its Air Transport and Business&Commuter Aviation into a unified Commercial Aviation Systems unit. Mike Smith, former Business&Commuter VP and general manager, will be president.
Eagle One Aviation, LLC named Donnie Brown president and COO of its FAR Part 145 repair station. Brown has 35 years of large aircraft maintenance experience with TWA/Saudia, General Dynamics, Chrysler Technologies and Matrix Aeronautica.
The number of airlines using Boeing's Portable Maintenance Aid (PMA) more than doubled in 1998, Boeing said. By the end of December, 95 airlines were using the digital tool, up from 47 at the beginning of the year. PMA puts a technical library of maintenance information into a laptop computer that technicians can carry directly to airplanes. PMA includes the aircraft maintenance manual, illustrated parts catalog and other information for Boeing aircraft.
GAMCO has appointed Steven Harris as project manager for the company's new joint venture in Bahrain. Harris will manage development of narrowbody and corporate jet maintenance facilities and programs at Bahrain International Airport.
Pratt&Whitney's PW4000 engine operating on the Boeing 767 achieved a reliability rating eight times better than that required for Extended Range Twin Operations (ETOPS). The engine's inflight shutdown rate for the 767 is .0026 per 1,000 hrs. ETOPS standard is .02 per 1,000 hrs. Also, P&W purchased a used Boeing 720 that it will use as a flying test bed for its new PW6000 engine, which is being developed for use on the Airbus A318.
The engine overhaul and repair market is the largest segment of the commercial aviation aftermarket. In 1998, airlines spent approximately $7.7 billion on off-wing engine maintenance. Overall, this market is growing at 3.5% annually and will reach $9.5 billion by 2004.
DHL Airways and Pan American Airways selected DuganAir Technologies' Quiet Wing Systems (QWS) to bring their Boeing 727s into Stage 3 compliance. DHL will modify four of its 727-100s, and Pan Am will upgrade seven of its 727-200s. DuganAir, also recently completed four QWS installations for Laker, IAF and Sunworld airlines.
Airshow TV now is available for installation on Dassault Falcon business aircraft. First system installed for U.S. use will be aboard a Falcon 900EX by mid-year.
Four months after AlliedSignal introduced the AS907 as the business-jet representative of its new AS900 engine family, the company announced it is developing a regional jet variant of the powerplant, the AS977, and intends to hang the engine on a new British Aerospace Avro RJ variant. The program will move beyond the proposal stage when a launch customer for the regional jet is found; BAe plans to have one in place by autumn.
FAA is scrambling to cut costs and come up with about $250 million that the agency is short in fiscal 1999, according to agency and industry sources. The $250 million shortage is due to several factors, according to an agency spokesman, including a miscalculation in program needs for the Wide Area Aug-mentation System (WAAS), the court's rejection of FAA's international overflight fee schedule -- the agency was slated to collect $90 million -- and the recent air traffic controllers' contract that includes increased pay scales for ATC employees.
Mercury Air Group, Inc. named Susan K. Howard director of marketing for Mercury Air Centers, Inc. Howard previously was production manager/corporate communications for PHH Group.
Robert E. Doll, a former airline executive and now a respected industry consultant, talks with O&M's Donna Kaulkin about safety, technology and a management philosophy developed over a 30-year career in the aviation aftermarket. Edited for length and clarity. O&M: How did your interest in aviation begin?
Messier Services will repair and overhaul Ansett Australia's narrowbody fleet of 22 Boeing 737 and 11 Airbus A320 aircraft under a $5 million (U.S.) contract. Contract is new Messier-Bugatti unit's first for comprehensive service for an airline's entire single-aisle fleet.
Aero Quality Sales and Electromech Technologies have formed a rotable exchange pool to service the needs of Raytheon Beech 1900 and King Air operators. The pool will consist of products manufactured by Electromech, primarily AC and DC motors, valves, blowers and actuators.
Rolls-Royce and Science Applications International Corp. of San Diego, Calif., formed Data Systems and Solutions, a 50/50 joint venture to combine engineering and information technology capabilities. Planned services include trend monitoring, maintenance planning and sched- uling and avoidance of unscheduled removal. Miles Cowdry was named president.
