Cathay Pacific Engineering is nearly two years into an eight-year program to upgrade its maintenance information system, and despite the early stage the effort already is showing signs of significant bottom-line savings. The impetus that led to the decision to upgrade Cathay's Engineering, Maintenance, Planning, and Control Systems. or EMPACS, came in 1994, some three years before the project began in earnest, said Cam Ng, systems manager of engineering and inflight services for Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways.
Raytheon Aircraft Services-Atlanta expanded its hours of operation to add a second weekday shift and a weekend shift. New hours are from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Thursday and to 6:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Long-term RAF proposals for a major up-grade of its 140 or so BAe Hawk T.1/1A advanced jet-trainers to rectify fuselage fatigue problems and extend their planned out-of-service date to 2010, finally resulted in an initial $166 million MoD contract last December with British Aerospace Military and Air-craft Aerostructures Division (MA&AD).
Electroid Company of Springfield, N.J., is offering BSB bi-stable brakes in four sizes, with torque ranges from .75 in./lbs. to 35 in./lbs. Suitable for any battery-powered or low current-supply applications requiring a brake, BSB brakes can be used on aircraft actuators, missile systems, satellites, and other applications. System is engineered to operate without continuous current supply when heat and power conservation are essential. Operating system employs permanent magnets, an electromagnetic coil and springs.
Lufthansa Technik (LHT) invested an additional $3 million in HEICO Aerospace Holdings Corp. LHT owns 20% of the joint venture with HEICO Corp. LHT has invested $38 million in HEICO Aerospace Holdings.
UAL Services will provide maintenance and repair support of Pratt&Whitney PW2000 engines powering four USAF C-32 (Boeing 757) aircraft to be used by the U.S. vice president and other high-ranking officials. UAL Services will station personnel at Andrews AFB, near Washington, D.C., for the job.
FAA named Daniel J. Mehan the agency's first chief information officer. Mehan, who comes to FAA from AT&T, where he most recently was international vice president of quality and process management, reports to Administrator Jane Garvey.
Aviation Group will acquire Aviation Laboratories, a Texas-based specialist in fluid analysis for regional, corporate and general aviation products. Purchase includes 50% ownership of PartsBase.com, an Internet-based aviation parts clearinghouse operated by Aviation Laboratories since 1997.
The European Union's prospective limit on use of hushkitted and certain reengined aircraft ``targets non-European operators ... and spares European operators,''denying U.S. carriers the ``unqualified right'' to select the best-suited Chapter 3-compliant aircraft for its operations, Northwest Airlines said in a complaint to DOT against the EU.
Advanced Aviation Services International, Inc. (AASII) named Michael Sellars as Northwest representative of its Compass System maintenance planning service and software.
Northwest Airlines named Stephen Gorman senior vice president-technical operations. Gorman previously was vice president-engine and component maintenance.
Boeing received a $79 million contract to provide ``direct manning personnel'' in support of the Royal Saudi Air Force Peace Sun IX Program that will assist in operation and maintenance of Saudi Arabia's F-15 fighter fleet.
Visitors to RAF St. Athan, the center for virtually all depot-level maintenance on the U.K.'s fixed-wing military aircraft, are likely to be briefed on the station's 60-year history, wide-ranging activities and future prospects. The briefing concludes with a list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats: The strength is the support provided for the front line in terms of speed of reaction, value for money and flexibility. The threat listed in the final weeks of 1998 was that the base's very success might provoke the risk of privatization.
AirNet Systems, Inc., named William Sumser acting CFO, replacing Eric Roy, who is resigning. Sumser currently is vice president-finance, controller and corporate secretary.
Equipment details were still being finalized at the turn of the year for the planned avionics upgrade of 48 Brazilian air force (FAB) Northrop F-5E/F fighters announced last October. As leaders of the aerospace industry group negotiating the $200 million contract, Israel's Elbit Systems and EMBRAER, in Brazil, have since been joined, however, by Singapore Aerospace Technologies, which will undertake up to 20% of various aspects of the FAB program.
On-going avionics modernization of USAF transport aircraft, in addition to more major glass-cockpit changes, have included an $8.9 million late-1998 Raytheon contract for integration of its Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS II) and Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS), in 33 Lockheed C-141Bs and 63 C-141C Starlifters. The C-141Cs had previously been upgraded from C-141Bs by Raytheon with new autopilots and GPS satellite navigation systems, and its new contract is scheduled for completion in 2000.
Lufthansa Technik (LHT) named James Stoecker to head its newly established marketing and sales office in Tulsa, Okla.; Hans Indlekofer sales representative for LHT's Executive Jet interior program; and Peter Huijbers product manager for Boeing 737-600/700/800 and 777 aircraft.
Delta Air Lines is reconfiguring its intercontinental fleet of 42 Boeing 767 and 15 MD-11 aircraft to two-class service. Modifications will include installation of seats from B/E Aerospace and personal video screens manufactured by Rockwell Collins, and should be complete by summer.
Every year, wildfires ravage vast amounts of timber and brush land throughout the U.S., particularly in the West, and routinely threaten countless structures in the ``urban interface'' between the homes of an expanding population and fragile timberlands.
Raisbeck Engineering completed FAA flight tests of its Boeing 727-200 heavy gross weight Stage 3 modification. Raisbeck said converted aircraft would achieve maximum takeoff weight of 209,000 lbs. and generate approach noise equivalent to that of a 757-200.
Photograph: A high-time Aerolineas Argentinas 737 undergoes a heavy check at the Aeroman/Grupo TACA maintenance facility in San Salvador, El Salvador. Aerolineas Argentinas is one of a limited number of third-party customers TACA has been able to attract. Jerome Greer Chandler Conflict can trigger unpredictable consequences. Case in point: El Salvador? civil war, ironically, laid the groundwork for one of the most stable airline groups in the Americas - and a maintenance operation with major league aspirations.
