Turkish Technic inked a $1 million deal with BH Air, a Bulgarian-based private charter airline, to maintain landing gear from three Airbus A320s in Istanbul. Turkish Technik planned to receive the first gear by Sept. 27, and deliver it within 50-60 days. The MRO aims to finish the maintenance, RIB-5 inspection and any necessary corrosion repair on the gear by the end of March.
Canard Aerospace Corp. to install electronic flight bag provisions and a aircraft wireless LAN unit on various McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft, STC ST02857CH
One industrial building specialist’s first LEED project—and its largest-ever single project in terms of value—is in the works now for a site adjacent to Honolulu International Airport. Rubb, Inc. is working with the state of Hawaii and Hawaiian Airlines to build a new, LEED Silver certified campus for the carrier that is comprised of an aircraft maintenance hangar and an air cargo building, says Gordon Collins, sales manager for Rubb. Another green building also could take shape on the site in the future.
Premier Aviation Overhaul Center in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, is negotiating with Israel Aerospace Industries to acquire Empire Aero Center, IAI’s MRO in Rome, N.Y. A Premier representative said on Sept. 2 that the talks are “positive.” Empire Aero opened in 2003 at the site of the former Griffiss Air Force Base, and has been seeking investors for the last few years. In April 2006, SR Technics signed a memorandum of understanding with IAI to purchase a 60% stake in Empire Aero, but it backed out of the proposed joint venture in January 2007. Facilities
Most airlines do it, but the MROs that maintain their flying machines don’t necessarily like it. The issue? Customized maintenance programs. More specifically, MROs must figure out how to keep turn times short and efficiency high while adhering to airlines’ differing directions. “In most cases, you’re going to work under [a specific carrier’s] maintenance program—work off their cards, their package. And that is a real problem for an MRO,” says Jim Ganopulos, Delta TechOps’ general manager of fleet management engineering for Boeing 757s, 767s and 777s.
Aircraft deicing may present growth opportunities for line service and ground handling companies as environmental agencies in the U.S. and Europe target aircraft deicing effluent with stricter containment rules. That, along with aging, obsolete equipment, is causing more air carriers to consider outsourcing deicing to vendors with expertise.
The Ford 300 I-6 4.9 liter engine is the standard to power most types of gas-powered ground support equipment (GSE) from tugs and belt loaders to deicing machines and baggage tractors in the U.S. But despite its widespread use, new, stringent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California air laws could make it difficult to continue using this engine.
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft appointed Ricardo Barrera director of sales for Latin America. A Colombian national, Barrera is based in Bogota. Most recently he served as fleet administration manager for Avianca, responsible for leasing contracts, aircraft incorporations and disposals.
LONDON—Deicing and anti-icing services have been part of the airport scene in cold climates for decades, and despite the direct effect such services have on aircraft flight safety, no standard exists for them in Europe. But that could change very soon. [See related deicing article, pg. 28.] Concerns over the variability of deicing and anti-icing services across the EU were first raised in 2006 by EASA’s Safety Standards Consultative Committee (SSCC). Since then, pressure to mandate or regulate a consistent standard across the EU has grown.
Maintenance systems and all the data and documents associated with them must be revised constantly. This process is basically a boon. It means that the latest fleet-wide data from manufacturers, airline-specific experience and regulatory wisdom are reflected in shop procedures, making maintenance both safer and smarter.
Aircraft Systems & Manufacturing reissued STC to install a digital flight data recorder parameter upgrade using an SFIM ARINC 717 digital flight data acquisition unit on McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 aircraft, STC ST09741SC
Getting airlines to become more proactive toward engine maintenance is easier said than done, even as traffic and airline revenues improve. “It is one of the biggest challenges for MROs, trying to get airlines to understand that short-term cost benefit can sometimes produce long-term loss,” says Bruce Hunter, operations director for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and former general manager of operational maintenance for British Airways. “It’s a hard sell to get on the up side of the value proposition.”
M7 Aerospace named Gary Merrill VP of quality assurance, responsible for QA programs in aerostructures manufacturing, MRO, government logistics support contracting, supply chain management, and aircraft parts and engineering. Merrill most recently was managing director of quality assurance and technical programs for US Airways.
Dublin Aerospace won a contract to provide Boeing 737 heavy checks for Germany’s XL Airways. Dublin Aerospace will work on four XL Airways 737-800s this winter. The MRO, which was awarded its EASA Part 145 ticket last October, also counts Aer Lingus among its airframe heavy maintenance customers.
Air Works India Engineering Pvt. Ltd. signed an agreement with Denmark’s Scandinavian Avionics to create a joint venture avionics MRO company, SA Air Works India. The new entity will provide turnkey avionics solutions for inflight entertainment systems and communications, safety applications, weather systems and other airborne electronics, the partners said. SA Air Works India will be base in Gurgaon, New Delhi, and has EASA Part 145 certification and Part 147 and 21 support from Scandinavian Avionics.
Rockwell Collins Cabin Systems reissued STCs to install the Rockwell Collins Airshow Systems Tailwind 550 system, fuselage mounted unit and radome on Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 series aircraft, STCs ST02016LA, ST02015LA and ST01873LA
It has been interesting for me to watch innovation take shape across different industries and especially in aerospace and defense over the past 28 years. In the early days of product lifecycle management around the early 1990s, the industry was discussing drafting and ink on mylar and virtual digital product modeling for commercial and defense aircraft. Today we are focused on the convergence of physical and digital domains and integrated product and services management environments. The changes have been dramatic.
Ramco Systems in September was expecting GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. to award it with its entire information technology contract (Aviation DAILY, Sept. 16). The project will be operational in April 2011, and will be one of the first work orders for Ramco’s entire system in India.
Sabena technics in early October will perform a C6 base maintenance check for Tor Air, a Swedish charter, wet-lease operator. The two-year-old charter company hired Sabena technics’ Brussels operations to complete the base maintenance check on its Boeing 737-400, as well as to overhaul its landing gear. Sabena technics did not disclose the contract’s value. Tor Air, based in Goteborg, Sweden, operates this one aircraft but hopes to add another to its fleet this year. Engines
Thai Airways International and British Airways Boeing 747-400s will benefit from a line maintenance agreement the two carriers formed Aug. 17. British Airways Engineering will service Thai’s 747-400s, which operate two daily flights from Bangkok to London Heathrow Terminal 3, starting immediately.
Maximizing aircraft maintenance hangar efficiency starts with three simple steps: 1. Plan and sequence maintenance work and inspections. 2. Make sure the physical plant is set up to accommodate the work, and ensure everything has its own space. 3. Make sure maintainers have the right information and right parts to do the job.
Avionics Support Group amended STC to install an Avionica satlink Iridium communications system on Boeing 737-300, -400, -700 and -800 series aircraft, STC ST03386AT
