Hawker Pacific Aerospace won a five-year contract to perform landing gear overhaul and repair for EVA Airways' fleet of Boeing 767s. Separately, Hawker Pacific landed a five-year contract to repair and overhaul Shanghai Airlines' 757 landing gear. Work for both airlines will be performed at Hawker's Sun Valley, Calif., facility.
Napier International Technologies will supply TWA with its line of environmentally friendly paint stripping products. TWA is in the midst of stripping and painting its entire fleet of approximately 200 aircraft, and the airline has placed an initial order with Napier to supply it through year-end. Orders are expected to continue through next year.
FAA Administrator Jane F. Garvey named Thomas E. McSweeny as associate administrator for regulation and certification, succeeding Guy Gardner, who left the agency earlier this year (O&M, July/August 1998). Previously, McSweeny, 57, was director of FAA's Aircraft Certification Service, where he oversaw the airworthiness and safety of all U.S. commercial aircraft design and production.
NASCO Aircraft Brake was awarded a supplemental type certificate (STC) for its replacement rotors for Boeing 727s equipped with BFGoodrich brakes. This is the third STC awarded NASCO.
Kaman Aerospace International has broken ground in Nowra, Australia, for its Helicopter Technical Support Center for the Royal Australian Navy's future fleet of SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters. Work on the 33,000-sq. ft. facility is scheduled for completion in September 1999.
Lockheed Martin won a seven-year, $2 billion contract to support USAF's fleet of F-117 stealth aircraft. Contract calls for Lockheed Martin to provide logistics support, and runs until late 2006.
A public/private team including Boeing and the Ogden Air Logistics Center (ALC) won a multi-year contract to provide depot-level maintenance on U.S. Air Force KC-135 tankers, A-10 attack jets and assorted components including hydraulics, electrical accessories and avionics. But the contract, the first ever for such a public/private team, may be jeopardized by a lawsuit filed Oct. 13 by Pemco Aeroplex that contends it was not allowed to bid on just the KC-135 portion of work in a combined package of jobs previously done at the Sacramento ALC, McClellan AFB, Calif.
Pratt&Whitney is creating a unified, worldwide service organization, called Engine Services, that will combine the traditional customer support functions and spare parts with the array of services offered by the unit formerly known as Pratt&Whitney Eagle Services. New structure includes the 20 P&W overhaul and repair operations worldwide.
Throughout the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR), the terms ``approved by'' and ``acceptable to'' the Administrator appear frequently. But despite their regular occurrence, these terms can be interpreted by FAA field offices in many different ways. Perhaps only the concept of major vs. minor repair is applied in as inconsistent a fashion.
The proposed new Part 66 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) governing mechanics and repair technicians may run counter to FAA's own announced safety goals, NATA said. NATA President James Coyne said that while the association agrees with the FAA rationale for the rule, the result does not meet the objective.
Bombardier Aerospace will open a maintenance and pilot training facility in Dallas for operators of all Learjet business aircraft currently in production. New center, scheduled to open in May 2000, will be located in SimuFlite Training International's new 110,000-sq. ft. building expansion at DFW International Airport.
Following its split with Toulouse-based Aero International (Regional), AIR, earlier this year, British Aerospace Regional Aircraft has centralized its spares support operation at a purpose-built facility in Weybridge, Surrey, some 20 miles southwest of London.
As merger mania sweeps across the business landscape, it may seem that the only way to survive in the Valley of the Giants is by consolidating. The bigger you are, the more clout you have, the better you're able to snare the larger contractsor so the thinking goes. Can you make it as a little fish among the sharks in an increasingly smaller tank?
Flight Safety Foundation named James M. Burin deputy director of technical projects. He previously was director of the U.S. Navy School of Aviation Safety.
Spoken by Chris Gress, accessory marketing representative at Duncan Aviation, this statement of personalized service seems to be the credo of the small or independent MRO organization. Lincoln, Neb.-headquartered Duncan is one of a diminishing number of independent repair stations and completion centers serving business and general aviation. With Gulfstream Aerospace acquiring Duncan competitor K-C Aviation to boost capacity for cabin completions of the OEM's upscale business jets, the pool in which Duncan swims became a little smaller.
Avatar Alliance acquired three Airbus A300-B4 aircraft most recently operated by Korean Air. Avatar will dismantle the aircraft for parts. Also, the company received ASA-100 certification.
Pratt&Whitney will supply an engine fleet management program for PW4000 engines powering Aeropostal de Venezuela's two Airbus A310s. Contract includes condition monitoring, technical support, tooling and engine repairs and overhauls. Also, P&W will supply a fleet management program for JT9D engines powering A310s operated by Armenian Airlines and Air Djibouti.
Sundstrand signed a 10-year contract with American Airlines to support carrier's maintenance activities at Tulsa, Okla. Sundstrand will provide parts and training support for constant speed drives, integrated drive generators and generators for American's fleet of Boeing 727, 757, 767 MD-80, DC-10 and Airbus A300-600 aircraft.
Lockheed Martin Aircraft&Logistics Centers went online with its new SAP R/3 enterprise resource planning system. System will give LMALC online access to customers and suppliers.
Dallas Airmotive began work on its first Pratt&Whitney Canada PW100 engines for regional carrier customer Atlantic Southeast Airlines and corporate customer and NASCAR driver Bill Elliott. Company received PW100 certification earlier this year, making it the first PW100 overhaul facility in U.S.
GE Capital Aviation Services, AAR Corp. and GE Engine Services have formed Aviation Inventory Management Co. to finance airframe rotables to commercial customers worldwide.
Fairchild Corp. named Eric Steiner president, Donald Miller executive vice president and general counsel and Robert Sharpe senior vice president operations.
