The Spanish air force took delivery Jan. 21 of the first of its Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transports to undergo an avionics upgrade. Twelve C-130Hs, including a single stretched C-130H-30, are involved in this program, for which Spain's CASA, as prime contractor, received a $43.6 million contract in 1995.
AAR Corp. started its Super Spares program, which delivers critical airframe parts in as little as an hour (depending on location). Parts are stocked at four distribution centers near major airports: New York, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Miami. UPS subsidiary SonicAir will manage the warehousing and delivery of the components.
Regent Aerospace Corp. named Larry W. Levey director of sales and marketing for corporate aviation and transparency services. Regent is an FAA and CAA-certified repair station specializing in refurbishment of seats and other interior components.
Commercial and military demand for special-use platforms has created a growing worldwide aircraft conversion business. Used fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters are being reconfigured from traditional passenger and cargo transport roles and retrofitted with updated systems for use in firefighting, law enforcement, electronic surveillance and intelligence gathering, aerial refueling, search and rescue and medical evacuation and transport roles, among others.
This guide to MRO companies is divided into three sections -- airframe services companies, avionics services companies, and interior services companies. Because of the volume of information, we divided the airframe section into companies that do letter checks and those that do not as determined by company response to our questionnaire. The listings for companies that do not perform letter checks begin on p. 58.
In addition to normal FAA certification, a number of aviation repair stations and manufacturers and their employees have earned special designation for specialized duties.
Under FAR Part 145 (Repair Stations), airframes, powerplants, propellers, avionics equipment and accessories are broken down into various categories. Avionics equipment is categorized as either radio or instrument. Under each of those categories, there are several ratings or classes.
Once limited to cities large enough to support specialized public secondary schools, vocational training schools are growing rapidly as centers of aviation maintenance training for high school-age students in less populous areas. Fueling this change is an increasing demand for high school graduates with the licenses needed to work in aviation maintenance jobs and the widespread adoption of the cost-effective, area-wide vocational technical (Vo-Tech) schools as educational centers for both adults and high school students.
The unpredictable, roller-coaster economic cycle of the U.S. commercial aviation industry has created a hiring crisis for many companies seeking aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs). When times are lean, many newly certificated mechanics can't find an aviation job. So students stop entering the field, breaking the two-year chain of education needed to train AMTs. When times improve, companies begin hiring but supplies are inadequate. That's the expectation for 1998 and beyond.
Two years ago, there was no more desired aircraft for VIPs and heads of state than Boeing's 757. At a used price comparable to that of much smaller, long-range business jets such as the Gulfstream V and Canadair Global Express, VIP/corporate conversion specialists couldn't find enough used 757s to meet demand. But that promising market has all but collapsed. With the introduction of new business jets based on the next-generation Boeing 737 and the Airbus A319, the demand for 757 VIP/corporate conversions has disappeared.
British Airways Avionic Engineering (BAAE) has reduced average turnaround times at its Llantrisant, Wales, facility from 28 days to just eight in the three years since the facility became fully operational.
The Western Pacific nations of South Korea, Japan and Taiwan approach the 21st century with sharply different challenges in aviation support. South Korea is committed to fast growth and wants to establish a major overhaul and maintenance center in North Asia. But financial constraints will cut economic growth -- at least by half for a year or more -- and likely delay one element of the planned expansion, the completion of Inchon International Airport.
Spurred by the anticipated nationwide shortfall of as many as 40,000 qualified airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanics by 2012 and the need to staff a new airport, government and industry in Arkansas are getting together to train mechanics.
Water, water everywhere'' is not only the complaint of the Ancient Mariner. Water is a leading cause of corrosion in aircraft structures and, as such, is something aircraft designers and operators try to keep out of the aircraft's interior structure. This effort is hampered by the fact that the galley and lavatory systems of most aircraft require large amounts of water to function properly.
Ireland's Shannon Aerospace, a Lufthansa Technik/SR Technics joint venture, is one of Europe's most experienced narrowbody maintenance facilities, having completed more than 200 C or heavier checks since it opened in 1992. O&M's Barry Rosenberg spoke with Wolfgang Gohde, managing director and chief executive, about the company's relationship with its partners, Europe's MRO market and worldwide maintenance opportunities. Edited for length and clarity.
Generally, maintenance infrastructure in the Western Pacific nations is already so solid that manufacturing firms need step in only when there are special needs -- or very attractive mutual opportunities. For example, Boeing is bringing its cargo-modification expertise in as one of JAL's partners in the TAECO venture in China.
AMT schools are in fierce competition with electronics and computer schools to attract students, according to research by Southwest Airlines. Also, ``students who do graduate are entering other fields such as automotive maintenance for better pay and better working schedules (i.e., weekends off),'' said Jon Schoenrock, the airline's director of maintenance training and special projects.
Professional Aviation Associates (PAA) announced the retirement of Doyle Griggs, founding president of the Atlanta-based subsidiary of Banner Aerospace. Griggs founded PAA in 1985 and it was acquired by Banner in 1992.
Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Co. (GAMCO) named Jeffrey Forsbrey head of commercial sales. Forsbrey previously was account manager for British Airways Engineering.
