Sundstrand Aerospace and Sogerma Maintenance Group reached agreement to provide maintenance support of Sundstrand products on Airbus A319, A320 and A321 aircraft. Sundstrand will provide Sogerma with spare LRUs under a long-term lease arrangement and repair maintenance support at a fixed cost per hour.
Bombardier Aerospace named Dave Franson director of public relations and communications for Learjet, Inc. Franson spent the past year as an independent consultant before joining Learjet.
Formed in 1990 to meet a growing need for aircraft salvage and recovery in support of the worldwide insurance and banking industries, the British firm Flight Logistic Support, Ltd. (FLS), of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, has developed a diversified portfolio of post-accident services. Although capable of handling most salvage/recovery operations entirely on its own, FLS frequently contracts with aircraft manufacturers to provide site management and logistical support in cases where local aviation infra- structure is lacking.
China's air transport fleet is aging and growing. Currently, the country's airlines operate nearly 400 Western -- mostly Boeing -- jets, many the product of orders placed in the 1980s. At the same time, firm orders, split evenly between Boeing and Airbus, have been placed for nearly 170 more large jets. These aircraft will come into service and require line maintenance just as the jets ordered in the late 1980s and early 1990s begin to need heavier work.
Rockwell Collins entered the in-flight entertainment market with its acquisition of Hughes-Avicom International. A division of Hughes Electronics, Hughes-Avicom employs 1,200 and expected sales of $120 million in 1997. Rockwell Semiconductor Systems' Digital Infotainment Division is developing integrated circuits that enable the reception and processing of broadcast digital video, audio and data.
Dassault Falcon Jet named James H. Aldrich Jr. vice president-engineering at its Little Rock, Ark., completion center, and H.M. Strange vice president of industrial operations at the site.
More than 4,300 commercial transports will be equipped with Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems (EGPWS) by the end of 2003 under a voluntary Air Transport Association (ATA) program. The voluntary program was announced in December several months in advance of the anticipated issuance of a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) requiring the systems on U.S. FAR Part 121 aircraft. The NPRM is due out this spring, with a final rule projected by year-end, said FAA Administrator Jane Garvey.
Boeing and CSA Czech Airlines formed a joint-venture company to acquire a minority stake in Aero Vodochody, a Czech aerospace company. Boeing would own 90% of joint venture, which would seek 35% to 40% of Aero Vodochody.
When Boeing decided to build a computerized on-board maintenance system for its new 777, Jack Hessburg was made chief mechanic for new airplanes, the first person in aviation history to hold such a post. Then, with the participation of more than 100 airline mechanics, Hessburg helped design a system that encourages deductive reasoning, does not require a high degree of specialty and is accessible universally in terms of language and culture.
Icelandair won contracts to provide heavy maintenance on five Blue Skandinavia Boeing 757s and four Air Holland 757s. Both contracts are for three years.
Jack Hessburg, chief mechanic, new airplanes, Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, was a key member of the 777 development team. An outspoken advocate for human factors programs in aviation maintenance, he recently spent several months with the NTSB in Washington, D.C., where he talked with O&M's Donna B. Kaulkin. This is the second in a series of conversations with MRO Pathfinders. Edited for length and clarity.
The $360 million contract a Raytheon E-Systems consortium received in 1995 to upgrade the mission system avionics of 18 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Lockheed P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, recently was supplemented by $12 million more to cover additional spares. The RAAF's Project Air 5275 Sea Sentinel upgrade consortium also includes BAe Australia, Boeing Australia, and Honeywell Australia. These complanies will complete the program after Raytheon delivers the first modified AP-3C in September, for extended service until at least 2015.
Marshall Aerospace received a contract from British Airways to modify 28 Boeing 747-400s with new cabin configurations, communications and in-flight entertainment equipment. Contract is worth about $12.8 million. Also, the company will modify a Lockheed L-1011 for NASA to carry and launch the X-34 research vehicle.
Bridgestone will purchase the assets of Miami-based tire retreader Thompson Aerospace. Tokyo-based Bridgestone will use Thompson assets to serve airlines with new tire sales, tire retreading, and wheel and brake service.
When an accident occurs, an airline or leasing company works with its insurance company to determine whether to repair or scrap a damaged jetliner, said Paul Hayes, a director with Airclaims, Ltd., a London-based firm specializing in airframe insurance. That decision must take into account the value of the airframe type, as well as the age and use of the plane in question, he said.
Boeing cut the ribbon on a facility at Williams Gateway Airport in Mesa, Ariz., where it will begin upgrading avionics systems on more than 500 U.S. Air Force T-38 jet trainers.
Further details are awaited of a reported Hellenic Air Force (HAF) F-16 upgrade contract, for which Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA) has been nominated prime contractor. Israel's Elbit Systems also is involved in this program, for which it has received a $30 million contract to supply avionics, including computers and display screens. These are apparently intended for the HAF's first batch of 34 Block 30 F-16CGs and six F-16DG two-seat combat trainers, delivered from November 1988, with at least three lost to date through accident attrition.
Target Aviation of Sao Paulo, Brazil, was chosen as that nation's exclusive Learjet authorized service center by Bombardier Business Aircraft. Facility will stock about $500,000 worth of Learjet parts.
Pratt&Whitney recommends operators of PW4084 engines install a ``more robust'' seal designed for the PW4098 during regular shop visits. Recommendation follows two incidents traced to oil leakage in a bearing.
Boeing will lead a proof-of-concept study to quiet NATO's AWACS aircraft. Partners include hush-kit maker Burbank Aeronautical and engine OEM Pratt&Whitney.
Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) has moved its national headquarters to: 636 Eye St., N.W., Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20001-3736. New telephone: 202-216-9220; fax: 202-216-9224. PAMA's e-mail address and website remain unchanged: [email protected] and www.pama.org.
Approximately $120 million has been allocated to upgrade 48 Northrop F-5A/B fighter-bombers for extended Turkish air force (THK) service. SAGEM in France and a Singapore Aerospace/Israel Aircraft Industries/Elbit consortium have been short-listed for final submissions. A decision is expected soon. IAI's Lahav Division is prime contractor for the $632.5 million upgrade of 54 THK MDC F-4E Phantoms, for which negotiations for the licensed production of 50-100 Rafael Popeye heavy air-to-surface missiles in Turkey are nearing finalization.
B/E Aerospace will provide its Reliance XL main cabin seats to Cathay Pacific, which will retrofit seats in a portion of its Boeing 747 fleet. Under $13 million contract, seats will be provisioned for IFE systems.
