Don Fuqua, president of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) since 1987, will retire this year. Under Fuqua's leadership, AIA worked to reduce statutory and regulatory burdens on the defense industry, established the National Center for Advanced Technologies and the National Industrial Security Program and spearheaded an industry effort to focus public attention on inefficiencies and inequities in the government procurement system.
Lockheed Martin Aircraft&Logistics Centers broke ground for a new 67,500-sq. ft., dual-bay paint hangar at its Greenville, S.C., Aircraft Center. Construction is scheduled for completion in March 1999.
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.
Boeing received a contract to supply the U.S. Navy with a FLASHJET paint-removal system for use on T-45 jet trainers based at Kingsville, Texas. FLASHJET system uses a xenon flash combined with dry-ice pellet blasting to remove paint from aircraft surfaces without damaging substrate or creating excess toxic waste (O&M July/Aug 1997). System was developed by former McDonnell Douglas unit based in St. Louis.
Sogerma Maintenance Group will establish a second production line in two unused production hangars at the Aerospatiale plant in Toulouse to perform passenger-to-freighter conversions on two Airbus A310-200 aircraft owned by FedEx.
Flight-testing has begun on the first of eight Bell UH-1A Iroquois helicopters of the Colombian air force (FAC) being upgraded to UH-1P Huey II configuration by Bell Helicopter Textron. Main change in the UH-1P involves uprating the original Lycoming 1,400shp T53-L-13B engine to T53-L-703 standard, rated at 1,800shp, for improved hot and high performance. This accompanies installation of Bell 212 main and tail rotor systems, plus gearboxes and transmission, conferring a 27-39% increase in payload, according to ambient conditions, with substantially higher overhaul lives.
The advent of OEM-guaranteed commercial jet engine maintenance programs could spell trouble for smaller engine component repair shops and subsequently slow development of component repair technologies, according to a senior US Airways maintenance official. Airlines are becoming increasingly enamored of programs by which OEMs agree to maintain the engines they sell at a fixed rate per hour of use, said Robert Matson, US Airways' manager, propulsion engineering, speaking at the World Aviation Gas Turbine Engine Overhaul&Repair conference in Atlanta.
Lockheed Martin proposed applying adhesive film to commercial aircraft instead of paint. Company said it plans to test prototype film on an airline or cargo aircraft beginning late 1998 or early 1999.
Helipro is in final assembly of an offshore-use version of its S-61 Short conversion following strong expressions of interest from oil-support operators.
