Aircelle named Arnaud de Bussac external supply chain VP, in charge of purchasing, procurement and supplier quality. De Bussac most recently was production manager for Safran sister company Snecma.
SLCA added Pierre Gerard as president to replace Laurent Schneider-Maunoury, who is leaving the Safran group. Since mid-2009, Gerard was head of customer support for Sagem Defense & Security's avionics division. Airframes
LONDON—Carbon composite construction has often been described as a “black art,” but efforts to make it more controllable and predictable are increasing. Yet, despite its obvious structural promise, reliable, repeatable repairs are proving difficult to guarantee.
Source One Aircraft Repair is under contract with Magnolia Investments to procure, provide bridging services and deliver aircraft to Magnolia customers. It has transitioned one Boeing 737-300 out of storage and expects to assist with additional aircraft.
Icelandair Fleet: 18 Boeing 757s, 1 767 Passengers: 76% of its airline customers originate from outside its home market Icelandair, the largest subsidiary with the Icelandair Group, accounts for about 53% of its income Group: Icelandair, Icelandair Cargo, Bluebird Cargo and Icelandair Ground Services comprise Icelandair Group’s route network
Air Company Yakutia is pursuing EASA Part 145 maintenance approval with the assistance of Lufthansa Consulting. Yakutia hopes to achieve EASA approval for line maintenance by the end of 2010.
LONDON—Rolls-Royce officially opened its €65-million, state-of-the-art Mechanical Test Operations Center in Dahlewitz, Germany, in May. It aims to create synergies by integrating existing mechanical, vibration and materials test capabilities, historically spread over different sites and businesses, into one facility.
To salute all of you who creatively engineer better and safer ways to keep aviation assets in the air, we developed an MRO innovations cover story package that highlights some of your efforts. At the same time, we unearthed some new research and technologies being tested that may affect your future—from vibrothermography to a laser ablation system. We cover a lot of ground this month, but the depth of developments underway, especially for future generations of aircraft and engines, makes it impossible to do more than skim the surface. The innovation impetus is clear.
The UK’s new coalition government has indicated it aims to cancel plans for a third runway at London Heathrow and refuses additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted as part of its commitment to implement measures “to fulfill ambitions for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy.” It also said it will replace the current air passenger duty with a per-plane duty.
All-in-One Wheel Cart When it comes to changing an aircraft tire, sometimes it takes longer to round up all the tools than it does to change the tire. Viking has set out to change that. In April, the packing specialists rolled out an all-in-one wheel change cart. The cart includes two front and two rear tires, a nitrogen cylinder, all the necessary repair tools and tire-changing instructions. The cart is consolidated under a single part number that technicians can sign out and pull to the aircraft.
New Crimp Tool DMC just released a battery-powered crimp tool with a detachable battery pack that technicians can wear on their belts. The detachable pack means that the tool itself is less heavy and less bulky, helping technicians work longer without fatigue. DMC says the detachable battery lasts roughly twice as long as an internal battery before it needs recharging. The tool is about half the weight of an internally powered crimp tool.
AAR Corp. named Dany Kleiman VP MRO. Kleiman, who joined the company in September 2009 as VP operations, now leads its four heavy maintenance facilities in Miami, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, and Hot Springs, Ark., plus landing gear repair, engineering services, PMA, back shop services, and aircraft sales and leasing. Don Wetekam, who joined AAR in 2007 as head of its MRO group, now is senior VP of government and defense business development, responsible for growing work in missions, maintenance and logistics.
Galley Floorpath Lighting With a height of only 2.3 mm, Lufthansa Technik’s new version of its Guideline ColourFit emergency floor-path marking system is specially certified for uncarpeted galleys. It also fits in every non-textile door on board an aircraft. The photoluminescent strips absorb enough light in 20-30 minutes to charge the system for a 12-hour flight, according to Lufthansa Technik. The system can recharge itself infinitely. Because the system is non-electronic, it cannot fail and should require no maintenance aside from cleaning.
PAS Technologies appointed Philip F. Milazzo CEO to succeed Robert B. Weiner, who died on May 11. Milazzo most recently was executive VP for sales and marketing.
AmSafe Bridport acquired Hoffman Air Cargo Equipment in May, which builds its business developing lightweight textile product solutions for the ULD industry.
Developers of an electrically powered nose-gear designed to cut fuel consumption during taxi say that they have resolved major engineering issues and will provide final specifications to interested airlines by late summer. One concern, that the launch aircraft would not generate enough power to drive the in-wheel motors, was put to rest with electrical load measurements on a Delta Boeing 737NG at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport in January, says WheelTug.
Mxi Technologies extended its agreement with Lockheed Martin to implement Maintenix software to support additional F-35 Lightning II aircraft under the Joint Strike Fighter program. Contracts Military
The Air Force is taking bigger steps in mainstreaming the use of composites in aircraft. Composite structures—typically carbon fiber and a thermoset resin such as epoxy—have been integral to the performance and stealth of such aircraft as the B-2 Spirit bomber, F-22 Predator and the upcoming F-35 Lightning II. Composites engineering also is moving into more mainstream aircraft.
CAD Optimization Software ReverseEngineering.com introduced a new product specifically for maintenance, repair and overhaul providers that work with computer-assisted design (CAD) software and coordinate measuring machine (CMM) hardware to simplify reverse engineering processes. Within aerospace, potential applications include alignment, tooling and mold certification, and parts inspection.
Southwest Airlines 3,200 flights per day 34,637 employees 639 miles average aircraft trip length $184 million maintenance, materials and repairs expenses in the first quarter 537 Boeing 737s, average age 10.5 years 10 number of Boeing 737-700s to be delivered this year June 18, 1971 commenced passenger service with three Boeing 737s in Texas 68 cities served
TeamSAI launched a new business focused on technical support services called TeamSAI M&E Solutions, with launch customers World Airways, North American Airlines and United Airlines. David A. Marcontell, a partner in the firm and its former CFO, is president of the subsidiary.
Everyone understands the need for radar. When aircraft are up in the air, it’s important to keep track of a carrier’s most important assets. Keeping track of assets down on the ground is just as important. Knowing how much inventory you have and where it’s located, after all, is a key component of supply chain management.
