Michelin North America is expanding its aviation tire operation Norwood, N.C., with an investment of $11.3 million. It plans to add aviation tire retreading services in the second quarter, a project that it says should create 72 jobs over the next 18 months.
LONDON—While lobbyists pressure aviation to clean up its act, the environment itself is undergoing changes that challenge every type of aircraft and engine. Regional and seasonal climatic differences, such as tropical heat and humidity, extreme winter cold, sand and dust over deserts, and salt air around coasts and islands create a conundrum of how to construct and maintain aircraft to cope with them that becomes chemical roulette. Testing Standards
As the process of complying with airworthiness directives (AD) becomes more complex, consultants and software entrepreneurs see AD compliance management as the next outsourcing opportunity.
GE Aviation started M601E turboprop engine training courses at its customer technical education center near Cincinnati. It held the first M601E line maintenance course in late March; the center also will serve as the North America training center for the H80 engine.
Smyrna Air Center became a GE Aviation authorized service center for the M601 and H80 turboprop engines. It will offer comprehensive line maintenance, removals and re-installations of engines and LRUs and engine spares for the two engine families. GE Aviation will provide Smyrna Air Center with full material support and training.
Turkish Technic started base maintenance activities in May for Moscow-based Sky Express. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-500, received a C6 base maintenance check at its facilities in Istanbul. The maintenance arm of Turkish Airlines is focused on building its in-house capabilities. It recently signed contracts to conduct C and D checks on 737 type aircraft with Italy’s NEOS and Oren Air, another Russian carrier. Engines
Component, Interior Cleaning Wipes Two new cleaning products from Nutek, one for exterior products such as landing gear and one for carpets and upholstery, aim to speed cleaning times and reduce waste and cost. Because they should cut water usage and chemical cleaning requirements, Nutek says the products also have environmentally beneficial effects for airline or MRO customers.
Federal Express to install a nose landing gear viewpoint with relocation of the viewport from aft of cargo bulkhead to forward of the cargo bulkhead on Boeing 727-200 series aircraft, STC ST03832AT
The European Commission published its 13th blacklist of airlines banned from operating within EU borders in April. The new list includes all carriers from the Philippines and Sudan, plus Iran Air. The EC acknowledged efforts by authorities to reform civil aviation in the Philippines and noted that PAL and Cebu Air have taken measures. Still, it insists it will—as a precaution—impose a full operating ban.
The government awarded Saab a 2-billion-kronor ($278-million) contract to upgrade the air force’s JAS 39C/D Gripen fleet. Work covers 75 single-seat jets and 25 twin-seat fighters, and runs for four years. No details were disclosed.
Certainly the volcano beneath Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull glacier had a demonic effect on European air travel this past spring. Ironically, O&M spoke with Aircraft Window Repairs’ Robert Cupery shortly before the eruption hit stride. He said that the airborne effluent from the June 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines (the largest of the 20th century) has finally abated.
Why is it that despite revolutionary training, advanced technology and unprecedented knowledge of the causes of errors, we continue to make those errors? That, of course, is the million-dollar question, a question that Atul Gawande, a Harvard Medical School associate professor and thought leader in error reduction, seeks to answer in his book The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right. Gawande’s research spans multiple industries, including aviation.
Congress this month is expected to renew efforts to finish work on a long-awaited comprehensive aviation bill. House and Senate leaders hope to reconcile differences before the end of June in an attempt to reach a compromise agreement on sweeping FAA reauthorization legislation that covers an array of issues, including measures with long-term ramifications for repair stations.
Fokker Aerotron appointed Joseph D. Nolte VO marketing and sales for component MRO, overseeing Fokker Aerotron in LaGrange, Ga., Fokker Airinc in Fairhope, Ala., and Fokker Schipol in the Netherlands.
SR Technics confirmed plans to close its London-Stansted component services business, firming up the decision announced in mid-January to centralize those operations in Zurich. About 340 London-Stansted employees will be affected, it says. Line maintenance will continue in the UK through its existing network. And, SRT plans to consolidate its distribution operations at its current London-Heathrow logistics center.
The U.S. Air Force picked Chromalloy to repair F108 engine high-pressure compressor blades for its KC-135 tanker fleet under a contract worth $4.3 million. The contract covers one base year with four one-year options and calls for the repair of 14,984 stage-two blades, 18,268 stage-three blades, 20,976 stage-four blades and 21,303 stage-five blades. The work will take place at Chromalloy's Dallas facility in support of the Oklahoma Air Logistics Center at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City.
The National Defense Department has received the 79th and final CF-18 Hornet fighter upgraded in a nine-year, multiphase program valued at $586 million. Under the CF-18 Modernization Project, the fighters received upgraded avionics, radar, weapons and communication systems during Phase 1, which concluded in 2006. Phase 2 work included installation of a data link system that makes the Hornets interoperable with allied aircraft, color cockpit displays, improved chaff-and-flare dispensing systems and Boeing’s Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System for weapons targeting.
Dual-Circuit Vacuum Lifter High-value loads require redundant lifting systems, and Anver Corp. offers a new dual-circuit vacuum lifter with capacity up to 60,000 lb. For security, two independent vacuum system circuits power lift, each with its own check valves, reservoirs and filters.
Comlux located its new operation in Indiana because the state won out over a bid from Minnesota. CEO David Edinger says the main elements of the maintenance and completion business already had been established at Indianapolis. Further, the land was for sale, and necessary skill sets were available in the local workforce. The state’s central location contributed to the decision. The proximity of many U.S.-based vendors whose products are critical to the work was another factor.
StandardAero launched a program under which it will provide TPE331 customers with pro-rated cost assistance on unscheduled maintenance for four years after the date of initial installation following overhaul at one of its facilities. The program also provides no-charge Spectrometric Oil Analysis Program (SOAP) kits until the next overhaul and is fully transferable upon aircraft sale.
Fleet Readiness Center Southwest at NAS North Island won a 2010 Department of Defense Environmental Award in the sustainability–industrial installation category.
EADS Defense and Security has delivered the first of 85 Tornados flown by the Luftwaffe with comprehensive software and hardware upgrades that are designed to improve survivability against ground and airborne defenses. The upgrade, called Avionics Software System Tornado Ada, powers advanced computers, digital maps, color screens and a head-down visual display.
The Air Transport Association of America named Tom Hendricks VP operations and safety, effective this month. Hendricks joins ATA from Delta Air Lines, where he was director of line operations.
