UPS amended STC to upgrade existing Mode S Transponders to ACSS Mode S transponders on McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and various Boeing 757 and 767 series aircraft, STC ST02877AT
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
GE Aviation claims modifications to the high-pressure compressor mid-span shroud make the Stage 1 high-pressure compressor blade more impact resistant and reduces blade-related unscheduled engine removals by up to 25%. Compressor durability and performance further get enhanced by the addition of erosion coatings to several stages of blades and vanes that should reduce erosion-related scrap by up to 50%. Enhancements to the lower-emissions combustor liner also improve durability, reducing the frequency of repairs to this component.
A dark, volcanic ash cloud overshadowed European air travel in April, grounding aircraft based in northern Europe and turning the region into a no-fly zone for around seven days. Now, many of the affected companies and individuals are asking if the closure was really necessary—and considering whether they have a case for financial compensation.
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
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.
Aero Instruments & Avionics received a Boeing Gold Performance Excellence Award and a Healthy Workplace Award from the Business First Buffalo news organization.
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.
Pemco World Air Services acquired the assets of bankrupt Canadian MRO ExelTech Aerospace and plans to open a new U.S. facility this fall. Pemco CEO Wake Smith said it has not been decided whether to re-open one of ExelTech’s facilities in Canada. “We would certainly need more favorable terms” than those under which ExelTech operated, he said, adding that he expects a U.S. facility to be operating in the third quarter.
Southwest Airlines renewed its contract for CFM56-7B engine washing with Pratt & Whitney. The airline started EcoPower engine washes in 2007. Pratt & Whitney said performing 1,200 washes on those engines saved $12.5 million in fuel costs in 2009. It expects that figure to climb to $17.5 million this year. Pratt performs Southwest's engine washes in Orlando, Fla., and Oakland, Calif.
Standardization, from one regulatory agency to the next and from one airline’s maintenance program to another, is being debated alongside efforts to drive efficiency. IATA aims to develop a standard for MRO audits to reduce redundancies, while, for example, U.S. government legislation would increase FAA oversight outside the country. Meanwhile, airline executives weigh the incremental benefits of customized maintenance programs against a common approach.
Faster Exterior Clearcoat/Basecoat Sherwin-Williams Aerospace’s new clearcoat/basecoat system for aircraft exteriors promises faster processing times, easier maintenance and more color.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
in an unusual way as I started to write this month’s letter to you. I rapidly realized how many parallels exist between the medical and aviation MRO professions. My phone rang, and it was a worried teacher from my son’s school: he had an accident on the playground—come quickly. I listened to her account, called the pediatrician and left work to pick him up. Enroute, I made a checklist of the things I needed to do.
Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services to install CMC Electronics’ PilotView Class 2 electronic flight bag on Boeing 757-200, 757-200CB, 757-200PF and 757-300 series, STC ST02811CH
Boeing reports the on-time, on-budget completion of Phase 3 rotorcraft upgrades for CH-47D helicopters of the army’s airmobile force. The program’s three phases spanned 10 years and work on 75 projects by Boeing and 20 Spanish companies and institutions.
PAS Technologies named Angela Duesterhaus logistics manager, based at its Kansas City, Mo., headquarters and reporting to Global VP Dennis Burr. Duesterhaus most recently was modal manager for YRC.
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.
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.
