HYDERABAD—Air Works Engineering, India’s only EASA-approved MRO facility with approvals for Boeing 737, ATR42/72 and soon Airbus A320, has picked up a 85% stake in Air Livery, UK. The two companies had announced a 50-50 joint venture in 2008, which this year was boosted to 85% when Air Works decided to provide dedicated aircraft painting services at Hosur Airport in Bengaluru, formerly Bangalore, with a view to serve the entire Asia-Pacific region.
Probable recovery of aviation maintenance markets is within sight, even if not experienced yet. That usually means some reshaping of the industry through mergers and acquisitions. Acquisitions of aftermarket firms come in two kinds. Manufacturers or shops already in the business can make strategic or “bolt-on” acquisitions of firms that complement their existing capabilities. And private equity or venture capital firms can buy shops purely as financial plays, seeking to profit, grow the business and gain on ultimate resale.
Kenmore Air Harbor amended STC to install JASCO Model 7555-1 alternator kits on P&W R-985 series engines on Viking Air DHC-2 Mk.I aircraft, STC SA348NW
Avtrak will provide Evergreen Helicopters with its maintenance tracking, work order management and inventory control software under a multi-year agreement signed in February. Evergreen is replacing its internally developed system with the Avtrak system to manage its 70-helicopter fleet.
As a certificated mechanic and pilot, I have learned and followed the regulations that were relevant to me since the sixties. I never needed to fret about where the regulation came from or how our democratic government made the rules. Now I work for the FAA and find myself involved in that nebulous responsibility of “rulemaking.” I am learning that rulemaking is like flying, maintenance or cooking.
FL Technics went live with Ramco’s aviation MRO software solution. Ramco also released version 5.2 of Series 5 of the software. The Ramco update expands the centralized graphical planning board and provides centralized data entry for maintenance technicians.
Rockwell Collins announced a series of senior leadership changes in mid-February. Greg Churchill, formerly executive VP and COO of government systems, now is executive VP of international and service solutions; Kelly Ortberg, formerly executive VP and COO of commercial systems, takes Churchill’s place as executive VP and COO of government systems. Former Rockwell Collins Services Executive VP Kent Statler now is executive VP and COO of commercial systems.
What is Aeroman’s interaction with parent company Aveos? Ruiz: Aeroman is affiliated with Aveos, so we serve with them and develop best practices together, so we can offer related solutions for our customers’ fleet management needs. That would include not only heavy maintenance but also engines and components.
StandardAero named Melissa Maddox VP operations for its business aviation sector, in addition to her current position as VP global security and risk assurance. Airframes
Sabena technics signed a five-year, full-support contract with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s major airline, CAA, Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation, the first airline to start Airbus A320 operations in the region. Military
While photo-catalytic cabin air filtration systems provide benefits such as reduced weight, an alternate system is passive and has been shown to generate no contaminants that could make their way into the cabin. This alternative, developed by The Donaldson Co., combines a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter with an activated carbon filtration medium and will equip the Boeing 787.
Dunlop Aircraft Tyres signed a first customer for the joint venture it opened in November. Dunlop Taikoo (Jinjiang) Aircraft Tyres Co. Ltd. will retread and provide bias tires for Taipei-based Mandarin Airlines’ eight E-190/195s for three years. Joint Ventures/Acquisitions
Aeronautical Engineers Inc. finalized an agreement with Boeing to license engineering data to develop MD-80 passenger-to-freighter conversions. This applies to MD-81, MD-82, MD-83 and MD-88 conversions. Boeing will host AEI’s conversion drawings and data on its MyBoeingFleet.com web portal.
There’s not much cooperation in military aircraft procurement or sustainment activities in the Middle East, but that could change if a joint venture set to begin operating very soon in the United Arab Emirates achieves its mission of becoming a profitable regional hub for military aircraft MRO.
Fully exploiting information technology to improve maintenance requires massive sharing of maintenance and performance data among airlines, shops and manufacturers. And that in turn requires standardizing data, the focus of ATA’s Spec 2000 project. Spec 2000 standards for maintenance data under ATA Chapter 11 are largely complete, although adjustments are still being made.
The commercial aviation aftermarket is approaching a crossroads, a turning point. The market that rolled downhill through the recession has reached flat ground, so now it’s time to pass through the intersection and start preparing for a slow, steady climb up. It’s not going to be an easy climb, however, so start building your endurance.
Scaleable Cabin Management System Jets up to the size of Boeing Business Jets or Airbus Corporate Jets, even Boeing 747s in service with private operators, can take advantage of the scalability of Honeywell’s highly integrated, second-generation, all-digital cabin management system. The open-architecture CMS, called Ovation Select, is expected to certify this August. Honeywell also will have a mockup on display at EBACE next month.
The average MRO labor rate for 2010 is about $49—with the highest rate in Western Europe and the lowest in Latin America and the Caribbean. MRO labor rates, especially in developing areas, started marching up in 2008-2009, but TeamSAI says that trend has “shown signs of a slight reversal in areas such as North America, China and the Middle East.” Labor rates in the Middle East suffered the steepest decline. Labor rates are relatively flat in Africa, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
UV Laser Cable/Wire Marking Equipment Laselec introduced a new machine that allows users to check the markability of cables and carry out periodic controls during production. The MT 200 marks cable samples then runs an analysis report. This product is designed to be compact and easy to use. For high to very high production volumes, Laselec offers the more robust ULYS MODENA. Its MRO 200 series is better suited for lower production levels.
