SR Technics CFO James Stewart took over as CEO on Feb. 1, replacing Bernd Kessler, who joined SR Technics in January 2008. Stewart joined the MRO in August 2008.
DynCorp International won a $16.9-million modification to a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to maintain Kuwaiti air force F/A-18 fighters. Most of the work—90%—will be done in Kuwait, with the rest in Fort Worth. Scheduled completion is December. The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command awarded the contract as part of the foreign military sales program.
The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) is to replace its aging Autolog maintenance and logistics system with a new MRO IT solution as part of a wide-ranging upgrade program called EMDAD. While EMDAD means “logistics” in Arabic, the project actually covers all RSAF assets, both fixed-wing and rotary, and extends into flight simulators, armaments and equipment such as ejection seats.
AAR received FAA and EASA supplemental type certificates for the cargo handling system it designed for IAI’s Bedek Aviation Group’s 767-300 passenger-to-general market freighter conversion program.
Ameco Beijing inked engine maintenance contracts with Air Astana and Air Finland. It will provide overhaul services for the Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 engines that power the carriers’ Boeing 757s. At press time, two Air Finland engines had been inducted into Ameco’s facilities. Air Astana engines were expected to begin arriving in February.
Gulfstream Aerospace appointed Dan O’Malley director of operations for new product development, based in Savannah, Ga. O’Malley has been general manager of Gulfstream’s facility in Mexicali, Mexico, since July 2001; he will continue to lead the Mexicali site until Gulfstream names his replacement.
While the release of airworthiness directives (ADs) does not typically gain much attention beyond the affected parties, the Federal Aviation Administration began this year with the release of a few key ADs that cover hundreds of Boeing jets. The agency issued an AD that resulted from the discovery of a football-sized hole in a Southwest Airlines 737 last summer, and it clarified a 2008 action taken to address the issue of ignition sources in fuel tanks.
BAE Systems Australia received a pair of contracts from the Australian government to maintain helicopters for the army and navy. The deal, valued at A$240 million ($221 million), covers work in Queensland on army Black Hawk helicopters and in New South Wales on the navy’s Seahawk fleet.
Mubadala Development Co. launched a business to provide engine and component financing and help airlines move more of their inventory off their balance sheets. The Sanad Aero Solutions (Sanad) operation already has its first customers, with January's agreement between Mubadala’s SR Technics and German carrier Air Berlin and a $30 million deal with Etihad for component support. Contracts Commercial
Air China selected Collins Aviation Maintenance Services Shanghai, a joint venture between China Eastern Airlines and Rockwell Collins, to service all Rockwell Collins equipment on its entire fleet. It also inked a corresponding avionics shop cooperation agreement with Ameco Beijing to support the entire Air China installed base of Rockwell Collins avionics equipment under a price per flight hour program for 10 years.
Maritime Helicopter Support Co . landed an $84.3 million ceiling price firm-fixed-price performance based logistics contract to repair various H-60 helicopter system and component line items. If exercised, the contract’s options will bring the not-to-exceed ceiling price of the contract to $306.7 million.
GE Aviation launched manufacturing operations at its Singapore facility for high-technology engine parts. The first parts—blade dampers and seals for GE’s CF6 and CF34 aircraft and LM marine engines—were shipped on Jan. 22.
Ladder Carrying Handle Strap-n-Go’s ladder carrying handle distributes the weight of any ladder evenly so that users can carry it with one hand. A stainless steel support rail bears and distributes the load of a ladder, and an ergonomic rubber handle makes it more comfortable to carry. An integrated extension strap fastens both sections of the ladder together to keep it from extending accidentally.
SR Technics will consolidate its component services in Zurich, shuttering its London-Stansted component operation in the process. UK line maintenance efforts will continue from its Heathrow logistics base. Joint Ventures/ Acquisitions
Lufthansa Technik Philippines in Manila will carry out maintenance for eight AirAsia X A330s and A340s over the next three years, starting this month. Work covered under the contract includes four C checks and a heavy maintenance check during the first year, plus several cabin retrofit projects.
Jetstar Airways signed a $2 billion service agreement with International Aero Engines to accompany a separate $1.5 billion contract for IAE V2500 SelectOne engines that will power 50 Airbus A320 aircraft. The engine purchase agreement also includes options for up to 40 more aircraft.
How much support does EgyptAir M&E provide for the group's fleets? Fadel: We do all the line maintenance and heavy checks, along with component repair and engine overhaul. This includes full C check capabilities on Airbus A319s, A320s, A321s, A330s and A340s as well as Boeing 737 Classics and NGs and 777-200s. We’re expecting our first 777-300ER in two months’ time.
At a time of high-cost aviation fuels, no aircraft operator wants a leaking fuel tank. But as aircraft remain in service longer and cycle times mount, this will become more of a maintenance issue. “As aircraft age, leaks develop around high stress areas of the wing,” says Randy Reihart, director of quality assurance for Ontario, Calif.-based Aviation Fuel Systems Repair. “Especially with very high-cycle aircraft, it’s a constant battle to find the source of these leaks.”
Honeywell finalized a 10-year maintenance agreement with Singapore Airlines to support 19 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft equipped with IntuVue three-dimensional weather radar.
Southwind Aviation acquired the assets of Salt Springs, Fla.-based Odom’s Aircraft Parts. Southwind’s repair facility in Oklahoma, also was named a Goodrich Engine Control and Electrical Power Systems authorized service center.
Digital Battery Tester PulseTech’s new battery and system tester features a built-in thermal printer that allows users to immediately share or file away data. The 777P-PT analyzer tests six-volt and 12-volt batteries and systems, 24-volt systems, and all lead acid battery types, including VRLA (AGM and gel) batteries, in both deep-cycle and standard designs. It measures 10-in.-by-5-in. and weighs 1.4 lb.
