Manufacturer: Perfect Point EDM Applications: The E-Drill de-flanges fasteners in sizes ranging from 5/32 to 5/16 in. within seconds through a forceless process. Specifications: Utility cabinet is 19-by-38-by-16 in. and weighs 148 lbs. Hand tool is 7.5-by-5 in. and weighs 1.5 lbs. Removes aluminum flanges in three seconds, titanium flanges in six seconds and Iconel flanges in 12 seconds. www.ppedm.com
Snecma Morocco Engine Services (SMES) has been certified by EASA and the FAA to carry out MRO services on the CFM International CFM56-5B engine. SMES is a jointly owned subsidiary of Snecma.
The A380 has only been in service for five years, but it has clearly received much more coverage regarding technical failures than Airbus would have wished.
Energy Performance Lighting near Madison, Wisc., specializes in lighting efficiency projects for all types of facilities. It strives to provide a return on investment of 30-40% for its customers by using high-quality lighting products and tailoring lighting solutions to the task at hand. In one case study from a hangar lighting project for the Wisconsin Dept. of Military Affairs, EPL helped the customer achieve an annual cost savings of $19,100 and a carbon dioxide reduction of 411,800 lbs. per year.
When an Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300ER completed a Los Angeles-Auckland flight in December, it was the first time an airline operated under 240-minute extended operations (ETOPS). But the new 240-minute limit is no longer the edge of the envelope, as a 330 minute time is now poised to become the new ETOPS gold standard. That's because in November Boeing received type design authority from the FAA to offer a 330-minute ETOPS “option” on the GE90-powered 777 family.
Suppliers that make aircraft composite components likely have a substantial amount of leftover composite fiber material, such as pre-impregnated scraps and laminates. Until recently, the only thing to do with this excess waste was to dispose it. Now, a handful of companies have developed highly specialized processes to transform this trash into recycled treasure, and aerospace companies are doing their part to give back to the environment by utilizing this capability.
Canadian tourism airline Air Transat has saved more than 410,000 tons of carbon dioxide and up to 6% of its annual fuel bill since 2003 by sticking to a disciplined fuel saving regimen. These results may seem surprising, but the airline's strategy is straightforward—find as many ways to conserve fuel, lighten aircraft and conserve resources in corporate offices as possible, and then train employees to embrace the changes.
Lufthansa Technical Training has posted a selection of more than 250 open courses and seminars on its website. Now these offerings are available to individual participants in the online training finder at www.ltt.aero for viewing and booking requests.
AFI KLM E&M's subsidiary Epcor has signed an agreement with LAN Airlines for full APU overhaul services on Boeing 777 freighter aircraft, and AFI KLM E&M will provide pool access for the operator. LAN previously signed an eight-year contract for APU support with AFI KLM E&M. The MRO also signed a five year contract with Luxair to support its Boeing 737 APUs.
Larson Electronics' high-power LED light, HAL-PRM-150W-LED, is approved for hazardous locations and can replace 400 watt metal halide bulbs. This light produces 14,790 lumens in a 60 degree flood pattern. The units are rated for 50,000 hours of life. It features a rugged aluminum housing, fitted with 30 Cree XPG LEDs, corrosion resistant hardware and hinged tempered glass door. It is ingress protection rated IP65 and its u-shaped trunnion mount allows technicians to easily mount the light on walls and flat surfaces.
Singapore Airlines is launching a digital application of a pilot's logbook as an application to the Boeing 777's electronic flight bag, which the airline also helped Boeing develop. Called the Electronic Logbook (ELB), the application was developed with software from Ultramarine Systems and brings the 777 to parity with what Boeing is offering as a standard feature on the 787.
StandardAero is initiating a long-term workforce training and expansion plan to gear up for what it expects will be a surge in CFM56 shop visits. The company, which carried out MRO on 264 CF34 and CFM56-7B engines at its Plant 6 site in Winnipeg in 2011, is in talks with additional Boeing 737-600/700/800 operators to further expand its business. Although StandardAero repaired CFM56-7Bs in previous years, it did not conduct its first complete overhaul until 2011.
Venerable engine maker Pratt & Whitney is looking forward to a resurgent decade, with new engines like the innovative PW1000G geared turbofan series racing out of the gate and a solid business emerging for its Engine Alliance turbofan program with GE. But there's still a lot of business opportunity out there for the tried-and-true stalwarts, especially when it comes to overhauls and on-wing support—and that's especially true for Pratt & Whitney's PW4000 series large turbofan.
TAP Maintenance & Engineering Brazil has been certified by Boeing as an approved repair station. The first contract under the certification is the inspection, repair and overhaul of the Boeing 777 landing gear axles, achieved through a Boeing service bulletin to be incorporated by airlines that fly the aircraft type. To obtain the distinction, the MRO participated in an international bidding contest and underwent an audit process. TAP M&E Brazil also completed heavy checks on an Air Transat Airbus A330-200 at its Porto Alegre Base.
Component Control has been approved as the exclusive preferred provider of MRO and logistics software solutions by the Aeronautical Repair Station Association.
EADS is pulling out of a joint venture with Embraer formed in 2005 to take control of OGMA—Industria Aeronautica de Portugal S.A., an aerostructures, airframe and component MRO once owned by the Portuguese government. The venture, Airholdings, was created in 2005 by the two manufacturers to take a 65% holding in OGMA, with the Portuguese state retaining a 35% stake. Initially, Embraer owned a 99% share in the Airholdings joint venture, although EADS later exercised an option to increase its holding to 30%.
Chromalloy's Windsor, Conn. engine component repair station received an approved organization exposition certification from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. The certificate allows the Chromalloy turbine repair station to provide component repairs, including FAA approved designated engineering representative repairs for All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines.
Swiss-AS will provide its Amos MRO software to Transaero Airlines, the second Russian airline to choose the software. The implementation project is planned to last 14-16 months. Transaero will use Amos' interface landscape that links the software to Boeing toolbox functions, which allows for electronic transfer of taskcards between the programs. Swiss-AS added 11 new customers from Europe, Asia and the Americas in 2011. Training
Universal Avionics has entered into an agreement with Air Creebec to fit its entire Bombardier Dash 8 fleet with its wide area augmentation system/satellite-based augmentation system flight management systems and terrain awareness and warning systems. Mid-Canada Mod Center, an authorized dealer for Universal Avionics, will undergo the conversion. Parts/Components
Mubadala Aerospace's European MRO facilities are sold out for the next five years, says James Stewart, group CEO. “We do very little work on the spot market” at SR Technics' facilities in Switzerland and Malta. “In the Middle East, we're moving toward longer-range contracts because they're a better deal for us and for our customers,” he says. He also thinks there is definitely overcapacity in the airframe MRO market, which is why SR Technics did not expand its hangars in Malta as originally planned.
What do you see as the greatest possibilities for ST Aerospace this year in the civil market? Are there particular regions that should provide more growth?
Goodrich and Hawaiian Airlines have signed an extensive to its existing Prime Solutions nacelle maintenance agreement to support the airline's fleet of 18 Boeing 717-200 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce BR715 engines. The existing nacelle flight hour agreement provides MRO services, management of spare parts, rotables and dedicated Goodrich technical support. The extension will increase Goodrich's existing support to include three aircraft that Hawaiian Airlines introduced into its fleet beginning in October.
