Bombardier expanded services at its Dubai International Airport parts depot to commercial aircraft customers in the Middle East. The 2,800 sq.-ft. facility operated in conjunction with ExecuJet Aviation Group previously serviced only Bombardier Learjet, Challenger and Global aircraft customers, but Bombardier said in late November that it plans to equip the center to meet the parts requirements of CRJ Series, Q-Series and eventually CSeries aircraft customers in the region.
Merlin HC Mk3/3a medium-lift helicopters flown by Royal Air Force Sqdn. 78 are the latest U.K. rotorcraft to be upgraded for Afghanistan. The Merlins, built by AgustaWestland, were scheduled for deployment by the end of 2009. The £45-million ($75-million) upgrade included installation of rotor blades that are designed for the hot-high flying conditions of the country and electronic countermeasures to guard against threats.
Defect Free will have a trickle-down effect on Cathay’s broader maintenance program, reducing the amount of work required and time spent in heavy checks. It makes sense: if suppliers are keeping seats and ovens and other components in top condition on a day-to-day basis, these items won’t need to be serviced during base checks.
ARINC Engineering Services won a Rockwell Collins contract to install new navigation systems and communications equipment on two U.S. OC-135B observation aircraft. ARINC will develop the installation plan and strategy for the OC-135B, then install Rockwell’s Block 40 global air traffic management navigational upgrade kit and additional communications systems at its aircraft integration and modification facility in Oklahoma City. Parts/Components
Lufthansa Technik took over component support for Air Berlin Group's Boeing 737s, Airbus A320 and A330 family aircraft, and Bombardier Q400s. The agreement covers on-site service at the carrier's Berlin and Düsseldorf hubs, access to Lufthansa Technik's central material warehouses and repair services in Hamburg and Frankfurt, and an AOG global express for about 2,000 different types of electronic, hydraulic and pneumatic components. Air Berlin also transferred a large part of its spare parts inventory to Lufthansa Technik. Joint Ventures/Acquisitions
What is bmi's fleet age and utilization? Mahoney: Our narrowbody Airbuses are six years old, the Boeing 737s are around 13 years old, and the A330s are around eight years old.
Dunlop Aircraft Tyres launched a joint venture in Jinjiang, Fujian Province, China, for aircraft tire retreading and distribution with Hong Kong Aircraft Co. Ltd. (28%) and Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering Co. Ltd (9%) called Dunlop Taikoo (Jinjiang) Aircraft Tyres Co. Ltd. It will retread aircraft tires and distribute new tires from Dunlop's Birmingham, U.K. facility to operators in Asia-Pacific. The JV has site and product approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China and full repair station approval from EASA.
Sabca, a Brussels-based company specializing in aviation engineering, signed an exclusive F-16 spare parts supply contract with Derco Aerospace of the U.S. Derco, a subsidiary of Sikorsky Aerospace Services, will supply parts manufactured by Argo-Tech, Hamilton Sundstrand and Honeywell for just-in-time component repair of F-16s operated by European air forces.
The U.S. Air Force tapped Northrop Grumman to develop an anti-jam embedded Global Positioning Satellite and inertial navigation unit for its A-10C Thunderbolt fleet under a $3.3 million, 18-month task order. With subcontractors BAE Systems Control and Borsight Aerospace, Northrop will carry out integrated architecture and life-cycle costs analysis, install a temporary EGI modification, develop a system safety program, and provide program and engineering management support during flight-test operational assessments.
Erickson Air-Crane's Chris Erickson, chief repair station officer and compliance officer, was elected president of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) on Oct. 30. Erickson assumes the presidency after two years of service as ARSA’s senior VP. Dr. Hans Jürgen-Loss, VP of quality management at Lufthansa Technik, and Gary Fortner, VP of quality management at Fortner Engineering, were elected ARSA’s senior VP and treasurer, respectively.
Automatic Shut-off Pressure Washers Daimer Industries’ new line of mobile, heated, electric high-pressure washers fits situations where operators work far away from the equipment and would waste time turning off the washers every break. The Super Max 12200AST pressure washers feature automatic shut-off technology that turns off the device’s pump and motor after 30 seconds when the cleaning gun is not in use, then restarts them when an operator pulls the trigger, preventing unnecessary wear on critical components.
The headlines regarding AVIATION WEEK’s annual workforce study tend to focus on program execution. What they do not specifically address are the very real impact points on the support of those programs once they are delivered to customers. And, it’s a point the data tend to reinforce with precision.
The Army Aviation and Missile Command plans to install as many as 1,500 advanced datalinks in four types of helicopters over the next six to seven years. Apache, Blackhawk, Chinook and Kiowa rotorcraft will receive the IDM-304B (improved data modem), which is in the final stages of development by Symetrics Industries of Melbourne, Fla.
AviIT finished implementing its eMan technical publication management solution with Toronto-based FBO Skyservice Business Aviation. It also released the Web-based version of the eMan suite, called eManWeb. Contracts Military
Please help us fill in the blank. There are a lot of efficiencies and innovations going on in the aviation aftermarket industry, and I would like you to nominate organizations that are providing the best. We’re launching the AVIATION WEEK MRO of the Year Awards in 2010 and will present them in four categories: airline maintenance and engineering division, independent MRO, military/government and supplier/OEM service provider. These awards given to aftermarket organizations will be selected by a panel of judges who we’ll announce in the next month.
Airline Services Components signed an agreement with low-fare Russian start-up Avianova to provide wheels and brakes support for the airlines Airbus A320s on a cost-per-landing basis.
Universal Asset Management became a member of the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association. UAM is an aircraft dismantling and components recycling organization with facilities in Memphis; Atlanta; Phoenix; Walnut Ridge, Ark.; and Pocahontas, Ark.
Pratt & Whitney Canada is giving participants in its Eagle Service plan a FLEX enrollment option that allows operators of in-service engines to defer payment for the majority of hours flown prior to enrollment to a convenient time in the future, including up to the scheduled engine overhaul event, all without variable or unpredictable pro-rate charges. The option, announced at NBAA, is available for a limited time in conjunction with each of the four coverage levels of the companys ESP program—Gold, Silver, Gold Lite and Silver Lite.
Duncan Aviation added two new online tools for operators: a maintenance event planning Web resource and an MRO comparison worksheet. The Web-based planning tool is designed to help owners/operators and maintenance directors identify their needs before asking for a quote, which should save time and generate a more accurate quote, says Duncan VP of Sales John Slieter. And, the worksheet should help operators compare service providers once they receive quotes.
