A version of this article appears in the September 8 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology. The current ratings system for U.S.-approved repair stations, introduced in 1962 and in FAA’s crosshairs since the late 1980s, has received yet another lifeline.
Tablets and smart phones may become yesterday’s technology in MRO if, as some believe, wearable devices in the form of eyeglasses or wristwatches catch on with aircraft mechanics.
Much of the industry’s focus has been on integrated planning, or sharing information across different functional areas and players in the supply chain. There are important initiatives underway to collect and use more data than ever.
L ike an eagle that uses its keen vision, strength and size to become apex predator of the aviaries, Pratt & Whitney believes its PW1000 geared turbofan will be the eagle in its nest to make its commercial production soar ( AW&ST May 26/June 2, p. 36).
The hangar-services-only days in Central and Eastern Europe are over—as is “hangar mania,” which is how former FL Technics CEO Jonas Butautis described the proliferation of basic MRO services that popped up there over the past few years and created overcapacity.
T he Icelandic banking collapse of 2008-11, followed by the eruptions from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010, took a strong Icelandair and crushed it. “I remember when we had to sell spare engines just to be able to pay salaries,” says Jens Thordarson, vice president- technical operations. “It was a very, very rough time for the company.”
The FAA, acknowledging that flight crews need to be better prepared to combat flight deck fires, has drafted a policy that is meant to amplify and augment existing rules and guidance, but stops short of modifying its regulations.
Europe has enacted regulations that should make its decade-old centralized safety database more valuable to both regulators and state aviation agencies by expanding the amount of incident information available to its users. The regulation, adopted in April and taking effect late next year, opens up access to records in the European Central Repository (ECR) to safety agencies and investigators throughout Europe.
T he aircraft parts aftermarket continues to transform itself as pure parts distributors feel increased pressure from the new asset-management model and some traders broaden their offers.