An 8% increase in commercial aerospace original equipment sales and a 3% improvement in commercial aftermarket revenues helped Honeywell Aerospace mitigate the adverse effects of an 8% decline in defense and space sales in the second quarter. Despite a 1% decline in overall sales to $3 billion, Honeywell Aerospace posted a 4% year-on-year rise in operating income to $583 million and a 0.9 percentage point gain in segment margin to 19.5%.

Rockwell Collins is benefiting from growing aftermarket demand, particularly in the air transport segment, even as the rise in aircraft retirements cuts into the company’s traditional support opportunities, company executives report. The company posted a 13% jump in commercial aftermarket revenue, from $208 million to $235 million, in the fiscal 2013 third quarter ending June 30. The air transport segment grew 17%, from $109 million to $128 million, on the strength of higher spares sales and retrofits such as cockpit display upgrades, says CEO Clay Jones.

Air China will begin installing equipment for on-board wi-fi service on its Boeing 777s from early 2014 under a program being rolled out by maintenance company Ameco Beijing. The second Airbus A330 that Ameco fitted with wi-fi returned to flight on July 3. Singaporean avionics company Flight Focus is supplying the equipment. The system “enables internet access, mail, wi-fi chat as well as the cabin-wide [high-definition] video streaming in wide-body aircraft for more than 300 passengers,” says Ameco.

As investigations continue into the transmitter fire which severely damaged an Ethiopian Airlines 787 at London Heathrow Airport July 12, Boeing is gearing up for the most challenging aircraft repair and recovery operation it has yet faced on the new twinjet—and perhaps one of the most complex ever undertaken on a commercial composite aerostructure.

Lufthansa Technik has committed to creating a pool of Bombardier Q400 stock in North America as part of a multi-year agreement to support the turboprop fleet operated by WestJet’s recently launch regional unit, Encore. Under the component repair and pool access support contract, Lufthansa Technik will maintain components removed from WestJet Encore aircraft and provide replacements. All logistics and transportation will be handled by Lufthansa Technik. WestJet has a firm order for 20 Q400s.

Simulation contributes to a deterioration in deductive reasoning and critical thinking, essential skills for aviation maintenance technicians

Landing gear overhaul is experiencing a spike thanks to aircraft delivery cycles. The aircraft made as a result of the 2004-05 order boom are coming due for gear overhauls. The Aviation Week commercial aviation forecast shows demand for overhauls of nearly 4,100 nose gear and more than 4,000 shipsets of main gear for that fleet through 2015. 1. Gear and More Supplier: Iberia Maintenance

Airbus is targeting a 10% reduction in direct maintenance costs compared to the Boeing 787-9