Washington Considering that some form of new mandate was unavoidable, the vast majority of those affected by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) long-awaited repair station security rule couldn't be more pleased.
For Southwest Airlines, there are no replacement plans—at least for now—for the electromechanical cockpits on the 130 Boeing 737-300s and -500s it still flies. “We are always evaluating the future of our 737-300s and -500s, which includes possible cockpit modifications as fleet planning warrants,” says Kent Horton, Southwest's director of engineering.
A European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) draft rule tackles several ambiguities around aircraft technical records, including how long certain records should be kept, and how new technology—such as digitized records—should be accommodated.
The last year has provided some much-needed positive news for Airbus's A380 program, including a milestone 100th delivery and a major deal that pushed the program's languishing orderbook beyond 300. Whether the solid run is a precursor of things to come or an anomalous blip on a radar screen full of challenges is up for debate.
Washington A recently released audit lauds the FAA's Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (Asias) effort for its growth, but urges the agency to boost the program's effectiveness by putting more of its data into the hands of safety inspectors. The FAA, straddling a fine line, says it is trying.
Europe The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has proposed beefed-up standards and maintenance practices for aircraft flight and data recorders. Among the changes: Cockpit voice recorders (CVR) on large aircraft—having a maximum takeoff weight of at least 27,000 kg—would need recording durations of 15 hr. by January 2019. EASA also proposed that, by 2020, CVRs and flight data recorders have underwater location devices that broadcast for at least 90 days.
Europe A U.K. Aviation Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) call to have Boeing 777 interior lighting crashworthiness improved has been rejected by the U.S. FAA, but Boeing addressed the matter well before an accident brought the issue to light, AAIB's latest annual safety report reveals.
A recent report from the U.S. Transportation Department's Inspector General sheds some light on the impact of sequestration on FAA's certification efforts and related delays. Top FAA executives have said a hiring freeze put in place late last year has forced the agency' s Aviation Safety (AVS) branch to allocate more of its limited resources to immediate safety issues. The loser has been certification projects that are either resource-intensive or simply new.
An FAA rulemaking advisory committee's recommendations on improving the consistency of rules interpretations is starting bear fruit in a much-needed area: the guidance behind regulations. Dorenda Baker, FAA's director of Aircraft Certification Services, says the agency is tackling the committee's most pressing recommendations: conducting a review of existing guidance to eliminate duplicative, conflicting or irrelevant guidance; and ensuring the rest is available in an electronic database.
1. Fixer-Uppers Supplier: Pacific Aero Tech Offering: Pacific Aero Tech's focus has included repairing and servicing aircraft windows and other transparencies since 1987. The company also boasts one of the industry's largest and most diverse inventories of aircraft windows. The company's capabilities encompass servicing wingtip and landing lenses, windshields and cabin windows on most Airbus and Boeing aircraft. www.mcnally-group.com/pacificaerotech
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) are harmonizing their approaches to inspecting foreign aircraft under the European Union's Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) program.
1. Growing Stronger Supplier: Aeroxchange Offering: Founded in July 2000 by 13 airlines to create a global, neutral eCommerce platform to support the aviation supply chain, Aeroxchange is still going strong. It allows users to outsource their electronic data interface strategy, providing a seamless connection among trading partners. www.aeroxchange.com Link 605 2. Straight From The Source Supplier: Flatirons Solutions
The aviation aftermarket has become more sophisticated about how it repurposes aircraft, engines and material no longer needed in operation. Some aircraft still get parked, but the number that remain inactive in deserts or on tarmacs is dwindling because aircraft financiers, lessors and parts providers employ asset-valuation strategies earlier in the game. Today, many mature aircraft are worth more as parts than as a whole.
Washington FAA officials have spent considerable energy this year warning industry that shrinking resources tied to federal budget cuts would put the squeeze on myriad airworthiness approvals, new product certifications and related tasks that keep aviation going—and innovating. One way to ensure your projects are moving, the officials says, is to take on more of the FAA's work by creating an Organization Designation Authorization (ODA).
Like many MRO industry verticals, the mechanical component market has its share of top-tier suppliers entering the aftermarket, either through organic growth or acquisition. Major roles in new aircraft programs give manufacturers such as Moog inside tracks to lucrative aftermarket opportunities. But, as companies like Avtron Aerospace and Heico prove, there is still plenty of room for innovative independent suppliers. 1. Focused On Motion Supplier: Moog
Europe The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), concerned about the number of reports of defective fasteners, is developing a certification memorandum that will advise product developers to take steps to ensure the quality of so-called standards nuts and bolts (see photo).
The proliferation of mobile devices and software that enables increasingly more complex data distribution and handling could lead to the most significant evolution in maintenance documents management since the transition from paper to electronic formats.
