PlaneTechs promoted David Pearson to president, filling the position left open when Ian Rollo left the company in mid-2008. Pearson formerly was PlaneTechs‘ SVP of sales.
BBA Aviation Engine Repair and Overhaul appointed Mark Taylor general manager of ERO Component Repair and Accessories. Taylor has worked for ERO’s H+S Aviation in Portsmouth, England for more than 19 years, including six years overseeing H+S Aviations component repair program. In addition to Portsmouth’s repair program, all U.S.-based component repair activity of Dallas Airmotive and Premier Turbines will report through Taylor.
Vector Aerospace Helicopter Services to install a SAGEM integrated cockpit display system and Crossbow attitude and heading reference system on Eurocopter France AS355F1 and AS355F2 helicopters, STC SR02341AKOM
OEM Defense Services, formed in October 2008 by five European equipment manufacturers to cooperatively support the aviation assets of national militaries, is fully operational. The companies—Diehl Aerospace, Liebherr Aerospace, Safran, Thales and Zodiac Aerospace—was intended to provide logistical support and services that include MRO for the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft and the NH90 and Tiger helicopters. Its service offerings and equipment capabilities in many cases match the contractor support requirements for other fleets in service.
Mxi Technologies added a strategic long range planning feature to its Maintenix software. This feature is designed to allow organizations to develop long-term maintenance plans optimized for aircraft availability, check yield and hangar and resource utilization. Contracts Commercial
Goodrich Corp. and Xi’an Aircraft International Corp. (XIAC) agreed to form two new joint venture companies in Xi’an, China, focused on landing gear and engine nacelle components. The new joint ventures, both owned 50:50 by Goodrich and XIAC, are slated to compete for work on the in-development COMAC C919 single-aisle commercial aircraft as well as manufacuring various landing gear and nacelle components and subassemblies for other aircraft. Goodrich currently has three facilities in Hong Kong, Tianjin, and Xiamen, China.
Blackhawk Modifications amended STC to install a wing-mounted auxiliary fuel transfer tank on various Hawker Beechcraft 65 and 90 models, STC SA10560SC
Cirrus Parts by API launched on July 27. API now provides Cirrus customer service centers and owner/operators with supply chain, logistics and spare parts services per a new, exclusive, multi-year services agreement. The contract’s terms provide API support for Cirrus’ 213 authorized services centers and 5,000 in-service aircraft. The arrangement also covers support for the in-development Cirrus Vision SJ50 (formerly known as The-jet), currently expected to enter service in 2012.
Extended-life Reading Lamps Welch Allyn reading lamps for Boeing, Airbus and ATR aircraft now feature longer lifetimes, which translates into less maintenance. It increased the lifetime ratings for three models of its halogen lamps to up to 10,000 hours, around 20% more than previous generation models. New lifetime ratings and extended warranty offers apply to lamps produced since June. Lamps 998502-4 and 998502-8, original equipment on Boeing 777 and 747-400 aircraft now feature a lifetime rating of 10,000 hours.
ExelTech interim CEO Robin Wohnsigl stepped down on Aug. 17 to revert to his role on the company’s board of directors. He is succeeded by Sylvain Duval, who served as ExelTech’s president and COO since April 2008. Stephen Hops also joined the company as VP operations, responsible for maintenance in both Montreal and Quebec, supply chain, quality assurance and training, planning, continuous improvement and customer relations.
Swiss International Airlines subsidiary Edelweiss Air extended its contract with SR Technics for Airbus A320 maintenance for an additional three years and three months. The renewal agreement, which extends to March 2012, includes line, light and base maintenance; maintenance operations control; engineering services; component support; engine maintenance and logistics management.OM
Pratt & Whitney Canada has opened a regional service center at Lethbridge, Alberta. The facility, co-located with the manufacturer’s PT6A main production plant, has advanced tooling and component repair capabilities. It performs light and heavy maintenance on PT6, JT15D, PW100 and PW500s, and light maintenance for the PW600 engine series.
ATK Integrated Systems to install special mission equipment including surveillance and mission radio systems in M7 Aerospace SA227-DC (C-26B) and Cessna 208B aircraft, STCs SA00024MC and SA00025MC
Rockwell Collins received an STC for its Wide Area Augmentation System Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance upgrade for Hawker 800XP aircraft equipped with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics system, following the completion of its flight test program at the end of June. The STC now is available through Rockwell Collins authorized dealers and Hawker Beechcraft Services. Parts/Components
A series of “meet and confer” discussions between Pratt & Whitney and the International Association of Machinists over the future of two maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities in Connecticut was scheduled to conclude early in September. A Pratt & Whitney representative said the company is looking for concessions in the union’s collective bargaining agreement that will keep the Cheshire Engine Facility and the Connecticut Airfoil Repair Operation (CARO) in East Hartford open beyond the first half of 2010.
—In 2008 American Airlines’ 12,000 techs performed nearly 90% of maintenance in house, compared with 30-70% by other major airlines. AA does all its own airframe maintenance, another departure from common practice in the U.S.
