The U.S. Trade Development Agency (USTDA) and Bell Helicopter Textron are cooperating with India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to support the growth of the Indian helicopter market. A USTDA grant for $501,849 for “rotorcraft rulemaking, capacity assessment, airspace classification and airspace design” was to be signed under the U.S.-India Aviation Cooperation Program with the DGCA before Aug. 15.
Most maintenance, repair and overhaul organizations serving the aerospace market today feel increasing pressure to boost profit margins and reduce operating costs. In the past, whenever the MRO industry prospered, the airline industry was flying older fleets that required extensive and more expensive maintenance. But the recent credit crunch has triggered a paradigm shift of sorts. Aircraft manufacturers are pitching and winning maintenance work that MROs once performed.
MTU Aero Engines and GE Aviation signed a 10-year agreement to jointly develop component repairs, with the initial focus on repairs for the hot section components in GE CF34 engines. MTU said the first repairs should be available in early 2010. This is the first agreement of this type that MTU has signed with an OEM. Repair development is not restricted to GE engines.
Nov. 4–5 ➤ AVIATION WEEK: Lean Six Sigma for MRO, Atlanta, Ga., Registration Info: Anita Joyce Wright, 800-240-7645 in the U.S. or +1 212-904-6344; fax +1 212-904-3334
Fire-Safe Storage Buildings Safety Storage’s FireShield buildings are designed for installation near or within existing facilities to store potentially hazardous chemicals and other materials safely. The pre-fabricated, code-compliant buildings meet varied size, access and storage requirements: Safety Storage offers UL-approved two-hour bi-directional fire-rated (FR) model and two-hour bi-directional fire-resistance enhancement (FRE) model buildings, as well as four-hour bi-directional FR model and four-hour bi-directional FRE model buildings.
The U.S. military is known for its odd, sometimes inexplicable acronyms. But the Air Force’s F2AST program, which stands for Future Flexible and Sustainment Tool, seems to hit the nail on the head.
Jet Aviation added maintenance services at its Seletar Airport and Moscow Vnukovo International Airport facilities. Jet Aviation Singapore added services for Bombardier Challenger 601/604/605 and Cessna 560XL aircraft under its EASA 145 maintenance approval. The company also plans to add to its line maintenance capabilities in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur. Jet Aviation Vnukovo now offers 24/7 line maintenance services and AOG support, and it expanded its AOG services to Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and other Russian airports.
In 2005, Rimsky Buitrago, CEO of Coopesa, realized that his business model was changing. To remain competitive, Coopesa’s supply chain processes inside and outside the hangar would have to change as well. Based at the Juan Santamaría International Airport in Costa Rica, Coopesa is a mid-size MRO specializing in Boeing narrowbody airframe maintenance. The facility can service up to seven aircraft at once.
—Airbus aims to achieve “an unprecedented level of system maturity” for its A350XWB twinjet well before the aircraft’s first flight, according to Didier Evrard, who heads the A350XWB Program. “Maturity at first flight will be a major challenge because, at that point, lots of components for the aircraft will already be in production and repair schemes agreed,” he says.
Flightstar Aircraft Services inked a contract with Precision Conversions to convert a Boeing 757-200 from passenger to freighter configuration for a Chinese carrier, to be completed by November. Engines
The Air Force’s Warner Robins Air Logistics Center on July 23, 2008, selected 12 companies to compete for a maximum $6.9 billion under the 10-year F2AST acquisition program.
MTU Aero Engines of Munich has for long touted its ability to repair aircraft components when possible rather than replace them with new—and presumably costlier—parts. The company credits its engineering skills for the expertise it has developed in this area. Now MTU is working with a partner, GE Aviation, to develop ways to repair all brands of engine components and assemblies and restoring them to as-new condition. The Component Repair Development Agreement is the first such deal formalized with an OEM, says Stefan Weingartner, president and CEO of MTU Aero Engines.
Goodrich Corp.’s Aerostructures business opened a 50,000-sq.-ft. facility at Tianjin Airport Industrial Park for MRO activities and to support original equipment manufacturing of nacelles and thrust reversers. The plant is, however, only a steppingstone to a larger facility that is scheduled to open in 2010—a 170,000-sq.-ft. site in Tianjin that will be across from the final assembly line for the Airbus A320 aircraft.
The newest applications for tracking and managing both line and base maintenance can cut costs and boost efficiency. But replacing or modifying old applications, especially legacy systems at major carriers, can be a long and expensive process. That does not fit well with the current financial predicament of most carriers.
Low-Density Fuel Tank Sealant Royal Adhesives and Sealants’ Hardman WS8032 Light Weight Rapid Curing manganese dioxide cured polysulfide aircraft sealant now is fully qualified to SAE International’s aerospace material (AMS) 3281D type II Class B aircraft fuel tank sealant specification.
Nov. 30–3 ➤ National Training & Simulation Assn.: Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation & Education Conference; Orlando, Fla. Contact: Barbara McDaniel, director of conferences and programs, +1 703-247-2569 or [email protected]. Web: iitsec.org/index.cfmOM
The first of four radar systems being upgraded by ITT’s Brazil PAR-2000 modernization team recently completed Site Acceptance Testing (SAT). The four-day test included logistic and quality inspections, system on- and offline checks and flight certification. The Brazilian special flight inspection group performed the flight certification. The Brazilian Air Force uses ITT’s Precision Approach Radars to ensure safe landings in all conditions, especially where visibility is impaired, including night and severe weather landings.
Bombardier received approval for adjustments to line maintenance intervals for CRJ700/705/900 NextGen and Q400 aircraft from Transport Canada, the U.S. FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency. Bombardier obtained approval to adjust the CRJ700/705/900 NextGen aircraft’s line maintenance check intervals from 400 to 600 flight hours; information is being distributed to operators in Revision 9 of the maintenance requirements manual.
