The Commemorative Air Force brought James C. “Woody” Woodford on board as director of maintenance for its headquarters in Midland, Texas. Woodford, a 27-year CAF member, will report to Bob Stenevik, VP of operations and maintenance.
Bell Helicopter won a $288 million production contract for Lot 6 of the H-1 Upgrade Program. This includes five AH-1Zs and 11 UH-1Ys being assembled at Bell’s Military Aircraft Assembly Center in Amarillo, Texas, for deliveries from 2011. Bell now is contracted to produce 65 upgraded H-1 helicopters for the Marines, comprising 17 AH-1Z attack and 48 UH-1Y utility aircraft. So far, the company has delivered 23 upgraded H-1 helicopters, comprising six AH-1Zs and 17 UH-1Ys.
Lufthansa Technik’s ‘nice’ inflight entertainment and cabin management system became available for retrofit to Bombardier Global and Challenger business jets. The retrofit is part of a package offered by Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services during D check inspections; it includes cabin refurbishment and complete repainting of the aircraft. Parts/Components
Aircraft ground support and industrial operations may be interested in Haskel International’s new portable high-pressure gas transfer and charging system. The unit is intended for use in military and commercial aircraft ground support, N2 shock absorber charging, accumulator charging, gas transfer, gas calibration, pressure testing and purging applications. Model 87114 can handle inlet pressure up to 3500 psig and maximum rated outlet pressure up to 4,000 psig with any inert industrial gas, and Model 82880, for oxygen, accepts inlet pressure up to 4,000 psig.
Imperium signed an agreement with Air Dynamics that allows Air Dynamics to resell Imperium’s Acoustocam to its growing base of U.S., U.K. and Canadian customers for inspection and maintenance purposes.
ONE sky Aviation, amended STC to install a fixed mounted Forward.Vision Model 100 enhanced vision system to include an under-wing conformal fairing with sensor, a Detached Electrical Box and a glareshield mounted dedicated display monitor on Cirrus SR20 and SR22 model aircraft, STC SA02329AK
Nayak Aircraft Service will offer several support options for the Sukhoi Superjet, according to Sales Manager Friedrich-Wilhelm Wilms. These will include both line maintenance and base maintenance, with structural repair in authorized service centers and technical training once the program is in operation.
The Obama administration in May unveiled a $16 billion budget proposal for fiscal 2010 that focuses on the Next Generation (NextGen) air traffic control system and controller staffing issues. The fiscal 2010 budget sidesteps the funding issue, but only for a year. The administration expects to renew its push for dramatic changes in aviation funding beginning in 2011, the administration budget documents say.
Vietnam Airlines will receive engine MRO and management support from SR Technics and Pratt & Whitney under new contracts announced in April. SR Technics will provide MRO services for the Hanoi-based carrier in Zurich. The three-year contract covers 23 CFM56-5B engines and is an extension of an agreement signed in 2006. Engine monitoring services for Vietnam’s 58 PW4000 and IAE V2500 engines will be provided by Pratt & Whitney under a five-year engine management contract. Avionics/IFE
Dallas Airmotive signed a five-year engine service agreement with Avantair to repair, maintain, overhaul and provide field service on PT6A-66 engines that power the operator’s Piaggio Avanti turboprop aircraft. Dallas Airmotive has been a PT6 OEM-authorized distributor and designated overhaul facility since 1967.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. picked PartsBase’s search engine services to streamline procurement processes for post-production aircraft parts and repair services. PartsBase’s software features function sets designed to assist locating, pricing and bidding aircraft parts and services.
All airlines with a Benin operating certificate, along with several other carriers, have been added to the European Union’s airline blacklist. The EU says the decision on Benin came after an audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization highlighted problems.
BEIJING—China’s newly formed military aircraft and missile company, Avic Defense, is emphasizing maintenance as part of a business model that it has expanded far beyond just making original equipment. General Manager Wang Yawei says the company will forge a complete value chain covering the whole life cycle of its products, from weapons system predevelopment to maintenance and support guarantees for equipment that it has sold.
AirCell, amended STC to install an AirCell Broadband Services system on various Boeing 767 and 757, McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and MD-88, and Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, STC ST02541CH
StandardAero appointed Chris Swan VP/general manager of its component services operation in Cincinnati. Swan joins the DAE company from GE Aviation, where he served as regional director, Americas for commercial field service among other roles. Airframes
Madrid Aerospace Services delivered its first overhauled landing gear , an Airbus A320 gear belonging to Iberia Airlines, in early April. The 50/50 joint venture of ST Aerospace and Iberia Maintenance, formed in February 2008 and approved by the European Commission last June, operates two lines, one for A320s and one for A330/340s, but it plans to expand its capacity to six lines. Located near Madrid Barajas Airport, Madrid Aerospace Services received AESA and EASA approval in December 2008.
For many of its sensors, PCB Piezotronics offers a sealed, watertight, integral cable assembly for protection from liquid ingress. The submersible accelerometers offer an alternative sealing technique that PCB Piezotronics says adds value when used in gearboxes, transmissions, flow tubes and valves, sealed chemical reactors with mixers, and when measuring structural reactions to turbulence.
I look forward every year to AVIATION WEEK’S MRO Americas and MRO Military conferences in the spring as opportunities to get a sense of the industry’s mood and direction. This year’s event was one of conflicting signals.
Lufthansa Technik scored two big wins for its photo-luminescent strips for commercial aircraft. It signed a preferred supplier agreement with Airbus on March 31, making Lufthansa Technik’s Guideline ColourFit emergency floor-path guidance system standard on Airbus’ complete line of aircraft. And, C&D Zodiac, one of the main suppliers for Bombardier’s CSeries aircraft, selected LHT to supply the Guideline ColourFit floor-path marking for use in the 100-149 seat aircraft.
Qantas cut 500 more management positions in mid-April, to slash costs and streamline the airline. CEO Alan Joyce said a statement that Qantas wants to avoid redundancies but is exploring alternatives to further cuts, such as part time work, various types of leave and other tactics. He said the the group’s diversified business portfolio and financial management have “cushioned” the impact of market conditions on its business. “Taking further action on costs and capacity will ensure we can continue to benefit from these strategies,” Joyce said.
