When a pilot files a squawk about a malfunctioning avionics component, in nearly one out of three cases today the technician will not be able to duplicate the reported failure, making it impossible to isolate and repair the problem. No Fault Found (NFF), as this scenario is termed, is, in fact, considered a significant problem in avionics maintenance, especially as components become increasingly complex.
Convincing the U.S. Air Force that a robot could perform an integral fuel tank inspection on its B-52 bombers as well or better than a person was a tall order for Ohio-based research and development firm Batelle. “We presented this program to the Air Force back in 2002, and I gave the original presentation to some folks at Tinker Air Force Base,” said Tim Lastrapes, associate manager for the firm’s equipment development group.
The TechnoPack XT Videoscope from Karl Storz Industrial is intended to be durable, flexible and portable for on-the-go inspections. The videoscope itself features a touchscreen VGA monitor with an integrated sunshield. This monitor is positioned on a swivel mount attached to a telescoping support, which should make it easy for inspectors to view its screen from any angle.
Cairo-based carrier AlMasria Universal Airlines signed a total maintenance agreement with Egyptair Maintenance & Engineering to support its Airbus A320 fleet. AlMasria begins operations in the first quarter of 2009 with two A320s, offering service from Alexandria, Luxor, and Assiut to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, and Libya. It plans to add another four A320s in 2010.
The Air Transportation Association is hoping to bridge a final gap in the movement to digital distribution of parts with a new specification for parts release. FAA recently approved use of the ATA Spec 2000 Chapter 16, Electronic Product and Part Regulatory Documentation, as a means to use electronic forms for signing off on parts rather than the paper Form 8130-3.
ST Aerospace subsidiary STARCO inducted its 10th and 11th All Nippon Airways Airbus A320 aircraft for C checks and modifications under a three-year contract announced in November 2007. Engines
Heli-One, an operating division of the CHC Group, with headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia, announced in December its receipt of a new FMV (Swedish Defense Material Administration) contract worth C$11.2 million ($9 million) to complete avionics upgrades on two Eurocopter AS332M1 Super Puma (Hkp 10) military helicopters. From early this year, these will receive integrated defensive aids suite equipment and services, plus night vision goggles, at Heli-One’s facility in Stavanger, Norway.
Singapore’s SilkAir picked Panasonic Avionics’ Multiplexed Passenger Entertainment system for installation on 12 Airbus A319/A320s. A regional subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, SilkAir began the conversion work in August at SIA Engineering Co., but word of the contract was not revealed until Jan. 6. The contract includes nine options. The SilkAir fleet includes nine Airbus A320s and six A319s.
Hamilton Sundstrand received a firm fixed price U.S. Air Force contract worth an estimated $6.2 million to repair and overhaul digital electronic engine controls, engine diagnostic units and associated parts for F-15 and F-16 aircraft. As of early January, no money had been obligated. Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., was responsible for the contracting activity.
Twenty years ago, OEMs warned about the dangers of PMA parts. Now, some manufacturers are making PMA parts themselves or licensing chosen vendors to do so. Boeing has given Goodrich approval to produce landing gear parts for the 737NG and 777. This means Goodrich can sell PMA parts—it prefers the term Goodrich OEM, or GOEM parts—directly to the airlines. In the past, Goodrich produced landing gear parts for Boeing, which sold them to the market. Now Goodrich can do both—sell to Boeing, or sell direct to the airlines.
Messier Services U.K. (Safran Group) and EADS are providing landing gear overhaul services for the RAF’s Tornado combat aircraft fleet, via BAE Systems as prime contractor. This 8.5-year contract covers 134 Tornados.
Kelly Aviation Center earned EASA certification for the CF6-50 engine. The Lockheed Martin Corp. affiliate in San Antonio, Texas, currently does CF6-50 MRO for the KC-10 and E-4B fleet under contract to GE. Minority investors in Kelly Aviation Center are GE and Rolls-Royce.
AAR Corp. added Dave Cann as VP, regulatory compliance. Cann, who retired as manager of the FAA Flight Standards Service, Aircraft Maintenance Division, in January 2008, now is in charge of quality and regulatory compliance efforts for AAR’s repair station business under senior quality officer Mickey Cohen. On the safety and environmental side, Rayner Hutchinson continues as VP, quality and safety, also reporting to Cohen.
Atlantic Fasteners won a pair of two-year contracts from Lockheed Martin together worth nearly $1 million. The West Springfield, Mass.-based manufacturer will provide Lockheed Martin’s U.S. business units with hundreds of fastener varieties through December 2010.
Health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS) have made a major contribution to helicopter safety by keeping a watchful eye on engines, gearboxes and rotors. Now GE Aviation Systems is adding the capability to monitor airframe corrosion under a two-year, $2 million research contract from the U.S. Armys Aviation Applied Technology Directorate.
Flight data results can be uploaded wirelessly from Cirrus SR 20 and SR 22 aircraft upon landing with a roadband unit from Alakai Technologies and integrator and safety analysis firm CAPACG. Alakai received amended supplemental type certification (STC) approval to install the unit in December. The partners, who market the broadband access unit under the brand name GA-FDM, aim to enable non-commercial owners and operators to monitor and share engine trend and flight operations data with their equipment and the monitoring services they offer.
Spairliners began component support work for Qantas’ A380s under a new, 10-year technical services agreement. The joint venture of Lufthansa Technik and Air France Industries will repair and replace about 750 components from its warehouse under the deal, which covers all 20 of the aircraft Qantas has ordered. The agreement comes a year before Air France or Lufthansa are slated to receive their first A380s; including these future deliveries, Spairliners will provide component support for 47 total A380 aircraft.
Air New Zealand subsidiary TAE purchased Tenix Aviation, its second aviation services company in Australia. The deal closed on Dec. 9 and Tenix Aviation will be renamed TAE Aviation. TAE (Tasman Aviation Enterprises), headquartered in South East Queensland, provides commercial and defense aftermarket services from five sites in Australia. New Zealand’s National Business Review said the other recent acquisition was Masling Industries in New South Wales, which provides aircraft engine component maintenance.
Ansell debuted two new types of cut-resistant gloves in January: the PowerFlex 80-658 and HyFlex 11-435. The PowerFlex gloves feature a three-layer construction of steel, fiberglass and Kevlar for maximum cut resistance, and they have long, knitted cuffs to protect the forearm. These gloves also are 3/4 dipped and liquid repellent to protect wearers from water-based contaminants and EN407 level two rated for safe handling of warm objects.
Boeing also received a $1.1 billion U.S. Department of Defense contract for C-17 Globemaster III total systems support under the fiscal year 2009 C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership, a performance based logistics program. This includes a previous award of $514 million for the first six months of this fiscal year (October 2008-March 2009), and extends the period through September.
United Airlines named Mark Mounsey VP of base maintenance for United Services in San Francisco. Mounsey joins United after a 20-year career at Pratt & Whitney. He will report to Jim Keenan, SVP maintenance. Mounsey succeeds Tracy Elving, who, according to a United spokesperson, left the company a few months ago. Airframes
StandardAero will provide PW100 and PT6 engine MRO services to France’s Direction de la Defence et de la Securite Civile fleet of 12 CL415 water bombers, nine S2F Trackers, three Beechcraft King Air 200s and two Dash 4-402MR aircraft as part of a maintenance package that also includes site management and logistics and line maintenance.
