The Defense Ministry has given AgustaWestland a £439 million ($715 million) integrated operation support contract for maintenance of its 67 Apache helicopters in the U.K. The deal frees up military personnel who work on the attack helicopter to deploy to Afghanistan and support operations 24/7 there. Work on the Apache in the U.K. is done at Wattisham Airfield, Suffolk. Eighteen months ago, the Apache Depth Support Unit there was run entirely by military technicians. Now, 180 personnel from AgustaWestland are replacing them.
As any MRO knows, controlling labor costs is one of the keys to remaining competitive, especially as the industry expands globally to low-wage countries in Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas.Cost control was central to Roger Porter’s strategy when he took over the Aeroframe repair facility in Lake Charles, La., from EADS Aeroframe Services in July 2005. “EADS was focused on increasing Airbus maintenance support in the Americas,” says Porter.
Ahlers Aerospace amended STC to install a night vision goggle-compatible interior lighting system on Eurocopter Deutschland MBB-BK 117 B-1 and MBB-BK 117 B-2 helicopters, STC SR09523RC
The European Regions Airline Association named Marc Lamidey, president and CEO of Brit Air, VP to replace Padraig O’Ceidigh, chairman of Aer Arann, who stepped down earlier this year.
M7 Aerospace added Z Corp.’s handheld ZScanner 700 PX laser scanner, which can scan large objects, including entire aircraft, to create three-dimensional digital models for reverse engineering and other capabilities. It also established a new burn test laboratory that meets Department of Transportation and FAA requirements.
Duncan Aviation added two new online tools for operators: a maintenance event planning Web resource and an MRO comparison worksheet. The Web-based planning tool is designed to help owners/operators and maintenance directors identify their needs before asking for a quote, which should save time and generate a more accurate quote, says Duncan VP of Sales John Slieter. And, the worksheet should help operators compare service providers once they receive quotes.
You know the story. You’re under pressure from a customer to get them back in the air. But you’ve seen the “blue screen of death” on your laptop. You have tried everything, short of tossing it out the window, and you contact the manufacturer. And wait. And wait. When someone does pick up the phone, they recommend tricks you’ve already tried. As your frustration mounts, the customer calls in on the other line, anxious to hear the plane is ready for takeoff. Meanwhile, you’re transferred from one person to another to another.
Solar-reflective Window Coatings PPG Aerospace’s neutral-silver and gold solar-reflective window coatings are designed to enhance an aircraft’s interior and exterior appearance while reducing cockpit and cabin temperatures and air-conditioning demands. The coatings are being developed for glass and plastic aircraft transparencies; PPG also plans to incorporate solar-reflective coatings into its electrochromatic cabin window systems.
Lufthansa Technik signed its 2,000th aircraft under a total support contract as part of an 18-aircraft expansion of a deal with Aeroflot Russian Airlines. The new agreement brings the total number of Aeroflot Airbus A320s covered by LHT total support from 45 to 63.
Operating experience in Iraq and Afghanistan is adding urgency to demands for dramatic improvements in rotorcraft technology. While increased speed, payload and maneuverability are high on the U.S. armed services’ wish lists, improvements in operational availability, mission reliability and logistic supportability get high priority. And, there is growing recognition that incremental improvements to today’s rotors will not be enough.
Boeing won two separate U.S. Air Force contracts together worth $4.2 million to support the modernization of 365 A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. The first, to be performed by Boeing and Southwest Research Institute, provides engineering services for the A-10 Aircraft Structural Integrity Program. Boeing will work with partners Raytheon Technical Services and BAE Systems Platform Solutions on the second contract, which is for a trade study analysis and operational assessment/proof of concept for the aircraft’s upgraded data transfer unit.
Compact Videoscopes Two new industrial videoscopes from Olympus NDT measure one-third the size and half the weight of its previous devices, making the new equipment well-suited for remote visual inspections when access is limited. Designed for operation by users at any experience level, Olympus' new IPLEX LX and IPLEX LT tools should simplify remote visual inspections of areas such as inside boiler rooms, airplane fuselages and wind turbine gear boxes.
Messier-Dowty appointed Henri Koffel VP purchasing. Koffel has held management positions within Aerospatiale, Aerospatiale/Matra and EADS. Prior to joining Messier-Dowty, he was Airbus’ VP aerostructures procurement. Rizon Group named Patrick Enz group CEO. The former Jet Aviation business development VP succeeds Will Curtis at the Middle East and U.K.-based business aviation services company.
Etihad Airways picked Lufthansa Technik to retrofit its entire fleet with the Guideline ColorFit non-electric emergency floorpath guidance system. Last year, Lufthansa Technik equipped Etihad’s Boeing 777s with the photoluminescent system; now, five more 777s will be retrofitted, as well as the airline's Airbus A320s, A330s and A340s.
Sabena technics started offering Airbus A320 line maintenance in Kuwait City and is in the planning stages of building a hangar there, in conjunction with partner Al Wazzan Group. Sabena technics plans to perform light and heavy maintenance checks on A320 aircraft at the new facility. Wataniya is the launch customers.
Ethiopian Airlines expanded its powerplant contract with Delta TechOps to become an open-ended agreement to maintain, repair and overhaul the carrier’s Pratt & Whitney 2040 engines. Delta TechOps started maintaining Ethiopian’s engines in 2005.
The new Rolls-Royce Mechanical Test Operations Center of Dahlewitz has given a contract to MTS Systems of Eden Prairie, Minn., for mechanical test equipment, software and consulting services related to the operational behavior of materials and components for jet engines. MTS will supply single and multiaxial servohydraulic load frames with its grips, high-temperature extensometers and environmental simulators, as well as digital controllers and hydraulic power units. MTS also will provide service and support.
Custom Cranes Ruger Industries offers custom-engineered portable cranes for aviation maintenance operations. Using mobile cranes for tasks such as lifting aircraft engines or control surfaces improves safety by reducing or eliminating dependency on motorized lift trucks. They also are designed to operate in the tight work areas often prescribed in private or commercial aviation maintenance settings.
