Lean supply chains require real-time logistics information.

Wedged between customer demands for tighter turn times and competition from original equipment manufacturers, independent avionics and component shops are being squeezed to perform as never before.

Washington An FAA About-Face FAA, flooded by a wave of industry opposition that started with a tremor of protest, has agreed to drop a recently minted interpretation of its rule on what constitutes adequate rest for airline mechanics, thus reverting to a more flexible, widely accepted standard.

Airlines can perform predictive maintenance much more effectively because new aircraft yield more data, and the tools for exploiting it have improved dramatically. Yet ways of thinking and business processes also must change, which often is more difficult than tapping sensors.

Asia, the Middle East and North America are emerging as the most attractive likely markets during the next three years for Boeing 777 widebody heavy maintenance visits and C checks, underscoring the potential for a capacity crunch heading the industry's way.

When you compound the current shortage by forecast fleet growth, the situation becomes more acute.

Think “brake container” and safety might not be one's first consideration. Perhaps it should be. Extricating aircraft brakes from traditional containers entails lots of tugging and plenty of manhandling. That's because “the brake lies horizontally,” says Ron Miller. He chairs the Joint Air Transport Safety Committee at the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers. He estimates, depending on the aircraft, those brakes weigh 100-400 lb.

Firefly prospers by doing things differently