1. Spicing It Up Manufacturer: Airbus Applications: Airbus's Space Innovative Catering Equipment (Spice) should be available for aircraft deliveries in the early 2020s. Specifications: The system includes foldable service carts and has a weight savings of 400-600 kg (881-1,322 lb.). www.airbus.com/innovation/well-being/inside/spice/ Link 610
Lack of effective communication, one of the Dirty Dozen root causes of human error in maintenance, is to blame for many of the problems that crop up in the hangar. When organizations address this topic, typically they zero in on handovers between shifts and clarity of written items in logbooks. Rarely do managers step back and consider how they are communicating through the signage posted around the workplace. It may seem a small thing, but the words on your walls matter.
When Arinc developed the Acars (aircraft communications addressing and reporting system) model in the late 1970s, the goal initially was relatively straightforward: Create a type of time stamp for aircraft taking off and returning to the hangar, says Dan Pendergast, Arinc's international division senior director.
1. Learning the Ropes Supplier: Aviation Training Academy Applications: Aviation Training Academy's new Self-Fueling Online Training Course results in a Self-Fueling Operations Certification designed for fixed-base operators, corporate flight departments, municipalities, fueling agents and line service technicians.
There are two types of strategies when it comes to safety. The first can be implemented by a verbal or written command, such as a change to a reporting procedure or a new training program. The second requires a change in human behavior—a far more difficult undertaking. Human factors initiatives tend to fall squarely into this second bucket.
1. Building the Base Supplier: Teradata Applications: Teradata offers both blanket data warehousing and pre-built logical data models designed for the airline industry. Think of it as the difference between buying a physical warehouse and buying the warehouse with pre-cut, industry-specific shelves in it, says Peeter Kivestu, Teradata's director of travel industry and marketing solutions.
The projected three-year market for heavy maintenance visits (HMV) and C checks on Airbus A330-series widebodies is among the smaller of those tracked for major airframes, but it remains attractive at just more than $1 billion, split nearly evenly between -200 and -300 models and concentrated among a handful of carriers.
You can't manage what you can't measure. That dictum is repeated so often, that you may tune it out. But performance metrics and key performance indicators (KPI) are a critical component to a lean MRO or Six Sigma initiative.
In the coming years, aircraft maintenance data will likely shift to cloud storage, which is simply a much more economical way of storing, sharing, managing and using data.
Lucerne, Switzerland From Test Flights To Fees Concerns In an industry as dynamic and as driven by technological innovation as aviation, it is only natural to witness an evolution of the regulatory framework. Europe, of course, is not immune and, even if most of the recent regulatory efforts have been in the field of flight operations, the maintenance and engineering component of the aviation business also has had to adapt to a set of regulatory changes.
Alejandro Fischer Director for planning and fleet diagnosis, LAN Airlines Birthplace: Santiago, Chile Education: Industrial civil engineering, Universidad Catolica de Chile Career: Contracts and guarantees senior manager at LAN (2006-08); supplies and logistics senior manager (2008-10); development director (2010-May 2012).
Do you ever wonder whether you have too many electronic devices? In my case, keeping my mix of work and personal Blackberrys, iPhones, iPads and laptops charged and continually available seems redundant sometimes. I very much appreciate how Apple has simplified electronic media and data usage—allowing me to easily update it, sync it between multiple devices simultaneously, and back it up in a cloud with a simple click. Given all of the log-ins and passwords we have to remember, using one in a secure environment to complete multiple tasks quickly is simply a joy.
For North American widebody airframe MROs, the market dynamics are changing, as vendors' focus shifts to the midsize Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 families and away from the 747, whose maintenance has evolved into a niche business.
The June 7 initial bid deadline for bankrupt Canadian MRO provider Aveos's assets passed with mixed news, including indications that Air Canada is willing to help land work for the buyers of the engine and component businesses, while no bids were received for Aveos's airframe assets.
The economic life of the ATR 72 is 70,000 cycles, but based on innovation from the manufacturer and operators alike, ATR is “evaluating the possibility” of setting the limit even higher. Cycle ceilings are important, but it's the optimization of operations during that economic lifetime that matters most.
For U.S. Boeing 747-400 operators, going outside the country for heavy airframe maintenance may be the only choice, as North American MRO capacity for the huge aircraft becomes increasingly limited. It's easy to see why, given what has become a relatively small number of aircraft.
1. All the Rave Manufacturer: IMS Applications: IMS has 10 airline customers flying with the Rave IFE system. Specifications: Each seatback display unit in the seat-centric IFE system contains its own content with on-demand audio and video. Air Niugini recently added Rave, with first installations to start early next year. www.imsco-us.com Link 600
Avia Solutions Group Chairman Gediminas Ziemelis talks about how the fast-growing company primarily targets the 300 airlines within a 3-hr. flight of its headquarters in Vilnius, Lithuania, but operates from 40 locations worldwide.
