Qantas says the Airbus A380 that was badly damaged following an uncontained engine failure in November 2010, VH-OQA, is finally due to return to service in March. Repair work on the A380 “is progressing well,” a Qantas spokesman tells Aviation Week. Repairs began in May 2011 and are expected to cost AU$135 million ($139.75 million). In early 2011, Qantas said the aircraft would fly again by the end of that year. However, for the past six months, the airline has signaled that a return to service early this year was more likely.

“Mr. President, congratulations. You're a tough adversary. No hard feelings, old pal. It's a great two-party system we have. We gave our best and you outdid us. As a matter of fact you stunned us. I never figured you could beat us that badly. I want to wish you all the success in the world.” Those words were spoken three decades ago by then-U.S. House Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill, a liberal Massachusetts Democrat, to President Ronald Reagan, a conservative Republican, after the chief executive prevailed in a tough budget battle.

Back when two-way radios the size of bricks were the closest things to cell phones, and beepers the equivalent of texting, a 20-something manager of a General Motors chassis line in Montreal ducked out of work to run an errand. As luck would have it, a glitch shut down the auto line just as he reached the checkout counter. Suddenly, a gargantuan belt strapped around his waist came to life, with two beepers shrieking and flashing and the radio squawking.

The smallest and the biggest companies in the aviation supply chain should attract equal attention in the airline aftermarket this year. The first driver is the increase in narrowbody production by Airbus and Boeing, and suppliers to those original equipment manufacturers (OEM) who get squeezed to service both aircraft types.

In 2012, the best and brightest technology for the MRO sector will surely relate to making data simpler and more mobile. Although some companies already have started to see how tablets, digital records and augmented reality can help them smooth their workflow, most maintenance operations are still behind the times when it comes to sharing data digitally. The best part about this trend is that most of these emerging tools will be available in the very near future. We expect these 10 technologies to be game-changers for MRO in 2012 and beyond.

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Chromate-Free Corrosion Inhibitors Remain Beyond Reach Chromate-Free Corrosion Inhibitors Remain Beyond Reach

TeamSAI promoted David Marcontell to president and COO for TeamSAI. Marcontell will oversee operations for the firm's three wholly owned subsidiary units, including TeamSAI Consulting Services, Team SAI M&E Solutions and TeamSAI MRO Data Services. Marcontell has been president of TeamSAI M&E Solutions since it was created in 2009. Airframes