PATS Aircraft Systems has added Chris Bott as certification manager. Bott, an FAA designated engineering representative, will oversee certification efforts for PATS Aircraft Systems and Hollingsead International products.
Canadian tourism airline Air Transat has saved more than 410,000 tons of carbon dioxide and up to 6% of its annual fuel bill since 2003 by sticking to a disciplined fuel saving regimen. These results may seem surprising, but the airline's strategy is straightforward—find as many ways to conserve fuel, lighten aircraft and conserve resources in corporate offices as possible, and then train employees to embrace the changes.
TAP Maintenance & Engineering Brazil has been certified by Boeing as an approved repair station. The first contract under the certification is the inspection, repair and overhaul of the Boeing 777 landing gear axles, achieved through a Boeing service bulletin to be incorporated by airlines that fly the aircraft type. To obtain the distinction, the MRO participated in an international bidding contest and underwent an audit process. TAP M&E Brazil also completed heavy checks on an Air Transat Airbus A330-200 at its Porto Alegre Base.
Dialight specializes in LED technology for industrial, commercial, transportation and hazardous setting applications. In August, it added a new 14,000 lumen LED high-bay fixture called the DuroSite. The fixture delivers 93 lumens per watt light that comes with a five-year full performance warranty. The light can produce 20% more light than Dialight's previous high bay LED light but consumes the same 150 watts. The DuroSite has been tested to endure more than one year of damp heat exposure.
FL Technics Training has added widebody maintenance training to its list of training programs, made possible by acquiring Storm Aviation at the end of 2011. The EASA Part 147-certified MRO adds the capability to more than 150 practical and theoretical courses and narrowbody training.
Chromalloy's Windsor, Conn. engine component repair station received an approved organization exposition certification from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. The certificate allows the Chromalloy turbine repair station to provide component repairs, including FAA approved designated engineering representative repairs for All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines.
SuperJet International is expanding the stock list of Sukhoi Superjet spare parts at its warehouse in Sheremetyevo, Russia to its main warehouse in Frankfurt. In addition, it is working with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. and operator Aeroflot to improve technical support for the Sukhoi Superjet and furnish the airline with more ground equipment and control devices. Joint Ventures/Acquisitions
Applications come and go, but aircraft and maintenance data is forever. That rule is becoming more important in the digital age. Correlating maintenance with operational data can yield big gains in reliability, revenue and cost reductions. New aircraft will yield much more data helpful to maintenance. Unstructured data such as pilot and mechanic notes also can be exploited. New maintenance models, with technicians ready for problems as aircraft hit gates, require speed as well as power.
Apple Aviation Group has signed a line maintenance support contract with Strategic Airlines for three A320 aircraft based at Manchester Airport in the U.K. Apple Aviation's line maintenance capability at Manchester encompasses maintenance up to and including A checks on Boeing 737NG and classic aircraft, Boeing 747, 757 and 767 aircraft and the Airbus A320, A330 and A340 types. The MRO will be adding capabilities for the Airbus A300 and A380 as well as the Boeing 777 soon.
Aelux specializes in lighting retrofit projects and audits for warehouses, offices and any type of industrial or commercial setting. Aelux offers a specialized on-site survey for each customer to learn about which type of energy saving solution is best for their facility before performing an installation. Often, that means metering the current light load first to establish a baseline for savings. Aelux models each area of the facility to simulate different lighting options to find the best arrangement.
AFI KLM E&M has appointed Paul Chün as managing director of KLM UK Engineering, a wholly owned subsidiary of AFI KLM E&M that specializes in regional aircraft maintenance solutions. Chün comes to the position after five years at the helm of Epcor, another subsidiary of AFI KLM E&M.
No longer relegated to supplying mere nuts and bolts, parts manufacturer approval (PMA) is providing more of the flight-critical constituents of some of the industry's most popular powerplants. Many carriers are not just accepting the non-OEM parts, they are actually pleading for more product. Still, persistent pushback to that product persists. For all the strides the industry has made, PMA market share is mired at about 5%–even in the face of robust growth.
What do you see as the greatest possibilities for ST Aerospace this year in the civil market? Are there particular regions that should provide more growth?
Mubadala Aerospace's European MRO facilities are sold out for the next five years, says James Stewart, group CEO. “We do very little work on the spot market” at SR Technics' facilities in Switzerland and Malta. “In the Middle East, we're moving toward longer-range contracts because they're a better deal for us and for our customers,” he says. He also thinks there is definitely overcapacity in the airframe MRO market, which is why SR Technics did not expand its hangars in Malta as originally planned.
In 2005, airframe manufacturers determined that passive radio frequency identification (RFID) technology presented an opportunity to get timely access to maintenance histories for parts. Through the efforts of the Air Transport Association (now A4A) and SAE International, testing standards and data specifications are in place to support passive RFID for storing parts' history directly on the parts.
When approving ETOPS extensions, the reliability of the propulsion system is the primary focus of the regulators. Central to that is the demonstrated engine inflight shut-down rate (IFSD), which must not exceed specific thresholds.
Suppliers that make aircraft composite components likely have a substantial amount of leftover composite fiber material, such as pre-impregnated scraps and laminates. Until recently, the only thing to do with this excess waste was to dispose it. Now, a handful of companies have developed highly specialized processes to transform this trash into recycled treasure, and aerospace companies are doing their part to give back to the environment by utilizing this capability.
When an Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300ER completed a Los Angeles-Auckland flight in December, it was the first time an airline operated under 240-minute extended operations (ETOPS). But the new 240-minute limit is no longer the edge of the envelope, as a 330 minute time is now poised to become the new ETOPS gold standard. That's because in November Boeing received type design authority from the FAA to offer a 330-minute ETOPS “option” on the GE90-powered 777 family.
Atlantic Fasteners has appointed two new hires to direct new business. Tony Orvis has joined the firm's industrial fastener division as a purchasing representative. Bruce Bonzey has been appointed as the wholesaler's director of quality.
PPG Aerospace's chromate-free metal pretreatment and chromate-free exterior decorative primer are now standard on Boeing 737NG production aircraft. The Desogel EAP-9 metal pretreatment and Desoprime CF/CA 7502 epoxy primer can be used with any qualified topcoats on Boeing 737NG aircraft.
Turkish Technik has signed an agreement with Air Bishkek for wheels and tire services on carbon brake units for the carrier's Airbus A320 fleet. Turkish Technik also overhauled one set of Airbus A320 landing gear for the airline. Turkish Technik supported Air Bishkek with its spare units during these shop visits.
