Cobham's HGA-7001 high gain, phased array antenna subsystem is an ARINC 781 antenna specifically designed to meet requirements of the air transport sector. It is available for forward fit on the Boeing 787, 747 and A350 and it has been type certified for the Boeing 767. It will soon be the first option on the Airbus A380 and is a selectable buyer-furnished equipment item on the Boeing 777 and 737. It is also certified on all long-range Airbus aircraft as supplier-furnished equpiment and is a standard fit on the single aisle range of the A320.
SINGAPORE—Bombardier plans to boost its presence in Asia-Pacific, a move that comes after arch-rival ATR came perilously close to locking Bombardier out of the region's fast-growing turboprop market. At the same time, ATR plans to establish a global MRO network, similar to what Airbus, another EADS company, has done. ATR in recent years has won the lion's share of new orders for turboprops.
Xtreme Polishing Systems' Xtreme Skinny used diamond concrete polishing pads at AAR's Miami facility to achieve the floor's wet and shiny finish. The pads are color-coded for abrasion identification and come in grits from 50 to 3000. The pads are attached to a polisher or grinder during the floor restoration project. The pads polish 10,000 to 15,000 sq. ft. www.xtremepolishingsystems.com
STS Aviation Group has promoted Pat Cunnane to VP business development for the group. Cunnane joined STS in 2009 as the director of business development. He will lead STS' business development team for STS AeroStaff Services, line engineering and line maintenance units.
It is hard to imagine that airlines are still using bulky tape systems to show movies to passengers in an age where smartphones are the norm, but in many cases the old technology can be challenging to replace.
The Air Transport Association's Engineering, Maintenance, and Materiel Council (EMMC) has appointed Jon Oberdick as its new chairman. Oberdick, US Airways' managing director of technical services, was elected Oct. 12 during the quarterly EMMC meeting.
Although the sidewalls, overhead bins and passenger service units of an aircraft appear to be made of the same material, each different part of the cabin interior is treated with a specialized chemical, depending on its function.
Qantas says industrial action by its unions have hurt its maintenance operations so much that had to ground five aircraft and cut flights at O&M's presstime. The carrier says the flight and fleet reductions will remain in place for a month. The grounded aircraft will be four of its 54 Boeing 737s and one of its 25 767s. This will result in 97 flights being cut. The reductions will only apply to mainline operations, and not subsidiaries Jetstar, Jetconnect or QantasLink.
InfoTrust Group has added Michael Wm. Denis as VP consulting, bringing more than two decades of aviation experience to the group. Denis will lead corporate strategy for InfoTrust's new consulting and advisory service practice. In the past, Denis has held positions at ICF SH&E, Blue Water Solutions and Accenture.
Turkish Technic has signed a base maintenance services agreement for one Boeing 737-500 re-delivery check and a Boeing 737-400 C check. Pegasus Airlines is based in Istanbul and operates 29 next-generation Boeing aircraft and 3 Boeing 737 classic aircraft. Turkish Technic has also signed a C check maintenance service agreement with Onur Air for two Airbus A321 aircraft. It will complete the maintenance work for these aircraft at its facilities in Istanbul. Parts/Components
Nok Air has finalized a deal appointing Lufthansa Technik as its heavy maintenance service provider for its ATR 72s and Boeing 737-800s. The Thai low-cost carrier is due to start operating its first 737-800 in November, but that aircraft first went in for a heavy check on Oct. 26 with Lufthansa Technik, says Nok Air CEO Patee Sarasin. The airline operates 10 Boeing 737-400s but is replacing these with 737-800s. It has secured six 737-800s so far, from a mix of lessors, and the carrier plans to ask its board for approval to lease five more, Patee says.
Timco Aviation Services has appointed Fred Rasch to VP of MRO sales. Rasch worked at Timco previously from 2001 through 2005, then serving as director of contracts and pricing. Airframes
AirAsia's founder Tony Fernandes is pushing for the low-cost carrier and Malaysia Airlines (MAS) to collaborate on airline MRO, pilot training and ground services to achieve cost savings through economies of scale. Fernandes told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that AirAsia may be sending its Airbus A320s to MAS Engineering & Maintenance for heavy checks. “If you put the volume of MAS and AirAsia [together], it becomes a mega MRO that can become a real competitor to Singapore's MRO,” he says.
Mentor Graphics' new product Capital Publisher is a set of electronic tools for creating technical publications specified to the needs of each service technician repairing a wire harness on a unique aircraft.The product streamlines technical publications preparation by assembling design information like schematics, wire lists and location views into electronic document packages. Mentor Graphics says that this will reduce costs, improve accuracy and speed up troubleshooting for MROs dealing with AOGs. www.mentor.com
GKN Aerospace has launched a “one stop” repair facility for fixed and rotary wing flexible fuel tanks in Portsmouth, U.K. It hopes to halve the repair times that operators in Europe and the U.K. normally experience. The EASA Part-21 repair services will encompass all types of flexible fuel tanks, including self-sealing, crashworthy and explosion suppressing products.
Co-Operative Industries has an AS9100 facility to manufacture and design wiring harnesses, cable, ignition leads and flexible conduits. Its repair station is certified by the FAA, EASA and CAAC and provides customers such as Delta TechOps with check and testing of accessories, repair and overhaul services. Co-Operative Industries repairs harnesses and cables for GE's GE90 and CF6-80C engines, the CFM International CFM56-5A/5B/5C/7B models and the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 QEC. www.coopind.com
Timco Aviation Services' Macon, GA maintenance operation has received an Award of Excellence from the Georgia Dept. of Labor. The Macon employees are recognized for not getting injured on the job for more than 250 days. IT
Coopesa completed a Boeing 737-700 C check, structural inspection and exterior paint job for GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes before the leased aircraft returned to ILFC.
Mxi Technologies secured a deal with JorAMCo to upgrade the Jordan MRO's Maintenix software. There are 290 named users on Maintenix, which is about 36% of JorAMCo's total workforce. The upgraded system will provide benefits to JorAMCo such as improved communications and the use of a common database for lower management costs.
Precision Castparts has completed its acquiring Primus International, a supplier of aerospace components and assemblies including swaged rods, advanced composites and machined aluminum and titanium.
Virgin America has selected Lufthansa Systems' BoardConnect platform as the technology partner for the latest version of its Red inflight entertainment system, which will launch in late 2012. Back-end testing of the new system is underway, and the airline says that the new platform will provide entertainment in each seatback as well as connectivity to passengers' own personal electronic devices. Parts/Components
Nobody wants to do it, but most airlines will probably have to adopt new maintenance information systems eventually. Challenges abound. Fortunately so do choices, one of the most important of which is whether to go for a Big Bang or a phase-in approach. If the phased approach is selected, should it be by fleet or by function? Which functions should go first?
Chromalloy has established Chromalloy Korea, a new subsidiary in Seoul, South Korea. The new company will serve as a sales, marketing and customer support office. Chromalloy has been establishing itself in Asian markets, opening a new Beijing office in 2010 and doubling capacity at its turbine engine repair and manufacturing facility in Bangkok.
