SR Technics signed an integrated component solutions contract with Thomas Cook Group to provide components for 43 aircraft—18 Boeing 757s and three 767s for Thomas Cook UK & Ireland, and 13 757s and nine 767s for Condor airline—through 2015.
Delta TechOps will overhaul and repair Nordwind Airline’s Pratt & Whitney 2000 series engines and GTCP 331-200 auxiliary power units, which equip the Russian airline's Boeing 757 fleet, under a long-term strategic contract with Global Avia Logistics. The partnership is designed to allow Global Avia to leverage Delta TechOps’ logistics network, while Delta TechOps gains reach in Eastern Europe and Asia.
Why is it that despite revolutionary training, advanced technology and unprecedented knowledge of the causes of errors, we continue to make those errors? That, of course, is the million-dollar question, a question that Atul Gawande, a Harvard Medical School associate professor and thought leader in error reduction, seeks to answer in his book The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right. Gawande’s research spans multiple industries, including aviation.
Fokker Aerotron appointed Joseph D. Nolte VO marketing and sales for component MRO, overseeing Fokker Aerotron in LaGrange, Ga., Fokker Airinc in Fairhope, Ala., and Fokker Schipol in the Netherlands.
FRANKFURT—The first Airbus A380 to enter Lufthansa Technik’s purpose-built tail dock here eased into position as planned in April, with no expensive noises. This smoothly choreographed event marked the culmination of seven years of planning for Lufthansa Technik’s A380 project group, even though the aircraft used for the trial was a flight-test aircraft. Lufthansa’s first A380 was scheduled to arrive in May with three others slated to follow in June, July and September, plus four more in 2011. First flight will be June 11.
Faster Exterior Clearcoat/Basecoat Sherwin-Williams Aerospace’s new clearcoat/basecoat system for aircraft exteriors promises faster processing times, easier maintenance and more color.
Swiss AviationSoftware introduced Web-based basic training for its AMOS maintenance management system. It plans to add line and base maintenance sessions in the third quarter of this year, followed by stores training in the fourth quarter. IT
PAS Technologies named Angela Duesterhaus logistics manager, based at its Kansas City, Mo., headquarters and reporting to Global VP Dennis Burr. Duesterhaus most recently was modal manager for YRC.
Developers of an electrically powered nose-gear designed to cut fuel consumption during taxi say that they have resolved major engineering issues and will provide final specifications to interested airlines by late summer. One concern, that the launch aircraft would not generate enough power to drive the in-wheel motors, was put to rest with electrical load measurements on a Delta Boeing 737NG at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport in January, says WheelTug.
StandardAero launched a program under which it will provide TPE331 customers with pro-rated cost assistance on unscheduled maintenance for four years after the date of initial installation following overhaul at one of its facilities. The program also provides no-charge Spectrometric Oil Analysis Program (SOAP) kits until the next overhaul and is fully transferable upon aircraft sale.
AmSafe Bridport acquired Hoffman Air Cargo Equipment in May, which builds its business developing lightweight textile product solutions for the ULD industry.
Boeing reports the on-time, on-budget completion of Phase 3 rotorcraft upgrades for CH-47D helicopters of the army’s airmobile force. The program’s three phases spanned 10 years and work on 75 projects by Boeing and 20 Spanish companies and institutions.
TIMCO Aviation Services shifted its line support operations into a new division called TIMCO Line Care, which offers overnight checks, AOG and nonroutine maintenance, transit checks, on-call maintenance, “meet, greet and dispatch” field services, cabin maintenance and refurbishment services, and ground-support equipment maintenance and repair. It is currently available at 21 locations—ABQ, ATL, BOS, BUR, BWI, DEN, ECP, EWR, GSO, HPN, IAD, IWA, JFK, MCO, MSP, OMA, PHL, PHX, SEA, SAN and SJC—and TIMCO says it plans to add others.
Increased business disruption Derailment Cost overruns and poor return on investment Rejection by the organization Projects within the project Low morale and lack of direction Penny rich, pound poor results Expecting the unexpected
As the process of complying with airworthiness directives (AD) becomes more complex, consultants and software entrepreneurs see AD compliance management as the next outsourcing opportunity.
Southwest Airlines 3,200 flights per day 34,637 employees 639 miles average aircraft trip length $184 million maintenance, materials and repairs expenses in the first quarter 537 Boeing 737s, average age 10.5 years 10 number of Boeing 737-700s to be delivered this year June 18, 1971 commenced passenger service with three Boeing 737s in Texas 68 cities served
LONDON—While lobbyists pressure aviation to clean up its act, the environment itself is undergoing changes that challenge every type of aircraft and engine. Regional and seasonal climatic differences, such as tropical heat and humidity, extreme winter cold, sand and dust over deserts, and salt air around coasts and islands create a conundrum of how to construct and maintain aircraft to cope with them that becomes chemical roulette. Testing Standards
The Air Force is taking bigger steps in mainstreaming the use of composites in aircraft. Composite structures—typically carbon fiber and a thermoset resin such as epoxy—have been integral to the performance and stealth of such aircraft as the B-2 Spirit bomber, F-22 Predator and the upcoming F-35 Lightning II. Composites engineering also is moving into more mainstream aircraft.
Elisra Electronic Systems, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, has received two major upgrade contracts from Asian nations. One, which can be identified, is with the South Korean government. Elisra will supply $25 million worth of electronic warfare suites for use in air force C-130 transports. The systems include defenses against radar-guided and heat-seeking missiles. The other contract, for $147 million, is for the supply of airborne (and ground) electronic warfare systems to an undisclosed nation.
The Defense Ministry awarded Rolls-Royce a £690-million ($1.1-billion) service contract covering RB199 engines used in the Tornado aircraft fleet of the Royal Air Force. The RB199 engines were built by Turbo-Union, a joint venture of Rolls-Royce, MTU of Germany and FiatAvio of Italy. The agreement, called the RB199 Operational Contract for Engine Transformation (Rocet2), runs to 2025 and guarantees that a specified number of engines will always be operationally available to the RAF. Rocet2 also covers spare parts and ground and technical support.
Component, Interior Cleaning Wipes Two new cleaning products from Nutek, one for exterior products such as landing gear and one for carpets and upholstery, aim to speed cleaning times and reduce waste and cost. Because they should cut water usage and chemical cleaning requirements, Nutek says the products also have environmentally beneficial effects for airline or MRO customers.
As someone who has spent more decades in the aerospace and defense industry than I care to mention and has seen it from several angles, including military, airline, OEM and consulting, I am convinced that the common factor critical to success in the maintenance, repair and overhaul business is not revenue, workload, facilities, workforce or location: it is leadership. An organization cannot survive and prosper without strong, visible and committed leadership.
As part of the normal maintenance process, aircraft safety systems such as oxygen masks and evacuation slides must be disabled to prevent accidental activation. At TIMCO Aviation Services, hundreds of preventative safety pins typically are inserted at the start of a maintenance process and then removed at the end of the job. If these pins aren’t removed at the end of the service operation, the safety equipment will not function when the aircraft is returned to service, and the flight crew will have no indication that the system is not operative.
