Intel - Aviation Maintenance Magazine

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MRO, UPGRADES AND REFURBISHMENT ON COMMERCIAL,
BUSINESS/GA AND MILITARY AIRCRAFT GLOBALLY
December 2010 / January 2011
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© 2010 Avco Corporation. All rights reserved.
Contents
www.avmain-mag.com
December 2010/January 2011 : vol 29 issue 6
Cover Story
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief and Online Publisher
John Persinos
301-385-7211, [email protected]
European Contributing Editor
Thierry Dubois,
[email protected]
Contributing Editors
James Careless
Kathryn Creedy
Ramon Lopez
Douglas Nelms
Tom Scarlett
ADVERTISING/BUSINESS
Publisher/Owner Adrian Broadbent,
+34 91 804 2577, [email protected]
Sales Director (USA) Daniel Brindley,
+ 1 414 967 4997, [email protected]
Sales Director (International) Jina Lawrence,
+44 (0) 20 8669 0838, [email protected]
DESIGN/PRODUCTION
Production Manager Henry Lindesay-Bethune,
[email protected]
Production Splash Graphic Design
[email protected]
SUBSCRIPTIONS
[email protected]
CLIENT SERVICES
Administration Maria Hernanz Reyes,
[email protected]
LIST RENTAL
Statistics Jen Felling,
(203) 778 8700, [email protected]
REPRINTS
The YGS Group 1800 290 5460,
[email protected]
18 I The Giants of MRO
18
by James Careless
A look at the major MRO providers, and how they intend
to stay that way. This feature encompasses the globe,
examining trends in all regions: Europe, North America,
Asia, and more.
39 I Eurocopter: an MRO Case Study
by Thierry Dubois
Our European editor examines how global helicopter
manufacturer Eurocopter is raising its game, in terms of
maintaining, repairing and overhauling rotorcraft.
44 I MRO for Avionics
by Doug Nelms
Contributing editor Nelms, a high-time helicopter pilot,
speaks with the major providers of avionics MRO in both
the fixed- and rotary wing sectors, to convey the latest
methods, tactics and challenges in this growing field.
47 I Special Report: MRO Webinar
by John Persinos
A review, with discussion excerpts, of our magazine’s
most recent webinar: “The Convergence of Avionics,
UAVs and MRO”.
39
52 I NBAA 2010:
The Business Aviation Barometer
by John Persinos
Our editor-in-chief visited NBAA in Atlanta and covered
the show from top to bottom. Here’s a wrap-up of what
he discovered and what it means in the future for MRO in
the business aviation/GA sectors.
44
56 I ADMA Visits the Sunshine State
by Doug Nelms
An on-site review of the Aviation Distributors and
Manufacturers Association (ADMA) meeting in Florida.
US Publisher
Daniel Brindley
ASI Publications Ltd
US Publishing Office Address:
5590 N Diversey Blvd #209
Milwaukee
WI 53217
60 I The Trent 900 Incident
by Ramon Lopez
Contributing editor Lopez, a renowned expert on air
safety, interprets the causes and the fallout of the recent
failure of Rolls-Royce’s engine on a Qantas flight.
62 I Point/Counterpoint
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The rapid spread of Parts Manufacturer Approval
(PMA) aviation parts is the basis of this issue’s debate.
Contrasting views are offered by aviation consultant
Daniel Doll and former U.S. National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) member John Goglia.
Cover photo: a hangar operated by MRO giant,
Lufthansa Technik
Departments
04 | Editor’s Notebook
06 | Intelligence: News
07 | Intelligence: About People
59 | Guest Opinion
64 | Guest Opinion
65 | Marketplace: Classified
66 | Marketplace: Tool Crib
Aviation Maintenance (ISSN 1090-221X) is published bi-monthly and monthly by Aerospace & Security Media Ltd; 5590 N Diversey Blvd #209, Milwaukee, WI 53217. Application
to mail at periodicals postage prices is pending at Milwaukee, WI and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Aviation Maintenance 5590 N Diversey Blvd
#209, Milwaukee, WI 53217. The editors welcome articles, engineering and technical reports, new product information and other industry news. All editorial inquiries should be
directed to Aviation Maintenance; Email: [email protected]. Subscriptions: Free to qualified individuals directly involved in the aircraft maintenance industry. All other prepaid
subscriptions, see www.avmain-mag.com. Contents may not be reproduced in any form without written permission.
Aviation Maintenance | avmain-mag.com | December 2010/January 2011
3
Editor’s Notebook
A Culture, Not a Department
By John Persinos, Editor-in-Chief
A
side from being a subtropical melting pot of
many ethnic cultures, Tampa also serves as an
incubator for another type of culture — that of
customer service.
In December, I visited Chromalloy at its ever-expanding
facilities in Tampa, Florida. Chromalloy provides repairs,
coatings and cast parts for aerospace turbine engines and
other applications. This well-managed company, owned
by the private equity firm Carlyle Group, exemplifies the
“customer service culture”.
A customer service culture is a set of values and
methodologies that are communicated to all members of
the organization, to guide their interactions and decisionmaking with customers. To be effective, this culture
must by holistic and shared by everyone in the company,
from the shop floor to the executive suite. The business
imperative for fostering a customer service culture is
easy to grasp: attracting new customers costs more than
retaining existing ones.
The importance of customer service is explored by
this issue’s cover story, “The Giants of MRO” (see page
18). I examined the theme on my own, during my tour of
Chromalloy’s spotless foundry in Tampa. The facility is a hightech symphony of engineering, tooling and machining. As my
hosts explained, customer service must be a pervasive culture,
not simply an isolated department.
“We put ourselves in the shoes of our customers, who
wake up every morning thinking about life cycle costs,” said
Andrew Farrant, v.p., marketing/corporate communications,
Chromalloy. “Everyone at all levels of the company is
encouraged to think along the same lines. How can we
make it the most cost-effective to coat, repair or build a part
or component for an operator? We have engineers on site
at major MRO facilities, as a way to stay close to customer
needs. Our constant goal is to provide speed, innovation and
turnaround times that are better than the OEMs.”
Tom Trotter, Chromalloy’s vice president and general
manager, said that instilling respect for the customer is not a
hierarchical, top-down process. “A customer service culture
is important here,” he said. “We make customer service
expectations very clear and specific and we communicate
those expectations to everyone on the shop floor.” (For more
on Chromalloy’s new state-of-the-art casting center in Tampa,
turn to page 11.)
Another company that’s grappling with customer service
is the helicopter manufacturer, Eurocopter. Our European
editor, Thierry Dubois, reports on Eurocopter’s new and
4
Aviation Maintenance | avmain-mag.com | December 2010 / January 2011
Attracting new customers costs
more than retaining existing ones.
innovative attempts to improve MRO turnaround times and
responsiveness (see page 39). Similarly, contributing editor
Douglas Nelms addresses MRO and customer support for
fixed-wing and rotorcraft avionics (see page 44).
Starting on page 62, read our “Point/Counterpoint”
columns for different perspectives on the controversial topic
of Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA). In a separate Guest
Opinion column, influential aviation lawyer Jason Dickstein
opines on PMA (page 59). Jason serves as president of the
Modification and Replacement Parts Association (MARPA),
which represents the PMA parts industry. The importance of
PMA has prompted our magazine to create a new conference,
“The International PMA Summit”, scheduled for November
2011 in London. For details, go here: http://www.avmain-mag.
com/pma-summit
In addition to conferences, we also produce web-based
events. Our recent webinar, “The Convergence of MRO,
UAVs and Avionics”, looked at how major avionics OEMs
are funneling greater resources into the upkeep of the ultrasophisticated electronics within unmanned aircraft. To read
highlights of the webinar’s panel discussion, turn to page 47.
This 60-minute webinar was recorded and archived; it remains
available for registration on demand, at this URL: http://www.
avmain-mag.com/webinars
And finally, I’m proud to announce that the seasoned and
widely respected aviation journalist Ramon Lopez has joined
our editorial staff. He has written an article for this issue,
on the incident when a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine blew
apart on a Qantas Airbus A380 (see page 60). He also wrote
the lead analysis story for our Intelligence news section,
concerning a December court ruling on the Air France
Concorde crash of 2000 (see page 6).
Ramon is the former editor-in-chief of the newsletter, Air
Safety Week. As such, his insights into the Qantas mishap are of
particular relevance. How engine maker Rolls-Royce rectifies the
problem is bound to serve as a customer service
“case study” of historic proportions. AM
John Persinos can be reached at [email protected]; 301-385-7211
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IntellIgence
Shadin Avionics Announces
Fuel Management STC for the Bell 212/412
The Bell 212
Shadin Avionics, a major provider of Fuel
Management Systems (FMS) and Engine Trend
Monitoring (ETM), announced the approval of
a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the
installation of a Shadin Fuel Management Kit into
Bell 212 and 412 model helicopters.
The Bell 212/412 STC is the latest addition
to Shadin’s portfolio of FMS STCs that includes
installations for other Bell, Eurocopter, and McDonnell
Douglas Helicopters. The new STC enables the
installation of the Shadin fuel flow transducer that
supports Shadin’s ETM, Digiflo, Miniflo, Microflo,
Digidata, and Air Data Computers (ADC), as well as
glass displays from other manufacturers.
Concorde Verdict Stirs
Fiery Debate
By Ramon Lopez
A French court’s December ruling
that Continental Airlines was guilty of
involuntary manslaughter in the crash
of an Air France Concorde supersonic
transport at Charles de Gaulle Airport
outside Paris in July 2000 has elevated
concerns that criminalization of aircraft
accidents will harm future aviation safety
investigations.
The court ordered Continental, now
part of United Airlines, to pay $1.6 million
in fines and damages to Air France, finding
that the U.S. air carrier and one of its
mechanics were “criminally responsible”
for improperly maintaining a company
DC-10, debris from which crippled the
Concorde during takeoff and killed 113
people. The mechanic also received a
15-month suspended prison sentence.
The U.S. airline said it would appeal the
“absurd” ruling.
The defendants included the person
who oversaw the development of the
supersonic jetliner. He and three other
defendants involved in the Concorde’s
design and certification were all acquitted.
The crash of New York-bound Flight
4590 was the only fatal accident involving
the small Concorde fleet that was retired
in 2003. The trial was a high-profile
example of a growing trend among
public prosecutors to seek criminal
accountability for mistakes that lead to
air disasters.
6
“Its terrifying to think that someone can
be prosecuted ten years after the fact,”
said Bill Voss, head of the Flight Safety
Foundation. He added: “Like other recent
and failed attempts to criminalize aviation
accidents in France, these manslaughter
charges appear rather dubious and shortsighted. Absent willful intent or highly
egregious conduct, we seriously question
the basis for putting companies and
aviation professionals through the ordeal
of criminal prosecutions. In addition, we’re
very concerned criminal prosecutions will
discourage the free flow of information from
operators to management to regulators, to
the detriment of aviation safety.”
Prosecutors worldwide continue to
meddle in ongoing aviation accident
investigations, hampering efforts to
improve air safety and prevent similar
accidents in the future.
With the trend toward criminalization
already having a chilling effect, according
to Kenneth P. Quinn, general counsel
of the Flight Safety Foundation, “the
situation may get worse before it gets
better and we are seeing it get worse.”
In addition to the obvious impact on
the accident investigation itself, such
trends threaten some of the greatest
contributions to aviation safety such as the
Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP),
which calls for self-reporting to catch
trends that could lead to an accident.
Air France Concorde fight 4590 crashed
shortly after take-off in France on July 25,
2000, killing all 109 people on board and
four people on the ground.
Quinn believes “there is a need for
safety professionals to openly discuss errors
without fear of reprisal.” He sees a growing
tendency of verdict-hungry prosecutors
and judges to seek criminal sanctions
in the wake of aviation accidents, even
when the facts do not support findings of
criminal negligence, willful misconduct or
particularly egregious reckless conduct.
“In recent years, prosecutors and willing
judges around the world have turned the
powerful weapons of criminal prosecution
against what are simply tragic accidents,
the result of mistakes, not willful actions,”
Quinn remarked. “…Prosecutions have
turned into persecutions and chilled the
free admission of mistakes.”
Ramon Lopez is former editor-in-chief of the
newsletter, Air Safety Week. He now serves
as a contributing editor to our magazine,
focusing on safety issues. If you have a
safety-related tip or story idea to share with
Ramon, you can reach him at:
[email protected]
I news 06 I people 07 I
Aircelle to Provide Tailored Nacelle Services on
Singapore Airlines’ A340-500 Fleet
Aircelle is to provide comprehensive
maintenance services for engine nacelle
components on Singapore Airlines’ A340500 jetliners under terms of a new umbrella
contract reached by the international
carrier with Airbus for its “Flight Hour
Services-Tailored Support Package.”
As a result of this six-year agreement,
Aircelle joins a supplier team that will
furnish adapted services for Singapore
Airlines’ five A340-500s, which are
about people
operated in an all-business
configuration on long-haul flights.
class
Air New Zealand Adopts Pratt & Whitney’s
EcoPower Engine Wash to Reduce Fuel Burn
Air New Zealand has signed a one-year
agreement, extendable up to five years,
for Pratt & Whitney’s EcoPower engine
wash service, which will help the airline
reduce fuel burn.
Under the agreement, the Christchurch
Engine Center, a joint venture between
Pratt & Whitney and Air New Zealand,
will use portable equipment to perform
the washes in either Auckland or
Christchurch, New Zealand. The service
will be performed on all turbofan engine
types within Air New Zealand’s existing
fleet, including CFM56-3, V2500, CF680C2, RB211-524G and Trent 800 engines,
and will also cover the GE90-115B and
Trent 1000 engines on order by the airline.
As Pratt & Whitney’s New Zealand
EcoPower franchise, the Christchurch
Engine Center is able to wash other
engine types and also can provide the
service for third-party customers. Air New
Zealand is an international and domestic
airline group that provides air passenger
and cargo transport services within New
Zealand, as well as to and from Australia,
the Pacific, Asia, North America and the
United Kingdom.
Pratt & Whitney’s patented EcoPower
engine wash system reduces fuel burn
by as much as 1.2 percent, eliminating
approximately three pounds of carbon
dioxide emissions for every pound of fuel
saved, while also decreasing engine gas
temperature, consequently increasing the
amount of time an engine can stay on wing.
Jet Fuel Strategies to Merge with Johnston Aviation
Jet Fuel Strategies announced today that it will
join with Johnston Aviation’s fuel procurement
operation, forming a single operating unit. The
new company, which will be led by President
Doug McConnell of Johnston Aviation, will
retain the Jet Fuel Strategies, LLC name and
operate from Johnston’s current headquarters
in Elyria, Ohio.
The company will offer its fully
integrated, web-based suite of software,
which includes its popular “Fast Fuel” and
“Smart Fuel” search and order utilities,
“Optimizer” tankering calculator, and a
host of administrative and reporting tools.
Operators with their own fuel contracts
can utilize the programs for free. Those
approved to do so may choose to purchase
fuel directly from Jet Fuel Strategies,
gaining streamlined billing, invoice
auditing, and other value added benefits.
CIRCOR Aerospace Promotes Michael
Dill to VP Business Development
CIRCOR Aerospace
Products Group has
promoted industry
veteran Michael Dill
to Vice President of
Business Development
and Strategy covering the North
American, Asian, European and North
African aerospace businesses.
Michael will be responsible for driving
the overall business development
strategy for CIRCOR Aerospace. He will
lead the group’s sales and marketing
activities, longer term business and
technology development strategies,
and play a key role in supporting
acquisition opportunities. He will be
focused on new business capture
by leveraging CIRCOR’s technical
capabilities to solve complex, systemsrelated applications for its global
customer base.
Dill came on board in 2009 as the
Group
Continuous
Improvement
Director. In his career, he has spent over
20 years with Parker Hannifin, Shaw
Aero Devices and Milliken & Company.
He brings extensive experience in
lean
manufacturing,
operational
management and business leadership,
resulting from past career assignments
in Industrial Engineering, Operations
Management, Materials Management,
Program Management and Business
General Management.
Previously, he was the Business
Unit Director of Lubrication and Heat
Management at Parker Hannifin and
prior to that Vice President and General
Manager of Shaw Aero Devices, a $70
million designer and manufacturer
of fuel, oil and water/waste systems
and components.
Dill earned a Bachelor of Science in
Industrial and Systems Management
degree with Highest Honors from the
Georgia Institute of Technology and has
been an active leader in South Florida
Community and Economic organizations.
7
Intel
I news I
about people
New ASA Board Builds Five-Year
Strategic Plan
Vision and hands on
leadership are part of
the common thread
that runs among the
four aviation executives
who have recently
joined the Washington
D.C.-based Aviation
Seal Dynamics CEO
Suppliers Association
(ASA) Board of Directors.
The new Board will include:
Richard Levin, Managing Director
with A.J. Levin Company; David
J. Susser, President and CEO for
Seal Dynamics LLC; Brent Webb,
President of Aircraft Inventory
Management & Services, Ltd.; and
Mitchell Weinberg, President of
International Aircraft Associates, Inc.
Michele Dickstein currently serves as
President of ASA.
These individuals will join current
directors, with leading original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs),
to build and begin implementation
of a five-year strategic plan that will
improve aviation safety as well as
global representation for ASA’s worldwide membership.
“ASA has experienced 16 percent
growth in membership that crosses
19 countries, releases ‘The Update
Report’ to more than 5,000 industry
constituents, and is on track for more
expansion in 2011,” noted David
Susser (pictured), President and CEO
of Seal Dynamics LLC. “This is an area
that I am excited to be a part of and
will include work with ASA’s strategic
workshops, world-wide conference,
and industry panels that shape the
aviation industry.”
Since the company’s founding
in 1976, Seal Dynamics has grown
from a value-added distributor and
manufacturer of mechanical seals to an
integrated provider of engineering and
logistics solutions serving the industrial
and airline industries.
8
GE and Nexcelle Enlisted by Bombardier for its
Global 7000 and 8000 Jets
Bombardier has selected GE Aviation to
provide the integrated powerplant system
for the new Global 7000 and Global 8000
business jets, launching the development of
a new business jet engine for GE, currently
called the TechX engine.
The TechX engine will further strengthen
GE’s presence in the ultra long-range, large
cabin business aviation segment, which
includes aircraft that can travel up to 7,900
nautical miles with 8 passengers. The engine
will incorporate advanced technologies from
both GE’s commercial and military engines
developed with the company’s annual
$1 billion investment in new technology
research and development.
The TechX engine will deliver several
benefits, including an 8 percent lower specific
fuel consumption than current business jet
engines in the 10-20K thrust class, as well
as more than 50 percent margin to CAEP/6
regulations on all emissions (NOx, smoke,
hydrocarbons and CO).
In related news, Nexcelle will provide the
nacelle and thrust reverser for GE’s TechX
integrated powerplant on the Bombardier
Global 7000 and 8000 jets. Nexcelle’s win
for this new GE engine program follows
the company’s 2009 selection to provide
the nacelle and thrust reverser for CFM
International’s LEAP-X1C engine, which is to
power the COMAC C919 jetliner.
Features of the nacelle for the new
GE TechX engine include a one-piece
extended aluminum inlet lip-outer barrel for
reduced aerodynamic drag; an innovative
anti-ice system that uses a directed flow
nozzle concept; a 360-degree, singlepiece extended composite inner barrel
incorporating advanced acoustic protection
for lower engine noise levels; a simplified
composite fan cowl that allows for improved
maintenance and reduces system weight;
and a target style thrust reverser with fixed
nozzle to provide lower weight and reverse
thrust efficiency. Bombardier’s Global 7000 and 8000 business jets
Midcoast Aviation Selects Avtrak to Enhance MRO Services
Midcoast Aviation and Avtrak have
partnered to develop maintenance tracking
tools designed to enhance Midcoast’s
customer service.
Midcoast Aviation has teamed with
Avtrak to enhance its internal MRO
processes by incorporating Avtrak’s
sophisticated maintenance tracking
technology. The result will be faster, more
accurate quotes and, ultimately, improved
MRO service delivery. Avtrak has a long
legacy in the maintenance tracking
business and is a leader in easy-to-use
Internet-based aircraft maintenance
tracking systems. In the recently launched Phase 1 of
the project, Avtrak will help Midcoast
Aviation capture the company’s extensive
“tribal knowledge” and experience to
develop a database to support quote
development and assist customers with
maintenance planning and forecasting. In
Phase 2, slated to begin next year, efforts
will be focused on using the information
gathered during Phase 1 to enhance
maintenance performance.
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Intel
I news I
about people
PAS Technologies Names Rey as
General Manager
PAS Technologies Inc. has named
Carlos (Charlie) Rey to the position of
General Manager of the Miramar, Florida
facility reporting to Phil Milazzo, PAS
Technologies’ President and CEO. Rey
replaces incumbent Michael Clifton who
has accepted a new sales leadership
role reporting to Mark Greene, Vice
President Commercial Aero Sales.
Rey will be responsible for leading
all aspects of the operation, which
provides service and repairs for engine
and landing gear components with an
emphasis on customer-facing activities
to grow sales and revenue. He also will
work to improve turnaround times and
waste reduction.
Before joining PAS Technologies, Rey
was Executive Director of Production
Control for AeroThrust Corporation Jet
Engine Overhaul and Repair in Miami,
Florida. Rey worked for AeroThrust for
over 23 years in production control. He
also worked for FJ Turbine Power where
he was director of production control
and outside services.
A
privately
held
corporation
headquartered in North Kansas City,
Missouri, PAS Technologies specializes in
providing repair and overhaul solutions
for the aerospace and industrial markets.
Embraer Names Krull as
Managing Director
Embraer has named Phil
Krull Managing Director
of the Company’s first U.S.
aircraft assembly plant
and customer center, at
Melbourne International Airport (MLB),
in Melbourne, Florida. Krull will head up
the newly established facility dedicated
to the Phenom executive jet family in the
company’s largest market.
Krull’s responsibilities for the facility’s
industrial and plant operations include
developing strategies to maximize
profitability and customer satisfaction. He
will also be the local contact person for
10
TRAX Joins Forces With Turkish Technic
TRAX USA Corp and Turkish Technic have announced a strategic partnership. Under the
agreement, Turkish Technic will utilize the TRAX Maintenance and Engineering solution
to manage its MRO IT operations. The companies will work together to integrate TRAX’s
Maintenance and Engineering solution with the MRO’s line of work, thereby allowing them
to offer a more complete range of customizable services.
TRAX will allow Turkish
Technic the benefits of having
aircraft information, inventory
and maintenance activities
integrated into a single system,
thereby streamlining aircraft
maintenance and inventory
planning and processes. TRAX
Maintenance’s MRO software
has been implemented by
almost 100 airlines and MRO
organizations worldwide.
A Turkish Technic hangar
West Star Appointed Hawker Beechcraft Service Center
West Star Aviation’s Grand Junction,
CO (GJT) facility has been appointed
by Hawker Beechcraft (HBC) as an
authorized service center. The agreement
includes services on all Beechcraft King
Air models, as well as on Beechcraft
Baron and Bonanza models.
West Star services numerous King
Air customers at GJT; this agreement
allows the company to provide complete
The Hawker Beechcraft King Air 200
airframe and engine services, as well as
the convenience of processing warranty claims.
West Star Aviation specializes in airframe repair and maintenance, engine repair
and maintenance, major modifications, avionics installation and repair, interior
refurbishment, paint, parts, surplus avionics sales, and accessory services.
Sky Tractor Named Authorized Service Center
for GE’s M601 and H80 Engines
Sky Tractor Supply Co. has signed an
agreement with GE Aviation to become
an Authorized Service Center for the M601
and H80 turboprop engines.
As part of the agreement, Sky Tractor
will offer comprehensive line maintenance,
removals and re-installations of engines
and LRUs and engine spares for the M601
and H80 engine families. GE Aviation will
provide Sky Tractor with comprehensive
material support and training.
Sky Tractor provides a variety of aircraft
equipment parts, supplies and services,
including a full service fixed base operation
(FBO), agricultural aircraft parts, sales
and maintenance, and professional aerial
application equipment.
GE Aviation’s Business & General
Aviation Turboprops has more than
1,600 M601 engines in service that
have accumulated more than 17 million
flight hours on 30 applications. GE’s
H80 engine is undergoing certification
testing and will power business and
general aviation, utility and agriculture
aircraft. The H80 will update the legacy
M601 in several aspects, including power
and efficiency.
I news I
Chromalloy Announces $5 Million Core Production Facility
In Tampa, Florida
Chromalloy’s Casting Facility in Tampa.
Chromalloy announced in December that the company will build a $5 million ceramic
core production facility in Tampa, Fla., adjacent to its newly operational investment
casting center.
Pre-engineering for the core facility is complete and construction will commence in
2011. The core facility is scheduled to be operational in early 2012.
The new facility will allow the company to manufacture the cores that are an integral
part of investment casting. Ceramic cores are utilized in the investment casting process
to form complex cooling passages within the components, which are necessary to
operate effectively in the hot and highly stressed sections of gas turbine engines.
Chromalloy currently provides design, engineering, tooling, machining, repairs,
coatings and cast parts for turbine engines in aerospace, aero-derivative and industrial
gas turbine (IGT) applications. Customers include commercial airlines, the U.S. Air
Force, power generation and offshore platform operators, and marine operators
including the U.S. Navy and cruise lines.
Chromalloy unveiled its new 150,000 square foot, state-of-the-art casting center in
Tampa during a grand opening in December. The casting center triples the company’s
previous engine component production capability of superalloy turbine components
and parts in Tampa.
FAA Awards Type Certificate To Hartzell
The FAA has awarded a type certificate to Hartzell’s new
4-bladed, 93-inch diameter, ASC-II advanced composite
propellers. These propellers with lightweight aluminum
hubs will save over 30 lbs compared to an equivalent
metal-bladed propeller.
For strength and durability, the composite section
of the propeller is composed of high strength carbon
fiber. To achieve propeller TC approval, the new
blades underwent more than a year-long test program
that included endurance, fatigue, lightning strike,
bird strike, and propeller vibration testing, ultimately
achieving certification for an unlimited fatigue life.
Hartzell’s ASC-11Turboprop
Composite Propeller
about people
suppliers, government authorities and
the surrounding Melbourne community.
The central Florida native brings
many qualifications in manufacturing
operations and engineering, as well as
experience in continuous improvement
implementation based on the lean six
sigma methodology. He joins Embraer
directly from Siemens Energy, a top player
in the global power plant development
field, where he was responsible for
steam turbine and generator programs
process improvements from proposal
through program execution.
Krull previously worked at DRS
Technologies, where he led a 350-person
24/7 manufacturing, depot and material
ordering organization responsible for
the production of aerospace and aircraft
assemblies for domestic and foreign
military sales. Before that, he held
several positions for Lockheed Martin
over a 20-year period leading project
management, continuous improvement
programs, operations engineering and
manufacturing operations for producing
various military aerospace systems.
The opening of the new Melbourne
facility is part of Embraer’s broader
strategy of bringing operations closer to
customers and to its largest market, as the
company’s first industrial site in the U.S.
The plant will start operations with the
production of the Phenom 100 executive
Wencor Announces New
Executive Officers
Wencor Group, LLC announced three
new executive officers. Gregory
Beason will join the executive team as
Chief Executive Officer of the Wencor
Group. John Chalaris and Keith Hicks
also will join the Wencor Group as CFO
and CIO, respectively.
Mr. Beason has 28 years in the
aerospace industry in both aftermarket
and OEM sales. He has led a number of
businesses at Honeywell and most recently
at Danaher. In his role as Group Executive
at Pacific Scientific Aerospace, he was
responsible for growth strategies of
11
Intel
I news I
about people
six operating companies to deliver year
over year top line growth & operating
income. Greg will lead the Wencor Group
in growing company sales and expanding
offerings for its customers.
Mr. Chalaris has held several executive
financial positions, both in the private
and public sectors, most recently with
DeCrane Aerospace, but also including
Wesco Aircraft, Landmark Aviation,
Comprehension Polymers Holdings and
General Electric Aircraft Engines. Over the
past 25 years, John has led companies
through acquisitions, divestitures and
new product development and has also
managed companies through relationships
with private equity investors, banks and
external auditors.
Mr. Hicks has managed international
teams of technical professionals for over
20 years. Before coming to the Wencor
Group, he was the Chief Operating Officer
at Global Accessories. He also served
as Chief Information Officer at Spillman
Technologies and Omniglow Corporation.
Keith’s strengths include a solid track
record of aligning technical initiatives with
business strategies, deploying efficient
and scalable business support systems,
international data center management, and
implementing IT enterprise management
systems for rapidly growing businesses.
Rockwell Collins Names Buesing as VP
Steve Buesing has been appointed vice
president, Investor Relations for Rockwell
Collins. He succeeds Dan Swenson, who
will transition into a strategy role within
the company’s Commercial Systems
business as part of a leadership rotation.
Buesing will be responsible for
developing and maintaining relationships
with sell and buy side financial analysts,
as well as communications between
the Rockwell Collins and the investing
public and shareowners.
He has held various leadership positions
within the company’s Finance organization
since joining Rockwell Collins in 1995.
He most recently served as Controller,
Operations since May 2009.
12
DART Helicopter Teams with Hawker Pacific
Eurocopter’s EC135
DART Helicopter Services (DHS), which produces and globally distributes more than
3,000 certified helicopter accessories, completed an exclusive agreement with Hawker
Pacific that will establish a stronger DHS presence in the Middle East, Asia, Australia
and New Zealand.
Hawker Pacific operates facilities in several Asian and Australian locations, Auckland,
New Zealand and Dubai, UAE. The company offers comprehensive aviation services
including sales, charter, MRO and aircraft support, spare parts, logistics and training
for both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft.
With this agreement, DHS will have the capability to offer its complete inventory
of helicopter components to operators in Hawker Pacific’s markets, supplementing
its operations in North and South America, Europe, Japan, China and Singapore. By
utilizing Hawker Pacific warehouses and service facilities, DHS will provide readily
available accessories to customers worldwide, ensuring quick delivery of high quality
parts and systems that improve helicopter efficiency, safety and reliability.
In related news, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has given approval to
DART Helicopter Services to offer several new products now approved and certified for
operational use by rotorcraft operators throughout Europe. So far in 2010, DART has
received eight STCs from EASA , and now holds 125 EASA STCs.
DART’s extensive list of newly certified accessories and components are applicable
to the most popular models of commercial helicopters currently flying throughout
the European continent. DART’s products are available for the Agusta 119; Agusta/
Westland AW 139; Bell 206A, B, L/212/407/412 and OH-58; Eurocopter AS350, AS355,
AS332/ 332L, EC120, and the highly popular EC135 (pictured), EC145 and EC225; MBB
117 and BO105; MD Helicopters MD 500 and MD 900 Explorer; Robinson R44 and
Sikorsky S76, S61 and S92.
BizJet Delivers Second BBJ to Boeing
BizJet International, Lufthansa Technik’s
wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, has delivered
on time the second Boeing Business Jet
(BBJ) to its possessor, Boeing’s Corporate
Flight Department.
Before delivery, the aircraft ran
through a complex program at BizJet,
including major maintenance checks and
refurbishments. A first BBJ owned by
Boeing had already been completed and
delivered in the second quarter of 2010.
BizJet’s work package included periodic
inspections and the clearance of findings, the
removal and re-installation of the complete
cabin, several interior modifications, the
installation and update of electronic
equipment and the performance of over 50
service bulletins and service letters.
The Boeing Business Jet (BBJ)
I news I
Embraer “Powers On” The Legacy 450/500
Iron Bird Test Facility
Embraer “powered on” the Legacy 450/500
flight controls integrated test facility, known
as the Iron Bird. The facility integrates the
equipment and components of the fly-bywire flight controls, avionics, hydraulics and
several other system interfaces of the new
midlight Legacy 450 and midsize Legacy 500
executive jets.
The Legacy 450/500 Iron Bird has been
developed by Embraer in a partnership
with Parker, which supplies the flight
control system. It features a fully equipped
cockpit with the actual hardware of an
airplane installation. In a very automated
environment, not only flight controls and
systems integration are tested, but the
platform can also be connected to the Full
Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC)
and aircraft electrical system, which have
their own dedicated test facilities.
The Iron Bird allows pilots to be a part of
the tests through an integrated aerodynamic
model and visual system. The first flight
of the Legacy 500 is on schedule for the
about people
second half of 2011.
In related news, StandardAero has signed
a long-term agreement to support Embraer’s
global Pool programs for the Hamilton
Sundstrand APS 2300 Auxiliary Power Units
(APUs). These APUs are operated on the
Embraer 170,175, 190, and 195 aircraft.
The partnership provides worldwide
support for four of Embraer’s sites, including
Fort Lauderdale, Paris, and Singapore, as well
as Brazil. This new APU support agreement
is a major milestone for StandardAero’s
operation in Maryville, TN where all of the
work will be performed.
C
M
Y
CM
Buesing earned a bachelor’s degree
in Accounting and Business Administration
from Coe College, and a Master of Business
Administration from The University of Iowa.
MY
Reheat Appoints Vince as
Maintenance Manager
Paul Vince has been appointed as
Maintenance Manager at Reheat
International. He joins Reheat after a
23-year career at Thomson Airways,
culminating as Workshops Manager.
His appointment strengthens Reheat’s
technical management structure ahead
of expected growth associated with
the recently announced support
deal with Adams Rite Aerospace and
further expansion into cabin interior
parts refurbishment and sales. Reheat
International is a specialist provider of
CY CMY K
aftermarket support services for aircraft
interior equipment
The Embraer Legacy 500
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Aviation Maintenance | avmain-mag.com
| December
2010 / January
2011 13
Aviation
Maintenance
Magazin
Intel
I news I
about people
West Star Aviation Promotes McKillips
West
Star
Aviation
promoted Dan McKillips
to Manager of Paint
and Interiors at the
company’s East Alton,
IL facility. McKillips is
now responsible for the
Paint and Interior (Wood,
Upholstery & Trim) operations at the
(ALN) facility and continuing the growth,
productivity and quality opportunities
in Cessna, Dassault Falcon, Challenger,
Gulfstream and Piaggio aircraft.
McKillips previously held the positions
of Regional Sales Manager and Technical
Sales Manager at West Star Aviation.
His experience as an A&P mechanic,
licensed private pilot, corporate D.O.M.,
and his Sales & Marketing activities
within West Star over the past years
will add a significant level of experience
and knowledge to Paint and Interior
operations at ALN.
West Star Aviation, Inc. specializes
in airframe repair and maintenance,
engine repair and maintenance, major
modifications, avionics installation and
repair, interior refurbishment, paint,
parts, surplus avionics sales, and
accessory services.
GE Aviation Appoints Bill Fitzgerald
and Colleen Athans to New Roles
GE
Aviation
has
appointed Bill Fitzgerald
as vice president and
general manager of the
GEnx Product Line and
Colleen Athans as vice
president and general
manager of Assembly,
Test and Overhaul.
Fitzgerald joined GE in
1983 and has held several
technical and leadership
roles at GE’s Lynn, Massachusetts;
Cincinnati, Ohio; and Cardiff, Wales (UK)
facilities. Most recently, he served as
vice president and general manager of
Assembly, Test and Overhaul.
14
Premier Turbines Offers Full Test Cell Capability for GE’s
M601 Engines
Premier Turbines now has full test cell capabilities
for GE’s M601E-11 engines. This means Premier
Turbines can test M601 engines at its Neosho,
Missouri facility after heavy repair services and
no longer has to send the data to GE’s facility in
Prague, Czech Republic for validation.
Late last year, Premier Turbines was selected
as a Designated Repair Center in North and
South Americas for GE’s M601 and, once
in service, the H80 turboprop engines. As a
Designated Repair Center, Premier Turbines
offers heavy repair services, exchange engines
and rentals, line replacement unit rotable pools
and field service support to all existing and future
M601 and H80 engines in the Americas region.
GE Aviation provides the necessary OEM parts
to meet Premier Turbines’ needs.
GE’s M601 operators now can have aroundthe-clock customer support through its
Business Jet Operations Center. The Business
Jet Operations Center is staffed with customer
product technicians who can provide a rapid
response to needs, such as parts availability,
trouble-shooting and field issues. M601 engines
continue to be overhauled at GE Aviation
Czech’s facility in Prague.
Located in Neosho, Missouri, Premier Turbines
is a provider of repair and overhaul services for
commercial, government and military turbine
engines, components and accessories.
Gulfstream Celebrates Rollout of 300th G550
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. recently
rolled out the 300th Gulfstream G550
aircraft at its manufacturing facility
in Savannah. The large-cabin, ultralong-range business jet received its
certificate of airworthiness from the
FAA, thereby completing its initial
The Gulfstream 550
phase of manufacturing.
The 300th G550 is also nearly the 500th aircraft in the GV family, which includes the GV,
G550 and G500. Gulfstream suppliers Fokker and Vought recently celebrated milestones
for delivery of the 500th tail and wing, respectively, for the GV series of aircraft.
Powered by enhanced Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofan engines, the G550 has a range
of 6,750 nm (12,501 km) at Mach 0.80 and a high-speed cruise capability of Mach 0.87.
The G550 fleet recently surpassed 404,000 flight hours.
From now until late February, the aircraft will be painted in Savannah and outfitted
at Gulfstream’s Brunswick, Ga., facility in preparation for its scheduled delivery to an
undisclosed international customer in February.
Lufthansa Technik Takes On Engine Work for
Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines has contracted Lufthansa Technik to overhaul the engines of its Airbus A320
family aircraft. The agreement further expands the long-standing cooperation of Austrian, a
member of the Lufthansa Group since 2009, and Lufthansa Technik.
The contract, which extends over a period of eight years, covers all CFM56-5Bengines
powering the 21 A320 family aircraft of Austrian.
Lufthansa Technik has been providing support
for Austrian Airlines’ CFM56-7B and PW4000
engines powering the carrier’s Boeing 737 and
767 fleets. These aircraft, as well as the airline’s
Boeing 777 and Airbus A320 family, jets are also
supported with component and landing gear
services. Austrian itself is an exclusive provider
of component services to Lufthansa Technik for
selected component groups.
Austrian Airlines’ A320
I news I
Stevens Aviation Named Installer for GE M601 Engine
Smyrna Air Center has authorized Stevens Aviation to be a part of the Power 90 Upgrade
Program and install the GE M601 engine on King Air 90 aircraft. Smyrna Air Center in Smyrna,
Tennessee, holds the rights to the Power 90 conversion Supplemental Type Certificate (STC).
The Power 90 Upgrade Program is a conversion program for owners of King Air 90,
A90, B90, C90 and E90 aircraft, in which the installed engines are replaced with the
powerful 705 shaft-horsepower (shp) GE M601E-11A engines.
Owners of King Air C90 aircraft who take advantage of the Power 90 Upgrade
Program and upgrade engines to the GE M601E-11A engine will gain significantly
increased operating efficiency, reduced variable costs, and net savings, according to a
July 2010 study by Conklin & de Decker performed for GE Aviation. The comparative
analysis of the GE engine against its competition was acknowledged by Vref, which
recently recognized 100 percent of the conversion cost in the value added to a C90
when the GE engine upgrade was selected.
GE’s M601E-11A
Turboprop Engine
about people
In his new role, Fitzgerald will be
responsible for overseeing all aspects
of the GEnx engine line, which is the
fastest selling jet engine in GE’s history.
The GEnx engine will power the Boeing
787 Dreamliner and 747-8 aircraft. The
engine is currently undergoing flight
testing on both aircraft.
Athans also joined GE in 1983 and
has held numerous technical, quality
and leadership roles at GE’s Lynn, Mass.;
Cincinnati, Ohio; and Durham, North
Carolina facilities. She most recently
served as general manager of the CF6
commercial engines and services.
The CF6 family of engines has
accumulated more flight hours than
any other widebody engine at GE. In
her new role, Athans will lead all GE
Aviation’s development and production
engine assembly and test operations, and
overhaul facilities around the world.
Reheat Appointed ARA
Repair Center
Reheat’s UK-based facility
Adams Rite Aerospace (ARA) and Reheat
International have signed an agreement
to establish Reheat International as the
authorized Adams Rite repair center for all
Europe, Middle East and Africa customers.
Repair capability has been established at
Reheat’s United Kingdom MRO facility in
Alton, Hampshire, with full factory support
from Adams Rite. This capability became
operational in the fall of 2010. Now, all
customers from the region can send any
Adams Rite product to Reheat for repair.
Reheat International provides aftermarket
support for an extensive range of aircraft galley
equipment products. The company’s work
includes aircraft ovens, coffee makers, water
boilers, and faucets. Reheat also supplies and
supports associated cabin interior parts.
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15
Intel
I news I
Lufthansa Technik, Air Memphis Expand V2500 Engine Activity
Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen has established a
new Engine Parts & Accessories Repair (EPAR)
product to expand its nacelle services. The new
business starts with the repair of common nozzle
assemblies and tail cones for the V2500 engine
and comprises the complete repair portfolio. If
needed, design engineering capabilities will be
delivered by Lufthansa Technik’s Engine Parts &
Accessories Repair (EPAR) design organization
in Hamburg, Germany.
Lufthansa Technik Shenzhen mechanics and
engineers attended the corresponding training
course at EPAR’s repair and overhaul shop
for exhaust nozzle components in Hamburg
to be prepared for their new job. During the
introductory phase the new team in Shenzhen
will also be supported by experienced
technicians from EPAR in Hamburg.
The V2500 engine is designed and
manufactured by International Aero Engines,
a global partnership that includes Pratt &
Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Japanese Aero Engine
Corporation, and MTU Aero Engines.
In related news, Air Memphis signed an
exclusive five-year Engine Management
Program agreement with Pratt & Whitney
Global Service Partners (GSP) for the airline’s
fleet of V2500 engines.
Pratt & Whitney’s Engine Management
Programs provide expert analysis of engine
operational data to monitor and forecast
engine health and maintenance. Through
the agreement, Pratt & Whitney’s team of
engine performance analysts will leverage its
The V2500 engine
web-based Advanced Diagnostics & Engine
Management (ADEMTM) tools to help Air
Memphis enhance reliability and lower
maintenance costs throughout the lives of
its engines. Air Memphis is a charter airline
based in Cairo, Egypt.
Regional Aircraft Manufacturers Face Changing Competitive Landscape
The Embraer E-175
In a new study, “The Market for Regional Transport Aircraft”, the
consultancy Forecast International projects that 4,016 regional aircraft,
valued at $123 billion, will be produced from 2010 through 2019. The
forecast includes both regional jets and regional turboprops, with jets
accounting for about 64 percent of the total.
The forecast is good news for the MRO market, which is expected
to reap benefits from the renewed activity, after a brutal two-year
recession that only now is showing signs of easing.
Forecast International, based in Newtown, Conn., is a provider of
market intelligence and analysis in the areas of aerospace, defense,
power systems and military electronics. The company’s projections
indicate that Bombardier, Embraer, and ATR will be the leaders among
regional aircraft manufacturers during the 10-year forecast period.
Bombardier’s product line includes both jet-powered and turboproppowered aircraft, while Embraer currently specializes in jets and ATR
builds turboprops exclusively.
The top end of the regional aircraft market is seeing an influx of
new models. Bombardier is developing the CSeries, a new family
of 100-145 seat aircraft that transcends the boundary between the
regional jet market and the large airliner market. The CSeries competes
against large regional jets from Embraer and others, and also against
narrowbody airliners such as the Airbus A319 and the Boeing 737-700.
“The challenge from the CSeries has become a prime consideration
for Airbus and Boeing as they make development decisions regarding
their narrowbody families.,” said Forecast International senior
aerospace analyst, Raymond Jaworowski (pictured).
Embraer is well positioned in the 70-125 seat market with its E-Jets
series regional jets, and has been pondering future development
strategies. Among the options being considered by the Brazilian
company are a re-engining of the E-Jets family and/or a larger, all-new
aircraft family. The latter would compete in the market above 125 seats,
taking on Bombardier’s CSeries.
Several companies are looking to break into the regional aircraft
market, and are developing new aircraft that compete for sales in the
top segment of the market. These include the Chinese firm Comac,
with its ARJ21 regional jet; the Japanese company Mitsubishi, with the
Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ); and the Russian firm Sukhoi Civil Aircraft,
with the Superjet 100.
All of this activity is taking place against a backdrop of a changing
regional airline industry. Regional airlines were hit hard in the 20082009 airline market slump. A recovery is now under way, but could
easily stall should the general economy remain sluggish or drop back
into recession.
Meanwhile, many mainline network airlines are looking to significantly
redefine their relationship to the regional airlines that operate feeder
services into their networks. Feeder operations are the core business
for many regional carriers. The majors want to alter, or even scrap
altogether, the fixed-fee-per-departure arrangements that
have traditionally defined the major/regional partnership.
Increasingly, regionals are being asked to assume much
of the risk, and much of the cost, of feeder operations.
Forecast International’s Raymond Jaworowski
Intelligence is compiled and written by our editorial staff. If you have any story ideas, press releases or hot tips for this section, please go to
our magazine’s web site and post them here: http://www.avmain-mag.com/cat/press-releases. Our staff will review all submissions.
16
The future and us: a perfect match.
Great challenges are part of our everyday routine. With over 50 years’ experience in maintenance and repair, not
to mention acting as launching customer for a great number of new planes, you can rest assured that we are already
making all the necessary arrangements and will be ready to go the moment your plane is. Just like all other types of
aircraft, your 787 will benefit from our comprehensive Start-up-Support, including maintenance and component support.
We look forward to working together to ensure a perfect launch.
Lufthansa Technik AG, Marketing & Sales
E-mail: [email protected]
www.lufthansa-technik.com/787
Call us: +49-40-5070-5553
More mobility for the world
Battle
Titans
of the
Here’s a look at the genuine giants of our
industry — and how they’re fighting to stay
that way
by James Careless
T
here are many MROs in the world, but only a
handful qualify as the “Giants of MRO”. These
are the companies such as Lufthansa Technik, Air
France Industries/KLM Engineering & Maintenance, and
ST Aerospace, whose reach spans the globe. And they’re
also smaller MROs who, by dint of their service quality
and financial success, command serious respect from their
customers.
Whatever the reason for their status, the Giants of MRO
found within the pages of this special edition of Aviation
Maintenance face similar challenges in today’s tough world
market. What they are battling with, and the innovative
solutions they’ve developed to prosper and grow during
hard times, is what this story is all about.
The Recession’s Affect on MROs
Research by AeroStrategy Management Consulting
proves that these are tough times for the MRO industry.
Thanks to the world recession and its impact on the global
aviation industry, “business is down everywhere,” says Hal
Chrisman, a Principal in AeroStrategy’s North American
practice. “For instance, global air transport MRO revenues
were just $42.7 billion in 2009, down from $44 billion in
2008 and $45 billion the year before.”
The MROs themselves back up AeroStrategy’s research.
“Unlike previous downturns which impacted only specific
regions, this downturn has been more global in nature,”
18
says Delta TechOps spokesperson Anthony Black. Worse
for MROs, “Most of the airlines cut back significantly on
operations, cutting flying and grounding aircraft, running
down consumables and spares stocks and pressing their
suppliers for lower costs through renegotiated agreements,”
says Dr. Fuat Oktay, Executive Vice President of Commerce
with Turkish Technic.
“Business in general has suffered from the crisis
initiated in 2008,” notes Katia Diebold-Widmer, Head
of Marketing of the MTU Maintenance Group. However,
some areas have been harder hit than others, she
says. “North America and Europe clearly have suffered
higher declines in terms of MRO demand as they also
represent the most mature markets. In comparison, Asia
— especially China, India and Indonesia — continues to
be a fast growing market, as well as the Middle East and
South America.”
Much of the lost business is due to the grounding of
older aircraft. According to AeroStrategy, there are currently
1,553 passenger aircraft grounded worldwide. “Many of
these aircraft are now serving as parts sources, for airlines
trying to avoid end-of-life maintenance to engines and other
components by cannibalizing their fleet,” Chrisman says.
Adds Diebold-Widmer: “A comparison of commercial
engine MRO forecasts from AeroStrategy over the past three
years [2009 vs. 2007 comparison] show that approximately
15 percent of the total market has been lost for the next
Battle Tactics
Here’s a list of the top tactics that
the Giants of MROs are using to
fight back against the troubled
world economy:
Get Efficient!
Spanish Air Force Transport at Iberia Maintenance hangar
10 years. This relates mainly to older
equipment which has been phased out
or parked, and is unlikely to be put into
service again.”
The Fallout From Tight Money
Tight money isn’t the only
challenge facing the Giants of
MRO. With fewer dollars floating
around, competition for business is
getting fierce.
“We are seeing flag carriers
increasingly compete for our
business, as the governments who
own them scramble for revenues,”
says Peter Chapman, AAR’s Vice
President and Chief Commercial
Officer. “Then there are the aircraft
OEMs. They are looking for ways to
make money after the sale of their
products, and the MRO space is a
natural target for them. That makes
life difficult for us, because we find
ourselves both competing against
and working with these OEMs at
the same time.”
It is also becoming harder for
MROs to find and retain qualified
help, given the hours the work
demands and the fact that other
technology sectors pay better.
“We see manpower as one of
the biggest challenges facing
MROs today,” says AeroStrategy’s
Chrisman. “It is difficult to convince
young people that aviation
maintenance is an attractive career
option — and the Boomers just
keep retiring.”
True Giants of MRO don’t take
hard times lying down. Instead,
they look for opportunities in the
marketplace, and ways in which they
can become more competitive.
And make no mistake: Even in
the current economic situation, “the
advent of low-cost airlines, everincreasing passenger traffic and
continuing regional fleet growth in
Turkey and the Middle/Far East has
opened up a whole new business
opportunity for global aircraft
companies in MRO,” says Turkish
Technic’s Dr. Oktay.
To grab hold of new opportunities,
MROs are trying all kinds of
stratagems. One of these is to
radically improve business efficiencies
by coming together, as in the case
of the Air France Industries and KLM
Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM
E&M) MRO merger.
“By merging our operations and
rationalizing our systems, AFI KLM
E&I has manned to be profitable
despite 2009 being a very poor
year for the airlines,” says Fabrice
Defrance, the company’s Senior Vice
President of Commercial and Business
Development. “Coming together has
allowed us to decrease unit costs and
focus on new technologies, such as
the GE90, CF6-80E1, components for
the 777,737NG and A330.”
Greenwich AeroGroup is
heeding AFI KLM E&M’s example.
“Acquisitions or partnerships in
international markets which show
strong growth in aircraft and
associated services” is part of the
company’s two-pronged approach
to “robust growth,” says Kasey
J. Baker, Greenwich AeroGroup’s
Director of Marketing. The second
prong is “continued focus on organic
Customer’s GE90 on-wing support
by AFI KLM E&M
19
In order to expand its product range, Bombardier Customer Services developed repair capability for
the Rolls-Royce RB211 535 Thrust Reverser in 2009.
growth through investments in
people, infrastructure and new service
products,” she says.
Diversify
Lufthansa Technik has not merged with
any other MROs, but the company
has still managed to cut costs through
“lean production and administration
systems,” says Walter Heerdt, the
company’s Head of Marketing & Sales.
Lufthansa Technik also has increased
revenues by diversifying into related
markets where its existing resources
give it an edge.
“We now do VIP aircraft and cabin
finishing,” Heerdt says. “This is a very
demanding market niche where an
MRO must have the depth in people
and capabilities to give VIP clients
precisely what they want, including
the advanced entertainment,
communication and navigation
systems being installed in today’s VIP
aircraft.”
Iberia
Maintenance also sees its future as
driven by new market areas. “I can
say that diversification and constant
adaptation to the MRO environment
is the basic attitude behind any
response we make to the market,”
says Jose Luis Quirós, the company’s
Sales & Business Development
Senior Vice President. “Unless an
organization is in continuous motion
to satisfy new customers’ needs
and requirements, it will not be
sustainable. Like the dinosaurs, it will
end up extinct.”
20
Keep Customers happy
Improved customer service is one area
where the Giants of MRO see a chance
to drive revenue growth. “The most
important thing for us is to continue to
provide our customers with improved
solutions based upon industry-leading
cost, quality and cycle times,” says
Delta TechOps’ Anthony Black. “This
is critical in making sure we are
positioned to take advantage of the
opportunity provided by the growth of
the Delta network.”
Lufthansa Technik endorses this
approach, and anything else that
SR Technics line maintenance technician at work.
makes business better for its clients.
“We want to reduce aircraft time
on ground,” says Walter Heerdt,
“because time spent on the ground
is time that the aircraft is not making
money for its operators.”
Pratt & Whitney has made improved
customer service a top priority through
its Achieving Competitive Excellence
(ACE) operating system. ACE employs
standard processes and metrics
throughout the Pratt & Whitney network
that help the company maintain, reward
and advertise the quality of its top
service facilities (ACE Gold).
“We can tell you that 80 percent of
our engine overhaul centers are already
rated ACE Silver or ACE Gold,” says
Tom Hutton, Pratt & Whitney Global
Service Partners Vice President. “These
ratings don’t just come from our
internal evaluations. We also include
data regarding on-time delivery and
customer feedback. We want our
customers to know that when they see
an ACE rating, it means something that
they can count on.”
Bombardier is maximizing
customer services by moving its
people from facility to facility,
to keep them where the work is.
“Being flexible allows Bombardier to
provide faster, more timely service
to our clients,” says Gary Martin, the
company’s Vice President of Sales,
Marketing and Service Programs.
“Since we are also an OEM, we can
keep the right people on staff to
service our own products, which
speeds things up.”
Aveos is trying to create longterm relationships with its clients
to keep them coming back. “If
we shape our services to help our
customers maintain and grow their
businesses successfully, then they
will be motivated to stick with us,”
says Carl Burger, Aveos’ Director of
Business Development. “So we do
everything we can to help them out
in the short-term, to make staying
with Aveos worth their while, both
financially and operationally.”
Don’t forget Value
Offering customers more for their
money is another strategy being
employed by the Giants of MRO. A
case in point: “We have announced
several interior programs to provide
operators with more value,” says
Steve Gade, Duncan Aviation’s Vice
President of Marketing, Aircraft
Sales and Component Solutions.
“For example, we have developed a
program for many Citation models
that guarantees installation of new
interior soft goods in just 14 days for
operators of Citation Xs, Encores,
Ultras, XLs, XLSs or Sovereigns.”
Duncan Aviation is working on
a similar offer for Learjet 45s. “We
are developing a program where
we will work with operators and
provide personalized interior plans
that coincide with their maintenance,
allowing them to better budget
for their interior expenditures and
ensure that the interior looks fresher,
longer,” Gade says.
Robert Mionis, President and CEO of
StandardAero. “We have put a lot of
money into staying at the cutting
edge, and in keeping our people’s
skills current as well.”
In terms of training and skills
upgrading, ST Aerospace believes in
investing for the future and despite
the global economic slowdown, there
has been no significant impact on the
company’s training budget.
“In fact, the slowdown enabled
us to train more of our employees,
preparing them for the eventual
upturn,” says ST Aerospace’s Chang.
“It usually takes about three years to
train technicians and engineers, and
we are continuing with our recruitment
training so that we will have a
competent workforce according to our
plans. On average, ST Aerospace has
about 500 employees under training at
any given time.”
Part of the investment in human
capital involves encouraging and
supporting young people in joining
this industry. Turkish Technic pursues
this goal by “working hand-in-hand
with aeronautical engineering schools
and universities,” Dr. Oktay says. The
company does this by giving research
funds and scholarships to universities,
and aviation schools.
Work With, not Against, OeMs
It is intimidating to compete against
Airbus and Boeing. But even though
these OEMs do have considerable
resources, especially when it comes
to parts, they are not fundamentally
structured to be MROs. This is why
ST Aerospace President Cheow Teck
Chang sees OEMs as better suited to
serving as MRO partners rather than
competitors. He believes that OEMs
see this as well.
“It may not make good business
sense for OEMs to invest more into
maintenance capabilities and skills
training,” Chang observes. “Also,
OEMs may not be able to achieve
the price competitiveness that
independent MROs can offer.”
Get Creative
In addition to servicing aircraft at its
facility in Victorville, California, Pacific
Aerospace Resources & Technologies
invest in Your Company
A Giant of MRO can’t keep customers
satisfied if their MRO facilities and
services don’t keep pace with the times.
AFI KLM E&M knows this well. This is
why the company recently opened a
state-of-the-art workshop in Paris for
very large engines such as the GE90.
They’re not the only ones keeping
up. “We are investing in new
infrastructure and equipment,” says
21
A GE CF34 in
StandardAero’s test cell.
(PART) has started a sideline
refurbishing off-lease older aircraft,
and then providing them on contract
to third world carriers.
“This option is very attractive, in
comparison to new aircraft purchases,”
says Johan Claasen, PART’s CEO and
Chairman. “It is very difficult for third
world airlines to raise capital, given the
current banking climate. Refurbished
aircraft are easier to finance, and they
meet their needs.”
Hang Tough!
The phrase “hang tough” is good
advice for MROs. Eventually the
market will get better, but it will take
time and staying power to get there.
“We know that many of those
engines which are in use now will
need servicing some day,” says
Pratt & Whitney’s Tom Hutton.
“You can only cannibalize your
fleet for so long; you can only
defer maintenance for so long. So
sometimes, as an MRO, you just
have to wait things out as best you
can, until the business cycle takes its
inevitable upswing.”
In hanging tough, keeping a
positive attitude is all-important.
“We have confidence in the business
aviation industry and continue to
invest in our people, our facilities
and our future,” says Duncan
Aviation’s Steve Gade. “We are
confident that business aviation will
continue to be the best travel option
for many businesses and individuals.
We believe there will be a shift and
that the percentage of aircraft based
outside of the U.S. will continue
to grow.”
Will the Giants Stay Giants?
A CF6-80 on the assembly/disassembly line at
MTU Maintenance Hannover.
22
The many options above show
how adaptable the Giants of MRO
have become in the face of the
global recession. Such flexibility
is a must in the current economy,
says Greenwich AeroGroup’s Baker.
Rather than continuing to follow
the methodologies of the past,
“One must adapt to the change
in business landscape by changing
the applicable business model to
best serve customers,” she notes.
“With each business that means
something different and there is not
a single answer that addresses all
businesses.”
It is this willingness to adapt that
has made the Giants of MRO what
they are today. And it is this same
quality that will keep them on top
for years to come — assuming
that they stay in touch with their
customers’ needs and fulfill these
needs effectively.
Doing this is no easy task,
observes Iberia Maintenance’s Jose
Luis Quirós. “There is no doubt that
it is extremely difficult to equally
satisfy different customers’ needs
along the different regions from a
unique organization, as they might
be opposite,” he says. “It means that
the business will develop easier in
some of them, and it will take a little
bit longer to grow in other markets.”
This adaptability will include
a willingness to move where the
business is. “North America and
Europe are mature markets, with
room for limited growth,” says
AeroStrategy’s Hal Chrisman. “The
real engine of MRO growth is Asia,
and that is where those MROs who
wish to become or remain giants
must make inroads. As well, the
move to composites and newer
engines is signaling real change for
MROs in the future. Those who want
to continue to succeed, will have to
invest and change.”
StandardAero’s Robert Mionis
neatly summarizes all of these
themes. “We got to where we are
through hard work, providing real
value to our customers, and being
able to move with the times,” he
says. “Our clients will ultimately
determine who remains a Giant of
MRO, but make no mistake: We
and likely our competitors will do
everything in their power to deserve
this title, and then some.” AM
James Careless is a contributing
editor: [email protected]
Repair beats
replacement!
Your advantage is our goal.
Awarded “Best Engine MRO”
at UBM Aviation’s
Aircraft Technology
Engineering & Maintenance
Awards 2010
The MTU Maintenance group is renowned for excellentvalue engine maintenance. For a quarter of a century,
the company has been a reliable partner of many
airlines, offering a compelling choice of customized
service packages.
We aim to repair rather than replace, using the very
latest inspection, maintenance and repair technologies. Forget about expensive replacement parts and
keep costs down. Expect us to provide outstanding
repairs and short off-wing times – worldwide and at
affordable prices.
www.mtu.de
Industry Profile
Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance:
a world-leading multi-product MRO
About AFI KLM E&M
The AFI KLM E&M Network
AFI KLM E&M is consolidating
a strong network of subsidiaries
and joint ventures, both for the
development of new products and
the extension of its geographical
presence. These include the Floridabased Aero Maintenance Group
(component support, repair and
services), EPCOR in Amsterdam (APU
and APU component maintenance),
KLM UK Engineering in Norwich
(full maintenance of Boeing 737
and regional fleets), CRMA in Paris
(engine repairs), Turbine Support
International in Blytheville (Engines
teardown services), AMES in Dubai
(Aerostructure services), Aerotechnic
Industries in Casablanca (A320 Family
24
OSL HEL
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NWI
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SEA
SFO
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BOS
JFK
BYH
LAX
PAR
YUL
ALG
ATL
DFW
IAH
FCO
TUN
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LOGO AIRFRANCE
INDUSTRIES
PTP
DKRKLM
BKO
Nº dossier : 2009026E
CAY
CCS
ABJ
BOG
Date
: 20/04/10
UIO
Network Facilities
Logistic Centers
Sales Offices
AFKL Major Stations
DXB
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PHC
ACC
DLA
DEL
HKG
BKK
BLR
MNL
KUL
ADD
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Validation DA/DC :
TPE
BOM
NDJ
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PVG
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JNB
MRU
AFI KLM E&M - November 2010
AFI KLM E&M offers a comprehensive
portfolio of Components & Logistics
support for Airbus, Boeing and
regional aircraft, GE and CFM
engine overhaul, and airframe &
modifications services. AFI KLM E&M
provides expertise and scale effects
based on its support for close to 1300
aircraft worldwide.
Its 14,000 highly-skilled personnel
working in world-class facilities
leverage more than 75 years of handson experience. From one-off repairs
to all-in fleet support, AFI KLM E&M
meets and surpasses the requirements
of today’s highly-competitive civil
aviation market.
Flexibility lies at the heart of AFI
KLM E&M’s successful offer. The
airlines that prefer to outsource all
their maintenance activities can access
a one-stop-shop approach. AFI KLM
E&M can also customize services and
maintenance contracts to their very
specific requirements.
RUN
CPT
SCL
EZE
A320 Family Airframe services
Components services
Aerostructure services
Aerostructure services
APU services
Pneumatic component services
Engines teardown services
Engines parts repairs
Components services
Airframe services
A380 components services
www afikl e
co
Components services
Airframe services) and Spairliners in
Hamburg (A380 component services).
A single point of contact and local
support is provided by sales offices
all over the world. Ultimately, the
strength of AFI KLM E&M lies in the
extent of its knowledge, flexibility
and experience, combined with its
worldwide network support.
Approvals and certification
> European approvals (EASA and DGAC)
EASA Part 145, Part M subpart G, Part
21J, Part 21G, Part 147
> US approvals
> Certification
AFI is the world’s only MRO
to have obtained Global and
Unique Certification covering nine
international standards for all of its
facilities: ISO14 001 (Environment),
ISO 9001 (Quality Management),
EN 9100 (Aircraft Design), EN 9110
(Aircraft Maintenance), EN 9120
(Logistics and Storage), ISO 22
000 (Food Safety), OHSAS 18 001
(Occupational Health & Safety), ISO
15 489 (Records Management) and
ISO 26000 (Sustainable Development).
In the Netherlands, KLM E&M’s
avionics unit is also ISO 14 001
certified.
FAR 145: FAA approved Repair
Station: CNFY912C
> Other international approvals
Over 30 approvals have been granted to
AFI KLM E&M by a number of international
authorities (and notably CAAC), enabling
the Group to work on aircraft registered in
the countries concerned.
More information at
www.afiklmem.com
Now get direct, one-click access to your maintenance solutions.
Air France Industries – KLM Engineering & Maintenance is launching aklmem.com, its new, specialized website for all your aircraft
maintenance solutions. Get instant access to a range of customized eet management tools along with up-to-the-minute news.
Wherever you are, tune in to the know-how of our global network of experts.
Our work… flies with you
Iberia Maintenance & Engineering is one of
the greatest companies on MRO Ser vices with an
extensive experience on Iberia fleet and third
par ty.
Our 4.000 experienced technicians and engineers,
our competitive tur n times, our knowledge and
our personalized solutions for each workscope
provide a recommendable MRO source based in
customized maintenance programs according to
your specific needs.
Iberia main facilities are located at Madrid-Barajas
Airport. The extension of the maintenance complex is
more than 220.000m 2, sited in two industrial areas
on both sides of the airport.
The facilities are made up of:
• Seven hangars and general workshops with
an automated wheel and brakes facility,
sheet metal installations, composites,
structural damages, galleys, interiors, painting,
labelling and marking works, etc.
• Engine, engine associated accessories, APUs
and thrust reverses shops with one engine
test cell (120.000 Lb. thrust).
• Avionics and components shop
• Training school.
Our AOG services provides the most effective and
flexible support on emergency services.
7 days / 24 hours AOG SERVICES
The engine repair center will assist you in the design
of customized ser vices to suit your specific
requirements. Shops with specialized personnel and
components equipment are available to perform the
inspections, repair and test for more than 70.000
instruments, accessories, electronics, radio and
electric components repaired annually.
Iberia Maintenance offers a wide range of aircraft,
engine and component services on:
Engine
RB211-535E4
CFM56-5A1/-5B/-5C4
CFM56-7x
CF34-3A1/-3B1
JT8D-217/-219
PEGASUS MK 150/-152/-157
APUs
GTCP85-98DHF
GTPC36-300
131-91
Airframe
A340-300/-600
A319, A320, A321
A310
B757
B767
B707
MD80´s
C-130
P3 ORION
FALCON
Originally aimed at the civil maintenance market,
Iberia Maintenance services have since been extended
into the military arena, partly because the Spanish
Army Forces need widen maintenance and operational
solutions.
F ULL S UPPORT S ERVICES
Iberia Maintenance can also provide additional services
including engineering for all maintenance areas,
computerized systems, metrology, maintenance
personnel training, NDT services, inventory management
and exchange.
Iberia Maintenance position in Spain gives its customers
a strategic situation in Europe as well as a low cost
and timely alternative.
Put your fleet in our hands… the perfect place where
our technicians and professionals can apply cuttingedge technology so our work… flies with you.
InDustry ProfIle
Vector Aerospace Corporation
Vector Aerospace Corporation (Vector) is a publicly traded Canadian company with its corporate offices located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
As a global leader in the aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business, Vector services a diverse mix of defence and security,
commercial and private operators from around the globe, as well as some of the industry’s most recognizable
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMS).
Prior to 2008, Vector’s services were delivered through three main operating divisions: ACROHELIPRO Global Services, Atlantic
Turbines International and Sigma Aerospace. In 2008, Vector united its operational divisions under the ‘Vector Aerospace’
brand to help ensure consistency of delivery of the Vector promise: “setting the standard of customer service.”
Later in 2008, with the acquisition of the UK Ministry of Defence’s DARA (Defence Aviation Repair Agency), Fleetlands Rotary
Wing and Almondbank Components businesses, Vector became one of the leading independent aviation MRO companies in
the world, and is well-positioned to continue forward as an innovative, dynamic and growth-oriented company.
Vector’s customers and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) partners rely on an unwavering commitment to the highest
levels of quality and expert technical support, competitive pricing, and industry-leading customer service. Vector represents
some of the world’s most recognizable and respected OEMs, including:
AgustaWestland - Boeing - Sikorsky - Rolls-Royce - Eurocopter Canada - Pratt & Whitney Canada - Bell Helicopter General Electric - Turbomeca - Sagem Avionics - Rockwell Collins
Based on these approvals, Vector offers comprehensive repair and overhaul support for engines, dynamic
components, avionics (including Supplemental Type Certificate development), structures and fabrication, and
includes in-house engine & dynamic components test cell capability.
Vector employs approximately 2,500 people at 13 locations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Africa
For more information, visit www.vectoraerospace.com
Dave McGrath, BPR
Tel: 604.276.7685
Cell: 604.340.2434
Director- Marketing & Communications
[email protected]
Vector Aerospace Corporation
SETTING THE STANDARD
OF CUSTOMER SERVICE
#101B 5947 206A Street
Langley , BC Canada, V3A 8M1
SETTING THE STANDARD OF CUSTOMER SERVICE
M a i n t e n a n c e • R e pa i R • Ov e R h au l
24/7
READY TO SERVE AROUND THE WORLD
w w w . v e c t O R a e R O s pa c e . c O M
27
InDustry ProfIle
Turkish Airlines Technic Inc.
Having been separated from the parent company, Turkish Airlines as an 100% subsidiary on May 23rd, 2006, Turkish
Technic (Turkish Airlines Technic Inc.) is looking to the future with its 70 years of experience as an Airline MRO now
heading for new horizons on its new formation.
Based in Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Turkish Technic is the leading Aircraft Maintenance and Repair Organization
in the region that is certified through EASA 145, JAR 145, FAA for the performance of maintenance services.
Turkish Technic offers at its 4 hangars, three located at Atatürk Airport (1st hangar 25,000 sqm serving 2 wide
body 3 narrow body, 2nd hangar 60,000 sqm serving 3 wide body 4 narrow body and the 3rd hangar for the VIP
aircrafts), and Esenboga Hangar in the capital city Ankara a variety of maintenance services through its diversified
shops ranging from Airframe Heavy Maintenance, Engine-APU overhaul, LDG overhaul etc.its Business Partners, the
Airlines, Lessors, Financial Institutions.
TURKISH TECHNIC
SABIHA GOKCEN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
MRO CENTER
(HABOM PROJECT)
HABOM (International Aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Center) Project that will be located at Istanbul Sabiha
Gökcen International Airport. This new center is only 70 km. from its base in Istanbul Atatürk Airport and has the same
strategic importance and location advantage. Upon completion of this project, with an area of 372,000 sqm, Turkish
Technic will have the capacity to provide services for 3 wide body and 12 narrow body aircrafts at the same time. The
narrow body aircraft hangar is planned to be activated by September 2011.
TURKISH ENGINE CENTER (TEC)
Our joint venture with Pratt & Whitney Company located at Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen International Airport which is
activated as of January 2010 is focused on CFM56 series and V2500 engine types
TURKISH TECHNIC – GOODRICH SEVICE CENTER
Again located in the area near to Istanbul Sabiha Gökcen International Airport our second joint venture that is planned
to be opened in the first quarter of year 2011 will have an area of approximately 6,000 sqm and will provide services for
nacelles, thrust reversers and related parts.
AOG Desk
With its expert staff and wide range inventory, our AOG Desk provides a 7/24 service to its customers from all around the
world for any of their component, spare part, consumable and tool sales, loan or exchange needs. Our aim is to fulfill all
customer requests in the shortest time.
Contact Information for Turkish Technic AOG Desk is:
Tel: +90 212 465 22 52 (direct) / +90 212 463 63 63 Ext.7743
E-Mail: [email protected]
You know who to trust when your aircaft is AOG. Turkish Technic, the powerful MRO of its region, is ready for 7/24
to help you.
28
Industry Profile
Aeroconseil
Aeroconseil is an aeronautical services provider
founded in 1984 by a former Airbus Test Pilot: Max
Fischl. Aeroconseil is managed by three complementary
personalities: Eric-Jean Floureusse, chairman, Jack
Barbieux, President, and Thierry Misson, CEO.
Régis Trolliet, a reknown manager of Air Transport
Services and COO for these activities in Aeroconseil,
will retire by July 2011.
Gathering 1200 high level engineers &
technicians, Aeroconseil is organized
around two areas of expertise: Aircraft
& Systems Engineering and Air
Transport Services.
Aeroconseil is providing aircraft
manufacturers & OEM with engineering
in several domains such as Avionics,
Cockpit, Electricity, Aerodynamics and
Systems integration. Among a wide
range of references, we can notice:
Airbus, Thales and Goodrich.
Focusing on the Air Transport
market, Aeroconseil supports airlines,
aircraft owners & lessors, operators &
MROs with operational and technical
services regarding:
Aircraft modifications with more
than 300 STC, EASA, FAA or
GCAA approved, including cabin
reconfiguration & refurbishment,
avionics & systems such as GSM,
SatCom, IFE, GPWS, TCAS, T2CAS,
etc.
Asset & Maintenance management,
including continuing airworthiness
technical services, regulatory
advisory, engine advisory, engine
storage, etc.
Flight Ops optimization, including
Fuel efficiency, safety management
system, operational documentation,
XML documentation management,
etc
30
In 2010, the Group will achieve a turnover of 116
million Euros in France and through its subsidiaries
in Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Netherlands, in
Pacific and Canada. It can also rely on an offshore
capacity through its partner in India and its subsidiary
in Tunisia.
References around the world:
Emirates, Air Tahiti Nui, Nouvelair,
Shangai Airlines, Aercap, CIT, Aviation
Capital Group, Doric Asset Finance,
etc.
Aeroconseil is certified EASA Part
145 / EASA Part M, subparts G & I /
EASA Part 21 subparts J & G / GCAA
Design Organization /EN 9100
One of Aeroconseil recent
success story covers the “continuing
airworthiness management” of a 15
aircraft airline. As CAMO organization,
Aeroconseil has to manage aircraft
registered in France under F-OIVU in
compliance with EASA’s regulation.
In this case, Aeroconseil delivered
Maintenance program (original
and update): Monthly/weekly
report, Data base updates, Engine
Trend monitoring, Airworthiness
tasks, Redelivery documentation.
Aeroconseil succeeded especially in
tackling the specific challenges of
data gathering and exchanges despite
distance as well as management of
OSAC (authorities) relationship.
Aeroconseil Netherlands is one of
the latest subsidiary of Aeroconseil,
dedicated to Maintenance & Asset
Management.
Managed by an experienced
professional in the world of Lessors,
Dennis Smink, it offers 5 kinds of
services:
Full Management of the Aircraft
Technical Services
Lease Management
Regulatory & liability advisory
Engine advisory, management &
Storage
As for the last item, Aeroconseil
takes specifically in charge the prepurchase inspection and storage of
engines. The team handled recently
the inspection of an ATR72, on
behalf of Plane Business Leasing, UK.
Aeroconseil delivered a final report
that was welcomed and gathered
enough information to purchase in
better conditions. Besides, Aeroconseil
Netherlands has signed an agreement
with SGI Aviation Services BV to
store the engines of its customers in
Aeroconseil facility in Amsterdam.
Flexible solutions
© istockphoto.com
EASA PART 145
EASA PART 21, Subparts G & J
EASA PART M, Subparts G & I
GCAA Design Organization
EN 9100
We bend over backwards for you!
www.solutions-aeroconseil.com
ADVERTORIAL
Industry Profile
AAR Wheel & Brake Services
AAR WBS® offers commercial, military and regional aviation customers a complete program of aircraft wheel and
brake services including repair, rebuilding and inspection for all major aircraft types. Our high-tech testing and
certification process ensures that hairline fractures and other nonvisible stress defects are detected and repaired
before they cause damage or affect safety. AAR provides fast turnaround from our modern 10,000 square foot
facility, with an extensive inventory of long-lasting, original OEM parts. AAR’s volume-buying capability allows us to
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Stopping
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32
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Stopping
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TAP Maintenance & Engineering is a MRO solution provider for Airbus, Boeing and Embraer fleets, offering a unique
value proposition built around geographical flexibility, wide range of service offer and agility.
The knowledge management resulting from the support experience of TAP Portugal airline fleet enables
our Customers all the advantages of a complete set of integrated services ranging from airframe, engines and
components, to the engineering and material support.
With a total workforce of about 4500, comprising highly qualified technicians and engineering staff, TAP M&E
operates one main centre in Portugal and two in Brazil, covering the Americas, Africa and Europe, bridging three
continents and one entire ocean.
TAP M&E Bases
Lisbon
Rio de Janeiro
Porto Alegre
In its Lisbon Base, TAP M&E offers,
for the Airbus A300-600, A310,
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models CFM56-3,-5A,-5B,-5C, -7; JT8
standard; RB211-524 B4 and D4; a
vast span of services ranging from line
maintenance to heavy maintenance
checks, engine overhaul, components
maintenance, engineering and
planning services, material support
and integrated maintenance
packages.
In Rio de Janeiro TAP M&E provides
aircraft maintenance services (A, B,
C, IL and D checks, aircraft painting,
engineering and planning support) for
the Boeing B727, B737 CL, B737 NG
(incl. BBJ), B747-100/-200/-300, B757,
B767, B777, DC10, MD11; for the
Airbus A300, B2, B4, A300-600, A310,
A330 and A340.
TAP M&E, at its Porto Alegre base,
makes available to its Customers
airframe maintenance for the Boeing
B727, B737 CL, B737 NG (incl. BBJ),
B767; for the Embraer 120, ERJ
135/145, E-JET 170/175/190/195 and
Legacy; as well as complete overhaul
for Landing Gears, APUs and PWC
engines, plus avionics and accessories
maintenance for over 17,000 part
numbers.
Hangars: 3
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Contacts
Hangar: 1
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Portugal: Lisbon
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Phone: (+351) 21 841 59 75
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Estrada das Canárias, 1862
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34
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36
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PILOTS KNOW: This is not the time to have trust issues with your engine. Which is why insisting on genuine Lycoming
factory replacement parts is so important. After all, we designed, built and tested your engine as a total system – with
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Know your parts. Visit Lycoming.com or call 800-258-3279 to find an authorized Lycoming Distributor near you.
© 2011 Avco Corporation. All rights reserved.
The Power of Choice
InDustry ProfIle
Communications Software
For over 35 years, Communications
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the system modules are fully integrated,
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The system can be run on any PC or
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The company offers a full package
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The Open Aviation Strategic
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cover all key aspects of maintenance
management for over 50 users worldwide,
ranging from national carriers and large
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Closed-loop maintenance
OASES’s ‘closed-loop’ maintenance
philosophy ensures full feedback
between all aspects of the system.
Starting with resource information
relating to staffing, aircraft type and
tooling, this feeds into planning modules
producing a workpack, also generating
work-in-progress reports and raising
non-routine cards that are actionable
immediately or fed into schedule
changes – updating records continuously
and informing the re-planning process.
Simultaneously, a second closed loop is
running for the provision of spares.
Demands that come from the planning
department and engineers on the
line or in the hangar are electronically
requisitioned with a ‘time required’. If the
part is in stock the necessary electronic
notification is routed to the appropriate
store, or, if not in stock, notification is
routed to the purchasing department. All
such requirements will be automatically
re-shortaged should the situation change
and the part becomes unavailable.
OASES covers all aspects of
technical records, line maintenance,
MSG-3, reliability, inventory control,
purchasing, rotable tracking,
workcard production, shop floor data
collection, time and attendance,
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evaluation, advanced scheduling, line
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OASES can be easily implemented
either as standalone modules or as a
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8 The Centre
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‘Growing
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contact us at: Tel: +44 1621 817425 | [email protected] | www.commsoft.aero
38
Aviation
Maintenance
commsoft_ad.indd
1 | avmain-mag.com | December 2010/January 2011
07/05/2009 08:56
Eurocopter’s Data Analysis
Revolution
As Eurocopter strives to raise customer satisfaction with its MRO work, this Franco-Germano-Spanish
helicopter manufacturer is propelling huge changes in the analysis of maintenance data. By Thierry Dubois
The EC135 is one of Eurocopter’s models that have
benefited from customized maintenance programs.
Credit: Turbomeca
C
onfronted with persistent
customer dissatisfaction with
the maintainability of its
helicopters, Eurocopter is betting on
usage data analysis to tailor MRO
plans. The Marignane, France-based
helicopter manufacturer is working
relentlessly to improve its customer
support. Although better than a
decade ago, the perceived quality of
the company’s customer service still
leaves something to be desired. The
company’s determination to rectify the
situation has put it at the forefront of
aircraft usage monitoring.
How “friendly” are Eurocopter
rotorcraft to maintenance technicians?
Let’s ask the mechanics in the field.
“They offer quite easy access,”
answered José Luis López Gómez,
Inaer’s Eurocopter fleet manager in
Albacete, Spain. He takes care of
the Dauphin family (also known as
Dolphins, AS365s or EC155s); the
Ecureuil family (Squirrels, AS350s/
AS355s, AStars); and EC135s, EC145s,
BO105s and BK117s. He said one
exception is the Dolphin, if a ferry tank
is installed in the cargo compartment.
“In that instance, accessibility is not so
easy,” he explained.
A spokesman for UK-based
aerial work operator Bond Air
Services noted that the EC135 has
been designed “so that all major
components can be accessed quickly
and easily, by a series of quickrelease access panels and cowlings.”
HeliPortugal maintenance director
Rui Estrela agreed and added
Eurocopters have few lubrication
points. HeliPortugal maintains AS350s,
AS365s and EC120s near Lisbon.
Ludovic Derouin is the technical
manager of THS, a France-based
operator of helicopters — notably
Dauphins and Ecureuils — and
business jets and turboprops. He said
that the AS350 Ecureuil has excellent
accessibility. He said that its Bell
equivalent, for example, “is just as
reliable but not as easy to maintain.”
A feature of the AS350 is that “you
can leave for a remote destination with
very few spare parts.”
Jost Amstad, the Part 145
maintenance manager of Swiss
39
There is a trend to increase scheduled maintenance intervals but the manufacturer also has a vested interest
not to make TBOs too long.
rescue organization Rega, said that
the EC145’s hydraulic system and
main rotor head are very friendly
to maintain. However, he pointed
out difficulties due to the absence
of a Fadec on Turbomeca Arriel
1E2 engines. “The torque matching
system and the rotor rpm are very
delicate to adjust. It calls for a lot of
experience from technicians and is
sometimes highly time-consuming,”
he emphasized.
Another shortcoming, according to
Inaer’s López, is that most components
are not repairable. When one fails,
you are supposed to replace it. “For
us, it would be better, economically,
to be able to repair,” he said. On
Bell helicopters, you can repair more
components, López asserted.
Learning to Listen
It all begs the relevant question: Does
Eurocopter sufficiently take customer
feedback into account? For the most
part, yes. But it’s a mixed bag. MRO
professionals have plenty to say about it.
“Normally, not too much,” López
regretted. Under the EASA Part M
regulation, Inaer runs a reliability
program. If the maintenance
department notices that the mean
time between failure (MTBF) of a
given component is below the time
between overhaul (TBO), it asks
Eurocopter to reduce the TBO. “In
40
that case, they do take the feedback
into account,” López said.
THS’ Derouin is not very happy
either. “We submit incident reports,
we send mails, but they are not
responsive. It can take one year
until we receive an answer,” he
complained. Moreover, he added, the
answers often are inconclusive.
“Our requests for modifications are
rarely successful. When they are, it
is because an accident happened,”
Derouin stated.
Jacques Vian has a different
experience. He gives the company
high marks for responsiveness. He is
the CEO of Helidax, a company in
charge of French military pilot training.
Helidax operates 36 EC120s, logging a
total 22,000 flight hours per year.
“Eurocopter does take our feedback
into account,” he said, noting that
the company is particularly responsive
when it comes to updating documents
such as the illustrated parts catalog.
“They update it as soon as I report an
error,” Vian stressed.
Several operators expressed
satisfaction with the way feedback is
taken into account when it comes to
customizing maintenance programs.
“We are currently working with
Eurocopter Deutschland and a small
number of other key operators on
a special maintenance evaluation
program to extend the [EC135’s]
intermediate inspection (400 hours)
and the periodic check (800 hours) to
500 hours and 1,000 hours, respectfully,”
a Bond Air Services spokesman said.
He emphasized this was not the first
interval extension his company was
working out with the manufacturer.
Indeed, an incentive for operators
to send feedback is they can be
involved in a continuous maintenance
evolution program, said Bernard
Plissonneau, Eurocopter’s technical
and publication services vice
president. They can thus benefit
from a customized maintenance
plan before it becomes available
to all operators. This can give a
competitive edge.
It also usually cuts costs. “We offer
customized maintenance plans for
some particular kinds of operation,”
Plissonneau said. Offshore operator
Bristow, for example, has seen one
interval extended from 500 to 750
flight hours for its fleet of Super Pumas.
“We know the company, they are very
well organized and we have a lot of
feedback,” Plissonneau explained.
This does not work with the entire
product range, however. “Some of our
rotorcraft are highly optimized and
therefore have little margin in their
maintenance programs,” Plissonneau said.
A Decade-Long Effort at Improvement
And what about spare parts?
According to Derouin, they are much
more expensive than with other
helicopter manufacturers. Lead times
are said to be too long. It can take
months to receive parts, which is
intolerable at this price, Derouin
said. Mathias Senes, the managing
director of Aircraft Formula, a broker
specializing in helicopters, confirmed
that more than one operator
complains about spares.
“We have taken action,”
Plissonneau answered. He insisted
it is a painstaking effort. One
outcome has been a reduction in
the main gearbox’s part count. In
addition, equipment manufacturers
are responsible for 60 percent of an
aircraft’s parts, Plissonneau pleaded.
“Eurocopter has opted for
expensive reliability but this ensures
superior regularity in operations,”
Senes said. The manufacturer started
tackling customer support in the late
1990s; it took over 10 years for this
effort to bear fruit, Senes said.
The first helicopter to benefit,
right from design, from the input of
maintenance experts has been the
EC130 light single. Customers, such
as sightseeing tour operators, were
involved in the process. This was
when the battery was moved to the
tailboom, improving maintainability
and opening up more cargo space,
Senes explained.
This is being carried on with
in-development programs such
as the EC175 medium twin. Field
representatives are temporarily
seconded to design offices. However,
Plissonneau made it clear that not
all maintenance experts’ needs and
wishes can be taken into account.
Some aircraft manufacturers, such
as Dassault Aviation in business
jets, have touted the use of a virtual
technician in their digital mockup. It
is part of the three-dimension virtual
reality features of the Catia computeraided design tool. It helps confirm
whether a mechanic can actually
access a given connection behind a
bundle of wires, for instance.
For Eurocopter’s design engineers,
“this is embryonic,” Plissonneau
acknowledged. Although the firm
uses Catia, the virtual technician
rarely comes alive in the digital
mockup. “Our maintenance is more
difficult than that of fixed-wing
aircraft,” Plissonneau said. He pointed
out that some pieces of equipment
are heavy, such as alternators. Virtual
reality on a screen cannot evaluate
whether the technician can hold the
piece by himself.
The endeavor for a better customer
support can also be seen in global
organization. Logistic hubs have
been created in Texas, Hong Kong
and Paris. Moreover, Eurocopter has
created a network of fully owned
subsidiaries. Over recent years, it has
taken over its distributors in Japan
and the UK. It also has strengthened
its presence in Indonesia, Malaysia
and Chile, for example.
This is a way to structure feedback
from the field. “All these subsidiaries
report to the parent company,” Senes
pointed out. This comes in addition to
the tech reps that can also be found
at customer bases. Bell Helicopter, for
example, has a different approach,
Senes commented, with dozens of
service centers in North America and
elsewhere in the world, none of them
factory-owned.
Another way to structure feedback is
through customer conferences, hosted
every year. However, it seems there is a
difference in the way customer support
is being organized for those models
manufactured in Germany and those
manufactured in France. “For those
models that are built in Germany [the
EC135, EC145, BO105 and Bk-117], we
have regular meetings with Eurocopter
Deutschland people and other operators;
we wish we had similar meetings for all
Eurocopter models,” López said. This
echoed the aforementioned comment by
Bond Air Services.
Separately, THS’ Derouin was
vocal about the fast-growing
number of service bulletins (SBs)
and airworthiness directives (ADs).
“Authorities tend to issue ADs
even for checking items that are
already on a pre-flight check-list,” he
complained. If mandated by an AD,
checking the item implies to fill a
form, hence a frustrating impression
of a waste of time.
“The AS350 Ecureuil holds a record
number of ADs for its generation of
helicopters,” Derouin said. He believes
SBs and ADs are a way for Eurocopter
to protect itself in liability issues.
“Indeed, this person has good
reasons to complain,” Plissonneau
answered. He explained that the ADs
are temporary. They are supposed to
The EC175
Eurocopter Grapples with MSG-3
Eurocopter officials are keen on asserting that the in-development EC175
medium twin will be one of the first helicopters to feature the Maintenance
Steering Group’s third (MSG-3) standard (the Bell 429 light twin was the
inaugural one). However, the team dedicated to the task is struggling with
proving that the helicopter complies.
“The MSG-3 standard was devised for fixed-wing airplanes,” said
Eurocopter’s technical and publication services v.p., Bernard Plissonneau.
Véronique Cardin, EC175 service chief engineer, explained that
some requirements call for actual flight demonstrations, whereas more
straightforward computations would be enough for an airplane. “We are
suffering,” she said. “The principle is very good but applying it to helicopters
is tricky.”
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) also is discovering helicopter
MSG-3. The EC175 is the first European-built helicopter to embrace this
standard; EASA has made the MSG-3 mandatory for the EC175’s category.
41
cover the two or three years needed to
work out a permanent solution, he said.
Senes has a different view.
“Operators reproach Eurocopter
with issuing too many SBs but this
is necessary in the manufacturer’s
strategy for continuous product
improvement,” he said. In his
experience, SBs are often aimed at
increasing a life limit or watching a
component more closely. “The more
new models you launch, the more
teething problems you have,” Senes
pointed out. He alluded to Bell and
Sikorsky. “They have lower costs in
this regard because their products are
more mature,” he said.
Is there an overall trend towards
longer maintenance intervals,
independently from customized
programs? Yes, according to
operators. “For the Dolphin, T
inspections now occur every 600
hours instead of 500 hours,” Inaer’s
López said. Another example was
given by Rega’s Amstad. On the
EC145, “pendulum absorber oil
change has been increased from
100 to 300 flight hours,” he said.
HeliPortugal’s Estrela added that
all inspection intervals have a
10-percent margin.
THS’ Derouin challenges the
relevance of increasing such intervals.
About one year ago, he saw one
Eurocopter TBO jumping from a
30-year-old interval of 3,000 flight
hours to 3,500 flight hours. “This was
because a competitor had just done
the same,” he said, worrying that
“safety comes second after sales.”
Broker Senes agrees that increased
intervals are a commercial argument.
However, “in reality, implementation
is more limited and difficult than
customers wish,” he said. First of all,
liability impedes the interval increase
process because they encourage
safesiding. “The manufacturer tends
to wait until it has very strong and
comforting statistics, which takes
years,” Senes explained.
Secondly, an OEM has a vested
interest to keep intervals unchanged.
“If a major overhaul occurs every 12
years, the manufacturer has a good
sale opportunity every 12 years,”
Senes noted.
Finally, usages are diversified
and consequently make it hard to
find a one-size-fits-all TBO. Some
components will not fatigue or wear in
the same way, depending on whether
they are on a fully loaded EC130
flying at 80 knots on sightseeing tours
or an almost empty EC130 carrying
urgent freight at 130 knots.
There is even an opposite trend.
“Regulations encourage manufacturers
to set life limits on parts that used
to have no life limit,” Senes said.
Eurocopter rotor blades never had
Most operators praise Eurocopter helicopters for good component accessibility.
Credit: Eurocopter/Eric Raz
42
a life limit. But creating one made
it easier for the authorities to keep
an eye on these components. A life
limit may be so high it may be never
attained. “Trouble is, as soon as you
have a life limit, you have to set money
aside to cover a possible parts change
— this impacts costs,” Senes said.
On the Leading Edge of HUMS
All of the trends and issues mentioned
above are resulting in a seachange
in MRO data analysis, propelled by
Eurocopter’s commitment to improving
not only the substance of its customer
service but also the perception of it.
Senes sees Eurocopter’s support
strategy as occupying the leading
edge of maintenance data processing.
The health and usage monitoring
system (HUMS) and its lighter
counterpart, the vehicle engine
monitoring display (vEMD), are key to
future maintainability.
“Eurocopter has been the first
to widely spread the use of vEMD,
from which maintenance technicians
can download data,” he said. A
vEMD is much simpler than a HUMS.
nevertheless, it is an important step
toward HUMS, and other complex
monitoring systems, becoming
standard equipment.
Engine trends can be monitored,
thus improving preventive
maintenance. Should one of the curves
suddenly vary, the tech rep can plan
some maintenance before a problem
happens. The tech rep can do this
from his office; he does not even
have to pay a visit to the operator’s
base. “This is a revolution in the way
helicopters are kept in operations,”
Senes stressed. Before that, the
approach was to send a replacement
aircraft when one was out of order.
These systems are beginning to
be able to send automated reports
practically in real time. Every time the
engine is shut down, maintenance
data is sent out — in a text message
via satphone, for example — to
Eurocopter, engine maker Turbomeca
or the operator’s base. In Singapore,
the military already has this feature,
which automatically orders parts,
even in flight. This can happen when
a component reaches 900 flight hours
and its TBO is 1,000 flight hours. The
system factors in delivery lead times.
In future, data analysis will be so
readily available that a customer
who has rented a helicopter may
be charged depending on its actual
usage. So far, helicopters are rented
by the hour. “Usage pricing” may
factor in extra takeoffs and landings,
the engine power level in cruise, etc.
Another future application could be
seen right at purchase. “In 10 years
from now, when you buy a helicopter,
there will be several categories of usage
to choose from,” Senes predicted.
The ultimate maintenance program
will be tailored to the customer’s way
of operating the helicopter, even for a
private owner-pilot. The trend is general
but Eurocopter seems to drive it. AM
Thierry Dubois is the magazine’s
European correspondent:
[email protected]
Cute? Yes.
Experienced? Not so much.
Most operators praise Eurocopter
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43
MRO & Avionics:
THE
The increasing cost in repairing and
testing highly integrated circuit boards
(pictured here, conducted by a Honeywell
technician) is causing operators to return
the cards to avionics OEMs for the
necessary maintenance.
HIGH
COST OF
HIGH
TECH
Avionics are
becoming increasingly
sophisticated, but
maintaining those
systems is more than
some MRO shops
can handle.
T
he evolution in avionics from
electro/mechanical “steam
gauges” to the digital glass
cockpit has heralded a significant
increase in capabilities for pilots.
However, the cost of maintaining
those avionics is threatening the
viability of smaller MRO shops, which
often lack the necessary equipment
and training.
While maintenance on avionics
hardware still largely constitutes
exchange and repair, it’s the software
that’s posing a challenge for
technicians. The expectation of many
MRO industry insiders is that the
44
By Douglas Nelms
vulnerable outfits will either merge
with larger entities or go under.
At the G/A, corporate, and small
regional airliner level, it’s business
as usual, with most MRO work
conducted through the Level One
exchange process. A part goes bad,
the operator pulls out the black box,
sends it either to his own avionics
shop, back to the OEM, or to an
independent MRO. The part is then
simply exchanged for a functioning
part and the bad part gets repaired
and put on the shelf for the next
operator who needs it.
Level Two maintenance also
is mostly routine: a bad card is
identified, pulled from the box and
sent off for exchange and repair.
Get to Level Three, with larger air
transport aircraft, and the situation
gets more complicated. That’s where
the card itself is repaired.
Each new generation of electronics
exerts its greatest implications
on Level Three maintenance,
said Adrian Paull, vice president,
Customer and Product Support for
Honeywell. He said that, as engineers
are increasingly able to integrate
functions, “they are developing single
microchips that do the job of eight,
12 or even 50 microchips in an older
chip, so it becomes a much more
integrated environment.”
Consequently, MRO shops will need
extremely sophisticated equipment
to isolate the problem down to the
individual component, “because it
is on a very large scale integration,
condensed through the latest
manufacturing technology to be a
very tiny package with an enormous
amount of functionality,” he said.
While the integration of system
capabilities is, in many cases, making
the capital costs of the equipment
cheaper, the maintenance, repair
and overhaul of the upper level
avionics systems, and the specialized
equipment needed to repair and test
them, are becoming more expensive
than some MRO shops can afford. In
some cases, the equipment required
is simply not being made available to
the independent shops.
These trends are causing the
shrinking of the avionics MRO industry,
primarily from the merger of smaller
MRO facilities with larger ones.
That said, the avionics market
itself is strong. According to Wayne
Plucker, Industry Manager for Frost
and Sullivan’s Aerospace & Defense
Group, the global commercial avionics
market in 2009 was $6.67 billion,
with the services part of that market,
which includes maintenance, software
updates and certification/engineering
services, at $577.6 million. On the
military side, the U.S. market alone
was worth $5.39 billion, with the
services part at $426.3 million.
The digital cockpit market is now
growing at a rate of 16.3 percent,
while lower-tech commercial electro/
mechanical systems were down by
more than 63 percent in 2009.
The Right Tools for the Job
As these avionics become more
advanced, two things are happening.
Firstly, functionality is being
combined, reducing the former
array of black boxes into a single
box, or even a single circuit card,
simultaneously making the system
more reliable. This also means there
are fewer boxes, and those are being
pulled much less frequently, thereby
reducing the economies of scale
that are required to pay back the
investment necessary on the part of
the MRO shops.
Secondly, design and development
of the new avionic systems is hugely
expensive, a cost that has to be borne
by the avionics OEM.
“The OEMs are risk sharing
partners with the airframe OEMs
and the airframe OEMs do not
pay engineering,” said Dave Tripp,
manager, sales and marketing for
Aero Instruments and Avionics,
based in North Tonawanda, New
York. “So, the avionics OEMs have
to spend all the money developing
the box and get no non-recurring
engineering during development,
no payment for what’s called the
red-label box during the prototype
stage. They don’t get paid until
the box goes black label and it’s
delivered to the customer.”
For independent avionics MRO
providers such as Aero Instruments,
which counts airlines as its major
clients, this is making one of the
biggest issues today simply being
availability of the tools to do the job.
but when they retired their DC-8s and
747 classics, we saw a large dip in their
volume. But there are still plenty of
older airplanes flying around that are
keeping us as a third-party MRO busy.”
The inability to get the test
equipment “could present a twilight
scenario for our operations,” he said.
However, he also mentioned that
while his business had dipped down
for a while during the recession, it
has strongly bounced back in the
past few months.
“There is always something that is
small and not complex that will be
available, but the traditional systems in
the cockpit, the computers, the FMS
[Flight Management System], those
are all off the table to us for all new
airplanes. We will do radios and all kinds
of little electrical things all over the
airplane, such as lights and switches.
What we call accessories is the biggest
volume we have,” Tripp said.
Aero Instruments had been forced
to reduce its work force by about 10
percent, but is now busily rehiring.
“We’ve brought five technicians on
just in the past couple of months. As
fast as we can find them, we can hire
them. But avionics technical talent is
thin. It’s hard to find,” Tripp said.
The cost associated with performing
Level Three maintenance on advanced
avionic systems is even affecting
the airlines, which
traditionally have
Gail Ramirez of Aero Instruments & Avionics
tended to have their
puts a Cabin Zone Temp Controller through final
own avionics MRO
testing. The company is a major independent FAA
and EASA approved Part 145 center specializing
in the repair and overhaul of commercial aircraft
instruments, avionics and electrical accessories.
“There is a contraction of the
working relationship between all
of the OEMs and the third-party
market,” Tripp said. “All of the OEMs
were hit by dropping revenues over
the last couple of years, and we saw
an acceleration of the trend to limit
technical data or tooling going to
third parties. They are making sure
that they only sell the testers to
themselves. They stock the testers
in their own factory service centers.
Some OEMs were doing that rather
aggressively before, but we are
seeing it more and more and more;
OEMs restricting technical data or
the testing tools so that the flow of
repairs comes to them.”
The non-availability of automatic
test equipment “is stopping us,”
Tripp said. “The test equipment is not
available to a third-party MRO like
Aero Instruments. We have purchased
OEM testers in the past, but we are
not allowed to purchase the tester
for the 777 and above, so we won’t
be able to test those complex boxes
anytime in the future, never.”
Tripp said that the top-tiered airline
MRO shops would be able to get the
necessary test equipment, but that “it
is getting kind of rare.” He also noted
that as airlines update their fleets, it
affects the independent MROs who
serviced them. “My top client was UPS,
45
cost effective anymore.”
At one time, there was heavy
competition among the OEMs, the
airlines and even the independents.
But that is changing.
“There is much stronger
cooperation and collaboration, as
evidenced by some of our recent
transactions where we’ve designated
people as authorized to provide
support where we are not doing it
ourselves,” said Paull. “We are finding
ourselves in different relationships
where we are authorizing the MRO
houses to represent us in the matter
of support.”
Situations such as the merger
between Air France and KLM have
transformed third-party avionics MRO
Special Skills Required
work. Air France has some of the
Scott Gunnufson, vice president and
general manager, Service Solutions for largest component repair shops in
the world, while KLM has been saving
Rockwell Collins, noted that on the
money by shifting
“It is becoming unrealistic that it would to third-party
work. Following
be economically viable for someone the merger,
Air France has
doing airline MRO to invest in the reportedly started
to outsource its
detailed cards testing capability.” MRO work based
on the KLM
- Adrian Paull,
experience.
Vice President, Honeywell
Independent
Customer and Product Support
MRO shops on
the international
scene are also
787 avionics systems, as many as six
being hit to some
different boxes on prior generation
extent by the lack
aircraft have been integrated into one
of availability of
— “and the skills required to repair
both technical
that are huge.”
data and test equipment. Adrian
That pressing need also applies to
Wolf, manager of the recently opened
airlines. “It becomes more difficult
Hawker Pacific Avionics in Dubai,
to justify the purchase of the test
said that the necessary technology
equipment because you don’t see
for glass cockpits “is increasingly
the box that often,” Gunnufson said.
locked down by the OEMs. If you
“When you do see the box, you don’t
can get access to the repair data,
want a technician out there who only
the test equipment requirements are
sees the box once every four months
expensive, and making a business
trying to troubleshoot it. It’s not an
case for the expenditure is difficult
economic thing. So just from sheer
considering the ‘thru-put’ of work.”
economics, we don’t see a lot of
However, Hawker Pacific Avionics is
people requesting test equipment
becoming a major player for avionics
capability any more.”
repair throughout the Middle East and
Gunnfuson said that as airlines are
recently acquired UAE GCAA Design
transitioning into new fleets, “we’re
Office Authority. This allows Hawker
seeing more and more that they’re
to provide its services to fixed- and
not choosing to reengage in the
rotary-wing customers in both the
avionics side of support. It’s just not
shops. The expense of specialized
equipment to repair and test the new
integrated cards, combined with the
infrequency of needing those repairs,
is making it economically unfeasible
even for large operators.
“It is becoming unrealistic that it
would be economically viable for
someone doing airline MRO to invest
in the detailed cards testing capability.
Airlines will simply return a bad card
to Honeywell, which will replace
it,” Paull said, adding that even
Honeywell doesn’t necessarily test the
cards sent in. “We then send it to the
card manufacturer who has the test
equipment for it,” he said.
46
military and civilian sectors, to include
“equipment changes, upgrades
and new hardware installations all
approved to UAE GCAA and EASA
standards.”
Hawker’s geographic market covers
the Middle East, and provides “on-site
installation support for the customer
who doesn’t have the in-house labor
or skills to carry out an upgrade
program,” Wolf said.
From the European perspective,
Hardy Truelsen, president of Billund,
Denmark-based Scandinavian Avionics,
said that several manufacturers
typically like to keep MRO in-house,
“and only strong dealers and service
centers can fight this policy.” Still,
more and more operators “are
starting to realize that manufacturer
MRO monopolies are not necessarily
beneficial and will demand support
from third-party maintenance and
external service centers.”
Truelsen said that preparing
for increasingly sophisticated
glass cockpits requires extensive
capability and capacity, and
that only a limited number of
MROs will be able to survive in
this future environment. Case in
point: Scandinavian Avionics is
considering setting up its own test
equipment branch, although getting
certification of test procedures from
the authorities “is complicated and
generally requires support from the
equipment manufacturers,” he said.
He also noted that increasing
requirements from regulatory
authorities “is making life unfairly
difficult for smaller companies.”
That, combined with high investment
requirements and the retirement of
owners who started their shops years
ago, will cause a reduction in MRO
shops in Europe.
The upshot? As Truelsen put it:
“While I do agree that many smaller
avionics MROs will disappear in the
next five to 10 years, most survivors
will probably merge with either a
larger avionics MRO or an aircraft
MRO who wants to set up a total
support arrangement.” AM
Doug Nelms is a contributing editor:
[email protected]
When Technologies
Collide
As sensor technologies increase in sophistication, the need to maintain avionics
becomes more imperative — especially in the booming unmanned aircraft sector.
Our latest webinar explored this trend; here’s a report. By John Persinos, Editor-in-Chief
A
vionics suites and sensors are
growing in complexity, which
means more aspects of them can
go wrong. Major avionics OEMs report
that they’re funneling greater resources
into the upkeep and repair of the delicate
electronics that keep aircraft in the air
and on target. The convergence of MRO
and avionics is particularly apparent in
the booming field of Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles (UAVs).
Clashes between two unequally matched
forces are known in military argot as
“asymmetrical”. This category of conflict
characterizes most warfare today. It pits,
say, a furtive band of guerillas armed with
rocket-propelled grenades and improvised
explosive devices, against modern hightech armies deploying attack helicopters
and armored personnel carriers. History
has shown that oftentimes, the rag-tag
guerillas are cunning enough to wreak
disproportionate damage against their
more professional foes — and win. Just
ask the Russians, about their experience in
Afghanistan.
The bipolar geo-strategic paradigm
that dominated the last half of the
20th century, in which opposing
armies massed in fixed formations
on battlefields, is an anachronism. As
asymmetrical warfare increases in such
battlefield hot spots as Iraq, Afghanistan
and Pakistan, unmanned aircraft are
playing a vital role in tracking and
engaging terrorists and other insurgents.
However, new challenges are arising
over the need to repair and test the
electronic eyes and ears of these flying
robots. As companies step in with
solutions, the performance of lightweight,
miniaturized avionics systems is soaring to
new heights.
To explore these exciting developments,
Aviation Maintenance magazine conducted
a webinar: “The Convergence of MRO,
UAVs and Avionics”, which aired live on
Wednesday, October 20. This webinar was
sponsored by Aeroflex Test Solutions, a
Wichita, Kansas-based global leader in test
and measurement instrumentation. The
webinar was recorded and archived; you
can still access the event, on demand, at
this web address: http://www.aerospacemedia.com/webinars
The speaker panel comprised Peter van
Blyenburgh, president, the Unmanned
Vehicle Systems Association, a non-profit
The U.S. military’s Predator
drone, shooting a Hellfire
missile.
organization based in Paris, France; Raul
Segredo, president, Avionica, a Miamibased provider of aircraft data collection
and analysis products; and Chris Baur,
president, Hughes Aerospace, a Houston,
Texas-based provider of solutions in
the fields of air traffic control, airline
operations, general/corporate aviation,
military and helicopter flight operations. I
moderated the proceedings.
Military strategists are embracing pilotless drones, viewing them as the perfect
weapons with which to fight smaller wars.
UAVs are flexible, tactical and precise,
allowing high-altitude reconnaissance and
shoot-to-kill capabilities that don’t put
soldiers’ lives at risk. UAVs are the perfect
soldiers: they feel no pain and they’re
always willing to die for their country.
The New Frontier of MRO
Global investments in UAVs are taking off.
These war-fighting wonders rely on highly
sensitive and complex sensor systems that
function as their guidance. UAV spending
among the world’s militaries will more
than double during the next decade,
from current global UAV expenditures of
47
Unmanned aircraft rely on highly sensitive sensor systems that function as their eyes and ears. As these
sensors become more complex, they’re more prone to require repair and testing.
$4.9 billion a year to $11.5 billion a year,
totaling more than $80 billion over the
next ten years.
Sensors account for about 50 percent
of these figures. U.S. military forces alone
plan to spend nearly $5.4 billion on UAVs
in fiscal 2010, which began in October,
an increase of nearly 19 percent from the
previous year. American-based aerospace
companies command a value share of
more than 50 percent of the UAV market;
analysts predict that they could grab up to
another 10 percent over the next decade.
The fast growth of the UAV market is
accompanied by soaring demand for sensor
technologies. Raytheon currently supplies
the sensors on board Northrop Grumman’s
RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude, longendurance unmanned aircraft, which can fly
at altitudes of up to 65,000 feet for more
than 31 hours. Because of Raytheon-built
sensor suites, Global Hawk is capable of
day-and-night surveillance.
Within the Pentagon’s overall 2010
UAV budget, the U.S. Air Force plans to
buy five Global Hawks for $609 million,
and will put an additional $113 million
into Global Hawk advanced procurement
toward future buys of Global Hawk units
and related equipment. The Air Force
allocated money for five Global Hawks a
year in 2008 and 2009.
As our webinar speakers discussed, the
spread of UAVs now puts new pressures
on the MRO and avionics sectors. The
60-minute online event was interactive;
48
I fielded questions from attendees.
Below are the highlights of our lively and
informative discussion.
Persinos: How is the growing use of UAVs
affecting avionics development?
Baur: UAVs are unique in that, as piloted
vehicles, they are piloted remotely. As with
any other aircraft, they encounter all the
same challenges of manned flights, such
as complex airspace, prohibited airspace,
restricted airspace, terrain, weather, etc. If
you have the ability to embed the navigation
procedures in the UAV, if for some reason you
would lose radio contact with the UAV, you
could program the UAV to return and fly a
precision approach to an airfield so you don’t
lose the unmanned vehicle. We can develop
a navigation solution for the UAV that would
allow it to negotiate complex airspace.
van Blyenburgh: Just one little thing
that we should say at the beginning.
Properly speaking, we should use the
term Unmanned Aircraft Systems,
or unmanned aircraft. UAS is now
the term that has been adopted by
ICAO and the majority of the aviation
regulatory community. We’re not
talking about vehicles, but aircraft.
And they’re operated as part of a
system. Consequently, everything in the
regulatory arena that applies to aircraft
applies to unmanned aircraft.
Persinos: I’m glad that you mentioned
this point at the beginning of the webinar.
The rules and regulations that apply to
aircraft MRO will apply to unmanned
aircraft. It seems to me that one challenge
today is how to integrate unmanned
aircraft into the regulatory scheme that
involves NTSB, FAA, EASA, etc.
Baur: Well, that’s certainly true for an
operator, especially if you’re operating in
congested airspace. If you had a vertical
UAS that you wanted to operate from a
heliport and have it transition through
complex airspace, assuming there’s more
than one UAS that’s out there in operation
and other aircraft, what’s probably very
important to air traffic control or other
operators is where your UAS is going
to be and when it’s going to be there.
So, providing this predictable, reliable,
repeatable path, not only have you kept
your UAS from harm’s way in terms of
having a control flight in a terrain or flying
over someplace that you didn’t want it
to go, you can also know exactly where
that UAS is going to be at any given time,
which allows for better separation and
more predictability.
Persinos: What are the ramifications on
the avionics testing field, the people who
maintain, test and repair the increasingly
sophisticated sensors that make up the
brains of unmanned aircraft?
Baur: You’ll have to maintain the same
standards that you would for any aircraft.
When you put navigation into these
procedures, via a navigation database,
the database has to be maintained by
somebody so you can verify the accuracy
of the procedure. Every 56 days you go
through cycle changes. And every 56 days
you want to make sure that the navigation
that’s being loaded in this aircraft has met
a certain standard. And that’s certainly
another opportunity in the industry
and there are people that provide that
service, to maintain what’s called the
Gold Standard.
Persinos: There seems to be a lot of
growth opportunities in that particular
niche, correct?
Baur: Absolutely. And what you’re seeing
is a fundamental shift from terrestrial-based
navigation that’s very cumbersome and
expensive to maintain. They require flight
checks. They’re subject to all kinds of
catastrophic failures due to weather events,
earthquakes, power outages. In some parts
of the world the parts are even stolen.
Persinos: So, the standards that need to
be applied to maintain reliability and safety
and standardization for component parts in
the MRO field, they will increasingly apply
to unmanned aircraft. Correct?
Baur: Absolutely. All the testing,
validating and precision that’s required
for any aircraft would apply in this realm.
That will be the case more and more as
each country, including the United States,
shifts aircraft navigation, especially
in regards to Next Gen, into these
sophisticated systems.
Persinos: As unmanned aircraft have
evolved, they’re getting extremely
innovative and more and more
capabilities are being added to them,
especially in battlefield conditions. But
they’re also being applied to civilian
uses, such as for putting out fires or
police surveillance. It’s a little bit of a
wild west. And all of these standards
for testing and repairing the avionics,
for maintaining the navigation and
communication systems, all of these
different conflicting standards will have
to be brought under one regimen. Will
we see more standardization, instead of
companies having their own standards
and procedures?
Baur: Yes, for sure. Arguably, I think
one of the best companies out there
today when you talk about voice and
data communications, is Avionica. When
you look at Avionica’s product line and
how that is incorporated into any aerial
vehicle, but certainly into a UAS, you
can update and communicate this type
of navigation data wirelessly. My fellow
speaker Raul Segredo can discuss that. It’s
a phenomenal technology, Raul, and the
way you maintain it is different.
Segredo: Chris Baur and I have worked
on various communications equipment
in support of precision navigation. We’re
proud to have our avionics products on
aircraft transiting across both oceans,
working off the Iridium satellites.
Persinos: The name of the game in avionics,
as in so many other fields, is increasing
miniaturization and losing the weight.
Segredo: Yes, particularly when you’re
talking about unmanned vehicles with
limited lift capability. Our miniQAR product
has been used by our customers, at this
point, for over a decade in support of
diagnosing and maintaining aircraft as
The standards that need to be applied to the MRO field will increasingly apply to unmanned aircraft.
the recorders capture the majority of the
parameters that are being generated on
the aircraft. When control surfaces are out
of rig, flaps, slats become inoperative; the
recorder has all the information necessary
for the maintainers to pinpoint where the
problem’s at. In that sense, the miniQAR
reflects the theme of our webinar today, in
terms of maintaining unmanned aircraft.
Perhaps of more interest for our
audience is, how do you get to that
miniaturization? Because unmanned
aircraft are constrained in their size, all
of their systems need to shrink while
still being either fully functional or even
more functional than in their manned
counterparts.
The heart of the miniQAR design is
what we call System-On-Chip, or SOC.
We’ve integrated all the functionality of
the device into one single chip. This type
of chip is commonly called a gate array or
field-programmable gate array, FPGA. One
of the novel things that Avionica has done
is incorporate not only all of the interfaces,
but also the processors so that they can
actually execute software.
In our tiny little box, which is smaller
than the fist of your hand, we actually
have two processors running in tandem
with all these aviation interfaces.
There’s two solid-state ST memory card
controllers that give the unit up to 64
gigabytes of storage and two Ethernet
interfaces that provide interconnect with
other onboard computers.
So, there’s a tremendous
amount of capability in a
tiny little box and it’s all
driven from the System-OnChip design.
This is one chip design
beyond allowing you to
scale a complex system
down to a very small
size. It also takes care
of increasing reliability.
The fewer the parts, the
less the heat, the longer
it lasts. It also addresses
a problem that I think
will become increasingly
problematic in aviation,
which is obsolescence.
As the functionality that’s
necessary out of-the box
is protected in a high
level descriptive language
49
a maximum mass of inferior to say seven
kilos, maybe even up to two kilos, that it
might be possible to not have the system
certified, per se, as we know it today, but
that they could possibly be authorized to
fly after having completed a safety analysis.
Persinos: In considering all these
Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4 Global Hawk (pictured) can fly at altitudes up to 65,000 feet for more than 31
hours. Its sensors, supplied by Raytheon, require sophisticated testing and maintenance.
that can be tested and spawned into
other architectures, the obsolescence
of any individual component decreases.
We as manufacturers can then envision
supplying a functional box for a long time
to our customers, without worry about
the obsolescence to our components.
For those designing unmanned
aircraft, implementing data recording
systems or establishing aircraft condition
monitoring, this plethora of interfaces
gives them the tools with which to get
their job done. And again, all this scales
down into a chip that’s about half-inch
on edge.
Persinos: Raul, what are the
consequences of this incredibly
miniaturized avionics on the people who
have to test this technology, who have
to maintain it, and who have to repair it,
especially in the field?
Segredo: Well, the recorder provides the
clues, if you will. It’s capturing the data
that provides the clues to the maintainers
as to what specific areas of the avionics
need maintenance. This webinar’s sponsor,
Aeroflex, then provides the tools that will
allow the aircraft, whether it’s manned or
not, to return to service.
The standard maintenance process is, you
figure out what’s broke first through a fault
diagnostic process, which is aided through
the data capture the miniQAR provides.
When you return to service, you confirm that
the function is back in service. So, if you’ve
got a radar that’s gone out, you would
replace the radar and use the Aeroflex tools
to confirm that it’s functioning again. That’s
the challenge, and Aeroflex is providing one
of the solutions for it.
50
Persinos: I’d like to pose a question from
one of our registrants. And I do urge our
registrants to submit emailed questions to
us, because you are all experts in your own
right and your participation enhances the
proceedings today.
I have a question here that’s very
interesting: “Will UAS flying in European
airspace need to comply with the
Eurocontrol Link 2000+ Data Link Mandate,
which begins January, 2011?”
van Blyenburgh: It’s not possible to
give a clear answer to this question. The
unclear answer is that UAS are not flying
in European airspace at the moment on a
routine basis, only on an exception basis.
So, once they get into the routine basis, we
still have to look at them in the categories
of below or above 150 kilograms. A small
UAS is defined as fixed-wing aircraft with a
maximum takeoff weight of less than 150
kilograms. And then for the small ones,
below 150 kilograms, it will be left up to
the national authority to do that. Above, it
will be up to EASA to certify that.
Persinos: Peter, you’re a worldrenowned expert in unmanned aircraft. So,
let me ask you, the distinction between
certified and non-certified unmanned
aircraft, how does that affect the people
on the ground who have to maintain these
systems and test them and make sure
they’re working properly?
van Blyenburgh: There is no doubt
in my mind that if UAS will be flying in
non-segregated airspace or below nonsegregated airspace, they will have to be
certified in one way or another. There might
be a possibility for really small UAS, with
different UAS categories, military and
civilian, which companies control the most
market share? Who are the major players
specifically in terms of OEMs? And to what
degree do they handle their own MRO
work for these aircraft, and to what degree
do they outsource it?
van Blyenburgh: At the moment, the
majority of these aircraft are being used
for military purposes, which means that
the end customer is military. In some
cases, these guys will dish out the work to
nonmilitary entities. But the majority of the
military take care of their own maintenance.
Persinos: And in the growing and
increasing and strategically important
field of sensors, where the real action is in
terms of technological innovation, which
companies dominate the sensor field? Is
it the likely suspects of Rockwell Collins,
Honeywell, and Raytheon?
Baur: Well, I it’s a mixed bag. You certainly
have the heavy hitters that you mentioned,
in the military sector. And I’d like to say
that, if you look back at a lot of conflicts in
history, each conflict has produced another
type of technology that, after that conflict
ended, went into civilian application.
Persinos: That’s a classic example of how
military technology, subsidized by taxpayers,
produces technological innovation that spins
off into the civilian sector.
Baur: If I were to pull out my magic crystal
ball, I would say that as current conflicts
in Iraq and Afghanistan draw to an end,
UAS technology that’s been incubated will
be used in many, many different fields.
There’ll be a lot of upstart companies that
will come along and produce specialized
Unmanned Aircraft Systems tailored to fit
different civilian applications.
Persinos: There’s a lot of talk and some
concern among pilots and top brass in
the U.S. Air Force that unmanned aircraft
will take the place of piloted aircraft,
that Pentagon strategists are overly
emphasizing UAS. The Pentagon budget is
increasingly devoted to UAS research and
development and deployment, and the
feeling is that the military is transitioning
to a pilot-less force, making conventional
fixed-wing piloted aircraft obsolete. Do
you see us entering that futuristic world
anytime soon, when almost all aircraft are
pilot-less?
themes. If you’re in the MRO, avionics
or UAS fields, you must remain mindful
of the fact that there’s a lot of work
to be done in terms of standardizing
regulations, and how those procedures
will be brought to bear, and that these
issues will continue to evolve in the
coming months and years. And people
on the ground, the engineers and the
mechanics, need to keep an eye on them
because they will profoundly affect what
they do every day.
van Blyenburgh: Not really. I very
clearly see a complement between the
two and there are missions that can be
much better performed by unmanned
aircraft. But there’s not only a technical
issue at stake here, there’s also a
mentality and moral issue at stake. I don’t
think the public is ready for autonomous
aircraft doing their own thing without
any human control. As I see it for the
foreseeable future, UAS will still have
pilots in the loop up to a truly effective
sense and avoid system, that is certified
as such by the competent authorities,
that will have an immediate impact, in the
good direction, on unmanned aviation.
It should dramatically increase safety in
the air. All of the safety requirements
relative to UAS, or to the maintenance
of the system, will be implemented in
various counties and the requirements
must be the same, whether for manned
or unmanned aircraft.
Persinos: That’s a really important
van Blyenburgh: That’s correct. Keep
in mind, the entire UAS community is
comprised of players that are not
traditional aviation companies. But now
they’ve been thrown into the aviation field.
These companies have to understand that
for many years the industrial standards
applicable to aviation have been defined
by industry through existing standards
organizations. This work is done on a
voluntary basis by industry. This is a long
process. It cannot be shortened. However,
if you do not participate in this process,
you will be submitted to the decisions
taken by others.
Persinos: That’s a great takeaway. It
appears that we’re witnessing the seeds
of a totally new service niche within the
MRO field.
To experience the entire 60-minute
webinar, register here: http://www.
aerospace-media.com/webinars AM
point that ties together all these various
oUR WeBinAR PARTiciPAnTs
John Persinos
Raul segredo,
Moderator
President, Avionica
[email protected]
[email protected]
chris Baur
President, Hughes Aerospace
Peter van
Blyenburgh
chris.baur@
President, Unmanned
hughesaerospace.com
Vehicle Systems
Association [email protected]
51
NBAA 2010:
BY John PERSinoS
REPoRtinG FRoM atLanta
upbeat
But
uncertain
This year’s NBAA was bigger and more positive than
the previous show, but an undercurrent of wariness
lurked beneath the optimism.
T
At this year’s NBAA, the DeKalb Peachtree Airport static display (pictured) was full to capacity,
with 93 aircraft.
52
he basis of optimism is sheer
terror. I was reminded of that
truism, while walking the floor
of the National Business Aviation
Association (NBAA) annual convention
in Atlanta in late October.
To be sure, compared to the previous
outing, this year’s crowd was bigger
— roughly 24,200 attendees, up more
than 5 percent from 2009 — and the
mood considerably happier.
The show’s slogan was plastered on
posters throughout the convention
center: “No Plane, No Gain.” The point
being, companies that use timesaving
and resource-efficient business aircraft
outperform and return more to
shareholders than companies that don’t
use business aircraft. A strong return
on investment (ROI) is an all-purpose
justification that anyone can grasp.
However, beneath the smiles and
mutual backslapping, one couldn’t
help but detect an undercurrent of
fear. The industry still isn’t completely
out of the woods, and the trauma of
the recent decline was still fresh on
attendees’ minds.
I chatted about this contradiction with
Michel Merluzeau, managing partner,
G2 Solutions, an aerospace consultancy
based in Kirkland, Washington. I caught
up with Michel in the convention
center’s pressroom.
“Business aviation has suffered a very
serious decline over the past four years,”
Merluzeau said. “The low-end business
aviation market has taken a massive hit.
For all of business aviation, I expect a
modest to marginal decline next year. A
double-digit recession is still likely to take
place. Growth will remain stagnant until
around 2012 and then we might witness
growth of about 10 percent a year.
We’ll eventually see steady, reasonable
growth, but it will be growth in which the
exuberance is gone.”
Merluzeau acknowledged that NBAA
this year was a marked improvement
from the previous show, but from his
perspective, attendees and exhibitors
were trying to generate an artificial
sense of optimism in a market that’s
still troubled.
Oscar Garcia, chairman and CEO,
InterFlight Global, an aerospace
consulting and advisory firm based in
Miami, offered his take on the show.
I spoke with Oscar, at a Lufthansa
Technik-sponsored cocktail reception in
the sleek W hotel in midtown Atlanta.
He took into account what the show
meant for business aviation MRO, which
has been knocked back on its heels
lately but now seems to be recovering.
“Quality and good business sense
is the name of the game at NBAA this
year,” he said. “Attendees here are
decision makers ready to talk serious
and responsible business. What I’ve
been seeing and discussing are real
orders, funded by real money and
solid business plans, with reasonable
investment horizons and returns.
That’s a clear transition from the
frantic pace and ‘smoke and mirrors’
announcements of the 2005-2008
cycle bubble.”
Garcia noted that the MRO sector
starts from a roughly 30 percent
depression from the last cycle top,
mostly due to the removal from
service, or permanent deferral of heavy
maintenance, of about 2,000 turbine
aircraft that are more than 15 years old.
He said these aircraft are becoming
more and more “disposable” once their
heavy maintenance checks come due.
“MROs are reacting accordingly and
shifting their ‘new normal’ business
models to high technical content
work in avionics, composite materials,
and newer generation airframes and
powerplants,” he said.
Garcia said that the MRO and OEM
buzz at NBAA was centered on “job
outsourcing” to Mexico and other Latin
American and even Near-Middle East
countries such as Turkey and India. He
said that Raytheon’s latest layoffs and
radical cost trimming point inevitably in
that direction.
As if to underscore Garcia’s point,
Bombardier announced the opening
of its Lear 85 major aircraft component
plant in Queretaro, Mexico, which gives
Mexican aerospace a future composite
technology and manufacturing edge.
On the other hand, “job in-sourcing”
is reflected by Embraer’s Melbourne,
Florida-based Phenom plant, due to
open in late 2011 and deliver aircraft
in 2012.
“Meanwhile, Gulfstream is still
leading the world’s business aviation
production, as an innovative and U.S.based vertically integrated company,
not surprising given its General
Dynamics DNA,” Garcia explained.
Garcia said that FBOs were back to
pre-2008 optimism, but kept in check
with a serious dose of realism, because
their overall activity is still about 20
percent below pre-2009 levels. He
predicted single-digit, moderate, but
consistent growth for FBOs during the
2011-2018 period.
“Most FBOs are looking at other than
Optimism Alloyed
With Caution
The consensus of most analysts at the show echoed the perspectives of
noted aerospace analysts Michel Merluzeau and Oscar Garcia. Honeywell
Aerospace’s forecast was no exception.
According to longstanding tradition, Honeywell Aerospace released its
widely followed Business Aviation Outlook on the eve of NBAA. The statistics
conveyed optimism, alloyed with caution.
Honeywell’s annual forecast is considered an important barometer of
business aviation and related MRO activity. The company’s painstaking
research is based on a survey of 1,200 corporate flight departments, aircraft
manufacturers and other sources.
According to the forecast, business aircraft deliveries in 2011 will fall below
700 units, marking the bottom of a three-year trough. Unit deliveries in 2009
dropped 25 percent from the peak year of 2008, and are expected to decline
another 16 percent this year to 675-700 unit deliveries.
Five-year buyer interest has softened from 2009, and new purchase plans
are slightly below levels observed during the 2007-2008 period of industry
expansion. International demand now accounts for up to 45 percent of new
aircraft purchase plans over the next five years, down from 50 percent in the
2009 survey.
Honeywell expects delivery of 11,000 new business jets from 2010 through
2020, generating industry sales of $225 billion. This represents a 10 percent
increase in total expected industry sales value, compared to the company’s
previous 10-year estimate.
Honeywell predicts that a new period of growth won’t begin until 2012,
and the industry will return to peak levels in 2017. That’s something to look
forward to, but it’s cold comfort, if your company needs business now.
53
fuel sources of revenue,” Garcia said.
“Certainly, MRO for new generation
aircraft is coming into play stronger
than before. New engine and airframe
support plans will rely heavily on
support networks and supply chain
facilitation partners. Keep in mind,
supply chain-logistics still represent
over 60 percent of MRO efficiencies. All
FBOs are exploring new and creative
warehousing and inventory support for
OEMs.”
“Growth will remain
stagnant until around
2012 and then we might
see growth of about 10
percent a year. We’ll
see steady, reasonable
growth, but it will be
growth in which the
exuberance is gone.”
--michel merluzeau, managing
partner, G2 solutions
luxury Amid lean times
If economic times were still tough,
you wouldn’t know it from the lush
interiors of the business aircraft on
display at NBAA, which bore a closer
resemblance to the living rooms of
mansions than to private jets.
Jumbo business jets vied with their
smaller brethren for attention. Major
MRO providers such as Lufthansa
Technik showcased elaborate designs
for “VIP” models of the Airbus A380,
a favorite mode of transportation for
billionaire investors and oil sheiks.
Interior layouts included dining rooms,
multiple bedrooms and large movie
screens. Retail price for a fully outfitted
A380: up to $400 million.
Outsized business jets sparked
fascination at NBAA, if not a frisson
of envy among attendees of modest
means. Lufthansa Technik is officially
authorized by Boeing, Airbus and
Bombardier for all maintenance,
refurbishment and completion activities.
At the show, Lufthansa Technik made it
clear that it’s poised to scoop up about
half of the completions necessary for
54
NBAA’s 63rd Annual Meeting and Convention, October 19-21, was home to 24,200 business aviation
professionals and 1,083 exhibitors at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
Boeing’s VVIP 747-8I customers.
Boeing now boasts an order book
of eight for its private, giant-sized VIP
aircraft. Boeing plans to deliver all eight
VVIP 747-8I aircraft within roughly 12
months, which makes Lufthansa Technik’s
exceptional capacity and fast turnaround
time of great importance to Boeing.
Lufthansa Technik also crowed about
a letter of intent that it inked at the show
with Panasonic Avionics, to establish
a joint venture for the development,
manufacture and sale of In-flight
Entertainment and Communications
(IFEC) and Cabin Management Systems
(CMS) for VIP aircraft.
The joint venture will encompass
both narrow and wide body VIP aircraft
and make available to passengers the
latest in in-flight entertainment options:
high definition media playback; digital
distribution; iPod and iPhone controls;
high speed connectivity; ipTV; media and
game libraries, and a whole host of hightech gadgetry for restless passengers
seeking diversion at 30,000 feet.
The partnership is significant,
because in-flight entertainment is a
huge growth opportunity in aviation.
The joining of these two powerhouses
will spawn technological innovations
still unforeseen.
splashy New products
As new aircraft and sales were
announced
with
great
fanfare
throughout the week of the show, it
was perhaps too easy to forget that
business aviation has been wallowing in
a nasty recession for two years.
Canada-based
aircraft
OEM
Bombardier showcased the Global
7000 and Global 8000, two high-end
jets with the eye-opening price of
$65 million each. The ultra long-range
planes are capable of flying non-stop
along strategically important routes,
such as Beijing to New York, making
them attractive to multinational C-level
executives and wealthy individuals.
Bombardier will deliver 51 of its $40
million Global Express jets this year,
roughly equivalent to last year’s levels
and an increase from its 46 deliveries in
2008. Gulfstream in 2009 delivered 88
of its G300 through G550 models, with
price tags ranging from $33 million to
$50 million, up from 79 in 2008.
Also on hand at NBAA was the
$50 million-a-piece Lineage 1000
jet, produced by Brazil-based OEM
Embraer. The company received a
big boost at the show, when NetJets
announced that it would order 50 firm
and 75 optioned Phenom 300 light
jets worth up to $1 billion. NetJets, a
subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire
Hathaway, offers fractional ownership
and rental of private business jets.
NetJets’ (and by extension, Buffet’s)
faith in Embraer can be interpreted as
a leading indicator that bodes well for
business aviation.
Gulfstream unveiled the elaborately
elegant interior of its top-of-the-line
model, the $65 million Gulfstream G650.
Gulfstream already holds about 100 firm
orders for the premium jet. The company
showcased five of the jets at the show’s
static display at DeKalb Peachtree airport,
making its G650 flagship available for
private viewings for serious customers —
no tire kickers, thank you.
Also at the DeKalb static display,
Dessault Falcon showed its Aviation
Partners winglet-enhanced 4,750-nm.
Falcon 900LX, which received FAA and
EASA certification in July 2010. The
900LX burns up to 40 percent less fuel
than other aircraft in its class.
For its part, Cessna showed off its
Citation Ten, a second-generation
Model 750 with greater capabilities
than its predecessor. Powered by RollsRoyce AE3007C2 engines, the Citation
Ten can fly higher, faster and for longer
distances than the current Citation X. It
also burns less fuel, a capability that’s
in line with the escalating pursuit of
“green” aviation.
With 3,242 nm. of range, the Citation
Ten can fly between most major cities
in North America and Europe with only
one re-fueling stop, making it a perfect
transportation choice for high-level
executives in today’s global economy.
Cessna officials at NBAA said that first
flight of the engineering prototype is
scheduled for December 2011.
Hawker Beechcraft unveiled at NBAA
the King Air 250, an enhanced version of
the King Air B200GT. Powered by Pratt
& Whitney Canada PT-6A-52 engines,
the King Air 250 is an improved King
Air with winglets, composite propellers
and ram air induction modifications.
The composite winglets are from BLR
Aerospace. The King Air’s certification
is scheduled for late 2010, with first
deliveries on track for the second
quarter of 2011.
Wanted: trained mechanics
A recurring theme at the show was
the continuing need to enhance
MRO training in all regions of the
globe. MROs reported a shortage of
adequately trained mechanics and a
pressing need to train the personnel
they already employ.
Accordingly, CAE and Honeywell
announced at NBAA that they are now
jointly offering maintenance courses for
MRO technicians in Europe, the Middle
East and Asia, taught through the
companies’ existing training alliance.
European-based courses include
maintenance training for TPE331 engines
in Copenhagen; CFE738 and TFE731 line
maintenance at Le Bourget, Paris; and
training seminars for the FMZ/NZ2000
and Epic FMS in Burgess Hill, UK.
Oscar Garcia asserted that the
trade balance is still quite positive
for the growth of U.S.-located MRO,
but the writing is on the wall that
highly technical work will form
the competitive edge for business
aviation MRO in the U.S. “This
value-added MRO work, requiring
considerable expertise, includes
composites, glass, wireless IFEs,
advanced powerplants, special
mission outfitting, custom systems
integration, and ‘total solution’
maintenance,” he said.
Cockpit
e l e c t ro n i c s
and
powerplant providers engaged in
joint dialogues on how to save fuel
with new powerplants, “green”
non-fossil fuels, and more efficient
navigation-guidance
systems.
Many attendees also expressed
optimism about massive NextGen
ATC federal budgets, which are
injecting sorely needed cash into
many of the exhibitor companies’
R&D budgets.
Completion houses that exhibited
at NBAA reported strong business,
boosted by value-added work of the
sort alluded to by Garcia. Notably,
Duncan Aviation emphasized its new
cost and time efficient corporate
interiors program, which combines
interior upgrades with scheduled
maintenance inspections, making
for a smoother and faster upgrade/
maintenance experience for business
aircraft operators.
“Quality and good
business sense is the
name of the game
at NBAA this year.
Attendees here are
decision makers ready
to talk serious and
responsible business.”
--Oscar Garcia, CeO, interFlight
Global Corporation
Duncan also announced a new chromefree paint process that it developed with
paint supplier Sherwin Williams. Slated
for implementation in January 2011, the
process is designed to limit workers’
exposure to toxic chromium.
Whether it was to announce
new processes, new products, new
partnerships, or new aircraft, the
gathering in Atlanta was optimistic — but
nervously so. Looking back at business
aviation’s performance in 2010, it can be
said that it was a year of extremes, of highs
and lows, of exuberant expectations and
dashed hopes.
At NBAA this year, the business
aviation community yearned for renewed
growth, but also for long-term stability. If
we’re lucky, we just might get both. AM
John Persinos is the magazine’s editor-inchief: [email protected];
301-385-7211.
Gulfstream’s new G250 super mid-size jet after landing in Savannah, Georgia, en route to NBAA in Atlanta.
The aircraft had just accomplished its first trans-Atlantic crossing. Pictured: Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream (center) greets Ronen Shapira, chief of flight test for
Israel Aerospace Industries. Mark Kohler, director, G250 program, Gulfstream, looks on.
55
No
Company
Company
is
is an
an Island
Island
By Douglas Nelms, reporting from Marco Island, Florida
At ADMA’s Fall Conference, distributors and manufacturers
used “speed dating” to discuss their needs and issues.
The overriding theme of the meeting seemed to be that
in solidarity, there is strength.
F
or four days in the bright
Florida sun, the Aviation
Distributors and Manufacturers
Association (ADMA) held its annual
Fall Conference, marking 67 years of
existence. And while it was held at
the luxurious Marco Island Marriott in
Florida to give attendees a chance to
truly enjoy life during the meetings,
nobody goes to an ADMA conference
just to party amid the palm trees.
First off, it isn’t merely an indulgent
“cruise and schmooze” event. Yes, the
ADMA does host a golf tournament
half way through the conference.
And yes, there is that cocktail “happy
hour” where everyone can socialize
and get reacquainted with all the folks
they met at last year’s get-together.
But make no mistake:
ADMA is hardcore business.
“ADMA’s purpose is to facilitate
the meeting of manufacturers and
distributors,” said Pat White, outgoing
56
ADMA president and president of
Rapco, a manufacturer of FAA-PMA
approved replacement aircraft parts.
“Historically, it has become clear that
private conferences are absolutely far
and away the number one important
thing for the members. There is
massive economies of scale, being
able to meet in one spot with 20
distributors or 20 manufacturers from
every corner of the globe.”
Held from October 31 to November
4, the conference was a relatively
intense affair. The meetings started
early in the day and ran until late
afternoon, with distributors able to sign
up to meet with the manufacturers, or
vice versa, during pre-planned, well
coordinated sessions.
Think of it as “industrial speed
dating”, with distributors and
manufacturers conducting 30-minute to
one-hour private sessions to pitch their
services and products, find new outlets,
discuss their segments of the industry,
and meet the influential people who
are important to their businesses.
The obvious goal is to increase
business, although unlike the big air
shows, it is not a place where orders
are placed or announcements made.
While the opportunity does exist
for manufacturers to sign up new
distributors, a major value is simply in
having a chance to get multiple views
of what is happening in the industry.
“The ADMA is a great place for
networking,” according to Mark
Pearson, general manager for
Lear Chemical Research Corp.,
manufacturer of ACF 50, an anticorrosion substance that acts like
WD-40 on steroids. Like a fog
creeping in on little cat’s feet,
the fine ACF 50 mist enters an
aircraft’s systems, covering the metal
surfaces to prevent the formation of
electrolytes that cause the corrosion.
“It’s a chance to sit down with
all the distributors and learn what
is happening in the industry, what
changes may need to be made,”
he said. “We can talk to several
companies to go over the past year’s
results and determine why sales are
up or down in specific areas. ADMA is
very focused. Everybody knows what
they are here for.”
Pearson said that they stopped
exhibiting at NBAA three years ago
“because we saw less of the people we
needed to talk to. We didn’t see the
people who made buying decisions.”
Thomas Jones, sales manager for
Teledyne Battery Products, echoed
Pearson by noting that meeting with
other ADMA members “gives us a
chance to find out what is being done
wrong in the industry and what we
can do better, to meet with top level
decision makers who can go back
and take action. The value of the
association is that it is people who can
get things done.”
Inclusive and Collegial
While not necessarily leading to
concrete results such as signing
contracts, the meetings are “a great
place for contacting the key people
in the industry,” Guido said. He also
noted that there is a need to get more
manufacturers into the ADMA.
White said that manufacturers are
attending, even though they may not
be looking for new distributors. “The
manufacturers are not so naïve or stupid
to think that other distributors don’t
touch their products,” he said. “Their
products are on other shelves, so they
would rather have other distributors
educated on those products despite the
fact that the distributors don’t purchase
them directly.”
The meeting also allows a look
into the future, according to Tara
Holder, marketing manager for
Michelin Aircraft Tire Co. “We can
discuss the achievements of last
year and discuss the needs for
the coming year: what needs to
be done, what the market will be
doing,” Holder said. “It allows us to
do strategic planning in order to be
proactive for the coming year.”
The organization is global in nature,
with 12 companies outside the United
States attending the conference.
And while Europe was the most
represented of the international set,
Latin America appears to be the hot
new market, according to several of
the attendees.
Donnie Handley, head of outside
sales for Airparts Company, a major
distributor of airframe and engine
parts, said that up to 75 percent of his
company’s business is international,
with 70 percent of that in Latin
America. The company is currently
building warehouse facilities in Lima,
Peru and Sal Paula, Brazil, and has a
warehouse running in Colombia.
Handley noted that the owners of
Airparts are from Argentina, and that
marketing is done through “word
of mouth.” Airparts also will take
manufacturers, “such as Cleveland and
Champion,” down to Latin America as
well as hold seminars in Latin America
to promote their company.
Marketing is primarily done directly
between the distributors and local
Latin American companies, although
there is interest in third-party marketing
through companies such as Discover
the World Marketing. These companies
have marketing offices set up in
virtually every country with entrenched
marketing teams to handle companies
ADMA is, in fact, what Fred Guido,
operations director for Southern Cross
Aviation, said is a “good old boys
club for the manufacturers/distributors
industry.” But in a good way. Instead
of being exclusive, it’s an inclusive and
collegial affair.
Southern Cross
is a distributor for
turboprop and light
jet general aviation
parts, “plus some
commuter parts.”
Its main business
is to put together
complete packages
of parts for MROs.
It is also a major
distributor for
Cleveland Wheel
and Brakes, a
division of Parker
Aerospace, that
requested Southern
Cross to join ADMA
“in order to do
business here,” he
said. “We didn’t
know what to
expect, but we’ve
Pat White, president of Rapco and out-going president of ADMA, uses the traditional conference
found it to be very
social hour to chat with three executives from Air Power, a new corporate member of ADMA. L to R:
beneficial.”
David Rogers, parts sales; Howard Van Bortel, president; White and George Van Bortel, vice president.
57
are not enough manufacturers that
have airline products,” he said.
Another major issue affecting the
ADMA membership is the economy.
Roughly 90 percent of the members
We’re looking for
ways to make people more
passionate about our industry
Frederick (Charlie) Elkins, senior managing director/marketing and supplier services
for Aviall, was sworn in as ADMA president during the conference and will serve a
two-year term, followed by two years as president emeritus on the ADMA board.
that don’t want the expense of setting
up their own facilities.
“We are in about 13 different
markets in Latin America,” said Bill
Vinck, Discover the World’s vice
president, Latin America. “Our value
is that we have well established offices
in all the key markets, and if you are in
the parts business you might not want
the expense of establishing your own
office. That would be a huge fixed
cost to you. Ultimately, it’s a question
of relationships and contacts.”
new People, new Ideas
As with any association, a major
function of a conference is to hold
membership and board meetings
to discuss issues affecting the
organization. At ADMA, the biggest
issue is the turnover of members and
the change in demographics of the
members, with the newer and younger
members changing the shape of the
future, White said.
Frederick (Charlie) Elkins, incoming
ADMA president and senior managing
director, marketing and supplier
services for Aviall, said that the
organization is growing, “but the long
term members who were very active
are now retiring or leaving the industry.
This has been happening for several
years. Also, new companies are coming
58
into the industry and the industry is
evolving. So how do we get the new
people with their new ideas involved?”
The best way is through getting them
on the board, he said. However, only
so many can be on the association’s
board. “So we’re asking others to
be on ad hoc committees, looking at
issues and bringing those issues back
to the board. We’re looking for ways to
make people more passionate about
our industry,” he said.
Elkins noted that the general
feeling a few years ago was that
the association had run its course.
However, he is finding now that a
lot of new companies are coming
in to revitalize the organization.
“We will need to adapt to those
new companies without losing the
association’s unique capabilities and
benefits to our members,” he said.
The ADMA membership currently
consists of 31 manufacturers and
29 distributors.
Mark Morrow, an ADMA past
president and distribution manager
for Eaton Aerospace, noted that most
of the distributors cater to general
aviation and corporate operators.
“The manufacturers still hold sway
over the distributors in that the
distributors have to have the products
the manufacturers make, and there
are small business owners and
operators. And these are people who
can’t be told what to do.
“They can be enticed, but they
can’t be pushed,” White said.
“Small businesses are sitting on
trillions of dollars because of the
level of uncertainty that they have
felt exists in our economic and
political climate. Business owners
need to have some certainty about
the future exposure to fixed costs.
As much as you don’t like to think of
taxes as fixed costs, they really are.
If you don’t know what is going to
happen with that, it makes it really
easy to just sit on the bench.”
Membership in ADMA is not a
given. Lea Anne Leavens, parts
manager for Leavens Aviation, Inc.,
an MRO and distributor of aircraft
parts and services, primarily for flight
schools, noted that distributors must
meet certain criteria, including being
financially sound, have agreements in
place and have a certain amount of
wholesale business. Manufacturers,
she said, “must be financially sound
with a solid list of distributors.”
Companies within both groups must
be sponsored to join.
“It’s when the economy is struggling
that companies can have the best
understanding of what their customers
and their peers are doing,” said
Pat White. “When the economy is
growing, all industry players need to
be educated on the new products that
are being developed or the product
improvements that are changing,
because when the economy is strong
and the aviation industry is healthy,
companies have resources to invest in
product improvements.” AM
Doug Nelms is a contributing editor:
[email protected]
PMA and
China, Inc.
An influential voice in the MRO sector discusses
the opportunities in China for Parts Manufacturer
Approval (PMA). His conclusion: China is more open
to business than you might think.
By Jason Dickstein
I
’ve heard two things about China.
The first is that it’s the fastest
growing geographic location for
aerospace business. The second is
that it’s impossible for foreigners to
do business in China.
I recently visited China and met
with several air carriers, to test these
competing theories. Upon arrival in
Beijing, the number of familiar brand
names advertised in the airport made
it clear that someone had figured out
how to do business in China.
I was invited to speak at a
conference introducing alternative
solutions and sources (“nonOEM”) to Chinese air carriers.
The conference speakers included
American, European, and Chinese
aviation experts discussing their
experiences with FAA-PMA parts and
FAA-DER repairs.
The Conference began with an
economic presentation that provided
statistical background on the aviation
industry. In 2009, the air transport
MRO market reflected $42.7 billion
worth of business. This was down from
the peak, in 2007, which was $2.3
billion higher ($45 billion). But the
exciting news was that they expect
fundamental MRO demand to reach
$58 billion by 2019. That is an average
annual growth rate of about 3.1
percent for the next ten years.
The same economic consulting
firm predicts that China’s MRO
demand will experience an average
annual growth rate of about 9.1
percent for the next ten years,
nearly three times the global
average increase.
The average OEM saw new parts
sales contract 10-20 percent in 2009
(globally, not just in China). The
Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA)
industry saw its sales contract by
about 8 percent during the same
period. No one likes to see sales
contract, but if they have to contract,
it sure is great to be able to minimize
the rate of contraction.
It appears that the proven safety
record of PMA parts, combined with
the cost savings, has made PMA
parts very attractive to air carriers. It’s
possible to recognize savings as high
as 50 percent off of OEM pricing for
competing parts. In many cases, PMA
parts have improved reliability over
their OEM corollaries.
This can be due to tighter
manufacturing tolerances, improved
manufacturing technologies, or new
designs featuring improvements
in coatings, materials or other
characteristics. With designs that
improve the reliability of aircraft
parts, the operators are reaping
additional benefits — e.g., improved
mean times between service.
So what do these numbers mean
in China? Can an MRO compete
successfully in China using PMA parts?
Are Chinese carriers willing to risk
the wrath of the OEM by using PMA
parts? The answer appears to be a
resounding “yes.”
I was prepared for an initial wave
of rejection, but the Chinese air
carriers and MROs with whom I
met crowed about their own PMA
success stories. They expressed
eagerness to learn more about
PMA. They also asked me to help
them develop a database of MROs
that would be “PMAfriendly” and that
Guest
could expedite their
Opinion
identification of
Column
more cost-saving and
reliability-increasing solutions.
I was joined on the speaking
program by a representative from the
Civil Aviation Administration of China
(CAAC). I was pleasantly surprised by
his support of the PMA paradigm.
CAAC is actively encouraging
Chinese operators to communicate
with domestic and overseas
companies to promote the use
of PMA parts and DER repairs.
CAAC is trying to establish trust
and cooperation between the air
carrier community and the PMA
industry, and that smooth growth
of the PMA industry — and the
competition it represents — is in
everybody’s best interest.
What did I take away from my
recent trip to China? China is a
rapidly growing market for MRO, and
China is encouraging MRO facilities
to make their bids more attractive by
using PMA parts. AM
Jason Dickstein is president of the
Modification and Replacement
Parts Association (MARPA). As a
lawyer in the Washington, D.C. area,
Jason has counseled aircraft parts
distributors, aeronautical repair
stations, air carriers, and aircraft parts
manufacturers. You can reach him at:
[email protected]
59
ROLLS-ROYCE SUFFERS
Over Trent 900
When a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 powerplant blew apart on a Qantas Airbus
A380, the mishap created more than engine debris. Serious consequences for
Rolls-Royce, Qantas and Airbus continue to spread across the globe.
By Ramon Lopez
F
allout from the uncontained failure
of a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine
on November 4 will not just include
the turbine parts that blew off the Qantas
Airbus A380 superjumbo and rained down
on the Indonesian island of Batam.
The investigation into the serious A380
incident quickly pinpointed a basic design
fault with the advanced Rolls-Royce
turbofan. In December, the Australian
Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) confirmed
the problem as fatigue cracking within
a stub pipe that feeds oil into a High
Pressure (HP) / Intermediate Pressure (IP)
bearing structure.
The ATSB said “leakage of oil into the
HP/IP bearing structure buffer space (and
a subsequent oil fire within that area)
was central to the engine failure and IP
turbine disc liberation event.”
60
In simple layman’s terms, the Number 2
engine turbine on the Qantas superjumbo
exploded because of an oil leak.
According to the ATSB: “Misaligned stub
pipe counter-boring is understood to be
related to the manufacturing process. This
condition could lead to an elevated risk
of fatigue crack initiation and growth, oil
leakage and potential catastrophic engine
failure from a resulting oil fire.”
The ATSB found that the Number
2 engine had ejected a number of
components that struck the aircraft.
Sections of the intermediate pressure (IP)
turbine disc penetrated the leading edge
of the left wing inboard of the Number
2 engine, resulting in damage to the
leading-edge structure, the front wing
spar and the upper surface of the wing. A
small section of turbine disc penetrated
the left wing-to-fuselage fairing, resulting
in damage to several system components,
the fuselage structure and electrical
wiring. The damage to the wiring affected
the operation of the hydraulic system,
landing gear and flight controls.
Rolls-Royce will be required to take
action to ensure the continued safe
operation of A380 aircraft. The action will
involve the close inspection of affected
engines and the removal from service of
any engine which displays the suspected
problem.
Rolls-Royce is implementing a
modification program across the
worldwide A380 superjumbo jetliner
fleet each powered by four Trent 900
turbofans. There are currently 21 Trent
900-powered A380s in service worldwide,
operated by Qantas (six), Lufthansa (four)
and Singapore Airlines (11).
Fully to Blame?
The CEO of Qantas Airways, Alan Joyce,
said Rolls-Royce was fully to blame for
the catastrophic failure of the Trent 900
engine on one of his A380s. Joyce said
it was “absolutely clear” that nothing
Qantas did caused the engine to fail and
he defended his airline’s handling of the
incident. “When we found out we had a
problem with an engine that had a design
issue, we grounded the fleet until we knew
how we could fix the issue,” said Joyce,
adding that Qantas has “a strong positive
safety culture.”
While it is too early to estimate the
overall cost of the service disruptions to
Qantas, Lufthansa, Singapore and future
Trent 900-powered A380 customers, RollsRoyce is preparing for the worst. Qantas
laid the groundwork for legal action against
the UK engine maker, filing a statement of
claim in December in an Australian federal
court, in case a commercial settlement
doesn’t result between the two parties.
The pre-emptive legal strike allows
Qantas “to keep all options available to
the company to recover losses, as a result
of the grounding of the A380 fleet and the
operational constraints currently imposed
on A380 services,” the carrier said.
Analysts believe that compensation owed
Qantas could exceed $100 million.
Rolls-Royce declined to comment on the
legal maneuver of Qantas, although it is
understood that the company is ready to
complete a face saving settlement.
However a senior Rolls-Royce official
said the firm would inspect and fix all of its
engines used on Airbus A380 superjumbo
jets by the end of 2011. “In about a year’s
time, all of the necessary components will
be in place and this will all be behind us,”
Chief Financial Officer Andrew Shilston
told investors at a Credit Suisse Aerospace
According to the ATSB, the Trent 900 exploded because of an oil leak.
& Defense Conference in New York.
Rolls-Royce’s initial findings in November
corresponded with the December
pronouncements of the ATSB. The engine
maker concluded that the problem was
confined to a particular component in the
turbine area, which caused an oil fire that led
to the release of the intermediate-pressure
turbine disc. The disc, located at the back
of an engine, holds the turbine blades and
rotates at high speed. The engine maker
noted that this incident was the first of its kind
on one of its large civil engines since 1994. AM
Ramon Lopez is a contributing editor to
Aviation Maintenance magazine. Before
joining our editorial team, he served as
editor-in-chief of the newsletter, Air Safety
Week. You can reach him at:
[email protected]
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61
EDITOR’S NOTE:
POINT/COUNTERPOINT
The rapid proliferation of Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) aviation parts is the catalyst for this issue’s Point/Counterpoint. Make no
mistake: both authors embrace the use of PMA parts. However, former U.S. NTSB Board Member John Goglia raises several important
caveats that are often given short shrift in the PMA debate. - John Persinos
Welcome to the
Profitable New World of PMA
BY DANIEL DOLL
T
he arrival of PMA parts in large numbers in
competition with OEM replacement parts is a
relatively new phenomenon in our industry. Although
PMA was established by the FAA in 1955 to enable pilots
to repair obsolete WWII military aircraft, it didn’t take off
commercially until the 1990s.
PMA is a new way of doing business. Instead of acting as
a passive customer and accepting replacement parts as a
fixed (in the upward direction) cost of business, airlines can
now proactively shop for the best value proposition.
Airlines by their very nature combine huge fixed costs
with fickle demand. This makes them extremely vulnerable
to any kind of disturbance. I have been in this industry
for 40 years and have seen a multitude of economic
downturns, wars, acts of terrorism, diseases, aircraft
crashes, and strikes suddenly shrink demand for air travel.
Meanwhile, the costs of jet fuel and aircraft maintenance
go up, up, and up. Survival demands that cost control must
be a major ongoing effort for every airline in good times as
well as bad.
PMA parts can save a
customer up to $130,000 on a
single engine overhaul
I have spent a fair portion of my life working in engine
maintenance, and I have seen many airlines try to save
money by short building engines. They remain legal and
safe, but they do not build in longevity. I call this strategy,
“saving yourself into bankruptcy” because an airline that
short builds its engines ends up churning shop visits,
operations are adversely affected, and maintenance costs
race out of control.
A far better way to control maintenance cost is to
reduce the cost of maintenance materials. According to
AeroStrategy, one of the leading consulting organizations in
the aerospace industry, airlines spent more than $17 billion
on spare parts in 2009. Savings on spare parts can definitely
help an airline’s bottom line. Over the past few years a major
tool has become available to maintenance organizations to
help reduce these material costs: PMA parts.
62
PMA parts are new parts, fully approved by the FAA and
just about every other airworthiness authority in the world.
They are now available from PMA suppliers at savings
ranging from 25-45 percent of what you are currently
paying the aircraft or engine manufacturers.
One leading PMA supplier estimates that they can save
a customer up to $130,000 on a single engine overhaul,
and there are many PMA suppliers. A single airline in the
U.S. has documented $40 million in material cost savings
per year due to an aggressive PMA approval program that
covers airframes, engines, and components.
The savings from PMA may go far beyond the PMA
discount itself. Historically, the OEMs have held a strong
monopoly on the sale of replacement parts. This has
allowed them to push through spare part price increases
on the order of 5 percent per year. This means that your
parts costs double every 14 years. Competition from PMA
has had a tendency to moderate this rate of growth. The
OEM now has to consider the competition when he raises
prices. PMA provides airlines with a useful tool, along with
surplus parts, extensive part repairs, and joint procurement
to counter the OEM pricing power and reduce the rate of
price escalation.
One of the major barriers to the use of PMA is airlines’
lack of knowledge on the benefits, safety and performance
of PMA. That’s why it’s crucial for all parties concerned
to learn the issues involved with PMA usage, as well as
industry best practices for incorporating PMA. As an
industry, our goal should be to get everyone making
informed decisions of mutual benefit. Down with fear,
uncertainty, and doubt. Up with performance, reliability,
and profits! AM
David Doll is an aviation consultant who has held key
technical manager positions at United Airlines, including
process engineering, fleet technical services, manufacturing
engineering and component re-manufacturing. He holds a
B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Trinity College
and an M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the
University of Santa Clara. He is the author of The Airline
Guide to PMA.
You can reach him at: [email protected]
What’s It All About?
BY JOHN GOGLIA
A
nyone who knows me knows I have strong
opinions and nothing makes me happier than
a forum to express them. I am grateful to John
Persinos, editor-in-chief of Aviation Maintenance
magazine, for providing me this column to talk about
the hot issues regarding PMA parts and how they affect
aviation maintenance.
Over my four decades in aviation — as an airline
mechanic, union safety official, NTSB Board Member and,
now as a safety and compliance consultant — replacement
parts have been an ongoing issue for maintenance
providers. After all, these individuals and organizations are
the ones responsible for ensuring the airworthiness of the
repairs made. And that means having confidence in the
parts they are installing.
Install a bad part and the potential moral and legal
liabilities are enormous. But pay too much for a part and
your competitive advantage may be destroyed. OEM
parts are a known quantity but they come at a price,
typically higher than PMA-produced parts. These are the
anxieties many people in the industry have about using
PMA parts.
Production of PMA parts is already in the hundreds
of millions of dollars and expected to grow. Since 1997,
growth in the use of these parts has climbed steadily. The
airlines have been big beneficiaries, estimated to have
saved millions of dollars on repairs and overhauls through
use of these parts.
Even as PMA parts have rapidly gained acceptance
across the aviation industry, concerns still remain. Are the
parts safe enough to be used in aircraft I’m responsible for
repairing or overhauling? Can I afford not to use PMA parts
since they tend to be cheaper than OEM parts? Even small
cost-savings can add up and spell the difference between
economic survival and bankruptcy.
What about leased aircraft? So many lessors demand OEM
parts when an aircraft is returned. Do maintenance providers
have any leverage or are they totally dependent on the
airlines to drive change in the use of PMA parts? I have
some thoughts on this that I will share in future columns.
And what about the safety of these parts? I have no
doubt that PMA parts can be just as safe as OEM parts.
However, I have concerns that I will discuss in the ensuing
months. Chief among them: How do we reassure ourselves
that PMA parts are in fact produced in accordance with a
quality system at least equal to the OEMs? With so much
lingering fear of unapproved parts, PMA part producers
face a skeptical audience.
PMA part producers
face a skeptical audience
What’s more, the FAA and the industry have not done as
good a job as necessary to spell out the requirements that
need to be met prior to obtaining a PMA and the oversight
that’s done to establish continuing compliance. This could
go a long way towards establishing the general acceptance
of PMA parts. Stay tuned for more on this.
Any maintenance providers who enjoy the cost-benefits
of PMA parts, and want to continue to use them instead of
OEM parts, also have responsibilities. Recordkeeping needs
to be meticulous. Yes, I know how hard that can be. But if
we are not willing to be extra-diligent in tagging parts and
providing all required documentation regarding these parts,
we won’t be successful in overcoming the reluctance that
exists in many aircraft lessors’ minds about the quality and
reliability of PMA parts.
Sometimes the hardest thing to overcome is
perception. Even if the facts show otherwise,
perceptions often rule the day. Until these parts are
perceived to be as safe as those from an OEM, people
will hesitate to use them and lessors will continue to
disallow them in their aircraft. AM
John Goglia is an independent air safety consultant.
Previously, he served as a member of the U.S. National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). With more than 30
years experience in the aviation industry, he was the first
NTSB Board Member to hold an FAA aircraft mechanic’s
certificate. As an NTSB Board Member, Goglia participated
in numerous air accident investigations. Prior to becoming
a Board Member, Goglia held numerous positions in the
airline industry.
You can reach him at: [email protected]
63
How “Lean” Manufacturing
Benefits MRO
By J.P. Lambiase
M
anufacturing waste breeds risk,
and risk is unsustainable for any
business. For sensitive industries
such as aviation, however, that risk is even
less acceptable. The defects, overproduction
and outmoded nature intrinsic in
conventional manufacturing come from a
reliance on a large number of people and
processes to complete singular tasks.
Manufacturers working under such
conditions face more
Guest
expenses, greater
overhead and numerous
Opinion
Column
non-value-added
processes that impede
progress. In the aviation market, these
problems also spur safety concerns that can
be solved through leaner engineering and
production practices.
It’s easy to overlook the “fat” in traditional
manufacturing environments. These telltale
signs, however, should indicate to any
manufacturer that it’s time to slim down:
unnecessary shipments
unused equipment and tools
time-consuming assemblies
product inconsistencies or defects
Lean manufacturing solves these problems
and also enhances fit, function, safety, and
quality in the manufacturing process — which
in turn enhances those qualities in the MRO
sector. Engineered electronic lean molded
assemblies, tailored for aviation applications,
provide a path for continuous improvement.
Guaranteed fit
Fit describes the physical geometry in
which the component can be identified
and used in the space required. Molded
assemblies have repeatable consistency to
their geometry, holding tolerances up to
±.005. They can encompass several terminal
outputs, inputs, mounting capabilities and
legible marking techniques that pass several
ASTM requirements. The fit of these units is
extremely reliable and is based on the highprecision molds created in the design process.
These units improve the fit guarantee.
64
IMPROVED FUNCTION
The function of the unit describes its
performance capabilities. Due to the
earlier stages of design, these multiplecomponent molded assemblies have
electrically engineered wire routing to
specific components pre-tested to fall
within the specifications required to
function. This eliminates the need for a
second operation on the customer side
and prevents incorrect installation. These
units provide the same function every time
and are delivered as one package rather
than in difficult-to-assemble pieces.
Increased safety
These lean aviation components also provide
an element of safety in their design. Molded
assemblies offer a variety of compounds
used to encapsulate the assembly based
on temperature and environmental
requirements. The compounds serve multiple
purposes, adding dielectric strength and heat
dissipation, as well. One solid block molded
from the various compounds offered provides
physical protection to the unit from handling
and environmental corrosion protection.
Benefits of “Block” Components
Condensing multiple assembly components
into one larger component can save
a company time and money from the
beginning of the design process to the end
product. The bus bar is an example of a lean
component used for countless applications.
Its benefits rely on its quality, reproducibility,
consistency and a relatively simple design,
reducing the risk of human error, lowering
inductance and increasing electrical
efficiencies. Bus bars convert a complex
mess of cables into a single robust assembly.
Nearly any power distribution requirement
can be satisfied with the use of a bus bar.
Bus bars and integrated electronic
assemblies are both considered “block”
products. Block design in bus bars
condenses multiple components into one
solid object. This simplification prevents
missing components, eliminates guesswork
and speeds up the design-verification
process. Following the design phase, the
block approach benefits nearly every other
aspect of production by cutting costs and
saving time. Nearly any department that
touches manufacturing benefits from the
move toward leaner production.
In procurement, for example, lean
manufacturing relying on block components
means manufacturers arrange vendors for
one individual assembly rather than for a long
list. Orders can be placed for single items,
leading to simplified communication and the
elimination of multiple-part files. Similarly,
the work is reduced in receiving, where
manufacturers find that lean processes require
customer source inspection of only a single
unit, eliminating the need to visit multiple
vendors to inspect individual components.
The elimination of multiple vendors
to create a single block component also
reduces demands on accounts payable and
leads to tighter inventory control. Clearly,
if a block design were broken down into
its individual components and assembled
in-house, an additional number of individual
components would have to be inventoried
to compensate for expected manufacturing
loss. Because it’s a one-block design, this
eliminates the need to stock more internal
components than might be used.
Manufacturers eager to cut the fat
adopt block design and see the results
in improved safety, time-to-market, cost
savings, resource allocation and increased
innovation. By replacing cables and multiple,
unassembled components, manufacturers
gain a competitive advantage in every
aspect of the industry. In a market such
as aviation, in which safety and quality are
paramount, block design and alternative
component choices such as bus bars enable
manufacturers to dramatically reduce risk. AM
J.P. Lambiase is a design engineer for
Custom Electronics, Inc. (CEI), an Oneonta,
New York-based manufacturer of electronic
products for military, commercial/industrial,
renewable energy, aerospace and oil
exploration markets. You can reach him at:
[email protected].
Sales Director
(International)
Jina Lawrence
+44 (0) 20 8669 0838
[email protected]
MARKETPLACE
Classified
Sales Director
(USA)
Daniel Brindley
+ 1 414 967 4997
[email protected]
Is old “Benny” still doing
on-the-job training for your
MANUFACTURING
and
Interested in
advertising?
Contact US
REPAIR TECHNICIANS?
Perhaps it’s time to contact Abaris
Training for practical & professional
hands-on composite training.
ABARIS
We pay Top Dollar for all
scrap aircraft parts Stators, Blades, Nozzles,
Gears etc…
Call 713 471 3554
www.worldwidesources.org
TRAINING
775-827-6568 ◊ www.abaris.com
regarding the new aircraft, including engine selection, but did say deliveries are scheduled to beg
Pratt Closes Connecticut Maintenance Facilities
®
Suffering from the airline industry’s economic downturn, Pratt & Whitney announced in late Septe
to close its engine-overhaul
plant
inSince
Cheshire,
Conn., in
2011 and shift its
Connecticut Airfoil
Serving
Aviation
1988


Ultrasonic
Penetrant


(CARO) from East Hartford, Conn., beginning in mid 2010.
Eddy Current
Visual


Radiography
Auditing
The work at the Cheshire facility—overhauling PW2000,
PW4000
and
F117
engines—will
be tran


Level III Service
Procedures
Yourinpremier
employment
offering
Whitney facilities
Columbus,
Ga.,resource
and to
Eagle Services Asia, aMagnetic
joint venture
with
SIA
Engineer
Particle
1,000’s
industryTurbine
employers Technologies, a jointwww.ndtecinc.com
The CARO work will
go oftokeyJapan
venture between
Pratt & Whitney a
for the
1,000’s of fresh, qualified applicants
best
dealsmillion
on used equipment
Pratt & Whitney claims
that
the
work
transfer
will
save
close
to
$54
annually.
Powerful resources at an affordable price
Ph: (305) 246-4442
Aviation Employment
The move drew aExcellence
harshinresponse
from the International Association
Machinists and Aerospac
Fx: (305)of
246-4644
do the
legwork,
you in
getHartford
results to block the closings.
has filed action atWe
U.S.
District
Court
The work transfer will elimi
Email: [email protected]
Contact us today!
Connecticut. Some 3,700
Pratt & Whitney workers belong to14359
the Miramar
union.Parkway,
Pratt’sMiramar,
final decision follow
www.avjobs.com 303•683•2322
Florida 33027
days of negotiation between Pratt and union officials in late July.
Search issues quickly and easily
Read the magazine while on the go
Ease of forwarding and printing
articles
Absolutely free
Links directly to resources and
advertisers
Designed specifi
A
cannot be found
boards will be e
Employers will c
Y
managers
Post anonymou
A
the opportunity
confidentiall
W
organized.
Save sea
65
MARKETPLACE
Tool CRib
PPG Quick-Application Windshield Coating Kit Available for General Aviation
Operators of general aviation aircraft can now temporarily restore windshield rain repellency in the field with the easy-touse hydrophobic coating kit by PPG Industries’ aerospace transparencies group.
The Surface Seal Quick Application Hydrophobic Coating kit by PPG Aerospace can be used by general aviation
aircraft operators who are not in a maintenance service location and do not have immediate access to Surface Seal
coating application by a trained service professional. They can treat one glass windshield in a few minutes to restore or
maintain water shedding for improved visibility without the need for wipers.
“We developed the fast coating process to meet the quick turnaround time needs of airlines, and are making it
available for general aviation,” said Arthur Scott, PPG Aerospace global director for general aviation transparencies.
“More airframe manufacturers are specifying cockpit windows with Surface Seal coating by PPG. We want to support
general aviation operators flying aircraft with windows having this proprietary coating by providing a convenient solution
when they don’t have the opportunity for a standard application.”
The Surface Seal coating quick-application kit contains ampoules of the proprietary hydrophobic coating liquid, paper
drying towels, applicator pads and gloves.
Coating application is simple, Scott said. “The glass is cleaned, the coating is wiped on, and you are ready to fly.”
Surface Seal coating application with the quick kit affords the same rain-shedding benefits on glass as with factory or
standard coating application, Scott said, but it requires reapplication sooner. Operators are advised to continue to use
the original hydrophobic coating when possible and to order replacement transparencies with factory-applied Surface
Seal coating for longer service life.
“Extreme Simple Green” Precision Equipment
Cleaner Now Available
Davis Instruments Releases New
V76 Sourcebook
Simple Green has unveiled its “next generation” precision
parts and materials cleaning product, the Extreme Simple
Green Precision Equipment Cleaner, which offers noncorrosive cleaning performance, ready biodegradability,
low toxicity and easy disposal all in one product.
Extreme Simple Green Precision Equipment Cleaner’s
advanced, non-corrosive formula removes brake dust,
graphite, petroleum greases, coolants, transmission
and radiator fluids, greasy soils, stubborn black
streaks, tar and asphalt, metal working fluids, mud
and clay, plant and animal oils, tree sap, bugs, bird
droppings, and more.
Extreme Simple Green gets its superior cleaning ability
from a unique trio of ingredients. Two high performance
surfactants and a new generation grease cutter/lifter
combine to pull soil away from surfaces quickly and then
keep it suspended so that it can be cleanly rinsed away.
Extreme Simple Green’s speed of grease cutting and
its high capacity to hold grease, oil and soils in solution
during cleaning and rinsing are the keys to its excellent
cleaning ability.
Reach for the Davis Instruments’ new
V76 Sourcebook for a comprehensive
selection of test, measurement, control,
and calibration equipment, including
the latest technologies. Find industryleading products from Fluke, Extech,
Tektronix, GE Sensing, and other top
brands, in a variety of configurations.
Davis Instruments is one of the world’s leading sources
of test, measurement, control, and calibration instruments
in such sectors as power and utilities, petrochemicals,
and aerospace. Call 800-358-5525 or go to www.davis.
com/8109 for more information.
PPG Surface Seal Available for the King Air
PPG now supplies King Air windshields to Hawker
Beechcraft Corp. for installation into new aircraft and
spares and rebuilds them for aftermarket sales to
operators. Pictured: PPG Aerospace finisher Jerri Hopkins
applies Surface Seal rain-repellent coating to the glass
outboard panel of a Beechcraft King Air windshield at
PPG’s Huntsville, Ala., plant. The hydrophobic coating
enables windshields to shed water during wet conditions
to afford visibility for pilots without the need for
windshield wipers.
66
Power
Power is something that Chromalloy puts
back in the hands of our customers. As
the world’s leading independent provider
of regulatory approved, gas-path coatings,
repairs and replacement parts, we are a
trusted alternative for our customers and
healthy competition for the OEMs. It’s the
power of choice—the power to reduce your
costs and extend the life of your gas turbine
engines—and it’s only from Chromalloy.
Learn more at
chromalloy.com/icon
Power = Choice
Coatings / Repairs / Parts
UP THE ANTE ON YOUR AVANTI
GET AVANTI II PERFORMANCE FROM YOUR AVANTI I
FOR HALF THE UPGRADE PRICE
Bring your PT6A-66 engines home for overhaul and opt
for an upgrade to PT6A-66B configuration standard.
Pick up savings starting from $90,000 to $170,000 USD
per engine, plus an additional 120 SHP. Climb to FL390
up to 14 minutes quicker, and cruise up to 18 KTAS faster.
For a limited time only. This program allows the purchase of the parts required as per SB 14409 at the P&WC list price less a discount of
50%, as well as substantial discounts for rework or exchange parts as required by the SB’s referenced in SB 14409 (ref. para. 1.B). These
discounts represent a savings of $90,000.00 to $170,000.00 per engine, depending on the current engine configuration. P&WC reserves
the right to modify or terminate this program at any point in time, at its sole discretion. Please refer to Service Information Letter PT6A-164.
UP THE PERFORMANCE, THE ECONOMY AND THE VALUE OF YOUR AVANTI I AIRCRAFT.
CONTACT YOUR P&WC OR DESIGNATED OVERHAUL FACILITY OR VISIT:
WWW.PWC.CA/REPAIR-OVERHAUL

Intel - Aviation Maintenance Magazine

Transcription

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