Aircraft Technology Engineering & Maintenance

The leading international magazine for the manufacturing and MRO sectors of commercial aviation

ENGINE TECHNOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL TRADE-OFF n AN INSIDE JOB: REFURBISHING THE AIRCRAFT CABIN n CREATING A VIRTUAL MAINTENANCE ENVIRONMENT n DOCKING SYSTEMS & OTHER ACCESS SOLUTIONS n AIRFRAME MAINTENANCE DIRECTORY PART 1 February - March 2011 Issue: 110

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C O N T E N T S February - March 2011 • Issue: 110 NEWS UPDATE 4 A round-up of the latest news, contracts, products and people movements.

EDITOR Jason Holland: Jason.Holland@ubmaviation.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Joanne Perry: Joanne.Perry@ubmaviation.com EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Tony Arrowsmith, Bernie Fitzsimons, Chris Kjelgaard PRODUCTION MANAGER Phil Hine: Phil.Hine@ubmaviation.com E-EDITOR & CIRCULATION MANAGER Paul Canessa: Paul.Canessa@ubmaviation.com MEDIA MANAGER - EUROPE, ASIA & AFRICA Alan Samuel: Alan.Samuel@ubmaviation.com

INDUSTRY FOCUS 14 Evolution not revolution: TIMCO profile In 2010, TIMCO celebrated 20 years of supplying MRO services to airlines. Now, the company tells Joanne Perry of its plans for 2011 and beyond.

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION 22 Engine technology and the environmental trade-off Pressure is being exerted from airlines, governments and environmentalists for the biggest manufacturers to produce the next-generation of engines. But can one be created to fulfil all of the strict fuel burn, emissions and noise targets set — or will a trade-off have to be made? Jason Holland reports.

PUBLISHER & SALES DIRECTOR - USA Simon Barker: Simon.Barker@ubmaviation.com GROUP PUBLISHER Anthony Smith: Anthony.Smith@ubmaviation.com Aircraft Technology Engineering & Maintenance (ATE&M) (ISSN: 0967-439X - USPS 022-901) is published bi- monthly, in February, April, June, August, October and December with an extra issue in July, plus annual issues of the yearbooks published in September, October, and November by UBM Aviation Publications Ltd. and distributed in the USA by SPP c/o 95, Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Aircraft Technology Engineering & Maintenance c/o SPP P.O. Box 437 Emigsville, PA 17318-0437, USA. All subscription records are maintained at UBM Aviation Publications Ltd. First Floor, Ludgate House, 245 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 9UY, UK. ATE&M UK annual subscription cost is £150.

ATE&M Overseas annual subscription cost is £170 or $300 (USA) ATE&M Single copy cost is £25 (UK) or $50 (USA) All subscriptions enquiries to: Paul Canessa: paul.canessa@ubmaviation.com Tel: +44 (0) 207 579 4873 Fax: +44 (0) 207 579 4848 Website: www.ubmaviationnews.com ATE&M is published by UBM Aviation Publications Ltd. Printed in England by benhamgoodheadprint Ltd. Mailing house: Flostream UK Aircraft Technology Engineering & Maintenance (ATE&M), part of UBM Aviation Publications Ltd, has used its best efforts in collecting and preparing material for inclusion in ATE&M but cannot and does not warrant that the information contained in this product is complete or accurate and does not assume and hereby disclaims, liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in ATE&M whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.

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ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE 30 Airframe heavy maintenance directory — Part 1 The capabilities and facilities of MRO companies in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

38 Inside job: Refurbishing the aircraft cabin The market for commercial aircraft-cabin refurbishment, reconfiguration and upkeep is big and growing, as is the separate but related market for VIP aircraft completion and refurbishment. Chris Kjelgaard found that while competition is keen, competitors for one deal may well be collaborators on another.

44 Optimising access Docks, stands, steps cranes, platforms: the range of access equipment to support aircraft maintenance can help make everything from routine inspections to specialised repairs and modifications safer and more efficient, says Bernard Fitzsimons.

50 Maintenance training — always on the move In order to understand the mechanics and evergreen dynamics of the modern maintenance training industry, Tony Arrowsmith spoke to two European giants: Lufthansa Technical Training and SR Technics.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 56 Enterprise software systems A well designed and supported enterprise software system can be an intregal part of an aerospace manufacturer’s success. Epicor Software issued a white paper on how to get the best out of such a system.

DATA & DIRECTIVES 60 Industry data: Embraer E170/E190 63 FAA AD biweekly summary listings

Please visit UBM Aviation at the MRO Show in Miami (booths 2638/2639) and at the AP&M EXPO in London (A24)

Front cover image courtesy of TIMCO

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 beneďŹ t from our comprehensive Start-up-Support, including maintenance and component support.

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NEWS UPDATE

INBRIEF

NEWSHIGHLIGHTS

BAE Systems has scrapped plans to sell Platform Solutions, which manufactures flight controls for Boeing and Airbus and has been part of BAE since 1999.

Esterline CMC Electronics (CMC) and Star Navigation Systems Group have signed a memorandum of agreement to establish an integrated, turn-key aircraft data monitoring and reporting system for OEMs. ST Aerospace (Guangzhou) Aviation Services has been granted permission to establish its aircraft repair facility in Guangzhou, China.

Executive Flight (EF) has opened its Seattle part 145 repair station which was certified by the FAA in December.

Emirates-CAE Flight Training (ECFT) has purchased a CAE 7000 Series Level D full-flight simulator (FFS) for the Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft model.

Airservices Australia has begun construction of a new technical services facility at Melbourne Airport. The new centre will cost close to A$20 million ($20m) and will replace five existing buildings.

Horizon Air has concluded a labour deal with its technicians. More than 65 per cent of those mechanics who voted were in favour of ratifying the four-year contract on offer.

Zodiac Aerospace and AFI KLM E&M have reached an agreement to upgrade the in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems on four Royal Jordanian A340s.

Double fuselages and tail mounted engines — the aircraft of the (near) future?

NASA has unveiled artist conceptions of three radical aircraft designs that it says could be ready to fly in 2025.

Three companies, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, were awarded contracts by NASA in late 2010 to come up with an advanced aircraft design that met the agency’s goals for reducing noise by 83 per cent, and cutting fuel consumption and harmful emissions in half. Additionally, each aircraft would have to fly up to 85 per cent of the speed of sound; cover a range of approximately 7,000 miles; and carry between 50,000 and 100,000 pounds of payload.

The Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) has welcomed Dale Aviation as its 50th member. The company specialises in aircraft recycling, material recovery, maintenance and engineering.

Saywell International has announced the purchase of a complete airline inventory of ATR 42 and 72 material. The package, from Alitalia Express, includes large quantities of rotable, consumable and ground support equipment.

National Airways Corporation (NAC) has contracted Embraer to become its authorised service center (ASC) for the EMB 110 Bandeirante and the EMB 120 Brasilia.

CIRCOR Aerospace has added GTD Aero as an independent sales representative for its fluid control and landing gear products.

Sukhoi’s Superjet 100 (SSJ100) has successfully completed emergency evacuation and rejected takeoff with maximum braking kinetic energy testing.

Employees at Irish maintenance provider Shannon Aerospace have voted in favour of a restructuring programme for the company.

StandardAero has implemented full PW100 engine MRO capability at its Winnipeg, Canada facility. The Winnipeg facility has been fully approved by Pratt & Whitney Canada as a PW100 Designated Overhaul Facility.

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Boeing has gone with a blended-wing aircraft, a concept which it now has a great deal of experience with, while Northrop Grumman’s proposal features a double-fuselage, with engines and wings front-loaded.

Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin’s design mounts the engines to the aircraft’s tail.

With these designs being so different from today’s aircraft, and with the time it takes to manufacture an aircraft, it is highly unlikely that any of these designs will be ready to fly in NASA’s 2025 timeline.

The three project teams will continue to work on their designs, and it is entirely possible that their final proposals will feature substantial alterations. “Each team will be exploring, testing, simulating, keeping and discarding innovations and technologies to make their design a winner,” NASA stated.

Boeing received billions in illegal aid, says WTO; both sides claim victory The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that Boeing received billions of dollars in illegal subsidies — but it will come as no surprise that both the US manufacturer and Airbus have claimed victory after the latest round in this seemingly endless dispute.

The exact nature of the WTO’s ruling will remain confidential until official documents are released. The European Union said the WTO report confirmed a preliminary ruling it made on the case in September and “sheds further light on the negative consequences for the EU industry of these US subsidies and provides a timely element of balance”. The WTO had already ruled that European governments illegally supported Airbus.

“From today, Boeing can no longer pretend that it doesn’t benefit from generous and illegal state subsidies. It has been doing so from the start and it’s time to stop the denial,” said Rainer Ohler, Airbus’s head of public affairs and communications.

However, Boeing said the latest WTO ruling compared very favourably to that of its previous decision about Airbus. “The WTO rejected almost all of Europe’s claims against the United States.

Nothing in today’s reports even begins to compare to the $20bn in illegal subsidies that the WTO found last June that Airbus/EADS has received. The WTO’s decisions confirm that European launch aid stands alone as a massive illegal subsidy only available to Airbus, which has seriously harmed Boeing [and] distorted competition in the aerospace industry for decades.”

Airbus also claimed that Boeing would not have been able to launch the 787 without the illegal aid; an allegation dismissed by its US rival.

It appears that only full-scale negotiations between all the parties involved will resolve this dispute.

DAE looks to offload StandardAero Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) has put aviation services company StandardAero up for sale, either whole or in parts, according to reports. DAE bought StandardAero and Landmark Aviation from private equity firm Carlyle Group in 2007 for $1.9bn. Deutsche Bank is advising on the sale. StandardAero posted 2009 sales of $1.4bn.

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NEWS UPDATE

INBRIEF

NEWSHIGHLIGHTS

In-flight broadband connectivity provider Row 44 has received a supplemental type certificate (STC) from EASA to equip commercial aircraft in Europe with its broadband connectivity platform. The STC covers 737-700, 800 and 900 series aircraft.

A J Walter Aviation (AJW) says it is to expand its commercial jet engine management business. A new in-house resource will offer integrated management solutions comprising engineering services, aircraft engines for lease and overhauled condition engine parts.

StandardAero has received EASA supplemental type certificate (STC) approval to re-engine the Hawker Beechcraft King Air F90 aircraft with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A engines.

Armac Systems and SR Technics have agreed a software and services deal which will see the maintenance provider making greater use of Armac’s RIOsys inventory planning solution software and consultancy services.

Garmin’s ‘Synthetic Vision Technology’ (SVT), has been certified for use on Embraer’s Phenom 300 by the FAA, EASA and the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC).

P&W purchases engine wash patented technology Pratt & Whitney (P&W) has finalised an agreement with Gas Turbine Efficiency to purchase the assets of the company’s aviation business, which provides patented technology for the engine manufacturer’s ‘EcoPower’ engine wash service. P&W had exclusive rights to use Gas Turbine Efficiency’s technology to wash aircraft engines since it launched its washing service in 2004. With the new agreement, P&W will own the intellectual property for the technology as well as other assets associated with Gas Turbine Efficiency’s aviation business.

ADS/Transicoil has selected AAR Distribution to become its exclusive distributor in the US and Asia.

IAC Global Aviation has opened a new ground run-up enclosure (GRE) designed to serve ‘next generation’ aircraft. IAC claims that the facility overcomes the traditional conflict between aerodynamic and acoustic testing requirements.

Airbus launches ATM subsidiary Airbus has launched a new subsidiary that aims to develop and provide support for modern air traffic management (ATM) systems.

These include the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) programme in Europe, and NextGen in the US. The new company, Airbus ProSky, will assist in accelerating and supporting the process of implementation of these systems, and will link the two ATM systems together “by capitalising on the technological, operational and commercial synergies”. Airbus ProSky will also work globally with Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), airworthiness authorities and airlines.

Cabin parts manufacturer launched in Turkey Turkish Airlines, Turkish Technic and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) have launched a joint-venture company to manufacture aircraft cabin interior products. The company will be called Turkish Cabin Interior Systems and will be based in Istanbul, Turkey. The company will design and manufacture all types of aircraft cabin interior systems and components, including galleys and pilot and stewardess crew rests, and will also provide logistic support, modification and marketing services.

CIRCOR Aerospace has received two quality management system certifications: AS9100:2004 and ISO 9001:2008.

Precision Aviation Group subsidiary Precision Accessories and Instruments (PAI) has been awarded non-destructive testing (NDT) certification by the FAA. Aero WBS, a subsidiary of Desser Tire & Rubber, has announced its qualification for retreading Canadair 200, 700, 900 series and Embraer 135 and 145 series tires.

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has launched its new pilot training centre in Glenmarie, Subang. The simulation facility will be operated and maintained by CAE. Jordan Airline Training and Simulation (JATS) has added 737, 767 and E170/190 simulators to its training capabilities.

Scandinavian Aircraft Maintenance (SAM) has announced that it is opening a heavy maintenance base in Korat, central Thailand, through its subsidiary SAM Thai.

Lufthansa Systems has supplied Lido/Flight software to Air Arabia.

Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services (AMES), a subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group, has been granted AS9100 certification for its quality management system.

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❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

Superjet 100 awarded type certification Sukhoi’s Superjet 100 aircraft has been granted type certification by the Russian certification authority, IAC AR. The certification confirms the compliance of the aircraft with IAC airworthiness directives and opens the way for the Superjet to begin commercial operations. The IAC AR has also granted a design organisation approval certificate to Sukhoi Civil Aircraft.

Composite specialist acquired by GA Telesis GA Telesis has acquired the assets and certain liabilities of Ultimate Aircraft Composites (UAC), a Fort Lauderdale, Florida based component MRO. UAC will be re-branded as GA Telesis Component Repair Group, and is currently capable of supporting the repair and manufacture of Bombardier, Airbus, Boeing, Douglas and Embraer structural and composite components. These include tail cones, radomes, doors, and flight control surfaces as well as nacelle and thrust/fan reverser actuation systems. UAC also holds contracts in the military arena.

Gulfstream claims electrical power breakthrough Gulfstream Aerospace says it has made history by becoming the first business aircraft manufacturer to operate a fly-by-wire aircraft using only a digital, electrical flight control system. The fully electric flight control actuator eliminates the need for a third hydraulic system to back up a dual hydraulic model. Gulfstream tested the system on S/N 6001 during a 3hr 33min G650 flight on December 21, 2010.

Air France accepts safety recommendations Air France has acknowledged the 35 flight safety recommendations submitted by an independent safety review team. The work, which was commissioned by Air France after the 2009 A330-200 crash, was not an audit but consisted of observations and employee feedback. The team concluded that the airline complies with all regulatory requirements. Nevertheless, Air France has already implemented measures to raise its flight safety performance and is due to begin a programme of further improvements.

NEWS UPDATE

Dassault, NIAR partner on composite technology training Dassault Systèmes and the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) have expanded a partnership to “sustain innovation and advanced use” of composites materials in the aerospace industry.

NIAR’s CAD/CAM laboratory will offer students and aerospace professionals training on composites technology and ways to optimise industrial practices, using Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA, SIMULIA and DELMIA solutions. CATIA addresses the design challenges of using composites, SIMULIA provides realistic simulation, while the NIAR plans to offer instruction on DELMIA, for digital manufacturing, within the coming months. Shawn Ehrstein, director of NIAR, says the partnership “represents a significant contribution to moving the industry forward” as composites become increasingly widely used.

SR Technics defers Malta hangar SR Technics has stated that it is holding back the construction of its new hangar at Malta International Airport (MIA) until the aviation industry fully recovers from the global downturn, according to a report in the Times of Malta. The facility was intended to be finished by 2012. SR Technics has been operating in Malta since October, 2010, and plans to continue developing its local customer base.

Boeing conducts Ka-band antenna tests Boeing has announced the completion of its first over-the-air ground test of a Ka-band satellite communications (SATCOM) phased-array antenna system. The phased array design uses electronically controlled beams to transmit and receive satellite signals. The company claims that the new device not only supports a greater bandwidth than Ku-band antennas but reduces drag because of its lower profile.

MEI acquired by Dixie Aerospace Dixie Aerospace has acquired thermoforming plastics manufacturer Mechanical Enterprises (MEI). The company also has a 145 repair station for interior components. MEI currently serves original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and commercial airlines. Dixie Aerospace said it intends to expand into the interiors market with this acquisition.

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❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

NEWSHIGHLIGHTS

Embraer authorises EgyptAir M&E as service centre EgyptAir Maintenance & Engineering (M&E) has become an authorised service centre for the Embraer 170/190 family after the manufacturer handed it a five-year contract to this effect. The MRO will provide routine checks and scheduled and unscheduled maintenance for EgyptAir Express and third-party E-Jets, and will have access to Embraer’s structure-specific repair solutions and extended databases. The company will be entitled to handle airframe and warranty issues on behalf of its customers.

Continental, American Eagle hit by FAA fines The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a $275,000 civil penalty against Continental Airlines and a $330,000 civil penalty against American Eagle Airlines for maintenance lapses. The agency alleges that Continental operated two 737-900ER aircraft on 73 flights when they were not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations. According to the FAA, mechanics failed to follow the 737 Airplane Maintenance Manual when they installed incorrect main landing gear wheel-tire assemblies on the aircraft and released them for service on November 7 and 19, 2009. Meanwhile, the FAA alleges that American Eagle operated an Embraer 135 regional jet on 12 revenue passenger flights when it was not in compliance with the regulations. It says mechanics failed to note broken passenger seats and armrests on two aircraft during a December 18, 2008 inspection and did not follow the approved maintenance manual instructions during those inspections. Both airlines had 30 days from receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.

RNP approach successful in India Airbus’ Quovadis subsidiary and IndiGo have successfully completed the first ‘required navigation performance’ (RNP) flight of any commercial airliner in India. Using an A320, the landing procedure was performed at Cochin International Airport — the nation’s seventh busiest airport. One of the main benefits is that a much shorter flight path is used, saving 40nm for operators on each approach, equating to approximately 1,000lbs of fuel saved per landing. The procedure was validated using Airbus flight simulators. The ultimate aim is to get the new procedures approved at the airport so all operators with RNP-capable aircraft can land using the approach. The next step in achieving this goal will be for Jet Airways to demonstrate the procedure at the airport using a 737-800.

Brazil biofuel project at full speed Airbus, TAM Airlines and a group of specialist companies are working on a project to establish a bio-kerosene jet-fuel processing plant in Brazil.

Their aim is to gradually substitute the use of fossil fuel in aviation with biofuel. The group of companies is led by Curcas, which specialises in Brazilian renewable energy project development, and the Brazilian biofuel producer, Brasil Ecodiesel.

“Airbus is bringing together farmers, oil-refiners and airlines to spearhead the commercialisation of sustainable biofuel production in Brazil and worldwide,” says Paul Nash, Airbus head of new energies. “As well as analysing the suitability of potential biofuels for aviation, Airbus is also supporting life-cycle and sustainability projects to ensure that any CO2 emissions-reducing solutions have a positive ‘social’ impact and do not compete with local resources including land, food or water.”

Bombardier Customer Services launches MRO website Bombardier Customer Services has launched a new MRO customer website for operators of Bombardier, Boeing and Airbus aircraft. Among the features of the website, customers can order spare parts online, as well as request up-to-date technical publications and notify Bombardier of incoming repairs.

Training agreement renewed between Airbus and CAE Airbus and CAE are to renew an existing flight training services agreement until 2017. The companies said the co-operation began with 10 training centres and 11 Airbus full-flight simulators in 2002, and has now grown to 18 training centres with 60 full-flight simulators in Asia, India, the Middle East, Europe, North America and South America. According to Airbus, the renewal ensures that operators are provided with the largest fleet of full-flight simulators for Airbus aircraft types, standardised courseware and expert instructors.

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NEWS UPDATE

Laurentian announces widebody MRO plans Laurentian Aerospace has announced plans to open a widebody maintenance facility at the exair force base of Plattsburgh in the United States by the end of 2012.

The $175m, 273,000 square-foot facility is expected to employ 900 people by 2014. Laurentian was founded in Montreal in 2005, and the company previously tried to launch an MRO in Mirabel, Quebec.

Airbus to support Chinese air traffic management Airbus and China’s Air Traffic Management Bureau (ATMB), under the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), have signed a MoU covering air traffic management (ATM) co-operation. Airbus will assist ATMB with the introduction and implementation of new ATM technologies and best practices in China, and will share its experience in Europe with ATMB for the development of future ATM systems in China. This support covers R&D, the validation and deployment of new ATM technologies, and training.

ADAT planning new overhaul facility Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) has unveiled details of a new overhaul shop and test cell facility for the GEnx, GP7200 and GE90 engines. Design of the new $150m facility, which is to be located in Abu Dhabi, is underway with a Q1 2011 date set for breaking ground. Construction is scheduled to be completed in Q1 2013.

Belfast facility to assemble Learjet composite components Bombardier Aerospace says that the development and production of advanced composite wing skin panels and spar components for the Learjet 85 business jet will be undertaken by its facility in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Final assembly of the wings will take place at the company’s production plant in Querétaro, Mexico. Bombardier Aerospace, Belfast will produce the primary wing structures using its resin transfer infusion process, currently being developed for the CSeries aircraft’s advanced composite wings.

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NEWSHIGHLIGHTS

P&WC invests in engine R&D Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) says it is to invest more than $1bn in research and development over the next five years as it seeks to develop “the next generation of high-performance aircraft engines”. The investment includes a $300m repayable contribution from the Government of Canada under the Strategic Aerospace and Defense Initiative (SADI) programme.

Southwest launches improved RNP procedures Southwest Airlines has rolled out Required Navigation Performance (RNP) flight procedures at 11 airports across the US. This marks the culmination of a four-year collaboration with General Electric, Boeing and Honeywell. The combination of global positioning technology, advanced avionics and new flight procedures that make up RNP is designed to conserve fuel, improve safety, reduce carbon emissions and cut costs.

Researcher develops SMART system to detect clamp failures A researcher at the University of Dayton Research Institute has designed a new Status and Motion Activated Radiofrequency Tag (SMART) sensor to signal wiring clamp failure. Bob Kauffman, together with senior research physicist Doug Wolf, developed the SMART sensor under FAA funding with the aim of replacing traditional clamps. Maintenance personnel will be able to pass a handheld RFID reader through the body of an aircraft in order to identify defective clamps. The same technology may also be used to detect sub-surface cracks.

AEI first to win Russian approval Aeronautical Engineers (AEI) says it has become the first Western company to receive permission from the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to conduct passenger-to-freighter conversions. The approval is for 737-300SF and 737-400SF conversion products, which will enable the replacement of the AN12 aircraft currently in service. AEI says the approval opens up the opportunity for leasing companies and CIS airlines to import and operate 737 aircraft.

AFI wins social responsibility acclaim Air France Industries (AFI) has received renewed single and global certification from Bureau Veritas Certification. Incorporated in this is the new ISO 26000 social responsibility standard (ISO SR), making AFI the world’s first aviation maintenance company to adopt this international standard, according to the company. The certification follows an evaluation of all AFI facilities in the first week of November.

Nine sets of guidelines are covered in the certification, including safety, environmental protection and quality. The ISO 26000 standard was launched on November 1, 2010, and has been published in 150 countries.

Prime Air expands commercial engine division HEICO company Prime Air has expanded its large commercial engine division. Prime has acquired an extensive package of CFM56-5 and CFM56-7 inventories, as well as two recent tear-downs of CFM56-3 engines “We are actively pursuing opportunities that will allow us to offer cost-saving initiatives to our customers,” stated director of engine products, Jeff Alesia.

Boeing arranges claims solution with Spirit Boeing has reached an agreement with Spirit AeroSystems over claims associated with delayed 787-8 production in December, 2010, which centred on design changes and attendant costs. The details of the agreement have not been released, but Spirit says that it will allow the two parties to finalise formal amendments in the 1H of 2011.

NEWS UPDATE

CONTRACTS n TAG Aviation has contracted SR Technics to provide full support maintenance services, technical consultancy, and aircraft completion services for its Boeing and Airbus business jets. n GKN Aerospace - Engineering Services has been awarded a three-year contract by Airbus to provide engineering design and analysis support. The company will work on improvements to the manufacturing and maintenance of Airbus’ existing range of single-aisle, widebody and long-range aircraft, particularly looking at wing engineering. n Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has contracted Hamilton Sundstrand to provide ram air turbines (RATs) for the C919 aircraft. Hamilton will also supply the generator control units, actuators, stow panels and generator line contractors for the emergency system. n Wizz Air has extended a contract with Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International (LTMI) to provide line maintenance services up to and including Achecks for eight A320s in three cities in Romania; namely Bucharest, Timisoara and Cluj. n World Airways has expanded its technical services contract with TeamSAI M&E Solutions. The airline has already signed on for a reliability and maintenance programme from TeamSAI M&E; the expansion covers all engineering functions and responsibilities. n Batavia Air has awarded a contract to Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering (GAMECO) to conduct a C check for an A330. The contract is part of a five year agreement between the companies covering the airline’s A330 fleet. n Miles Express, a strategic partner for Malta of the Aviation Logistics Network (ALN), has been awarded a three-year contract by Air Malta for the provision of forwarding and logistics services. The contract covers the airline’s fleet of A319 and A320s. n Ameco Beijing has won a contract from Eastar Jet to provide MRO services on the airline’s five 737NGs, including landing gear overhauls on four of the aircraft and C checks on all five. n Goodrich has signed a nacelle services agreement with Air Arabia for support of nacelles and thrust reversers across the airline’s fleet of more than 50 CFM56powered A320 aircraft. n Icelandair Technical Services (ITS), the maintenance arm of national carrier Icelandair, has selected Mxi Technologies’ maintenance management software. n Ural Airlines has selected Finnair Technical Services to provide APU maintenance and design services for its A320 family fleet. The new contract is a continuation of an earlier co-operation between the two companies. n Air Mauritius has contracted Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey (LTAA) to provide MRO services on its fleet of PW127 engines. The engines power Air Mauritius’ fleet of ATR aircraft. n Regional Express subsidiary Pel-Air Aviation has awarded StandardAero a 10-year maintenance contract. n ST Aerospace has been selected by Guggenheim Aviation Partners (GAP) to perform a passenger-to-passenger/cargo (combi) conversion on a 757-200 aircraft for TNT Airways. n MAS GMR Aerospace Engineering has ordered Ramco Systems’ MRO software. n Martinair has contracted AFI KLM E&M to provide component and brake support for its seven MD-11F freighter aircraft. The deal runs for five years. n MNG Airlines has selected Lufthansa Systems to provide navigation data for its flight management system in a five-year contract. n Vietnam Airlines has contracted Rockwell Collins to provide a full suite of avionics, including its ‘MultiScan Threat Detection System’ and ‘Multi-Mode Receiver (MMR) Global Landing System’. The contract covers 36 A321-200 aircraft. n The bmi group has selected Swiss AviationSoftware (Swiss-AS) to implement its AMOS software at British Midland International, bmi regional and bmibaby. n Aeronautical Engineers (AEI) has been selected by an undisclosed customer to provide one 737-300SF 9 pallet configuration passenger to freighter conversion. n Goodrich has won a deal to supply Mitsubishi Aircraft with supply air data sensors, ice detectors and windshield heat controllers for the new Mitsubishi Regional Jet. It will deliver the first flight-test hardware in mid-2011. n Flybe has awarded FlightSafety International a contract to supply two flight simulators for its new training academy at Exeter International Airport. The simulators are based on Bombardier Q400 and Embraer E-Jet 170/190 aircraft and will be used to train both Flybe pilots and other Q400 and E-Jet operators.

12 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

n Air New Zealand has contracted Luthansa Technik to provide a pool of rotable components. The total component support agreement (TCS) focuses on parts for 777-200 and 777-300 aircraft. n SITA has won a contract with the Brazilian Department of Airspace Control (DECEA) to overhaul its entire air-ground VHF data link (VDL) as part of a nationwide modernisation programme ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games and 2014 FIFA World Cup. n Ethiopian Airlines has contracted Lufthansa Systems to provide its Lido/TakeOff performance product. The agreement is for five years. n Slovenia-based Adria Airways Technika has contracted A J Walter Aviation (AJW) to supply consumables support for its maintenance facility. n New Italian carrier Eagles Airlines has contracted Fokker Services to provide exchange and repair services. The deal means Fokker will maintain a presence of local, on-site leased stock at Eagles’ home base in Venice. n Airbus has contracted Labinal to provide fuselage wiring on the A380. The agreement runs for the life of the programme, covering early design and modification, manufacturing and support services. n Edelweiss Air has awarded SR Technics a full service contract for its A330 fleet.

The six-year deal covers line, base and component maintenance as well as fleet technical management. n Cathay Pacific has contracted Rolls-Royce to provide long-term maintenance support for the Trent 700 engines powering all of its A330 aircraft. n Alitalia has contracted Egyptair Maintenance and Engineering (M&E) to provide maintenance on its fleet of A330-200s. The two companies currently have a mutual maintenance agreement in place. n AEI has won a 727-200SF conversion contract from an undisclosed customer.

The aircraft, built in 1981, will undergo a 12-pallet passenger-to-freighter conversion. n Doric Asset Finance, asset manager for the owners of two A319s, has given a maintenance contract to Czech Airlines Technics. The work, which includes C checks, will take place in 1Q 2011. n Emirates Airline has contracted Lufthansa Technik to overhaul the centre landing gears of its fleet of eight A340-300s. The agreement runs for two years and work will be carried out at Lufthansa Technik’s landing gear business unit in Hamburg, Germany. n Royal Jordanian Airlines has contracted Goodrich to provide maintenance and support of nacelles and thrust reversers for its fleet of V2500-powered A320s, CF34-10E-powered Embraer 195s and CFM56-5C-powered A340s. n USA3000 Airlines has contracted Lufthansa Technik to provide component services for a total of five A320-200 aircraft. The multi-year contract encompasses several hundred part numbers. n Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL) has been awarded two line maintenance technical handling contracts. One is with Brussels Airlines; the other with Thomas Cook Airlines UK. n Pakistan’s second-largest airline, Airblue, has contracted SR Technics to provide maintenance services for CFM56 engines. The contract, which is for seven years, covers overhaul, repair and engine on-wing condition monitoring for CFM56-5B engines in A319 and A320s. n Jet Airways has selected Jeppesen to provide electronic flight bag (EFB), digital charting and navigation services over a period of five years. n Avianca-TACA has awarded Barfield a 10-year contract to provide component support for its fleet of 60 A320s. Barfield, a Sabena technics company, will open repair facilities in Colombia as part of the contract. n PGA-Portugalia Airlines has signed Fokker Services to provide support for its fleet of six Fokker 100 aircraft. n Oman Air has contracted Lufthansa Technik to provide base maintenance for 15 of its 737 NG aircraft. The C checks include aircraft communications addressing and reporting system (ACARS) modifications for nine of the aircraft. n TAM Airlines has expanded a contract with in-flight connectivity service provider OnAir. The airline will install OnAir’s on-board connectivity system on 26 A319, A320, and A321 aircraft this year, following a successful pilot project. n Turkish Technic has announced two base maintenance C check agreements with Kogalymavia (Kolavia) Airlines and Spanair. The work will be carried out on A320 aircraft at Turkish Technic’s Istanbul facility in 1Q 2011.

NEWS UPDATE

PEOPLE l Jean-Paul Ebanga (pictured) has been named l The Boeing board of directors has accepted the resignation of director

president and CEO of CFM International. Ebanga, who has been the chairman and CEO of Snecma JV company PowerJet since 2007, replaces Eric Bachelet, who had served as CFM president and CEO since September 2005. Bachelet has accepted the position of Safran EVP of research and technology. Ebanga joined Snecma in 1988 and has taken on leadership positions in the fields of electronics, systems and aircraft engines at the company. Jacques Desclaux has replaced Ebanga as chairman and CEO of PowerJet. Desclaux has been working at Europrop International, another consortium company in which Snecma is involved, since 2003, as programme and operations director and more recently EVP. l Dave Seibel has joined Mxi Technologies as chairman of the board and CEO. Seibel has held senior management positions within a number of Canadian technology firms; most recently as chairman and CEO of Accenture Canada. l Component maintenance provider NORDAM has made several executive changes. Meredith Siegfried, currently chief operating officer of NORDAM’s repair group, will become president of NORDAM; T. Hastings Siegfried, currently COO of NORDAM’s transparency group, will become vice-chairman of NORDAM and chairman of its governance committee in addition to his current duties; and Steve Pack, NORDAM’s COO for the manufacturing group, will continue to be responsible for all of NORDAM’s manufacturing. l Airbus has appointed Günter Butschek as EVP operations, replacing Gerald Weber. Butschek will become a member of the Airbus executive committee and will take up his new position on March 1, 2011. He joins Airbus from Daimler. l Steve Fitz-Gerald has been appointed CEO of Marshall Aerospace, effective immediately. He has 35 years experience in the defence industry, and succeeds Martin Broadhurst, who announced his retirement last year. l Monarch Aircraft Engineering has appointed Keith Earnden as engineering director. He takes over from Phil Hall who is due to retire shortly.

Earnden was previously at Cobham Aviation Services (FR Aviation), where he spent six years as contract manager, chief engineer and most recently, engineering director. Meanwhile, Derek Gibson has been appointed to the role of maintenance and operations director — he was previously sales and marketing director at the company. l GA Telesis has appointed Alvin Khoo as SVP and chief investment officer.

Reporting to the CEO, Khoo will oversee financial planning and analysis for all global operations. l Avtrade has announced a series of management changes. Tim Large has retired from his role as director, sales & technical after 21 years service with the company, but will continue to work on special projects. Nathan Kent has been appointed as director of sales & marketing; he joined Avtrade six years ago. Tracy Keegan has been promoted to the role of director of contract management, Tom Lane has been appointed as director of asset management, while Chris Christou becomes director of finance. l Mike Molli has been appointed COO of International Aircraft Associates.

The Florida company provides aftermarket support services. l AAR has elected retired marine general Peter Pace to serve on its board of directors, effective January 18, 2011. General Pace served as the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the most senior position in the United States armed forces, from 2005 to 2007. l CIRCOR Aerospace Products has appointed Anthony Sisneros as director of continuous improvement.

William Daley following his appointment as US President Barack Obama’s chief of staff. The resignation became effective as of January 7. l PAS Technologies has appointed Dennis Orzel to the newly-created position of chief operating officer. He will report to Phil Milazzo, president and CEO, and will be located in the company’s headquarters in North Kansas City, Missouri. l Former deputy CEO of Amadeus, Luis Maroto, has replaced David Jones as president and CEO of the company. The appointment became effective at the start of 2011, although the succession plan was originally announced in January 2010. l Boeing has promoted Kim Hammonds to chief information officer. She will also remain as VP of the company’s Information Technology Infrastructure organisation, a role she took when joining Boeing in August 2008. l Nextant Aerospace has appointed Jerry Bemis as VP manufacturing. He will have oversight responsibility for all aspects of the company’s remanufacturing process.

PRODUCTS Spectronics Corporation has introduced a new addition to the ‘Cobra’ series of multipurpose borescopes. The CB1000 features a built-in UV LED for detection of fluid leaks and surface flaws and a white light LED for component inspection. It also has a 10mm, 24 inch (61 cm) “nodroop” shaft that maintains its position for easy access into hard-to-view areas. A clip-on inspection mirror provides the added capability of detecting flaws normally hidden from view.

Spectronics has also introduced the ‘Spectroline Marksman’ ultrasonic diagnostic tool, a highly accurate instrument that converts and amplifies inaudible ultrasonic sound into audible “natural” sound. The company says the tool allows aviation technicians to easily hear sounds that signify problems such as compressed air, vacuum, pneumatic and other pressurised leaks.

Chromalloy has launched a new thermal barrier coating, which it says provides lower thermal conductivity and thus allows higher engine temperatures. The RT-35 Low K coating is currently in use by a commercial airline in Asia. It was patented by Chromalloy in 2006 and certified by the FAA in 2010 for use on the PW4000 second-stage high-pressure turbine blade after a series of tests confirmed its low thermal conductivity, high thermal cycle durability and other attributes. The coating provides a layer of insulation to the base metal component and underlying bond coating surface of a turbine blade from the extreme heat of the combustion gases during engine operation.

Goodrich has launched lighter-weight main wheel and brake assemblies for 777-200LR, 777F and 777-300ER aircraft. The modifications generate a weight saving of 118kg per aircraft which will reduce fuel costs. The new designs, approved by Boeing, can be integrated into existing assemblies.

This equipment will now come as standard on 777s delivered with Goodrich equipment.

Ra’alloy Ramps has introduced a portable aircraft boarding ramp designed to assist passengers with disabilities. Aviramp replaces conventional airstairs with a ramp, obviating the need for reduced mobility passengers to be loaded by lifts or by being carried.

❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙ 13

INDUSTRY FOCUS

In 2010, TIMCO celebrated 20 years of supplying MRO services to airlines. Now the company tells Joanne Perry of its plans for 2011 and beyond.

TIMCO: Evolution not revolution ou probably won’t see TIMCO making revolutionary products,” says the company’s VP of marketing and business development, Len Kazmerski, explaining the TIMCO philosophy; “what you’ll see are evolutionary products.”

TIMCO is heavily focused on the delivery of performance and cost benefits through streamlining existing products, often by reducing weight. Over the last 18 months in particular the company has put a lot of investment into aircraft interiors. TIMCO is especially proud of its ‘FeatherWeight’ interior solutions series, which grew out of the need to offer customers additional cost savings in light of rising fuel prices in 2008.

Y

14 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

This range of products, manufactured by TIMCO’s Aerosystems division, includes galley and lavatory refresh programmes, crew rest modules and seats — the latter manufactured

by TIMCO Aerosystems’ subsidiary, Brice Seating. These have all been designed with a tight ergonomic brief in mind: the creation of space and functionality without the loss of durability, user comfort or customisation potential.

Allegiant Airlines selected Brice’s FeatherWeight 3100 economy seat last year for delivery in 2011. The carrier’s VP contracts and supply, Sean Hopkins, is very pleased with Brice’s offering: “We were looking for a solid, lightweight, low maintenance seat that would

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INDUSTRY FOCUS

maximise the amount of living space afforded to our customers,” he says. “We found the 3100 seat really fitted the bill.”

The sleek look of the FeatherWeight products is matched by the approach to their installation. For example, the modular, standardised configuration of the galley enables the equipment to “plug in” to the existing surroundings.

Similarly, the crew rest module, as featured on Austrian Airlines’ 767s, can be fitted in under half an hour and allows quick connections to all electrical, safety and environmental components.

Fuel prices may not be running at the level they were in 2008 ($112 per barrel versus up

16 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

to $180, according to IATA statistics), but airlines are ever watchful of operational costs, and TIMCO says that the FeatherWeight range is continuing to attract considerable interest from across the world – encompassing operators of regional and small commuter aircraft as well as widebody fleets.

Kazmerski cites TIMCO’s FeatherWeight products as “a great example” of the company’s responsiveness to customer needs — which has been a crucial factor, he says, in its rise to become one of the largest independent MRO providers in the world. As airlines struggled financially, TIMCO brought out the FeatherWeight range in answer to “the clear

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need” of both existing and prospective customers.

Says Kazmerski: “In thinking about TIMCO’s history, one of the big factors has been our flexibility and our responsiveness with customers.

It seems to resonate well with them. Even through the period we’ve gone through over the last 10-15 years, where cost has become so important and arguably the prominent focus, that reliability, quality of service, and the willingness to be flexible still counts for a lot and we think that that’s played a big role in helping us as we’ve added customers and grown our business.”

Airframe maintenance pedigree

Through better service, and faster turn time, we’re able to keep rates competitive; the business grows.

—Len Kazmerski, VP marketing and business development, TIMCO.

18 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

TIMCO’s interiors trade is a growing area of importance for the company, and second only in size to its original airframe business, which boasts multi-hangar facilities staffed by more than 1,000 licensed mechanics at three locations in the US: Greensboro, North Carolina; Macon, Georgia; and Lake City, Florida.

Together the hangar and office space of the airframe operation covers 1.5 million ft2. TIMCO’s services at these locations encompass light and heavy scheduled maintenance checks, exterior and interior installations and modifications, upgrades and conversions for commercial, governmental and private aircraft. The Lake City facility also provides full refinishing and painting services, in a two-bay hangar

which can accommodate all aircraft types up to an MD-11.

The airframe maintenance procedures at TIMCO’s three main locations are comprehensively supported by on-site manufacturing facilities furnished with the latest machinery, such as WichiTech bond equipment. Much of this has been developed or refined by TIMCO itself in its mission to achieve the highest standards of parts and tool production, and ultimately maintenance services. Kazmerski agrees that an important element of keeping costs down for customers is the abundance of TIMCO’s inhouse resources, which eliminate handling and shipping costs and reduce overall aircraft downtime.

Kazmerski is also keen to emphasise the benefits, both practical and financial, that can be gained by investment in schemes designed to maintain a steady level of progress, such as staff training. “We try where we can to cross train, to provide continuous training,” he says.

“When we finish our evaluation, we continue to conclude that investment ends up producing real results over the long term, and through that better service, and faster turn time, we’re able to keep rates competitive; the business grows.”

He goes on to say, “It’s so important - and it’s proven itself over and over - to stay focused on continuous improvement and by that it’s not only the learnings from our own experiences

INDUSTRY FOCUS

If you’re capturing information more quickly, you’re able to make and forecast trends and behaviours that allow improvement to the maintenance process on the fly.

—Len Kazmerski, VP marketing and business development, TIMCO.

working on aircraft or producing products, but incorporating the feedback we get from our customers. That, coupled with a willingness to embrace new technology, has helped us in keeping our services cost competitive and delivering what the airlines are looking for.”

TIMCO does not rely on subjective judgements to shape its services but rather applies statistical techniques to the process.

According to Kazmerski: “We’re capturing information about maintenance events as it’s happening in a live format, and if you’re capturing information more quickly, looking at that data in aggregate, you’re able to make and forecast trends and behaviours that allow improvement to the maintenance process on the fly, working of course with the customer.”

TIMCO’s SVP of sales and marketing, John Eichten, explains how the combination of technology and the careful nurturing of the client base brings rewards: “Having a long-term relationship with customers allows you to go in and do predictive analysis so you have the right inventories, tools and training to help predict what you’re going to find — to take out as many of those unknown pieces as you can and prepare for them upfront reduces the span times and ultimately the cost.”

Kazmerski adds: “Today it’s much more interactive. It’s not just TIMCO, I think the industry as a whole has moved in that direction. It’s the successful providers, who really try to build

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❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙ 19

INDUSTRY FOCUS

that long-term relationship with their customers, that ultimately succeed in this kind of environment. Both parties end up coming out ahead.”

Challenges and creativity

The Featherweight 3100 economy seat from Brice Seating, a TIMCO subsidiary.

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Kazmerski says the industry is changing in other ways, too, with increasingly complex aircraft technology, structures and materials — particularly composite materials — throwing up new challenges for MRO providers. It is a measure of the company’s worth that TIMCO views these challenges in a positive light, as an opportunity for innovation. As Kazmerski says, “it opens up the door for new creative ways to meet those challenges”. He gives the example of TIMCO’s ‘LineCare’ network.

“That’s one of the goals with our LineCare network wherein, through training programmes and consistency, we’re hopefully in a better position to be able to meet those challenges at multiple locations [as] a provider that has a comprehensive maintenance programme; able to roll out those technologies and the training across its network.”

TIMCO’s LineCare network is an expanding project; at 21 airports across the US already, more locations are currently under review.

“We’re anxious to leverage our growing line maintenance network to try to develop creative solutions for our customers,” says Kazmerski.

“For example, we might be able to provide services on the line that in the past might have

INDUSTRY FOCUS

required an aircraft to be taken out of service for a period of time.”

The LineCare service provides two broad categories of support: traditional line maintenance and cabin refurbishment services. The former includes: overnight checks; transit checks and log book clearance; deferred and minimum equipment (MEL) items; “meet, greet, despatch”; on-call/non-routine aircraft-onground (AOG) responses, co-ordinated via a 24/7/365 call centre; and ground support equipment manufacture (GSE). The cabin refurbishment covers: carpet and moon mat replacement; seat cover changes; seat parts repair and replacement; seat adjustment; interior part repairs; and in-flight entertainment (IFE) and communications repair and troubleshooting.

Kazmerski is adamant that continual discussion with customers is the way to ensure that LineCare, and TIMCO’s services as a whole, remain closely matched to demand: “We’re in dialogue with a couple of key customers and we’re gathering that information now to develop something that we hope will meet this broad need [for a life cycle support programme] in a very effective way for the customers.”

Past, present and future With this level of receptiveness and adaptability to changing customer needs in a fluctuating market, TIMCO is in a strong position to make the most of the resources it has built up over two decades of supplying MRO services to airlines. The company weathered the storm of the recession on the back of a diversified book of business, its in-house capability — design, manufacture and analysis — and its commitment to consistently responsive customer service.

Today, signs of growth are re-emerging: capital is being freed up, airlines are releasing modification/upgrade programmes which were on hold and MRO customers are in general showing greater willingness to make investments — and TIMCO rightly feels positive about the future. Kazmerski sounds a note of caution over resurgent fuel prices ($112 in January, 2011, versus $92 in January, 2010), but hopes that fuel will not be “the demon that it was”. Asked directly about the outlook for the MRO sector, Eichten gives the final verdict: “I would say from 2011 over the next couple/three years, it looks very strong.” ■

I would say from 2011 over the next couple/three years, [the outlook for the MRO sector] looks very strong.

—John Eichten, SVP sales and marketing, TIMCO.

The MRO Yearbook is the annual publication for MRO professionals worldwide!

The next edition (2012) will be published in September 2011 and will be at the MRO Europe Show 2011 and at UBM Aviation Events throughout 2011 and 2012.

If you want to promote in the 2012 edition of The MRO Yearbook, or if you would like any other information please contact the Sales Team: Simon Barker, Alan Samuel or Anthony Smith on Tel: +44 (0) 207 579 4845 / 46 / 75 or via Email: simon.barker@ubmaviation.com or alan.samuel@ubmaviation.com or anthony.smith@ubmaviation.com Deadlines: Ad Booking: August 8th 2011 Advertorial and Ad Copy: August 15th 2011 Publishing: September 5th 2011

❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙ 21

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

22 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

Pressure is being exerted from airlines, governments and environmentalists for the biggest manufacturers to produce the next-generation of engines. But can one be created to fulfil all of the strict fuel burn, emissions and noise targets set — or will a trade-off have to be made, with a sacrifice in one area being made in order to gain a more significant improvement in another? Jason Holland reports.

Engine technology and the environmental trade-off

he world’s engine manufacturers face the constant challenge of improving technology to make more fuel efficient engines.

With single-aisle replacements on the agenda, if some years away, the race is on to come up with “game changing” technologies. However, the companies also face pressure from environmentalists to produce engines which reduce greenhouse gas and other noxious emissions.

Fortunately, reducing fuel burn leads to a concurrent reduction in carbon emissions.

However, such emissions are not the only environmental challenge. There is also a need to reduce engine noise — and while proposed engine architectures such as the open rotor appear able to reduce emissions significantly, they also increase noise. “You can build a very efficient engine in terms of fuel consumption, but you sacrifice some noise margin,” explains Chaker Chahrour, executive vice president at CFM International. “That is where you need to make the trade-off, taking into account current regulations as well as evaluating local noise standards in the areas where customers fly.”

So the real challenge the engine makers are

T

facing is to find a happy balance between improving fuel efficiency, reducing carbon emissions and reducing noise.

The question is, can engine technology improve sufficiently by the time of the single aisle replacements to achieve this balance? Or will a trade-off have to be made between emissions and noise? As a society, simply put, will we have to choose whether to reduce either emissions or noise as much as possible whilst sacrificing the other consideration, or can a compromise be reached?

The complexity of this issue is evidenced by the different approaches each engine maker is taking. As things stand, the two main engine architectures vying for future market share are the open rotor and the geared turbofan. The likes of Pratt & Whitney and MTU Aero Engines have put their faith firmly in the camp of the geared turbofan. The PW1000G — set to begin production in 2013 — is the first engine to use an architecture which the manufacturers expect can ultimately realise fuel burn reductions of 25 per cent or more by the next decade, in addition to the feted noise reductions.

Meanwhile, CFM International and RollsRoyce, while working on advanced turbofans now — see the open rotor as the most likely architecture of the future, because of its potential to reduce fuel burn and thus harmful emissions. CFM’s Chahrour accepts that an “open rotor will never be as quiet as a turbofan”, but the company believes it can achieve Chapter 4 levels by the time of the first launch.

You might think that noise is something we can learn to live with — within reason — if it meant reducing emissions and cutting down aviation’s harmful impact on the environment.

However, this may not be an argument that holds much weight with someone living on a flight path.

It is a point eloquently made by Dr Erich Steinhardt, senior vice president technology, MTU Aero Engines, who considers the issue of noise to be just as important as carbon emissions. “The growth in the global population and increasing economic wealth will generate strong air traffic growth. In addition new mega cities will arise so that more and more people will live in the neighbourhood of airports,” he says. “As

❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙ 23

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

CFM has conducted extensive testing on the 3-D woven, composite fan and fan case of the LEAP-X, and will begin testing a new core in mid-2011.

One-fifth-scale blades of the open rotor at the NASA wind tunnel.

24 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

these residents are mainly affected by noise emissions, having quieter air traffic is one of the most important challenges. Even today the number of airports regulating noise emissions is growing and the associated regulations, and thus noise, has become an important economic factor for airlines and airports. Therefore no trade is possible — both reduced noise and reduced CO2 emissions are necessary.”

This unwillingness to make a trade is a sentiment echoed by the other manufacturers. “In this industry, you can’t just pick one element on which you choose to focus — you have to take a balanced approach that will provide the best overall solution,” says Chahrour. But at some point, priority has to be given to one or another consideration, even if a healthy balance is ultimately sought.

The major manufacturers are therefore investing billions of dollars into research to come up with a new generation of engines that will power the single aisle replacements, which are still likely to be a decade or more away.

CFM parent companies GE and Snecma, for example, spend $2bn annually on research and development. Of course, it will take decades after entry-into-service of these new aircraft for the current and previous generations to phase out, so this only increases the environmental pressure to get the new designs ‘right’. The A320neo will go some way toward satisfying the airlines’ and environmentalists’ demands

in the interim; however Boeing is intent on focusing on a full-scale replacement rather than bringing out an upgraded 737. It is a highstakes game which is reflected in the strategies of the engine manufacturers as they seek to get their engines on board the new aircraft programmes.

CFM looks to the open rotor CFM’s advanced new turbofan engine, LEAP-X, has been selected to power the A320neo as well as the new COMAC C919. It has been designed to use up to 15 per cent less fuel and emit 16 per cent fewer CO2 emissions compared to the manufacturer’s CFM56 engine. It will also see a 50 per cent margin improvement in NOx emissions compared to ICAO’s current CAEP/6 requirements and 10–15dB lower noise compared to current Chapter 4 requirements. The engine utilises a larger fan which will increase the bypass ratio from today’s 5:1 to more than 10:1.

Among the other technical advances, thermal efficiency will be improved in the core and the engine’s overall pressure ratio will be increased.

Advanced materials technology will also be used, particularly in the fan, in order to reduce weight. Chahrour estimates that the combination of the 3-D woven resin transfer moulding fan (RTM) and composite fan case, for example, will reduce weight by 1,000 pounds per aircraft compared to the same size fan built using titanium or other metals.

With more than 20 years of development and 400 million hours of experience in its design, the Pratt & Whitney PurePower® Geared Turbofan™ engine has, without a doubt, arrived. Four years of vigorous tests include fan drive gear testing equivalent to 40,000 takeoffs and landings, as well as unprecedented in-flight tests under extreme conditions. All to ensure the highest levels of reliability and performance on delivery day one - now scheduled for 2013.

While reducing fuel burn, operating costs, emissions and noise levels. Learn more at PurePowerEngines.com.

It’s in our power.™

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

How do open rotor engines work?

The open rotor would have to be designed in direct collaboration with the airframer. You have to look at where to install the engines to minimise weight and drag. You also have to consider maintenance access; certification requirements; the impact a more complicated engine will have on reliability; public perception; etc. With all of these issues still to be resolved, we don’t see an open rotor engine entering service until around the year 2030.

—Chaker Chahrour, executive vice president, CFM International

26 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

While fuel burn was a priority in the engine’s design phase, it “cannot” be the only one, according to Chahrour. “Quality, time on wing, and maintenance costs are very big drivers,” he states. “Each technology we evaluated must go through this filter; if a technology is not yet mature enough to ensure reliability out of the box, it won’t go in the LEAP-X engine.” The first full engine will be tested in early 2013, and engine certification is also scheduled for that year. Both the C919 and the A320neo are scheduled for entry into service in 2016.

The engine will provide important savings in a relatively short period of time as it powers the upgraded A320, but these will not be sufficient to satisfy environmentalists in the longterm. CFM recognises that the traditional turbofan design can only go so far. Its long-term hope is an engine based on the open rotor architecture (see box), however, given that there are still challenges to overcome, the company’s official line is that this architecture is merely “one solution” for minimising the environmental trade-offs.

Chahrour says the entire gamut of environmental considerations influence the company’s designs. “Public perception is too varied to try to accommodate everyone’s preference — what you are about depends on where you live,” he says. “That’s why we focus on where global and local regulations are today, and where we think they will go.” In terms of overcoming the environmental trade-offs, he states: “Today, we

Open rotor technologies offer the potential for significant reductions in fuel burn and CO2 emissions relative to turbofan engines of equivalent thrust. Higher propulsive efficiencies are achieved for turbofans by increasing the bypass ratio through increases in fan diameter but there is a diminishing return to this improvement as nacelle diameters and consequently weight and drag increase. Open rotor engines remove this limitation by operating the propeller blades without a surrounding nacelle, thus enabling ultra high bypass ratios to be achieved. Further improvements in propulsive efficiency can be gained for open rotor engines by using a second row of propeller blades rotating in opposition to the front row to remove the spin from the column of air to give a more direct thrust. source: Rolls-Royce

know that we can mitigate some of this; we have to see what the future brings to determine whether we can eventually overcome it.”

With the timing of all-new single-aisle aircraft moving to the right, the company is keenly aware that the requirements for those aircraft will be “even more stringent”. At least this gives it more time to develop open rotor technology.

For the past two years, the company has been running wind tunnel tests in the US in conjunction with NASA, as well as in France and in Russia, with “very good” results. The company is using flight test data gathered from GE’s experimental open rotor programme in the late 1980s. The GE36 or UDF (Unducted Fan), managed to lower fuel burn significantly — but the problem of noise could not be overcome.

“While we know the technology is very promising, delivering as much as a 25 per cent fuel burn improvement versus today’s best engines,

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

there are some challenges,” concedes Chahrour. “Basically, we know how to install a turbofan, so we can develop it separately from the airplane and then do joint integration work.

However, the open rotor would have to be designed in direct collaboration with the airframer. You have to look at where to install the engines to minimise weight and drag.” If an installation were to be performed incorrectly, it might negate the entire performance gain. “You also have to consider maintenance access; certification requirements; the impact a more complicated engine will have on reliability; public perception; etc. With all of these issues still to be resolved, we don’t see an open rotor engine entering service until around the year 2030.”

A proof-of-concept open rotor engine is scheduled to be flight-tested in 2015 on an Airbus A340, but Nuttall comments that this engine will still be “a whole programme away” from an engine ready to go into service. This is primarily due to the installation challenges already outlined by CFM’s Chahrour. Three sets of annual rig tests have already been completed, which Nuttall says showed the architecture complied with Chapter 4 legislation. The company will perform a set of rig tests on the engine’s power gearbox before the middle of this year, at Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ gear-

box-testing rig facility in Japan, while further rig tests will be conducted in the third quarter of this year, testing a “more optimised” design.

The manufacturer is also leading the DREAM (valiDation of Radical Engine Architecture systeMs) project, which is seeking to mature advanced, environmentally-friendly engines utilising the skills of 44 partners derived from 13 countries. The programme has a stated target of reducing specific fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by at least 27 per cent, and community noise by 9dB cumulative, compared with the current Y2000 turbofan engines. Under this

Pushing and pulling Rolls-Royce is also pursuing open rotor designs, with Robert Nuttall, vice president of strategic marketing at the company, going so far as to state that such an architecture will prove to be the only “genuine” game-changer.

In the nearer-term future, the engine maker is simultaneously developing its ‘Advance2’ twoshaft and ‘Advance3’ three-shaft turbofans, both based on the Trent powerplant and scheduled for a 2017 or 2018 entry into service.

However, the company believes it can utilise most of this technology on the open rotor, making the transition to the longer-term architecture much easier.

The British engine maker is a little more optimistic than CFM about the timeframe the open rotor will be available, putting an entry into service date at 2023-2025, although Nuttall concedes that this date is determined more by the need for a new aircraft specifically designed to be powered by an open rotor, than by the engine itself.

The bypass ratio of the open rotor engine will be a staggering 50 to 1. Nuttall says that it will be about 10 per cent more fuel efficient than any new advanced turbofan that was designed for the 2023-25 timeframe. Most boldly of all, Nuttall claims that the Rolls-Royce open rotor will be approximately 15 per cent more fuel-efficient than the 2025 versions of the LEAP-X or Pratt & Whitney’s PW1000G, based, he says, on the designs that go into service in the 2013-2016 timeframe.

The manufacturer is looking at both pusher and puller configurations for the open rotor.

“The pusher is harder, because the exhaust goes underneath the blades,” says Nuttall.

Because of this difficulty, the company is investing more time in working on this design, with Nuttall regarding the puller configuration as “a sub-set of the pusher” in terms of design requirement.

❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙ 27

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

How does the geared turbofan work?

MTU Aero Engine’s Dr Erich Steinhardt, senior vice president technology, reveals all: Unlike a conventional turbofan engine the gear allows the decoupling of the low spool components so that the fan, low pressure compressor and low pressure turbine can run at their individual optimum speeds. To provide best efficiency and lowest noise, the fan needs to run at minimum speeds, whereas the low pressure compressor and turbine need to maximise the speeds in order to maximise power transmission with minimum stage count and maximum component efficiency. MTU supports Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan for future applications and according to the actual programme share, MTU has established a comprehensive technology roadmap for its high speed low pressure turbine and high pressure compressor.

project, new technology is being tested, including new mid-frame structures, active and passive engine systems intended to reduce vibrations, and active turbine control. These technologies would not only support the development of future open rotor engines, but also more traditional ducted turbofan engines.

Geared turbofan — a balanced solution?

Pratt & Whitney, meanwhile, is banking its future on an entirely different engine architecture — the geared turbofan (see box) — whose first incarnation is set to receive certification next year. The PurePower PW1000G, like the LEAP-X, has been selected for the A320neo, in addition to the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, the Bombardier CSeries, and the Irkut MC-21.

According to the manufacturer, the engine offers single aisle aircraft a 16 per cent fuel burn benefit, 20 per cent lower maintenance

28 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

costs, a 50 per cent reduction in emissions relative to today’s most stringent regulations, and a more than 50 per cent decrease in noise levels.

The geared turbofan architecture will be modified and improved as time goes by, providing “a strong baseline for additional technology insertion, which will enable further improvements in engine operating cost over the next decade,” says Paul Finklestein, VP marketing at Pratt & Whitney. This is perhaps the key point: as technology advances, we will see even better performance in future applications, just as traditional turbofans have improved over time.

“A consequent improvement of the current geared turbofan will be available around 2020 supporting new airplanes by Boeing and at a later date Airbus,” confirms MTU’s Steinhardt.

“Improvements will come from new technologies enhancing component efficiencies as well as introducing new materials.”

The geared turbofan is a radical new concept. “PurePower engines with geared turbofan architecture enable an optimised solution across all thrust ranges,” comments Finklestein. “With our scaleable core, we can select the optimum fan diameter and gear ratio to maximise the overall engine efficiency and bypass ratio.” He says the reason that conventional turbofans have to make compromises to increase performance is “simple”, and that PurePower has overcome these limitations.

“For best performance and lowest noise, the fan blades have to turn relatively slowly. For best performance, the turbines that drive them need to turn relatively fast. This incompatibility is solved not by compromising the speed of both, but rather by utilising a gear to allow each to turn at optimum speeds.”

Finklestein says the geared turbofan is demonstrating 16 per cent better fuel burn today, and the architecture “will realise fuel

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

The Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1524G geared turbofan is tested at the company's West Palm Beach, Florida, location. burn reductions of 25 per cent or more by the next decade” — matching CFM’s estimates for the open rotor, but with a noise reduction advantage. For Pratt & Whitney, therefore, the environmental trade off between noise and emissions does not exist; it has already overcome it. Finklestein says the company was not willing to “sacrifice today’s noise performance for better fuel burn”. Instead, he makes this bold claim: “The PurePower PW1000G engine is a complete and balanced solution to significantly improve fuel burn, while improving engine noise, environmental emissions, and operating cost — without the tradeoffs that come with other engine concepts.”

Finklestein is also sceptical about the open rotor concept, and is not sure that such an engine will ever see the light of day. “From a theoretical performance perspective, they are enticing, but when one actually installs them on an aircraft, there are tremendous performance

and noise disadvantages,” he states. “We don’t believe that communities that have invested so much time and energy in lowering noise to today’s levels will be satisfied with the status quo — or worse.” He is also quick to point out that while the open rotor is still only “on the drawing board, our engine is real, is in development, and has been flight tested”.

MTU’s Steinhardt is equally optimistic about the future. “The geared turbofan engines follow a family approach; the engines as well as the high pressure compressor and high speed low turbines will meet aggressive design targets at low risks,” he states. “Therefore, the geared turbofan not only is the better technical concept but has an advantage in time and maturity by at least two years over the competitor.”

Conclusion While CFM and Rolls-Royce believe that the open rotor will provide more fuel efficiency

than the geared turbofan; Pratt & Whitney and MTU claim the geared turbofan can achieve the same rate whist being dramatically quieter. Although Pratt & Whitney is the only manufacturer fully committed to an existing architecture, it awaits advances in technology for the engine to get to the required level of around 25 per cent fuel burn improvement over today’s engines. The other manufacturers are still working hard on research and development, and are at an early testing phase.

All the while, the dual and contrasting environmental challenges loom: at what point will the environmental trade-off be made — and can we really get to a level where the issue becomes irrelevant and all parties are happy?

Or, as it has often been, will different solutions have to suit different needs — within imposed environmental targets, of course.

The technological challenge facing the engine makers is not one for the faint-hearted.

■

❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙ 29

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

Airframe heavy maintenance directory — Asia, Africa & the Middle East Company

Contact details

Aircraft

Checks

Facilities

Specialist capabilities

Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT)

Kirubel Tegene VP sales and marketing Abu Dhabi International Airport PO Box 46450 Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 2 505 7226 Fax: +971 2 575 7263 E-mail: kabebe@adat.ae

737 NG 747-100/-200 747-300/-400 757 767 777 A300 A310 A319/A320/A321 A330 A340 L-1011

D A, B A D D D D D D D D D

550,000m2 facilities area 14 w/b maintenance bays 2 w/b paint bays : 2 Hangar 1 (12800m ) Hangar 2 (4300m2) Hangar 2A (2600m2) Hangar 3 (2300m2) Hangar 3A (2400m2) Hangar 4 (9200 m2) Hangar 5 (7000m2) Hangar 6 (26000m2) 100,000lb engine test cell APU test bed

Avionics upgrades Cockpit upgrades Interiors upgrades/cabin refurbs.

Full strip and repaint Ageing a/c progammes Corrosion prevention/control Sheetmetal repairs Machining/plating/welding Composite repairs Engine overhauls Component overhauls Fuel leak repairs NDT Engineering services Inventory management Line maintenance Logistics support Training

Air India

KM Unni SBU - head (airframe ) National Aviation Company of India (formerly Air India) Santa Cruz (E) Mumbai India 400 029 Tel: +91 22 2626 5400 Fax: +91 22 2615 7172

737-800 747-200/300/400 777-200/300 A300B4 A310-300

A-C A-D A-C A-D A-D

4 w/b bays 24,784m2 hangar and bay area 179 licensed airframe engineers

Strip and paint (same hangar) Modifications Structural and comp. repairs Avionics and accessories

Air New Zealand Engineering Services

Jim Campbell Manager, commercial PO Box 53098 Auckland International Airport New Zealand Tel: +64 9 256 3766 Fax: +64 9 256 3530 E-mail: james.campbell@airnz.co.nz

727 737 747 767 777 A320 ATR 42/72 C-130/P3 Orion

A-D A-D A-C A,C A-C A-D A-D SDLM

4 w/b, 3 n/b (Auckland) 1 w/b, 6 n/b (Christchurch) 1,200 licensed engineers

Strip and paint Avionics upgrades Maj. structural reps (lap joints) Full cabin refurbishment BBJ green a/c completion centre Retrofit IFE installations EOLs Comprehensive component and support-workshops

Air Pacific Engineering & Maintenance

Thomas Robinson GM, engineering Private Mail Bag Nadi Airport Fiji Islands Tel: +679 673 7171 Fax: +679 672 6235 E-mail: thomas.robinson@airpacific.com

737NG 747-400 (PW4056) 767-300 (CF6-80C2) ATR42-500 DHC-6

A,B A,B A,B A,B A-C

1 hangar 3,384m2 34 licensed engineers 32 ames

Alsalam Aircraft

PO Box 8012 Riyadh 11482 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Tel: +966 1 220 3966 ext. 324 Fax: +966 1 220 0199 www.alsalam.aero

707 727 737 747 A300 L-1011 MD-90

A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D Modifications

3 w/b hangars (747 size) 15,900m2 total hangar space

Composite repairs Avionics upgrades CPCP Ageing a/c inspections IFES retrofit Full cabin refurbishment VIP interior design 747 pylon modifications 747 section 41 Strip and paint

Ameco Beijing

PO Box 563 Capital Airport Beijing 100621 PR China Tel: +86 10 6456 1122 ext. 4100/4101 Fax: +86 10 6456 1823 E-mail: sales@ameco.com.cn

737 747 767-200ER /-300 777 A330 A340

A-D A-D A,C, D C incl. struct. checks A-C 8C

87,000m2 hangar space 9 w/b 7 n/b

CPCP, strip and paint Avionics upgrades Hushkitting Full cabin refurbishment VIP cabin modifications Comprehensive component, engine shops and LDG overhauls, Sheet metal repairs; Composite repairs, Fuel tank repairs, ARC repairs Spring Beam Zero-time overhauls (747) 747 section 41 Pylon modifications (747/767) Blended winglet modifications (767-300) Body station 246 floor beam modifications (767/777) SATCOM modifications (747/767) Synchro lock modifications (737/747/777) Cockpit, cabin and IFE upgrades (747) Radome overhauls (737/747/767/777) Cabin sidewall panel relaminating (737/747/767/777)

30 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

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ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

Airframe heavy maintenance directory — Asia, Africa & the Middle East (cont...)

Company

Contact details

Aircraft

Checks

Facilities

Specialist capabilities

Arkia Israeli Airlines Aircraft Maintenance

Nir Dagan CEO Dov Airport PO Box 39301 Tel Aviv 61392 Israel Tel: +972 3 690 2278 Fax: +972 3 699 1390 E-mail: nird@arkia.co.il

ATR 42/72 Embraer 190/195 B-200 DHC 7 BD-700 (Global 5000) Challenger 300, 604, 605 Citation XL, 1, 2, 3, Bravo Falcon 2000 Gulfstream GIV, SP, GX, XRS Hawker 800XP

A-D A, basic 6,000-hour A-C A-D A-C A-C A-C A-C A-C A-C

1 w/d 6 n/b 3,000m2

Refurbishment Heavy Maintenance Bombardier AOG/line station Dassault ASC

Bedek Aviation Group Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)

Jack Gaber Corp dep VP & GM mktg & business dev - IAI/Bedek Aviation Group Ben Gurion International Airport Israel 70100 Tel: +972 3 935 3090 Fax: +972 3 935 9316 E-mail: bedek@iai.co.il

707 727 737 747 757 767 777 A320/321/319 A330 A340 DC-10 MD-11 MD-80

A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D

7 w/b hangars (5*747 or A340+3*767/MD11) 5 n/b hangars (10 aircraft) 422,300m2

Cargo conversions 737/747/767 Avionics upgrades 747/757/767 pylon mods 747 section 41 Strip and paint Composite repairs Full cabin refurbishments Ageing a/c modifications APUs Landing gears Components for commercial & military a/c including: Hydraulics Wheels and brakes CSD, IDG

China Airlines International

Paul Tai VP, maintenance division Taoyuan International Airport Taoyuan Taiwan 33758 Tel: +886 3 398 7250 Fax: +886 3 398 7396 E-mail: paul_tai@email.china-airlines.com

737-800 747 A300-600 A320/A321 A340-300 A330 ERJ190/195 MD-11

A-D A-D A-C A-C A-C A-C A-D A-D

3 hangars 6 bays 142,000m2 Hangar capacity: 5 w/b or 10 n/b 860 licensed engineers

Strip and paint 747 pylon upgrades 747 section 41 Full cabin refurbishment CPCP REI system installation FAR 145, EASA 145,CAR 145 Engine and APU overhauls/repairs

EgyptAir

Cairo International Airport 707-300 Cairo 737-500 Egypt 747-300 Tel: +20 2 696 4842 777-200 Fax: +20 2 696 4896 A300 E-mail: marketing_tech@egyptair.com.eg A320/321 A330 A340-200

A-D A-D A-D A-C A-D A-D A-C A-C

4 w/b bays 3 n/b bays 20,000m2 hangar space 350 airframe engineers Engine test cell Components shop Avionics shop Powerplant shop

Modifications Strip and paint Structural and comp. repairs

EL AL TECH/EL AL Israel Airlines

Eli Uziel 737NG Marketing and sales manager 747-200/400 PO Box 41 757 Ben Gurion Airport, 70100 767 Israel 777 Tel: +972 3 971 7278 Fax:+972 3 971 7205 E-mail: uziele@elal.co.il or mro@elal.co.il www.elaltech.com

A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D

3 bays, 20,000 m2 Engine shop Hydraulic shop Avionics shop Structure shop Components shop

Logistics support Engineer support mods Avionics, engine build up, composites and hydraulics workshops Line maintenance and tailor made solutions FAR 145, EASA 145, CAAI, CAAN, FAA ISO9001:2000

32 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

Airframe heavy maintenance directory — Asia, Africa & the Middle East (cont...)

Company

Contact details

Aircraft

Checks

Facilities

Specialist capabilities

Ethiopian Airlines

Zemene Nega Senior vice president Ethiopian MRO PO Box 1755 Addis Ababa Ethiopia Tel: +251 115 178130/178704 Fax: +251 116 651200 E-mail: zemenen@ethiopianairlines.com

737 757 767 777 MD-11 Q400 F50

A-D A-D A-D A-C A-C A-D A-D

W/b hangar N/b hangar Light and turbo prop hangar Modern engine overhaul workshop and engine test-cell Different components maintenance workshops 767/757 and 737NG flight simulators Aviation Academy for pilots, technicians, cabin crew, finance and marketing training

Strip and paint Avionics upgrades Composite repairs Modifications Engine overhauls Component overhauls Full cabin refurbishment

Evergreen Aviation Technologies (EGAT)

Kin Chong Senior VP Business coordination division Evergreen Aviation Technologies 6 Harng-Jann South Road Tayuan Taoyuan Hsien 33758 Taiwan, ROC Tel: +886 3 351 9653 Fax: +886 3 393 1039 E-mail:kinchong@egat.com.tw

747-300/400 767-200/300 A319/A320/A321 A330 Dash-8 DC-10 MD-11 MD-90

A-D A-C A-C A-C A-C A-C A-C A-C

Hangar 1: 3 w/b bays for 3 aircraft; floorspace: 12,900m2 Hangar 2: 2 w/b bays, 2 n/b bays; floorspace: 11,000m2 Hangar 3: 2 w/b bays; floorspace: 10,000m2 Hangar 4: 1 n/b bay; floorspace: 2,000m2

Airframe modifications 767/747 pylon modifications Full cabin refurbishment Insulation blanket replacement CPCP Strip and paint Avionics upgrades Section 41 skin replacement Wing skin replacement Structural repairs Winglet modifications

Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company (GAMECO)

Bob Peng Director, commercial department Baiyun International Airport Guangzhou 510470 PR China Tel: +86 20 8612 4441 Fax: +86 20 8664 1529 E-mail: pengbo@gameco.com.cn

737 747 757 767 777 A300 A319/A320/A321 A330 ERJ145

A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-C A-D A-C A-C

1 hangar 96,000m2 4 w/b bays 1 dedicated painting bay

Avionics upgrades Composite repairs CPCP Interior refurbishment SBs, ADs and modifications Structural repairs Cargo conversions

Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO)

Summit Chan Commercial director 80 South Perimeter Road Hong Kong International Airport Lantau Hong Kong Tel: +852 2767 6056 Fax: +852 2333 4514 E-mail: summit.chan@haeco.com

737NG 747-200/300/400 Pax a/c 747 freighter series 757 767-300/400 777-200/300; 777ER A300-600 A320/321 A330-200/300 A340-300/500/600

A,C,D A,C,D A,C,D A,C,D A,C,D A,C,D A,B A,C A,C A,C

3 hangars 40,900m2 (hangar only) 8 inner bays (full in) 3 nose-in bays (full with tail enclosure) 6 frontal bays 2 cabin bays

1. Airframe maintenance: Comprehensive maint. checks Structural repairs Ageing aircraft inspection/CPCP Full support shops 2. Cabin reconfiguration 3. Component and avionics overhauls 4. Line maintenance 5. Cabin maintenance/ management 6. Fleet tech. management 7. Inventory tech. management 8. Technical training

Jordan Aircraft Maintenance Ltd (JorAMCo)

Martin Assmann General manager marketing and sales Marketing and Sales PO Box 39328 Queen Alia International Airport Amman 11104 Jordan Tel: + 962-6-445 1445 Fax: + 962-6-445 1186 Mobile: + 962-797500530 E-mail: sales@joramco.com.jo

727 737 A300-600 A310 A320-family A330 A340 E170/175 E190/195 L-1011

A-D A-D all lvls all lvls all lvls all lvls all lvls A-D A-D A-D

Up to 13 aircraft simultaneously 28,100m2 of hangars 10,440m2 of engineering buildings 2,600m2 of support shops 800m2 of paint shops 400 “A” and “P” licensed airframe and engine engineers

SBs, ADs Modifications Structural repairs Full strip and paint Aircraft polishing Interiors VIP refurbishment Cabin refurbishment Composite repairs Sheet metal shop Component backshops Wheels and brakes CPCP Engineering services Material management NDT up to Level 3 Line maintenance EASA training academy

Korean Air Maintenance & Engineering

YM Song General manager MRO 1370, Gonghang-Dong Gangseo-Gu Seoul, Korea Tel: +82 2 2656 3007 Fax:+82 2 2656 8120 E-mail: selmph@koreanair.com

737NG 747 777 A300-600 A330

A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D

Incheon: 2 w/b and 1 n/b (1 hangar) Seoul: 2 w/b and 1 n/b (1 hangar) Pusan: 1 w/b (1 paint hangar), 1 w/b (1 hangar), 2 w/b (1 hangar)

Strip and paint Composite shop Components Avionics and accessories HMV, CPCP, NDT, modifications Structural repair, full cabin refurbishment Engine overhauls, APU overhauls Approvals: Heavy and/or line maintenance KCASA, EASA, FAA, CAAS, THAI-DCA, MCAA, DGAC, DCA

.

to to to to to

“10-12Y” “10-12Y” “10-12Y” “10-12Y” “10-12Y”

❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

33

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

Airframe heavy maintenance directory — Asia, Africa & the Middle East (cont...)

Company

Contact details

Aircraft

Checks

Facilities

Specialist capabilities

Lufthansa Technik Philippines

Dominik Wiener-Silva VP marketing and sales Lufthansa Technik Philippines MacroAsia Special Economic Zone Villamor Air Base, Pasay City Philippines Tel: +632 855 9310 Fax: +632 855 9309 E-mail: sales@ltp.com.ph

747-400 767-300 777-200/300 A319/A320/A321 A330-200/300 A340-200/300/600

A,C A A A,C,D A,C,D A,C,D

5-bay hangar - 26,000m2 Support shops - 27,000m2

Fleet management Aircraft painting Component support Engineering services NDT Engine supp. for CFM56 series, CF6-80 series, PW4000, RR Trent 500/700, IAE V2500 Cabin reconfig. and refurbs.

Backshop capabilities (wheels and brakes, calibration, laundry, mechanical, pneumatics, anodizing, electromechanical, laboratory, rescue and safety, lamination, seat and upholstery, cabin equipment, galley and lavatory, ULD) Personnel assignment

MAS Engineering and Maintenance (Malaysia Airlines)/ MAE (Malaysian Aerospace Engineering)

Chan Kum Piew Vice president MAS Engineering and Maintenance 4th Floor, Hangar 3 MAS complex A-AA1204 Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport 47200 Malaysia Tel: +60 3 7840 3547 Fax: +60 3 7846 3797 E-mail: kpchan@malaysiaairlines.com

ATR 42/72 F50 737 series 747 767 777 A320 family A330 A340

A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D

6 hangars 10 w/b bays 14 n/b bays

Blended winglet installations 737 cargo conversions 737 lap joint modifications 747 pylon modifications Cabin interior refurbs/upgrades IFE VIP cabin refurbishment Charter refurbishment/mods Aircraft ‘Boutique’ painting PBTH maintenance Component reps and overhauls Monogram rep. stn - toilet assy Landing gear overhauls - F50 & 737

Pakistan International Airlines

Chief engineer, Engineering business development PIA Quaid-e-Azam International Airport Karachi 75200 Pakistan Tel: +92 21 99043574 Fax: +92 21 9242104 E-mail: engg.business@piac.aero or dce.sales@piac.aero

737-300/-400 747-200 747-300 777-200/-300 A300B4 A310-300 ATR 42-500

A-D A,C,D A-D A,C A-D A,C,D A-D

2 w/b and 6 n/b

Cabin refurbishment Accessories, engine, avionics installations Modifications, overhauls and repairs Strip and paint

Qantas Airways

Gavin Arnott Manager planning, Aircraft maintenance services QANTAS Jet base., 203 Coward Street, Mascot, NSW, 2020 Australia Tel: +61 2 9691 9319 Fax: +61 2 9691 8282

737 747 767 A330

A-D A-D A-D A,B

9w/b lines and 2 n/b lines (Sydney) Full range of cabin refurbs, with dedicated docking engine & airframe maint. scvs Commercial business 58,896m2 5 n/b lines and 1 w/b line (Melbourne) with dedicated docking 29, 850m2 3 w/b lines (Avalon Victoria) with dedicated docking 35,335 m2 3 w/b lines and 1 n/b line (Brisbane) with dedicated docking 38,150 m2 1 n/b line (Adelaide)

Royal Brunei Airlines

Tan Siow Phing EVP engineering PO Box 737 Bandar Seri Begawan BS8671 Brunei Darussalam Tel: +673 2 330 737 Fax: +673 2 330 845 E-mail: sptan@rba.com.bn

767-200/-300 A319/A320

A-D A-D

Two hangars with full docking systems Major reps and modifications 415 engineers, 116 licensed engineers Wheels and brakes EASA Part 145 Structural repairs 757/767 pylon modifications Avionics upgrades Full cabin refurbishment Composite repairs NDT inspection to level 3 Strip and paint Training/EASA part 147 Machining and platings

SIA Engineering Company

Bajin Singh VP mktg and sales 06-M Hangar 2 31 Airline Rd Singapore 819831 Tel: +65 6541 6794 Fax: +65 6545 1257

747 777 A300-600 A310 A319/A320/A321 A330 A340 A380

A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-C

6 hangars (49,700m2) Capacity up to 9 w/b

34 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

Airframe, component and engine MRO Engineering services Sheet metal Corrosion prevention/control Composite repairs Strutural testing, NDT Painting/stripping Cargo conversions (747-400) Cabin modifications, Satcoms/IFE, VIP 747 pylon modifications 747 section 41 Line maint., technical handling and fleet management Engine wash AOG recovery Training

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

Airframe heavy maintenance directory — Asia, Africa & the Middle East (cont...)

Company

Contact details

Aircraft

Checks

Facilities

Specialist capabilities

ST Aerospace in Shanghai

Tan Jiak Kwang Director, corporate affairs Shanghai Technologies Aerospace Co Ltd Hongqiao International Airport Hong Qiao Road 2550 Airport Road 3 Shanghai 200335, China Tel: +86 21 511 88298 Fax: +86 21 5118 8264 E-mail: tanjk@stengg.com www.staero.aero

737 A300 A310 A319/A320/A321 A340 Airframe conversions MD-11 MD-80 MD-90

A,C,D A,C,D A,C,D A,C,D A,C,D A,C,D A,C,D A,C,D

3 w/b and 1 n/b Line maintenance

Fleet standardisation Base maintenance Heavy maintenance Cabin int. refurbs and upgrades Avionics systems upgrades and modifications Complete exterior strip & paint Structural inspection, repairs and modifications Ageing aircraft inspection and modifications Interior retrofit and reconfig.

Corrosion prevention and control programme Escape slide inspection, repairs and overhauls Onsite parts fabrication

ST Aerospace (Singapore and China)

Ambrose William Senior vp, corporate marketing 540 Airport Road Paya Lebar Singapore 539938 Tel: +65 6287 1111 Fax: +65 6280 8213 E-mail: mktg.aero@stengg.com www.staero.aero

727 737 747 757 767 777 A300 A310 A319/A320/A321 A330 A340 DC-8 DC-9 DC-10 MD-11 MD-80 MD-90 CRJ-100/200 ERJ-135/145 F50 ATR 42/72 Learjet 35/45 Cessna C-130/L-382 Gulfstream G550

A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A, B

28 w/b & 39 n/b hangar bays globally 1) Light maintenance 2) Line maintenance 3) Heavy maintenance 4) Struct. repairs, inspection & modifications 5) Ageing a/c modifications 6) Boeing 767-300BCF pax-to-freighter conversions 7) Boeing 757-200SF pax-tofreighter conversions STC 8) Boeing 757-200 pax-topax/cargo (combi) conversions 9) MD-11BCF pax-to-freighter conversions 10) Boeing 767 winglet mods 11) Boeing 737 winglet mods 12) Boeing 747 section 41 and pylon modifications 13) VIP aircraft conversions 14) A/c interiors reconfig/refurbs 15) Boeing 747 section 41 and pylon modifications 16) Stage 3 hush kit installations and re-engine modifications 17) Corrosion prevention and control programme 18) Fleet standardisation 19) Complete exterior strip and paint 20) Technical records 21) Maintenance control 22) Design engineering 23) Avionics systems upgrade and modifications 24) Systems development 25) LOPA development 27) Return lease checks

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â?™ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 â?™

35

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

Airframe heavy maintenance directory — Asia, Africa & the Middle East (cont...)

Company

Contact details

Aircraft

Checks

Facilities

Specialist capabilities

South African Airways Technical

Ismail Randeree Senior exec mgr, tech sales and mktg Room 309, 3rd Floor, Hangar 9, Technical OR Tambo International Airport Kempton Park, Gauteng South Africa 1620 Tel: +27 11 978 9993 Fax: +27 11 978 9994 E-mail: SATMarketing@flysaa.com www.flysaa.com/saa_technical

737 747 A319 A340

A-D A-D A-D A-D

8 w/b 6 n/b 84,555m2 hangar space Shops: avionics, battery, composite, compressed gas, electrics, engine build-up, GSE, instrument, landing gears, paint, plating, sheet metal Engine test cell, NDT, wheels & brakes, autoclave

Airframes, engines, APUs, components Other services: Ageing aircraft programmes A/c cleaning, recovery, weighing Avionics upgrades, calibration Boeing pylon modifications Cabin noise reduction, hushkitting Windows/transparencies Cockpit layouts, interiors, satcoms/IFE Composite and fuel tank reps Corrosion prevention/control, rewinding Engine health, re-engining, engineering Hydrostatic and structural testing, NDT Inventory management Lease/sale/exchange Line maint., logistics support Parking/storage Machining/plating, materials processing Sheet metal, shot peening, strip/paint Passenger-to-freighter/tanker conversions VIP refitting/refurbishment Training

SriLankan Airlines

Priyantha Rose Head of engineering Engineering and Maintenance Dept.

B.I. Airport Katunayke Sri Lanka Tel: +94 1 9733 2013 Fax: +94 1 9733 5255 E-mail: prose@srilankan.aero

A320 A330 A340

A-D A-D A-D

2-bay hangar 1 w/b and 1 n/b EASA 145 approved maint. facility EASA 147 approved training facility

Strip and paint Avionics upgrades Composite and structural reps Cabin refurbishments Line maintenance

Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (TAECO)

Jacqueline Jiang Executive GM commercial 20 Dailiao Rd East Gaoqi International Airport Xiamen 361006 P.R. China Tel: +86 592 573 7621 Fax: +86 592 573 0214

737 747 757 767 777 A300-600 A310 A319/A320/A321 A330 A340 MD-11

A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D A A A-D A-D A-D A-D

5 hangars 10 w/b bays and 4 n/b bays 1 more hangar under construction

Stuctural modifications Cabin refurbishment Avionics upgrades Strip and repaint Cargo Conversion: 737-300/ -400, 757 and 747-200/-300/-400 Line maintenance: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Xiamen Engineering design services Parts manufacturing Training services VIP cabin completion service NDT Calibration Heat treatment, plating

Thai Airways International

Bunloo Varasarin 737 Director technical mktg and sales dept 747 Technical Department 777 Suvarnabhumi Airport A300 Bangphli, Samut Prakarn 10540 A310 Thailand A330 Tel: +66(0)2 137 6300 A340 ATR72 Fax: +66(0)2 137 6942 Mobile: + 66(0)81 830 1540

A-D A-D A-C A-D A-D A-D A-D A-D

Donmueang (DMK) 5 hangars: 170,000m2 6 w/b bays 54 licensed engineers

Strip and paint 747 pylon modifications 747 section 41 modifications Full cabin refurbs/reconfig.

A300 frame 47 inspection and repairs Ageing a/c programme Avionics upgrades Skin replacements NDT

U-Tapao (UTP) 1 hangar: 240,000m2 2 w/b bays 1 n/b bay 11 licensed engineers Suvarnabhumi (SBIA) 1 hangar: 193,425m2 3 w/b bays 352 licensed engineers

N.B. Any companies not listed in this survey which wish to be included in future directories are asked to please contact joanne.perry@ubmaviation.com

36 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

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Inside job

The market for commercial aircraft-cabin refurbishment, reconfiguration and upkeep is big and growing, as is the separate but related market for VIP-aircraft completion and refurbishment.

Chris Kjelgaard found that while competition is keen, competitors for one deal may well be collaborators on another. hile orders for airframes and engines frequently grab the headlines in the air transport business, the market for refurbishing, reconfiguring and maintaining the cabins of commercial aircraft is large and keenly competitive, if often less-publicised. Add to that the separate but related market for interior completion and refurbishment of large VIP aircraft, and the dollars really start to stack up.

Estimates vary, but there is no question the market for refurbishment of commercial-aircraft cabins runs into billions of dollars per year. A new study commissioned by Bellingham, Washington-based Heath Tecna, a large interiorrefurbishment specialist and equipment manufacturer which is a subsidiary of the Premium Aircraft Interiors Group, suggests the market runs to at least $2bn annually. According to Gary Chris, Heath Tecna’s vice president of sales and marketing, the study also indicates that the inte-

W

Photograph by Patrick Delapierre.

38 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

rior-completion and refurbishment market for VIP versions of commercial narrowbodies and widebodies is worth at least $1bn annually.

These totals do not even take into account the smaller, but no less important, interiorrefreshment and daily cabin-upkeep jobs performed by a range of companies such as Manchester-based Airline Services Group (ASG). Its subsidiary Airline Services Limited (ASL) offers everything from line-maintenance of airliner cabins at 10 major UK airports to storage and management of components and spares for interiors for airline customers at Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester airports in the UK and Lagos in Nigeria. ASL also manufactures seat covers, carpets, curtains, a lowcost, digital, plug-in-and-play IFE server and replacement LCD screens.

One reason the market is so large is that “each time you phase out of or into an aircraft,

Aircraft Interior Solutions Care, Maintenance & Refurbishment IFE

Seats & Soft Furnishings Sidewall & Ceiling Panels Galley Ramp Services Design & Certification

Tel. +44 (0)161 495 6951 www.airline-services.com

SUPPORT FOR AIRLINES, LEASING COMPANIES & MROs

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

Heath Tecna technicians perform a refresh aboard a LAN Airlines 767.

A lot of it is about confidence in the company as a competent supplier and in its ability to do the job.

Relationship- and confidence-wise, customers must believe you can do it on-budget and on-time.

—Dan Hepworth, group sales and marketing director, Airline Services Group

40 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

there is an opportunity to perform a modification” to its interior, says Amar Chouaki, product support director at Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M). For instance, every time a lessor takes back an aircraft from a lease customer and places it with another airline, cabin-interior work will probably be needed.

Placement of new aircraft on their first leases also usually requires interior-modification work, notes Dan Hepworth, group sales and marketing director for ASG. Where a lessor might, say, have specified Weber seats for its aircraft, its airline lessee may instead have standardised on Recaro seats throughout its fleet and so the lessor’s seats need to be removed and stored. The airline lessee has to have its own standard seats installed and it will operate the aircraft with them until the termination of the lease, when they will have to be removed again and the lessor’s seats reinstalled so the aircraft can be returned meeting its original specification. “It happens surprisingly often,” says Hepworth. “A lot of refurbishment work takes place at lease-transition time.”

Then there are airlines’ own cabin refurbishments and reconfigurations. Airlines typically upgrade the seats, cabin furniture and/or in-flight entertainment equipment (IFE) systems in the cabins of their widebodies about every five/seven years, in order to remain competi-

tive with the latest long-haul cabin standards, according to Chouaki.

In the VIP-aircraft market, light refurbishment can be expected “continuously”, according to Chouaki. VIP customers will ask to change the fabrics and leathers in the interiors of their aircraft approximately every five years and will seek a major refurbishment — including replacement of seats, IFE upgrades and (nowadays) provision of broadband connectivity — about once a decade. A major refurbishment of a VIP aircraft can also involve a cabin reconfiguration.

Heath Tecna estimates that complete refurbishment of a commercial narrowbody’s interior can take about 3,000 hours to complete, while complete refurbishments of widebodies can take up to 8,000 hours, depending on the size of the aircraft involved. Installations of new premium-class cabins in widebodies can take 2,000 man-hours. Installing new IFE systems throughout a narrowbody aircraft can require just as much labour time — and installing a new IFE system throughout a widebody can take 5,000 hours.

With business-class double-seat units now costing from $100,000 to $130,000 and each single first-class suite costing as much as $250,000, premium-class refurbishments are a major job, says Chris. So heavy are today’s business-class seats that Qantas has created a tool specifically to help its maintenance engineers move its premium seats around without hurting themselves or damaging the equipment.

Reconfigurations and cabin refreshment Reconfiguration of aircraft cabins throughout a given fleet is a complex process; and is a job which doesn’t necessarily require installation of new equipment but does require extensive movement of seats, galleys and lavatories to other locations in each aircraft’s cabin. Chris says a fleet-wide reconfiguration programme normally requires two years to complete. Given the resources required for such programmes, a company which wins an airline’s reconfiguration contract for a fleet of a given aircraft model won’t necessarily be awarded the reconfiguration contracts for the carrier’s other fleet types. Several cabin-specialist companies might be working for a large airline at the same time, each reconfiguring a different fleet type.

Cabin-refreshment work — such as overhauling each seat on a narrowbody by cleaning it, tearing it down, giving it a new cover and cushion and replacing or repairing its IFE — requires less time to perform. Jobs are measured in the hundreds of hours per cabin rather

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

than the thousands of man-hours required for complete refurbishment of a narrowbody or widebody aircraft. That said, overhaul of the premium-class seating on a widebody can take more than a thousand man-hours, depending on how many premium-class seats the aircraft’s cabin contains, according to Hepworth.

VIP completions of commercial jets, which require handcrafted work, one-off furniture and systems designs and extraordinary attention to detail, involve far more labour time than any other interior job. A VIP completion for a narrowbody might require 16,000 man-hours, while completion of a large widebody might require five times as much work. Only a few companies — such as major MRO providers AFI KLM E&M and Lufthansa Technik and VIP-completion specialists such as Jet Aviation, AMAC and JorAMCo — are set up to handle the entire job themselves, though large aircraft-interior integrators and manufacturers such as Heath Tecna, Volant and Jamco America can work with MROs to provide turnkey VIP solutions.

inside with a few airlines,” he says. Although airlines always seek the lowest total cost of ownership for their cabin-interior work, the incumbent will know what it has to bid against.

“I don’t think we’ve done a programme without competition,” says Chris.

That said, the number of competitors bidding will depend on the job. For a whole-interior reconfiguration, says Chris, “there’s maybe only us and another company.” Overall, “there are probably only three or four real serious” players for whole-aircraft reconfigurations — and “they’re a different three or four depending on

the airline or the [aircraft] model.” For instance, he says, Lufthansa Technik doesn’t do Boeing reconfigurations, while Jamco America doesn’t handle Airbus work. C&D Zodiac, which designs and manufactures components such as IFE systems and is an engineering integrator for whole interiors, competes with Heath Tecna on contracts for completely new interiors, but doesn’t perform reconfigurations.

In many other cases airlines don’t send out tenders, but choose their suppliers directly because they already have relationships with them. Hepworth says this is particularly true of

A competitive market The cabin-interior refurbishment, reconfiguration and refreshments market is sufficiently large and diverse that it attracts dozens of companies. These range from small niche players through line-upkeep and cabin-refreshment specialists such as ASL, to large manufacturers and integrators such as Heath Tecna and Jamco America and major one-stop shops such as Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance. (The company also manufactures cabin-interior equipment for in-house carrier Air France and KLM and can also do so for thirdparty airlines, as well as providing MRO and aircraft-painting services.) Lufthansa Technik is in the same league as AFI KLM E&M. Other large airlines — Emirates, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, and Qantas among them — have extensive in-house capabilities.

The plethora of companies in the cabin-interiors business means the market for the three ‘R’s — refreshment, reconfiguration and refurbishment — is “always officially competitive”, says Chris. However, several factors can influence how the competition for a given contract pans out. One is the nature of the work involved. Many smaller companies are specialists in only one or two areas, according to Hepworth. “There are not many who provide a wide range of services,” and many large and wide-ranging contracts will only receive bids from a few large companies, he says.

In some cases airlines have to seek competitive bids for audit purposes, but in reality some large companies such as Heath Tecna are “basically incumbents” at certain airlines, according to Chris. “Effectively we have the

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❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

41

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

Airline Services Group subsidiary Airline Services Limited offers everything from line-maintenance of airliner cabins at 10 major UK airports to storage and management of components and spares for interiors.

In the commercial-aircraft market, customers always look for already-developed solutions and cabin furniture. Companies don’t want to test equipment for the first time on their own aircraft.

—Amar Chouaki, product support director, Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance

42 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

requirements which crop up at short notice and which involve smaller jobs or smaller companies. “A lot of it is about confidence [in the company] as a competent supplier and in its ability to do the job,” he says. “Relationshipand confidence-wise, [customers] must believe you can do it on-budget and on-time.”

“Definitely, the competition is tough both for commercial aircraft and for VIP aircraft,” says Chouaki. For commercial aircraft, “the ability to propose the best lead time, the best cost and an innovative technological solution, leading to a cost-efficient [overall] solution, is always a key success factor.” A good example of this is AFI KLM E&M’s contract to install new seats and a new seatback IFE system in four A430s operated by Royal Jordanian, according to Chouaki. “Our aim was to refurbish very quickly and propose an innovative solution for passengers,” he says.

Normally, lead times for IFE-system orders are from 14 to 16 months. But because Air France Industries teamed with C&D Zodiac — which provided a lighter-weight, seat-integrated system that Chouaki says is “much less expensive” than traditional systems, it was able to begin installing the new seats and new IFE system on the first A340 within 12 months of submitting the winning bid.

“In the commercial-aircraft market, customers always look for already-developed solutions and cabin furniture. Companies don’t want to test equipment for the first time on their own aircraft,” says Chouaki. In the VIP market, while “customers generally remain sensitive to cost and lead time”, the bespoke nature of their requirements means “they are often ready to accept some conditions, if the product meets their expectations better. They will accept more cost if the product fits their dream better.”

Geography may also influence competition, according to Hepworth. While ASL does business in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa and has leasing-company customers in North America, the majority of its work for its 120 or so airline customers is UK-based.

Similarly, he says, North American airlines tend to stick with North American interior-service providers, because there are so many of them.

Another factor is the size of the airline involved. Carriers such as United, Continental and Delta are so large that no one company is going to get all of their interior-refurbishment business. Although B/E Aerospace and Flight Structures Inc. have been incumbents as integrators at United, and Northwest Aerospace Technologies (NAT) has been the interior-engineering incumbent at Continental, none of these companies are likely to win all of the merged United Continental’s interior-refurbishment contracts.

Chris says Heath Tecna, which has been a United incumbent for overhead stowage bins, has just completed a “huge” refurbishment programme at Delta — but the airline employs six different engineering integrators for its cabin-interior work. “There’s so much work, they can’t give it all to one guy,” he says.

Heath Tecna is teaming with other integrators and suppliers to try to win more United cabin-furniture and cabin-commonality integration jobs, “to enhance United’s opportunities to get them done quicker,” says Chris. “This will happen a lot as airlines consolidate and get bigger, especially when there are mergers.” Similarly, Heath Tecna is in discussions with NAT — which is strong in the IFE and electrical-systems areas — to perform work for Continental, “because there’s too much work for one company,” says Chris. “So we team up on IFE.”

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

South Korean carrier Asiana offers another example of cabin-interiors companies co-operating. Heath Tecna has designed custom premium-class A380 cabin furniture for Korean Air and Qantas, but when the Bellingham company recently bid for premium-cabin work on Asiana’s A380s, its lack of wet-galley expertise persuaded Asiana to tell Heath Tecna to team with former sister company Sell. The German company, which provides the wet galleys, bars and showers for Emirates’ A380s, has been a specialist in aircraft galleys for more than 50 years. Zodiac Aerospace (the parent of C&D Zodiac) bought Sell from Heath Tecna’s parent Premium Aircraft Interiors in October.

In the case of Asiana, “we don’t have the experience, so we have to go out and find a good prospect for working together, to be in a stronger position,” says Chris. “In this industry, one day they’re your competitors, the next you’re working with them.”

Planning and preparation Planning and preparation for major cabin jobs such as refurbishments involves various considerations, prime among which is “finding downtime for the aircraft”, according to Hepworth. But first the integrator must understand exactly what the customer wants, a process that usually involves the integrator meeting several times with the airline or lessor in order to propose one or more solutions which will comply with the customer’s technical and design expectations, says Chouaki.

Once the customer chooses the design it wants, the integrator performs a survey of each aircraft involved to ascertain the status of their interiors, and agrees the findings with the customer. Then the integrator provides a design package which provides renderings and describes the interior features and functionalities involved in the job; and negotiates the budget, lead time and scope of work involved.

This negotiating phase takes from one to eight months for a commercial-aircraft job (averaging around six months) and usually about a year for a VIP-aircraft completion, says Chouaki.

When the customer and integrator agree on the detailed description of the work, the integrator provides a formal offer and if this is accepted the project is launched. For efficiency, the integrator dedicates a specific working team for the job. Airlines’ requirements are relatively standard, as is the work process for each commercial-aircraft job; but every VIP completion involves very specific industrial, supply, engineering and work-party processes. Every individual part in the VIP interior is protected carefully and when each item of furniture is constructed, a fit check is performed inside the aircraft to make sure there are no overlaps or gaps.

Then the items are returned to the back shops — usually located right around the VIP aircraft, which is contained within a secure perimeter in order to limit access — for their construction to be finalised. Because such care is taken, VIP completions of narrowbody aircraft usually take around 12 months and completions of widebodies usually take from 18 to 24 months depending on their size, according to Chouaki.

To manage the complex task of overseeing delivery schedules for long-lead time items such as IFE systems, the scope of work, the required design work and the roles and responsibilities expected from each supplier and the integrator, Heath Tecna agrees a “stage gate” system with the customer. Only when all conditions specified for each programme milestone are achieved does the programme move to the next stage. Integrators prefer to carry out major refurbishment or completion programmes during a ‘D’ check, but since these only occur every five or six years, the airline and integrator will often agree scheduling of a heavy ‘C’ check which provides enough aircraft downtime for the interior-refurbishment work to be completed.

■

A major MRO provider such as AFI KLM E&M is one of the few companies set up to handle the entire VIP completion of a commercial jet.

Photograph by Patrick Delapierre.

❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

43

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

Optimising access Docks, stands, steps, cranes, platforms: the range of access equipment to support aircraft maintenance can help make everything from routine inspections to specialised repairs and modifications safer and more efficient, says Bernard Fitzsimons. ocking systems have long provided access to hard-to-reach areas of airframes and equipment, particularly during heavy maintenance visits. New approaches can offer increased flexibility in the use of hangar space during shorter visits, while customised solutions can be useful to support specialised tasks.

CTI Systems believes line maintenance, where the aircraft mix is unpredictable and work needs to be completed quickly, is best served by roof-suspended teleplatforms and ground-mobile platforms — a combination the company has installed in a series of new hangars for Ameco Beijing, GAMECO and

D

44 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

STARCO in China as well as Malaysia Airlines in Kuala Lumpur.

Gerhard Reichert, manager of the group’s aviation branch, says the approach means clients are not constrained by bulky docking platforms: “Their philosophy is to have a clear area of hangar space available so they have the flexibility to accept any aircraft fleet mix with aircraft entry either nose-in or tail-in without moving heavy dock structures around.” Dock systems are confined to dedicated heavy maintenance bays where aircraft need to be parked for longer.

CTI offers all three types of equipment.

“Fixed dock systems still make sense for heavy

maintenance, where they provide simultaneous access to all required maintenance and overhaul areas,” Reichert says. “On the line maintenance side, for flexibilty we recommend roof-suspended teleplatforms which can provide access across the entire hangar area and to any elevated areas.”

Multidirectional scissor lifts provide access from the ground. CTI recently supplied five scissor lifts to Mideast Aircraft Services Company (MASCO) in Beirut: “They adopted our philosophy of having flexible platforms rather than fixed and designated dock platforms, especially when it comes to widebody aircraft,” Reichert comments. They are used for work up to C

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CTI Systems’ Gerhard Reichert, manager of the group's aviation branch, believes that while fixed dock systems still make sense for heavy maintenance, roof-suspended teleplatforms can prove more suited to line maintenance events. check level. “For C checks there might still be a need for wing docks or heavy tail docks, but for line maintenance they go only for flexible platforms either from the roof or from the ground,” he says.

Painting is another activity in which Reichert believes teleplatforms have major advantages over fixed docking. “It is clear that teleplatforms are the state of the art technology to approach aircraft during stripping and painting,” Reichert says. “With fixed dock systems you will not have a constant airflow around the aircraft.” Using fixed docking also means staff have to carry all their equipment onto the docks while wearing protective clothing and breathing masks.

For the new 108,000ft2 STTS paint hangar in Toulouse, built specifically for painting longrange Airbus aircraft, CTI supplied a combination of teleplatforms and roof suspended dock systems. The CTI solution also helped minimise the volume of air in the hangar, a cost issue in painting where constant temperature and humidity is required.

46 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

A lower roof design was chosen in order to minimise the hangar volume. That would have made it impossible to accommodate an A380, so the building was designed with two bridge cranes or tail docks adjustable in height to provide access to the upper fin area of an A380.

For smaller aircraft such as the A350, for which the hangar was initially designed, the teleplatforms allow access to the top of the fin.

CTI has also built fixed docks for the 777 and A320, among others. But, says Reichert, “our philosophy is to provide the entire spectrum of aircraft access equipment and to always offer the ideal solution”. He concludes: “Fixed platforms are fine for heavy maintenance, but we definitely promote teleplatforms and mobile platforms for line maintenance, as well as painting.”

Combination docks NIJL Aircraft Docking is doing a brisk trade in docks for the A320 and 737, according to Chris Emmink, who is responsible for business devel-

opment and sales at the company. Having completed two for SR Technics’ new operation in Malta, it is building two more for GMR in Hyderabad, India, and no fewer than eight for Turkish Technic’s Habom maintenance base in Istanbul.

The docks are not completely standardised, states Emmink: “Each operator uses the systems differently. So maybe 90 per cent of the docking systems could be standardised, but there are always some custom made special features such as height adjustment or big floors for storage.” They also tend to be mobile: “More and more we see that the MROs want to have every dock module on wheels.”

For the Habom project, NIJL is supplying docking systems dedicated to the 737 or A320 as well as combination docks designed to handle both types. “Some consist only of tail dock, some are tail, wing and nose docking systems, and some are complete including fuselage and engine docks,” says Emmink. “Some are height adjustable and some are fixed height, but everything is movable.”

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

The combination tail dock NIJL built last year for the Lufthansa Technik A380 line maintenance hangar at Frankfurt is fixed — “it is 27m high so it makes no sense to make it mobile,” Emmink says – but the 22m high MD-11 tail dock the company built in an adjacent hangar in 2005 is movable. “The special feature of that docking system is it has a lifting system for taking out the ‘second’ engine. It reduces the grounding time of the aircraft considerably, so it’s a big saving for Lufthansa.”

The narrowbody combination docks can be adapted to handle the Embraer 170/190. “We have a complete design ready and we have already supplied several docking modules for these Embraer aircraft from access stairs to cockpit window docks and combinations with the A320/737, so airlines currently using the A320/737 and buying new Embraer aircraft can choose for a combination docking system. Our design is more and more a combination of A320/737/Embraer docking systems.”

NIJL also builds combi docking systems for widebody aircraft. “Everybody wants to have a combination dock,” says Emmink. “It’s more flexible because you need one docking system for several aircraft.” It does not always give

ideal working conditions, even with height adjustment and sliding platforms. But two docking systems will cost more in space, as well as the initial cost of the docking systems themselves, counters Emmink. “So combination docks are something that we see more and more.”

NIJL has been in the business since 1966, Emmink says. In one current project the company is working with British Airways at Heathrow to prepare two bays for A380 line maintenance. Each bay will have a special nose docking system that extends along the forward fuselage to the wings. Movable on rails, it will be height adjustable to accommodate all types of widebody aircraft, including the new A350 and 787 Dreamliner.

Designs for the 787 equipment and docking systems are complete, he says, and for the A380 “we have all the designs ready from nose to tail for the big docking systems. We have supplied the tail dock, and the wing dock is already designed and fully engineered.” The company has also developed preliminary designs for the A400M military transport.

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the wing slats and flaps testing systems for the A350. “And of course for the existing aircraft like the A330 and 777 we have all the designs ready,” Emmink adds.

“We have a complete range of equipment for A and C checks, which generally use the normal access stands,” he says. Stairs and stands feature NIJL’s flexible railing system, which enables the variable railings of the stairs platform to be operated from the ground. “You can lower it completely to allow access under the engine cowlings and belly, and you can pull it up to a maximum height of 1100mm.”

Designed for both line and hangar use, the range includes towable as well as hand movable versions. BA has bought around 150 sets for Heathrow, while KLM has also bought sets for Schiphol.

Step change Versatility is always an asset, and the access steps for the A320 and 737 developed

by Semmco have proved very popular with operators. “It meets all the access requirements on those aircraft,” says managing director Stuart McOnie. “It does pylons, wingtips, passenger doors, cargo bay doors, stabiliser bays, APUs:

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❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

47

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

Top: Semmco often makes docking systems to meet special requirements. This system enabled a MRO organisation to address the Boeing 50,000 cycle check that requires replacement of the 737 window belt.

Left: A NIJL tail dock for the MD-11.

48 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

all the critical areas the engineers have to get to.”

A single step with a variable height range between 2.2m and 3.2m and a multi-function platform at the top, “it allows them to get into all these areas they have to when they’re maintaining the aircraft,” he says. “So rather than having to buy several pieces of equipment they can buy just the one now. The A320 is obviously a short turnaround plane; when it’s in they want to get up there quickly. They want to get up there safely but they want to get to the point where the maintenance is required efficiently.”

The assembly is manoeuvrable by one person, which McOnie says is a big bonus for line maintenance engineers. “They’ll pitch up at an aircraft and they’ll have to put some steps up to get onto the aircraft to turn the power on,” he

elaborates. “Once they’ve done that these steps will also allow them to get into a pylon access, get onto the wing or even do a windscreen inspection. It’s a really versatile product.”

Semmco also makes docking systems, often to meet special requirements. One example last year was a docking system which enabled a MRO organisation to address the Boeing 50,000 cycle check that requires replacement of the 737 window belt. The window belts are long skin panels, two each side covering the windows fore and aft of the overwing emergency exit. “You’ve got two either side, one from the pax door at the front to just over the wing and from just over the wing to just in front of the rear passenger door,” McOnie says. “That’s quite a complex docking, nobody had ever done anything like that before.”

The resulting design consisted of six modules, one each side fore and aft of the wings,

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

and bridges to join them over the wings. “The aircraft is jacked up more than a metre because it has to be stressed,” he explains.

Initial access is at the passenger door level, “and then we had to make some sliding fingers that extend about 1.5m out to the crown skin access point. Quite a lot of work went into what was an exciting project, and we learned a lot from it. I think the customer wanted a bit more room than he actually needed, but we managed to achieve it.”

Another specialised product the company has developed is a main wheel and brake pack changer for the A380. “We already had a product, we just needed to finish it off and make it strong enough for the A380,” McOnie says.

Wheels account for 90 per cent of the changes, but the Semmco system handles the brake packs as well: “We’ve got a fairly clever system which allows one piece of equipment to do both requirements.”

Roll your own Ultimate flexibility is the promise of Lobo Systems’ modular scaffolding platform, which combines square vertical tubes with patented clamps that hold round horizontal

tubes to form platforms and railings. The clamps are tightened by hand, so the system combines the flexibility and strength of traditional scaffolding with the simplicity of aluminium systems.

While the clamps are welded in place, a stirrup-shaped low band coupler can be used for additional connections. “So anywhere on the system you want to put an additional device, whether it’s a wheel or a brace, or an outrigger or a handrail, you can add it in seconds,” says managing director Robert Bokros. “And wherever there’s movement in the system you can just lock it out with a sway brace.”

The product has proved popular for police helicopter maintenance, and is also used for fixed wing aircraft maintenance by BAE Systems and private jet management company Ocean Sky. “I think our product is far better for smaller aircraft where you have a variety of sizes of aircraft and you need one system that will cover everything you do,” he says.

The system’s ease of assembly means structures can be kept ready assembled, partially built, or dismantled and stored. “You can get it out and put it together in an hour or two,

depending on how big you decide to built it, and you’ve got a product that will adjust infinitely,” says Bokros. “It’s a reconfigurable system that doesn’t require any tools to put together, is immensely strong because it’s steel, and it looks good.” A slider lifting beam can be added to move heavy items.

Airbus uses it at its Filton facility in the UK for the manufacturing of wings. “You have to stand at different heights depending on what you’re doing to the wing,” explains Bokros.

“With the Lobo system you can adjust the height infinitely to have the standing height at the exact position you want.”

The Lobo system comes with a full training package and the company offers ongoing support. The maker has also developed a software tool, the ‘Lobo Configurator’, to help design structures. A set of stencils that works with Microsoft Visio, the tool allows the customer to “build the Lobo on your desktop from drag and drop technology in isometric projection,” according to Bokros. A second release will add a bill of materials, “so you can build it on the screen, press a button and out drops a list of components that you need to build what you’ve just designed.”

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❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

49

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

In order to understand the mechanics and evergreen dynamics of the modern maintenance training industry, Tony Arrowsmith spoke to two European giants: Lufthansa Technical Training and SR Technics.

Always on the move s air traffic grows and the stringent requirements of commercial schedules impose increased demands upon aircraft utilisation, the pressures on maintenance operations for on-time performance will continue to escalate.

The added industry pressures will open further windows of opportunity for human error and subsequent breakdowns in an aviation system’s safety net. There is no question that human error in aircraft maintenance has been a causal factor in several air carrier accidents.

It is also beyond question that unless the aviation industry learns from these occurrences, maintenance-related safety breakdowns will continue to happen.

Human error is cited as a major causal factor in most aviation mishaps, including the 1520 per cent that involve maintenance error.

Errors can be described as active failures that lead directly to the incident, and latent failures

A

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whose presence provokes the active failure. As a result of such incidents, the public has become more aware of the importance of aircraft maintenance as a safety issue.

Maintenance training has changed tremendously over the past two decades. The past five years, though, has witnessed a significant step change, caused primarily by the added pressures of the financial crisis. This situation has forced airlines to place additional demands on their staff. Time is money in today’s industry and therefore turnaround times have to be quicker. Even still, safety must not be compromised.

“There are two other crucial aspects that have influenced the changes made over the past few years,” says Holger Beck, COO of Lufthansa Technical Training (LTT). “First of all, when we look at aircraft such as the Airbus A380 or even the Embraer E-Jet, the technology has changed incredibly. And when we look at

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SR Technics regards simulation technology as a powerful tool in realising a risk free, virtual environment in which students can make mistakes as part of the learning process.

Developments with desktop simulations have literally brought the aircraft into the classroom, enabling many elements of practical training to take place there.

—Marcus Bürgin, VP of group technical training, SR Technics

aircraft like the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350 coming up we are witnessing massive technology shifts in the industry.”

Added to this, says Marcus Bürgin, SR Technics’ VP of group technical training, is the way the instructor is involved in the entire lifecycle of a training programme. “For the instructor, training is no longer solely about standing in front of the class lecturing, although there are still elements of this technique. The instructor’s role includes facilitation, coaching, briefing and debriefing — in the classroom as well as in simulators or on the aircraft.”

Aircraft maintenance training techniques are evolving rapidly; it could be argued that the speed of evolution of the industry is geared to the evolution of the aircraft. “We have to stay abreast of technology. When recalling the advent of the digital age we had to familiarise everyone with digital techniques. At the introduction of the fly-by-wire aircraft we had to adjust our flight controls and engine control systems philosophies,” explains Bürgin.

Competency is king Training is now turnkey and it is no longer a question of whether the training is computer, class or hands on based — there is now a considerable emphasis on competency. The infra-

52 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

structural characteristics of modern aircraft systems are very much interconnected and cannot be segregated as easily as in the past.

“For example, in past years a hydraulic system was a hydraulic system and an electrical system was an electrical system,” says Beck.

“Today, we have so much integration that we require staff that can manage both worlds — the mechanical and the electrical, or avionic part.”

New technologies and integrated architectures, although for the wider benefit of the industry, present a wholly new set of challenges in the classroom. Whilst training providers must not lose sight of the role of the instructor and his or her conventional training techniques, a new portfolio of training tools must be developed in order to create virtual maintenance environments. A simple equation that can be applied to this is that increased virtual realism is equal to better preparedness for real life, real time conditions.

Simulation technology is a powerful tool in realising a risk free, “real” environment, states Bürgin. “Developments with desktop simulations have literally brought the aircraft into the classroom, enabling many elements of practical training to take place there.” These provide a unique learning experience as trainees can learn to troubleshoot and execute tasks that could not be done on a real, serviceable aircraft.

“In essence, you can ‘practice to proficiency’ — and if you make a mistake there are no serious consequences, as there would be on a real aircraft,” he says. “At SR Technics, we have no difficulty with trainees making mistakes when using simulators. Trainees and apprentices can see the effect of their actions and learn from them.”

Lufthansa’s Beck is in full agreement with these sentiments. He believes it is of fundamental importance to create as much realism as possible by simulating the maintenance environments, the systems and the challenges that the engineers will face in real life scenarios. “At Lufthansa, we have to train the staff and prepare them for different scenarios that will be experienced on the ramp, such as critical time pressure.”

The latest technologically enabling methods are desktop simulations that include virtual aircraft which have actions in the virtual cockpit linked to the virtual aircraft and animated system schematics, and vice-versa. These systems typically have the aircraft maintenance documentation as an integral part of the training tools. Thus the whole maintenance and workplace environment is simulated.

Long gone are the old techniques, according to Bürgin. “Those old enough to remember will recall ‘chalk and talk’ where the instructor

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ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

We have the digital natives versus the digital immigrant – that is to say we could have one student who prefers to have everything online or on his laptop, while on the other side we have more experienced people who still prefer the printed course notes and discussions with the trainer – each age group exchanges and processes information differently.”

—Holger Beck, COO, Lufthansa Technical Training

would spend hours preparing a schematic on the blackboard to be discussed that day or session. We’ve moved on from early tools such as the epidiascope and the overhead projector, through to today’s computer generated animated schematics, virtual aircraft and the likes. Desktop simulations are commonplace.”

Tapping into a new psyche It is not only the technology that has changed. It is we, as human beings, that are also evolving and adapting to new mediums. As digital ‘natives’, the younger generation interpret information in a different manner. And with potential recruits now reaching the age of 2530, new training methods have to be devised in order to best tap into this psyche.

With our understanding of how adults learn improving as well as the things that motivate

54 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

learning, instructors have been introduced to new pedagogic methods. Training for the instructor in techniques for each of his or her roles is necessary. “The responsibilities of the instructor are, I believe, also greater when you enter the world of practical training on real aircraft. The cost of errors in this domain could be enormous,” Bürgin states.

Indeed, the way in which the industry sources people has also changed over the years. Three or four decades ago the most important factor in selecting mechanics and technicians was their pure mechanical skill.

Today there is a greater emphasis on cognitive ability due to the growing complexities of the modern aircraft.

“We need to assess attitudes more — we need people who are responsible for their work. They need to accept that the job they are doing is a very important one within the value chain and the safety chain within the aviation industry,” asserts LTT’s Beck. “This is not just a mechanic repairing a dishwasher — where if it breaks again then it just breaks again. We need an attitude of acceptance that the mechanic is critical [to the process] and is able to speak up if something happens that might be dangerous or hamper safety.”

European airlines and training institutions have an excellent track record of bringing new recruits through the system, and one of the beneficiaries of this success is the quality of the vocational training certificate. Through creating the right balance of theoretical and practical training, the minds of the training students, both young and old, are conditioned to the tasks that await them in their professional careers. The aviation industry has a lot to thank academic institutions for.

“Would the industry have been so advanced in human factors or human error studies without the contribution of academia?” asks Bürgin. He doubts it. He also strongly doubts that the aviation training industry would have evolved to be able to efficiently use training devices without the crucial pedagogical studies academic institutions conduct.

“There are many other examples. These partnerships bring different perspectives to issues and help to challenge the way things are done,” he comments. “Partnerships are important and we are members of a number of industry bodies. Such bodies facilitate the interchange of ideas and the keeping abreast of changes in our business.”

The evolving role of the instructor It seems to be the case that aviation training methodology is relentlessly on the precipice of something new. Training methods are in a constantly evolving state, albeit rarely radically.

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

When engineers first had to interface with onboard trouble shooting aids or with EICAS or ECAM systems, training methods had to change to take these things into account.

“Typically, computer programs did this,” reports Bürgin. “This was not necessarily a drastic step as there had previously been simple computer programs to train for BITE on black boxes.

Some other examples of changes are fibre optic cable repairs or composite structure testing and repair — these were not covered in years gone by.”

We can expect this evolution to continue.

Looking to the future, Bürgin believes there will be more technology training tools with ‘lifelong learning’ available. He also expects the individual to be held more accountable and responsible for his or her training.

In addition, there will be the possibility of doing more training by remote means — web based training — as there has been with other industries. “We have a library of such courses today and this will grow,” says Bürgin.

“However, we know that the human element must always be catered for, thus there will be the need for the instructor and this role will continue to evolve.”

Another challenge airlines and maintenance organisations face is in the development of different programmes that are able to cater for different generations of staff. “We have an ageing workforce and we are now working much longer. We have a mixture of students aged between 25-55 in the classroom, so the challenge is how to approach every single generation,” explains LTT’s Beck. “We have the digital natives versus the digital immigrant — that is to say we could have one student who prefers to have everything online or on his laptop, while on the other side we have more experienced people who still prefer the printed course notes and discussions with the trainer — each age group exchanges and processes information differently.”

The industry is taking tentative steps into the development of the e-learning model and is developing different approaches. But, concludes Beck: “It is not in the way that we can definitely say that we have a programme for a homogenous participant group from the age of 50, 40s and the 20s — this is what we have to look for. We also need more, and more timely, training schedules, which means shorter modules that we can deliver.”

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❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

55

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

A well designed and supported enterprise software system can be an integral part of an aerospace manufacturer’s success. Epicor Software issued this white paper on how to get the best out of such a system.

Interactive dashboards for managing key processes.

The five Cs of A&D success anufacturing in the aerospace and defence (A&D) sector involves the same disciplines and requirements as every other manufacturing segment — plus.

Plus the fact that it is nearly always high tech and strongly engineering oriented, with rapid change as a given. Plus increased scrutiny, and rigid documentation and reporting requirements. Plus additional testing and certification that is often required. Plus a keen focus on costs and efficiency written right into the procurement contracts. Plus a lot more.

A&D manufacturers need all the help they can get, and appropriate use of information technology can go a long way to help in meeting these challenges. But A&D manufacturers have always struggled with off-the-shelf software that does not support the requirements of the A&D environment.

Add-ons for program/project management, work breakdown structure and progress reporting are often cumbersome to work with, incomplete, and not well

M

56 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

integrated with the operational applications.

Software designed for volume production often falls short in the area of engineering controls and configuration management. Engineeringoriented software might not support the production scheduling and control requirements very well. And the list goes on.

The long and short of it is this — enterprise software should help, not hinder, your efforts to comply, control, communicate, compete and cut costs and waste. A well designed and supported enterprise software system can be an integral part of an A&D manufacturer’s success in serving this very demanding market.

Compliance In addition to the various compliance requirements there might be in the A&D manufacturer’s industry, like state and federal tax reporting and regulatory agency requirements (OSHA, FAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, NHTSA, FDA, etc.), most A&D contracts require an additional level

of progress and cost reporting that is tied to the structure and nature of the contract.

Starting with the work breakdown structure (WBS) in government contracts and similar contract organisation in other markets, cost and schedule information must be accumulated and reported according to what the contract specifies.

In most manufacturing systems, costs and schedule data are accrued and tracked at the work order and purchase order level. Few have a built-in capability to track cost and schedule across multiple work orders or purchase orders, and accumulate those costs and schedules according to any other grouping (project, contract phase, or element) that would be useful in providing the customer with the required status information. The default work-around is to establish and maintain a separate spreadsheet-based project / contract tracking system — a tedious, labour-intensive, and error-prone process.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Of course, you can’t ignore the need for solid production and inventory control, financial reporting and management, and planning (forecasting, master schedule, production and purchase planning, capacity planning). You might assume that any ERP package will cover these bases adequately, but some do a better job than others in supporting these basic manufacturing management needs.

Your contracts may require strict controls of inventories and separation of inventory and/or inventory costs by contract or project.

Government contracting regulations encourage the acquisition of economic quantities of parts and materials but insist on detailed and accurate cost accounting when parts are common to multiple contracts.

Be sure that your system has adequate controls and audit trails for application of costs, segregation of direct and indirect costs, allocations, labour accounting, overheads, material movements, etc. sufficient to satisfy DCAA auditors and comply with FAR standards and requirements.

Drag and drop visual scheduling.

Communicate Add-on products or custom programs can be used to bring the data into an auxiliary contract or project structure table (file), but again, this process is not particularly timely and can be difficult to maintain — each activity (PO or work order) must be mapped to the appropriate contract element(s) and auxiliary programs written to bring the data over to these outside files.

Reporting is also a custom programming job.

A&D manufacturers should seriously consider a packaged enterprise software system with built-in WBS and project tracking capabilities. They should be able to use this system for initial estimates including material, labour, material burden, overhead, and subcontracting.

The estimates are then carried over to the tracking system at contract award and costs todate and estimate-to-complete readily available as needed for project management purposes, as well as for reporting to the customer for billing and revenue recognition. It is important to find a system that includes a sophisticated ability to create, execute, retain, and reuse allocations of cost and revenue to multiple projects, elements, departments or locations, in order to greatly simplify what can be an otherwise time-consuming and error-prone task.

Control Solid management is what allows manufacturing companies to meet schedules, control costs, and maintain a profitable business. Like any other manufacturing organisation, A&D manufacturers are concerned with effective planning, good inventory control, production

58 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

scheduling and shop activity control, as well as engineering and field service requirements.

The best enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems provide full capabilities in these mainstream operational areas and beyond.

Keep in mind that management responsibilities cannot only be limited to what occurs within the company. Parts, materials and services provided by others also contribute to your company’s ability to maintain schedules and control costs. Supply chain management capabilities, including supplier relationship management, after-the-sale service management, e-business functions like electronic Kanban and EDI, and customer relationship management, all contribute to the company’s ability to tightly manage all the activities — internal and external — that are important to A&D success.

Many A&D companies are also concerned with configuration control — both in the sense of properly configuring the products it sells to meet the customer’s requirements, and configuration management in terms of recording, tracking and maintaining configuration data through the life of the product (product lifecycle management). And while we’re on the topic of engineering and configuration, let’s not forget product data and program-specific product data management from initial design and estimating through contract award and amendment, production, as-shipped, and through the life of the product. This may well include the need for full traceability throughout the product lifecycle including lot and lot attributed, serial number tracking (at multiple levels), documentation, and revision control.

As much as anything else, the demands of A&D business rely on reporting the way the customer wants it, when the customer wants it, and being complete, provable, and timely.

Project tracking and WBS capabilities set the stage in allowing you to comply with the contract provisions. The next step is communication beyond those strict reporting requirements.

Under the general title of eBusiness, you want to be able to electronically communicate with suppliers and customers to remove what the consultants call ‘latency’ in the supply chain — communication delays that lengthen lead times and reduce flexibility. It starts with EDI — the electronic transfer of common business documents like purchase orders, acknowledgements, ship notices, and invoices. Next on the list is electronic funds transfer (ETF) on both the payables and receivables sides. The next capability to look for is the ability to send reports electronically — status reports to customers, plans, forecasts and blanket releases to suppliers. You should be able to export adhoc query results to Excel or Word for incorporation into outgoing correspondence.

Another step up the eBusiness evolutionary ladder is collaboration. You’ll want the ability to pass designs and specifications to suppliers and work with them to refine the parts and components you will be including in your products. An industrial-strength Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system (sometimes called Product Data Management or PDM) system will pay big dividends here. Collaboration with sup-

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

pliers on forecasts and planned purchases can be helpful as well. Share your procurement plans and schedules with key suppliers and work together to develop a purchasing plan that fits with the suppliers’ capabilities and resources. They will be better able to meet the schedule and provide reliable on-time deliveries.

On the customer side, embedded Customer Relationship Management (CRM) functionality ensures full communications throughout the project from initial contact through completion.

Workflow management helps you keep track of each step of the process to ensure that the right documents get into the right hands on the right dates and all steps and requirements are fully co-ordinated. Embedded demand scheduling and EDI reduce administrative delays in getting plans into action.

Competitiveness Since most if not all A&D contracts are competitive, an A&D manufacturer must continually strive to make operations more efficient and reduce waste as much as possible, to keep costs down and remain viable. Continuous improvement is often assumed and multiyear or multiunit contracts might even mandate savings and improvements for later phases or deliveries.

Leading manufacturers (in every market) use Lean methodologies to identify and eliminate waste and improve manufacturing performance, quality, and costs. ERP can play a significant role in Lean efforts as a major contributor in the areas of waste reduction, continuous improvement, sales and customer service, orderless manufacturing and Kanban, and collaboration. Your A&D enterprise system should be able to handle cell-based manufacturing strategies and demand pull operations in support of your Lean initiatives.

Lean efforts should not be confined just to the plant. Time and cost savings are available in engineering, administration, service, maintenance, and throughout the supply chain.

Through collaboration, you can encourage your trading partners to ‘get lean’ and reduce their lead time and costs to you. Through collaboration, you can work together to meet contract objectives and deliver high quality parts and products to the customers. Supply chain management capabilities include coordinated planning, transportation and logistics management, electronic communications and data transfer, and increased mutual visibility.

Cutting No discussion of manufacturing in the twenty-first century can ignore the realities of a cost-driven environment. Cost cutting is

Comprehensive scorecards for balanced enterprise-wide performance management.

expected, sometimes demanded, and always a part of any process improvement, Lean, or management-oriented program. But blindly cutting costs is risky and often self-defeating.

Management must carefully assess the impact of changes made in the name of cost cutting to ensure that these actions will not result in higher costs or other difficulties elsewhere.

Cutting inventory is counterproductive if it results in shortages, disrupted production schedules, expensive expediting, and premium freight charges. You have to cut the right inventory (or staff or equipment) so as not to adversely impact performance. Lean programs are well known for their success in this area primarily because all process and procedure changes are well thought out and validated through the structured lean transformation process. Your ERP system can be a key to identifying cost saving opportunities, exploring their impact through simulations and ‘what if’ scenarios, and measuring the results after implementation.

When considering costs, don’t forget the cost of compliance. Extra labour and effort expended on gathering and formatting information for customer reports and accounting purposes is waste by the lean definition — not value adding. Integrated systems with built-in A&D accounting and progress tracking capabilities can significantly cut the cost of compliance by eliminating this waste. Similar arguments can be made in the quality area.

System functions can reduce the cost of quality measurement management and reporting.

Your ERP system can be a key to identifying cost saving opportunities, exploring their impact through simulations and ‘what if’ scenarios, and measuring the results after implementation.

The third area to consider in the context of ‘cutting’ is cutting complexity. Simpler systems and processes are the most efficient with less non-value-adding effort required. The more integration your systems contain, the less complex your procedures have to be to get everything together for effective management and operations. The more integrated the systems are ‘out of the box’, the simpler your IT environment with fewer custom programs, synchronisation routines, file transfers, and multiple (duplicate) data sets. Cutting complexity is a very ‘lean’ and a very smart thing to do. ■

❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

59

DATA & DIRECTIVES

Aircraft data: Embraer E170/E190 Operator fleet listing with engine Operator

Operator Country

Equip.

Role

Equip.

Type

Enquip.

Utilisation

A/C Engine Count Type

Engine Count

Engine Utilisation

AEROLITORAL AEROMEXICO AEROREPUBLICA COLOMBIA AIR CANADA AIR CANADA AIR CARAIBES [GUADELOUPE] AIR DOLOMITI AIR EUROPA AIR MOLDOVA AIRLINK [SOUTH AFRICA] AIRNORTH REGIONAL AL FAHIM AAMER ABDUL JALIL AL HABTOOR GROUP AL JABER AVIATION ALITALIA EXPRESS ARKIA ISRAEL AIRLINES AUGSBURG AIRWAYS AZUL LINHAS AEREAS BRASILEIRAS BA CITYFLYER BA CITYFLYER BABOO BRAZILIAN AIR FORCE CIRRUS LUFTFAHRT COMPASS AIRLINES [MN-USA] COPA AIRLINES EGYPTAIR EXPRESS EMBRAER EMBRAER ETA STAR GROUP FALCON AVIATION SERVICES FINNAIR FINNAIR FLYBE FUJI DREAM AIRLINES GLOBALIA GLOBALIA GRAND CHINA AIR GRUPO OMNILIFE S.A. DE C.V. J-AIR JETBLUE AIRWAYS JETSCAPE (ALL ENTRIES) KENYA AIRWAYS KLM CITYHOPPER KUNPENG AIRLINES LINHAS AEREAS DE MOCAMBIQUE LOT POLISH AIRLINES LUFTHANSA M1 TRAVEL LTD. (ALL ENTRIES) MANDARIN AIRLINES

MEXICO MEXICO COLOMBIA CANADA CANADA GUADELOUPE ITALY SPAIN MOLDOVA REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AUSTRALIA UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ITALY ISRAEL GERMANY BRAZIL UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM SWITZERLAND BRAZIL GERMANY UNITED STATES (&TERRITORIES) PANAMA EGYPT BRAZIL BRAZIL UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES FINLAND FINLAND UNITED KINGDOM JAPAN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN CHINA MEXICO JAPAN UNITED STATES (&TERRITORIES) UNKNOWN KENYA NETHERLANDS CHINA MOZAMBIQUE POLAND GERMANY UNKNOWN TAIWAN

PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER OTHER OTHER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER OTHER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER OTHER OTHER OTHER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER OTHER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER

EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195

18977 23245 26756 32510 125076 2747 10994 8795 1945 3340 4565 388 555 3843 2066 567 8795 50675 10675 10994 7393 914 6564 91809 32676 22659 2742 2742 3886 1922 24577 23659 30125 4786 2199 2701 2474 457 23928 126491 2701 3531 30784 12424 4946 48610 30784 2199 14144

7 10 12 15 45 1 5 4 1 2 2 1 1 2 6 1 4 22 6 5 4 2 3 36 14 12 6 6 7 1 10 10 14 2 1 1 1 1 10 44 1 3 14 5 2 25 14 1 8

14 20 24 30 90 2 10 8 2 4 4 2 2 4 12 2 8 44 12 10 8 4 6 72 28 24 12 12 14 2 20 20 28 4 2 2 2 2 20 88 2 6 28 10 4 50 28 2 16

37955 46491 53512 65020 250152 5494 21988 17591 3891 6681 9129 776 1110 7687 4131 1134 17591 101349 21350 21988 14786 1828 13127 183617 65353 45319 5484 5484 7772 3843 49153 47319 60250 9571 4398 5402 4947 914 47857 252982 5402 7063 61568 24847 9892 97221 61568 4398 28288

60 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34

DATA & DIRECTIVES

Operator fleet listing with engine (cont...)

Operator

Operator Country

MOKULELE AIRLINES MONTENEGRO AIRLINES [MONTENEGRO] NAS AIR NATIONAL AIR SERVICES NIGERIAN EAGLE AIRLINES NIGERIAN EAGLE AIRLINES NIKI LUFTFAHRT PARAMOUNT AIRWAYS [INDIA] PETRO AIR REGIONAL COMPAGNIE AE* REGIONAL COMPAGNIE AE* REPUBLIC AIRLINES [IN-USA] ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINES ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINES SATENA SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES SHELL CANADA LTD. SHUTTLE AMERICA SUZUYO TACA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES TAME ECUADOR TAME ECUADOR TIANJIN AIRLINES TRIP LINHAS AEREAS UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN US AIRWAYS VIRGIN BLUE AIRLINES VIRGIN BLUE AIRLINES NB: AE* - AERIENNE EUROPEENNE

UNITED STATES MONTENEGRO ERITREA SAUDI ARABIA NIGERIA NIGERIA AUSTRIA INDIA LIBYA FRANCE FRANCE UNITED STATES JORDAN JORDAN COLOMBIA SAUDI ARABIA CANADA UNITED STATES JAPAN EL SALVADOR ECUADOR ECUADOR CHINA BRAZIL UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNITED STATES AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA

(&TERRITORIES)

(&TERRITORIES)

(&TERRITORIES)

(&TERRITORIES)

Equip.

Role

Equip.

Type

Enquip.

Utilisation

A/C Engine Count Type

Engine Count

Engine Utilisation

PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER OTHER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER PASSENGER

EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-170/175 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-170/175 EMB-170/175 EMB-170/175 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-190/195 EMB-170/175 EMB-190/195

7034 3891 4946 17229 6681 4946 10994 9804 533 16611 24578 163226 4533 11030 4239 29056 281 162724 2393 27894 3116 5316 39522 9194 1779 2199 2241 2325 2701 99586 14578 41881

3 2 2 9 4 2 5 5 1 9 11 67 2 5 2 15 1 60 1 12 2 3 16 5 1 1 1 1 1 41 6 17

6 4 4 18 8 4 10 10 2 18 22 134 4 10 4 30 2 120 2 24 4 6 32 10 2 2 2 2 2 82 12 34

14069 7781 9892 34457 13362 9892 21988 19609 1066 33222 49155 326452 9066 22060 8479 58111 562 325448 4786 55789 6232 10632 79043 18388 3558 4398 4482 4649 5402 199172 29156 83761

CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34 CF34

Source: OAG Aviation

Passion for Details

‘More than Repair and Overhaul‘ That is part of our service philosophy as a globally recognized company with a substantial portfolio of MRO Services on GE’s CF34 turbofan engines, P&WC’s PW100 and PW150 turboprop engines as well as PW901A APUs. All our efforts are focused on one target: provide services at highest quality levels, increase efficiency through innovation and ultimately keep your aircraft where they naturally belong: in the air.

We offer our services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Just call +49 (0) 172 620 35 03 Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey Rudolf-Diesel-Str. 10 55232 Alzey, Germany Phone +49 (0) 67 31 497 - 0 Fax +49 (0) 67 31 497 - 197 lhaero@lhaero.com www.lhaero.com

The Fine Art of MRO Services

❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

61

DATA & DIRECTIVES

Total airframe heavy maintenance spend by region, 2011-2015 Supplier region

Expense category

Equipment role

Total spend (US$,000)

Western Europe

Airframe heavy maintenance Passenger

$26,303

Unknown

Airframe heavy maintenance Passenger

$80,645

Unknown

Airframe heavy maintenance Other

North America

Airframe heavy maintenance Passenger

$116,779

Middle East

Airframe heavy maintenance Passenger

$3,154

Latin America

Airframe heavy maintenance Passenger

$2,310

Eastern Europe

Airframe heavy maintenance Passenger

$5,860

China

Airframe heavy maintenance Passenger

$213

$168

Source: OAG Aviation

EMBRAER 190 SPECIFICATIONS

EMBRAER 170 SPECIFICATIONS WEIGHTS Maximum Takeoff Weight

STD & LR Versions STD 79,344 lb 35,990 kg LR 82,012 lb 37,200 kg Maximum Landing Weight 72,312 lb 32,800 kg Maximum Zero Fuel Weight 66,447 lb 30,140 kg Basic Operation Weight 46,385 lb 21,040 kg Maximum Payload 20,062 lb 9,100 kg Maximum Fuel* 20,580 lb 9,335 kg *Fuel Density: 0.803 kg/l (6.70lb/gal)

AR Version 85,098 lb 38,600 kg 73,414 lb 33,300 kg 68,123 lb 30,900 kg 46,429 lb 21,060 kg 21,693 lb 9,840 kg 20,580 lb 9,335 kg

WEIGHTS Maximum Takeoff Weight

STD & LR Versions STD 105,359 lb 47,790 kg LR 110,893 lb 50,300 kg Maximum Landing Weight 94,799 lb 43,000 kg Maximum Zero Fuel Weight 89,949 lb 40,800 kg Basic Operation Weight 61,112 lb 27,720 kg Maximum Payload 28,836 lb 13,080 kg Maximum Fuel* 28,596 lb 12,971 kg *Fuel Density: 0.803 kg/l (6.70lb/gal)

AR Version 114,199 lb 51,800 kg 97,003 lb 44,000 kg 90,169 lb 40,900 kg 61,333 lb 27,820 kg 28,836 lb 13,080 kg 28,596 lb 12,971 kg

4,341 ft

1,323 m

3,892 km

PERFORMANCE (AR Version) Maximum Operating Speed Time to Climb to FL 350, TOW for 500 nm Takeoff Field Length, ISA, SL MTOW Takeoff Field Length, ISA SL TOW to 500 nm Landing Field Length, ISA, SL MLW Range 98 PAX @ 220 lb (100 kg), LRC

2,400 nm

4,448 km

85 ft 4 in 98 ft 1 in 32 ft 4 in 32 ft 10 in 9 ft 11 in 11 ft 0 in

26.00 m 29.90 m 9.85 m 10.00 m 3.01 m 3.35 m

EXTERNAL DIMENSIONS Wingspan Length Overall Height Overall Horizontal Stabilizer Span Fuselage Width Fuselage Height

94 ft 3 in 118 ft 11 in 34 ft 8 in 39 ft 8 in 9 ft 11 in 11 ft 0 in

28.72 m 36.24 m 10.57 m 12.08 m 3.01 m 3.35 m

63 ft 9 in 9ft 0 in 6 ft 7 in 19.75 in 18.25 in

19.43 m 2.74 m 2.00 m 0.50 m 0.46 m

INTERNAL DIMENSIONS Cabin Length (excluding cockpit) Cabin Width (at armrest) Cabin Height Aisle Width Seat Width

84 ft 6 in 9 ft 0 in 6 ft 7 in 19.75 in 18.25 in

25.76 m 2.74 m 2.00 m 0.50 m 0.46 m

PERFORMANCE (AR Version) Maximum Operating Speed Time to Climb to FL 350, TOW for 500 nm Takeoff Field Length, ISA, SL MTOW Takeoff Field Length, ISA SL TOW to 500 nm Landing Field Length, ISA, SL MLW Range 70 PAX @ 220 lb (100 kg), LRC

2,100 nm

EXTERNAL DIMENSIONS Wingspan Length Overall Height Overall Horizontal Stabilizer Span Fuselage Width Fuselage Height INTERNAL DIMENSIONS Cabin Length (excluding cockpit) Cabin Width (at armrest) Cabin Height Aisle Width Seat Width

M 0.82

M 0.82

16 min

16 min

5,394 ft

1,644 m

3,763 ft

1,147 m

4,180 ft

1,274 m

M 0.82

M 0.82

16 min

16 min

6,745 ft

2,056 m

4,157 ft

1,267 m

Source: Embraer 62 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

DATA & DIRECTIVES

FAA airworthiness directives - large aircraft Summary of biweekly listings for the last two months Biweekly 2010-22 2010-21-10

BAE Systems

BAe 146 & Avro 146 series

2010-21-11

Bombardier

CL-600-2B19

2010-21-12

Fokker Services

F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100

2010-12-13

McDonnell Douglas

DC-10

2010-21-15

Embraer

EMB-500

2010-21-16S

McDonnell Douglas

MD-90

2010-21-19

Learjet

Model 45

2010-22-01S

Boeing

767-200, -300, and -300F

2010-22-02

Bombardier

CL-600-2B19

Do a general visual inspection to identify the type of bolt and nut at each location IAW SB ISB.57-033.

Do an inspection to determine the S/N and identification markings on the selector valve of the NLG and the door selector valve of the NLG, IAW SB 601R-32-104. If applicable, inspect to determine the torque value and correct lockwire installation of the valve, and modify (replace, rework, or re-identify) the valve.

Do a detailed inspection for wear of the brake QD couplings by measuring dimension ‘‘A,'' IAW Part 1 of the Accomplishment Instructions of Fokker SB F100-32-156.

Install a support bracket and coupler on the left and right wing-to-fuselage transition, and metallic overbraid on the left and right leading edge wire assembly, IAW SB DC10-28-262.

Rework the elevators, elevators trim tabs, and ailerons surfaces by drilling additional drain holes in them IAW SB 500-57-0001.

Supersedes AD 2009-07-04. Modify the auxiliary hydraulic power system, and do all applicable related investigative and corrective actions IAW SB MD9029A021.

Replace the aluminium fire extinguisher discharge tubes with new, improved stainless steel tubes; check the fire extinguisher container for any serial number specified in Table 1 of Bombardier SB 40-26-05 or 45-26-9.

Replacement of the fuse pins with new fuse pins (not serviceable fuse pins) IAW SB 767-54-0074.

Revise the Limitations section, Normal Procedures section, and Abnormal Procedures section of the AFM by incorporating Canadair Regional Jet Temporary Revision (TR) RJ/186-1, dated August 24, 2010, into the applicable section of Canadair Regional Jet AFM, CSP A-012.

Biweekly 2010-23 2010-17-12R

Rolls-Royce Deutschland

Tay 650-15, Tay 651-54

2010-22-03

Airbus

A310

2010-22-04S

McDonnell Douglas

MD-90-30

2010-22-05

Fokker Services

F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100

2010-22-06

Airbus

A330

2010-23-03

Boeing

757 & 767

2010-23-04

Bombardier

DHC-8-400, -401, and -402

2010-23-05S

EADS

CN-235 series

2010-23-06S

McCauley Propeller Systems

Jetstream Model 4100

Revises AD 2010-17-12. Inspect the LP turbine disks stage 2 and stage 3 for corrosion using RRD Alert SB TAY-72-A1524.

Supersedes AD 2006-09-05. Do a rotating probe inspection for any crack of the rear spar internal angle located in the center wing box and do all applicable related investigative and corrective actions IAW SB A310-57-2047.

Supersedes AD 2008-18-10. Replace the upper row of fasteners (Row A) of the support fittings of the left and right engine aft mounts with new fasteners IAW SB MD90-54A003.

Do a detailed inspection of the hydraulic lines associated with the PBSOV for contamination in the system (the presence of pieces of material from the poppet seat of an unmodified PBSOV having P/N 70379). If any contamination is found remove the contamination IAW SB SBF100-32-159.

Replace the wing tank main pump pressure switches having P/N HTE69000-1 IAW SB A330-283111.

Repair or replace affected wires and equipment (including bent connector pins) IAW SB 757-28 0121.

Do a detailed inspection for cracking, and a conductivity inspection on each of the 4 nacelle attachment fittings IAW SB 84-54-14.

Supersedes AD 2008-09-22. Revise the Airworthiness Limitations section of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness by incorporating the information in EADS CASA CN-235/C-295 Technical Document DT-0-C00-05001, Issue D, dated October 2008.

Remove the propeller hub from service within 250 hours time-in-service after the effective date of the AD.

❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

63

DATA & DIRECTIVES

FAA airworthiness directives — large aircraft (cont...)

2010-23-07

Airbus

A318, A319, A320, A321

For rudders with a honeycomb core density of 24 kg/m3 (rudder P/N D554 71000 010 00 having affected rudder S/Ns TS-1069 and TS-1090 and rudder P/N D554 71000 012 00 having 2010-23-07 4 54 affected rudder S/N TS-1227), perform applicable actions.

Inspect to determine the serial number of the installed ram air turbine (RAT). If applicable, inspect to determine if the symbol ''24-7'' is marked on the RAT identification plate. If not, replace all balance washer screws with new balance washer screws, P/N MS24667-14, and mark the RAT identification plate with the symbol ''24-7'.

Supersedes AD 2004-23-11. Do a high frequency eddy current inspection to detect cracking in the vertical leg (also known as the ''vertical radius'') and horizontal flange of the left and right rear spar upper cap, inboard and outboard sides, at the bulkhead at wing station Xcw=58.500. Repair if necessary.

Inspect the serial number of each AOA transducer having P/N C16258AA to determine if the serial number is identified in paragraph 1.A. of Bombardier Alert Service Bulletin A670BA-27-054, Revision A, dated January 18, 2010.

Perform a detailed visual inspection of the Thales Avionics AoA probes having P/N C16291AA for a serial number identification IAW applicable SB. Change the lower fixed leading edge panel assemblies immediately outboard of the nacelles at slats 4 and 7, IAW SB 757-57-0070.

Remove the lower passenger door ramp, do a general visual inspection for any damage and corrosion behind the drainage ramp in the lower portion of the passenger door. If any damage or corrosion is found, apply corrosion inhibitor compound.

Remove and repair the sealant at the four lower corners of the wing centre section and the four lower t-chord segment gaps on each side of the wing centre section, IAW SB 777-57-0063.

Do a one-time detailed visual inspection to ensure the correct installation of the OHDS sensing elements and insulation muffs IAW SB A380-36-8009.

Do a detailed inspection for damage of the rubber seal of the MLG fairing, of the MLG inboard doors, and damage along the edge of the MLG inboard door adjacent to the MLG fairing, the MLG fairing, along the edge of the MLG fairing adjacent to the MLG door, and the stops and wedge on the forward and aft spars.

For CT7-9C and -9C3 engines with a GGT shaft, P/N 6068T44P02, that has a listed S/N installed, inspect the shaft for nonconforming land balance-cuts.

Incorporate all the fuel system limitation (FSL) tasks as specified in the temporary revisions (TR) listed in Chapter 5 of the Viking Dash 7 Series 1/100 Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM), PSM 1-7-2; and incorporate Section 5-10-13, as specified in Viking Air TR 5-106, dated December 15, 2008, to Chapter 5 of the Viking Dash 7 Series 100 Maintenance Manual PSM 1-7-2.

Biweekly 2010-24 2010-23-08

Bombardier

BD-700-1A10 and BD-700-1A11

2010-23-10S

McDonnell Douglas

DC-9

2010-23-11

Bombardier

CL-600

2010-23-12

Airbus

A330 & A340

2010-23-13

Boeing

757-200, -200PF, -200CB, and -300

2010-13-14

Bombardier

CL-600

2010-23-15

Boeing

777-200, -200LR, -300, and -300ER

2010-23-18

Airbus

A380-841, -842, and -861

2010-23-19

Bombardier

CL-600

2010-23-20

General Electric

GE CT7-9C and -9C3

2010-23-21

Viking Air

DHC-7

Note: The letter ‘C’ after the AD number denotes a correction to the original AD The letter ‘S’ after the AD number indicates that the AD supersedes a previous AD The letter ‘R’ after the AD number indicates a revision to the original AD The letter ‘E’ after the AD number indicates an emergency AD The letters ‘FR’ indicate the final rule of an emergency AD Please note that the above information is quoted for interest purposes. The latest versions of the ADs issued by the FAA must be used for reference purposes

64 ❙ Aircraft Technology - Issue 110 ❙

Our work... flies with you.

Put your components in our hands. Because at Iberia Maintenance we have the capacity to overhaul and repair over 7,000 kits per year and we know how to care for everything down to the tiniest detail, so your aircraft will operate faultlessly. But we really like to go that bit further: we want to take you further, because our work... flies with you.

IBERIA MAINTENANCE Commercial & Development Direction. Madrid - Barajas Airport, La Mu単oza. 28042 Madrid, Spain.

Phone: +34 91 587 49 71 / Fax: +34 91 587 49 91. E-mail: maintenance@iberia.es

www.iberiamaintenance.com