Overhaul & Maintenance MRO Blog

Getting CRJs Up To Speed

While many of the older CRJs that were quickly thrust into the secondary market by the stints by some US majors in Chapter 11 and the demise of Independence Air have found new homes, some are not in a condition to get back into service right away, Bombardier execs said earlier this week. Republic Airways Holdings has had some challenges putting CRJs into service for Continental. Bombardier will soon have more used CRJs on its roster once Delta sells back 14 CRJ-100s flown by Comair to the airframer. Delta is replacing the -100s with new CRJ-900s. Comair is flying those planes in a two-class configuration. Speaking of Comair, no word yet on any third party maintenance deals the airline might be pursuing. --Lori Ranson

We Need You

We need your assistance. Overhaul & Maintenance is looking for a top-notch associate editor (fulltime position based in Washington DC).

Do you know anybody who might like to work with us? We're on a quest to find a writer with at least a few years experience (preferably in aviation) who could write for and edit the magazine, as well as post articles to our website and your favorite MRO Blog! Candidates, please send us an email. Thanks for helping us spread the word. We really appreciate it. --Lee Ann Tegtmeier

Hand Tool Safety Month

It's the last day of May, which means Hand Tool Safety Month is coming to an end, too. As you know, however, safe tool use is something that should occur daily, so in that spirit, we present the Hand Tool Institute's wrench safety tips (Download Wrenches.doc). This is part of the Hand Tool Institute's Safety Education Program. --Lee Ann Tegtmeier

Chalk's Seaplane Crash Blamed on Faulty Maintenance Program

The Dec. 2005 crash of a Grumman Turbo Mallard seaplane off Miami was caused by the failure and separation of the right wing, "which resulted from 1) the failure of Chalk's Ocean Airways' maintenance program to identify and properly repair fatigue cracks in the wing," and 2) the failure of FAA to detect and correct deficiencies in the operator's repair program, the National Transportation Safety Board determined Wednesday. The accident during a scheduled flight to the Bahamas killed 18 passengers and two crewmembers when the plane crashed into the shipping channel adjacent to the Port of Miami. "This accident tragically illustrates a gap in the safety net with regard to older airplanes," said NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. "The signs of structural problems were there, but not addressed. And to ignore continuing problems is to court disaster," he said in a press release. -- Frank Jackman

Duncan Aviation Kids

Duncan Aviation, a well-respected family owned business aviation MRO in Lincoln, Nebraska, announced it has awarded scholarships worth up to $2,000 per year to 12 high school students. The scholarship winners, who have at least one parent working fulltime at Duncan, can receive the $2,000 per year for up to four years of continuous enrollment at an accredited two- or four-year college or vocational school. That means up to $8,000 per student, or a potential $96,000 expenditure for Duncan Aviation, for this batch of winners. What a great benefit available to its more than 1,900 employees.

Winners include: Joshua Bennett, son of Tom and Sue Bennett, of Lincoln, Neb.; Samantha Brandt, daughter of Sven & Paula Brandt, of Lincoln; Scott Brugman, son of Clifford & Collen Brugman, of Lincoln; Bryce Danz, son of David & Jackie Hill, of Auburn, Wash.; Nicole Davis, daughter of Bryan Davis and Kelli Catchings, of Forney, Texas; Nick Fernandez, son of Tony and Jacqueline Fernandez, of Lincoln; Sadie Massey, daughter of Tom and Rhonda Massey, of Lincoln; Bethany Mertens, daughter of Mike and Michelle Mertens, of Lincoln; Catherine Pope, daughter of Mark and Kelly Pope, of Kalamazoo, Mich.; Elizabeth Porter, daughter of Philip and Cynthia Porter, of Lincoln; Steven Svoboda, son of Jim and Maria Svoboda, of Rising City, Neb.; snf Jessica Zetah, daughter of James and Cindy Zetah, of Seward, Neb.

In case you were wondering, no, the students did not have to pledge to study aviation maintenance in order to receive the scholarship. According to the press release, "Recipients were chosen by an independent selection committee who reviewed their grade point averages, ACT scores, class ranking, citizenship, activities, leadership skills and career goals."  --Lee Ann Tegtmeier

I Can't Hear Youuuuuuuuu

Do standard earplugs or earmuffs protect people in the MRO industry from the whirl of turbine engines, the piercing sound of drills and the whizzing of sanders? The latest Sound Source Download SoundSource12ExtremeNoise.pdf bulletin from Bacou-Dalloz Hearing Safety Group features a short yet informative article by audiologist Brad Witt that provides interesting tidbits about the human ear and its sensitivities.

To access the other 11 Sound Source bulletins, click here. --Lee Ann Tegtmeier

Last Day: International Career

EADS' homepage features a small box surrounding a globe with text declaring "Paris Air Show: Apply for workshops now!" I was intrigued so I clicked. I found, "Are you dynamic and willing to build on your experience in a truly international environment?" Sounds enticing.

The workshops are actually a creative recruiting tool to connect people studying aviation and aerospace with EADS companies. As the site says,

"By applying below, you could join us for exclusive, interactive and multi-cultural workshops run by expert speakers from our different business units.... There you can meet and talk to EADS representatives and recruiters for career opportunities."

If you're interested, the workshop application deadline is today, Tuesday, May 29th.

On a side note, Ross MacDonald of Air New Zealand's engineering posted an interesting comment to our May 21 "Reaching Out To Younger Workfoce" blog. Thanks Ross.  --Lee Ann Tegtmeier

Engineering Innovations

A lot of things in the aviation MRO industry have a "wow" factor, but a few jumped out at me today that I'd like to share with you.

1. These videos show a mobile platform for the MRO industry that is called "omniMove" for a reason: it appears to move sideways, in circles, forwards and backwards pretty easily. Spirit AeroSystems is the U.S. launch customer of the system, but Airbus, Eurocopter and Turkish Technic already use it, according to Martin Lamprecht of KUKA ProTec. He said, "The omniMove vehicles simply follow any joystick input for forward, sideways, diagonal, turning-on-the-spot movements. It does this with millimeter precision and even when driving over floor grating."  Can you imagine parallel parking your car with this kind of technology?

2. This is actually more manufacturing related, but it's still a nifty innovation: Airbus opened its first simulation center for flight physics. The Center for Computer Applications in AeroSpace Science and Engineering in Germany  is designed to produce real-time simulation of a flying aircraft. Airbus says it can simultaneously use aerodynamics, aeroelastics, structural mechanics and flight control to "drive the development of its aircraft to a maturity degree of more than 90% only by means of the computer," according to a press release.  --Lee Ann Tegtmeier

MROs Building New Hangars

We could almost consider ourselves in the construction business based on some of the news we've heard recently. Our June cover story on Top 10 Airframe MROs will tell you that in the past year, ST Aerospace and Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co. (HAECO) have opened hangars and Taikoo Xiamen Aircraft Engineering Co. (TAECO), Ameco Beijing, Taikoo (Shandong) Aircaft Engineering Co. (STAECO), Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co. (GAMECO), ST Aero and Mexicana have efforts underway.

This week alone, Savannah Air Center in Georgia broke ground for a new 101,500 square foot structure that will hold up to six big business aircraft, such as Global Express and Gulfstream jets, and primarily be used for interior completions and maintenance. Savannah Air Center said one of its business focuses is to grow its completions business.

Jet Aviation Basel this week also broke ground on a new widebody hangar that will be able to simultaneously house an Airbus A380 and a Boeing 787-8, as well as a few mid-size aircraft. Jet Aviation plans to open the new 377,000 square foot facility in the south zone of the EuroAirport in Basel next spring. When it opens this new large facility, it plans to move its widebody and mid-size completions business to the new facility and use its existing eight hangars in Basel for maintenance and completions for the Dassault Falcon line.

Is your MRO expanding? If so, please let me know. --Lee Ann Tegtmeier

AirAsia Signs Airframe MRO Deal with Malaysian Company

Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with a fledgling local MRO company that, if finalized, could bring some or all of the airline’s airframe maintenance home to Malaysia. On Tuesday, AirAsia announced it had signed the MOA with Sepang Aircraft Engineering (SAE) to carry out Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 airframe maintenance. Further details on the agreement were not available because it has yet to be finalized.

AirAsia currently operates a fleet of 15 737-300s, with an average age of 17 years, and 18 A320-200s, with an average age of one year, according to Ascend’s CASE database. In addition, AirAsia has 132 more A320s on firm order and 50 options.

Singapore Technologies Aerospace has been providing support for the AirAsia 737s for the past several years, and earlier this year signed an A320 component maintenance-by-the-hour contract with the airline. The A320s are young enough that they don’t yet require extensive airframe maintenance. GMF AeroAsia in Indonesia also supports AirAsia’s aircraft.

Bernama, the Malaysian national news agency, reported that AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes told reporters after the MOA signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur that the airline stands to save 15-20 percent when it brings the airframe work back to Malaysia. AirAsia confirmed the savings figure to O&M and said the airline continues to work with its existing MRO providers.

Sepang Aircraft Engineering is a new company formed by Malaysian entrepreneur Syed Budriz Putra, who is its CEO. The company is building a hangar facility at Kuala Lumpur International Airport that is expected to be finished  by October. Sepang, which is not yet certificated by FAA or EASA, plans to offer narrowbody and widebody overhaul and limited engine services. There was little other information available on the company at its website, but Bernama reported that Sepang wants to attract low-cost carriers from around the region, especially those from India.