Overhaul & Maintenance MRO Blog

Separated at Birth?

I got an email last week from a test equipment manufacturer that opened with the greeting "Dear Hugh Jackman." That's Hugh on the far left. I got kick out of the email and forwarded it to my wife, who often refers to the Australian actor as "cousin Hugh." I think she muttered "don't I wish" under her breath. This isn't the first time that an emailer has referred to me as Hugh. I've started to keep track. To date, everyone who has made the mistake has been a woman. I don't run into too many people who have the same last name. Early in my career, I worked as a reporter in a small town in Central Florida. The town fire chief's last name was Jackman. He took to referring to me as his "other brother Darryl," which is only funny if you remember The Bob Newhart Show from the 1980s (as opposed to the Bob Newhart Show from the 1970s). But I digress. See any resemblance between Hugh and I? I think I get that same expression when we're on deadline. -- Frank Jackman

FAA Issues Slew Of ADs Last Two Days

FAA issued six airworthiness directives in the last two days that affect maintenance of turbine-powered aircraft. The agency also issued four on Monday, which was a federal holiday in the U.S.

On May 31, FAA adopted AD 2007-11-18 for certain GE CF6-50C engines that requires “reworking certain forward fan stator cases and installing a fan module secondary containment shield.” Reports of uncontained fan blade failures that damaged hydraulic lines prompted this AD, which becomes effective July 5.

FAA also issued AD 2007-11-05 on May 30 that calls for Sikorsky S-76A, B and C helicopter operators to look for cracks by doing a one-time ultrasonic inspection on the main rotor shaft assembly. This AD is effective June 15.

In addition, Embraer EMB-135BJ operators must correct unsafe conditions associated with fuel level control units and their associated harnesses. FAA issued AD 2007-11-14 on May 30 and it takes effect on July 5.

Another May 30 AD (2007-11-16) affects McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and MD-11F airplanes and require “installing bracket assemblies and jumper wires in the center main wheel well to improve the bonding path between the structure (wall) of the lower auxiliary fuel tank and its internal fuel pumps; measuring the electrical resistance between the fuel pump housings and the fuel tank structures,” and correcting any anomalies. This AD becomes effective on July 5, as does AD 2007-11-15, also issued that day, which requires installing bracket assemblies and jumper wires in the main wheel well of various DC-10s.

Airbus A310 operators must comply with an AD issued on May 30 that supersedes an AD that requires inspecting lower door surrounding structures to look for cracks and corrosion. The new AD (2007-11-12) retains the requirements of the previous one but also calls for preventing corrosion “between the scuff plates at exit and cargo doors and fatigue cracks originating from certain fastener holes.” Effective date is July 5.  --Lee Ann Tegtmeier

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