May-2012

April - May 2012 • Issue 117

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

Advanced composites in aero engines Rising to the repair challenge

Electronic fight bags: A tablet transormation?

New solutions or landing gear MRO

In my opinion: AFI president Franck Terner

Delivery and deadlines — supply chain logistics

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Your Parts have a Destination. Your Destination. We know the Way. Welcome to the Aviation Aviatio n Logistics Network. Network.

Winner 2011 Best Aviation Logistics Provider

AOG CRITICAL CRITICAL ROUTINE GLOBAL NETWORK OF SPECIALISTS IN AEROSPACE TRANSPORTATION

24/7/365 Hotline: 00 8000 AOG TEAM (00 8000 264 8326)

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CONTENTS April - May May 2012 2012 • Issue: 117

EDITOR Jason Holland: Jason.Holla Jason.Holland@ubmaviatio [email protected] n.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Joanne Perry: Joanne.Perry@ubma [email protected] viation.com EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Alex Derber, Chris Kjelgaard, Nick Rice PRODUCTION MANAGER Phil Hine: Phil.Hine@ubmavi [email protected] ation.com E-EDITOR & CIRCULATION MANAGER Paul Canessa: Paul.Caness Paul.Canessa@ubmaviatio [email protected] n.com MEDIA MANAGER Alan Samuel: Alan.Samuel@ubma [email protected] viation.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 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. Ludgate House, 245 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 9UY, UK.

» NEWS UPDATE 4.

A round-up of the latest news, contracts, products and people movements.

48. Overhead aircraft handling during maintenance events

» INDUSTRY FOCUS

CTI Systems says it has developed an innovative solution for overhead aircraft handling during maintenance and test procedures.

16.

50. Supply chain logistics

In my opinion: Frank Terner, president, Air France Industries What are the reasons reasons behind the company’s success, how is the MRO market changing, and where does AFI KLM E&M’s future strategy lie? Jason Holland asks the questions.

» TECHNOLOGY

& INNOVATION

22.

Using advanced composites in aero engines

Logistics services are the lifeblood of the Joanne nne Perry Perry discovaviation industry, but Joa ers that service providers face increasing time and cost pressures and must implement integrated IT solutions to cope with future demand.

58. Component maintenance The sheer variety of parts on modern aircraft means that component repair is one of the trickier capabilities for maintenance providers to master, says Alex Derber Derber .

The increased use of carbon-fibre composite materials in large commercial aircraft is well we ll-kno known, wn, but the there re co could uld be an ev even en more revolutionary movement towards composites in aero engines, reports Chris Kjelgaard .

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)

» INFORMATION

All subscriptions enquiries to: Paul Canessa: [email protected] [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 207 579 4873 Fax: +44 (0) 207 579 4848 Website: www.ubmaviati www.ubmaviationnews.com onnews.com

64. Essential Flying Buddy —

ATE&M is published by UBM Aviation Publications Ltd. Printed in England by Pensord Press 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. This publication may not be reproduced or copied in whole or in part by any means without the express permission of UBM Aviation Publications Limited. Aircraft Technology Engineering & Maintenance is Maintenance is a licensed trademark of UBM Aviation Publications Ltd. All trademarks used under license from UBM Aviation Publications Ltd. © 1999 – 2012, UBM Aviation Publications Limited. All rights reserved.

TECHNOLOGY

32.

Super sensing: Air data systems

Most air data systems today are digital solutions, as the role of the “eyes and ears” of an aircraft continues to expand.

» ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

the EFB is here to stay The industry for electronic flight bags (EFBs) has long been a sleeping giant. After two decades of limited commer commer-Rice, IT innovation cial use, finds Nick Rice, in EFB software and hardware is finally waking the the giant giant from from his slumber slumber..

40. Landing gear MRO What is is require required d to keep keep landing landing gea gearr serviceable and how will maintenance be impacted by new materials and technologies such as titanium, composites and Joannee Perry reports. HVOF? Joann

» DATA & DIRECTIVES 70.

Industry data: Airbus A320

family Front cover image courtesy of AFI KLM E&M — Patrick Delapierre Delapierre

78.. 78

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NEWS UPDATE

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

»

INBRIEF Rolls-Royce’s Trent XWB engine completed a successful first flight on an A380 flying testbed. The flight began at the Airbus facilities in Toulouse, France, and lasted more than five hours, covering a range of power settings at altitudes of up to 43,000ft. Sabena technics completed its first modification for Phoenix Aircraft Leasing, based in Singapore. The work on an A310 was conducted at the Sabena technics facility in Bordeaux, France, and included livery painting. Lufthansa Technik has ordered one of CTT System’s ‘Cair’ humidifiers to install on a new VIP BBJ747-8 aircraft. The Cair system provides humidification of dry aircraft cabins without causing condensation.

BOEING REVEALS 737 MAX DESIGN DETAILS After months of deliberations, Boeing has revealed details of a number of design decisions it has made on the 737 MAX — including how it will accommodate the larger engines being used. An eight-inch nose gear extension will lift the aircraft so that the larger engine fan of the CFM International LEAP-1B engines is able to fit whilst maintaining a similar ground clearance to today’s 737. A new pylon and strut has also been agreed on, and the engines will be integrated with the wing “similar to the aerodynamic lines of the 787 Dreamliner engine with its wing”. As has been speculated, the manufacturer said it was considering a “revision” to the wing tips on the MAX, with wind tunnel tests currently taking place — but chief project engineer Michael Teal insisted any new technology would have to show “substantial benefits” and present “minimal risks”. Other confirmed design improvements include aft body aerodynamic improvements such as the tail cone being extended and the section above the elevator thickened “to improve steadiness of air flow”. Boeing says this eliminates the need for vortex generators on the tail, resulting in less drag. Meanwhile, the flight controls will include f ly-by-wire spoilers rather than a mechanical system, thus saving weight. Boeing says an electronic bleed air system will allow for increased optimisation of the cabin pressurisation and ice protection systems, resulting in better fuel burn. Finally, the manufacturer said it intends to strengthen the main landing gear, wing and fuselage to accommodate the increase in loads due to the larger engines. Beverly Wyse, VP and GM of the 737 programme, says the new aircraft is now “on-track to deliver substantial fuel-savings to customers starting in 2017”. The final design configuration should be complete by mid-2013 and further announcements and amendments are expected; in the meantime Boeing will continue to conduct aerodynamic, engine and aircraft trade studies.

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The heat treatment division of UKbased Keighley Laboratories has been certified to the AS9100 revision C standard, the quality management system for the aviation, space and defence industries. Prime Air has announced that it has received AS9100-C certification. Achieved in October 2011, the certification was awarded following an audit by Intertek. Safety equipment repair station HRD Aero Systems has expanded its use of Component Control’s ‘Quantum Control’ MRO and logistics software. Prime Air Europe has achieved AS91202009 Rev A standard accreditation, the highest level of certification available for aerospace distributors. European airline group OLT is to deploy Commsoft’s ‘OASES’ maintenance management software across its entire fleet following its recent mergers with Polish carriers Yes Airways and Jet Air. Non-electric floorpath marking system ‘Guideline ColourFit’ from Lufthansa Technik has now been certified for 777 and 747-8 aircraft. Airbus said the main and nose landing gear test bench for the A350 XWB is ready for service at its facility in Filton, UK.

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NEWS UPDATE

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

»

INBRIEF Precision Aviation Group has gone live with the ‘Pentagon 2000SQL’ system across multiple business units. Air traffic control service provider NATS has selected SITA and Egis — through its subsidiary Egis Avia — to provide it with a data link front-end processor and Pro-ATN routers. Russian MRO provider Engineering LLC has announced it will acquire Epic Aircraft, the privately-owned aviation company that specialises in kit aircraft.

CSERIES, C919 TO SHARE COMMON COCKPIT Bombardier and COMAC are to collaborate on four projects which seek to develop commonalities between their respective CSeries and C919 aircraft. This includes exploring common aspects of crew interfaces in the cockpits of the two aircraft, with COMAC modelling its cockpit after the CSeries. The other initiatives involve the electrical system – with both companies agreeing deals with Hamilton Sundstrand; the development of aluminium-lithium standards and specifications; and areas of customer services in terms of technical publications and co-location of teams. All four projects are expected to be completed over the next 12 months and in conjunction with the C919 aircraft development schedule. The two manufacturers signed a broad exploratory framework agreement of co-operation on March 24 last year. These four projects represent the first phase of what is intended to be a longer term relationship. By developing strong ties with COMAC, Bombardier will surely be hoping to establish more of a presence in China — and ultimately sell more of its CSeries aircraft there. The C919 is larger than the CSeries, so operators could easily have both aircraft types in their fleets — and the more commonalities there are between the two, the more potential cost savings there are to be realised. With a common cockpit, for example, an operator could use the same pilot training for both aircraft. The CSeries is currently scheduled to enter service in late 2013, while the C919 is set to debut in 2016. FOUR LESSORS SIGN UP TO CFM TRUENGINE PROGRAMME

International Lease Finance, CIT, AerSale, and GE Capital Aviation Services have signed an agreement with CFM International to include their engines in the manufacturer’s TRUEngine programme. CFM says the programme serves as a method for identifying engines that have been maintained in accordance with CFM-issued recommendations, thus allowing easy evaluation of engine value and re-marketability. TAT GROUP CHANGES BYLAWS GOVERNING SABE NA TECHNICS

Sabena technics has become a limited liability company with a board of directors, after its parent company TAT Group changed the by-laws governing it. TAT Group changed the structure of Sabena technics by transforming it from a limited liability company with executive and supervisory boards into a limited liability company with a board of directors. BOEING TO USE ULTRAMAIN SOFTWARE

Boeing is to provide Ultramain Systems’ efbTechLogs software in support of its Electronic LogBook offering. Ultramain’s software replaces the traditional paper technical log with a fully electronic log that operates on electronic flight bag (EFB) hardware located onboard aircraft. The company said the agreement would accelerate the automation of defect reporting, increasing flight safety and reducing maintenance delays.

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Qatar Airways’ corporate jet division, Qatar Executive, based at Doha International Airport, has been named by Bombardier Aerospace as a line maintenance facility for its Challenger 300, Challenger 604, Challenger 605 jets and its Global business jets. Boeing completed flight testing for the GEnx-powered 787 Dreamliner. The final flight test was conducted in February 2012. Dunlop Aircraft Tyres has struck a strategic deal with Triplett Aerospace which will see the Houston-based company storing and distributing Dunlop tyres for both narrowbody and widebody aircraft in the US. TUG Technologies has signed a deal to incorporate Corvus Energy’s lithium technology into its portfolio of ground support equipment products. Indian airline Jet Airways has signed a lease agreement with WheelTug to install the company’s ‘Aircraft Drive System’ on its 737NG aircraft. Ancra International is to provide Turkish Airlines with an additional three A330-200F Integrated Main Deck Cargo Loading Systems, bringing the total number of orders from the carrier to five. Czech Airlines Technics has signed PDQ Airspares to market in excess of 18,000 stock-lines from its surplus material. The structural assembly of the first A350 XWB aft fuselage has been completed at Airbus’ manufacturing site in Hamburg.

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NEWS UPDATE

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

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INBRIEF TAM MRO has been certified by Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency ANAC to provide maintenance services on ATR72 aircraft with Brazilian registration. GE has approved Jet Aviation St. Louis, in Missouri, as an authorised service centre for CF34 engines powering business aircraft. The European Safety Agency has granted a supplemental type certificate to Aviation Partners for its high Mach blended winglets on Falcon 900 series aircraft.

AEROSPACE INDUSTRY UNITES UNDER SUSTAINABILITY BANNER “There are times to compete and there are times to co-operate,” said Boeing president and CEO Jim Albaugh of a newly-signed memorandum of understanding between his company, Airbus, and Embraer to work together on the development of “drop-in, affordable” aviation biofuels. The manufacturers agreed they would “seek collaborative opportunities” to speak in unity to government, biofuel producers, and other key stakeholders to “support, promote and accelerate the availability of sustainable new jet fuel sources”. Albaugh commented: “Two of the biggest threats to our industry are the price of oil and the impact of commercial air travel on our environment. By working [together], we can accelerate their availability and reduce our industry’s impacts on the planet we share.” The aviation industry has already committed to an ambitious 2020 goal of achieving carbonneutral growth. Airbus president and CEO Tom Enders said the “production and use of sustainable quantities of aviation biofuels” would be central to meeting such self-imposed targets. The three companies accept that working together will achieve results much quicker than if they embarked on individual agendas; a common sense approach borne out of both financial and social necessity. The agreement was signed at the Aviation and Environment Summit in Geneva, where leaders from 16 global aviation companies and organisations also signed a declaration as a show of unity on the issue of sustainable development. It reminds world governments of the “vital” role the sector plays in economic growth, providing jobs whilst taking its environmental responsibilities seriously.

GE TESTS NANOTEXTURED ANTIICING SOLUTION GE Global Research has released new findings relating to the nanotextured anti-icing surfaces which the company is developing. The surfaces have been found to “significantly” delay ice formation in simulated atmospheric icing conditions, as well as reducing ice adhesion. Azar Alizadeh, materials scientist, GE Global Research, believes the technology “could one day reduce and possibly even eliminate the need for existing anti-icing measures”.

‘OASES’ software from Commsoft has gone live on nine Airbus aircraft operated by Hi Fly of Portugal. Airbus has renewed its ‘Total Component Support’ contract with Lufthansa Technik for services covering A300-600 ST “Beluga” aircraft. Bombardier Aerospace has inaugurated its new office in Shanghai, which will become home to the commercial aircraft teams working with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China. PATS Aircraft Systems has ordered CTT’s ‘Cair’ system to be installed on one of its VVIP BBJ3 narrowbody aircraft. ATR has opened a new training centre for pilots and maintenance technicians in Johannesburg. The company said the centre would support the growing number of ATR aircraft in Africa and its associated development potential. Asco Industries has successfully delivered the first ship set for the new A350XWB-900 aircraft to Airbus Bremen. The work package includes 44 subassemblies and will equip the first prototype of the A350XWB-900. Aeroconseil, a subsidiary of AKKA Technologies Group, has signed a deal with Presagis to make use of its simulation and embedded graphics software.

MARIL AKE ENHA NCES 737 SUPPORT AND APPROVALS Marilake Aerosystems, which specialises in avionics and instrument repair, has added a range of 737 avionics and instruments for exchange, sale or lease as part of its improved workshop services. The company has also converted to AS9100 Revision C & BS EN ISO 9001:2008 approvals for its post design services, cockpit instrumentation/avionics repair and overhaul services and cabin display systems. The move is in advance of the deadline set for all organisations operating within AS9100 to reach this enhanced standard.

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Flying Colours of Canada is set to deliver three Challenger 850 jets to customers in the Asian region. Each aircraft was completed at the company’s facilities in Canada and the US over a period of eight months.

NEWS UPDATE

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

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INBRIEF Boeing has been awarded an amended type certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration for its 787-8 Dreamliners equipped with General Electric GEnx engines. Noveko has delivered its first air filters to Air Transat to equip the Canadian airline’s entire A330 fleet. The ‘Noveko-IDP’ filters act by purifying recirculated air throughout the aircraft cabin. Florida-based STS Component Solutions has opened a new office in the UK to support its growing presence in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Dallas Airmotive, part of BBA Aviation, has announced that its Singapore Regional Turbine Center has received its operating certificate from the country’s Civil Aviation Authority.

RECARO TO BUILD CHINA PRODUCTION FACILITY Recaro Aircraft Seating is to build a new production facility in Qingdao, China. The company, which has signed an investment agreement with Chinese authorities, says it will be the first international aircraft seat supplier in China to manufacture seats for the local market. The first aircraft seats will be supplied to customers in China as early as 2013.

AEROIN V.COM CON SO LI DATE S $150M IN VE NT ORY Aftermarket aircraft parts company aeroinv.com says it has successfully consolidated an inventory of aircraft component parts worth in excess of $150m in its first six months of trading. The company has also processed and shipped more than 140, 000 individual component parts from its central distribution hub in Singapore. Collin Trupp, CEO of aeroinv.com, says the company is “firmly onto the front foot” to achieve its target of “becoming the leading aftermarket supplier of non-rotable parts within the next 24 months”.

TAM MRO JOINS AIRBUS NETWORK TAM MRO, which currently provides services for the A320 and A330/A340 families throughout South America, has become the newest member of the Airbus MRO Network. The Airbus MRO Network is designed to provide customers with a worldwide choice of competitive, high-quality maintenance services from MRO providers with Airbus aircraft experience.

EVERGREEN RENAMED MARANA AEROSPACE SOLUTIONS Evergreen Maintenance Center has been officially renamed Marana Aerospace Solutions. The company was acquired by Relativity Capital in 2011, and offers maintenance, repair, painting, storage and end-of-life services. Its 460-acre facility is located at Pinal Air Park in Marana, Arizona.

AEROMECH ANICAL AWARDE D FI RST AFI RS 228 ACTIVATION S TC AeroMechanical Services, under its FLYHT brand name, has received its first activation Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS) 228 on a Bombardier CRJ-900 Series aircraft.

Cessna and Aviation Industry Corporation of China have signed two strategic agreements to jointly develop general and business aviation in the People’s Republic of China. Direct Maintenance has commenced a support programme for the Trentpowered 777-200 operations of Malaysia Airlines at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Northwest Aerospace Technologies is assisting British Airways with its firstclass cabin retrofit programme for 777-200 and 747-400 aircraft. Jet Aviation Hong Kong has added interior refurbishment capabilities to its maintenance facility, with the opening of a new workshop in Tsuen Wan. GE Aviation has named Aero-Dienst as an authorised service centre for its CF34-3 engine, which powers the Bombardier Challenger 600 series. Gama Group has acquired Ronaldson Airmotive, the Oxford-based engine and components overhaul company. The Civil Aviation Maintenance Association of China (CAMAC) has certified Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Company as a civil aircraft parts distributor.

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NEWS UPDATE

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

» TUI to use Boeing’s ‘Toolbox’ TUI Travel has purchased Boeing’s Maintenance Performance Toolbox for use on its fleet of 737-800, 737 Classic, 757-200, 767-300ER and 747-400 aircraft. TUI’s five-year subscription will include library, systems, authoring and tasks modules. “We anticipate improving our maintenance operation efficiencies through better tracking of line maintenance records and up-to-themoment technical information,” said Jason Mahoney, technical director, Thomson Airways.

Pemco files for bankruptcy

GE CELEBRATES 1,000TH GE90 GE Aviation has completed the 1,000th GE90 engine at its facility in Peebles, Ohio, eight years after the type entered into service with Air France. Total orders are over 1,500 for the engine, which powers 777-300ERs, 777-200LRs and 777 freighters. GE says 2011 was the most successful year yet for the GE90-115B, which accrued commitments for 400 engines, including a large order from Emirates Airline. The manufacturer says production levels continue to increase and that 180 engines will be produced this year, 10 more than last year. A backlog of 800 engines will be delivered over the next four years.

AF I KLM E&M ANNOUNCES CONTRACT S AFI KLM Engineering & Maintenance (E&M) has received two new maintenance and component support contracts from Atlas Air and National Airlines. Atlas Air has signed AFI KLM E&M to provide component support for its fleet of 747-400s, including repairs and general component overhauls on a flight-hour basis. Meanwhile, National Airlines has signed AFI KLM E&M to a multiple-year contract to provide maintenance services for the CF6-80C2 engines equipping its fleet of 747-400Fs. In addition to engine maintenance, the agreement also includes the leasing of aircraft engines to ensure availability of National Airlines aircraft during shop visits.

L3 TO ACQUIRE THALES CIVIL AIRCRAF T SIMULATION BUSI NESS L-3 Communications has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Thales Training & Simulation’s civil aircraft simulation and training business. The purchase price is $132m. Based in the UK, the business has an installed base of more than 540 simulators. L-3 anticipates that the acquisition will be completed in the summer of 2012, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Pending the successful completion of the transaction, Thales Training & Simulation will be integrated into the L-3 ‘Link Simulation & Training’ organisation, part of L-3’s electronic systems group.

NTSB CALLS FOR OVERHAUL ON PSU DESIGN AND TESTING The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called on the FAA to modify the current design and test requirements related to passenger service units (PSUs) a nd seatbelts, which it has deemed a “safety hazard”. The request has come in response to a number of “survivable accidents” in which overhead bins and PSUs on 737NG aircraft “became separated from their attachments during the accident sequences, likely increasing the number of reported occupant injuries, particularly injuries to the head and face”. The NTSB has also called for the FAA to develop test criteria and performance measures for the negative-g straps that are part of flight deck seats, and to replace Ipeco-built strap attachment brackets “with stronger brackets”.

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Pemco World Air Services has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company says a slowdown in demand for aircraft conversions has forced it to look for alternatives. Pemco, which provides MRO services for both widebody and narrowbody aircraft and regional jets, said it was also considering a closure at its facility in Dothan, Alabama.

SIAEC and Panasonic launch IFEC repair centre SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) and Panasonic Avionics Corporation have opened a facility in Singapore for the maintenance of Panasonic in-flight entertainment and communications (IFEC). Panasonic Avionics Services Singapore will provide IFEC checks during aircraft transits at Changi Airport as well as component repair services. SIAEC has a 42.5 per cent share of the JV, while Panasonic has 57.5 per cent.

CAE and APS launch webbased LOC-I training tool CAE and Aviation Performance Solutions (APS) have launched a new web-based tool designed to help standardise full-flight simulator (FFS) instructor knowledge for loss of control in-flight (LOC-I). LOC-I is defined as flight that occurs outside of the normal flight envelope in which the pilot is unable to control the aircraft. Lou Nemeth, CAE’s chief safety officer, said: “The objective is to pro vide an analysis tool for pilots and instructors to recognise the conditions contributing to an LOC-I upset situation and a fundamental core strategy for recovering control and flying the airplane.”

NEWS UPDATE

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS PANASONIC ACQUIRES MAJOR ITY STAKE IN AEROMOBILE Panasonic Avionics has become the majority shareholder in AeroMobile Communications. The transaction underscores Panasonic’s commitment to AeroMobile’s eXPhone product, which it says is a “key element” in its long-term in-flight connectivity and communications strategy. The product allows passengers to use their mobile phones to make and receive voice calls and SMS text messages in flight, along with data services such as emails. Telenor, which was previously AeroMobile’s sole owner, remains the only other shareholder.

CFM TO PRODUCE 1,800 ENGIN ES A YEAR BY 2018 CFM International is expecting to produce about 1,800 current and next-generation engines by 2018, following a “surge in demand” for CFM56- and Leap-powered Airbus and Boeing aircraft. The increase equates to a new engine rolling off the combined US and French assembly lines every five hours at parent companies General Electric and Snecma. Engine deliveries are predicted to grow from 1,260 this year to 1,400 in 2012, 1,500 in 2013, and upwards of 1,600 in 2014. The figures follow a record number of orders taken in 2011, for 1,500 CFM56s’ and commitments for more than 3,050 Leap engines.

» Boeing teams with COMAC for Beijing technology centre Boeing has signed a collaboration agreement with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) to create the Boeing-COMAC Aviation Energy Conservation and Emissions Reductions Technology Centre in Beijing. Funded by both companies, the centre will focus on research projects to increase commercial aviation’s fuel efficiency and reduce greenhousegas emissions. The new facility will be located at COMAC’s Beijing Civil Aircraft Technology Research Centre.

Nippon Carbon forms JV with GE and Safran

AI RBUS TO PRO DU CE 11 A330 S EACH MONTH BY 2014 Airbus is expecting to boost its A330 production to 11 aircraft a month in 2Q 2014, so long as its order book is not too adversely affected by the European Union’s emissions trading scheme (ETS). Currently, Airbus produces nine A330s each month and is on track to build 10 a month next year. However, there is concern that the possible inclusion of Chinese airlines into the EU ETS would result in a potential block on widebody aircraft deals by Beijing, which in turn would upset these production rates. While an order for 10 A380s is attracting the most interest, six A330 deliveries are also at risk next year and 19 more by the end of 2014, and parts production of those is underway.

BOEING TO RELOCATE 7879 TAIL PRODUCTION OUT OF SEATTLE Boeing has unveiled plans to move production of the horizontal tail of its 787-9 Dreamliners from Seattle to Salt Lake City, and to Alenia Aermacchi in Italy, by late 2012. At the moment Boeing’s centre in Seattle does the development work and initial production on the 787-9 horizontal stabiliser. Boeing said the facility in Salt Lake City would deliver its first stabiliser in Q1 2013, while the date for the first delivery from Alenia is still being finalised.

GMR INAUGURATES MRO FACILITY AT HYDERABAD AIR PORT Mas GMR Aerospace Engineering (MGAE) has officially inaugurated its new MRO facility at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, India. MGAE — a JV between Malaysian Aerospace Engineering and GMR Hyderabad International Airport — was formed to develop an integrated, third party airframe MRO. The Indian MRO facility will provide full aircraft base maintenance services and will cater to the maintenance needs of both regional and global airlines.

ST AEROSPACE TO ADD SIMULATOR CENTR E IN SING APORE ST Aerospace has initiated a $26m expansion programme at Seletar Aerospace Park, Singapore. The new additions will include a simulator centre, a VIP facility for air charter customers and a general aviation hangar. The simulator centre will be situated on 23,100m2 and cater to the company’s commercial pilot and technical training businesses. Equipment will include six fullflight simulators and one fixed based simulator, plus computing facilities for air transport pilot licence and entry level ground training. The centre is designed to comply with Singapore’s newly legislated multi-crew pilot licence programme and will be ready to launch at the end of 2012.

Nippon Carbon Company, GE Aviation and Safran are set to launch a joint venture (JV) to manufacture and sell silicon carbide (SiC) continuous fibre, or ‘Nicalon’. The new JV, NGS Advanced Fibers, will be headquartered in Chuoku, Tokyo with facilities in Toyama-shi, Toyama in Japan. Nippon Carbon will have a 50 per cent share in the venture while GE and Safran will each have a 25 per cent share. The ceramic fibre Nicalon is an important material for CFM’s next generation of aircraft engine components.

Kuehne + Nagel launch active mobile sensing Kuehne + Nagel has introduced active wireless sensors which record and transmit the temperature of pharmaceutical airfreight shipments throughout the supply chain. The technology, which was tested in collaboration with airlines, makes use of low-emission devices in order to comply with security regulations. Launching the new service will require the installation of transmission equipment in the logistics facilities of Kuehne + Nagel and its airline partners, plus pre- and on-carriage vehicles.

Canadian North signs up to AMOS Canadian North has become the latest airline to use AMOS, Swiss Aviation Software’s (Swiss-AS) MRO management software. Canadian North is the second airline in the Americas region to use the software since a dedicated US office was set up through a partnership deal between Swiss-AS and Lufthansa Systems.

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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

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BOEING, EMBRAER TIEUP PART OF WIDER DIPLOMACY BETWEEN US AND BRAZIL Boeing and Embraer have signed a general agreement which will see them co-operate on operational efficiency, aircraft safety, and productivity. The tie-up between the two manufacturers has inevitably led to speculation that a new single-aisle aircraft could be jointly developed in the future. For now, the companies simply noted that the agreement marked the establishment of an “important relationship”. It is the second broad agreement between aircraft OEMs in recent weeks after Bombardier and COMAC announced they were to collaborate on four separate projects in late March (see page 6). Boeing and Embraer will initially seek to jointly investigate “commercial aircraft features that enhance safety and efficiency”, while collaborating on research and technology programmes, including sustainable aviation biofuels. The companies said they would also look at other areas in which they can “work together” in the future. The announcement coincided with the visit of Brazil’s president to the US and the signing of a memorandum of understanding on an aviation partnership between the two countries. This partnership would seek to “expand and deepen co-operation between the two countries on civil aviation, by facilitating the liaison between government agencies and increase private sector co-operation and awareness, creating economic partnerships and promoting investments”.

INBRIEF Emrise Corporation has received a $1.2m order for electronic devices and subsystems to be used in in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFE&C) systems. The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) has issued level D (JAR-FSTD A) certification for the A320 family full flight simulator at SuperJet International’s training centre in Venice, Italy. Charter airline CanJet has become the first Canadian customer of Boeing’s landing gear exchange programme with a service contract covering 737-800 aircraft. LOT Polish Airlines has signed Boeing Shanghai to perform maintenance on its fleet of 767-300s for the next two years.

There are lots of risky options in life. Choosing the LEAP engine isn’t one of them.

NEWS UPDATE

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

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COLLAPS ING AVEOS HITS O UT AT AIR CANADA Canadian MRO provider Aveos, which has filed for bankruptcy protection, has blamed main customer Air Canada for the loss of $16m revenue over the past two months. The company says Air Canada reduced, deferred and cancelled maintenance work which Aveos was ready and able to perform. The MRO says the last-minute offer from Air Canada, submitted on March 19 after long-term negotiations, is not enough to rectify the situation and that restructuring will not be possible under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). Aveos has ceased Canadian operations, terminated the employment of its employees across the country and begun liquidating its assets.

THALES AND C ETCA ESTABLISH JV FOR C919 IFE SYSTEM Thales has entered into a joint venture (JV) with China Electronics Technology Avionics (CETCA), focusing on the C919 aircraft being developed by Commercial Aircraft Corporation China (COMAC). The centre of excellence will engage in research development, production, adaptation and maintenance for the in-flight entertainment (IFE) market. The JV will support the integration of the Thales ‘TopSeries’ system in the C919 cabin. ‘TopSeries’ will offer services including interactive audio capability and in-seat, on-demand services; a future evolution of the product is expected to offer Wi-Fi connectivity. The JV operations are due to begin in 3Q, 2012.

EIRTECH ADDS HANGARS IN CZECH REPUBLIC Irish refinishing services company Eirtech Aviation has expanded into the Czech Republic with two newly constructed hangars in Ostrava. Offices will also be completed at the new location, as well as in Dublin, where hangar facilities include widebody capability. The company’s engineering and technical asset management services are based in Shannon.

Airbus invests in environmental R&D Airbus is to invest €2bn in research and development (R&D) in 2012, with the company making a firm commitment to the environment. The manufacturer said 90 per cent of this budget would be spent on initiatives beneficial to the environment.

Sukhoi Superjet 100 awarded EASA certificate Sukhoi Civil Aircraft’s Superjet 100 has become the first Russian passenger aircraft to be approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The SSJ100 (RRJ-95B) has been awarded the EASA Type Certificate A-176, which recognises that the aircraft complies with EASA’s airworthiness and environmental requirements. The certification means that European airlines and carriers operating in countries that abide by EASA regulations are now able to operate the aircraft in their fleets.

LEAP Choosing CFM* to power the A320neo isn’t just playing safe, it’s playing smart. The CFM history of record-breaking reliability is legendary. Now, the LEAP engine with its proven architecture and ground-breaking technology, delivers 15% lower fuel consumption and 15% lower CO2 emissions than the engines it will replace. Don’t jump into the unknown. Leap into the future.Visit www.cfm56.com/leap *CFM, LEAP and the CFM logo are all trademarks of CFM International, a 50/50 joint company of Snecma (Safran Group) and GE.

NEWS UPDATE

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CONTRACTS »

Norwegian Air Shuttle has signed up for GoldCare support from Boeing. The 12-year agreement will cover the airline’s future 787 fleet, consisting of three firm 787-8 orders and commitments to lease three additional 787s.

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Delta Air Lines has signed a range of material support agreements with CFM International for almost 400 CFM56-7B engines which the airline has in service or on order, plus its MRO operations for third-party airlines.

Dhabi Aircraft Technologies and SR Technics — both part of the Mubadala Aerospace MRO network — have signed BAE Systems to provide repair services and component support for their flight critical controls, cabin and cockpit systems portfolio.

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Hamilton Sundstrand and Air France Industries KLM Engineering and Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) have signed a long-term repair licence agreement for the provision of MRO services for Hamilton Sundstrand 787 components.

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StandardAero and A J Walter Aviation have signed a three-year consignment agreement. Some of AJW’s engine material inventory will be stored at the MRO provider’s facility in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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Royal Jet of Abu Dhabi has selected Sabena technics to conduct a full upgrade for one of its six BBJs, covering cabin refurbishment, livery painting and maintenance.

» JetBlue Airways has extended its contract with MTU Maintenance Hannover to cover MRO services on its IAE V2533 engines.

Dublin Aerospace won a three-year contract to provide France’s Europe Airpost with APU maintenance for its 737 Classic fleet. The contract commenced on January 1, 2012.

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Indonesia’s GMF AeroAsia has secured new aircraft maintenance contracts worth $137m. The contracts were signed with nine airlines and aircraft leasing companies, including two Indonesian carriers, Sriwijaya Air and Travira Air.

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IndiGo has contracted Lufthansa Technik Philippines to conduct a series of C4 lease return checks for seven A320 aircraft. The work will begin in June 2012 and be completed by the end of the year.

Boeing has contracted General Plastics to supply flight deck and cabin interior components for all models of its 737, 747, 767, 777 and 787 aircraft. The contract, which was signed in December 2011, is for three years and includes an additional one-year option.

» Airbus has extended its contract with Saab for

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the A320 family aileron to cover the life of the programme.

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SriLankan Airlines has selected AFI KLM E&M to provide A340 and A330 component support. The contract covers closed-loop repairs for six of each aircraft type.

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Swiftair of Spain has selected AFI KLM E&M to provide line maintenance for 737 aircraft in Edinburgh, UK. AFI KLM E&M’s subsidiary, KLM UK Engineering, will be responsible for inspecting, checking and carrying out necessary repairs on the aircraft on a short-term basis.

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First Air has opted to use MRO software from Trax. The airline will implement ‘e4’, the latest version of Trax Maintenance. The software incorporates over 20 modules designed to facilitate material, financial and technical records management.

New Zealand (ANZ) has reached a new service agreement with StandardAero. The MRO vendor will carry out turboprop engine MRO work on all three of ANZ’s regional airlines — Eagle Airways, Air Nelson and Mount Cook Airlines.

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Oakenhurst Aircraft Services has won a contract to provide repair services for aviation headset specialist Sennheiser UK.

» Polish charter airline OLT Express has awarded wheels and brakes supplierTP Aerospace Leasing a five-year component maintenance contract. TP will provide maintenance, pool access, onsite lease inventory and a logistics programme for OLT Express’ current and planned fleet of A319/A320 aircraft. »

RAPCO, and its sister company RAPCO Fleet Support, have chosen Component Control’s Quantum Control MRO and Logistics software to simultaneously manage its manufacturing and MRO operations.

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USON is making its pressure decay leak test calculator available to aerospace engineers and aerospace component product developers. It is the first in a family of automated USON NDT test calculators designed to generate nearly instantaneous answers to “What If” modelling of pressure decay leak testing variables and exact returns-on-investment from new eight-sensor concurrent leak testing technology.

Spectroline has launched its MLK-35A ‘MAXIMA’ leak detection UV kit, which is designed to pinpoint the exact source of leaks in hydraulic, engine oil and aircraft fuel systems. The kit features ‘MAXIMA’ ultraviolet lamp — which can be used even in direct sunlight — and an 8oz (237ml) bottle of ‘Aero-Brite’ universal fluorescent dye, which locates all leaks in petroleum- and synthetic-based aviation fluid systems. Mac Tools has introduced two new additions to its impact wrench range: the 3/8” drive AWP038, and AWP050C, a compact version of its 1 ⁄ 2 impact wrench. The AWP038 produces 525ft lbs (712Nm) of torque with low vibration levels. The AWP050C caters for users who require less power and a more compact design.

NEWS UPDATE

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Boeing has extended an agreement with Mxi Technologies for the IT company to supply its Maintenix maintenance management software as part of the GoldCare programme.

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CTS Engines has signed a purchase and license agreement with General Electric for maintenance support on its CF34-8E and CF34-10E engine models.

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Emirates Airline has extended its existing partnership agreement with Honeywell until 2019 and signed an additional aftermarket contract with the company.

» AFI KLM E&M has won a contract with Cargo Air to provide component support and pool access for the airline’s fleet of 737s. » Air Europa has selected Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey to support its fleet of General Electric CF34-10E engines. »

US Airways has contracted MTU Maintenance Hannover to provide engine maintenance on the CF6-80C2 engines powering its fleet of 767-200 aircraft. The multi-year agreement also includes the supply of engine accessories.

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Monarch Airlines has renewed a contract with AFI KLM E&M in which the MRO company provides component support for the airline’s fleet of A330s.

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Singapore low-cost airline Scoot has awarded STG Aerospace a contract to supply its photoluminescent floorpath marking systems. Scoot has ordered ‘SafTGlo ColorMatch’ for its initial fleet of four 777-200 aircraft, and has taken options to fit the product on all future aircraft.

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» Aero, a regional airline based in L agos, Nigeria,

Czech Airlines Technics has recently won a number of new service contracts, including a base maintenance agreement with NEOS Airlines to undertake checks and modifications on four of the carrier’s 737NG aircraft.

has entered into a five-year ABACUS programme with Fokker Services for its Dash 8 300 turboprop aircraft.

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Metrojet has been granted FAA approval to provide maintenance for Embraer’s Legacy 600/650 and Lineage 1000 aircraft series in April 2012.

Bombardier Aerospace has chosen Fokker Services to help increase the availability and reduce the cost of spare parts for its out-ofproduction Dash 8/Q-Series 100/200/300 aircraft. Under the agreement, Fokker Services has secured inventory from Bombardier.

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Airways has extended its A330 component contract with AFI KLM E&M.

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Firefly of Malaysia has selected MessierBugatti-Dowty to supply wheels and carbon brakes for its 737NG fleet. The contract covers 63 737-800 aircraft, both new and retrofitted.

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Condor has selected Nayak Aircraft Services to supply technical assistance as part of its home base operation in Cologne, Germany.

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Lufthansa has awarded Goodrich the contract to retrofit LED runway turnoff lights on its fleet of A319/A320/A321 aircraft. The lights, which offer better illumination and improved reliability and will reduce costs compared with current LED lights, will be integrated into the aircraft nose landing gear in two locations.

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Scandinavian Airlines has chosen Airvault to provide maintenance records management for its entire fleet. The carrier has licensed the ‘Airvault Mx Records Management Solution’ for all of its 159 aircraft.

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Air of the Maldives has selected Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey to provide MRO support for its fleet of PW127F engines.

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LOT Polish Airlines has selected Goodrich Corporation to support the nacelles and thrust reversers of its E195 aircraft powered by CF34-10E engines. Under the terms of the five-year contract, Goodrich will provide nacelle MRO services for thrust reverser, inlet cowls and nacelle components, as well as access to large nacelle parts for lease or exchange.

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CAE has secured contracts worth more than C$90m for seven full-flight simulators (FFSs) and training equipment, bringing the total number of FFS sales to 37 for fiscal year 2012.

GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes has selected SITA and its technology partner Flightman to provide applications and services for the electronic flight bags (EFBs) on its f leet of 737NG aircraft. The five-year contract will include ‘e-Aircraft Application Services’ from SITA which helps to integrate EFB technology with airline IT systems.

» AirBaltic

[ Following company restructuring, Sabena technics has appointed Rodolphe Marchais as chairman of the board and CEO. In turn, Marchais named Jean-Luc Fournel as COO — customers; Philippe Rochet as COO production; and Stéphane Burton as COO supply chain & support. The Sabena technics board “paid homage” to Christophe Bernardini, who has served as president of the executive board since 2006.

[ Albert Li has been appointed general manager and head of Bombardier Aerospace China, effective April 2, 2012. Li will succeed Benjamin Boehm, who has been appointed to the role of VP, business development and strategy, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.

of Latvia has selected Sabena technics to support the CFM56-3 thrust reversers on its 737 aircraft.

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Southwest Airlines has selected Goodrich to supply wheels, carbon brakes, MRO services and asset management for its new fleet of 737-800 aircraft.

PEOPLE

Robert Tavares

David Bender

[ Crane has appointed Robert Tavares as president of Crane Aerospace & Electronics’ electronics group, and David Bender as president of its aerospace group. Bender was previously president of both groups. Before joining Crane, Tavares was president of e2V, a global provider of technology solutions for high performance systems. Bender joined Crane in January 2006 as president of the electronics group, and had previously spent more than 24 years with Aerojet General.

[ Holger Sindemann has been appointed MD and SVP at MTU Maintenance Hannover, effective May 1, 2012. He takes over from Dr Martin Funk, who has led the largest of MTU Maintenance’s companies for almost three years. Sindemann joined MTU Aero Engines in Munich at the beginning of 2006 as SVP, corporate development. [ Nazario Cauceglia has been appointed as CEO of SuperJet International, succeeding Carlo Logli. Cauceglia was previously chief technical officer at Alenia Aeronautica.

[ CFM International has named Raymond Scodellaro as VP, contracts. He will be responsible for the negotiation, execution, and oversight of all CFM customer contracts. [ AirVault has named James Brunke, Ronald Utecht and Peter Bull as members of its advisory board. Brunke will advise the company on logistics, the MRO industry and the future of aviation maintenance, while Utecht will advise AirVault on the airline and MRO sectors and on improving the use of maintenance data in all aviation sectors. Bull will advise the company on serving the aviation industry in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and on other strategic and industry matters

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photo: AFI KLM E&M - Patrick Delapierre

INDUSTRY FOCUS

In my opinion: Franck Terner, president, Air France Industries Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) has been growing in strength since the merger between its parent airlines in 2004. Jason Holland visited Paris to get AFI president Franck Terner’s views on topics as diverse as the future strategy of the company, the impact of aircraft OEMs entering the aftermarket, and why flying Concorde is a Formula 1 experience. Can you briefly outline your background in the aviation industry and how this has led you to your current role? I began my career in aviation nearly 30 years ago and have been in charge of quite different things during that time. In the Air France group, I have been head of component shops and head of short- and medium-haul airframe activity. I piloted the Concorde fleet for five years — this was a “Formula 1” activity. We were a big team. It was very exciting to wake up in the morning to work on this very special aircraft! I also had some appointments in strategy and planning. I left the mother company in 2002, and at that time the Air

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France regional network was made up of three small French airlines. When the decision was made to merge them, I was appointed to “rebuild” all the maintenance systems of the new airline, called Regional, at the time a 70-strong fleet of aircraft, with 400-500 f lights a day. So it was a big th ing — but it was just the sum of a number of small things and not a centralised event. Four years later, I was appointed CEO of the airline, which is based in Nantes. This was a good experience as it gave me an insight into a full company selling plane tickets — a B2C activity. In January 2010, I was asked to take over at Air France Industries from Alain Bassil.

How has this broad range of experiences shaped the way you see your role as president? I have had appointments in all areas of the Air France Industries business as well as being CEO of an airline up to now. This provides a good view of the overall airline and the impact of maintenance on day-to-day operations, and the final customer. When you have this experience you know exactly what makes up a one minute delay! And this is a job that requires experience. Maintenance activity in general has a big impact on the final customer — and by this I mean the actual passengers. There is a big interaction with

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INDUSTRY FOCUS

How is AFI KLM E&M responding and adapting to the needs of its airline customers? You cannot impose your view on the customer. Again, this is the way our people are seeing the business and we encourage that, and we try to be adaptive to the customer. The time has passed when you just sell what you have to sell; now you have to sell exactly what the customer requires. This is especially so in our environment where there are so many differences in the needs of the customer. A characteristic of our business is being adaptive to what they want. Nothing is impossible. We are trying to implement, in the structure of the business, the ability to adapt to how the customer wants things done, and I think we have achieved this thanks to the fact that our people are minded like this. A good question is what the customer is seeing as a quality result. You have to listen to the customer. All these things describe who we are, not what we do.

Component maintenance is an important area of activity at AFI KLM E&M. source: AFI KLM E&M - Patrick Delapierre

the airline too; not just our main company Air France itself, but for many airlines in the world. As an operator i t is very i mportant that we are thinking about the day-to-day business and the final customer. In between there is costs and safety, but the most important thi ng is that whatever I do today, tomorrow morning there will be someone sitting on a seat on an aircraft and you should never forget that. Without this customer you can do whatever you want but there will be nothing to maintain, as there will be no aircraft to fly. It is important for me to have experienced the whole chain of the “added value” areas in the airline, from maintaining the aircraft, engineering, designing documents, to selling tickets. What has been the highlight of your career so far? Every job I have done has brought a big re ward. Of course some are particularly exciting — such as flying the Concorde. As far as achievements are concerned, I have been successful in merging the airlines, rebuilding a maintenance system, and on the other side being a key part, I hope, of the growth of our activities and that is very exciting. But in my stomach, Concorde was a great experience and I will never forget that. What is your personal vision for the company? I look at AFI KLM E&M with fresh eyes because I have been working in this environment for years, but left for eight years. When you leave

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something and come back, you have an image that everything will be the same — but that’s not true. In ten years AFI and KLM E&M have dramatically evolved. The company as a whole has been growing by ten per cent per year. There was the merger, there was a shift to new generation aircraft products — A330s, 777s, 737s, A320s; there was a positioning of the company on big engines like the GE90. So overall, when you look at the structure it is very innovative. For example, Air France Industries employees are sending thousands of ideas to an internal website to improve economics, quality, security, health — and other topics. Out of these ideas, 75 per cent are implemented and lead to a result. We revert to the people, and tell them if and why the idea is being implemented — if it is, we reward them. We have people that are focused on innovation and we encourage that as a structure. An important thing is that the business itself is multicultural. Of course, French is French and Dutch is Dutch. And I didn’t count how many nationalities we have inside AFI KLM E&M, but it is not one or two, that is for sure! If you take Air France Industries, by the numbers it is bigger than KLM E&M, but this isn’t important. Both are big, structured businesses with huge histories. You have to take into account the vision of your partner and this is a very imp ortant thing because that is the day-to-day life of the business. This multicultural experience is now one of our strengths!

Where would you say AFI KLM E&M is positioned in the MRO market currently? How would you assess the state of the MRO industry in general? We are in a very fast growing environment, which is moving to the East. Anybody ca n see that growth will be very high in the East, and lower in Europe and the US. But never forget that Europe and the US are still the biggest markets of the world. If you combine this with our size and what we do, today we are a key leader of that market; we are clearly number two in this business if we consider the multi-product MROs. My vision is that in the next ten-fifteen years there will be key leaders in the market and we will be amongst them. The clear emerging picture is of consolidation, of co-operation — whatever you want to call it, but we have to be among the key leaders. Is the integration between AFI and KLM E&M complete and what have the main benefits been so far? The merger was quite a long time ago now, in 2004, and we have integrated activ ities quite well. First we have production centres, activities that have to be joint going to the customer. If the customer needs, say, 737 components that are in Amsterdam, and engines for the A380 that are in Paris, what should I do? You could send an Air France guy one day and a KLM E& M guy another. No way. We have one product and one portfolio and we have a strategy offer that makes sense to the customer. There is just one entity designing the strategy, and while every entity is bringing his own inputs, in the end there is one decision and one strategy, and one joint sales force. Communication to the outside world is very important; there is no way we would talk to the outside world with two voices. We have two big produc-

INDUSTRY FOCUS

tion centres but in the middle of that we have what we call the joint organisation. All this is working very well. Are we at the end of the integration process? Probably not, there are still some improvements to be made, but I think we are pretty well integrated. The main benefits have been good growth, the synergies that we can offer, and to be able to insource many things that were previously outsourced. One example is the GE90, which has saved tens of millions. Has there been any consideration given to changing the company name to something shorter, or arguably more “catchy”? That’s a good question. The brand is very important, and although it is not the f inal product you offer to the customer, it is something that is known. If I say I am working for Company XYZ you don’t know who that is. With Air France Industries KLM E&M you know exactly what I am talking about. The brand is a very powerful thing, it means something. So I am very reluctant to just change it. The other thing is that in the brand today we have both Air France and KLM in it, and both are powerful brands. In some parts of the world KLM is a very highly rega rded brand. In other parts of the world, it is Air France that is highly valued. Ultimately, the value you put on the words is very important, so I don’t know if we will change the brand. For now our brand is quite long, but quite valuable too! What kind of year will 2012 be for AFI KLM E&M in particular, in terms of general outlook, trends, and challenges? In 2011, we had a pretty good year. It was a very difficult year for the community. Obviously, the global financial situation has had an impact on our customers and us too. In 2012, we see a slight recovery as a continuity of 2011 and we are performing well with good growth. We signed huge contracts in 2010 and 2011 and this has a n impact and is contributing to our growth — so 2012 will be a mix of capturing more growth and seeing the continued results of our big contracts. Overall, we see big pressure on prices, this was true in 2011 and will be even more so in 2012. We see in the market a big appetite for cash, as cash becomes an issue after years of crisis. Customers are asking for giant buybacks of their stocks. Overall, we are very well oriented with good products and growth. I think we are the leader in A330 component support. I think we can also say that with 777 components, and we are also a key leader on 737 components. On the A320 there is no big tender without AFI KLM E&M at least being involved and competing. I think we are a key leader on the GE90. We have a big capability on the CF6-8OE, one of the engines of the A330s, and on the CFM 56 family. If you add 787 products today and A350 tomorrow, we have good

cards on the table and we must play a good game, and be clever with them. Do you see the aircraft OEMs taking a larger amount of the MRO market by way of their networks? Will it become important to be a part of these networks, such as Goldcare or the Airbus Flight Hour Services programme? There is a distinction here between OEMs and what I would call OAMs. First, OEMs – equipment manufacturers – it is a mistake to say they are coming to the market, they have always been in the market. Then the question is, what lever do you use to push yourself in the market,

and with this we may see slight problems. The first thing is intellectual property (IP). Who can deny the fact that if you invest $100m to design something then you have intellectual property. I do not deny that this has value and that you should pay for that value. But what is the real value? You could say 100 per cent of the value of the MRO is the IP of the OEM. In other words, as an MRO, you don’t bring any value to the customer — but that’s just not true. So yes IP has a value, but it is not the only value. This issue is important not just for the MROs, but for the final customer. If OEM X says my IP is $200m upfront — then nobody will pay for that. And there isn’t

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INDUSTRY FOCUS

AFI president Franck Terner says his company is trying to implement, in the structure of the business, the ability to adapt to how the customer wants things done. source: AFI KLM E&M - Patrick Delapierre

“The most important thing is that whatever I do today, tomorrow morning there will be someone sitting on a seat on

lieve MROs will be bigger. By how much? I am not sure we will see mega-mergers because it’s difficult for these to happen, it doesn’t take into account so well a multi-cultural environment.

an aircraft and you should never forget that. Without this customer you can do whatever you want but there will be nothing to maintain, as there will be no aircraft to fly.” just one OEM on an ai rcraft. So i f you sum up everything, it becomes a monopoly which is not good for the final consumer and would not be allowed to happen. The other actor is brand new, the OAMs — namely the aircraft manufacturers. There are not so many of these, but let’s focus on the two biggest, Airbus and Boeing — what are they claiming? ‘We sell the aircraft, who better than us to maintain it’. That’s a well-known story in other industries. In black and white, from where I am sitting, they cannot maintain aircraft. But we should look at things in a balanced manner. Is there room for them to have an offering? Yes. They will sell, and they already do sell, a small part of the overall MRO activities. Will they sell 80 per cent of the market? I don’t believe so, for many reasons. But rather than tell you why they will c atch all the market, I will tell you why we will sell and keep our market share. What is the added value of a MRO? When I go to my customers, I come with a brand, and as an airline one of the key assets we have is that we know exactly what the

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final consumer wants. Others might not have that asset. In addition to that, those new players are developing networks of subcontractors and don’t insource repairs. Where is the value? And what is the added value of a network that will add a margin to another margin, to ultimately just post the bill to the final customer? This is not our model, we are insourcing a part of the activity and relying on partners for other parts. We are not just an office integrating the work of others, we are participatin g in creating the value as an airline MRO. Consolidation has occurred in the MRO market as a result of mergers and acquisitions, with AFI KLM E&M an example, but do you see further consolidation in this market segment as a result of market forces? When it comes to consolidation we will see a mix. I don’t wish to see anyone on the market dying, but the weakest will have trouble I think. OEMs will put pressure on the weakest. With the current economic situation, and the growth and consolidation of the airlines, in the future I be-

It is fair to say the Air France group faces economic challenges, as reflected in recent financial results. What measures and strategies have you put in place at AFI KLM E&M specifically to ensure a bright financial future? Our contribution to the group results is very positive. Although we are impacted by the economic situation of the group, and we have to contribute to the recovery trend and the transformation plan, our role should be to increase our economic contribution by driving down costs — that’s always the case — increasing our portfolio, and increasing our customer base. That is a matter of consistency as we have been doing this for years. The group will probably increase the efforts put into MRO again because it is a good activity for us. We could probably see more co-operation between MROs. Finally, looking further ahead, in what state do you see the MRO industry being in 10 years time? And where do you see AFI KLM E&M within this? In a nutshell, we could have big networks, bigger customers, and we will be one of the big players in a market where airframe maintenance will probably be more regionalised, with a more balanced world between East and West. The big networks will be worldwide; this is the trend.

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TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

Using advanced composites in aero engines The large-scale use of carbon-fibre composite materials in the Boeing 787, Bombardier CSeries and Airbus A350 XWB has generated massive media attention. But much less attention has been paid to a similar, perhaps even more revolutionary, move towards using advanced composites in commercial aero engines. Chris Kjelgaard reports.

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irframes aren’t the only commercial-aircraft parts undergoing a materials revolution. The media has given extensive publicity to the widespread use of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) structures in new twinairline and single-aisle aircraft such as the Boeing 787, the Bombardier CSeries and the Airbus A350 XWB; but the engines powering these aircraft will also feature CFRP composites to a much greater degree than previous commercial turbofans. Polymer-based composite materials have been used in commercial turbofan engines since the mid-1980s, when the General Electric CF680C2 entered service with unidirectional-prepreg outlet guide vanes and shrouds made from

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chopped carbon fibre in an injection-moulded glass-fibre reinforcing matrix. Use of polymer composites in subsequent generations of turbofans has expanded to the point where the latest engines use CFRP materials extensively for structures such as nacelles, fan cases, liners, thrust re versers and even fan blades and stators. The variable stator stages of some engines’ compressors also feature small polymer-based bushings: design engineers prefer them to metal bushings because these press-moulded parts offer low wear and low friction. Frank Preli, chief engineer for Pratt & Whitney (P&W) Materials & Processes engineering, says P&W “is using a significant amount” of

CFRPs in its commercial engines and that “the utilisation has been steadily increasing over the last two decades”. For this to happen, P&W has worked to develop “advanced manufacturing processes that ensure high-quality production of complex, multi-functional, monolithic composite hardware”. The General Electric (GE) GEnx and the Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1000G Geared Turbofan (GTF) are two modern turbofan families which make extensive use of CFRP materials. “The GTF fan case is made of lightweight carbon fibre organic matrix composites,” notes Preli, for example. Meanwhile, the GEnx family not only features CFRP fan cases, but also CFRP fan

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General Electric’s GEnx-1B engine, which makes extensive use of CFRP materials.

“The size of CFRP parts is a game-changer for the repair process, as traditional autoclave repair techniques are made more difficult due to the limited availability of large autoclaves at MRO facilities.” Phil Griggs, principal engineer and FAA-designated engineering representative, Steve Deak, senior engineer, composites repair technologies, and Brian Graham, manager, repair materials applications engineering, GE. blades. GEnx fan platforms (which sit between the fan blades and guide the inner flowpath of air through the inner area of the fan) are made from a resin transfer moulding (RTM) CFRP process. GE first used composite fan blades in the GE90 family. The introduction of RTM and vacuum-assisted RTM processes about 10 years ago — along with a new braided-fibre fabric architecture — has allowed the company to design its newest engine with CFRP fan blades that feature more advanced 3-D-swept airfoils while remaining at least as strong as the fan blades in GE90 engines. A panel of GE materials experts interviewed by ATE&M — Bob Schafrik, head of GE Aviation’s materials department; Dale Carlson, manager of engine technology strategies; Les Langenbrunner, manager of polymeric composites technology; and materials engineers Matt

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Buzcek and Doug Ward — estimates GE has saved 350lb in weight in each GEnx engine by employing a CFRP fan case rather than a fan case made from traditional aluminium alloy. Similarly, the GEnx family’s composite fan blades save about 200lb of weight per engine compared with titanium-alloy fan blades. CFRP structures such as the GEnx fan case are only about half the weight of equivalent metal-alloy structures. Furthermore, says Schafrik, “importantly for life-cycle cost, they won’t corrode and they last for the complete lifetime of the engine”. Meanwhile, says Preli: “There will continue to be a need to improve fuel burn and efficiency of jet engines, pa rticularly since the price of oil is expected to rise over time. Lightweight carboncomposite structures will help achieve additional targeted weight reductions, and thus fuel-burn reductions. The increased effective use of carbon composites will require a combination of design innovation and further development of manufacturing processes to achieve the desired performance and affordability metrics required in future CFRP engine parts.” Some of GE’s resin transfer moulding processes are proprietary — for instance, the infusion moulding it performs to make the GEnx fan case — and some aren’t. But as the company moves to incorporate third-generation CFRP manufacturing into its engines, GE — like other major engine manufacturers — is already looking ahead to the fourth generation. It is now “looking

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into” the possibility of using CFRPs made with electrospun carbon nanofibres, as well as other composite materials made with nanoparticles of clay or silica, for advantages in terms of reduced weight and increased strength.

Repair of CFRP engine parts GE and P&W say repairing CFRP parts in engines is of similar complexity to repairing CFRP airframe parts and requires similar repair methods. “Both types of repairs rely on intimate design knowledge for the component service loading and the material systems that satisfy design intent,” remarks GE’s Phil Griggs, Steve Deak, and Brian Graham. (Griggs is principal engineer and FAAdesignated engineering representative; Deak is senior engineer, composites repair technologies; and Graham is manager, repair materials applications engineering.) “Repair methods in both cases must utilise specific toughened matrix systems in conjunction with the carbon fibre to restore performance properties and design intent.” But both engine manufacturers agree that because engine CFRP parts are generally smaller than composite airframe structures and have more complex geometries, they pose different MRO challenges. “Part features such as f langes, doublers, stiffeners, and holes all contribute to

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the complexity of the repair,” notes Lynn Gambill, director of P&W Global Services engineering. “Tooling design and process steps must accommodate the part size.” With the introduction of composite fan cases, “engine components are quickly increasing in size,” say the GE engineers. “The size of CFRP parts is a game-changer for the repair process, as traditional autoclave repair techniques are made more difficult due to the limited availability of large autoclaves at MRO facilities.” As a result, “out-of-autoclave repair materials and techniques will be increasingly utilised in composite component repair techniques to reduce costs while increasing the number of MRO shops capable of repairing large components,” they state. “Another difference is that each specific engine component has its own unique set of repairs since it has its own unique design,” the GE engineers add. “We can leverage repair processes on the same part, but each repair may also be unique based on the condition of the part when it comes to the MRO shop. Airframers publish structural repair manuals that include general repairs on some composite parts.” However, says P&W’s Gambill: “The inspection methods [for engine and airframe CFRP parts] are likely to be similar, with part use determining the


composite repair permitted. The typical repair method for either engine or airframe would involve removal of damaged plies by taper sanding, cleaning the repair area, cutting the pre-impregnated fabric to size, laying the fabric on the part, vacuum seal and cure in autoclave, then cosmetic finishing.” MRO shops won’t need to learn different CFRP composite-repair skills and techniques for engine parts as compared to airframe parts, Gambill believes. “However, the skill required to work with smaller more complex shapes is [at] a higher level than large f lat surfaces. The resin systems, such as epoxy versus bismaleimide (BMI), change the techniques and equipment. Epoxy-based carbon fibre and BMI-based carbon fibre both exist in either application, engine or airframe. MRO shops such as Pratt & Whitney AutoAir are currently capable of repairing epoxy or BMI parts.” As an executive committee member of the ATA/IATA/SAE Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee (CACRC), GE’s Griggs emphasises the need for standardisation of repair techniques, materials, and training between the airframers and engine manufacturers. CACRC has published a series of ‘Aerospace Recommended Practices and Aerospace Material Specification’ documents describing standard techniques and materials that OEMs can incorporate into their manuals. MROs then only need to learn one standard method and will be able to stock fewer material types.

quirements may be more stringent than what is on an airframe because of the speed of the rotating parts in the engine. While airframe components may be repaired using doublers and simila r methods on the non-flowpath surface, engine components such as the fan blade must be restored to correct dimensional contours on both convex and concave surfaces for aero performance, making the repairs more complex. As fibreand tape-placement manufacturing techniques replace traditional ply stack-ups, repair for CFRP will become more complex.” However, engine and airframe CFRP parts will usually be monitored — and damage incurred and found — in the same ways, believes Gambill. “Wear, lightning strikes, thermal degradation (burning), broken fibres, and impact can be seen visually. Delaminations or disbonds typically are found by tap test. Oversized holes are typically found by visual or dimensional inspection. It doesn’t make a difference if the part is for an engine or an airframe.”

Mach 0.3 burner rig oxidation of cylindrical ‘Hexoloy’ monolithic silicon carbide specimens held in a spinning carousel. source: NASA Glenn Research Center

Ceramic matrix composites Coming generations of turbine engines for airliners will begin making use of an entirely different class of composite materials not found in

Inspection and monitoring Gambill says typical inspection methods for airframe and engine CFRP parts “are common and include visual inspection and tap testing. More complex inspection methods may include a-scan, c-scan, x-ray, laser shearography, and acoustic impedance. If the engine parts are on wing, tap testing would not be possible due to space constraints.” However, differences exist in how the health and condition of engine and airframe CFRP parts are monitored, and the types of damage the two classes of parts incur, the GE engineers think. “An engine’s major composite parts are visible. Operators can identify damage by looking in the inlet or opening the cowl doors. Even if the damage is minimal, most of it can be easily spotted,” they note. “It is more diff icult to see damage on an aircraft’s tail section on a walk-around because of the distance from the observer to the damage.” “Additionally, engine components in the flowpath may also encounter damage from bird strikes and ice as well as erosion from grit and rain,” say Griggs, Deaks, and Graham. “The full extent of some damage may not be readily observed from visual inspection and will require non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques to assess the extent of subsurface damage.” Furthermore, they add, “the serviceability re-

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airframes: ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). When the CFM International LEAP-1A engine enters service in 2016 and the LEAP-1B in 2017, both LEAP versions will, at the very least, feature CMCs in the static shroud structures of their turbine sections, according to GE. As is normal in the development of aero-engine technology, CMC research first focused on — and was funded for — military jet engines. Engine-materials engineers first began thinking seriously of incorporating CMCs into jet engines around 1985. Now, designers routinely use CMCs in high-thrust military engines and are increasingly focusing on using CMC parts in commercial engines. They are doing so because CMC materials are very light (a CMC turbine blade would be, for instance, one-third the weight of an equivalent superalloy blade), very strong, and highly temperature-resistant. Some CMCs also retain their strength better than do metal superalloys at the very high temperatures found in the hot sections of modern jet engines. “It’s the toughest design environment in the world, hotter even than the inside of a nuclear reactor,” says GE’s Schafrik. Without extensive use of thermal barrier coatings and cooling air bled from the compressor — air which, at several hundred degrees Fahrenheit, is only cool relative to the temperature of the air f lowing from the combustor through the turbine stages — today’s superalloy parts would simply melt.

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“The idea i s that CMCs would replace current materials in hot parts of the engine,” explains Dr. Joseph Grady, chief of the Ceramics Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. “By virtue of [CMCs] requiring less cooling air [than do today’s superalloy parts in engine cores], this increases the efficiency of the engine by decreasing the amount of cooling air and thus power extracted” from the compressor in order to cool the combustor lining, turbine stages — particularly those in the high-pressure turbine (HPT) — and turbine nozzle.

SiC/SiC looks promising Several different types of CMC material are useful for turbine-engine applications. Among them are composites of carbon fibre in a silicon carbide matrix, and of silicon oxide-fibre in a silicon oxide matrix. Parts made from oxide-oxide CMCs have potential uses at the back of the engine — where temperatures are lower, but still quite high — as exhaust f laps, seals and mixers. GE uses a carbon-fibre/silicon carbide CMC to make exhaust seals in the F414 fighter engine. But the CMC material which is garnering the greatest attention is a composite of silicon carbide fibres in a silicon carbide matrix. Known as “SiC/SiC”, this CMC can resist temperatures of 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit without degrading. Researchers at the engine companies and at the NASA Glenn Research Center are developing

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GE’s GEnx-2B engine during wind tunnel tests at Peebles.

“A current focus is on evaluation of the applicability of existing NDE techniques to the detection of the unique composite behaviour exhibited by CMCs at their material limits.” Lynn Gambill, director, P&W Global Services engineering. new environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) which, when applied over the surface of a SiC/SiC part, allow it to resist a temperature of 2,700 degrees F. Since temperatures in the cores of modern turbofan engines reach 3,000 degrees F, this means the combustor lining, the HPT stages and turbine nozzle only need to find an additional 300 degrees F of heat resistance to be able to withstand the local temperature environment. This resistance will still need to come from compressor-derived cooling air — but much less of it will be required than is used for cooling today’s superalloy turbine and combustor parts. Grady says NASA Glenn’s calculations show that using a 2,700-degree-capable CMC material in the HPT of a subsonic commercial engine could reduce fuel burn by as much as six per cent. Even more impressive is the 33 per cent potential

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reduction in oxides of nitrogen (NOx) that NASA Glenn believes is possible from using CMC material in turbines and combustor linings. Today’s superalloy combustor linings require lots of cooling air to given them sufficient long-term durability, and this air reacts with the igniting fuel to produce NOx. A combustor made of CMC composite material would need less air for cooling, so less air would be present to react with burning fuel to form NOx emissions. According to Grady, in future commercial engines CMC parts could be particularly useful in replacing metal turbine blades and vanes. Not only do turbine blades operate in a very-hightemperature environment, but they rotate very rapidly round the high- or low-pressure turbine disks and are subject to extremely high air pressures. The inter-stage turbine vanes, meanwhile, have to deal with very high air pressures as they straighten out the airflow from the turbine stages. All this subjects these parts to very high stresses, which the combustor — with no moving parts — doesn’t have. NASA Glenn has made the turbine its primary CMC research focus, since the turbine represents the highest-stress case for CMC


materials in terms of the combination of operating temperature and material strength required. If turbine CMC development and testing is successful, similar application to the combustor should be feasible. Together with the weight reductions which CMC parts in engine hot sections could make possible, the “fundamental cooling flow reductions” they would also produce would have a “pervasive impact” on the engine’s thermal efficiency and cycle, say GE’s materials engineers. Engines could become lighter but much more efficient, so thrust-to-weight ratios would increase. Olivier Longeville, VP of strategy and market for CFM International partner Snecma, suggests CMC usage in the LEAP engine family could go beyond static shrouds. Snecma has tested a CFM56-5C engine with a low-pressure turbine stage modified by replacement of several alloy blades with CMC turbine blades, and plan to install a full stage of CMC blades, as well as vanes, in future testing. Longeville says the CFM International partners have also tested CMC material in the combustor liner and in the HP core. In the next generation of the LEAP engine, “it is possible this technology may be used for those parts where cracking hap-

pens,” remarks Longeville. He says CFM International is “definitely looking at the HP core” for CMC use in future LEAP versions, “to improve directional airflow, efficiency and durability”.

CMC repair challenges CMC engine parts will present the commercial MRO industry with a new set of repair challenges. “Health monitoring and repair techniques for CMC hardware are at a very early developmental stage,” says Gambill. “A current focus is on evaluation of the applicability of existing NDE techniques to the detection of the unique composite behaviour exhibited by CMCs at their material limits. There is a sound, well-de veloped understandin g of repair processes for metal alloy parts. Repair development, both process and application, are needed for CMC parts.” However, GE believes health monitoring for CMCs will be no different than for metallic components. “Just as we did for metallic material parts, we have development programmes in place for unique inspection, cleaning methods, and repair processes on CMC parts,” the GE engineers say. “CMCs, when compared to metal alloys, present unique challenges for NDE. The focus is to reliably

assess the integrity of the barrier coatings as well as the CMC substrate in the field. We believe this will be done in a similar manner as metal-alloy parts, including borescope, UT, CT and dimensional assessment for continued service.” GE believes that ultimately CMCs will offer greater value to operators than metal-alloy parts. “CMC parts are capable of withstanding the harsh engine environment and make the engine lighter with improved performance capability,” say Griggs, Deak and Graham. “This also allows the wing structure to be lighter. This will drive down cost of ownership for our customer s as well as engine life-cycle costs.” But current metallic components benefit from many decades of development, manufacturing, and operational experience, Gambill notes. “The challenge is to develop CMCs and the manufacturing infrastructure to achieve similar levels of reliability. P&W is investigating the long-term effects of environmental exposure on CMCs and the processing steps needed to ensure robust systems for stability and durability. Unique degradation modes of CMCs require concurrent material and design development to mitigate these effects.” The proof will be in the pudding, as the proverb says.

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photo: Goodrich


Super sensing: Air data systems Air data systems are the “eyes and ears” of an aircraft, collecting and processing information about conditions such as airspeed pressure, altitude pressure, angle of attack ( AOA) and temperature in order to give the pilot a comprehensive picture of the flying environment. Now, the technology is moving toward digital, electronic and lightweight designs.

“I

s it a bird, is it a plane?” is the famous line about Superman. But rather than conflating aircraft with birds or super heroes, the most appropriate analogy to use is that of the shark. These creatures are well known for the extraordinary sensory acuteness which enables them to negotiate their way through the marine environment. Similarly, the nose, and to some extent the body, of an aircraft is loaded with high-tech equipment measuring characteristics such as airspeed pressure, altitude pressure, angle of attack (AOA) and temperature. These are the air data systems (ADS) which provide the flight control system and the pilot with critically important information about the condition of the aircraft as it moves through the sky, thus helping to ensure safe flight.

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“Air data systems are composed of pitot, static probes, angle of a ttack, temperature probes, side slip angle and pressure sensors which are located in different parts of the aircraft,” explains Christophe Picco, head of product marketing for commercial avionics, Thales. In a typical air data system, the information collected by the sensors is processed by air data computers (ADCs) or a combination of air data modules (ADMs) and air data inertial reference units (ADIRUs). Temperature and pressure are the two main characteristics which are analysed in this way, individually and in multiple formulations. “An ADC is a single line replacement unit (LRU) device that uses measurements from pressure sensors to calculate typical air data

outputs,” explains Aileen McDowall, technical sales director, EMEAI at Honeywell Aerospace. Meanwhile, an ADM such as the single-sensor Honeywell application for A320, A330, A340 and MD-10 aircraft, is an LRU that “converts the sensed pressure into a digital representation which is electronically transmitte d to the ADIRU to perform the ADC calculations”, states McDowall. In addition to the air data reference (ADR) component which processes calculations for airspeed, Mach, AOA, temperature and barometric altitude data, the inertial reference (IR) element of the ADIRU handles altitude, flight path vector, ground speed and positional data, for which gyroscopes and accelerometers provide the raw data.

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Left: A pitot sensor from HARCO. Right:An ADIRU from Thales.

“The true decision [for operators selecting ADS] is that of architecture preference related to the sophistication of the integration, installation and maintenance required.” Aileen McDowall, technical sales director, EMEAI at Honeywell Aerospace There are generally three ADIRUs sitting in the electronic rack (E-bays) of the aircraft; one for the pilot, one for the co-pilot and one redundant unit. The ADM-ADIRU combination, plus a control display unit (CDU) in the cockpit, can be referred to as the air data inertial reference system (ADIRS) architecture. From a maintenance perspective, McDowall states that the ADMs of large commercial aircraft can be removed for repair or replacement in approximately one hour, while periodic pressure checks can be accomplished without removal. ADIRUs do not require defined periodic maintenance but can be exchanged “swiftly and efficiently” in less than five minutes, she says, courtesy of quick disconnect clamps. A spokesperson from Rockwell Collins adds that it is not necessary to access an ADC for the biennial recertification efforts required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in accordance with federal aviation regulations (FAR).

Which ADS? From an operational point of view, McDowall says that the two main options of ADC and ADM-

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ADIRU provide the same experience for pilots and that “the true decision [for operators] is that of architecture preference related to the sophistication of the integration, installation and maintenance required”. According to McDowall, the ADM-ADIRU system tends to feature in highly integrated avionics packages, with the single-channel ADMs located in close proximity to the external pressure probes, thus minimising the pneumatic connections between the pitot and static probes and the ADMs. The result is that “installation, leak checking and maintenance may be less complex than most ADC installations,” she states. McDowall reports that the ADMs are, however, generally “highly reliable” and require minimal maintenance, enabling their placement in “challenging” locations near the aircraft skin. She says the more straightforward ADC option is selected where simplified or point products are used “and in smaller applications, where space is at an absolute premium”, with the external probes located near the ADC to minimise the pneumatic tubing. Picco notes that there is “always a tricky trade-off” between the ideal position of the air data equipment and the availability of space in the fuselage. He speaks from a position of experience, as the Thales product line ranges from business aircraft applications all the way up to the A350 XWB aircraft which is still i n de velopment. For the A350 XWB, Thales is sup-

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Thales will provide an ADIRU for the A350 XWB.

plying an ADIRU which is based on an inertial measurement unit technology comprising a single tri-axis ring laser gyro element called PIXYZ and three new-generation micro accelerometers (MICAL NG). Together with special hybridisation algorithms with global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers, these technologies will allow the aircraft to fly very precise and complex trajectories, helping to minimise fuel use and noise pollution. Picco says the ‘Topflight’ ADIRU overcomes the “multi-path and obstacle constraints inherent to GNSS usage”. In particular, the system is geared up to handle the upcoming Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR) and NEXTGEN air traffic management roadmaps. In contrast to a large widebody such as the A350 XWB, Picco says that smaller aircraft require “more ingenious” system integration. They do, however, typically need fewer ADMs. McDowall says that, while large commercial aircraft may use as many as eight ADMs, the primary ADS of business and general aviation aircraft “is composed of two dual-channel ADMs supplemented with an independent dual-channel altimeter for standby”. In summary, McDowall says the number of ADMs is dependent on several factors including: aircraft type; the number of

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pneumatic channels within each ADM; the presence or absence of static port cross-plumbing; and the architecture needed to meet availability and integrity requirements. Nathan Brusius, director of air data systems engineering, Goodrich, observes that ADS requirements “are largely driven by an aircraft’s performance needs, rather than size and speed”. He says the ADS architecture is broadly similar across aircraft types and adapted to meet specific requirements. Brusius specifies fly-by-wire (FBW) capability and critical wing stall margin as two examples of aircraft characteristics which influence ADS design. Ultimately, the sophistication of the ADS depends on the wider decisions of the airframe original equipment manufacturer (OEM). As Brusius notes, if the aircraft OEM “wants to use more of the performance envelope, the aircraft will need higher quality air data to keep the aircraft in a safe envelope”. McDowall agrees that, while reliability and measurement stability are common concerns, customers “might have differing needs for accuracy” and that air data requirements are “based on the airframer’s error budget allocation to each of the constituent elements”. This includes static source error correction (SSEC) quality, pneumatic leakage and probe or port wear.


Goodrich has developed a trade study analysis tool to help customers to identify the most appropriate ADS for different aircraft types. Brusius says the tool is unbiased and that Goodrich’s ‘SmartProbe’ — a combined probe and ADC — is not necessarily the automatic choice of ADS because some smaller aircraft “do not have the need for the performance level and redundancy of the ‘SmartProbe’”.

The latest ADS The spokesperson for Rockwell Collins states that, while there are still some analogue ADS in use which require support, most ADS today are digital solutions. Whereas analogue signals are hardwired to their destination, digital signals use “communication buses” with standardised speeds and protocols of transmission. For example, the Rockwell Collins ‘ADS-3000’ is an all-digital system with Aeronautical Radio Inc (ARINC) 429 outputs. The spokesperson is confident that the digital transition will continue, and that “emerging digital technologies are allowing for improved capability and accuracy”. He says that the company’s current product line, encompassing the ‘ADC-3000’, ‘ADC-3010’ and ‘ADC-3020’ models, “have incrementally made improvements in accuracy, reduced maintenance cost, improved reliability, or enhanced performance”. From “a big picture standpoint”, says Brusius, electronic — rather than pneumatic — systems are the future for ADS. In his opinion, improvements in size, weight and cost reductions “are making the technology more attractive to end users, and this helps drive economies of scale”. Goodrich’s ‘SmartProbe’, for example, is a wholly electronic system which is available for A350, A380, CSeries, Learjet 85, Pheno m and Legacy aircraft, plus a number of military and helicopter applications. As the system is electronic, there are no pneumatic connections, so there is no need for pressure and leak checks. According to Brusius, there are a number of advantages to ‘SmartProbe’ during installation and maintenance: interchangeability which eliminates the need for on-aircraft calibration; pins which automatically align the probe; and line replacement which is achievable in a matter of minutes. Operationally speaking, the probe offers extra protection from icing by means of an integral heating monitor as well as an external heating element. Furthermore, whereas a typical ADS has triple redundancy, ‘SmartProbe’ is “quadplex”, composed of four independent ADS and two different formats. “It can be thought of as two type A designs with unique software from one design team, and two type B designs with dissimilar soft ware and design,” explains Brusius. “This adds dissimilarity and avoids the potential for a common mode fault,” he states. This philosophy improves both safety and dispatch reliability. Overall,

Goodrich’s ‘SmartProbe’ is billed as delivering a 35 per cent increase in system reliability compared with typical ADS, a 25 per cent improvement in operational readiness, and lifecycle cost reductions stemming from a maximum component count reduction of 65 per cent and a 40 per cent reduction in maintenance costs. Goodrich continues to develop the technology and the latest versions of ‘SmartProbe’ can be used to anticipate gust loads and automatically adjust flight control surfaces to provide a smoother flight which is “easier on the aircraft as well as the people inside of it,” says Brusius. Goodrich’s ADS of-

fering for the in-development A350 XWB has built on the mature design on the A380 and features similar multi-functionality to reduce LRU counts, eliminate pneumatic plumbing, cut costs, and boost reliability. The company expects to certify its fourth generation ‘SmartProbe’ in the third quarter of 2012. As well as a shift toward electronic systems, Brusius tips predictive maintenance capability as “a strong candidate for incorporation into the next product generations”, although decisions about system diagnostics lie with the aircraft OEM. Currently, he says most ADS perform two

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Goodrich has invested in a new wind tunnel at its base in Minnesota which will become fully operational by the end of 2012.

Goodrich’s fourth generation ‘SmartProbe’, which is due to be certified in the third quarter 2012.

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diagnostic procedures to confirm viability: the initial power-up self-test which checks memory and internal functions and continuous built-in test (CBIT) during operation. ADS feed the maintenance computer of the aircraft with information about any system failures. He says that improving such diagnostic capability is “a continuous process”. A third ADS trend is a reduction in size and weight, irrespective of whether the system is electronic or pneumatic. This development falls into line with weight-saving efforts being made across the board by airframers and systems manufacturers. “In general,” says McDowall, “we are constantly challenged to reduce the air data system weight for each aircraft.” Most Honeywell ADMs and ADCs now weigh less than two pounds versus previous versions which were over ten pounds, while Goodrich and Rockwell Collins both say they can offer 50 per cent weight reductions over their previous products. In particular, McDowall says the focus is “increasingly” moving “from ADM and ADC weight optimisation to air data system optimisation which includes the plumbing and wiring associated with the ADMs and ADCs”. Picco says that integration is one of the most “straightforward” methods of reducing the weight of ADS equipment and that multi-function probe architecture provides “an elegant solution” to the challenge. Such designs incorporate within one piece of equipment the pitot and AOA measurements, pneumatic to dig-

ital data conversion, and sometimes air data calculation or consolidation. Optional configurations include the static pressure and total air temperature. Picco points out that reducing the number of pneumatic lines, which simplifies operational maintenance, has “a direct impact on maintenance costs for the airlines”. He says this type of architecture has become “an almost de facto standard on high-end business jets and is strongly entering into the air transport market on most recent aircraft”. US-based ADS developer HARCO, for example, offers fully integrated probes which eliminate the need for pneumatic connections and additional computers, focusing especially on smaller aircraft. Richard Hoyt, marketing manager at the company, says that such designs generate cost savings by reducing the integration time, eliminating the need for additional LRUs and pneumatic leak testing “and associated troubleshooting”. HARCO’s product range includes outside air temperature (OAT) sensors, heated static ports, pitot probes, pitot angle of attack, pitot static probes and TAT sensors. The company uses patented ‘SIMx’ material to deliver enhanced icing protection and extend the product lifetime. The probes include overheat protection, which Hoyt says makes them “ideal” for use on composite aircraft. HARCO also offers a series of ADCs, including the new ‘Mini ADC’ for general aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and helicopter applications which weighs around 0.68lbs and has a maximum


power consumption of 0.05 amperes. The ADC is available with either ARINC 429 or RS485 communication protocol with two independent channels, with accuracy of AS8002 or RSVM.

The FAA and ADS OEMs are not the only organisations changing the shape of the ADS market, with their technological innovations aimed at making the systems lighter, more accurate, more reliable and more economical. As is always the case with aviation equipment, there is a heavy regulatory aspect in volved. One of the biggest threats to the integrity of an ADS, and thus the aircraft as a whole, originates from the very conditions the technology is required to measure: ice. The possible consequences of ice accumulation in such systems were demonstrated as recently as June 12, 2009, when Air France flight 447, an A330, crashed into the ocean off Brazil with no survivors. The incident was attributed in part to the blocking of the pitot sensors by thick ice crystals, causing an insulating effect and false airspeed readings. The FAA is now moving to expand its icing certification standards to include a requirement for aircraft manufacturers to demonstrate safe operation in the freezing drizzle or rain which is

termed “supercooled large drops” (SLDs). Within the new regulations there will be stipulations for ADS components including AOA and airsp eed indicating systems. “These systems would need to be able to perform in freezing rain, freezing drizzle, ice crystals and combinations of these icing phenomena,” stated the FAA in June 2010. Brusius says that Goodrich has been “investing proactively” to accommodate the FAA’s “significant expansion” of icing standards. This includes the construction of an icing wind tunnel at the Goodrich Sensors and Integrated Systems (SIS) base in Minnesota. “The tunnel is currently undergoing extensive testing, and is expected to be operational for appendix D (ice crystal) testing at the end of 2012,” according to Brian Matheis, manager of wind tunnel facilities at Goodrich. He says the new tunnel “will provide some of the most advanced speed, altitude, and icing testing capabilities in the world”. Through these kinds of efforts by industry leaders and the regulatory authorities, it can be hoped that serious incidents involving the malfunctioning of ADS equipment will be prevented, and that the sensors and systems guiding aircraft through the sky continue to prove themselves supernaturally acute.

Air France flight 447 crashed near Brazil in 2009.

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photo: Lufthansa Technik

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

Landing gear MRO Landing gear support the entire weight of an aircraft on the ground, enduring immense pressure on take-off and touchdown. In the midst of a market downturn, Joanne Perry asks two OEMs and three MROs what maintenance is required to keep landing gear serviceable and how this will be impacted by new materials and technologies such as titanium, composites and HVOF.

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n September last year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) released ‘The Impact of September 11 2001 on Aviation’, a 10-year review of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks. The report states that passenger traffic and airline revenues, which plummeted in the aftermath of the disaster, recovered to 2000 levels in 2004, while profitability returned in 2006. Superficially, it may seem that the main legacy of September 11 is the stringent airport security which today burdens both the aviation industry and the paying public. However, over a decade later certain sections of the aftermarket are still experiencing adverse effects on work volume and revenues; landing gear is one of them.

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Mike Secord, VP of aftermarket, Goodrich Landing Gear, says that demand for commercial landing gear overhaul is currently “in a trough” because the typical time between overhaul (TBO) is ten years, “and aircraft deliveries declined significantly following the events of 9/11, just over a decade ago”. Thierry Schwab, program and customer support VP at Revima in France agrees that the market is “tough”, although he adds that the company is inducting gears at a “steady” rate in comparison with 2011, when it performed 400-plus overhauls. Looking in detail at the landing gear market, however, there are some subtle undercurrents arising from the shape of the f leets which are cur-

rently in operation. While acknowledging an overall “plateau”, Andreas Tielmann, head of landing gear services, Lufthansa Technik (LHT), notes “significant shifts between aircraft types and world regions”. He gives the example of ri sing demand for CRJ-700/-900 and A340-600 landing gear overhauls “while requirements for other fleets are decreasing”. There are also geographic variations: “For [the] E-Jet 170-195, where we see generally rising demand, we expect this to occur in North America first and slightly later in Europe,” he states. Charles Thoyer-Rozat, EVP, customer support and services, Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation, explains that E-Jet gears for which Liebherr is the original equipment manu-


Left: A Liebherr E170/190 nose gear in a test rig. Right: An LHT worker tends to a landing gear component.

“Landing gear is definitely a different business model than engine maintenance.” Thierry Schwab, program and customer support VP, Revima

facturer (OEM) “are progressively reaching their TBO, which is a combination of flight cycles and years of utilisation”. In the opinion of Thoyer-Rozat, the picture generated by the “theoretical worldwide workload” is complicated by airline business strategies. “Some like to anticipate and level-load the works in order to avoid the risk of going through a peak,” he says, “while others will prefer to fly until they reach the TBO threshold and turn most of their gears in a short period of time.” For maintenance providers, this not only affects work volumes but requirements for rotable landing gears to support overhaul, which can have a knock-on effect on manufacturers. “If those rotables do not exist in the open market, they must be produced by the OEM, with a typical lead time of circa 18 months,” states Thoyer-Rozat. Pastor Lopez, GM, AAR Landing Gear Services, which normally overhauls between 800 and 900 legs each year, believes maintenance providers will be feeling the effects of the dip in demand for another six months to a year, although the market is already “softening up a little bit”. He says that when the market does rebound

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demand will be “much higher” than it has been in recent years. In connection with the lagged effect on demand, the length of landing gear TBO affects the types of support supplied by maintenance providers. Schwab says that because airlines are generally unwilling to sign up to very long-term commitments, Revima offers time and materials contracts for landing gears. He describes this aftermarket sector as “definitely a different business model” from engine maintenance, for which power-by-the-hour (PBH) is a popular option. Similarly, AAR bids an all-inclusive price to airlines which covers labour and materials. ThoyerRozat says that, although certain customers still prefer time and materials contracts, the general trend is towards fixed rates “related to an agreed basic scope of work with ‘over and aboves’ that remain priced on time and material”. According to Secord, Goodrich — the OEM for 737, 747, 767, and 777 landing gears as well as those for the A380 and the CRJ700/900/1000 — offers a range of support contracts. “In most cases,” he explains, “we contract with the airline for their fleet of aircraft, and this involves a longterm contract for basic overhaul/restoration.” In addition to the full services offered in its repair shops, Goodrich performs on-wing maintenance for landing gear, although Secord says this is limited to “basic maintenance and removal of simple parts for repairs”. Schwab explains that, outside the overhaul remit, maintenance providers may


be called out on aircraft-on-ground (AOG) missions to perform inspections or correct problems such as chrome chips or leaking gaskets, or conduct corrosion repairs. AAR, for example, has established dedicated ‘Tiger Teams’ for such purposes. LHT’s services are offered in the form of ‘Total Landing Gear Support’ (TLS) contracts which cover all landing gear requirements, not only overhaul but the tracking of life limited parts (LLPs), line replaceable unit (LRU) scheduling and AOG assistance. According to Tielmann, the most common customer requirement is scheduled overhaul with forward exchange of a replacement gear to prevent any delay in the return of the aircraft to revenue service. The LHT group, which has included landing gear specialist Hawker Pacific Aerospace since 2002, overhauls about 1,000 legs per year, “a good balance between narrow, wide bodies and regional landing gears,” says Tielmann.

Describing how Revima uses Lean philosophies, Schwab comments: “When we enter a gear into our facility the idea is that the gear is immediately inspected, washed, dismantled, inspected and parts which require repairs are sent to the repair shop as soon as possible.” A high level of technical knowledge enables the pinpointing of components which require most attention during maintenance. “At the same time we are already thinking about final assembly,” he says, adding that preparation of the appropriate documentation begins in ad vance. A centra l tenet of Lean philosophy is to

LHT’s services are performed under ‘Total Landing Gear Support’ (TLS) contracts.

Turnaround times At the most basic level, the time taken to overhaul a landing gear is dependent upon the product type including its broad categorisation as a regional, narrowbody or widebody component. Lopez says that at ARR, regional aircraft landing gears such as those on CRJs and ERJs can be overhauled in 20-25 days, while an A320 gear takes around 25 days and the gear of a widebody such as a 767 requires about 40 days. Other primary factors are the age of the gear, as it affects condition, and the intensity of usage. From a procedural point of view, turnaround time (TAT) is governed by the capabilities and organisation of the maintenance provider. Lopez says that AAR operates a continuous improvement programme which is led full-time by four industrial engineers. A key element of this drive to enhance services is the alignment of the programme with the IT resources which are used to reduce TATs. These include metrics displays in each department showing the time that a component spends in any area of the repair facility. Based on these measurements, Lopez says AAR sets up “a goal line every month “and if we are able to impact it in a positive manner, then we reduce that goal for the following month”. Schwab explains that enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions help to establish an appropriate “tempo” of work, locating parts not only physically but in the overall schedule, thus creating a “global picture” of a gear. At LHT, Tielmann says that since the amount of work required varies across the landing gear assembly, the company operates a customised production scheduling and prioritisation system which enables a focus on “critical path items”. He says that Lean principles also reduce waste in all overhaul processes.

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photo: Revima

Left: AAR overhauls between 800 and 900 landing gears per year. Right: IT resources are essential for achieving rapid TATs.

“We don’t have the OEM mentality. We don’t benefit from scrapping parts.” Pastor Lopez, GM, AAR Landing Gear Services ensure that work is performed correctly first time. In Schwab’s words, “zero rework is a key driver”. AAR keeps a tight grip on TATs and the quality of the end product by performing as many repairs as possible in-house. “One of the things we’re lucky [with] and we’re proud of is the fact that we control our own destiny 99 per cent,” states Lopez. “The only things we farm out are [components] that are proprietary to a specific OEM.” This can include special liners, he says. But the advantages of avoiding subcontractors on the whole are clear: the company does not have to rely on external deliveries and can serve customers with confidence.

Key maintenance considerations As the point of contact for an entire aircraft upon touchdown, landing gear must withstand immense and repeated impact in their daily operation — even more so in the case of heavy freighters, which in Schwab’s experience tend to sustain more damage. In consequence, OEMs such as Goodrich have introduced smart health systems which provide information about hard landings and fluid levels in the shock strut, “both

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of which are critical to landing gear performance”, says Secord. According to Schwab, th e exposed parts of any landing gear, such as sliding rods, axles and working beams, are particularly prone to high damage rates and are the parts which are most often replaced during overhaul. However, the majority of MROs strive to implement repairs rather than replacements in order to minimise costs for their customers. “We don’t have the OEM mentality,” says Lopez. “We don’t benefit from scrapping parts.” He explains that, as far as AAR is concerned, “100 per cent of the gear is repairable” with the exception of the hardwire items that need to be replaced at every overhaul, such as nuts and bolts. Schwab adds bushing and gaskets to the list of expendables and says that “very often” f lexible hoses and conduits must be repaired and reinstalled during overhaul. There may also be life limited parts (LLPs) that need replacing. But he believes that generalisations about the most commonly repaired or replaced parts are inadvisable because of variations between aircraft types. For example, AAR finds that it takes longer to overhaul the main gears of a 767 compared with the nose gears, while on the 737 the reverse is true. “On the 767 we are finding now that the cylinders have internal cracks after being in service for ten years, and we have to remove those cracks,” Lopez states. He describes the repairs as “a very tedious process” because of the need for

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photo: Revima

photo: Revima

Left: Landing gears undergo repeated NDT such as FPI during overhaul. Right: Landing gear must be re-plated following repairs.

repeated non-destructive testing (NDT) followed by reconstruction to design dimensions using first nickel then chrome plating. Meanwhile, the nose gear on the 767 tends to be free of cracks. On the 737, Lopez says the main gears are “typically pretty clean” apart from some degree of corrosion, while the nose gear exhibits greater damage “and requires more rework”. Corrosion, which can lead to crack formation, is a common problem in landing gear, according to Secord, “particularly for aircraft that have high cycle rates”. This issue is tackled during overhaul by stripping down the landing gear then inspecting components visually and by NDT. “All major parts,” says Tielmann, “like inner and outer cylinders and also truck [beams] and axles require full attention due to their size, complexity and condition.” He explains that for landing gear the NDT is normally fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI), magnetic particle inspection (MPI) or the Barkhausen noise test. According to Lopez, AAR has six types of NDT in its arsenal for landing gear: MPI; FPI; eddy current; ultra sonic; roll scan; and nital etch. “Parts are subsequently restored using the latest corrosion prevention methods,” explains Secord. As noted earlier, earlier, maintenance maintenance providers may may also have to address corrosion and plating issues outside the context of overhaul. Schwab says that

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an AOG situation may involve repairing a chrome chip by smoothing over the defect in the case of slight damage or replacing the sliding rod in more serious cases. From time-to-time, he says, corrosion is discovered by an operator during weekly or monthly inspections, and a MRO is required to remove the bushing to tackle the corrosion behind it. Corrosion stripping, shot peening and then cadmium plating are performed before reinstallation of the bushing and axle.

Old problems, new solutions According to Lopez, it has long been bee n an industry undertaking to develop more environmentally friendly plating processes than those involving materials such as chrome. Hi gh velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) is one such advanced technique which is being used on certain landing gear components, such as the inner cylinders of the 767-400, which Lopez says were previously chrome-plated. However, HVOF is not widely used at present. p resent. Lopez points out that even the latest aircraft, such as the A320 or the 737 series, still feature chrome-plated parts and that, as a result, tooling up to cater to HVOF plating “is not an issue at this moment for any landing gear fac ility” ility”.. Nonetheless, both Lopez and Schwab predict that HVOF is going to become an increasingly


common substitute for chrome in future generations of aircraft. Tielmann says that LHT “welcomes and fully supports” the development of alternatives to chrome, while acknowledging that it “will take significant time until such technologies find their way [into] the overhaul manuals of all landing gear OEMs”. As a result, MROs currently focus on carefully controlling existing plating processes by using water treatment and recovery systems. Schwab adds that the use of solvent in the final stage of paint application is also minimised. Secord explains that HVOF is the coating required by the titanium parts that are being used with greater frequency in la nding gears, which are traditionally composed of steel or aluminium. Lopez says that while the 747-200 was launched around 30 years ago with only very small titanium parts like the torque links and braces, the 777 has “a fairly large number” of titanium components, including the truck beams. Titanium is a highly robust yet relatively lightweight material and one which offers a high resistance to corrosion. As Secord points out, it has the capacity to extend the TBO and overall life of landing gears. Tielmann and Lopez confirm that titanium parts require less rework and very little plating. Maintaining titanium parts requires an inspection, bushing replacements and “making sure there is no damage because of impact”, according to Lopez. Schwab explains that, unlike other components, if a problem is discovered with titanium parts they are usually usually not repaired but replaced. Unless it is an LLP replacement, based upon flying hours or cycles, scrapping titanium is a rare occurrence. Lopez says the only problem with titanium is “the fact that if it does get scrapped for whatever reason it becomes a pretty expensive proposition to replace that part”.. All in all, though, he describes titanium as part” “a very good metal for landing gears” and believes that, although some parts cannot be made out of this material, it will be seen more and more in upcoming landing gear designs. Messier-Bugatti-Dowty,, for example, is incorpoMessier-Bugatti-Dowty rating titanium and HVOF in the landing gear of the A350-800/900, alongside high strength steels. Meanwhile, Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg in Germany is using titanium for for its A350 XWB nose landin g gear, plus the t he landing l anding gear systems of the CSeries, the ARJ21 and the C919. Parts of Liebherr’s E-Jet landing gears also in clude titanium. Composite materials, one of the leading trends in modern aircraft manufacture, are a different proposition. Lopez notes that composites have not been as widely introduced in landing gear as titanium, citing the 787 as one example. On this aircraft, the OEM Messier-DowtyBugatti used composite braces together with “an industry first” titanium main gear inner cylinder.

The composite elements deliver an enhanced strength/weight ratio, plus higher resistance to corrosion and fatigue. Messier-Bugatti-Dowty, also the OEM for the SSJ100 lan ding gear, says says it will continue continue to develop the technology technology for other large commercial aircraft, focusing on potential applications for parts with simple load path structures such as bars, rods and other internal parts. Meanwhile, Liebherr-Aerospace is investigating the use of composites for structural structural components such as the upper drag brace and the steering housing on its own landing gear gear..

On the maintenance side, Lopez says that although it will be easy to replace the bushing, composites will likely require expensive NDT and repairs. Thus far it is difficult to assess the in-ser vice performance of composites composites in landing gear, gear, since the 787 only launched in September last year. According to L opez, testi ng suggests that the material will withstand the harsh conditions under which landing gears operate — “but history will tell”. For now, now, the landing landi ng gear aftermarket must soldier through what Schwab says will be “another difficult year”.

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Overhead aircraft handling during maintenance events Figure 1

quired service location, no matter which location of the system the carrier is currently parked in. i n.

Reduced operating time

In collaboration with a renowned European airline, CTI Systems says Systems says it has developed an innovative solution for overhead aircraft handling during maintenance and test procedures.

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TI Systems’ integrated overhead transfer system for engines was designed to go hand in hand with the latest, future oriented technology on aircraft engine handling during manufacturing or MRO procedures. The company says it offers advantages in both efficiency and safety. The entire overhaul plant (above) is a brainstorming result of both the client’s operating department and CTI Systems’ engineering team. The co-operation led to the formation of innovative processes and equipment design. Exceeding the initial throughput expectations, the installation can be considered as a first class reference in this field. Technology has been developed to meet targets on: ■ reduced risk of damage of handled parts; ■ reduced turnaround time; ■ reduced operating time (SMED = single

■ ■ ■

minute exchange exchange of die); increased safety for work personnel; improved working/access conditions; and increased work quality.

Overhead transfer and on place provisioning The main characteristic of the system is the overhead arrangement arrangement of all handling and transfer components. By applying other CTI Systems products a complete and integrated overhead transfer and lift solution can be offered (see figure 1). Through lifting and fixing on the individual overhead carrier in the receiving station, aircraft engines can be transferred either to hospital bays or to the dismantling, re-work and re-assembly areas. The ‘Matrix’ design of the cranes allows the highest flexible workflows and simplified transfers. Any stati station on will allow free trans transfer fer to any othe otherr rere-

For each line a combination of two suspended rail systems are being installed: monorail system system to transport entire engines ■ A monorail or single broken down parts, equipped with a set of monorail carriers rated from 2t to 15t. bi‐rail system to dismantle / re-assemble the ■ A bi‐rail basic group of modules with the highest precision by applying bi-rail carriers — designed for individual type and engine dimensions. For the critical modules of breakdown or reassembly, a combination of horizontal travel with lifting movements can be realised. Therefore, CTI Systems proposed to locate a monorail carrier hoist between the bi-rail system, allowing both the engine and module to be handled and approached in the smoothest and safest manner (see figure 2).

Increased personnel safety and access The overhead configuration allows unhindered personnel access, all around and even

Figure 2

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Improved work quality One of the system’s major advantages, however, is the avoidance of any engine discharge or grapping during transfers, as it will remain f ixed to its dedicated carrier for the entire work sequences. Any potential damage resulting from putting onto/ lifting from ground vehicles or jigs will no longer be relevant.

References

below the engines. This system is certified by Veritas. The ground surface will be kept clear from any carriers and will grant a free working environment. By lifting and lowering the engine with the integrated hoists, optimal individual ergonomic work levels are achieved. This improves work quality and reduces the rate of absenteeism.

The displayed pictures show the latest CTI Systems’ installations for a European client, which started operation in June 2010. Installed in a 10,500 m2 facility, aircraft engine maintenance and overhaul is being performed on CFM 56 series, CF 6-80; GE 90-94 and GE 90-115 - VBE (very big engines) aircraft engines. Installation period: 2009/10 Lift heights: 8 metres Max. load: 15 tons Due to the proven advantages, on efficiency and safety, CTI says some engine manufacturers recently switched to the overhead concept or are currently planning to do so. The company is supporting them in their strategic planning. CTI says more than 20 dedicated aircraft engine handling solutions are successfully in operation worldwide.

Further engine handling installations CTI Systems is also a supplier for aircraft engine handling in jet propulsion and test beds: Two similar, albeit less sophisticated, systems have been installed for other aircraft engine centres in the Middle East, combining manually-operated breakdown/build-up lines with motorised transfer bridges for line and workstation interconnections.

cti aircraft engine handling

 

in

jet propulsion centers

in

test beds

CTI-patented monorail track Transfer bridges

PHONE: +352 2685 2000

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Engine carriers Slewing cranes

WWW.CTISYSTEMS.COM

 

Preparation work stands Work platforms for test runs

[email protected]

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photo: Kuehne + Nagel Aerospace


“I

t’s very straightforward,” says Keith Leonard, regional director of B&H Worldwide, in answer to the question of what fundamental criteria a logistics provider must meet in order to successfully serve the aviation industry. He specifies the importance of offering services across a broad weight range “from one kilo up to top-deck sea freight capability”, 24/7/365 availability, rapid reaction capability and a track record composed of specialist experience. But while it may be easy to list the key requirements, it is a different matter to co-ordinate services to meet those needs consistently and effectively. As Leonard points out, the necessary experience “doesn’t just happen overnight”. With the operations of a multi-billion dollar industry dependent upon the timely and safe delivery of a plethora of components, from the smallest screws to entire engines and aerostructures, the stakes are high. As Erik Goedhart, SVP aerospace, Kuehne + Nagel, says, “in the case of service failures or damage, the impact is huge”. There are two broad categories of supply chain logistics companies serving the aviation industry: specialists and multi-industry providers with avi ation or aeros pace div isions. From the broad-ranging perspective of Kuehne + Nagel’s aerospace segment, Goedhart contrasts the logistical characteristics of the aviation i ndustry with those of the automotive and high-tech industries: “As a start, this industry i s characterised as low volume and low weight. The main reason is that the product to the end customer is a service [a flight] and not a physical product.”

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Supply chain logistics Logistics services are the lifeblood of the aviation industry, transporting new parts for production operations, spare parts for maintenance activities and critically important components for the resolution of AOG situations. Joanne Perry discovers that service providers face increasing time and cost pressures and must implement integrated IT solutions to cope with future demand. As regards the low volume, Goedha rt explains that while a car factory may churn out thousands of units as a matter of course, Airbus and Boeing together might produce only 1,000 aircraft per year. And while it may seem counterintuitive that an industry which transports massive aircraft engines, wings and fuselage sections is considered to be “low weight”, these items do not represent the average aircraft component; according to Goedhart, the majority of parts weigh less than 40kg. Although the parts may be small, their financial worth can be considerable. A fli ght management computer, says Goedhart, weighs about 10kg but is worth many thousands

of pounds. For this reason, providers such as Kuehne + Nagel supply dedicated treatment for aviation components – having a flight management computer sandwiched between generic cargo presents too high a risk of damage. Overall, then, aviation logistics can be summarised as follows: low volume; low weight; and high value.

Manufacturing and maintenance The aviation industry is not a uniform body of logistical needs, however. Manufacturing and maintenance are two distinct sides of the busi-

The logistics force behind your fleet

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Left: Kuehne + Nagel Aerospace’s ‘Supply the Sky’ concept. Right: The main deck on the cargo floor of an A330-200F.

“The much larger manufacturing supply chain is a very different animal from the logistical support required by an airline with aircraft in service.” Keith Leonard, regional director, B&H Worldwide

ness with, in Goedhart’s words, “different dynamics”. In aircraft series production, the entire process is planned and organised to an extraordinary level of detail and foresight, meaning that contracted logistics providers can have firm strategies in place to satisfy the needs of the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), with only a little fine-tuning required at a later stage. Leonard describes the vast supply chain involved in manufacturing, such as the management of Airbus requirements by DHL and Kuehne + Nagel, as “a very different animal” from the logistical needs of in-service fleets. In the former case, he says that large size can be an advantage for the logistics provider. Kuehne + Nagel in fact developed its all-encompassing ‘Supply the Sky’ solution around the services it provides to the Airbus production line in Hamburg, Germany. But, rather than catering only to manufacturing needs, the concept covers the lifecycle of an aircraft across new and spare parts supply, reducing stock in the supply chain as well as total transportation costs.

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The maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) side is, as Goedhart says, “a little more ad hoc” owing to the difficulty of anticipating the precise outcome of line maintenance and heavy maintenance checks, and of course the occurrence of unexpected aircraft-on-ground (AOG) situations. Furthermore, as Goedhart points out, an airline sometimes makes the decision to boost its inventory in preparation for maintenance needs, and thus requires additional logistical support. Logistics providers for MRO operations therefore must exhibit a significant degree of flexibility to tackle unpredictable and urgent demands, with the revenues and reputations of both maintenance providers and airlines hanging in the balance. As a company which conducts MRO services on a worldwide basis, Lufthansa Technik (LHT) is in an excellent position to judge the logistical requirements of maintenance providers. “Besides a very high standard in services, costs and performance,” says Andreas Meisel, managing director, Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services (LTLS), what is needed is “knowledge of MRO-specific processes and requirements”. Meisel continues: “Only with processes designed to meet the specific needs of the aviation industry is it possible to meet these requirements and to be successful in an industry with such high cost pressure.” Consequently, LTLS acts as both a logistics provider and “to a certain level” a consultant, shaping supply chains across transportation, customs, ware-


housing and material supply activities, as well as carrying out the fulfilment of the concept. Central to the reduction of both time and costs across the supply chain is the implementation of effective processes and IT for planning, executing and monitoring transportation and warehousing solutions, according to Meisel. For example, LTLS developed a track-and-trace system based on timestamp messages which provide information about transport status, locations, times, part numbers and purchase orders. The web-based system interfaces with the MRO systems of customers and suppliers. “Besides the tracking and tracing of single processes, the system offers business process reports that are the basis for internal TAT [turnaround time] evaluations,” explains Meisel, “and also for the communication between LHT/LTLS and their customers and suppliers.” Meisel says the company also “got an early start” on the electronic automated export system (AES) mandated by the European Union (EU) on July 1, 2009 by working with partners to develop a special module which connects the new system to the existing LTLS IT landscape. When it comes to LTLS’ transportation and warehousing activities on the ground, “there are

actually two set-ups to be separated”, says Meisel. For routine material supply or homebase replenishment, the LTLS distribution centre and transportation network combine to cover disparate locations across the world. According to Meisel, modern transportation solutions make proximity to the customer “slightly less important” for this type of supply, and fast processes in request handling, warehousing, customs and transportation “far more important”. At present, LTLS is focusing on Europe, the United States and the AsiaPacific region, in which LTLS operates distribution centres that “realise an optimum level of customer proximity”. Meanwhile, when supplying parts directly to a maintenance operation, LTLS establishes warehouses in close proximity to the customer, most often at airports and with direct airside access. Meisel explains that it is crucial to have a presence on site; “for material supply to line maintenance, every minute counts”. photo: AFI KLM E&M

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Left: DHL assists Airbus with its logistics requirements. Right: Parts are sometimes transported in the cabins of passenger aircraft by on-board couriers.

that service and deliver time after time is the goal,” says Ralph Perkins, managing director at AOG specialist Aviation Logistics Network (ALN), which handles about 500 such consignments per day. Founded in 2006, ALN is an independent association of international logistics providers catering to critical and AOG needs within the aerospace industry, as well as routine supply. From initial founding partnerships across the UK, France and Germany, the organisation has grown to encompass 200 locations across six continents. Indeed, ALN has recently widened its presence in the US and, says Perkins, “will be in a position shortly to announce some important developments within the Middle East”. According to Perkins, the intention of the founding partners of ALN was to provide an alternative for aviation customers “who in many respects have had little choice other than to look at single entity global forwarding networks”. In Perkins’ opinion, “you do not have to be big to be good”. The idea was, and is, that the collaboration of high-achieving specialists within local markets, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs), enables the delivery of “exceptional ser vices coupled with cost synergies”. The hallmarks of membership are a common standard of working practices, quality system management and dedication to detail. Based on these principles, ALN offers the worldwide reach and capabilitie s to serve an industry that Perkins describes as “truly global in

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scope” and one which measures downtime “in hours, not always days”. ALN continues to evolve its services, recently introducing ‘Securium’ — an AOG out-of-hours, high-security night safe concept for small components — for example. According to Leonard at B&H, on-board courier is “the fastest way that you can get an AOG [part] from A to B, because you are literally escorting it and you are not [risking] an offload or misroute”, although he concedes that such mishaps do not happen often anymore with shipments travelling as cargo. B&H is a member of the Aerospace Logistics Group (ALG), which was established in 2007 by a group of international freight forwarders with an emphasis on rapid-reaction, around-the-clock services. The association has offices and distribution centres in Europe, the US, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia — Leonard says both B&H Worldwide and the ALG network is “increasingly” being asked to hold inventory at strategic locations worldwide on behalf of their customer base. On the whole, though, Leonard believes that “smaller is better, because of the flexibility”. He says that half a dozen people with appropriate expertise offer a better solution than larger teams where clients are passed around numerous points of contact. It is a sentiment shared by Perkins at ALN, which counts former commercial pilots, aeronautical designers, flight engineers and an SVP of maintenance among its personnel.


“It is important that we have the ability to think in the same way as our clients do and understand the commercial world in which they operate,” states Perkins. It may seem a little unsophisticated to transport an aircraft component in carry-on baggage, but Leonard says demand for on-board courier services is rising. The “sure-fire” method does have its disadvantages, however, including weight limitations. The size of the part to be transported is constrained by baggage restrictions — around 20kg in the cabin. Thus, Leonard says, the types of components transported in this manner are often high-tech avionics, in-flight entertainment systems, fuel flow meters and the like. He says a “classic” example of on-board couriering occurred a few months ago, when a Sri Lankan Airlines aircraft grounded in Milan urgently required an 18”-24” piece of fuel f low tubing. B&H arranged for a replacement to arrive from Messier-Dowty in Gloucester, UK, within two hours and to depart from Heathrow within another hour. The courier was met in customs by a representative of the ALG member for Italy. Heavier escorted components are transported in the hold, and according to Leonard, negotiating customs can still be faster than processing the part through a freight terminal. Dedicated networks are not the only organisations performing AOG operations, however. Kuehne + Nagel recently responded to an engine AOG in Greece. The replacement CFM56 was in Düsseldorf, Germany, the necessary engine change kit in Luton, UK, and additional parts to support the engine change needed to be collected from Stansted Airport. A charter arrangement was selected ahead of other options. Goedhart admits that the raw logistical expense

A CFM56 engine such as was recently transported by Kuehne + Nagel Aerospace for an AOG in Greece.

“It is important that we have the ability to think in the same way as our clients do and understand the commercial world in which they operate.” Ralph Perkins, MD, ALN.

         

  

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Both manufacturing and maintenance supply chains have expanded, and logistics providers must offer global, integrated services.

was “huge” but says it was still less than the cost of accommodating passengers overnight, acquiring fresh crew and the aircraft sitting on the ground at a loss of $50,000 per day. Nonetheless, Goedhart says that in a similar case in future, Kuehne + Nagel would likely be able to knock two hours off the lead time now that an airside warehouse has been opened at London Heath row. The new set-up at Heathrow is part of an expansion plan which will see Kuehne + Nagel establish closer proximity to its customers. Goedhart says the company is “heavily investing in emerging markets and BRIC [Brazil, Russia, India and China] countries”.

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Supply chains — present and future Looking to the future of aviation supply chain logistics, B+H’s Leonard sees IT which provides total visibility within the supply chain as “the biggest challenge”. Since the supply chain has expanded on both the manufacturing and maintenance sides, the necessary technological integration will have to happen on a global basis, incorporating the activities of logistical partners in the case of networks like ALG. In tomorrow’s production operations, says Leonard, “parts are as likely to be coming from China, India and

other rapidly developing economies, whereas probably 25 years ago most of them came from the US”. Meanwhile, in catering to aftermarket requirements, B&H has been busy establishing more de-centralised stores in growing markets such as Asia. In order to cater to these new demands, the company will continue to develop its proprietary ‘OnTrack’ software and will also roll out an iPhone app which enables engineers to locate parts within the supply chain while on-site. Meisel agrees that “IT resources and applications as well as the execution of IT projects are crucial to a modern logistics provider”. He believes that, while the supply chain is not necessarily becoming more complex, the integration of the IT systems required for request handling, warehousing, planning and purchasing of material, transportation, customs processing and tracking is “an important prerequisite to be as fast and cost efficient as aviation logistics needs to be today”. Goedhart, meanwhile, points out that Kuehne + Nagel’s ‘Supply the Sky’ concept is effectively an integrated, global IT solution pro viding full track-and-trace capability. Going forward, Goedhart believes that a strong IT “backbone” will be vital in the redesign of the supply chain which he says is necessary for performance improvement and cost reductions. He estimates that only $60-80bn of the $100bn of stock in the aftermarket is actually needed and that manufacturers have at least one month’s supply of parts when one week would be optimal. Furthermore, with the implementation of tighter and more innovative IT-led solutions, Goedhart says that AOG shipments could potentially be reduced by 50 per cent. However, in the enthusiasm to adopt more sophisticated IT systems it is important to remember that there are other crucial factors contributing to the delivery of efficient supply chain solutions. “Automated systems of course play a large part in the ever-changing and complex world in which we live,” says Perkins. “However, the value of human interaction and problem solving is as much key to the success of our business as the most sophisticated tracking and stock inventory control tools.” Perkins lists the central ongoing issues for the aviation logistics industry as: continued service improvement despite reduced profit margins; the understanding between service providers and clients that services must be “valued as well as costed” whatever the bottom line may say; and the need for innovation. These challenges, he says, must be tackled in the broader context of an industry that is coming under increasing pressure from the high fuel prices which percolate the supply chain as well as requirements “to reduce waste, downtime and spiralling costs”.


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omponent maintenance comprises a fifth of the global MRO market, which will be worth $50bn in 2012. Team SAI, an analyst, values the segment at $9.5bn this year, rising to $13.5bn in a decade, at which point it predicts the global market will be worth $68bn. To put that in perspective, component repair is worth roughly the same annually as the line maintenance and heavy maintenance sectors. The lion’s share, of course, is taken by engine maintenance, set to be worth $22bn this year. Unlike engines and airframe heavy checks, components offer flexibility in where they can be maintained. Parts can often be replaced immediately at source and then shipped off to a repair shop halfway round the world. In contrast, the expense of transporting aircraft and engines the same distance is prohibitive enough to ensure they are overhauled locally. The segment is distinct in other ways, too, as component maintenance is an umbrella term that covers a vast array of aircraft items. Many differ wildly in function, value, complexity and required repair protocol. Rotables, for instance, are parts such as pumps and actuators that require periodic repair, whereas other items, known as expendables, are thrown away once they reach the end of their service lives. Thus, to offer comprehensive component support a MRO shop needs to be able to repair or replace everything from in-f light entertainment systems to onboard coffee makers. Other types of component include hydraulic and electrical actuators, lights, valves, and navigation and communication equipment.

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Component maintenance The four pillars of the aircraft MRO sector are engine, component, heavy and line maintenance. New technologies and materials in each of these areas require increasingly sophisticated aftermarket support, but the sheer variety of parts on modern aircraft means that component repair is one of the trickier capabilities for maintenance providers to master, says Alex Derber . Airlines, or the shops they contract their MRO to, must plan maintenance according to the type of component. For instance, wheels and brakes typically require more work during the summer months, while other items offer rigid maintenance intervals, as Heinz Freimann, head of component maintenance at SR Technics (SRT) explains. “Certain products have hard-time limits, which mean they can only be in service for a specific period of time and must be maintained within that timeframe,” he says. “An example of this would be emergency slides. As we manage fleet maintenance for airlines we are therefore able to predict when the component will be in

the shop, as we have a record of when the slide was last installed.” Hard-time limits can be defined by the manufacturer or the airline. In the latter case, an airline may stipulate a maximum in-service period in order to better predict its maintenance costs. Conversely, an ‘on-condition’ programme might allow extended use of a part provided it meets specified conditions. “However, when you do have to remove a unit with high hours and cycles you face higher maintenance costs, which can make this more costly over time than establishing a maintenance programme that establishes intervals for removal,” warns Tom Covella, execu-


© Gregor Schläger / Lufthansa Technik Lufthansa Technik estimates that about 90 per cent of its component revenues are now derived from total support deals.

“Some lessors are still reluctant to use PMA so in contract negotiations we have to convince them that it is risk-free and beneficial. In some cases the OEMs are not happy, but there are situations where we work together as well.” Tim Butzmann, head of product sales for component services, Lufthansa Technik tive vice president and general manager at Florida-based STS Component Solutions.

Full support While hard-time limits help to improve maintenance visibility for airlines, the easiest way for them to predict costs is to outsource all their component repair requirements in one go. To accommodate this, most of the major MRO companies offer some form of comprehensive solution: SRT provides ‘Integrated Component Solutions’; Lufthansa Technik (LHT) has ‘Total Component Support’; and ST Aerospace has its ‘MaintenanceBy-The-Hour’ programme. The names are different, but all tend to offer a similar spectrum of services, encompassing engineering and repair, access to parts pools, and logistics support. Through its partnership with Sanad Aero Solutions, SR Technics is also able to offer component inventory financing solutions. Comprehensive solutions have proved popular, with LHT estimating that about 90 per cent of its component revenues are now derived from total support deals. “This type of service only

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came of age about six years ago but it’s been really successful, rising from less than half of total component revenue in less than a decade,” says Tim Butzmann, head of product sales for component services at the company. Lufthansa’s component repair services are centred on its facilities in Hamburg and Frankfurt, where the manufacturer supports all major Airbus and Boeing types, as well as Embraer, Bombardier and BAE lines. Evidence of the company’s commitment to new aircraft can be found in Spairliners, a joint A380 parts pool it set up in 2005 with Air France Industries, and in a 2011 deal with Hamilton Sundstrand to provide MRO services for the manufacturer’s 787 components. “We try to focus on newer technologies and are running a capability build- up programme as the technology being installed on aircraft like the 747-8 and 787 has obviously changed quite a bit — mostly concerning the avionics,” says Oliver Gillmann, team leader, SRU repair services, LHT. Many of the capabilities that LHT develops on the 787 will emerge from those learned on the 777, with which the Dreamliner shares a similar

flight deck and Honeywell fly-by-wire control system. Ease of maintenance should also result from the 787’s ‘Common Core System’ (CCS), a central computer that replaces the myriad systems of previous aircraft with a single unit capable of 80 different avionics functions. Boeing says that the CCS has eliminated the more than 100 separate line replaceable units from the cockpit. SR Technics, which supports more than 50,000 part numbers across Airbus and Boeing types, also strives to stay abreast of the latest developments and prepare itself for when components begin to require MRO. “We have a dedicated team of engineers who constantly screen new technologies, get familiar with these technologies, and make recommendations about which capabilities to de velop and when,” says Freimann. He offers the example of hydraulic test rigs that SRT used up until 2010. To cope with the increased hydraulic pressures utilised on new-generation aircraft the company chose a new 5000psi-capable rig instead of equivalent replacements. “With the new bench only minor adjustments are needed to cope with a variety of components from new aircraft types, such as but not limited to the A380, 787 and A350,” Freimann says.

OEM involvement New aircraft also present a different sort of challenge to MRO companies, one associated with a changing business model at large OEMs like Honeywell and Rockwell Collins who man-


ufacture swathes of components installed on new and old airframes. Like the engine suppliers, these are increasingly seeking a role in the aftermarket by linking sales of new products to longterm maintenance contracts. A recent example was a five-year contract, signed in March, for Honeywell to provide repair and overhaul support for avionic and mechanic components on Emirates’ 777, A330 and A340 fleets. “The OEMs that have a big share of installed components will certainly look at getting into the aftermarket. They are already doing repairs for their own components and for some items they are the default subcontractor for many MROs that don’t have the capability themselves. I would expect that to increase,” says Butzmann at LHT. Airframers are also getting in on the act. Boeing’s ‘Goldcare’ programme for the 787 integrates spare parts planning, ordering, supplier management, and component repair and overhaul, while Bombardier launched ‘Smart Services’ in 2008 to provide repair and exchange for Q400 components and, eventually, non-engine parts on the CSeries regional jet. Meanwhile, Thales has ‘TopCare’, a by-thehour support offering for its ‘TopFlight’ in-f light entertainment system, and ‘Avionics++’, a com-

prehensive package covering repairs and spares. The French business has also joined Diehl Aerospace, Liebherr Aerospace and Zodiac to establish OEMServices, which charges per flight hour to support the avionic, hydraulic, f light control, cabin, engine control, and air system components produced across the four companies.

Engineering solutions The initiatives outlined above show that the actual repair of parts is only one side of a component MRO service, another being the supply of replacements. LHT, for example, has a pool of more than €1bn-worth of spares at its bases in Hamburg and Frankfurt. “Alongside that we must maintain a logistics network in order to supply our customers at their respective home bases or line stations,” says Butzmann. Rather than keep their own stock, many airlines are now giving up their inventories and relying on centralised pools of spares that are drawn on by many operators. Those airlines also outsource their supply chain management to third parties such as LHT. Aside from tapping into economies of scale, the advantages of pooling are that it allows airlines to focus on their core operations and transfer risk onto specialist supply managers.

Some component service companies do not even perform repairs themselves, choosing instead to manage the overall MRO process for their customers, An example is STS Component Solutions, which supports items including thrust reversers, flight control surfaces, insulation blankets, nacelle hold open rods, batteries, chargers, static inverters, switches, and pitot tubes on a wide range of commercial aircraft. Although STS does not have the maintenance capabilities of LHT, the two companies do both offer engineering services. As a designated design organisation, LHT can implement product improvements and develop its own solutions to component problems without waiting for OEMs to take the lead. Similarly, STS Components Solutions and STS Engineering Solutions seek to leverage their skills to reduce maintenance downtime and cost for customers. “Through our individual in-house capabilities in the areas of composites and structures, we have been able to engineer and develop repair schemes that have saved composites and structures that would otherwise have been deemed ‘beyond economical repair’ or been exposed to significant ‘over-and-above’ material replacement charges,” says Covella at STS.

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Component MRO spend by region Operator Region Total MRO spend (US$) 2010

2011

2012

316,603

410,523

376,122

3,147,290

3,476,518

3,521,702

535,942

734,780

733,81

Western Europe

2,385,775

2,470,057

2,579,717

Eastern Europe

292,768

461,018

501,105

Latin America

633,459

638,184

673,890

1,705,473

1,883,379

1,901,087

China

674,814

852,163

903,635

India

181,052

194,915

217,564

15,497

10,289

Africa North America Middle East

Asia-Pacific

Unknown

Source: UBM Aviation STS has performed different work in support of several SBs concerning 737NG thrust reversers. Heat damage had been detected on the inner walls of the thrust reversers, so Boeing re commended drilling a hole through the wall behind the No. 3 upper compression pad to decrease the temperature behind the thrust reverser insulation blanket, which should then be replaced. As a supplier of insulation blankets, STS had to ensure that replacements were available to customers.

Competition

SR Technics says it supports more than 50,000 part numbers across Airbus and Boeing types.

An easy way to pass on cost savings to customers is through the use of PMA parts, which are parts that perform just as well as original equipment from the big manufacturers, but are manufactured by third parties. As a result, they are much cheaper, though OEMs resent their use as they cut into aftermarket sales of original equipment. For MRO shops, this can sometimes mean a delicate balancing act between their various customers and suppliers. “As a designated engineering representative we aim to achieve cost advantages th at we can hand on to our customers, so PMA is part of what

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we do. Some lessors are still reluctant to use PMA so in contract negotiations we have to convince them that it is risk-free and beneficial. In some cases the OEMs are not happy, but there are situations where we work together as well,” comments Butzmann. Service bulletins (SBs) demonstrate this cooperation. LHT is currently developing a solution to a problem with A320 door actuators. “It affects the whole A320 fleet and the OEM wanted a partner who could cover the whole process; we support the repair, modification, testing, and field support like a turnkey product,” says Gillmann.

Only the largest MRO companies are capable of comprehensive component total solutions — the investment needed in spare parts alone makes such offerings impossible for smaller companies. Accordingly, multinational MROs mostly compete with each other for component contracts, especially as holistic support deals have become their prevalent revenue streams. Nonetheless, LHT’s Butzmann does acknowledge that competition has diversified, both from OEMs seeking a share of the aftermarket and smaller companies like STS. Covella, meanwhile, points out that most of his business is working with the OEMs — whose components STS supplies and develops improvements for — rather than against them. “The larger third-party noseto-tail MRO providers probably represent a bigger threat to us,” he concludes.

THE PROVEN PATH TO NEXTGEN PERFORMANCE

Tapping into NextGen operational improvements just got easier. With Goodrich Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) solutions, you can be ready today for ADS-B In CDTI, Data Comm/SWIM, network enabled weather, and other performance-boosting NextGen enabling technologies. Newest in our EFB family, the G700 SmartDisplay® EFB system supports concurrent operation of Windows-based applications and Type C certified applications like CDTI and CPDLC, providing flight crews with a multi-functional system that maximizes benefits. It also features integrated Wi-Fi/3G wireless, upgraded processors and memory, and a new 10"/12" LCD display with multi-touch and gesturing input compatibility. The wait is over. You can have the future of NextGen in your cockpit today. For more information about Goodrich EFBs contact Goodrich at [email protected]

 

y g o l o n h c e t ™ c ffi a r T t r a m S l l e w y e n o H g n i r u t a e F

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Essential Flying Buddy — the EFB is here to stay W ithin the commercial aviation industry, the electronic flight bag (EFB) is slowly but surely moving towards that point which globally successful modern technological devices eventually get to: a tipping point for uptake. As with mobile phones and CDs, the technology was there for decades before everyone unanimously decided they must have it. Necessary factors gradually converge and suddenly… the technology is ubiquitous. Although EFBs are not there yet, current trends point to that day arriving in the none-toodistant future. Replacing the original backbreaking f light bag, loaded with around 12,000 sheets of paper comprising maps, charts, and documents and weighing 25kg, today’s electronic flight bags greatly surpass their cumbersome predecessors in capability and functionality, as well as portability. Modern EFBs can dramatically streamline operations and save airlines a fortune. They replace countless tons of paper, meaning much less weight on board and millions saved in fuel costs, as well as improving their impact on the environment. Along with increased operational efficiency and productivity, departments such as

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The industry for electronic flight bags (EFBs) has long been a sleeping giant. After two decades of limited commercial use, IT innovation in EFB software and hardware is finally waking the giant from his slumber, reports Nick Rice . flight operations and maintenance can also be modernised. Potential benefits range from the elimination of low-value, labour intensive processes like updating manuals and navigation charts, through to improving the availability of time-sensitive and operationally important information such as defect reports. Safety is improved, information is available faster, and it can be simultaneously accessed and shared by more people to ensure optimal performance. It’s no wonder they’re catching on. The paperless cockpit is without doubt the future of f lying across the aviation industry — private, military and commercial. The question is, which devices and what software will most airline companies be using?

Tablet transformation? Enter the newcomer in the industry — the iPad. Apple’s globally popular gadget has been

grabbing the headlines, passing decompression tests, and being applied for use as a Class 1 EFB by the world’s largest airline, United Continental. More than 10,000 iPads have been deployed to United and Continental aircraft at a cost of nearly $5m, with estimated annual savings of around $1m. This major network airline follows Delta and Alaska Airli nes, who were the first commercia l airlines to use iPads. American Airlines is also using iPads, and was recently granted US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorisation to use the devices during all phases of commercial flight and to mount the iPad in the cockpit — an unprecedented ruling which qualifies it as a Class 2 EFB, rather than a Class 1 that must be stowed on take off and landing. As the iPad is being widely considered by more and more airlines as a potential option over the more established EFB devices, some contention has arisen in the industry surrounding

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Jeppesen Enterprise Solutions has been supplying EFB solutions and working with multiple hardware providers for more than 15 years. Pictured is its ‘Mobile FliteDeck’ software.

the iPad’s suitability, functionality and future. At the core of the debate is the overlap in the categorisation of EFB devices as Class 1, 2 and 3. Class 1 represents the most basic device and embodies the initial concept of replacing paper with a device to access and view documents. These are generally purchased, consumer offthe-shelf (COTS) devices such as laptops, which are portable and not connected to an aircraft’s power supply. Class 2 EFBs are still portable but can be docked and used with the flight deck and are approved for operation in all phases of f light. The software functionality goes beyond Class 1 and includes moving maps, real time satellite, and weather updates. The top range Class 3 EFBs are a fixed part of the avionic on-board system and are the only class able to run the most sophisticated Type C software. They must also be certified (at considerable cost) by the FAA via Supplemental Type Certificate (STC). Established companies such as Goodrich, a global supplier of systems and services to the aerospace industry, acknowledge the impact of iPads but believe their use to be limited. Jim Schmitz, director of business development for Goodrich’s cockpit data management products, states: “The iPad and other tablets certainly have a role to play in many instances where limited functionality, along with low cost of entry, is concerned. Tablet devices have helped to accelerate airline interest in EFBs and they may help to

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lower the cost of entry to implement a basic, limited functionality, Class 1 EFB system.” But, he warns: “If airlines want to tap into the much greater savings potential of a ‘fully connected’ EFB system, they will need to move be yond a tablet-based EFB. We have already seen this in Europe with airlines that have used Class 1 EFBs for years and have already taken the step, or are considering, upgrading their Class 1 tablet to a Class 2 or Class 3 EFB system.” Upgrading from Class 1 with products like Goodrich’s ‘SmartDisplay’ EFB system, means greater depth in the overall performance of an EFB. As Schmitz says: “These highly customisable product suites allow flight crews, f light ops, maintenance departments, and IT staff to efficiently manage the flow of multiple sources of electronic information to and from the aircraft, effectively enabling the aircraft to become an extension of an airline’s IT system.” Knut Aabö, EVP of sales and marketing at EFB hardware provider navAero, concurs with Schmitz and explains the limitations of the iPad in contrast to established EFB solutions and hardware, such as navAero’s own ‘t-Bag C22’ EFB device. “While the iPad is attracting significant attention in the North American market as a low cost technology tool, there is virtually no interest in this device in Europe, the Middle East or Asia,” he says. “These markets are focused on the de-

ployment of purpose built EFB technology because they see the benefit they will gain from EFB systems that can be fully integrated with the aircraft. The iPad will not undercut the Class 2 EFB hardware market. The iPad is a basic, consumer product with limited built-in connectivity and content upload capability. It was never designed to be used in an aircraft environment and is not manufactured with aircraft-grade components. It is a consumer device, not an aircraft device.” Whilst the limitations are clear — the iPad is not a viable contender for the highly integrated and robust technology platforms that Class 3 EFBs represent — they are gaining support for use in both Class 1 and Class 2 categories. Jeppesen Enterprise Solutions, an aviation navigation company and subsidiary of Boeing, has been supplying EFB solutions and working with multiple hardware providers for more than 15 years. Senior manager Jeff Buhl has plenty of positive things to say about the adoption of the iPad in the aviation industry. “To date, the iPad has been the most successful EFB platform with solutions provided by Jeppesen. It is certainly part of what is redefining the EFB solution. 2011 was a great year for the iPad EFB and we see no signs of it slowing down, especially among the commercial airlines. For many situations, it is the right platform with the right solution when integrated with Jeppesen ‘Mobile Fl iteDeck’ so ftware, which is developed by pilots, for pilots.”


The iPad has also drawn supportive comments from Ultramain Systems. Based in New Mexico, US, Ultramain has been producing integrated maintenance and logistics software for more than 20 years. “If regulators will allow data connectivity between the iPad and aircraft systems then it will no doubt compete with Class 2 EFBs as well,” says company president Mark McCausland. “The iPad has already passed FAA hardware certification requirements and been approved for use in the cockpit in critical phases of f light, so it’s shown itself to be up to aircraftgrade certification standards.” With regard to the apparent convergence between the classes, he adds: “For safety reasons there will always be some applications that won’t be permitted on anything less than Class 3 EFB. The reason is that due to the critical nature of the applications, certified software and hardware will be required. Class 3 EFB will always be in a class by themselves. However, Class 1 and 2 EFBs appear to be merging.” This blurring between class categorisation continues to split major players in the industry. Diogo Serradas, of Flightman, (formerly Aircraft Management Technologies), which specialises in connected aircraft solutions and claims to have

the world’s largest market share in providing EFB software solutions, also recognises the significant encroachment of the iPad into the aviation industry. Serradas also suggests more competition beyond the iPad in the form of other new EFB de vices. “This new FAA charting legislation is a significant milestone within the EFB industry,” he says. “If these airlines successfully deploy a complete EFB solution on the iPad, then it’s quite possible that 2012 could become a significant year. At the moment the iPad is a competitor to other EFB hardware suppliers. However, with the advent of Windows 8 later this year there will be a large number of new devices capable of running existing enterprise applications. We predict more airlines combining both pilot assigned tablets with the more established aircraft assigned EFBs.”

Jeppesen Enterprise Solutions senior manager Jeff Buhl.

New features and new problems With more than 20,000 non EFB- equipped aircraft in use there is all to play for and EFBs will continue to proliferate across the varying levels of capability. The technology and application of EFBs has already far surpassed the original idea of substituting paper for a screen. The EFB is now

AMOS A Story of Success “We feel that AMOS is very much alive and keeps pace with the ever changing aviation industry,“ says Air Transat. Read more about the world-class M&E software system at SWISS-AS.COM

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“The iPad will not undercut the Class 2 EFB hardware market. The iPad is a basic, consumer product with limited built-in connectivity and content upload capability. It was never designed to be used in an aircraft environment and is not manufactured with aircraft-grade components.” Knut Aabö, EVP of sales and marketing, navAero

Goodrich G700 ‘SmartDisplay’ Class 3 EFB displaying the Honeywell ‘SmartTraffic’ ADS-B in ITP view.

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a functioning supplementary IT system working in sync with on-board computing. They can complement primary flight instrumentation as an integral part of an aircraft’s functioning. navAero’s Aabö sees this as good news for increased airline eff iciency. “As regulatory authorities gain greater assurances as to EFB reliability and user benefits, we see the potential for numerous ancillary uses that today are authorised only on computer systems that utilise a DO-178 operating system,” he states. “This ability to allow Class 2 technology systems to make the tremendous leap to being a true contributor for increasing operational efficiency goes way beyond simply displaying the digital version of paper documentation that was contained in the traditional leather f light bag.” The future will see more software apps developed, while hardware providers will battle it out for which device is the best delivery mechanism. One symptom that could affect some EFB users is inundation with new applications — could pi lots risk becoming hindered with too many op-

tions, potentially losing valuable time whilst scrolling through pages and pages of apps? With the almost limitless variations of service that EFBs can be enabled to perform and provide they have become an altogether different beast — but is it one that needs to be tamed? Or at least controlled so that it doesn’t become a burden? “The challenge is finding the balance between too many apps and too many features in a single app,” believes Jeppesen’s Buhl. “Mobile devices are teaching us that targeted applications with a defined purpose can be easier to learn, train, and use more effectively on a recurring basis. Ultimately, a relatively limited set of applications can cover the tool set a pilot needs to replace and far exceed the notion of the traditional f light bag.” Pilots have also joined the debate, expressing concerns about the increased and expansive EFB deployment. Popular pilot forums are full of opinion on the subject, and when it comes to the iPad as a new EFB, the overwhelming consensus appears positive. Some have noted its usefulness for flight planning purposes, or in quickly improving a pilot’s situation awareness (SA) — using the iPad’s touchscreen can be considerably quicker than finding, unfolding, searching and planning on paper charts. Regardless of the stance taken on iPads versus purpose-built EFB hardware, it is safe to say that the iPad has found a place in the cockpit as well as in business lounges and as part of in-flight entertainment services. This is more likely a result of the tablet being ‘pulled’ into the sector rather then Apple ‘pushing’ it there. Apple doesn’t need


to penetrate the commercial airline marketplace — they most likely sell more iPads in one week than the amount required to equip every commercially aircraft f lying today. The issues that could prove a barrier to further widespread iPad adoption include the lithium ion battery (historically ruled a potential fire hazard by the FAA), aircraft data connectivity, future upgradeability/expansion of system capabilities, and, in the US, issues surrounding NextGen compliance. (NextGen refers to the ongoing transformation of the US National Airspace System — an evolution from a ground-based system of air traffic control to a satellite-based system of air traffic management). Essentially, Type C EFB applications like Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADSB), Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI) or Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) will have to be to be carried out with a Class 3 device to be NextGen compliant.

EFB evolution Whether it’s a relatively cheap $499 iPad acting as a Class 1 or 2 EFB, or a fully integrated Class 3 supplemental operating platform, what is clear is that the near future will see the complete evo-

lution of the unwieldy old f light bag into an EFB on every aircraft. At the top end of the spectrum they will comprise a real-time, air-to ground linked system. As Ultramain’s McCausland asserts: “To obtain optimal performance, EFBs need to be connected to ground systems via airborne data connectivity. This is not to say benefits can’t be gained with Class 1 EFB because they certainly can, but airborne data connectivity ele vates the level of obtainable benef its. It’s just a matter of time before commercial aviation shifts to EFB use. It’s too powerful not to.” The future of EFBs and their increasing functionality remains predicated on the continued expansion of connectivity to the aircraft. As each subsequent generation of EFB hits the market, the need to be constantly connected increases, and eventually aircraft will become another node within the IT operations of an aviation network. Data will move up and down between the aircraft and the on-ground maintenance, gate personnel and flight operations departments, all with realtime connectivity of the EFB to the airline’s IT system. It will ultimately be the operational efficiency and multi-faceted services that will define emerging EFB hardware and software, as their increasingly vital role in aviation continues to evolve.

AMOS A Story of Success “The best fit in terms of functionality, price and market standing,” states easyJet Read more about the world-class M&E software system at SWISS-AS.COM

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DATA & DIRECTIVES

Aircraft data: Airbus A320 family Operator fleet listing with engine Operator

Operator Country

Equip. Role

Equip. Type

Engine Family

Equip. Utilisation

ADRIA AIRWAYS AEGEAN AIRLINES AEGEAN AIRLINES AER LINGUS AER LINGUS AERODYNAMICS INC. AEROFLOT RUSSIAN AIRLINES AEROFLOT RUSSIAN AIRLINES AEROFLOT RUSSIAN AIRLINES AERVENTURE (ALL ENT.) AERVENTURE (ALL ENT.) AERVENTURE (ALL ENT.) AERVENTURE (ALL ENT.) AERVENTURE (ALL ENT.) AERVENTURE (ALL ENT.) AERVENTURE (ALL ENT.) AERVENTURE (ALL ENT.) AFRIQIYAH AIRWAYS AFRIQIYAH AIRWAYS AFRIQIYAH AIRWAYS AFRIQIYAH AIRWAYS AIGLE AZUR AIGLE AZUR AIGLE AZUR AIGLE AZUR AIGLE AZUR AIGLE AZUR AIGLE AZUR AIR ALGERIE AIR ARABIA AIR ARABIA MAROC AIR ASTANA AIR ASTANA AIR ASTANA AIR ASTANA AIR BERLIN AIR BERLIN AIR BERLIN AIR BERLIN AIR BERLIN AIR BERLIN AIR CAIRO AIR CAIRO AIR CALEDONIE INTERNATIONAL AIR CANADA AIR CANADA AIR CANADA AIR CANADA AIR CANADA AIR CHINA

SLOVENIA GREECE GREECE IRELAND IRELAND U.S (&TERR.) RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN LIBYA LIBYA LIBYA LIBYA FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE ALGERIA UNITED ARAB EMIRATES MOROCCO KAZAKSTAN KAZAKSTAN KAZAKSTAN KAZAKSTAN GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) EGYPT EGYPT NEW CALEDONIA CANADA CANADA CANADA CANADA CANADA CHINA

PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX

A320 A320 A321 A320 A321 A319 A319 A320 A321 A319 A319 A319 A319 A320 A321 A321 A321 A319 A320 A320 A320 A319 A319 A320 A320 A321 A 319 A 320 A321 A320 A320 A319 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A320 A321 A321 A319 A320 A320 A320 A319 A319 A320 A320 A321 A319

V2500-A1 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B V2500-A1 CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A1 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B

4831 67801 12342 103950 15336 2867 42979 94553 44121 2721 2867 3425 5786 5492 3580 2838 2903 8342 2855 27444 3185 1999 5769 2358 5339 11852 2373 2457 2788 108845 5615 2614 5128 19482 6319 27719 19023 91245 5347 5788 9449 9529 2043 2406 7705 109100 19334 89256 35544 59762

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Aircraft Count 2 23 4 34 6 1 15 31 15 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 3 1 9 1 1 2 1 2 4 1 1 1 39 2 1 2 7 2 12 7 32 2 4 4 4 1 1 2 33 6 35 10 21

Engine Count 4 46 8 68 12 2 30 62 30 2 2 2 4 4 2 2 2 6 2 18 2 2 4 2 4 8 2 2 2 78 4 2 4 14 4 24 14 64 4 8 8 8 2 2 4 66 12 70 20 42

Engine Utilisation 9662 135602 24684 207901 30673 5734 85958 189106 88242 5443 5734 6849 11571 10984 7159 5675 5805 16684 5711 54889 6370 3998 11539 4717 10678 23703 4745 4913 5576 217689 11230 5229 10256 38965 12638 55439 38046 182491 10694 11575 18897 19059 4086 4812 15410 218199 38667 178512 71087 119523

DATA & DIRECTIVES

Operator fleet listing with engine (cont...) Operator

Operator Country

Equip. Role

Equip. Type

Engine Family

Equip. Utilisation

AIR CHINA AIR CHINA AIR CHINA AIR CHINA AIR COMET AIR FRANCE AIR FRANCE AIR FRANCE AIR FRANCE AIR FRANCE AIR FRANCE AIR INDIA AIR INDIA AIR INDIA AIR INDIA AIR JAMAICA AIR JAMAICA AIR JAMAICA AIR MACAU AIR MACAU AIR MACAU AIR MALTA AIR MALTA AIR MALTA AIR MAURITIUS AIR MEDITERRANEE [FRANCE] AIR MEDITERRANEE [FRANCE] AIR MEMPHIS AIR MOLDOVA AIR MOLDOVA AIR MOLDOVA AIR NEW ZEALAND AIR ONE [ITALY] AIR VIA BULGARIAN AIRWAYS AIRASIA AIRBLUE AIRBLUE AIRBLUE AIRBLUE AIRBLUE AIRCRAFT PURCHASE FLEET LTD. (ALL ENT.) ALAJNIHAH AIRWAYS ALITALIA ALITALIA ALITALIA ALITALIA ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS ALMASRIA UNIVERSAL AIRLINES AMSTERDAM AIRLINES AMSTERDAM AIRLINES ARMAVIA ARMAVIA ARMAVIA ARMAVIA ASIANA AIRLINES ASIANA AIRLINES ATLANTIC AIRWAYS [FAEROE ISLANDS] ATLAS BLUE ATLASJET INTERNATIONAL ATLASJET INTERNATIONAL AUSTRIAN AIRLINES AUSTRIAN AIRLINES AUSTRIAN AIRLINES AVIANCA AVIANCA AVIATION CAPITAL GROUP (ALL ENTRIES) AVIATION CAPITAL GROUP (ALL ENTRIES) AVIATION CAPITAL GROUP (ALL ENTRIES) AVIATION CAPITAL GROUP (ALL ENTRIES) AVIATION CAPITAL GROUP (ALL ENTRIES) AVIATION CAPITAL GROUP (ALL ENTRIES) AVIATION CAPITAL GROUP (ALL ENTRIES) AWAS (ALL ENTRIES) AWAS (ALL ENTRIES) AWAS (ALL ENTRIES) AWAS (ALL ENTRIES) AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES BAHRAIN AIR BAHRAIN AIR BAHRAIN AIR BANGKOK AIRWAYS BANGKOK AIRWAYS BANGKOK AIRWAYS BELAIR AIRLINES [SWITZERLAND]

CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA SPAIN FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE FRANCE INDIA INDIA INDIA INDIA JAMAICA JAMAICA JAMAICA MACAU MACAU MACAU MALTA MALTA MALTA MAURITIUS FRANCE FRANCE EGYPT MOLDOVA MOLDOVA MOLDOVA NEW ZEALAND ITALY BULGARIA MALAYSIA PAKISTAN PAKISTAN PAKISTAN PAKISTAN PAKISTAN UNKNOWN LIBYA ITALY ITALY ITALY ITALY JAPAN JAPAN EGYPT NETHERLANDS NETHERLANDS ARMENIA ARMENIA ARMENIA ARMENIA SOUTH KOREA SOUTH KOREA FAEROE ISLANDS MOROCCO TURKEY TURKEY AUSTRIA AUSTRIA AUSTRIA COLOMBIA COLOMBIA UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN AZERBAIJAN AZERBAIJAN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN THAILAND THAILAND THAILAND SWITZERLAND

PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX

A 320 A321 A319 A320 A320 A318 A319 A319 A320 A320 A321 A319 A320 A321 A320 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A320 A319 A320 A321 A 320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A319 A320 A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A319 A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A319 A320 A320 A319 A320 A321 A319 A321 A320 A321 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A320 A320 A319 A320 A319 A320 A320 A320 A319 A320 A319

CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A1 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5A V2500-A1 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A1 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A1 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 C FM56-5B C FM56-5B C FM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B

13388 68455 32730 59226 4182 45387 12545 96234 45736 103365 50918 57165 11463 38549 124176 908 21756 10576 11727 3426 17112 16604 3718 22730 3429 1663 14156 4768 710 611 1592 45727 41047 6932 323606 4687 44394 1733 3171 11350 10984 1321 26669 8238 47919 64786 8767 46562 1288 928 2581 3029 3011 3173 6220 32611 39736 2893 8968 3611 1683 21430 24507 15318 53703 90541 2893 8238 2838 2867 2842 3171 4017 2971 8238 2746 2842 4979 1862 5022 5614 11164 3388 18074 7051 1994

Aircraft Count 5 27 12 21 3 18 6 39 18 46 23 24 4 20 43 1 7 3 5 2 7 5 1 7 2 1 7 2 1 1 1 12 26 4 95 2 14 1 1 3 4 1 12 3 17 23 5 22 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 11 13 1 3 2 1 7 8 6 16 26 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 3 1 2 2 4 1 7 3 1

S

Engine Count 10 54 24 42 6 36 12 78 36 92 46 48 8 40 86 2 14 6 10 4 14 10 2 14 4 2 14 4 2 2 2 24 52 8 190 4 28 2 2 6 8 2 24 6 34 46 10 44 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 22 26 2 6 4 2 14 16 12 32 52 2 6 2 2 2 2 2 2 6 2 2 6 2 4 4 8 2 14 6 2

Engine Utilisation 26777 136909 65460 118452 8365 90774 2 5090 192469 91472 206730 101837 114331 22927 77098 248353 1816 43513 21152 23454 6853 34223 33207 7435 45461 6859 3326 28312 9536 1419 1221 3184 91453 82094 13863 647212 9373 88789 3465 6342 2 2699 21968 2641 53337 16476 95839 129572 17534 93125 2576 1856 5162 6058 6021 6347 12441 65222 79471 5786 17936 7223 3366 42859 49013 30636 107407 181081 5786 16476 5675 5734 5683 6342 8033 5942 16476 5492 5683 9959 3724 10044 11227 22327 6776 36148 14103 3988


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DATA & DIRECTIVES


Operator Country

Equip. Role

Equip. Type

Engine Family

Equip. Utilisation

BELAIR AIRLINES [SWITZERLAND] BELLE AIR BEST AIRLINES BETASTREAM LTD. (ALL ENTRIES) BH-AIR BLUE WINGS BOC AVIATION PTE LTD. (ALL ENTRIES) BOC AVIATION PTE LTD. (ALL ENTRIES) BRITISH AIRWAYS BRITISH AIRWAYS BRITISH AIRWAYS BRITISH AIRWAYS BRITISH AIRWAYS BRITISH MIDLAND AIRWAYS BRITISH MIDLAND AIRWAYS BRITISH MIDLAND AIRWAYS BRUSSELS AIRLINES BRUSSELS AIRLINES BULGARIA AIR BULGARIA AIR CCM AIRLINES CCM AIRLINES CEBU PACIFIC AIR CEBU PACIFIC AIR CHINA AVIATION SUPPLIES CORPORATION CHINA AVIATION SUPPLIES CORPORATION CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES CHONGQING AIRLINES CHONGQING AIRLINES CIT AEROSPACE CORPORATION (ALL ENTRIES) CIT AEROSPACE CORPORATION (ALL ENTRIES) CIT AEROSPACE CORPORATION (ALL ENTRIES) CLICKAIR CLICKAIR COMORO ISLANDS AIRLINE CONDOR BERLIN CONDOR BERLIN CROATIA AIRLINES CROATIA AIRLINES CROATIA AIRLINES CSA CZECH AIRLINES CSA CZECH AIRLINES CSA CZECH AIRLINES CYPRUS AIRWAYS CYPRUS AIRWAYS CYPRUS TURKISH AIRLINES CYPRUS TURKISH AIRLINES DEER JET DEER JET DONBASSAERO DONBASSAERO DONBASSAERO DRAGONAIR DRAGONAIR DRUK AIR EASYJET EASYJET EASYJET EASYJET EASYJET SWITZERLAND EDELWEISS AIR EGYPTAIR EGYPTAIR EGYPTAIR ETIHAD AIRWAYS ETIHAD AIRWAYS ETIHAD AIRWAYS EUROFLY EUROFLY EVA AIRWAYS FINNAIR FINNAIR FINNAIR FREE BIRD AIRLINES FREE BIRD AIRLINES FREE BIRD AIRLINES FRONTIER AIRLINES [CO-USA]

SWITZERLAND ALBANIA TURKEY UNKNOWN BULGARIA GERMANY (W. GERM) UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM BELGIUM BELGIUM BULGARIA BULGARIA FRANCE FRANCE PHILIPPINES PHILIPPINES CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN SPAIN SPAIN COMOROS ISLANDS GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) CROATIA CROATIA CROATIA CZECH REP.(FMR CZSLOVK) CZECH REP.(FMR CZSLOVK) CZECH REP.(FMR CZSLOVK) CYPRUS CYPRUS CYPRUS CYPRUS CHINA CHINA UKRAINE UKRAINE UKRAINE HONG KONG HONG KONG BHUTAN UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM SWITZERLAND SWITZERLAND EGYPT EGYPT EGYPT UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ITALY ITALY TAIWAN FINLAND FINLAND FINLAND TURKEY TURKEY TURKEY U.S (&TERR.)


A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A320 A319 A320 A318 A320 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A321 A319 A319 A319 A320 A319 A320 A319 A320 A320 A320 A319 A320 A321 A320 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A319 A320 A320 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A321 A320 A 319 A319 A320 A320 A320 A320 A321 A319 A319 A320 A320 A321 A319 A320 A320 A320 A321 A320 A319 A320 A320 A320 A320 A319 A320 A321 A320 A320 A321 A318

CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A C FM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A1 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5A V2500-A1 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A1 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B

5341 1594 4959 5492 5716 2799 2921 3171 5043 9044 76839 106705 24378 24599 28509 41013 2565 10479 5591 4893 3375 5359 36242 70037 13878 13878 38085 184419 40044 71498 22246 80786 5307 90857 117967 125218 8453 8207 5492 2971 5492 17270 40829 2399 3437 39370 8628 4202 4314 37465 21930 4924 8628 16583 5231 2243 34675 24177 2302 2312 4399 23408 14687 3555 597575 71395 17327 13358 40964 6664 19170 25487 11472 2921 5779 45889 18667 9674 3350 28521 30954 14907 9746 3185 5090 35056

72 S


S

Aircraft Count 2 1 2 2 4 1 1 1 2 5 33 40 11 11 10 13 1 3 3 3 2 2 10 19 4 4 15 67 15 25 8 29 2 33 41 47 3 3 2 1 2 7 14 1 1 11 4 2 2 13 8 2 3 6 2 1 12 8 1 1 2 9 6 2 187 26 5 4 12 2 5 7 4 1 2 16 6 3 1 11 12 6 3 2 2 10

Engine Count 4 2 4 4 8 2 2 2 4 10 66 80 22 22 20 26 2 6 6 6 4 4 20 38 8 8 30 134 30 50 16 58 4 66 82 94 6 6 4 2 4 14 28 2 2 22 8 4 4 26 16 4 6 12 4 2 24 16 2 2 4 18 12 4 374 52 10 8 24 4 10 14 8 2 4 32 12 6 2 22 24 12 6 4 4 20

Engine Utilisation 10682 3187 9917 10984 11432 5597 5841 6342 10086 18088 153678 213410 48756 49198 57018 82026 5130 20958 11182 9787 6749 10719 72484 140073 27756 27756 76171 368838 80088 142997 44493 161572 10615 181715 235934 250436 16906 16413 10984 5942 10984 34539 81658 4798 6875 78741 17256 8403 8629 74930 43860 9849 17256 33167 10462 4486 69351 48353 4605 4624 8798 46815 29373 7110 1195149 142791 34655 26716 81929 13328 38339 50973 22945 5842 11558 91778 37335 19349 6700 57042 61908 29815 19492 6371 10180 70113

DATA & DIRECTIVES


Operator Country

Equip. Role

Equip. Type

Engine Family

Equip. Utilisation

FRONTIER AIRLINES [CO-USA] FRONTIER AIRLINES [CO-USA] G.E.C. CORP (ALL ENT.) G.E.C. CORP (ALL ENT.) G.E.C. CORP (ALL ENT.) G.E.C. CORP (ALL ENT.) G.E.C. CORP (ALL ENT.) GERMANWINGS GERMANWINGS GO AIRLINES GO AIRLINES GULF AIR GULF AIR GULF AIR GULF AIR HAINAN AIRLINES HAINAN AIRLINES HAMBURG INTERNATIONAL HAMBURG INTERNATIONAL HELLAS JET HONG KONG AIRLINES IBERIA IBERIA IBERIA IBERIA IBERWORLD AIRLINES INDIGO INDIGO INDONESIA AIRASIA INTERJET [MEXICO] ILFC (ALL ENT.) ILFC (ALL ENT.) ILFC (ALL ENT.) IRAN AIR IRAN AIR ISRAIR ISRAIR IZMIR AIRLINES IZMIR AIRLINES JAT AIRWAYS JAT AIRWAYS JAZEERA AIRWAYS JETBLUE AIRWAYS JETSTAR AIRWAYS JETSTAR AIRWAYS JETSTAR ASIA JETSTAR PACIFIC AIRLINES JUNEYAO AIRLINES JUNEYAO AIRLINES KINGFISHER AIRLINES KINGFISHER AIRLINES KINGFISHER AIRLINES KORALBLUE AIRLINES KORALBLUE AIRLINES KUWAIT AIRWAYS

U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) INDIA INDIA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN CHINA CHINA GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) GREECE HONG KONG SPAIN SPAIN SPAIN SPAIN SPAIN INDIA INDIA INDONESIA MEXICO UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN IRAN IRAN ISRAEL ISRAEL TURKEY TURKEY SERBIA SERBIA KUWAIT U.S (&TERR.) AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA SINGAPORE VIETNAM CHINA CHINA INDIA INDIA INDIA EGYPT EGYPT KUWAIT

PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX

A319 A320 A319 A319 A320 A320 A320 A319 A319 A320 A320 A319 A320 A320 A321 A319 A320 A319 A320 A 320 A320 A319 A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A320 A320 A319 A320 A319 A319 A320 A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A319 A320 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A320

CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5A V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B C FM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A V2500-A5 CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V 2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B

135513 33166 2721 2893 3545 5942 13730 32477 53700 58436 1964 2890 24039 36282 2849 29934 31259 35883 10984 2091 19026 62066 10855 112446 56467 22497 169018 31486 21489 87225 2746 2971 2838 5092 5582 5582 8373 10371 6695 5229 10458 76930 487392 124003 14760 20224 2541 5173 39914 7955 122005 24422 1010 2506 3182

Aircraft Count 38 11 1 1 1 2 5 12 18 19 2 2 8 13 2 11 11 12 4 2 12 22 6 45 19 8 56 14 6 27 1 1 1 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 4 26 131 33 5 5 1 2 14 3 46 8 1 1 1

S

Engine Count 76 22 2 2 2 4 10 24 36 38 4 4 16 26 4 22 22 24 8 4 12 44 12 90 38 16 112 28 12 54 2 2 2 6 4 4 6 6 4 4 8 52 262 66 10 10 2 4 28 6 92 16 2 2 2

Engine Utilisation 271027 66331 5443 5786 7090 11884 27460 64953 107401 116871 3929 5781 48078 72563 5697 59868 62517 71766 21968 4182 38052 124133 21709 224892 112934 44995 338035 62971 42978 174450 5492 5942 5675 10185 11164 11164 16745 20741 13389 10458 20916 153860 974785 248007 29519 40448 5083 10346 79828 15909 244011 48845 2020 5012 6364


S

73

DATA & DIRECTIVES


Operator Country

Equip. Role

Equip. Type

Engine Family

Equip. Utilisation

KUWAIT AIRWAYS KUWAIT FIN. HSE (ALL ENT.) KUWAIT FIN. HSE (ALL ENT.) KUWAIT FIN. HSE (ALL ENT.) KUWAIT FIN. HSE (ALL ENT.) KUWAIT FIN. HSE (ALL ENT.) LAN AIRLINES LAN AIRLINES LAN AIRLINES LAN ARGENTINA LAN PERU LANEXPRESS LANEXPRESS LAT CHARTER LIBYAN AIRLINES LIBYAN AIRLINES LIBYAN AIRLINES LIVINGSTON LOTUS AIRLINE LUFTHANSA LUFTHANSA LUFTHANSA LUFTHANSA LUFTHANSA LUFTHANSA LUFTHANSA ITALIA LUFTHANSA ITALIA LUZAIR MAHAN AIR MAHAN AIR MANDALA AIRLINES MANDALA AIRLINES MANDALA AIRLINES MAURITANIA AIRWAYS MAZ AVIATION MCA AIRLINES MENA JET MERIDIANA METRO BATAVIA METRO BATAVIA METRO BATAVIA MEXICANA MEXICANA MEXICANA MEXICANA MEXICANA MIDDLE EAST AIRLINES MIDDLE EAST AIRLINES MIHIN LANKA MONARCH AIRLINES MONARCH AIRLINES MONARCH AIRLINES MYAIR.COM MYAIR.COM NATIONAL AIR SERVICES NATIONAL AIR SERVICES NIKI LUFTFAHRT NIKI LUFTFAHRT NIKI LUFTFAHRT NILE AIR NORTHEASTERN AIRLINES NORTHWEST AIRLINES NORTHWEST AIRLINES NORTHWEST AIRLINES NOUVELAIR TUNISIE NOUVELAIR TUNISIE NOUVELAIR TUNISIE NOUVELLE AIR IVOIRE NOUVELLE AIR IVOIRE NOVAIR AIRLINES OLYMPIC AIRLINES OLYMPIC AIRLINES ONUR AIR ONUR AIR PHILIPPINE AIRLINES PHILIPPINE AIRLINES QANTAS QATAR AIRWAYS QATAR AIRWAYS QATAR AIRWAYS ROSSIYA RUSSIAN AIRLINES ROSSIYA RUSSIAN AIRLINES ROSSIYA RUSSIAN AIRLINES ROSSIYA RUSSIAN AIRLINES ROYAL AIR MAROC ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES

KUWAIT UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN CHILE CHILE CHILE ARGENTINA PERU CHILE CHILE LATVIA LIBYA LIBYA LIBYA ITALY EGYPT GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) GERMANY (W. GERM) ITALY ITALY PORTUGAL IRAN IRAN INDONESIA INDONESIA INDONESIA MAURITANIA UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SWEDEN LEBANON ITALY INDONESIA INDONESIA INDONESIA MEXICO MEXICO MEXICO MEXICO MEXICO LEBANON LEBANON SRI LANKA UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM ITALY ITALY SAUDI ARABIA SAUDI ARABIA AUSTRIA AUSTRIA AUSTRIA EGYPT CHINA U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA IVORY COAST IVORY COAST SWEDEN GREECE GREECE TURKEY TURKEY PHILIPPINES PHILIPPINES AUSTRALIA QATAR QATAR QATAR RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA MOROCCO BRUNEI


A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A318 A319 A320 A320 A319 A319 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A321 A320 A319 A319 A320 A320 A319 A321 A319 A319 A320 A320 A321 A320 A319 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A319 A319 A320 A320 A318 A319 A320 A320 A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A319 A320 A319 A320 A321 A321 A319 A319 A320 A320 A320 A320 A321 A319 A321 A321 A319 A320 A320 A321 A319 A320 A320 A319 A320 A321 A319 A319 A320 A320 A321 A319

CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 PW6000 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5A CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A1 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A1 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A1 CFM56-5B CFM56-5A V2500-A5 CFM56-5A V2500-A1 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V 2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5A C FM56-5A C FM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B V2500-A5

5264 3545 5683 8238 5942 8238 3 9458 76575 55945 26695 6976 3341 5893 1416 5280 8422 11230 8345 10338 28929 57690 35698 99199 4312 168995 6058 10782 1818 2791 2748 6140 9934 54472 2201 321 2746 2791 10011 7945 2572 5876 37581 78293 12225 14180 77228 15465 17470 3191 7502 11055 57563 2746 6239 3585 54796 5446 38064 7215 5774 2752 141556 5942 167703 12710 16990 5248 2307 2887 8513 2893 5672 305 21089 10097 61150 66592 10451 83401 36689 3625 13994 5229 6127 3280 5282

74 S


S

Aircraft Count 3 1 2 3 2 3 15 22 16 9 2 1 2 1 2 3 4 3 3 10 18 13 36 1 61 2 5 1 1 1 2 3 18 1 1 1 1 4 2 1 3 10 21 3 4 23 6 6 1 2 3 17 1 2 3 22 2 13 2 2 1 62 2 68 5 6 2 1 1 3 1 2 1 7 4 20 21 4 28 12 2 8 2 2 1 2

Engine Count 6 2 4 6 4 6 30 44 32 18 4 2 4 2 4 6 8 6 6 20 36 26 72 2 122 4 10 2 2 2 4 6 36 2 2 2 2 8 4 2 6 20 42 6 8 46 12 12 2 4 6 34 2 4 6 44 4 26 4 4 2 124 4 136 10 12 4 2 2 6 2 4 2 14 8 40 42 8 56 24 4 16 4 4 2 4


FACT: Max rotational speed 2,550 rpm

AIRCRAFT TECHNOLOGY’S annual publication for the aero-engine professional JUST FACT, NO SPIN

If you want to promote in the 2012 edition of The Engine Yearbook, or if you would like any other information, please contact: Alan Samuel on Tel: +44 (0) 207 579 4846 or via Email: [email protected]

DATA & DIRECTIVES


Operator Country

Equip. Role

Equip. Type

Engine Family

Equip. Utilisation

ROYAL BRUNEI AIRLINES ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINES ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINES ROYAL JORDANIAN AIRLINES ROYAL WINGS S7 AIRLINES S7 AIRLINES S7 GROUP SATA INTERNATIONAL SATA INTERNATIONAL SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES SAUDI ARABIAN AIRLINES SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES SYSTEM SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES SYSTEM SEAGLE AIR SEAGLE AIR SHANGHAI AIRLINES SHENZHEN AIRLINES SHENZHEN AIRLINES SHENZHEN AIRLINES SIBIR AIRLINES SICHUAN AIRLINES SICHUAN AIRLINES SICHUAN AIRLINES SILKAIR SILKAIR SKY AIRLINES SKY AIRLINES SKYSERVICE AIRLINES SKYTRADERS SMARTLYNX AIRLINES SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS SPANAIR [SPAIN] SPANAIR [SPAIN] SPIRIT AIRLINES [USA] SPIRIT AIRLINES [USA] SPIRIT AIRLINES [USA] SPRING AIRLINES SRILANKAN AIRLINES SRILANKAN AIRLINES STAR FLYER SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIR LINES SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIR LINES SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIR LINES SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIR LINES SYRIANAIR SYRIANAIR TACA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES TACA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES TACA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES TACA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES TAM LINHAS AEREAS TAM LINHAS AEREAS TAM LINHAS AEREAS TAM LINHAS AEREAS TAM LINHAS AEREAS TAM LINHAS AEREAS TAME ECUADOR TAME ECUADOR TAME ECUADOR TAP AIR PORTUGAL TAP AIR PORTUGAL TAP AIR PORTUGAL TAP AIR PORTUGAL TAROM THAI AIRASIA THOMAS COOK AIRLINES [BELGIUM] THOMAS COOK AIRLINES [BELGIUM] THOMAS COOK AIRLINES [UK] THOMAS COOK AIRLINES [UK] THOMAS COOK AIRLINES [UK] THOMAS COOK AIRLINES [UK] THOMAS COOK AIRLINES SCANDINAVIA A/S THOMAS COOK AIRLINES SCANDINAVIA A/S THOMSON AIRWAYS THOMSON AIRWAYS TIGER AIRWAYS TIGER AIRWAYS TIGER AIRWAYS AUSTRALIA TRANSASIA AIRWAYS TRANSASIA AIRWAYS TRAVEL SERVICE AIRLINES TUNIS AIR TUNIS AIR TUNIS AIR

BRUNEI JORDAN JORDAN JORDAN JORDAN RUSSIA RUSSIA UNKNOWN PORTUGAL PORTUGAL SAUDI ARABIA SAUDI ARABIA SWEDEN SWEDEN SLOVAK REPUBLIC SLOVAK REPUBLIC CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA RUSSIA CHINA CHINA CHINA SINGAPORE SINGAPORE TURKEY TURKEY CANADA AUSTRALIA LATVIA REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA SPAIN SPAIN U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) CHINA SRI LANKA SRI LANKA JAPAN SWITZERLAND SWITZERLAND SWITZERLAND SWITZERLAND SYRIA SYRIA EL SALVADOR EL SALVADOR EL SALVADOR EL SALVADOR BRAZIL BRAZIL BRAZIL BRAZIL BRAZIL BRAZIL ECUADOR ECUADOR ECUADOR PORTUGAL PORTUGAL PORTUGAL PORTUGAL ROMANIA THAILAND BELGIUM BELGIUM UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM DENMARK DENMARK UNITED KINGDOM UNITED KINGDOM SINGAPORE SINGAPORE AUSTRALIA TAIWAN TAIWAN CZECH REP.(FMR CZSLOVK) TUNISIA TUNISIA TUNISIA


A320 A319 A320 A321 A320 A319 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A321 A319 A321 A320 A320 A321 A319 A320 A320 A319 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A320 A321 A320 A319 A320 A319 A320 A320 A321 A319 A320 A321 A320 A320 A320 A320 A319 A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A319 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A319 A320 A320 A321 A320 A319 A320 A319 A320 A320 A321 A318 A320 A320 A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A320 A321 A320 A321 A319 A320 A320 A320 A321 A320 A319 A319 A320

V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A1 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5A V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A1 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A1 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5A CFM56-5B

6680 11958 13034 11398 2791 41245 20870 5266 2953 7871 44654 293 11032 21422 2410 2725 26537 14291 75406 79568 2282 40695 83303 42264 30217 50610 1089 4253 1534 2921 4113 24659 42112 52171 14522 136280 44565 8319 57083 2543 2980 12734 18717 2746 59856 20080 2791 18697 3425 39584 83425 20515 7217 199836 78538 20047 182006 29158 2807 1927 4817 64851 10357 47493 11236 8794 30679 18431 3794 24276 12334 3892 14895 7413 23470 16993 6221 5353 56005 21858 1532 8803 2006 3754 7263 5615

76 S


S

Aircraft Count 2 4 4 4 1 13 7 2 1 3 16 1 4 8 1 1 10 5 26 28 1 15 29 15 10 16 2 2 1 1 2 11 15 19 5 38 15 2 18 2 1 4 7 1 21 6 1 6 1 12 23 5 2 53 25 6 48 7 1 1 2 19 3 13 3 4 9 5 1 6 4 1 4 2 6 5 2 2 16 6 1 5 1 1 3 2

Engine Count 4 8 8 8 2 26 14 4 2 6 32 2 8 16 2 2 20 10 52 56 2 30 58 30 20 32 4 4 2 2 4 22 30 38 10 76 30 4 36 4 2 8 14 2 42 12 2 12 2 24 46 10 4 106 50 12 96 14 2 2 4 38 6 26 6 8 18 10 2 12 8 2 8 4 12 10 4 4 32 12 2 10 2 2 6 4


DATA & DIRECTIVES


Operator Country

Equip. Role

Equip. Type

Engine Family

Equip. Utilisation

TUNIS AIR TURK HAVA YOLLARI TURK HAVA YOLLARI TURK HAVA YOLLARI TURK HAVA YOLLARI TURKUAZ AIRLINES TURKUAZ AIRLINES UNITED AIR LINES UNITED AIR LINES UNITED EAGLE AIRLINES UNITED EAGLE AIRLINES UNITED EAGLE AIRLINES URAL AIRLINES URAL AIRLINES URAL AIRLINES US AIRWAYS US AIRWAYS US AIRWAYS US AIRWAYS US AIRWAYS US AIRWAYS US AIRWAYS USA 3000 AIRLINES UZBEKISTAN AIRWAYS VALUAIR VERTIR AIRLINES OF ARMENIA VIETNAM AIRCRAFT LEASING COMPANY VIETNAM AIRLINES VIETNAM AIRLINES VIRGIN AMERICA VIRGIN AMERICA VISTAJET LUFTFAHRTUNTERNEHMEN VLADIVOSTOK AIR VLADIVOSTOK AIR VOLARE AIRLINES VOLARIS VOLARIS VUELING AIRLINES WATANIYA AIRWAYS WHITE AIRWAYS WHITE AIRWAYS WHITE AIRWAYS WIND JET WIND JET WIND JET WIND JET WIND JET WIZZ AIR BULGARIA WIZZ AIR HUNGARY WIZZ AIR UKRAINE XL AIRWAYS FRANCE XL AIRWAYS FRANCE ZEST AIRWAYS

TUNISIA TURKEY TURKEY TURKEY TURKEY TURKEY TURKEY U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) CHINA CHINA CHINA RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) UZBEKISTAN SINGAPORE ARMENIA UNKNOWN VIETNAM VIETNAM U.S (&TERR.) U.S (&TERR.) AUSTRIA RUSSIA RUSSIA ITALY MEXICO MEXICO SPAIN KUWAIT PORTUGAL PORTUGAL PORTUGAL ITALY ITALY ITALY ITALY ITALY BULGARIA HUNGARY UKRAINE FRANCE FRANCE PHILIPPINES

PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX PAX

A320 A321 A319 A320 A321 A321 A320 A319 A320 A319 A320 A320 A320 A320 A321 A319 A320 A321 A319 A320 A320 A321 A320 A320 A320 A320 A321 A320 A321 A319 A320 A319 A320 A320 A320 A319 A320 A320 A320 A319 A319 A320 A319 A320 A319 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320 A320

CFM56-5A CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A1 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5A V2500-A5 CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5B CFM56-5B CFM56-5B V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5A V2500-A5 V2500-A1 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 V2500-A5 CFM56-5A CFM56-5B V2500-A5

29086 5510 12294 71473 62919 3474 2658 161023 226343 1640 1802 2678 13358 23155 2688 137894 89466 127601 149602 44486 201777 100579 25562 13166 6490 822 2838 19681 56429 30446 73195 11571 5266 6458 5354 111845 8457 51710 7722 2893 758 3736 4718 9636 5794 3922 5001 6064 170423 4581 1442 6822 7105

Aircraft Count 12 2 4 22 18 1 1 68 104 3 1 1 4 10 1 54 29 36 47 15 60 28 9 5 2 1 1 10 21 10 22 4 2 3 2 31 2 17 3 1 1 1 2 4 3 2 2 2 61 2 2 2 3

S

Engine Count 24 4 8 44 36 2 2 136 208 6 2 2 8 20 2 108 58 72 94 30 120 56 18 10 4 2 2 20 42 20 44 8 4 6 4 62 4 34 6 2 2 2 4 8 6 4 4 4 122 4 4 4 6

Engine Utilisation 58172 11021 24588 142946 125838 6948 5316 322046 452686 3281 3604 5356 26716 46310 5377 275787 178932 255203 299204 88972 403553 201159 51123 26332 12979 1645 5675 39362 112859 60892 146390 23143 10533 12915 10709 223690 16915 103419 15444 5786 1516 7472 9435 19272 11587 7844 10002 12127 340846 9162 2885 13644 14210


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DATA & DIRECTIVES

FAA airworthiness directives — large aircraft Summary of biweekly listings for the last two months Biweekly 2012-04 2009-11-02C

CFM International

CFM56-2, -3, -5A, -5B, -5C, and -7B

2012-02-14

Boeing

737 series

2012-03-02

Boeing

767-200 and -300

2012-03-05

Bombardier

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

2012-03-09 2012-03-10

Boeing Airbus

747SP A340-642

2012-03-51

Lockheed

As specified

2012-04-01S

Rolls-Royce

RB211-Trent

2012-04-05S

General Electric

GE CF6-80

Remove HPC 4-9 spools from service that have a P/N and S/N listed in AD before accumulating 8,900 cycles-since-repair at PTLLC or within 1,100 cycles from the effective date of the AD. Perform a one-time detailed inspection to determine the colour of the aero/fire seals of the blocker doors on the thrust reverser torque boxes on the engines. For any aero/fire seal having a completely grey colour (which is the colour of seals with part number (P/N) 315A2245-1 or 315A2245-2), with no red at the upper end of the seal replace the aero/fire seals of the blocker doors on the thrust reverser torque boxes on the engines with new, improved aero/fire seals IAW SB 737-78-1074. Change the wire bundle route and wiring, install a new relay and applicable wiring in the CACTCS, and do an operational test of the cooling pack system IAW with SB 767-21-0246 or 767-21-0234. For specified aircraft, do an inspection of oxygen pressure regulators having P/N 806370-06 to determine if the serial number is listed in Table 2 of the Accomplishment Instructions of Bombardier SB 700-35-011. If listed, replace the affected oxygen CRA IAW SB 700-35-011. Replace or modify any rudder PCM with applicable P/N. For specified aircraft, modify the fire extinguishing system from a three-bottles solution with 4 f low metering compact unit, into a two-bottles solution with 2 flow metering systems equipped with upgraded water absorbing filter elements IAW SB A340-26-5020. Gain access to the wing spar box between wing stations 40 and 84.5. Clean and perform inspection. Make repairs as necessary. Supersedes AD 2003-16-18. Remove from service the parts listed in Table 1 of the AD before exceeding the new life limit indicated. Supersedes AD 2007-12-07. Remove from service ECUs with part numbers (P/Ns) listed in Table 1 of AD.

Biweekly 2012-05 2012-02-15S

Boeing

757 series

2012-02-17

Boeing

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

2012-02-18

Dassault

MYSTERE-FALCON 50

2012-03-03

Fokker Services

F.27, F.28

2012-03-08S

Bombardier

CL-600

2012-03-12

General Electric

CF6-80C2

2012-04-02

Bombardier

CL-600

2012-04-04

Pratt & Whitney

PW40, PW41, PW44, PW46

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Supersedes AD 2007-03-01. Do a general visual inspection to determine if the clamp is installed on the lower bracket on the left wing IAW SB 757-240105. If the clamp is missing, before further f light, install a clamp on the lower bracket on the left wing. Do ultrasonic and general visual inspections for cracking and corrosion of the front spar lower chord at the fastener locations common to the side link support fitting at WS 292 IAW SB 757-57-0065. Conduct repairs if any cracking or corrosion is found. Revise the maintenance programme to include ''NonDestructive Check of Flap Tracks 2 and 5,'' Maintenance Procedure 57-607, of Chapter 5-40, ''Airworthiness Limitations,'' of the Dassault Falcon 50/50EX Maintenance Manual. Do a detailed visual inspection of the tritium exit signs and emergency lighting strips for required brightness IAW SBF50-33-038. Replace if insufficiently bright. Supersedes AD 2006-14-05. Modify the MLG door, IAW SB 670BA-32-017. Perform a one-time inspection of the No. 3 bearing packing. Remove the packing from service before further flight if the wrong packing P/N is found on the engine. Revise the maintenance programme to incorporate Task 271000-218, Discard of the Outboard Wing Aileron Pulleys. Remove FMU P/Ns 53T335 (HS801000-1), 55T423 (HS 801000-2), and 50U150 (HS 801000-3) and install an FMU that incorporates the modification in paragraphs 3.C through 3.E of the Accomplishment Instructions of Hamilton Sundstrand Alert SB JFC131-2-73-A24.

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DATA & DIRECTIVES

FAA airworthiness directives — large aircraft (cont...) 2012-04-06

Support Services

Model 328-100

2012-04-07

Airbus

A330 & A340

2012-04-08

Bombardier

DHC-8

2012-04-09

Boeing

747

2012-04-12

Bombardier

CL-600-2B16

2012-04-13S

Rolls-Royce

RB211

2012-04-14

Rolls-Royce

RB211-Trent 800

Modify the engine control box assembly with additional aural alerting function and a revised power lever guiding gate IAW SB 328-76-486. Replace the affected retraction bracket of the MLG specified in table 1 of AD with a serviceable part. Install a new CRES mounting adapter with new bolts by incorporating MODSUM 8Q101890 IAW SB 827-110. Do detailed inspections for scribe lines of affected lap and butt splices, wing-to-body fairing locations, and external repair and cutout reinforcement areas, and do all applicable related investigative and corrective actions IAW SB 747-53A2563. Replace the ADG power feeder cable IAW SB 60424-024. Supersedes AD 2011-09-07. Clean and perform a fluorescent penetrant inspection of the HP compressor stage 1 to 4 rotor discs at the first shop visit after accumulating 1,000 cycles since new on the stage 1 to 4 rotor discs. Inspect the front combustion liner head section for cracking. If found, remove the front combustion liner head section from service at the next shop visit.

Biweekly 2012-06 2012-02-01

Pratt & Whitney

PW2037, PW2037(M), and PW2040

2012-04-11S

Airbus

A318, A319, A320, A321

2012-04-15S

Pratt & Whitney

JT9D

2012-05-03

Boeing

747

2012-05-04

Boeing

767-200, -300, -300F, and -400ER

2012-05-05

Bombardier

CL-215

2012-05-07

Bombardier

DHC-8-102, -103, and -106

2012-05-08

Embraer

ERJ-170

2012-06-01

Cessna

Model 560XL

2012-06-02

Airbus

A300 & A310

2012-06-04

Bombardier

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

2012-06-05

Bombardier

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

2012-06-07S

Airbus

A330 & A340

Perform restoration of the fan blade leading edge contour using one of the specified methods. Supersedes AD 97-22-13. Replace both FWC units with FWC part number 350E053020909 IAW SB A320-31-1334. Supersedes AD 2007-05-17. Inspect the stated lifelimited parts at each piece-part opportunity. Modify the fluid drain path in the leading edge area of the wing IAW SB 747-57-2332. Do a general visual inspection of the number 2 windows to determine whether the link arms are in the over-center position, and do all applicable modifications IAW SB 767-56A0010. Do a general visual inspection to determine if either universal solid (round head) rivets or flush rivets of the bracket assembly of the emergency water dump pulley are installed IAW SB 215-A543. Perform corrective actions. Do a general visual inspection of the upper edge of each leaf spring for chamfer IAW SB A8-76-32. Do all applicable rework before further flight. Install a new friction brake nut. Do a general visual inspection for fuel leakage on the wings, close to the rib 10 area, while both tanks are fully fuelled IAAW SB 170-57-A053. Modify the drain installation of the tailcone stinger on the aft canted bulkhead (i.e., install a drain and rubber seals) IAW SB 560XL-53-16. Replace the aluminium high pressure pipe having P/N A5231006100300 with a new pipe made of corrosion resistant stainless steel and having P/N A5231007000600 IAW SB A300-52-6065. Do a general visual inspection of the structure and gearbox drain paths for blockages by sealant IAW SB 84-53-48. If any blockages are found, before further flight, remove blockages. Incorporate ModSum 4-126513, Seal System Shut Off Valve Control Logic Change IAW SB84-52-69. Supersedes AD 2010-17-02. Perform a torque check of the pneumatic quick-disconnect union of each pitot probe having Goodrich P/N 0851HL, S/N 267328 through 270714 inclusive, to determine if the torque is adequate.

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

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May-2012

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