Aircraft Technology 20130809

A fuel saving revolution?The rise of electric taxiing

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

Boeing 737 familymaintenance

Selecting an MROsoftware solution

Wiring systems and aircraft safety

Monitoring the health of engines

August - September 2013 • Issue 125

Iberia Maintenance. Commercial and Business Development DirectionMadrid-Barajas Airport. Z.I. La Muñoza. Motores Building, 28042 Madrid.Spain tel: + 34 91 587 51 32/ Fax: +34 587 58 [email protected] / www.iberiamaintenance.comBritish Airways Maintenance: [email protected] / www.ba-mro.com Members of

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Aircraft Technology Engineering & Maintenance (ATE&M)

(ISSN: 0967-439X - USPS 022-901) is published bi-monthly, in February, April, June, August, October andDecember with an extra issue in July, plus annual issues of the yearbooks published in September and November by OAG Aviation Publications Limited. anddistributed 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.

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Aircraft Technology Engineering & Maintenance (ATE&M), partof OAG Aviation Publications Limited, has used its best effortsin collecting and preparing material for inclusion in ATE&Mbut cannot and does not warrant that the informationcontained in this product is complete or accurate and doesnot assume and hereby disclaims, liability to any person forany loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in ATE&Mwhether such errors or omissions result from negligence,accident or any other cause.This publication may not be reproduced or copied in whole orin part by any means without the express permission of OAGAviation Publications Limited.Aircraft Technology Engineering & Maintenance is a licensedtrademark of OAG Aviation Publications Limited. All trademarks used under license from OAG AviationPublications Limited. © 1999 – 2013, OAG Aviation Publications Limited. All rights reserved.

EDITOR

Jason Holland: [email protected]

STAFF WRITER

Hannah Davies: [email protected]

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

Alex Derber, Bernard Fitzsimons, Chris Kjelgaard,

Nick Rice

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Phil Hine: [email protected]

MEDIA MANAGER

Alan Samuel: [email protected]

Front cover: the WheelTug electric taxiingsystem is tested.

CONTENTSAugust - September 2013 • Issue: 125

» NEWS UPDATE

4. A round-up of the latest news,contracts, products and peoplemovements.

» INDUSTRY FOCUS

14. In my opinion: Frank Stevens, directorof engineering, Republic Airways Holdings

A look at engineering strategies, market trendsand future outlook.

20. Aviation focus: Europe

MRO recovery in Europe remains slow, but theglobal nature of the business means companiesare still winning contracts across the world. Anumber of challenges remain, while consolida-tion continues to shape the future marketspace.

42. Aircraft primers

Here, Hannah Davies talks to four primermanufacturers and one MRO company to ex-plore product development and applicationtechniques.

48. Engine health and efficiency

Engine OEMs, MROs and independent spe-cialists alike are working to refine their abilityto interpret engine operating data and proac-tively address potential problems, reportsBernard Fitzsimons.

» TECHNOLOGY

& INNOVATION

30. Electric taxiing

The expensive, time-consuming and noisyprocess of taxiing commercial aircraft to and fromrunways is about to see a revolution — and thenew business of electric taxiing will see a David-and-Goliath competitive match-up. Chris Kjel‐gaard reports.

36. Accelerating new technologies

A new applied research centre in Virginia is fos-tering breakthroughs in surface engineeringand manufacturing systems — and speedingdevelopments into manufacturing, says JamesWhitton, Chromalloy program manager for theCommonwealth Center for Advanced Manufac-turing.

» ENGINEERING &

MAINTENANCE

» DATA & DIRECTIVES

86. FAA AD biweekly summary listings

» INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY

78. Maintenance software systems

With a number of airlines and MRO companiesrequiring MRO software for the first time orneeding to upgrade to a new system, the com-mercial aviation maintenance software sector iscurrently a growth area. But what are the mostimportant factors to consider when making thischoice? Jason Holland investigates.

54. Rotable repairs

The component maintenance market has un-dergone significant change, as scores of serv-iceable parts are recovered from aircraft retiredat ever-younger ages, and independent repairstations begin to brush up against componentmanufacturers that also want a slice of the af-termarket.

60. Boeing 737 maintenance

Boeing’s 737 is an integral part of the aviationindustry and a popular aircraft type for bothMROs and operators. Hannah Davies looks atmaintenance procedures and issues, future de-mand and the OEM’s ‘GoldCare’ programme.

68. Wired for safetyThe integrity of any aircraft’s wiring system isvital for safe flying. Once overlooked with tragicconsequences, wiring harnesses and connectorsnow receive the crucial attention and mainte-nance they warrant, says Nick Rice.

74. CF34 maintenanceThe CF34 MRO market is in a state of flux asthe more than 20-year-old CF34-3 approachesits twilight years. Alex Derber reports.

Michael A Oakes Jason Holland Hannah Davies Alex Derber Sam OrrinContent Director ATE&M Editor ATE&M Staff Writer Journalist Conference Programme EditorT: +44 (0) 207 975 1675 T: +44 (0) 207 975 1677 T: +44 (0) 207 975 1674 T: +44 (0) 207 975 1678 T: +44 (0) 207 975 1673E: [email protected] E: [email protected] E: [email protected] E: [email protected] E: [email protected]

Colin Hall Alan Samuel Victoria Keeble Peter Harkness Robert SpringthorpeCommercial Director International Media Manager Business Development Manager Commercial Manager Business Development ManagerT: +44 (0) 207 975 1669 T: +44 (0) 207 975 1671 T: +44 (0) 207 975 1666 T: +44 (0) 207 975 1668 T: +44 (0) 207 975 1667E: [email protected] E: [email protected] E: [email protected] E: [email protected] E: [email protected]

Lucinda Springett Phil Hine Steff Humm Sinead HarveyOperations Director Production/IT Manager Event Manager Event ManagerT: +44 (0) 207 975 1663 T: +44 (0) 207 975 1664 T: +44 (0) 207 975 1662 T: +44 (0) 207 975 1665E: [email protected] E: [email protected] E: [email protected] E: [email protected]

Ellie StamouliMarketing ManagerT: +44 (0) 207 975 1660E: [email protected]

Connecting theglobal MROCommunity

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Content

Commercial

Operations

Marketing

ATE&M is the official publication of theMRO Network

Around the clock. No matter what.

Our worldwide Total Component Support TCS® for your Boeing 787. The success of an aircraft’s daily operations depends on flawless component support when needed. With decades of experience spanning hundreds of aircraft, Lufthansa Technik’s component team has successfully established an optimum supply process for 787 operators. Wherever you need us, we are happy to be of service.

Lufthansa Technik AG, Marketing & [email protected] lufthansa-technik.com/787 Call us: +49-40-5070-5553

More mobility for the world

NEWS UPDATE

4 � Aircraft Technology - Issue 125 �

TAP Maintenance and Engineering

Brazil has received Embraer Author-

ized Service Centre status, following

certification from the European Avia-

tion Safety Agency for all mainte-

nance levels on all Embraer E-Jets

models.

Rockwell Collins has achieved Federal

Aviation Administration certification

for its next-generation ‘Traffic Alert

and Collision Avoidance’ (TCAS II) traf-

fic computer TTR-2100 system.

TIMCO Aerosystems has been issued

an air agency certificate for its North

Carolina facilities, allowing it to oper-

ate as an approved repair station with

a limited accessory rating by the Fed-

eral Aviation Administration.

Inmarsat announced the first flight

of a Chinese airliner equipped with

passenger Wi-Fi, having supplied

‘SwiftBroadband’ to Air China via a

local distributor, MCN. The flight

took place on July 3, 2013, using an

A330 flying from Beijing to

Chengdu.

Bombardier Aerospace opened a new

regional support office and parts

depot in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The company said the office and

depot would anchor regional support

capabilities for Bombardier business

and commercial aircraft customers in

Africa.

GA Telesis commenced the dismantle-

ment of three Boeing aircraft: one

777-200ER (Trent 800) formerly of

Malaysia Airlines; one 767-200ER

(CF6-80A) formerly of American Air-

lines; and one 757-200 (PW2000) for-

merly of United Airlines.

US Airways installed Gogo Wi-Fi on its

fleet of 270 A319, A320, A321 and

E-190 aircraft, along with 58 E-170

and E-175 aircraft operated by Repub-

lic Airlines as US Airways Express.

Lufthansa Technik Budapest in-

creased its operational area by leas-

ing a further 2,000m2 of warehouse

space from Budapest Airport, which

will help the MRO cope with the in-

creasing business demand in the

area.

NEWS UPDATE

INBRIEFNEWS HIGHLIGHTS »

Terrafugia has unveiled the ‘Transition’, a vehiclethat is a road-worthy car one minute and a privatejet the next.

The Transition flew its first public demonstrationin August at the EAA AirVenture convention atOshkosh, Wisconsin. The crossbreed vehicle, whichruns on premium unleaded automotive gasoline,uses a steering wheel, gas and brake pedals on theground and rudder pedals in flight. The same en-gine powers both the propeller in flight and the rearwheels while on the ground.

At a cost of $279,000 the first customers will be flying (or driving) theirs as early as 2015. Thecompany also unveiled a second offering, the ‘TF-X’, a 200 mph hybrid electric flying car with arange of 500 miles. Its folding wings carry twin 600hp electric motors pods, which extend for-ward after takeoff and fold back down for cruise flight. During the cruise, the electric motorsand a 300hp engine take over.

It’s small enough to fit in a garage and unlike the Tran-sition, can take off from a vertical position.

According to Terrafugia, operating a TF-X would besafer than driving a modern car. But, if anything un-toward does happen, the vehicle is equipped with itsown parachute and it can automatically land itself atthe nearest airport or even non-approved landingzones.

While Terrafugia admitted that there are many technical, regulatory, and usage challenges it hasto overcome, it believes the hybrid vehicles could deliver significant economic benefits, timesavings and reduce congestion.

It said that during initial discussions, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had shown a“willingness to consider innovative technologies and regulatory solutions that are in the publicinterest”.Photos from http://www.terrafugia.com/

THE ARRIVAL OF THE HYBRID CAR�PLANE

www.boeing.com/boeingedge/informationservices

For better health, it pays to see a specialist.Boeing Airplane Health Management (AHM) provides comprehensive monitoring and analysis of airplane performance to

ensure efficient maintenance operations. Utilizing advanced analytics, AHM software anticipates and detects component failure,

immediately alerting Maintenance, Operations and executive functions and recommending fact-based solutions. The result is a

healthy fleet that spends less time on the ground and more time in the air. AHM, designed for the digital airline.

NEWS UPDATE


AJW completed the part-out of an

A319 purchased from Latin American

airline Avianca. The 850 parts recov-

ered have already been certified and

added to AJW’s inventory reserves

for sale, exchange and loan.

Sims Metal Management sold its in-

terest in Metal Management Aero-

space to ELG Utica Alloys.

Indonesian MRO PT Garuda Mainte-

nance Facility (GMF) AeroAsia re-

ceived European Aviation Safety

Agency (EASA) approval. GMF is now

certified by EASA as an aircraft main-

tenance training organisation is in

compliance with the requirements of

Section A of Annex IV (Part 147) of

Regulation No 2042/2003.

US-based Parametric Technology ac-

quired Israeli company Enigma for an

undisclosed amount. Enigma devel-

ops maintenance management soft-

ware for a number of industries

including aviation, while Parametric’s

software focuses on the design, de-

velopment and production of engi-

neering products.

AJW Technique has been granted Di-

rectorate General of Civil Aviation

(DGCA) Type Certificate Approval by

the DGCA Indonesia, coming three

months after the opening of its com-

ponent repair and overhaul facility in

Montreal.

United Airlines fitted one of its 737-

800 aircraft with the new split scimitar

winglet, taking its maiden test flight

on July 16 in Everett, Washington.

Werner Aero Services began a tear

down of one of its A319 aircraft,

which was last operated by TAM; the

teardown process takes place in Ari-

zona and was expected to be com-

pleted in August.

Meggitt Sensing Systems and KDP

Electronic Systems have confirmed a

new distribution relationship; KDP

will now act as the UK distributor for

the Meggitt Sensorex product line.

Smart4Aviation Group has opened its

new subsidiary, Smart4Aviation Flight

Management.

NEWS UPDATE


GA TELESIS EXPANDS SUPPORT CAPABILITIESGA Telesis has acquired a Bombardier Q400 inventory of new overhauled, serviceable rotableand expendable material with a value of $15m, which is available for immediate purchase. All ofthe components have been warehoused at GA Telesis’ Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US distributioncentre. GA Telesis is now also capable of supporting spare engine needs of Q400 operators. “TheOEM has been doing a great job at supporting airlines operating the Q400 platform. It is ourintention to supplement their component programmes, by providing this additive support so-lution,” said Paul Lochab, SVP of global sales.

ROSTEC, AIRBUS LAUNCH RUSSIAN FEEDSTOCK ANALYSISAirbus and RT-Biotekhprom (Rostec Group) have signed a co-operation agreement to launchan analysis of Russian feedstock, to evaluate the development and commercialisation of sus-tainable fuels in aviation. The partnership is aimed at assessing suitable feedstocks to complywith ecological, economic and social sustainability criteria; the study aims to complete a fullsustainability analysis by Q4 2014. “The project will help us to improve the understanding ofaviation biofuels commercialisation in Russia, identify the opportunities and challenges, andevaluate the possibility of social, economic, market and technology change and its cost, obstaclesand challenges,” said Sergey Kraevoj, general director, RT-Biotekhprom.

AIRBUS, VSMPO�AVISMA STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPAirbus and VSMPO-AVISMA have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a strategiccollaboration, covering the development, processing and recycling of titanium material utilisedfor all Airbus aircraft programmes. “This agreement is a new milestone in our cooperation — itis not only support of Airbus production needs, but also joint development of advanced mate-rials, alloys and processes for the current and potential projects of Airbus,” said Mikhail Vo-evodin, president and CEO of VSMPO-AVISMA.

ROCKWELL COLLINS MOVES FURTHER INTO

COMMERCIAL SECTOR

Rockwell Collins is to purchase Arinc from The Carlyle Group for $1.39bn. The acquisition is in-tended to enhance Rockwell Collins’ aviation information management solutions by addingArinc’s ground–based navigational networks and services.

It marks a further shift from government contracts to the commercial sector for Rockwell Collins,with commercial work now representing 54 per cent of the company’s business. The shift hasbeen largely necessitated by cutbacks in US defence spending.

“Strategically, this acquisition is a natural fit for Rockwell Collins,” commented CEO and presi-dent Kelly Ortberg. “It accelerates our strategy to develop comprehensive information manage-ment solutions by building on our existing information-enabled products and systems andArinc’s ground–based networks and services to further expand our opportunities beyond theaircraft.”

The acquisition brings Rockwell Collins out of the cockpit, and extends its reach significantly,with Arinc “broadly touching the entire aviation eco-system”, including pilots, operators, main-tenance, passengers, controllers, regulators, security, and airport operations, according to thecompanies. Ortberg, who only became CEO on August 1, added that he expected RockwellCollins to “benefit from greater earnings consistency throughout the commercial aviation busi-ness cycle”.

For its part, Arinc believes the marriage of the two companies’ offerings will give customers aunique new service. “Rockwell Collins’ expertise in managing information on-board the aircraft,coupled with our innovative and reliable air to ground communications services, will be instru-mental in providing new integrated information management solutions for our customers,” ex-plained chairman and CEO John Belcher.

The definitive agreement is still dependent upon receipt of regulatory approvals and other cus-tomary conditions, but at $1.39bn represents the largest aerospace deal in the US so far in 2013.

At MTU Maintenance, we believe in streamlined, cost-effective results. We are the world’s largest independent engine service provider, combining the benefi ts of state-of-the-art technologies, decades of expertise, customized maintenance solutions and process excellence. MTU’s extensive MRO portfolio now also includes the GE90 Growth. Dedicated to support you.

www.mtu.de

MTU – Maintaining your power

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Maint_E_210x278_Aircraft_Technology_20130920_01.indd 1 29.08.13 10:30

NEWS UPDATE

Etihad Airways has signed an agree-

ment with International Aero Engines

(IAE) to upgrade its current and fu-

ture fleet of 35 V2500 engine-pow-

ered A320 aircraft to V2500

‘SelectTwo’ engine standard.

GA Innovation China, the joint venture

between GA Telesis and Air China,

began its first commercial aircraft

teardown project involving a 747-400

aircraft acquired from Air China.

MRO provider Aeroman has started

operations with the Airbus Managed

Inventory (AMI) service. The company

has implemented AMI — an auto-

mated system that replenishes high-

usage and non-repairable Airbus parts

— into its supply chain process.

Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services

(LTLS) is to take over responsibility for

SuperJet International’s warehouse

operations in Fort Lauderdale, US.

The move enhances the companies’

co-operation, with LTLS already sup-

plementing SuperJet’s spares distri-

bution centre in Frankfurt.

Airbus has achieved initial European

Aviation Safety Agency certification

of its Runway Overrun Prevention Sys-

tem technology on A320ceo-family

aircraft.

Boeing is expanding its flight training

support for customers of the 787

Dreamliner with an additional 787

full-flight simulator (FFS) at its flight

services campus in London, UK. The

new FFS, which joins two other 787

FFSs currently used in London, will be

ready for training in Q1 2014.

Avtrade Dubai has moved its offices

to the Gold Tower in Jumeirah Lake

Towers, located in New Dubai.

Sunwing Airlines is to retrofit its fleet

of 737-800s with Aviation Partners

Boeing ‘Split Scimitar’ winglets. The

airline said that when applied to the

aircraft’s existing blended winglets,

the Split Scimitar upgrade would add

strengthened spars, aerodynamic

‘curved’ tips, and a large ventral fin,

which is expected to improve per-

formance and decrease fuel burn by

approximately seven per cent.


GPS SPOOFING: THE NEXT TERRORIST

THREAT?

Since 9/11 authorities have progressively headed off potential attacks on passenger aircraft: locksare now installed on cockpit doors; fluids are banned from hand luggage; shoes must be re-moved; and some aircraft even have systems to counter heat-seeking missiles.

Other threats, though, are harder to foil. Much has been made of the distraction caused by hand-held laser pointers aimed from the ground at cockpit windows, but there has been surprisinglylittle in the press about the dangers of global positioning system (GPS) jamming and spoofing.

According to the Economist, every day near London’s Stock Exchange GPS signals go down fora short window, affecting everything from car navigation devices to the time stamps on financialtransactions.

The culprit is believed to be a delivery driver using an $80 dashboard device to stop managementtracking his movements; while that would not have the range to interfere with aircraft, more ex-pensive (though still affordable) jammers could.

North Korea uses truck-mounted jammers to annoy the South and these are reported to havedisrupted GPS systems on more than 1,000 passenger aircraft in 2012. Although no serious inci-dents happened as a result, some experts have predicted dire consequences if terrorists or roguestates chose to target individual aircraft with GPS spoofers.

These devices send false location data to receivers, and in conjunction with retail computersand an antenna they can be used to actually take control of GPS-reliant vehicles.

University of Texas assistant professor Todd Humphreys recently used a $3,000 spoofer to re-motely commandeer a 210-foot yacht in the Mediterranean, steering the ship off course withoutthe captain’s knowledge.

“This experiment is applicable to other semi-autonomous vehicles, such as aircraft, which arenow operated, in part, by autopilot systems,” said Humphreys.

Luckily for airlines, Humphreys — who had the consent of the ship’s owner — claims to ownthe world’s most powerful civil GPS spoofer. Unfortunately, he adds the qualification, “that Iknow about”.


NEWS UPDATE

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS »

LTAA ACHIEVES DESIGN OR�GANISATION INTEGRATIONLufthansa Technik AERO Alzey (LTAA) hasbeen integrated into the Lufthansa TechnikDesign Organisation, where minor designchanges and repairs will be approved. Theintegration process was initialised in 2011,and AERO Alzey aims to “improve its com-petitiveness” in the regional engine main-tenance market.

LIEBHERR�AEROSPACE BE�GINS A320NEO QUALIFICA�TION TESTINGThe qualification tests of the A320neoengine bleed air system have started withdevelopment testing at equipment levelat Liebherr-Aerospace’s test centre inToulouse, France. Performance testing ofthe pre-cooler and bleed valves is cur-rently being carried out; the system com-ponents are undergoing various teststhat will demonstrate their performanceand reliability under operating condi-tions.

9� Aircraft Technology - Issue 125 �

SOLAR IMPULSE COMPLETES

FLIGHT ACROSS US

Solar Impulse, the aircraft powered by solar energy, has successfullyflown across the US. The journey took place in six legs, coveringmore than 3,500 miles in a total flight time of 105 hours, 41 minutes,with the aim of proving the reliability and efficiency of clean tech-nologies and renewable energies. The aircraft became the firstsolar-powered plane to fly day and night across the US withoutusing a single drop of fuel.

BOEING FACES $2.75M FINE OVER 777 PARTSBoeing is facing a $2.75m fine from the US Department of Trans-portation’s (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over al-legedly failing to maintain the safety of its 777 fleet. In September2008, Boeing realised it had used non-conforming fasteners on its777s. The following month, the FAA requested that within 20 work-ing days Boeing send a response to its investigation into the matter.The DOT claims Boeing has repeatedly failed to meet objectivesand missed deadlines resulting from the investigation, finally set-ting a plan to address the problem two years later in November2010. “Manufacturers must make it a priority to identify and correctquality problems in a timely manner,” said the FAA’s administrator,Michael Huerta. Although Boeing has stopped using the fasteners,the aircraft faced “underlying manufacturing issues” as a result oftheir use, the FAA said.

AMG FLITE, SPIRIT ENTER REPAIR PARTNER�SHIPAero Maintenance Group (AMG) subsidiary, AMG Flite Compo-nents (Flite), has entered into a radome support and repair part-nership with Spirit Airlines in support of the carrier’s fleet of over50 A320 family aircraft. The multi-year partnership places spareradomes at the airline’s key maintenance locations and providesminor repair to full overhaul services for all Spirit radomes.

NEWS UPDATE


NEWS UPDATE

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS » Revima, Bronzavia sign repairdeal Revima has signed a partnership agreementwith Bronzavia Industrie, further develop-ing its sheet metal activity. The MRO willnow become a repair station for engine noz-zles installed on ATR regional aircraft;under the contract Revima will use partsmade by Bronzavia Industrie.

Regulators approve GE’s AviotakeoverGeneral Electric (GE) has been granted an-titrust approval for its $4.3bn takeover ofAvio’s AeroEngine division. The FederalTrade Commission approval comes follow-ing the European Commission approval ear-lier in July. Avio — which supplies GE withcomponents — manufactures parts for en-gines, including low-pressure turbine sys-tems, accessory gearboxes, geared systemsand combustors. As part of the approval, GEguaranteed it will not hinder Avio’s supplyof an accessory gearbox to rival Pratt &Whitney for its PW1100G engine.

AirKenya Express goes live withPentagon 2000SQLAirKenya Express has completed the im-plementation of Pentagon 2000 Software’s‘Pentagon 2000SQL’ aviation software sys-tem. The integrated solution aims to helpthe airline with its global support capabil-ities and includes functionality for f leetmanagement, f light operations, aircraftrecordkeeping, aircraft heavy mainte-nance, component repairs and materialsmanagement.

Boeing picks AerData’s ‘STREAM’AerData has been selected to provide its‘STREAM’ record management solution toBoeing to support the ‘GoldCare’ pro-gramme for airline fleet maintenance. Thesoftware provider will scan the aircrafttechnical records and make them avail-able to Boeing personnel supporting‘GoldCare’.

Comlux named GE authorisedservice centreGE Aviation has named Comlux as an au-thorised service centre for its CF34-3 en-gines that power the Bombardier Challengerseries. Under the agreement, Comlux willperform line maintenance inspections androutine installed engine maintenance, in-cluding removal and replacement of en-gines and engine components. Comluxopened a new completions and mainte-nance centre in Indianapolis, Indiana whichalong with the authorised service agreementwith GE will enable CF34-3 operators to re-ceive engine service and support.

AAI JOINS ATR’S MAINTENANCE NETWORK

ATR and Atlantic Air Industries (AAI) have signed an agreement making AAI a new memberof the OEM’s network of partner maintenance centres. AAI, which has a maintenance sta-tion at Toulouse-Francazal airport, specialises in heavy maintenance of ATR’s airframes andworks in line with the aircraft manufacturer’s quality standards.

HONEYWELL INVESTS $200M IN LOUISIANA Honeywell’s performance materials and technologies business group is to invest more than$200m at its four production facilities in Louisiana, supported by Louisiana Economic De-velopment, which includes both state and local tax incentives. The investment will supportits global operations and allow the company to produce new products to support refiningprocesses that produce fuels and petrochemicals, as well as advanced materials that are en-vironmentally friendly and energy efficient. An additional $1bn may be invested in itsLouisiana operations over the next 10 years for a series of projects ranging from the produc-tion of next-generation products to the maintenance and improvement of current produc-tion processes.

EADS TO REBRAND UNDER AIRBUS MONIKEREuropean Aeronautic, Defence & Space (EADS) is to rebrand itself simply as Airbus. It isusing its most familiar brand name to highlight its core business of developing commercialaircraft. The company will be comprised of three divisions: commercial aircraft, helicoptersand a combined defence and space arm. EADS’ CEO, Tom Enders, commented: “What weare unveiling today is an evolution, not a revolution. It’s the next logical step in the devel-opment of our company.” He added that the move to combine defence and space will “takecosts out, increase profitability and improve our market position.”

IFE MARKET SET FOR GROWTH, SAYSNEW REPORTThe global in-f light entertainment and connectivitymarket is expected to grow as airlines try to differen-tiate and gain a competitive advantage and as demandfor air transport increases, according to a new reportfrom Frost & Sullivan. The report, Global In-flight En-tertainment Market Assessment, says the market will“witness strong consolidation as in-f light entertain-

ment and connectivity suppliers aim to create a one-stop shop for customised contentsolutions”. It says the market earned revenues of $2.08bn in 2012 and estimates this tomore than double to $5.27bn in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.8per cent (2011-2020).

NEWS UPDATE


NEWS HIGHLIGHTS »

AIRBUS CARRIES OUTFIRST A350 XWB VIRTUAL FLIGHTAirbus has completed the first A350XWB cabin virtual flight; the vir-tual flight is used to test cabin sys-tems and equipment maturity atentry-into-service, confirming theoperability and allowing the OEM

to access human factors in conditions as close to reality as possible. The five-hour test wascarried out in Hamburg using ‘Cabin 0’ — a ground-based representative section of A350XWB fuselage which features the cabin systems found on the real aircraft. Two airline pilots,eight cabin crew and 129 passengers were involved in the virtual flight and tested flightphases such as boarding, meal service, stowing luggage, and various systems including LEDlighting and intercom.

SUNRISE OPENS IN�HOUSE MRO FACILITY IN SANTIAGOSunrise Airways of Haiti has established an 8,000ft2 MRO facility at Cibao InternationalAirport (STI) in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The facility has the capacity to accommo-date three of the airline’s Jetstream 32 EP aircraft as well as components; more than 2,200line items are now stored either in Santiago or at the Sunrise headquarters in Port-au-Prince.“In order for us to grow and achieve our goal of uniting the Western Caribbean with im-proved regional air service, having our own maintenance facility is a must,” said PhilippeBayard, president, Sunrise Airways. Bayard added that the Santiago facility carries all thenecessary approvals from the Office National de l’Aviation Civile (OFNAC).

LHT, VIETJETAIR IN TECHNICAL CO�OPERATION AGREEMENTVietJetAir has signed a technical co-operation agreement with Lufthansa Technik (LHT).The MRO will provide VietJetAir with solutions in technology, maintenance services, tech-nical maintenance and consulting for technical projects, technical training for staff andother consulting services. The aim is to collaboratively create the platform, facilities andtechnical staff with top-rated domestic and international quality standards at VietJetAir.The airline, meanwhile, says it will support LHT in providing “rapid access to the large mar-kets in Asia”.

AJW GROUP, ATS FORM STRATEGIC ALLIANCEAJW Group and Aviation Technical Services (ATS) have signed a Memorandum of Under-standing (MOU) to form a strategic alliance. ATS will gain access to AJW’s Boeing and Airbuscomponent inventories, as well as an expanded scope of component repair capabilities pro-vided by AJW Technique. AJW will be able to offer expanded PBH solutions, benefiting fromthe range of services offered by ATS Components and repair services. “This partnership willsee two of the largest and most experienced companies in the industry working together todeliver innovative solutions for our joint customers,” said Matt Yerbic, ATS president and CEO.

MTU CELEBRATES 1,500TH GE ENGINEOVERHAULMTU Maintenance has completed the 1,500th overhaulof a General Electric CF6-80 engine at its maintenancelocation and centre of competence for medium to largeaircraft engines in Hannover. The engine has been deliv-ered to MTU customer US Airways; the two companieshave recently signed a five-year contract for the mainte-nance of the airline’s CF34-10E6 engines.

HONEYWELL’S APU REACHES 100M HOURSHoneywell’s 131-9 Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) has reached 100m hours of service, becomingthe second of its APUs to surpass the 100m hours mark across more than 7,500 narrowbodyaircraft such as the 737 and A319, A320 and A321 models. “The 131-9 model APU has provedto be highly reliable, fuel-efficient and quiet in the millions of hours of flight servicerecorded to date,” said Jim Fusaro, VP, marketing and product management, HoneywellAerospace.

ALN expands to Fiji and PapuaNew GuineaAviation Logistics Network (ALN) has ex-panded to Fiji and Papua New Guinea as aresult of a strategic partnership with CTFreight Services, an independent forward-ing and logistics network in Australasiawhich has offices in Australia, New Zealand,Fiji and Papua New Guinea. “New Guineaand Fiji are niche areas with a need for acontinual flow of aerospace parts requiredto keep the aircraft on the islands supplied;as such we are ideally placed, being both atPort Moresby and in Fiji, to serve the supplychain needs of any and every aircraft typeflying into and out of the Island,” com-mented Clive Thomas, CEO, CT Freight.

Fokker opens Singapore compo-nent shop Fokker Services has received approval fromEASA and the FAA for its new componentrepair shop in Singapore; the new shop fo-cuses on regional aircraft and serves its cus-tomers with avionics, hydraulics andlimited structure component maintenance.Fokker Services opened its new facility inSingapore in February 2012.

Doors on at MAEL’s new hangarMonarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL) hasmade progress in the construction of itsnew 110,000sq-ft maintenance facility atBirmingham Airport, UK. Constructionwork on the hangar is under way, with thedoors now being installed. The installationof the doors marks the point where MAELhas 74 working days before the facility be-comes fully operational.

AAR to open Louisiana facilityAAR is set to open its sixth North Americanaircraft MRO facility in Lake Charles,Louisiana at Chennault International AirportAuthority. AAR will occupy approximately520,000ft2 of MRO service and administra-tive space at the facility; the new location willbe capable of supporting maintenance oper-ations for all widebody aircraft and will alsobe able to accommodate the A380, with ex-pansion currently underway.

NEWS UPDATE


Morgan Thermal Ceramics has announced theavailability of ‘Cerox’ fired refractory shapes,offered in a range of material compositions,including many specifically used for themanufacture of rotating and non-rotating airplanecomponents and automotive turbochargers.Dense, hard, and chemically stable, Cerox firedrefractory shapes offer resistance to chemicalattack from acids, slags, and gases to produce thecleaner, contaminant-free metal desired by endusers in aerospace and automotive steel foundries.

» SR Technics has won a contract with Finnairfor the provision of heavy maintenance checks,including paint work on two of the airline’s A320s.The tasks will be conducted at the MRO’s centre ofexcellence for narrowbody aircraft maintenance inMalta; the first aircraft has already been inducted.The new deal follows the 10-year contract already inplace with SR Technics, signed in July 2012, forCFM56 engine maintenance, plus integratedcomponent services support for the airline’s Airbusand Embraer fleet.

» CAE has won contracts with both EtihadAirways and China Eastern Airlines for nine fullflight simulators (FFSs) and nine flight trainingdevices. The new contracts are valued at more thanC$230m at list prices. Etihad has ordered sevenFFSs, seven flight training devices, update servicesand an exclusive 10-year agreement for trainingequipment and services. The FFSs are CAE 7000Series models and include three 787 FFSs, two A320FFSs, an A380 FFS and an A350 FFS. China Easternhas signed for a 737-800 FFS and a 777-300ER FFS,as well as CAE 7000 series models.

» Falko Regional Aircraft, an asset managementcompany, has selected Commsoft’s ‘Open AviationStrategic Engineering System’ (OASES) to supportits portfolio of leased aircraft.

» Mesa Air has awarded AAR a six-year extensionof an agreement to provide supply chain services;the contract will now continue until 2021. Theextension covers maintenance and repair servicesfor the Phoenix-based regional airline’s existingfleet of CRJ 700/900, as well as nine additionalaircraft.

» Pegasus Airlines has selected CFMInternational’s LEAP-1A engine to power its newfleet of 75 firm and 25 option A320neo/A321neoaircraft. The aircraft order was first announced inDecember 2012 and the airline is scheduled to begintaking delivery of the aircraft in 2016.

» Emirates has awarded AerData a contract thatwill see the airline adopt the ‘STREAM’ (SecureTechnical Records for Electronic AssetManagement) records management solution.Under the five-year contract, Emirates will benefitfrom the web-based solution that is used byairlines, lessors and MROs to manage scannedaircraft and engine records, further assisting theindustry’s aim to be a paperless environment.

» SR Technics has won two new contracts witheasyJet to provide line maintenance services on theairline’s entire fleet of A319 and A320 Swissregistered aircraft. With a three-year contractextension for Geneva and a new three-year contractfor Basel, SR Technics will support a total of 22aircraft in the region.

» Luxembourg’s Luxair has awarded KLM UKEngineering a contract to carry out heavymaintenance checks on two 737NGs.

CONTRACTS »

PRODUCTS

» UTC Aerospace Systems’ Aerostructures haswon a contract with Canadian carrier SunwingAirlines to service nacelle components for its fleetof 737 aircraft. Under the five-year contract, UTCwill perform maintenance, repair and overhaul ofthe carrier’s inlets, fan cowls and small componentsfor the CFM56-7 engines that power Sunwing’s fleetof 24 737-800 aircraft at its Alabama service centrein Foley.

» Precision Conversions has won a contractfrom Air China Cargo, a joint venture between AirChina and Cathay Pacific Airways, to provide thecompany with a total of four full 15-cargo position757-200PCFs. The first aircraft was inducted formodification at the Taikoo Aircraft Engineeringmaintenance facility in Xiamen on July 31. Thesecond aircraft will commence modification inNovember, with the remaining two aircraft beingplaced in production slots for early 2014.

» WestJet’s regional carrier, WestJet Encore, hassigned a ‘Total Component Support’ deal withLufthansa Technik to provide component repairand pool access support for its new and growingfleet of Q400s.

» Monarch Aircraft Engineering has won acontract with Spanish airline Privilege Style toprovide line maintenance technical handling to thecarrier. The contract covers the airline’s 757 aircraftbased at Manchester Airport.

» Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey has won acontract with Arkia Israeli Airlines to provideengine repair and overhaul services to the carrier’sfleet of CF34-10E powered E-190 aircraft.

Meggitt Sensing Systemshas launched the ‘Endevcomodel 7298’ triaxial variablecapacitance accelerometerdesigned for highlyaccurate measurement oflow-frequency events.

Typical applications require measurement ofwhole-body motion in three mutually orthogonaldirections immediately following a shock or in thepresence of severe vibrational inputs. With itsexceptional bandwidth, precision accuracy andhigh shock survivability, the Endevco model 7298 isideal for use in, amongst other applications,aircraft flight and flutter testing. Endevco model7298 is available in six models, ranging from 2 to100g.

Snap-on Industrial has launched two digitalborescopes, the BK6500 and BK8000. Thecompany says the products are significantadvances in digital inspection and wireless digitalvideo scopes, “allowing professional users to seeand record inaccessible areas in greater detail thanever before”.

Surrey NanoSystems hasannounced its new ‘super black’coating, a breakthrough it saysstems from its patented processfor manufacturing carbon

nanotubes at low temperatures. Thecoating can be applied to optical

instruments for space applications, to reducereflections and increase sensitivity. The technologyallows the company to fabricate super-blackcoatings on space-qualified lightweight aluminiumcomponents. The company says the black coatingmaterial sets a new record for the lowestreflectance in the infrared spectrum on materialssuch as aluminium, with a total hemisphericalreflectance of less than 0.15 per cent across themid-infrared wavelength region.

Spectroline has launched the ‘OPTI-LUX 365’, a LEDleak detection flashlight that provides UV light foroptimal fluorescent dye response, which is suitablefor all aviation fluid system applications. It has aninspection range of up to 25ft (7.6m) and providesfour hours of continuous inspection betweencharges.

[ MTU Aero Engines has ex-tended Rainer Martens’ con-tract as COO; the contractrenewal is for a term of fiveyears, commencing on April 15,2014. Martens led the com-pany’s turbine blade/vane pro-duction centre from 1997-2001and then joined Airbus as pro-duction manager at its plant inBremen, he later re-joined MTU

and has been a member of the board of manage-ment since April 15, 2006.

[Ed Dolanski has been named president and CEOof Aviall. Dolanski, who joined the company as SVPin 2007, most recently served as COO, a role that hewas promoted to in 2010. Prior to joining Aviall heworked with Raytheon for seven years.

[Rockwell Collins has appointed company presidentKelly Ortberg to the additional role of CEO, effec-tive immediately. Ortberg joined the company in1987, becoming president in 2012; he has previ-ously served as EVP and COO of government sys-tems.

NEWS UPDATE


» Japan Airlines has signed a general termsagreement with AJW Aviation to provide sparessupport across its fleet and subsidiary airlines. AJWwill support the airline’s fleet of Boeing aircraftfrom its Singapore-based facility.

» Airline Services Components has won acontract with Thomson Airways to providemaintenance support on the Messier-Bugatti-Dowtywheels and electrically actuated brake equipmentinstalled on the airline’s fleet of 787 Dreamliners.

» Industria de Turbo Propulsores has won acontract with Rolls-Royce to become its supplierof low pressure turbines for two new engines: theTrent XWB-97 for the A350-1000 and the Trent 1000for all 787 models.

» BAE Systems Regional Aircraft is now offeringbrake maintenance support for the Jetstream 41regional turboprop airliner and has secured its firstcustomer for the new services with a contract fromSky Express of Greece.

» MSI Aircraft Maintenance ServicesInternational and Reheat International havesigned an agreement to jointly repair aircraft galleyequipment, such as ovens, coffee makers, waterheaters and boilers at MSI’s Dubai repair facilitylocated in Jebel Ali.

PEOPLE

[Nexcelle, the joint venture between GE Aviationand Aircelle (Safran), has named Michel Abella asits new president. He has over 40 years’ experiencein the industry and was most recently director ofprogrammes at the company.

[ Franck Terner has been named president of AirFrance KLM Engineering & Maintenance; he is alsoa member of the Air France KLM group executivecommittee. Terner joined Air France in 1988 as aproduction engineer and has since held variousleadership roles. As part of on-going leadershipchanges within the company, Air France KLM hasalso named Anne Brachet as president of AirFrance Industries (AFI), replacing Terner; prior to hernew position Brachet was SVP engineering and air-frame for AFI.

[Claude Poulain has been named chairman andCEO of PowerJet, replacing Jacques Desclaux.Poulain began his career in 1981 at Snecma’sGenevilliers plant as financial controller, later joiningCFM International. His most recent positions in-clude Snecma SVP commercial strategy for com-mercial engines and services and SVP marketing &sales at PowerJet.

[ Spairliners has appointed Sven-Uve Hueschler asmanaging and financial director, replacing AndreSchulte-Bisping. The company also named FabriceDumas as head of sales and marketing; he joinedthe company on July 1 this year.

[Aviation IT company Smart4Aviation has ap-pointed Ivo Hop as its first CFO; a role he began onJuly 1. Hop, an international tax lawyer, will managethe financial wellbeing of the company and prior tothis position he worked at Meeuwsen Ten Hoopen.

[United Technologies has named Nicole Haugheyas VP, corporate strategy and development; she suc-ceeds Matthew Brombery who has been namedpresident, Pratt & Whitney aftermarket. Haugheywas previously a managing partner at Vertical Re-search Partners, a firm that she co-founded in 2009.

[AJW Aviation has promoted Deepak Sharma tooverall company technical director of AJW Groupand a position on the board. Sharma has worked astechnical director at the company since 2008. Thecompany also appointed Ruslan Nurislamov as VPbusiness development, becoming responsible forRussia and CIS regions.

» AAR has been awarded a multi-year inventorysupport deal with European regional airline Flybe.Under the contract AAR will support Flybe’soperational needs for wheels and brakes inventory forits Q400 fleet. AAR will also house an additional poolof wheels and brakes inventory in its Amsterdamwarehouse to further support the airline.

» Aviation Partners Boeing has received anorder from TUI Travel for 737-800 ‘Split ScimitarWinglets’.

» AAR has won a five-year contract withExpressJet Airlines to provide landing gearoverhaul services to its fleet of 104 EmbraerERJ-145XR aircraft. Under the contract AAR willperform gear overhauls in a dedicated regionalaircraft product area at its 180,000sq-ft landing gearservices MRO facility in Miami.

» Trax has won a contract with CaribbeanAirlines for the provision of its MRO ERPsoftware. Caribbean will implement ‘X’, the latestversion of Trax Maintenance which includes 20modules to cater to various aspects of aircraftmaintenance.

» Fokker Aerostructures has won a contractwith Airbus for the development andmanufacturing of the outboard flap for theA350-1000, the largest variant of the A350 XWBfamily. Outboard flaps increase the surface area aswell as the camber of the wing during take-off andlanding. Fokker has already begun developmentactivities in collaboration with the aircraft OEM inBremen with the first hardware set for delivery in2015.

» Brazil-based TAM Executiva has selectedVector Aerospace and its subsidiary, SECA, toperform engine repairs, hot section inspections,testing, modification, overhaul services and partsdistribution for PT6A and JT15D series engines aswell as repairs, major periodic inspection, testing,modification, core zone inspection services forTFE731 series engines.

» AirAsia X has extended its contract with AirFrance KLM Engineering & Maintenance forcomponent support for its fleet of A330s and A340s.The initial contract covered one leased aircraft, butthis has been extended twice in order to supportthe expansion of the Malaysian carrier and nowincludes 25 new A330s and two new A340s.

» Hong Kong-based Aerosapience has signed acontract with Volartic to adopt its aviationmaintenance software, ‘Alkym Management andControl System’; the IT company will provideauthorised sales representation and implementationsupport for Alkym.

» Aerosource has won a five year contact withBombardier Aerospace’s Component Repair andOverhaul team based in Wichita, Kansas, coveringaftermarket repair and overhaul of air drivengenerators, integrated drive generators and APUgenerators for Bombardier CRJ and Challengeraircraft.

» Tigerair Australia has signed an agreementwith Vistair to use its cloud-based documentmanagement system ‘DocuNet’ and its noticesmanagement portal ‘CrewNet’.


What is your background in the industry andhow has it benefited you in your presentrole?

I started my aviation career in the US Navy asa combat support engineer. After I completed mymilitary career, I obtained my Federal AviationAdministration (FAA) Airframe and Powerplantlicense and went to work for a regional airline as amechanic. I worked my way through the ranks andeventually ended my role as a maintenance man-ager. At the time I was going back to school atnight and obtained my degree in Aviation Main-tenance Technology. I transitioned my role into atechnical support specialist and supported the en-gineering side of the company. From this point I

changed several positions from regional to cargoairlines on the engineering side of the industry.

After the airline I was with closed its doors Iopened a small aerospace engineering firm andspent three years in the private sector. I eventuallydecided to get back into the air carrier side andtook a job with Republic Airways Holdings as thedirector of engineering for all four carriers; Shut-tle America, Chautauqua Airlines, Republic Air-lines and Frontier Airlines. Through theoperational separation of Frontier and RepublicAirways Holdings, I chose to stay with the Repub-lic side of the business because I believe in thecompany. My beginnings on the floor have sup-ported me through my role in management to un-

Frank Stevens is director of engineering at Republic Airways Holdings, an Indiana-based airline holding

company that owns Chautauqua Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America. He

entered the aviation industry with the US Navy and is an active member of many industry committees

and working groups, in addition to fulfilling his duties at the holding company. Here, he reveals

engineering strategies, market trends and his vision for the company.

In my opinion:

Frank Stevens,

director of

engineering,

Republic

Airways

HoldingsINDUSTRY FOCUS

derstand from the bottom up what it is like to bein this industry.

As director of engineering for Republic Air-ways Holdings, how do you manage your re-sponsibilities and what does the role entail?

I am placed in a shared services role for thethree airlines that we support; Shuttle America,Chautauqua Airlines and Republic Airlines. Thisrole also places my department in the middle ofall aircraft acquisitions, sales, and/or leases froma technical perspective for the holding company.My direct role is to provide leadership to the en-gineering, reliability, maintenance programmes,and technical fleet management sections of the

INDUSTRY FOCUS

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INDUSTRY FOCUS

company. I support my employees in their roles.My leadership style is to “teach them to fish”. Ialso tell new candidates to my organisation thatI only hire leaders. Everyone has a role and al-though mine is at the top of the department, Icannot do it without everyone pulling.

Engineering is the beginning and the end ofall data that is used to maintain or operate an air-craft or component. If we are wrong on the frontend, others will fail and we will get it right backin the end. So, I am responsible for making itright the first time.

How would you describe the company’s engi-neering and maintenance strategy?

Our strategy is customer focused. We havegrown from a Mom and Pop airline to a super-re-gional and this has caused communication issueswith our internal customers. We want our strat-egy to focus on fixing issues long term and notthe daily fire. Our customers should come to usfor the long term fix to their issues and expectthat when we have completed a task it will last.

What is your personal vision for RepublicAirways Holdings, in terms of its engineer-ing strategy?

We are focusing on automation and aircrafthealth from a proactive approach. As a large or-ganisation that is spread out from coast to coastand flying within much of North America andthe Caribbean, communication is a hurdle. Inthis case we want to get out of a world whereemail requests can get lost and actions delayed

due to over-tasked frontline employees. To dothis we are focusing efforts on developing oradopting software that will allow management toreview requests, assign requests, and measureperformance. This matrix is based on a simple ef-fort to provide service to the airlines we work forand keep the airplanes moving more efficiently.I find employees with specific skill sets that canattack inefficiencies with technology and past ex-periences. Empowering the engineers and man-agers to build a process or a procedure from thebottom up gives them a pride factor and a senseof gratitude when a programme succeeds.

How much maintenance is done in-house,and how much is outsourced? What are themain factors influencing your decisions onwho to use for maintenance?

Republic Airways Holdings does a mixture ofin-house and outsourced maintenance for ourever growing fleet. Our executive team does agreat job of balancing cost, efficiency, and part-ner agreements to make the decision that meetsour overall corporate goal.

What are the main challenges, from your per-spective, of entering into lease agreements?What major trends do you see in this area?

I believe that all parties involved in a lease arelooking to reduce the amount of cash they outputor what is being spent on the lease and its ulti-mate return. Leases are structured to support thenext operators and to reduce the amount of workrequired when the subsequent lease is agreed

upon. The main challenges with leases, from atechnical perspective, are predicting the aircraft,engine, and landing gear health at the time of thereturn. These items get opened up and inspectedright before a lease return and a negative findingcan cause a massive delay or a big hit on the bot-tom line.

In order to provide effective support do youthink it is important for engineers to under-stand lease negotiations?

Absolutely! As I learn each time the teamworks on a lease agreement, whether it is a leasein or a lease out, there is always a “gotcha” thatwe did not see coming. While maintaining thefleet engineers have to understand that outcometo their actions, as it relates to return of leases.This can be anything from planning/timing en-gine shop visits to Parts Manufacturer Approval(PMA) or Designated Engineering Representa-tive (DER) parts usages.

Do the airlines under your supervision usePMA parts — do they accept them in mainte-nance processes and will you accept andwork with them on leased aircraft?

Our company uses a mixture of power by thehour, pooling parts agreements, and flat rate re-pair agreements, as well as straight out repairsand purchasing. We do not allow PMA parts forany of the units that we have third party agree-ments on. On parts that we own or manage therepair processes on, yes we accept PMA, when itcan be demonstrated that no level of safety or re-liability will be lost.

We have a method of internal PMA reviewand approval that runs the candidate PMAthrough materials, engineering, reliability, andmaintenance programmes for input and recom-mendation to our customer airlines. Ultimatelyour airlines have to take on the responsibility andapproval for the PMA, but my department is thereviewing arm and takes the workload off the air-line to be as informed on the decision as possible.

What do you think the major trends are inthe PMA parts business?

Group PMA’ing. PMA warehouses have begunto realise that once they get in the door with anairline they have a better chance of getting morein the door. I see many PMA approvals comeacross my desk and I have to slow things downand ask our folks, “why do we want to approve foruse this PMA?”, “Is the OEM unit a bad one? Isthe OEM unit costing too much money? Why dowe want to take a gamble?”. I feel that PMA com-panies have determined that smaller PMA com-ponents for sale in large quantities are the way togo. Why spend a lot of money to PMA a complexitem when you can spend smaller amounts onsimple PMA and sell them by the thousands?


INDUSTRY FOCUS

What do you think Republic Airways Hold-ings offers customers that its competitorsdon’t?

First I have to define who our customers are:major airlines operating in the United States. Yes,ultimately the flying public are our customers,but directly it is our partners in the industry;Delta, American, US Airways, United and so on.We offer the most flexible corporate structureand the most comfortable large regional aircraftin the market. Our executive team is great at de-veloping the corporate goals and fleet plans tomeet the market in front of us. We speak to ourcustomers and try to partner with them to de-velop their goals as well as ours.

What kind of year has 2013 been for RepublicAirways Holdings in terms of general out-look, trends and challenges? And lookingspecifically at the maintenance and engi-neering operations?

This year has been a year of learning andgrowth. We are adding to our fleet again with theE-175s for American Airlines and the BombardierQ400 for United’s operations. We are also learn-ing from past experiences to maintain a positiveoutlook on the future. I look at our fleet and ourmaintenance organisation as a huge chess match;we have super thinkers making all the moves tobest support the ultimate corporate goal. Wemaintain flexibility at all levels and realise thatlast minute changes are not due to a lack of plan-ning, but an ability to adapt the plan to thechanging market.

What do you see as the main challenges ofyour own role, looking ahead?

Communication and documentation. As webuild a better orb of information for our main-tainers and vendors alike, getting data and infor-mation to these customers in the proper formatand in a single click location is what I want toovercome. Right now we have data scatteredthroughout the system and I want to focus on in-formation in a single location, in the right formatand in appropriate amounts.

You sit on multiple aircraft industry steeringcommittees and chair several technicalworking groups. What is the scope of these,how useful are they, and what have beensome of the achievements resulting fromthem?

Being such an active member in this industryis tough but rewarding. My full time job is to sup-port my company and do whatever it takes tokeep the economic machine moving throughtechnical support, while at the same time keep-ing my employees, and their families, happy. Ialso have a responsibility to the industry to pro-vide feedback and be involved with others out-side my work space. I enjoy the challenges thatmy day to day job provides, but most enjoy get-ting out of my office and meeting others in theindustry and learning from them. Sitting on andchairing several working groups at a time helpsme gather and deliver knowledge to everyonethat I come into contact with. I truly believe theold adage “knowledge is power” with a twist

“...but you cannot keep it to yourself!” Industryleaders must learn to share experiences and fos-ter new thought processes.

What would you say has been your finesthour as director of engineering to date?

I place a lot of pride in my employees workinglife and strive to make sure that they come towork because they want to make a difference. Ido not want my employees to come to work forthe pay check or because they can’t get a jobsomewhere else. I want the work environment tobe safe, enjoyable and repeatable. I spend a lot oftime doing simple things like thanking my em-ployees. So, to get this in return from my employ-ees is my finest hour. Each year I ask myemployees to complete an anonymous survey.The results of these surveys are collected, re-viewed and presented to the employees everyyear. In the past year I have had several employ-ees pull me aside and tell me “thank you, it showsthat you care”; it is a simple thank you, but it goesboth ways in appreciation.

You can hear from and meet Frank this October15-17 at the MRO Network’s Airline Engineering& Maintenance: North America and Aircraft &Engine Lease Management Americas confer-ences in Montreal, Canada.

Other major operators, including AmericanAirlines, United Airlines and Atlas Air, as well as arange of suppliers, including Air France Industries,KLM E&M, Airbus, Boeing, MTU MaintenanceCanada and many more, will be discussing thehottest topics across maintenance, engineeringand leasing in the region.

For more information and to book your place as adelegate visit: www.airlineengineering‐northamerica.com

“As a large organisation that is spread out from coast to coast

and flying within much of North America and the Caribbean,

communication is a hurdle.”


Featuring a wide range of aviation compa-nies operating at all levels of the supplychain, Europe is certainly one of the

most highly developed aviation markets in theworld. Looking at the whole spectrum of main-tenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), ChrisDoan, chairman and CEO at TeamSAI, saysthat Western Europe is expected to surpassNorth America as the largest region for MROspend by 2023. “Despite growing to the largestsingle regional market, Western Europe willlose market share, going from 25 per cent($13.6bn) in 2013 to 22 per cent ($16.1bn) by theend of 2023,” he says. Western Europe is a ma-

MRO recovery in Europe remains slow, but the global nature of the business means companies are still

winning contracts across the world. A number of challenges remain, while consolidation continues to

shape the future market space.

Aviation focus:

Europe

INDUSTRY FOCUS

ture market, and the loss in market share canlargely be explained by the fast growth ofemerging regions.

Despite the large size of the MRO market,problems persist. “Europe is lagging most of theworld in terms of MRO recovery. It’s the emerg-ing markets that are driving MRO growth at themoment and Europe, being both a mature avia-tion market and an area with its own economicproblems, is as a result reporting weaker MROgrowth in the low single digits,” reports RichardBrown, a principal consultant at ICF SH&E.

Nevertheless, larger MRO companies such asAir France Industries KLM Engineering & Main-


INDUSTRY FOCUS

tenance (AFI KLM E&M), Lufthansa Technik,MTU, Sabena technics and SR Technics remainindustry powerhouses thanks to their ability tocontinue to win, particularly, component and en-gine maintenance contracts from operatorsacross the world. “European MROs are worldleaders in component and engine maintenance.While home grown European airline MRO spendmight currently be depressed, the EuropeanMROs are out winning contracts across theworld. They’ve always been leaders in servingmaintenance markets outside their home coun-tries, so in this sense its business as usual,” ob-serves Brown.

Indeed, Europe has been the home of thebroad component support offering since the1990s, with components from multiple ATAchapters combined into a single MRO contract,often on a f light hour basis, and componentsnormally shipped back to Europe for mainte-nance. A number of such contracts are won byEuropean MRO companies on a regular basis.However, one part of the world that has so farproved largely elusive is the US. Brown saysthat because of the large f leets there, compa-nies find the concept expensive, and so preferto purchase on more traditional contracts.

Europe also remains a major provider of en-gine overhauls, with a wide variety of OEMs andindependent suppliers offering world class over-haul capability. This leadership position in en-gine overhaul is set to continue, according toBrown.

The major difficulty for European MROs rightnow is to find ways to stay competitive in an in-creasingly price sensitive market place. “Theyshould focus on areas where they have competi-tive advantage and, where relevant, seek partner-ships with OEMs that are looking for licensedservice centres and offer excellent customer sup-port,” advises Brown. “If they can do this — andit’s no easy task — they will be well positionedfor growth over the next decade.”

While home grown European airline MRO spend might currently be depressed, the European MROs

are out winning contracts across the world.

We keep you flying.Anytime. Anywhere.

[email protected]

MRO EUROPE 2013SEE US AT

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World-Leading Full Service Provider of End-to-End MRO Services

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INDUSTRY FOCUS

The MRO market is also in a period of ratio-nalisation. Sébastien Weber, director marketingproduct support development at AFI KLM E&M,confirms that “productivity and cost savingmeasures” at the company’s European facilities“will help to strengthen AFI KLM E&M’s positionin the component and engine support market. Inthe meantime, we will develop our worldwideMRO network, in order to increase our proximityto our customers.”

Weber says that the MRO industry as a wholeis in a state of contrasted and fragile growth.“There is still an appetite for the MRO business,but the MRO customers — the airline commu-nity — are increasingly looking for cost reduc-tions and are therefore asking the MRO suppliersto bear more risks and lower their prices,” he says.“This pressure, along with the necessity to becloser to the market, is leading some MRO play-ers to open new facilities or establish partner-ships or joint ventures in regions with sustainableair transport growth.”

Challenges and opportunitiesEuropean MROs are currently facing a variety

of challenges. Excess capacity remains in manyMRO categories at the moment — particularlyairframe and engine maintenance, and thismeans that pricing remains tough. “There justaren’t very many new contracts being signed atthe moment and so when there’s a maintenancecampaign it’s usually highly competitive and thetendering airline increasingly selects the lowestcost option, which may not favour the EuropeanMRO,” says Brown.

Meanwhile, European airlines with in-houseMROs are being forced to make tough decisionsas to whether to perform maintenance in-houseor to outsource to a competitive — and poten-tially cheaper — third party provider. “Conse-quently, what might be good for the airline’s costsmight not be good for their in-house MRO,” says

Europe has been the home of the broad component support offering since the 1990s.


INDUSTRY FOCUS

Brown. “So, we’ve seen changes in buying behav-iour particularly as airlines take delivery of newaircraft models and don’t in-source MRO.” Exam-ples cited include British Airways outsourcingsupport for the A380 with Airbus under theirflight hour services programme, and Japan Air-lines (JAL) signing a 787 rotable support dealwith Lufthansa Technik.

Larger MROs in Europe are also finding op-portunities to partner with OEMs for new tech-nology platforms “where OEMs don’t wish to addbricks and mortar”, according to Brown. Exam-ples of this include UTC Aerospace Systems sign-ing agreements with Lufthansa Technik tosupport 787 components.

Mick Adams, managing director at MonarchAircraft Engineering (MAEL), agrees that form-ing closer ties with OEMs will be essential for Eu-ropean MROs, looking longer term. “As a credibleorganisation with over four decades of goodstanding we have developed excellent businessrelationships with many OEMs,” he says. Anotherchallenge is in the recruitment of techniciansand engineers. “MAEL is also investing in the fu-ture to ensure we have sufficient engineering andmaintenance staff and as a result we have en-rolled over 700 apprentices in to our industryleading apprenticeship scheme, which is now inits 41st year,” says Adams.

Of course, many of the larger MROs wouldbe considered “Western” European, and thereare major differences between the markets in

“When there’s a maintenance campaign it’s usually highly

competitive and the tendering airline increasingly selects the

lowest cost option, which may not favour the European MRO.”

Richard Brown, principal consultant, ICF SH&E


INDUSTRY FOCUS

the East and West of Europe. The labour ad-vantage of performing maintenance in EasternEurope at the expense of Western Europe, oncea fairly significant factor, has been slowly erod-ing as wages continue to rise in the East.

“While Eastern Europe remains popular fornarrowbody airframe maintenance, companiesthere face stiff competition from the mainte-nance growth areas of Malta, Turkey, the MiddleEast and to a smaller extent North Africa,” ex-plains Brown. “Eastern European airline growthhas been outpaced by the Middle East, whichprefers to perform maintenance in-region.Given the sluggish economies in Western Eu-rope, MROs based in countries such as Spain,Portugal and Ireland will continue to offer verycompetitive MRO offerings to airlines thatmight have previously migrated work to EasternEurope.”

Consolidation

The European MRO industry has also been af-fected by airline consolidation. It often providesairlines the opportunity to evaluate their mainte-nance support approach, which could in theorymean companies exiting loss making in-housemaintenance and seeking solutions from a com-petitive third-party market. “The reality is oftenmore complex as recent mergers haven’t, at leastfrom an outside perspective, necessarily generated

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optimal maintenance savings or a radical re-eval-uation of what is core and non-core,” says Brown.

He has though, for example, seen changeswithin the Lufthansa Group affecting subsidiaryairlines such as Austrian Airlines, while the saleof BMI to British Airways (BA) provided the lat-ter company with the opportunity to integrateBMI aircraft within its maintenance programmes— therefore allowing the closure of BMI’s engi-neering facility at East Midlands Airport.

The merger of Air France and KLM in 2004has seen their respective MRO companies inte-grate, with the aim of tackling duplication andmaximising maintenance efficiency savings. Themore recent merger of British Airways and Iberiahas initiated the same process. Brown notes thatin such cases there are a number of challenges:

unionised labour; the fact that many in-houseMROs are viewed as cost centres rather thanprofit centres; and mergers across countries havepolitical considerations that mean what mightwork on paper wouldn’t be considered in reality.True savings take time to realise, he notes, butthe introduction of new aircraft models usuallyallows such a change in behaviour.

Jose Luis Quirós, commercial and businessdevelopment SVP at Iberia Maintenance, sayshis company is still focused on the co-ordina-tion of MRO activities with BA Engineering.“After the merger of British Airways and Iberiain 2011, both MROs are dedicating special at-tention to maximise the benefits of the mergerthrough the achievement of cost and revenuesynergies,” he says. “There are up to eight work-ing groups, covering from rationalisation of in-ventory to joint sales, with specific targets thatwill bring savings to the group, but will alsohelp to consolidate one of the biggest MROs inthe world, by associating British Airways Engi-neering and Iberia Maintenance capabilitiesand operations.”

Operating in the Eurozone means there is al-ways pressure to keep costs low and to maximise

“Consolidation in the European MRO space will continue as

airlines seek to deal with fewer, larger, suppliers.”

Richard Brown, principal consultant, ICF SH&E

Western Europe is expected to surpass North America as the largest region for MRO spend by 2023.


INDUSTRY FOCUS

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cost efficiency, so both British Airways Engineer-ing and Iberia Maintenance emphasise the needto maximise the benefits of their collaboration.“Our relationship offers more mutual benefits toeach side. For instance, by working in partnershipwe can maximise the use of our inventory, payonly when we consume stock, increase volume inour workshops, ensure better reliability, and keepour cost-base down. Together we are betterequipped to deal with external pressures comingout of the Eurozone,” says a BA spokesperson.

Another impact of airline consolidation isthat the newly combined airline has greater bar-gaining power when tendering maintenance con-tracts. “An airline such as United, combiningContinental, is able to issue tenders to MRO ven-dors which are even larger in scale than before,”says Brown. “Therefore, if these go to the OEMor other large scale vendors the impact on smallersuppliers could be great.”

Brown also notes the impact of fast-growingairlines, such as Etihad, partnering or taking eq-uity stakes in airlines in Europe and what thismight mean for maintenance approaches. Hesays that when Etihad took part ownership of AirBerlin, some MRO work shifted to Mubadala

owned SR Technics and ADAT, while the airline’s787 order was changed to the 787-9 to match theorder from Etihad. “Owners such as Etihad aren’tsilent investors,” he remarks.

The consolidation trend looks set to continue.It might still be said that there are too many legacyflag carrier airlines in Europe, many of which re-tain MRO capability. “The loss making airlines,and their loss making in-house MROs, are usuallygovernment-owned political footballs which causeproblems for profit seeking airlines. We’ll see ei-ther these airlines failing (as with Malev) or beingacquired by another airline,” says Brown.

Over time, then, there will be fewer airlinesin Europe but those that remain will be larger.This directly impacts the MRO market. “Eu-rope already has a number of large MROs —some independent and some owned by air-lines — that compete vigorously in the mar-ket. These will likely remain and the smallerindependent MROs will find it tougher to sur-vive, especially in a more OEM-centric MROenvironment. Consolidation in the EuropeanMRO space will therefore continue as airlinesseek to deal with fewer, larger, suppliers,” con-cludes Brown.


Throughout the history of technologicaldevelopment, small companies have oftenproved more adept at translating new

ideas quickly into workable technologies thanhave long-established industry giants. Apple andMicrosoft, long industry giants themselves,started as two tiny outfits taking on the behe-moths of their business (IBM being one) andwinning hands down. Facebook and Google aretwo more recent examples.

Now something similar may be about to hap-pen in the commercial aviation business. Until afew years ago, the airline industry didn’t really be-lieve that a better, cheaper, quieter way could befound to get aircraft to and from runways than byhaving aircraft taxi for miles under the power oftheir engines.

As long as fuel was cheap, labour costs weren’thigh and environmental concerns weren’t promi-nent in airline thinking, taxiing using enginepower remained an acceptable procedure. And aslong as airlines didn’t mind taxiing aircraft stand-ing still for minutes while other aircraft backedout ahead and blocked the taxiway as theystarted their engines, pushing back from the gatewith the help of a diesel or electric tug remainedstandard practice.

But from the early years of this century, aseconomic forces bore down upon the airline in-dustry and fuel and labour costs kept increasing,some began to think there might be a cheaper —and more environmentally friendly — way foraircraft to taxi. The first sign of this came whenairlines adopted the concept of single-enginetaxiing. This allowed airlines to cut fuel costs byusing just one engine to taxi an aircraft, lighting

the aircraft’s other engine(s) only when it was inthe holding line just before take-off — and shut-ting down all but one engine to taxi in from therunway after landing.

The benefits of electric taxiing

By then, a few visionaries could see that ifthere were a reliable way to have an aircraft taxito and from the runway electrically, with all en-gines except its auxiliary power unit (APU)shut down, airlines could realise considerablesavings. These would not only come in fuelcosts, but also in turnaround time, in reducedbrake wear — pilots need to keep brakes ap-plied against taxi thrust to keep a stationaryaircraft from moving — and even in obtainingearlier take-off times. (At Heathrow, for in-stance, an aircraft could taxi electrically to therunway at 5:45 a.m. without breaking theovernight noise curfew and then take off ex-actly at 6:00 a.m., when the curfew ended.Today, under engine power, an aircraft can onlybegin taxiing at 6:00 a.m.)

The expensive, time-consuming and noisy process of taxiing

commercial aircraft to and from runways is about to see a revolution

— and the new business of electric taxiing will see a

David-and-Goliath competitive match-up. Chris Kjelgaard reports.

Taxi fair

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

Direct and indirect labour costs — such asthose associated with the cost of employing a tugdriver and insuring ramp workers against per-sonal injury — could plummet too. There wouldalso be environmental benefits: lower emissionsof CO2 and oxides of nitrogen in and around theairport and much less jet noise.

While an electric taxiing solution could proveeconomically useful and would be environmen-tally beneficial if applied to widebody aircraft,there was a much more compelling case for it onnarrowbodies such as the Airbus A320 and Boe-ing 737 families.

Widebodies primarily operate medium- andlong-haul sectors and may have hour-to-cycle ra-tios as high as seven or eight. In practice, thismeans they spend most of their time in the airand on average may only make 1.5 to two take-offs and landings a day. Although they burn morefuel than narrowbodies while taxiing, there arealso technological challenges associated with de-veloping electrical motors powerful enough totaxi, say, a Boeing 747-400 or an Airbus A380.

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Narrowbodies, by contrast, average a ratio ofabout 1.5 flight hours per flight cycle, which inpractice means they often perform seven or eighttake-offs and landings a day. Accordingly, nar-rowbodies, regional jets and regional turbopropsspend a high proportion of their total operatingtime taxiing to and from runways. There are alsomany thousands of them in service.

WheelTugEnter WheelTug. Although a small company,

WheelTug has been the trailblazer of the electrictaxiing business since it first demonstrated itselectrically driven nosewheel concept in 2005 ona Boeing 767. Its electric taxiing system uses asealed electric motor located inside the nose-wheel. The motor is driven by the aircraft’s APUand the power from the APU is applied by cus-tom-made electronic control equipment con-trolled from the flight deck. In developing thesystem, WheelTug has generated more than 80patents, which have been issued or are pendingin various international jurisdictions.

In the eight years since 2005, WheelTug hasanswered almost all the performance challengesthrown at it, including demonstrating a taxi-speed capability of 20-25 knots. The only chal-lenge it has not answered completely, admitsWheelTug CEO Isaiah Cox, is that in certainweather and ground conditions the nosewheel-driven system does not gain enough traction totaxi an aircraft. This will only happen about three

per cent of the time, he estimates. The prospectleaves him unconcerned, since WheelTug’s busi-ness model will not involve airlines purchasingelectrically driven nosewheels for their aircraftbut instead calls for them to pay WheelTug anagreed proportion of the operational savings theyachieve using the equipment.

The biggest potential economic benefittouted by WheelTug is not the 80 per cent reduc-tion in fuel burn it says its APU-driven systemwould offer when compared with single-enginetaxiing, nor the time saved when pushing backwithout the use of a tug and not starting the air-craft’s engines up on the outer part of the ramp.Instead, Cox says the biggest benefit would comefrom what the company calls the ‘WheelTugTwist’.

This is the system’s ability to allow a narrow-body aircraft to taxi in between two aircraft atnearby gates and then turn sideways 90 degreesin its own nosewheel radius. According toWheelTug, if a narrowbody were brought up to atwo-bridge widebody gate (or two adjacent nar-rowbody gates) its passenger load could be dis-embarked through both doors and its nextpassenger load could also be boarded throughboth doors.

Once ready for dispatch, the narrowbodywould simply turn again through 90 degrees andmove away under electric power. All this wouldslash the time needed for disembarking andboarding, potentially generating enough addi-

tional time during the day for the aircraft to com-plete an additional revenue flight. WheelTug es-timates the ‘Twist’ could produce a time-basedsaving of as much as $1,000 per flight cycle.

During the past eight years WheelTug has ac-quired an impressive list of risk-sharing industrypartners, demonstrated its nosewheel-electric-motor on Boeing 737s successfully in a variety ofground conditions (including ice and snow) and— most importantly — garnered a provisionalorderbook of installations for nearly 600 aircraft.Ernest Arvai, a partner in the AirInsight group ofconsulting firms, thinks WheelTug may also haveprovisional deals for several hundred more air-craft lined up for conversion into letters of intentwithin the next few months.

“When we started in 2004, everything was aninsurmountable challenge — so they said. Wehave addressed each of those issues,” says Cox.He and others (including Arvai) believe Wheel-Tug’s electrically driven nosewheel — which em-ploys an advanced electric motor less than 5in(12.5cm) wide — represents the simplest andleast technologically ambitious solution for thepotentially huge electric taxiing market. Wheel-Tug’s electric motor is sealed and doesn’t usecooling, because an aircraft’s nosewheel isn’tused for braking and so generates very little heat— and has very few sensors — compared withthe main landing gear bogeys.

The simplicity of WheelTug’s system shouldalso make it easy to install. Using a new nose-

Wheeltug’s system allows a narrowbody aircraft to taxi in between two aircraft at nearby gates and then turn sideways 90 degrees in its own nosewheel radius.



wheel developed by industry partner ParkerAerospace, WheelTug estimates it would takejust two overnight stops to install its system,plus two shifts for the landing gear swap. Simi-larly, it would take just two shifts to remove thesystem.

The unit will not be on the aircraft’s masterminimum equipment list — which means theaircraft can be dispatched with its WheelTug in-operative — and its connection to the aircraft’sdata system will be minimal and read-only. Thesystem’s other components will be maintenance-free unless flagged and inspections of the nose-wheel unit will be accomplished during tirechanges, according to WheelTug.

Green Taxi disappearsBut while WheelTug was first out of the

blocks and — all things being equal — will befirst to market with its electric taxiing system (itplans to begin retrofitting customer aircraft inthe fourth quarter of 2014), it will not be alonethere. Throughout the past few years, severalother electric taxiing projects — using a variety

of different approaches — have undergone devel-opment and trialling.

One potential competitor pulled out of therace in January. This APU-driven project em-ployed two liquid-cooled electric motors — oneon a wheel in each of an A320-family jet’s twomain landing gear units — and was jointly devel-oped by US company L3 Communications andUK firm Crane Aerospace. The system, called‘Green Taxi’, was ground-trialled by LufthansaTechnik in 2011 using a Lufthansa A320.

Although on the face of it the trial worked, L3’sdecision to use liquid-cooled electric motors for itsdesign probably proved the project’s undoing. Air-bus subsequently indicated that to reduce designcomplexity it preferred any main-gear-attachedelectric taxiing systems to be air-cooled. This madesense in view of their close proximity to the air-craft’s air-cooled main landing gear brakes.

A320-family aircraft have sufficient space intheir main landing gear wheels to accommodatean electric taxiing system. This is all the more sobecause the A320 family was originally designedto be fitted with steel brakes and nowadays most

new examples are fitted with carbon brakes,which have a much higher heat sink capability.But, according to Arvai, the proximity of thebrakes and their heat sinks to the electric motorsof any main-gear electric taxiing system createssignificant technological challenges.

These challenges include providing sufficientcooling to the taxiing system’s motors; ensuringthat the electric taxiing system isn’t damaged bythe shock of the main gear impacting the runwayon landing; and in adding further complexity andweight to this part of the aircraft. All this is likelyto create certification difficulties.

The Electric Green TaxiingSystem

Nevertheless, working through an equal jointventure, Honeywell and Safran’s Messier-Bugatti-Dowty unit have adopted a main-landinggear location for their Electric Green Taxiing Sys-tem (EGTS), which also uses APU power. Thisdrives two electric motors, one in a wheel on eachmain landing gear bogey on an Airbus narrow-body, through clutches and reduction gearboxes.The MLG location provides redundancy — onlyone of the two electric motors needs to be oper-ational to taxi the aircraft — and greater groundtraction than a nosewheel location, as well asmore space for the motor, EGTS claims.

EGTS’ target taxi speed is at least 20 knots fora fully loaded narrowbody, “a figure that the 50-plus airlines we are in discussions with about the

“Our development approach includes testing for endurance,environmental performance, power-quality electromechanicalintegration, vibration, performance, electromagneticinterference, and weight testing in various capacities andenvironments.”Brian Wenig, vice president – EGTS program, Honeywell Aerospace

Honeywell and Messier-Bugatti-Dowty have adopted a main-landing gear location for their Electric Green Taxiing System (EGTS), which uses APU power.



system have told us would be required in orderto meet their operational parameters,” says BrianWenig, vice president – EGTS program for Hon-eywell Aerospace.

The partners announced EGTS at the 2011Paris Air Show and demonstrated it publicly atthe same show two years later. EGTS draws uponHoneywell’s experience in avionics, electricpower systems and APU integration, while Safranbrings its electric power systems and landing gearsystems expertise to the venture. The pairing ispowerful: Honeywell is by far the largest manu-facturer of commercial aircraft APUs in theworld, while Messier-Bugatti-Dowty is the largestmanufacturer of landing gears.

EGTS’ 2013 test, using an A320, “representedthe industry’s most advanced demonstration ofan e-taxi system to date,” says Wenig. “Our devel-opment approach includes testing for endurance,environmental [performance], power-qualityelectromechanical integration, vibration, per-formance, electromagnetic [interference], [and]weight testing in various capacities and environ-ments, at 13 major sites worldwide.”

Although EGTS officially will lag WheelTugto market by well over a year (Honeywell andMessier-Bugatti-Dowty expect to make the sys-tem available in 2016, initially for forward-fit or-ders, with retrofits offered soon afterwards),EGTS seems to have come a long way in a shorttime. Air France and EasyJet are on board to testthe system operationally.

“The EGTS programme has mobilised morethan 200 engineers at [13] locations, and the com-ponent-system and aircraft-testing programmehas accumulated more than 3,000 hours of on-ground manoeuvres on seven bespoke testingbenches as well as on our A320,” says Wenig.“Since the aircraft’s first move in April, the EGTSon-board has logged over 160 kilometres (100miles) of rolling tests. These tests evaluate thesystem in various load configurations and run-way conditions, through a complex series of ma-noeuvres such as pushback, tight turns andU-turns, according to varying specifications ofacceleration and speed.”

Wenig adds: “With this first testing phasecomplete, the next major milestone … is to con-duct these same manoeuvres with the aircraft atmaximum take-off weight. We expect to beginfull-scale development in 2014 ahead of marketentry in 2016. We have not experienced any majordevelopment challenges and the programme re-mains on track.”

That said, Arvai thinks EGTS may yet face sig-nificant cooling issues which may necessitateMessier-Bugatti-Dowty redesigning the mainlanding gear wheels for any EGTS-fitted A320-family jet.

Lufthansa Technik’s researchWith Green Taxi now gone, Lufthansa Technik

is at a crossroads. The German giant is involvedin testing a fuel-cell-powered, nosewheel-based

system developed by DLR, the German AerospaceCenter. Lufthansa Technik is also testing a systemcalled ‘TaxiBot’, a diesel-electric-powered aircrafttug fitting closely around the nosewheel. TaxiBot— developed by Israel’s IAI — pushes an aircraftback normally but then the driver hands over con-trol electronically to the pilots of the aircraft. Thepilots steer the tug (now actively taxiing the air-craft) to a location near the runway before start-ing the aircraft’s engines, de-coupling the tug andpassing control back to the driver.

Another project in which Lufthansa Technikis involved is the quaintly named eSchlepper, afour-wheel-drive, lithium-battery-powered ve-hicle for towing widebodies over distances of upto seven kilometres (4.35 miles) for mainte-nance hangar operations. Normally rechargedfrom the ground electricity supply, an eSchlep-per can also be recharged during long-distancetowing operations by an onboard diesel genera-tor. A big fan of what it calls “electromobility”,Lufthansa Group — in the form of its LSG SkyChefs catering subsidiary — is also workingwith partners to develop an electrical-hoist ve-hicle. The hoist and vehicle will both be electri-cally powered.

EGTS’ and WheelTug’s businesscases

Wenig says EGTS’ business case measures itscalculated savings against single-engine taxiingoperations — a “deliberately conservative ap-

During the past eight years, WheelTug has garnered a provisional orderbook of installations for nearly 600 aircraft.



proach which has earned credibility withprospective airline customers.” The partners es-timate EGTS could save between two and fourper cent of per-cycle fuel burn, offering airlinessavings of as much as $200,000 per aircraft peryear.

However, EGTS has not publicly quantifiedthe savings it expects the system to offer interms of emissions savings, reduced mainte-nance costs on engines and brakes and lowerground-handling costs. Savings could alsocome through faster turnarounds — likeWheelTug, EGTS could do the ‘Twist’, althoughneeding more complex braking and taxiingcontrol to do so — and reduced noise on theairport.

Unlike EGTS, WheelTug has quantified everyaspect of its business case publicly and believesthat its system will save as much as $2m per yearper aircraft. WheelTug is betting its entire busi-ness model on the savings its customers achieve,since the company plans to generate its revenuesby means of airline customers handing over anagreed percentage of the savings they achieveusing the WheelTug taxiing system. Because itdoesn’t seek money up front, such a pricingscheme could level the playing field for Wheel-Tug against EGTS.

However, Arvai thinks WheelTug’s innovativebusiness model might create problems. Some air-line customers might come to resent handingover savings they make as a result of their ownoperational improvements and efficiencies,using their own people and their own techniques,even though WheelTug may be the main en-abling technology. Arvai believes a “taxi-by-the-hour” model is more likely to eventually becomethe standard pricing model for the new industryand that EGTS may well offer such pricing.

Tough competition ahead?While Arvai believes WheelTug has a genuine

advantage over EGTS in the simplicity of its sys-tem and its potential timing to market, neverthe-less he feels the company could face significantmarket challenges because of its relatively smallsize. One challenge is the fact that Honeywellcontrols some 85 per cent of the market for com-mercial aircraft APUs and that Safran has such amassive presence as a landing gear manufacturer.

Should these companies wish to exercise theirmuscle — say, by Honeywell offering preferentialpower-by-the-hour APU maintenance rates tocustomers choosing EGTS rather than Wheel-Tug, or by Safran increasing its landing gearmaintenance fees if WheelTug is installed —

then this could present problems for the smallercompany. Another risk is that they might usetheir massive financial power to price WheelTugout of the market or even buy it up completely.

“The smaller guy may have a better mouse-trap, but will he eventually get swallowed?” Arvaiasks. “Can he survive, playing with the big guys?Honeywell and Safran have the economic power.”

Another issue — for both electric taxi pro-grammes, but possibly more difficult for Wheel-Tug than for EGTS — is that each competitormust obtain detailed engineering and designdata from Airbus and Boeing in order to be ableto certificate their systems. Its inability to date toacquire Boeing’s engineering data for the 737NGand 737 MAX nose landing gear and wheel is thereason that WheelTug hasn’t converted any let-ters of intent to firm orders: it can’t yet guaranteeany of its customers firm installation slot dates,because it can’t guarantee its certification date.

Pointing out that neither Airbus nor Boeingever hand over such data cheaply, Arvai notesthat both of the two huge airframers have longand close relationships with both Honeywell andSafran, which are among their biggest Tier 1 sup-pliers. The airframers don’t have such deep rela-tionships with WheelTug.

“For WheelTug the key is getting a criticalmass of customers to scream at Boeing and/orAirbus” to demand the airframers hand over toWheelTug their design engineering data, saysArvai. Assuming they do, WheelTug is set for aninteresting few years, particularly if EGTS alsofulfils its potential.

Air France and EasyJet are on board to test the EGTS system operationally.

“The smaller guy may have a better mousetrap, but will heeventually get swallowed?”Ernest Arvai, partner, AirInsight


In a global business environment in whichspeed to market, reduced cost and improvedquality translate to competitive advantages,

a new applied research centre in Virginia is fos-tering breakthroughs in surface engineering andmanufacturing systems — and speeding devel-opments into manufacturing.

From human factor improvements for theproduction floor to digital manufacturing tech-niques and advanced surface and coating appli-cations, developments are under way at theCommonwealth Center for Advanced Manufac-turing (CCAM) near Richmond, on the Cross-

Utilising a collaborative R&D environment, a new applied research centre in Virginia is fostering

breakthroughs in surface engineering and manufacturing systems — and speeding developments into

manufacturing. James Whitton, Chromalloy program manager for the Commonwealth Center for

Advanced Manufacturing and director of operations there, reports on the success of the shared

approach as well as new and future developments.

Accelerating new

technologies into

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pointe campus of the Rolls-Royce componentmanufacturing plant.

CCAM, a public/private applied research cen-tre, is sponsoring R&D with industry partnersand the state’s leading research universities. Thedevelopments are resulting in production-readymanufacturing techniques to be used by Rolls-Royce, Siemens, Aerojet, Chromalloy and otherCCAM member companies.

The applied research centre is unique in itscollaboration between industry and the state’sresearch universities. The CCAM mission is to ac-celerate new technologies into commercialisa-

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How Rolls-Royce and industry partners meet industry demand through applied research centres

To meet industry demand for new production processes and developments while training future workers, the Commonwealth Center for AdvancedManufacturing (CCAM) is one of seven collaborative research facilities worldwide in a network in which power system manufacturer Rolls-Royce par-ticipates. A leader in the manufacture of civil and military aero engines, marine propulsion systems and power generation systems, Rolls-Royce partners withindustry, governments and universities to accelerate technology development through a global network of applied research centres in the UK, one inthe US and one in Singapore. CCAM, the newest applied research centre in which Rolls-Royce participates, was completed in 2012 and officially opened in 2013. As a hub for advancedmanufacturing in the US and a site for R&D, CCAM operates independently with a board of directors appointed by the seven organising industrymember companies and Virginia’s leading universities. All of the modern technology centres in which the engine manufacturer participates serveRolls-Royce, the other participating member companies, partner universities and the communities. CCAM is located at the 1,000 acre Rolls-Royce campus at Crosspointe, Virginia, where aircraft engine components are manufactured, assembled andtested. Rolls-Royce donated the land for CCAM.As a CCAM founding member, Rolls-Royce contributed to the centre’s $30m development and construction costs and with the other industry members,is a beneficiary of the centre’s research breakthroughs. Each industry member will transfer the breakthrough technologies developed in the CCAMlabs directly to their manufacturing operations. CCAM student interns from the partner universities, who gain hands-on experience while working at the research centre, are able to evolve their rolesand expertise into permanent engineering and technical positions at the member companies. The success behind applied research centres — in addition to the collaboration across industries, government and universities – is the focus on highlytechnical manufacturing areas where new developments are required by industry. CCAM is dedicated to new surface technologies, which are among the field of additive manufacturing, and new manufacturing systems for factories.

Other applied research centres in which Rolls-Royce participates focus on key manufacturing areas:

� Composites (National Composites Research Centre, South Wales, UK)

� Surface conditioning processes (Process Technology Research Centre, Singapore)

� Forging and forming (Advanced Forming Research Centre, Glasgow, UK)

� Automation, fixturing, joining manufacturing (Technology Centre, Ansty, UK)

� Machining and measurement (Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, Sheffield, UK)

� Manufacturing technology, training and accreditation (Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, Sheffield and Manchester, UK)

True to the charter of state-of-the-art applied research facilities for cross-industry, community and academic collaboration, the centres are dedicatedto the rapid commercial application of R&D.

Rolls-Royce completed a new advanced manufacturing plant in Virginia. The new Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing is located nearby, on the same campus.



tion and reduce costs associated with manufac-turing through shared facilities and personnel,and share pre-competitive research among mem-bers and its university partners.

In the process, the centre also provides for thetraining of the next generation of engineers andtechnical workers in advanced manufacturingprinciples.

Collaboration and partnershipCCAM was conceived in conjunction with

the development of the Crosspointe site, basedon a model that has been successful in the UKfor the last decade, by power system manufac-turer Rolls-Royce. The company, which had justcompleted a new component factory (see side-bar), donated the land for the centre after theapplied research facility’s charter was estab-lished and gained financial support from thestate’s Economic Development Authority andthe Virginia Tobacco Commission, whichviewed it as a boon to the region’s economicgrowth. Additional support came from the fed-eral government and Virginia’s three researchuniversities — the University of Virginia, Vir-ginia Tech and Virginia State University — eachof which signed on early with funding, intellec-tual rigour and the innovation provided by aca-demic researchers.

Governor Tim Kaine had been instrumentalin attracting Rolls-Royce to Virginia prior to2009. In 2010, when Governor Bob McDonnelltook office, he became an ardent supporter view-ing CCAM as a catalyst for industrial develop-ment. McDonnell placed economic developmentand jobs high on his agenda and saw CCAM as astimulus for accelerating technology develop-ment and commercialisation — and revitalisingthe region’s business infrastructure.

For Rolls-Royce and the industry members,the collaborative nature of CCAM would offerhighly specialised solutions and developments toaddress the challenges facing the industrial man-ufacturers.

CCAM incorporated in May 2010 with thesupport of the region’s top manufacturingleaders, who became organising industrymembers. In doing so they committed genericresearch funding and in return would share inthe results and intellectual property. Partnercompanies can also conduct their own directedresearch in the privacy of specially designated,proprietary labs and unique software data sys-tems.

Members of the CCAM now number morethan 15, including aerospace, defence, consumerelectronics, automotive, shipbuilding transporta-tion and industrial software companies. To thecompanies that participate, CCAM offers lowR&D costs due to the collaborative environment,facilities and personnel. The companies share

pre-competitive research findings. Research isconducted in 10 labs, which include a metrologycentre, characterisation labs and a 3D visualisa-tion room. The 62,000ft2 centre also has a16,000ft2 open high bay with industry scaleequipment.

The CCAM research team includes industryand academic experts and a chief technologyofficer, principal scientists and technologists,project team leaders in manufacturing systems— and a small army of undergraduate and grad-uate students. In 2013, when the CCAM facilityopened its doors, more than 35 university in-



terns and graduate research assistants wereworking on research projects alongside indus-try and academic experts on priority develop-ments.

Intellectual propertyIn contrast to typical consortium based agree-

ments where it is common for the academic bod-ies to control dissemination of the resultingintellectual property, CCAM is decidedly differ-ent. At the higher levels of membership commit-ment, companies split their dues betweengeneric and directed research. For projects en-gaged under generic research, IP is retained byCCAM and licensed to the eligible members atno cost. Directed research is defined and initi-ated by individual members and the IP resideswith the members directing the research, notCCAM.

Given the IP structure, it is possible for mul-tiple members within a common supply chain tojoin in a directed effort and all benefit, leveragingtheir research dollars. Similarly, a single membermay choose to utilise the directed research op-tion as an extension of their internal R&D, whilegaining the benefits of the CCAM facilities, re-

searchers and member universities. Benefits ofgeneric research are shared amongst all eligiblemembers across diverse industry backgrounds,further demonstrating the leverage of collabora-tive research.

New developmentsActive research at the CCAM facility was ini-

tiated in early 2013, including both generic anddirected research projects. The centre’s technol-ogy steering committee evaluates R&D topics forthe generic research and ensures that the portfo-lio of active projects support all the membercompanies. R&D topics for directed research aredetermined by the member companies sponsor-ing the research.

Current projects address industrial manufac-turing challenges in the area of adaptive machin-ing, surface preparation, human factors,multi-modal part inspection and surface charac-terisation and identification. Examples include:

� Machining of thermally sprayed abrad-able coatings — This project will develop ro-bust and repeatable machining processeswhich will save on machining time and ma-

terial usage and improve coating propertiesfor CCAM members. Benefits are expected toimpact those members who produce theequipment and tooling as well as memberswho specialise in providing the products orservices related to abradable coating applica-tion.

� Characterisation of human performanceutilising continuous motion data — Anextension of a previous project on human fac-tors, this venture expands on the use of rap-idly developing sensing technology commonin devices such as gaming consoles (MicrosoftKinect) and applies it to common issues rele-vant to manufacturing. The goal is to learnfrom the interactions between humans andthe products and processing steps within amanufacturing environment.

Today and tomorrowCCAM continues to add member companies

that seek a collaborative R&D environment andfacility, with diverse industry and academic part-ners at its core. In early 2013, CCAM received an-other infusion of state funding — a $100,000grant from the Commonwealth Research Com-mercialization Fund’s Center for InnovativeTechnology Matching Funds Program, for R&Din abrasive blasting processes.

In June, NASA Langley Research Center, along-time pioneer in innovations in aeronauticsand space exploration, announced it will becomea CCAM member.

Given the green light by the Virginia univer-sities, member companies and the state, CCAMis on its way to claiming a permanent identity asthe region’s industrial development showcase.

“CCAM continues to add member companies that seek a

collaborative R&D environment and facility, with diverse

industry and academic partners at its core.”

Researchers staff the new Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing. The centre has a 16,0002 open high bay with industry scale equipment.

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“Aprimer promotes adhesion,” says JulieVoisin, product manager at Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings, when

explaining how a primer creates a bond betweenthe substrate and the topcoat. “A topcoat is de-signed to act as a line of defence against environ-mental elements but it isn’t necessarily designedto adhere and hold on directly to a composite oraluminium, so the primer is the bond that linksit all together.”

Indeed the topcoat is what makes an aircraftaesthetically attractive and an operator’s uniquelivery is what sets its fleet apart from competi-tors. However, pre-treatments — a thin layersuch as soap that goes onto the substrate beforethe primer — and primers also play a vital rolein an airframe’s coating, by protecting it from

Aircraft are pushed to the limits on a daily basis, tested against the harshest of environmental factors,

so paints and coatings must provide sufficient protection. Primers play an important role in this. Here,

Hannah Davies talks to four primer manufacturers and one MRO company to explore product

development, application techniques and future outlook.

Aircraft primers


corrosion, wear and tear, debris, heat and UV ex-posure.

Product development

In recent years coatings and paints manufactur-ers have developed their products to support thegrowing demand for increased corrosion protec-tion. Each operator wants its aircraft to be as robustas possible and “the number one thing is that every-body wants to protect their assets”, says Voisin. Hav-ing a primer that offers low VOCs (volatile organiccompounds), simple application processes, corro-sion protection and durability is vital.

The primary goal for manufacturers is to meetcustomer demand as well as “eliminate the hexa-valent chrome”, says Phong Lai, director of salesand marketing. Offering a solution that gets rid



“The primer must have good adhesion with the surface and

corrosion inhibiting properties.”Réne van der Hof, process engineer – coatings specialist, AFI KLM E&M

of this harmful substance, which is apparent inoriginal primer systems, has quickly become agoal of all OEMs, as long as performance is notsacrificed.

According to Air France Industries KLM En-gineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M),chrome-free and low VOC paint schemes are lessharmful to both the environment and humans.Therefore coatings manufacturers such as Ak-zoNobel, Mankiewicz, PPG Aerospace and Sher-win-Williams now offer a variety of primers thathelp improve the sector’s footprint, as well ascombat the extreme factors of the environment.“The main goal is to prevent corrosion,” says Rénevan der Hof, process engineer – coatings special-ist, AFI KLM E&M.

“Legacy products that utilise solvent-bornetechnologies, where strontium chromate is thecorrosion inhibition technology used” have pre-viously been the industry standard in ensuringaircraft durability, says Mark Cancilla, globalplatform director aerospace coatings, PPG Aero-space. “New technologies include corrosion in-hibitors that do not utilise chrome, and reducethe VOC levels of the primer products, as well asinclude improved efficiencies in application,” headds, and it’s these solutions that are provingpopular with operators.

Similarly, AkzoNobel focuses on “the intro-duction of next generation, environmentallyprogressive products such as chrome-free and

low VOC exterior primers”, says Michela Fusco,marketing segment manager at the company.One of the company’s latest additions to its ex-terior primers portfolio is its ‘Aerodur LV 2114’,an environmentally sound and corrosion resist-ant direct to metal primer (DTM), which pro-vides ease of application and time savings as iteliminates the need to use traditional chrome-containing wash-primer or sol-gel surface pre-treatments. The product provides “necessaryadhesion and corrosion resistance to meet thestringent specification requirements of AMS3095A”, notes Fusco. “The primer must havegood adhesion with the surface and corrosion in-hibiting properties,” agrees AFI KLM E&M’s Vander Hof.

AkzoNobel also prides itself on its “completeoffering of primers for the needs of aircraft main-tenance, including structural and repair primers”,says Fusco. Its chrome-free primer, ‘Aerodur 2100MgRP’, which utilises magnesium technology togive “equal or superior corrosion resistance com-pared to existing chromate containing primers”,has recently qualified according to AMS 3095A of-fering a totally chrome-free exterior system for air-craft maintenance. It’s these products that pave the



The primer sector is extremely proactive with its product development.

way towards a greener sector and most impor-tantly, for operators, tackle corrosion.

According to Fusco, the design features andrequirements of aerospace primers are verycomplicated and AkzoNobel’s experience al-lows it to offer customers products that combatstresses like rain erosion, huge temperature dif-ferences, chemical resistance and environmen-tal stresses.

PPG has also been developing new DTM ma-terials that will give “clear benefits to the industrythrough reduced weight and ease of application”,says Cancilla. PPG focuses its product develop-ment on continuous improvement of “field per-formance, durability and corrosion resistance,with more environmentally friendly materials,improved application robustness, and lighter-weight materials”, says Cancilla.

More recently PPG has introduced chrome-free solutions such as its pre-treatment ‘Deso-gal’ and eproxy primer ‘Desoprime’. Desoprime,which has now been in the industry for twoyears and is used on all 737NGs in production,has “passed both OEM and AMS specifications”,says Cancilla. And since PPG acquired specialtycoatings company Deft in April this year, it cannow utilise the Deft product line, which “useswaterborne technologies within many of theproducts, helping to reduce VOC levels”, notesCancilla.

Sherwin-Williams also focuses on product de-velopment in order to offer more corrosion-resis-tant, protective products designed for a variety ofsubstrates: steel, aluminium, fiberglass, compos-ite materials and magnesium. “As the industry isgoing through adaptation we have to work tokeep our technology up to date and fresh and beprepared to offer customers options when theyare ready,” explains Voisin. Sherwin-Williams’range also provides the painter with a choice ofenvironmentally supportive primers such as itschrome-free epoxy primer, epoxy primer surfaceand urethane primer.

Mankiewicz offers customers two systems; achrome-free epoxy primer, which can be directlyapplied over conversion coatings, and for struc-tural coatings it offers a water-based epoxyprimer. Lai explains how Mankiewicz has devel-oped a system called a non-chromate basecoat/clear coat that allows the chrome-freeprimer to be directly applied over a non-chro-mate conversion system, offering airlines a “com-pletely green system”.

The primer systems that have been, and arebeing, developed by OEMs allow operators toenjoy a greener footprint, weight reduction, andultimately reduced costs. However, reducing theweight of a primer when the thickness has to be“20-25 microns”, according to Lai, presents somechallenges, meaning OEMs have to adopt tough


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strategies and continue to innovate in order tomeet customers’ demands and expectations.

Cancilla describes PPG as taking an “aggres-sive path” in its development activity with re-gards to reducing the weight of its primers,highlighting its ‘Aerocron’ electrocoat system asone of its key products in this movement. Aero-cron is designed to “maximise corrosion with theuse of non-chromate corrosion inhibitors, andthe application process by design, will minimisethe film thickness needed to protect the part”, headds, allowing for a reduction in weight.

A common demand from operators is forprimers to maintain minimum thickness to allowfor weight reduction while providing a distinctivetopcoat appearance. Weight means fuel con-sumption, and fuel consumption means higheroperating costs, and with all the new product de-velopments that are in the pipeline “weight re-duction is on the radar screen all the time”, saysFusco.

With the introduction of DTM primers itlooks as though the industry is getting closer toa light-weight solution, but with the focus stillbeing on chrome-free primer technology, per-haps there is still more to learn in relation to ap-plying chrome-free primers directly to metal, andsome challenges to face.

Fusco notes this is an area for further productdevelopment and AkzoNobel has begun develop-ing chrome-free DTM primers. PPG and Defthave already started “developing new materials

that will be designed to apply directly to metalsurfaces without the use of chromated corrosioninhibitors”, says Cancilla.

Working with composites

The aviation industry has had to adapt toworking with advanced composites and this haspresented the coatings business with variouschallenges; most notably OEMs and MROs havehad to develop new application techniques andapproaches when working with composites, asopposed to aluminium substrates.

“Different rules apply with composites andnon-composites,” agrees Voisin, in that a primer’srole changes depending on its applied surface.On an aluminium substrate the primer protectsagainst corrosion and when used on compositematerials, instead of protecting corrosion, aprimer would “fill in the weave of the compositein preparation to receive the top coat finish”. “Youare still putting down a similar process but theyare doing two different things,” she explains.

“Adhesion is different when working with analloy,” comments Lai, agreeing that a primer hasto be altered when working with composites, inorder for it to stick. Other requirements alsochange when working with composites due to theno corrosion factor. Mankiewicz, for example,conducts additional tests to assess factors suchas salt spray and UV exposure.

While composites offer environmental and fi-nancial benefits there are some challenges when



“New technologies include corrosion inhibitors that do not

utilise chrome, and reduce the VOC levels of the primer

products, as well as include improved efficiencies in

application.”Mark Cancilla, global platform director aerospace coatings, PPG Aerospace

According to Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance, chrome-free and low VOC paint schemes are less harmful to both the environment and

humans.

it comes to working with such advanced materi-als. Due to the different chromate capability ofthe composite surfaces, defects can sometimesoccur and “micro pinholes” can be found, says Lai,meaning that the primer has to have the function-ality to highlight the defect areas, allowing it tobe fixed before protective layers are applied.

In addition, the mould used when workingwith composites utilises “a lot of release agents”to prevent any composite getting stuck in it, ex-plains Lai, but this release agent is prone to sur-face contamination. And if the operator doesn’tcomplete the process correctly from start to fin-ish it can become very labour intensive.

While there may be changes to consider whendeveloping the primers, AFI KLM E&M’s Van derHof states that “there is no difference regarding theapplication of a primer in relation to the surface”.

According to AkzoNobel, chrome-freeprimers are already accepted for work on compos-ites; PPG has developed a chrome-free primer sys-tem, ‘Desoprime CF/CA7501’, which is on use onthe 787 and will likely be used on future compos-ite aircraft.

Application processesAn operator must ensure that it has the correct

solutions and processes in place to keep AOG

(Aircraft on Ground) situations and downtimesto a minimum. Therefore, having the best, mosteffective primer systems in use and applicationtechniques and processes in place is paramount.

Aircraft coatings are applied by spraying and,in recent years, such techniques have advancedand according to AFI KLM E&M “high pressureelectrostatic spraying” has been adopted. Inorder to work with the new chrome-free technol-ogy there have been “some changes” of materialsand processes with regards to pre-treatmentproducts, says Van der Hof, and “most paint-sprayers have had to adapt to new products whenthey spray it for the first couple of times”.

PPG approaches customer downtimes in threedifferent ways, according to Cancilla. The companyreviews product performance and new technolo-gies to help “support continuous improvement inproduct service life”. Secondly, it focuses on the ro-bustness of its application processes through itsdevelopment process, called ‘Secure Launch’,which allows technical personnel to develop theapplication process while PPG develops new prod-ucts. Additional investment is also placed in a “sub-stantial, global technical service organisation” thatis comprised of “skilled and experienced” workerswho support its customers in the application ofPPG products at their facilities, says Cancilla.

With regards to primers, the “effect on down-times is pretty much non-measurable” saysMankiewicz’s Lai, as “all primers have the samethickness requirements — ranging from 20-25 mi-crons — and all dry pretty much the same”, em-phasising that there is “miniscule” differencebetween products. However, Lai does note thatsome products require 30 minutes induction time,



so once they are mixed together they have to resetfor that duration to allow for the reaction to start.Other products do not, so “the big difference intime is application after the protective layer”.

To the maintenance market the process of ap-plying a primer is different to that of the OEM’sprocess, and some companies don’t have the con-trolled environments that others might. This cancreate “quite a challenge for the primer”, accord-ing to Lai, as it has to be as “easy to apply in anenvironment ranging from 60 degrees Fahren-heit all the way up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit”.

The coatings business can help improvedowntimes and application processes by “makingit easier to apply coatings, with less drying time”,according to Van der Hof. He says that this is“very difficult” as “it’s always a balance betweenseveral coating properties” such as levelling anddrying time.

Future outlook

It is abundantly clear that this particular sec-tor of the industry is extremely proactive with itsproduct development, with each primer manu-facturer innovating in order to “deliver increasedvalue to the industry”, says Cancilla.

AkzoNobel, for instance, is currently workingon introducing a new chrome free primer, ‘Aero-dur 2111’ to the maintenance market. The prod-uct, which is in the “final stages of the OEMapproval process”, has been successfully appliedon a few commercial aircraft, according to Fusco.And so far, the introduction of the product to thepaint shop has been “very positive”, and paintersare “enthusiastic about its ease of application”.Fusco adds that “after drying, the product looksand feels very smooth, even on places where theapplication is normally very difficult”.

However, the acceptance and trust of chrome-free primers is going to be a step to overcome, Ak-zoNobel comments that it has “increasedmechanistic understanding thanks to advancedtechniques for corrosion assessment” in order tohelp build on the trust of chrome-free systems.“Moving away from chrome containing primers isnot an easy step in a conservative industry,” she adds.

AkzoNobel does believe that a “phased ap-proach” should be adopted to help build trust inchrome-free technology as “working more inten-sively with customers and stakeholders in the in-dustry would be the way forward for a successfultransition”.

Voisin agrees that the sector is “still goingthrough an adaptation of chrome free primertechnology”. She sees Sherwin-Williams as beingat the forefront of the development with “five dif-ferent products that vary in performance and typeof technology”, catering to its customers’ variedneeds, “whether it’s fast dry time, ‘Skydrol’ resist-ance or urethane or epoxy technology that they re-quire”.

Sherwin-Williams plans to focus on threemain areas within the sector to encourage reduc-tion: weight of final product applied, cost of ap-plication (from processing time to the cost of acan of paint) and environmental impact.

Similarly, PPG says it is committed to advancingthe performance of its products, with the companycontinuing to focus on “improvements in applica-tion efficiency, corrosion protection levels, andminimum film thickness”, according to Cancilla.

In addition to challenges presented bychrome-free primers, Voisin sees the “evolutionof composite substrates” as playing a bigger rolein future developments. She explains that wherecomposites previously made up a small fractionof the total aircraft substrate, there are new air-craft being developed that feature a majority ofcomposite structure. As a result, “the roles ofprimers will change and increase” in usage.

Going forward, Mankiewicz wants its prod-ucts to “perform to help the environment and alsoperform to the regulations required in Europe”.Due to different regulations all over the world theOEM hopes to develop a “universal product”,which abides by global regulations and minimisesany challenges that various regulations present.

It’s clear that a primer manufacturer’s mainaim is to produce solutions that offer corrosionprotection, as well as reducing the impact on theenvironment as far as possible. The recent devel-opments that have been seen within the coatings’business are definitely encouraging and the steadypace of innovation seems likely to continue.


Engine condition monitoring (ECM), alsoknown as engine health or trend monitor-ing (EHM or ETM), involves recording en-

gine operating parameters, identifyingsignificant departures from expected values andanalysing the data to diagnose the cause. Theprocess, in the words of Roll-Royce technical op-erations manager David Kenning, “helps predictpossible events, averting potentially costly or sig-nificant technical issues, as well as ensuringmaintenance is efficiently scheduled and pre-venting unnecessary maintenance”.

The practice is of growing benefit to both op-erators and OEMs, according to GE Aviation. Themanufacturer consolidated its support activitiesin 2006, moving the diagnostics platform fromthe engineering department and combining itwith the existing customer support activities toform a new GE Aviation Operations Center at itsCincinnati headquarters. “We wanted to get thediagnostics platform closer to the customers,” ex-plains Steve Subit, the centre’s director.

Between Cincinnati, a second centre in Shang-hai and a third operated by Snecma in France tosupport CFM56s in Europe, the Middle East andAfrica, he says GE Aviation is “currently monitor-ing close to 30,000 GE, CFM and Engine Allianceengines”, compared with 2,000 when the diagnos-tic programme started in 1996. Customers increas-ingly rely on the system to manage their fleets andto meet their regulatory requirements as well as forETOPS margin monitoring, he says. And an orderof magnitude growth in the engine parametersavailable with newer engines has enabled the com-pany to effectively double its detection capabilitywhile increasing accuracy by around 40 per cent.

“We view it as a collaborative partnership withthe airlines,” Subit says. “We run their datathrough our ever-developing analytics platform

to provide insights to them and us on how we canmore pro-actively manage their engine reliabilityand their cost of ownership.”

GE’s newest engines produce more data in ayear than the entire fleet produced for the first10 years. “Now we’re getting really into the worldof big data and it’s definitely important that ourIT technology keeps pace with that,” he notes.The company has been investing in the infra-structure to accept and process data, and the an-alytic ability to extract more from that data.

There is support both from parent GE’s soft-ware centre of excellence and a new digital serv-ices and solutions division in GE Aviation’s ownIT organisation. GE Aviation’s purchase last yearof flight operations data analyst Austin Digital,moreover, brought expertise in data acquisition,processing and analysis. That has added value toGE Aviation’s Fuel & Carbon Solutions business,Subit says: “Now we’re looking to leverage that tofleet data analysis.”

The advent in recent years of digital engine con-trols substantially improved the ability to capture

Engine OEMs, MROs and independent specialists alike are working

to refine their ability to interpret engine operating data and

proactively address potential problems, reports Bernard Fitzsimons.

Engine health

and efficiency


data, he says, and the GEnx goes a step further bycapturing data at a higher rate rather than just a fewsnapshots during the flight. Web-based accessmeans customers, in turn, “get 24/7 access to thesame monitoring tools that we have, and they get theadvantage of having the latest performance modelsbased on what we’ve learned about our fleet”.

The prime parameters are exhaust gas temper-ature (EGT) and core speeds, says Subit. “We alsouse fuel flow, which tends to be a little noisier thanthe other two, it has a little bit more scattering.”Others depend on the engine installation. Pres-sures are considered, and newer engines providecompressor discharge temperatures and the inter-stage temperature between the low pressure andhigh pressure systems. Vibration indications fromboth high and low pressure spools are monitored,along with oil pressure and chips in the lubrica-tion system.

Parameter watch

Rolls-Royce uses EHM as part of its ‘Total-Care’ services to track the performance of thou-



sands of engines on around 5.5 million flights an-nually from operations centres in Derby, Indi-anapolis and Dahlewitz in Germany. The Derbycentre monitors and analyses more than 50,000hours of data each day.

“The main engine parameters, shaft speedsand turbine gas temperature (TGT), are used togive a clear view of the overall health of the en-gine,” says technical operations manager DavidKenning. “Pressure and temperature sensors fit-ted in the Trent engine’s gas path enable the per-formance of each of the main modules — fan,intermediate and high-pressure compressors,and the high, intermediate and low-pressure tur-bines — to be calculated.”

The sensors are fitted between all modules, ex-cept where the temperature is too high for reliablemeasurements to be made. “Vibration sensorsprovide valuable information on the condition ofall the rotating components,” he adds. “An elec-tronic magnetic chip detector is fitted to trap anydebris in the oil system that may have been causedby unusual wear to bearings or gears.”

Other sensors are used to assess the health ofthe fuel system (pump, metering valve and filter);the oil system (pump and filter); the cooling airsystem and the nacelle ventilation. As engine op-eration can vary significantly between flights be-cause of local temperatures or pilot selection ofreduced thrust, data from the aircraft to providethrust setting, ambient conditions and bleed ex-traction status is also used.

The data is acquired by an aircraft conditionmonitoring system (ACMS) which captures snap-shots during takeoff and climb and in cruise, wherethe sensor data is captured and collected into ashort report. If there are unusual conditions, suchas an engine exceeding its TGT limits during take-off, it generates an event report containing a shorthistory of key parameters to support rapid and ef-fective trouble-shooting of the problem. Finally, asummary report produced at the end of the flightcaptures information such as maximum condi-tions experienced during the flight and power re-ductions selected during takeoff and climb.

The ACMS reports are then transmitted to theground using the ACARS data link over eitherVHF radio or satellite link while the aircraft is inflight. Analysis is by a Rolls-Royce company spe-cialising in EHM analysis, Optimized Systems andSolutions (OSyS). The snapshot data is trended sothat subtle changes in condition from one flightto another can be detected. OSyS uses automatedalgorithms based on neural networks to comparethe trended data in real time with what is expectedunder the conditions in which the engine is flying,fusing multiple sensor information to providemore reliable detection capability.

Significant deviations from normal operatingconditions are confirmed by an OSyS analystbased in the operations centre, then sent to theaircraft operator and logged by the Rolls-Roycetechnical help desk. Trended data, as well as datafrom other ACMS reports, is uploaded onto the

Rolls-Royce Aeromanager website, so aircraft op-erators can view the health of their engine fleet.

The EHM signature will typically highlight achange in an engine characteristic. Rolls-Royceengineers then work with the OSyS analysts toassess the most likely physical cause of a partic-ular signature, how an operator can confirm thisand how urgently the issue needs to be ad-dressed. If an issue affecting the aircraft opera-tion is confirmed, the operations centre willrespond by dispatching field service engineersand replacement parts, or scheduling a service.

As the single biggest fleet manager in theworld and the largest procurer of engine overhaulservices, Rolls-Royce says it generates economiesthat can be passed on to customers. During therecession, the company adds, aircraft covered byTotalCare largely maintained their flying levels,whereas those not covered by the service wereimpacted more significantly. Over the past threeyears, it says, fleet disruption has been reducedby 30 per cent on a like-for-like basis.

MRO approachLufthansa Technik uses both the GE diagnos-

tics tool and Intel Decision Solutions’ ‘Trend An-alytics Module’, which it co-developed with Intel.Its ECM forms part of an integrated product, saysSebastian Giljohann, director innovation man-agement aircraft maintenance with LHT Frank-furt: “Our output format depends on the enginetype and which ECM system we use.”

The company, accordingly, does not providecharts for operators to do their own ECM. “Ourcompetence is the intelligent interpretation ofthe trend data and other relevant information toconsistent recommendations,” says Giljohann.The near future should see LHT able to connectother related information with the current datato give an improved recommendation and alsooffer an ECM system with both new functionsand a wider variety of recommendations.

The accumulation of historic data and mainte-nance findings also helps, he explains: “The largerthe amount of empiric information, the better therecommendation. The collected experience overmore than 10 years of ECM and contact with theshops and hangar staff ensure a closed feedbackloop and enables us to learn what the real cause

Lufthansa Technik trend charts showing deviation of normalised exhaust gas temperature from baseline (delEGTR@N1R, left), deviation of normalised fuel flow

from baseline (delFFR@N1R, right) and deviation of normalised N2 shaft speed from baseline (delN2R@N1R, centre).

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was and whether an alert was justified. I think thisis a key competence of our ECM product.”

For the future, he adds, “one key competencefor the technological development of an ECMsystem is knowing what data is relevant to give auseful recommendation, and knowing about thecombination and processing of that data in algo-rithms to recognise wear earlier”.

Earlier alertsGE Aviation, too, aims to get findings to the

customer fast. Subit says his system can processthe data it receives within about 20 minutes: “Anyalerts triggered by the algorithms are available forreview by our monitoring team and the customershortly thereafter. Within an hour we’re typicallyable to make a determination and if necessary pro-vide the customer notification on recommendedactions that need to be taken before the next flightor at the next scheduled maintenance opportu-nity, depending on the urgency of what we see inthe signal and the type of load we’re detecting.”

A notification report to the customer sum-marises “what we’ve seen, a description of the sus-pected root cause and a list of recommended actionswhich typically include reviewing their mainte-nance records for something that could explain theshift or specific inspections per the manual”.

The diagnostics tool is also central to under-standing emerging field issues and developing fixesfor them, though the speed of implementationvaries. “If we have an issue where we think we canisolate it based on a couple of observations and findthat signature, we can typically put a new alert inplace within a few weeks. If it’s an issue then that

the diagnostics analysis and hardware condition in-dicate is going to require some kind of designchange then naturally that can take months.”

Airlines are already using the diagnostic systemto help manage field issue containment pro-grammes until hardware solutions or maintenanceopportunities (or both) are available, says Subit:“They use diagnostics to help monitor the progres-sion of an issue within the hardware in the engineuntil they can put the solution in place.” They alsouse the diagnostic tools to optimise time on wing,removals and on-wing maintenance scheduling.

“The big thing that diagnostics delivers forour operators is event avoidance,” he says. “Beingable to see the signals of a pending mode thatcould cause distress to the engine before it resultsin higher or incremental shop visit cost.”

Automated analysisMTU Maintenance is in the process of imple-

menting automated diagnostic analyses based onthe extensive knowledge it has accumulated. Andit is gradually combining multiple sources of data— from operational performance monitoring,line-maintenance troubleshooting, hardwarecondition assessment during shop visits and ad-vanced testing — with its advanced workscopingcapability to create an expert system for enginehealth management.

The ‘MTUPlus’ ETM platform developed byMTU Maintenance uses performance data col-lected both electronically via satellite and man-ually via email to draw a performance sheet,taking into account several crucial parameters. Ifthere are shifts within the values the system alerts

the MTU engineers, who analyse these shifts andgive customers the appropriate recommenda-tions for corrective action.

Unlike OEM solutions, MTU Maintenanceprovides one platform for all engines types, saysDr Uwe Zachau, director industrial engineeringat MTU Maintenance: “This means less trainingfor the engineers handling the ETM, but cus-tomers also benefit from a less complicated sys-tem and can have all engines in their fleetmonitored at once.” Other advantages includeengine performance analysis and management,automated alerts and reports, and individualalert levels. Customers are free to combine differ-ent engine parameters that allow the detectionof engine failure and to freely adjust the level ofsensitivity, a capability that MTU says is particu-larly useful for airlines operating older fleets.

The ETM tool can also be used for perform-ance management. Monitoring EGT deteriora-tion, for example, can indicate the best time fora water wash. A water wash will not significantlyimprove engine performance while EGT remainsrelatively stable, but could do so if the tempera-ture increased significantly. Maintenance workcan be planned much more efficiently and ingreater detail, avoiding unexpected costs for thecustomer.

One challenge in ECM is limited instrumen-tation and transmission of data: Zachau suggeststhat airlines could ask the manufacturers formore reliable and flexible data transfer solutionsfor future aircraft with error correction and datatransmission during all f light phases. In themeantime, additional monitoring kits are avail-able for some in-service engines. The additionalinstrumentation can improve the observabilityand differentiation of engine faults.

On some aircraft, airlines could reduce meas-urement uncertainty caused by non-stabilisedoperating conditions at takeoff by modifying thesnapshot logics to increase the stabilisation time.Some line maintenance actions by the airline in-fluence the engine performance and thus ECMtrends. “A direct interface between the airlines’maintenance record system and the ECM toolwould optimise the information exchange fromthe airline’s line maintenance to the monitoringengineer,” Zachau suggests.

On-board solutions are being considered forupcoming ECM applications, he adds. A separateunit in the aircraft would handle the data reduc-tion and analysis, with only the results beingtransferred to the ground station. He says this ap-proach could solve many issues connected to thetransfer of data, enabling a significant increasein the amount of input data as well as increasingthe monitoring frequency: “As a future vision, theintegration of condition monitoring into the en-gine control could provide benefits for an opti-mised operation of the engine in terms of engine

This example from EZECM's EMMPowered software shows the master actuator in the failsafe position.

Although this is LPC-related it is the typical trend indication for high compressor inefficiency. Note the

step increase in EGT accompanied by a more subtle increase in N2 rpm but a step decrease in PS3/PT2. In

this particular case the loss of low compressor pressure caused by the opening of the 2.5 master actuator

resulted in the engine increasing N2 speed by adding extra fuel, which increased the EGT. After the 2.5

master actuator was replaced the trends returned to normal.



fuel burn, engine life and engine maintenancecost.”

Independent view“One of the big advantages of having an

ECM programme is that you can determinewhat needs to be repaired,” says Jerry Sullivan,president of independent specialist EZECM.“So instead of getting a $1.2m repair bill it mightbe $450,000 because you know up front whatneeds to be fixed, you’ve planned for the engineremoval and have spares lined up. Parts in anemergency are a lot more expensive than if youplan ahead.”

Now in its 20th year of operation, EZECM’s‘EMMPowered’ software was written originallyfor the IAE V2500-A1s and A5 engines, he says,but has evolved from there to handle every majorjet aero-engine for operators large and small allover the world. “We were one of the first softwareprogrammes that actually used N1 as the basis forall of the other flight parameters, he recalls.“Back in the 1990s most of the OEMs were stillusing engine pressure ratios, which require a lotof smoothing because of the wide fluctuationsyou get from an EPR-based programme. So by thetime they smooth out all the data you don’t reallysee what the trends are trying to tell you.”

A big advantage of EMMPowered, Sullivanexplains, is that the output is in a uniform for-mat whatever the engine. And where many op-erators log the data purely to meet regulatoryrequirements, “the smart ones actually listen towhat we’re telling them. They plan engine re-movals based on what the EGT margins looklike, and they use our information for trouble-shooting.”

EZECM generates monthly reports that in-clude all the trending information and charts.“Sometimes we get into vibration analysis, someis mandated through airworthiness directives,some people just want to know,” he says. “Butwe’ll actually make a call on an engine. If we seesomething wrong we’ll issue an alert and tellthem how to troubleshoot the engine.”

One problem with flight hour agreements,Sullivan believes, is that they conceal the cost ofECM: “A lot of clients think it’s free, but of courseit’s not, and sometimes clients would be betteroff paying for ECM and then building their ownreserves for the future repairs than entering intoflight hour agreements.”

ECM is not only useful for predicting when anengine will come off or what kind of problems ithas, he adds, but also to assess the results of ashop visit. “A new engine is supposed to have acertain fuel flow trend line, maybe a certain EGTtrend line. Let’s say the EGT margin is 60 degrees,you can watch it go from zero to 60 in a five yearspan, but if an engine comes out of the shop andit’s already at 40 degrees, you’ve only got 20 de-

grees’ worth of margin and you’re supposed tohave 60 for a new repair. So after the fact is justas important as before the fact.”

Diagnostic advancesGE Aviation, says Subit, continues to refine its

models and analytic capabilities. The GEnx is fit-ted with an engine monitoring unit that recordsdata at higher frequencies than the traditionalsnapshot data of takeoff, climb and cruise, “sowe’re able to get data throughout the full flightenvelope”.

That has been “a real boon to us”, saysLorenzo Escriche, manager of EHM systems de-velopment and a member of the new digital serv-ices and solutions division. “It really does solveissues much quicker. There are some things wedon’t understand, but once we look at the data itbecomes clear what’s happening, we’re able to ex-plain it to ourselves and the customers.”

The company is also trying to get more outof the data it receives by leveraging anomalydetection analytics platforms from other partsof GE. “We’re taking those analytic platformsand working them into the use of our data to

help us see more and see it more accurately,” hesays.

Results so far, after two years studying one en-gine model in an off-line environment, are prom-ising, he says: “We’ve been able to identify failuremodes earlier, in some cases a few days to a weekearlier than what we see with our current mod-els.” Escriche adds: “We’ve been using them tolook at larger data sets that we don’t have accessto in our diagnostic centre today.”

The next step, adds Subit, is a new-generationdiagnostics system incorporating these advancedanalytic capabilities. “We’ll be supplementingthe physics-based models that we have now thatwe’re constantly working to refine with advancedanalytical capabilities, all with the goal of beingable to see more and see it earlier,” he says.“Rather than just trending to limits we’re lookingfor when the behaviour of the subsystem is start-ing to show a change, and how is that affectingthe availability of the engine and our ability toprovide more advanced notice to the customers.That’s really what it’s all about, telling the cus-tomers with confidence that we’re seeing some-thing sooner so that they can plan better for it.”

V2500 malfunctioning PT2/TT2 probe detected by EZECM's EMMPowered software. The sharp decrease

in EGT and increase in N2 rpm and PS3/PT2 ratio are indicators of a blocked HPT nozzle guide vane area.

Borescope in this case was not necessary and the answer was found on the DMU Take Off Report. The

TT2 for both engines and the TAT recorded for the aircraft showed a significant difference in the TT2

recorded for the problem engine. The TT2/PT2 probe was replaced and the trends returned to the trend

line defined by the black dots established before the trend shift. The erroneous TT2 not only resulted in

an error in the electronic engine control scheduling of the engine but also caused an error in correcting

the parameters for trending.

“One key competence for the technological development of

an ECM system is knowing what data is relevant to give a

useful recommendation, and knowing about the combination

and processing of that data in algorithms to recognise wear

earlier.”Sebastian Giljohann, director innovation management aircraft maintenance,

LHT Frankfurt


Last year component maintenance com-prised about a fifth of the $50bn commer-cial aviation maintenance market, and the

lion’s share of that work was done on rotables.Among the different classes of aircraft compo-nent, rotables are those with periodic service in-tervals, meaning they need to be replaced orrepaired after specified periods. Examples in-clude pumps, actuators, valves, gyroscopes, land-ing gear and radar systems.

Some of these items have “hard time” limits,which define their maximum service intervals;others can stay flying longer if they meet certainconditions. Such “on-condition” parts provide adegree of flexibility for aircraft operators but atthe expense of predictable maintenance costsand schedule visibility.

Once an airline or other operator identifies apart approaching its scheduled service date, itwill order a replacement or procure the relevantitem from its own stock, though the latter optionis rarer nowadays since it is cheaper for operatorsto use joint parts pool and just-in-time deliverythan manage and hold their own costly invento-ries.

The removed and unserviceable part is thenrouted for repair or overhaul to an authorised re-pair station, which will evaluate its condition andconduct the necessary work. Once deemed serv-iceable the rotable is held in stock and is availablefor another operator who belongs to the jointparts pool.

In addition, the joint parts pool may containrotables that are harvested from retired airframes

MRO companies sit at one end of a rotables supply chain that has evolved considerably in the past

decade due to innovations in parts pooling, logistics and inventory management technology. Yet the

component maintenance market has also undergone significant change, as scores of serviceable parts

are recovered from aircraft retired at ever-younger ages, and independent repair stations begin to brush

up against component manufacturers that also want a slice of the aftermarket.

Rotable repairs

ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE

and engines designated for part-out. Prior to en-tering the joint parts pool, these harvested rota-bles are returned to airworthiness afterundergoing an inspection, repair as necessary,and bench testing.

Parts surplus

With new aircraft production rates on the riseand fuel costs still high, aircraft are beingsqueezed from active service and into the scrapand part-out market earlier in their lives. This hasflooded the market with serviceable compo-nents, driving down the repair and replacementcosts of older parts.

At Florida-based GA Telesis — which repairscomponents on most major aircraft and enginelines — a distribution division is ever-alert to en-



gine or aircraft dismantling opportunities thatwill yield valuable components. Its repair armgives distribution managers overhaul estimatesand those managers then raise repair orders forairworthiness certification. On average, in-de-mand rotables are prised-off old aircraft and intothe repair shop within 30 days of part-out com-mencing, and GA Telesis aims to then sell or ex-change each unit within four months of overhaul.

As stated above, many of GA Telesis’ service-able rotables will be exchanged via parts pools,the popularity of which has skyrocketed in thelast decade. The basic premise is that it’s cheaperand more efficient for a group of airlines (or otherusers of aircraft parts) to draw from a shared poolof components than keep individual inventoriesfull of items gathering dust.

The joint pool concept is also popular withrotable repair shops, as Russell Bonnell, presi-dent of MRO business units at GA Telesis ex-plains: “One of the methods our parent companyuses to increase global rotable inventory avail-ability is inventory pooling. As [our parent] in-creases existing support contracts the inventorytypically increases along with the contracts. Webenefit from these contracts directly as we arecontracted to perform the repair or overhaul ofthe product being supported.”

OEM relationshipsHow maintenance shops deal with the man-

ufacturers of the components they repair is an

evolving tale. Twenty years ago, it was mainly theengine companies which actively sought a promi-nent position in the aftermarket. Now, though,many smaller OEMs of niche components andsubassemblies are making their presence felt inthe territory of independent MROs, sometimesby restricting access to maintenance manuals,testing software, spare parts and other intellec-tual property.

Other advances have been made by mediumto large-sized component OEMs offering com-prehensive service contracts, often at the point ofsale, of the type that have historically made bet-ter sense for complex equipment like engines,where operators sought to forego the hassle ofdealing with different companies for the repair ofeach part of a powerplant. Kellstrom reports thatthe improved reliability of modern avionics hasbrought many avionics OEMs into the aftermar-ket, since the longer service intervals can justifylong-term contracts.

Lower-tier manufacturers often don’t possessthe necessary MRO capabilities to justify costlysupport contracts, so many have pursued bolt-onacquisitions to enhance their service offerings.One example is Ametek, an electrical instru-ments supplier that bought two Florida repairstations — Aero Components International andAvtech Avionics and Instruments — in late 2012.“Both of the acquired businesses extend our port-folio of MRO services with ACI adding fuel repaircapabilities and Avtech broadening our expertise

in next generation avionics,” stated Ametekchairman and CEO Frank Hermance at the time.

The impact of such purchases is to change thenature of the MRO market. Whereas Avtech andAero Components would previously have com-peted on a level field with other MROs, as well aswith each other, under an OEM umbrella theycould gain distinct advantages such as preferen-tial access to parts and data.

“We are always seeking solid participatory re-lationships with the OEMs on which we repairtheir components and gain access to proprietaryinformation,” says Dave Bailey, director of repairoperations at the High Tech Avionics & Acces-sories (HTAA), a wholly owned subsidiary ofKellstrom Defense Aerospace.

Working togetherAt its Miramar, Florida facility, HTAA per-

forms repairs and overhauls on a wide array ofavionics and other rotables for Boeing and Airbusaircraft, including, but not limited to: air dataand flight management computers; CDUs; land-ing gear, wheels and brakes; primary display pan-els; hydraulic and pneumatic valves; cockpitrecorders; fuses; radar systems; and cabin pres-sure controls.

Such a range of electrical and mechanicalrepair capabilities obviously brings the com-pany into contact with many OEMs, who also“embrace the opportunity to sell their pieceparts and see HTAA as supporting their product

At Florida-based GA Telesis a distribution division is ever-alert to engine or aircraft dismantling opportunities that will yield valuable components.



out in service”, according to Bailey. Often thisis the case for older equipment that the manu-facturer finds it uneconomical to support, andthus prefers a third party to do the legwork. Forinstance, testing software and equipment re-strictions by manufacturers mean that onlythey can service the newest laser gyroscopes,leaving the support of older gyros to third-partyrepair stations.

At GA Telesis, Bonnell supports the theorythat the greatest opportunities for independentOEMs lie in older or so-called “legacy” equip-ment, where OEMs tend to vacate the aftermar-ket, as opposed to new generation componentsfor which the manufacturers are actively pursu-ing support contracts.

“While the OEMs may wish to support thefull market, as resources tighten, they respon-sibly place focus on where future revenuegrowth lies, typically areas represented withinthe new generation product lines, thus leavingbehind legacy product, licensing out or sellingoff these product lines,” he says. “The feeling Iam getting is OEMs are being more protective

of newer generation product, namely productdata support and spares from the independentMRO market.”

In general, though, GA Telesis maintainsgood relationships with the manufacturers,which it relies on to replace any products con-sumed in the repair cycle and for technical datasupport. The OEMs also benefit because GATelesis feeds overhauled rotables back into thesupply pools that the manufacturer’s aftermarketsupport business relies upon. Indeed, 15 per centof the MRO’s customers are the OEMs. Informa-tion flows the other way, too, as Bonnell explains:“We provide the OEMs with field data identify-ing premature or unusual failures which mayhelp them with their prescribed methods oftrend analysis, which could be used for futureproduct improvements.”

Such improvements, of course, are not alwaysstrictly in an MRO’s interest, as better reliabilitycould mean less maintenance work. On the otherhand, terrible reliability might lead an airline tochange its maintenance provider, meaning zerowork. “It is important our salespeople along with

our quality and engineering groups sell partner-ships with the common goal of improved relia-bility,” comments Bonnell.

New technologies andprocesses

To stay ahead of the OEMs, independentrotable repair shops must of course maintainmarket-leading standards of quality, safety andefficiency. This means periodic investment inequipment, tooling and processes such as leanmanufacturing. HTAA, for instance, is currentlyadopting a systematic approach to safety man-agement as part of its quality programme.

GA Telesis, meanwhile, has spent heavily inthe past year updating its hardware. Changes in-clude: new automated generator, hydraulic pumpand engine starter test stands with improved re-liability and lower testing times; an additionalcomposites paint booth; new infra-red technol-ogy that reduces the risk of discovering honey-comb delamination after the cure process; newproduction software for materials and labourmanagement; and, soon, the introduction ofsoda blasting in the composites shop, whichshould cut the hours needed to clean, degreaseand strip paint.

Such advances — and the reductions to turn-around time that they offer — should prove vitalin maintaining independent MRO shops’ placein today’s dynamic and multi-faceted rotable re-pairs market.

“We are always seeking solid participatory relationships with

the OEMs on which we repair their components and gain

access to proprietary information.”

Dave Bailey, director of repair operations, High Tech Avionics & Accessories

Kellstrom specialises in the airborne equipment segments of the global aviation services aftermarket.

www.componentcontrol.com

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First taking to the skies in 1968, the 737 fam-ily of aircraft has now become Boeing’smost famous, growing into a nine-strong

series. The single-aisle aircraft, which was firstdeveloped as a lower cost alternative to theOEM’s earlier models, has received acclaim fromMROs and operators for being a reliable aircraftto work with.

The Next Generation 737 (737 NG), compris-ing the -600, -700, -800, and -900ER, has quicklybecome the model of the moment, and now withthe 737 MAX in the development stages — set fordelivery from 2017 — there’s no doubting that theOEM is on a vigorous path of innovation.

The 737 familyThere were 3,000 737 Classics (which com-

prise the -300, -400, and -500 types) operatingwhen the 737 NG was being developed, explainsKm Ali, director maintenance economics, Boe-ing. From the earlier models’ successes and fail-ures, the OEM developed the 737 NG series. Thewing of the 737 NG is completely new and isbased upon the success of the 757 and 777 wings;“it has an integral machined ribs and corrosionresistant materials,” says Ali.

As expected, MROs have had to make addi-tional investments with the introduction of theNG. One area is avionics, notes Chris Jessup, seniorvice president, airframe and engineering servicesat AAR. “Out of all aircraft that AAR is supportingthe 737 family has the lowest capital expenditurerequirements on an annual basis”, he says, describ-ing the 737 as “one of the easiest fleets to maintainand support and be able to forecast trends”.

Similarly, Aviation Technical Services (ATS) re-gards the 737 as one of its “core competencies”,having worked with the aircraft for forty years.However, Rob Tilson, VP of sales and marketing,sees the difference in age and technology as being“a cost differential between the classics and NG”.

“The difference in the two is that you see lessman hour demand,” says Mick Adams, managingdirector at Monarch Aircraft Engineering(MAEL), adding that the real challenge whenworking on a NG compared to a Classic is havingengineers qualified on legacy fleets who can alsotransition to support new technology fleets. Thenewer fleets “might have less man hours butcould be no less demanding in the need for skillsand qualifications”, he explains.

Boeing’s 737 is an integral part of the aviation industry and a

popular aircraft type for both MROs and operators. Hannah Davies

looks at maintenance procedures and issues, future demand and the

OEM’s ‘GoldCare’ programme.

Boeing 737maintenance


“The Next Generation 737 design builds uponthe successful 737 family of airplanes and thentakes it a step further with design for damage tol-erance and durability,” says Ali. However, thereare a lot of tooling transfers from the Classicmodel to the NG, and a lot of adaptability amongthe different generations. Yet, MROs appear to bein agreement that in relation to MRO work the737 is a “relatively easy platform to maintain”, asJessup puts it.

In addition, the 737 NG spends “two fewerdays per year in a hangar than comparable air-planes, meaning an additional profit opportunityof $600,000 per year”, according to Boeing. TheOEM also claims that the aircraft’s dispatch reli-ability is the “highest in the industry”, and cur-

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rently averages at 99.7 per cent — using the in-dustry standard calculation. “This means thatonly 3.3 flights get delayed due to technical rea-sons for every 1,000 flights, or an airplane getsinto technical flight disruption after two monthsof operation,” notes Ali.

Since the NG model was introduced to themarket it has had a few tweaks, most notablybeing the upgrade on the earlier models, with theaddition of blended winglets. Winglets are wing-tip devices that aim to provide several benefits tooperators, the main one being a reduction in fuelburn. According to Boeing, the winglets can re-duce fuel burn by “3.5 to 4 per cent on missionsgreater than 3,000 nautical miles” (depending onthe airline’s routes etc).

Other improvements include the new wingon the 737NG that has a dual-slotted flap systemwith 30 per cent fewer parts and titanium tracks,which means no corrosion and easier mainte-nance, according to Boeing.

A common expectation from carriers andMROs when a new model of aircraft enters themarket is to benefit from a reduction in opera-tional costs, if not immediately then certainly inthe long run. According to Boeing, cash operat-ing costs for the 737-800 are lower than previousmodels.

With only six per cent of the total mainte-nance cost being claimed by airframe mainte-nance the 737 NG is presenting itself as a veryfinancially attractive model. Boeing planned for

the 737 NG to have 15 per cent lower airframemaintenance costs compared to the Classics, butwith “further improvements in component reli-ability and check intervals the airframe mainte-nance cost it is actually closer to 20 per cent”,according to Ali, versus comparable single aisleaircraft.

Maintaining the 737Boeing describes the 737 as a “good friend” of

maintenance teams at airlines and MROs due tothe “excellent quality of the product itself”. TheOEM largely thanks a “change in philosophy” ofthe Maintenance Planning Document (MPD) forthe aircraft’s good reputation when it comes tomaintenance. The MPD has moved away from thepast practice of letter checks at specific intervalsand instead focuses on each task having its ownoptimum interval and its own driving parameter— months, flight hours or landing cycles.

According to Boeing, the change in the MPDhas resulted in “an immensely flexible mainte-nance programme, which an airline can packageaccording to its own airplane utilisation pattern”.

“The 737 is a very robust and highly reliableairplane,” says Jessup, describing the aircraft asbeing “core to its network”. The MRO spends onaverage “over one million man hours annually onthe 737 family” and works with its customers tohelp them modify their programmes by “analysingthe reliability data and trends to help them keepcosts down while maintaining reliability”.

All narrowbody manufacturers have a“unique set of requirements related to mainte-nance”, according to ATS’ Tilson, commentingthat avionics and technology develops with eachnew version of the 737, which forces MROs toadapt.

MAEL, which offers base maintenance, com-ponent support, part M, technical services, de-sign, modifications, programmes and repairs forthe 737, sees a number of different approaches tohow maintenance can be planned for the 737 fromoperator to operator. Some customers choosemaintenance plans by letter check and calendarwhereas some prefer to have their maintenanceby flying hour rate and cycle, Adams explains. Asa result the MRO has seen an “increasing demandfor equalised/phased maintenance, where largepackages of work are broken into smaller ele-ments and worked across the year”.

Indeed, maintenance schedules depend onthe individual requirements of customers;Lufthansa Technik (LHT), which also providesfull MRO services, line maintenance, base main-tenance, engine overhaul and component serv-ices for the 737, offers its customers “customisedmaintenance programmes”. These can vary fromblock checks to phased concepts, according to ashort range fleet maintenance specialist at LHT.

Although the movement from traditional let-ter checks to task-based maintenance is “not re-liability driven”, claims LHT, the concept allowsan MRO to “define more efficient work packages

The Next Generation 737 family comprises the -600, -700, -800, and -900ER.

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B737NG. Shine a LED on me



and to make better use of natural ground time,which increases aircraft availability”.

Aside from developing tailored maintenanceprogrammes for each customer, an MRO also hasto protect its reputation and address any safety ormaintenance issues immediately. An Airworthi-ness Directive (AD) was issued in November 2003— Flight Standards Information Bulletin for Air-worthiness (FSAW 03-10B) — reporting scribemarks along fuselage skin lap joints, butt joints,and other areas of several aircraft caused by theuse of sharp tools during paint and sealant re-moval.

The problems with scribe marks have notbeen a widespread issue for the 737NG as “only alimited number of airplanes in the fleet are af-fected by mandatory inspections and the find-ings to date have been insignificant,” says Boeing.AAR’s Jessup attributes increased awarenessamong customers, maintenance organisations

and technicians as the main reason behind thereduction of scribe marks.

Boeing also acknowledges common in-serviceissues with the 737 NG family as being “pneu-matic system (bleed air) reliability, thrust re-verser indications and engine startingcomponent reliability”. Boeing states that it isworking closely with the suppliers of these sys-tems and components “to develop designchanges to improve reliability for both produc-tion and the in-service fleet”.

Due to these maintenance issues and othercontributing factors aircraft arrive for mainte-nance in different conditions, some come in forchecks in a “reasonably good condition”, saysAdams, whereas some have “corrosion aroundthe wet areas, toilets, galleys and door thresh-olds”. However, MAEL doesn’t see “anything outof the ordinary and to be expected when under-taking heavy maintenance on these aircraft”.

“When we see corrosion, it’s primarily in theinterior cabin wet areas, E&E areas and baggagebin compartments,” says Jessup, when discussingmaintenance issues for the 737. AAR states that“corrosion findings are becoming less severe andmore manageable” due to improved maintenanceprogrammes such as the installation of moisturebarriers under lavatory and galley areas.

“The Next Generation 737 design builds upon the successful

737 family of airplanes and then takes it a step further with

design for damage tolerance and durability.”

Km Ali, director maintenance economics, Boeing

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However, Boeing says that “corrosion is not amajor issue for the Next-Generation 737 fleet,”but it did make several design changes for the in-stallation of wet area cabin floor panels and cargohold floors earlier on in the programme, wherewith the introduction of gel tape, the structure is“kept free from moisture”.

The general consensus among MROs is thatthey are prepared when it comes to working withcomposites but agree that the ever-increasing useof them has resulted in necessary further invest-ment. Tilson says ATS has adapted to “new op-portunities to support this area in the airframeand components businesses”.

While composite materials are not new, theaviation industry is engaging in more compositestructures, according to AAR, inclusive of inspec-tion and repair, as the 787 and other new air-frames enter into service.

MAEL has its own composite facilities and an“in-depth knowledge of composites with bothbase maintenance repairs and line maintenancesupport”, says Adams. When working with com-posite materials “the inspection methods areborn out of non-destructive testing (NDT)” andMAEL has the in-house capability for these tech-niques. Adams describes the MRO as having a

“really good relationship with suppliers” who cansupport it if need be and MAEL is “regularlycalled to support operators in various areas toprovide in line maintenance where there mightbe NDT required”.

With the increased use of composites on 737platforms, MROs have had to adapt their servicesin order to provide suitable component support,on-wing composite repairs and processes. How-ever, Boeing says that when working with com-posites there should be little difference ininspection techniques.

“The increased use of composites will reducenon-routine maintenance related to corrosionand fatigue cracking associated with traditionalaluminium structures,” says Jessup, adding thatwhen a composite structure is required AAR isexperienced in bonded repair techniques.

GoldCare

“There are more than 4,300 Next-Generation737s in operation throughout the world at airlinesusing a wide variety of business models,” saysBernard Hensey, VP, fleet management, Boeing,when explaining how Boeing’s aftermarket sup-port ‘GoldCare’ programme can provide cus-tomers with “improved technical dispatch



reliability, optimum airplane availability and re-duced risk while getting the best from their Boe-ing 737 fleets”.

Through GoldCare, Boeing provides access toglobal fleet data, proprietary statistical analysistools, a regional footprint combined with globalsupport infrastructure and OEM-driven

processes in a bid to drive maintenance and ma-terials programme effectiveness and efficiency.

Through the introduction of the programme,Boeing aims to provide global customer supportvia its dedicated operation centre in Seattle, re-gional service and its worldwide field service rep-resentative network. The OEM sees GoldCare asa tool to help optimise customers’ reliability andmaintenance programmes.

MAEL agrees that GoldCare is “an excellentsolution where the OEM is backing up mainte-nance cost guarantees”, and something that is“very important for MROs if they want to be suc-cessful in the long term”, as having a good rela-tionship with the OEM is hugely beneficial.

ATS views Boeing’s GoldCare programme as“similar to other full service care initiatives”, be-lieving that it is only of interest to a certain mar-ket segment. Component suppliers, for example,may wish to look at the GoldCare programmeand how best to support it for its broader cus-tomer base.

With regards to difficulties that the OEM mayface when launching GoldCare on an aircraft thatis already in service, Hensey says that “anychange in maintenance operation is a difficultdecision”. Therefore Boeing has to present theairline with a “strong set of data and benefits” toprove that GoldCare is the most beneficial wayfor it to provide technical management of its cus-tomer’s fleet, allowing the airline to focus on pas-senger experience.

A “primary strength” of GoldCare, accordingto the OEM, is the “additional insight that theprogramme delivers through maintenance prog-nostics to better maintain the airplanes”. Henseyadds: “Improved maintenance leads to increasedfleet reliability”, highlighting it as a top goal forcustomers as their fleets age.

In addition, Boeing has identified processesto “seamlessly integrate” GoldCare into cus-tomers’ existing systems and infrastructure tomake a transition to GoldCare as “efficient andeasy” as possible.

While AAR hasn’t seen an impact from Gold-Care because its customer base manages theirown maintenance requirements internally, Jes-sup explains how Boeing offers MROs of the 737day-to-day engineering support and also partic-ipates in customers’ maintenance review boardsessions. AAR then works with its customers toanalyse trends and anticipate future demands,sharing all the information with Boeing via itscustomers.

ATS puts its “supportive and collaborativeworking relationship with the OEM” down to itsposition as the “only major commercial heavymaintenance MRO base in Everett”. According toTilson, Boeing personnel are regularly workingonsite with its engineers to develop new solu-tions and procedures, further supporting the



opinion that Boeing works hard to support itsMRO network.

Future outlook

The 737 MAX is, of course, the biggest thingon the horizon for Boeing. The 737 MAX pro-gramme promises to “take full advantage of ex-isting industry-wide 737 maintenanceinfrastructure”, says the OEM. Like with all newaircraft, teething troubles are to be expected andBoeing appears to be prepared for all outcomesby offering “maintenance differences training” inorder to assist MROs in supporting the MAX.

The MAX will also take advantage of advance-ments in connectivity, offering customers the ca-pability to use real-time data to make operationaldecisions around maintenance on the groundduring flight. Aside from providing operatorswith more efficient fleet management solutions,the MAX’s enhanced connectivity will also ben-efit passengers, as the demand for more wirelessaccess to information and entertainment in flightcontinues to grow.

Looking at the 737 family as a whole, Boeingexplains that “there is a continuous endeavour toimprove the airplane not only for passenger con-veniences” but also to make it easier and lesscostly to maintain.

Going forward, AAR sees “positive trends ofdemand” for the 737 as all aircraft are still goingto require maintenance, even the NG and highlyanticipated MAX. “We see the 737 platform con-

tinuing to represent the largest share of our serv-ice hours within our domestic 1MRO network,”says Jessup. AAR will also continue to leverage its1MRO network — now made up of six facilities— so that it can work more closely with its cus-tomers to develop “maintenance programmesthat keep their costs predictable and add conven-ience for them”.

AAR’s 1MRO facilities are all in North America,where there is a lot of demand for the 737; “it’s thelargest aircraft fleet domestically”, notes Jessup.However, the MRO has seen demand for largermaintenance operations, and has recently signed aletter of intent to explore opening a technical main-tenance centre for commercial aircraft in Russia.

ATS also sees “demand from different regionsand at different periods throughout the year”. TheMRO’s close “geo-political” proximity to Boeing’sEverett facility is seen as a positive in the eyes ofoperators and something the MRO values highly.Tilson also notes the impact of the changinglandscape in aircraft maintenance. When “tech-nology changes so do the highly qualified tech-nicians that work with them”, so investment intooling capability and qualified technician is keyto future growth, he says.

MAEL, meanwhile, sees increasing demandfor 737 maintenance from the UK and Europe.“All industry information shows that there isgoing to be a growth for the 737 fleet in our re-gion, which presents further opportunities forus,” says Adams.

The wing on the 737NG has a dual-slotted flap system with 30 per cent fewer parts and titanium tracks, which means no corrosion and easier maintenance,

according to Boeing.


The commercial aviation industry is con-stantly striving to evolve new methods,improve materials and work collectively

towards the core priority of flight safety. An average passenger may think of the inher-

ent dangers of flying as being connected to thefailure of the substantial elements of an aircraft— the engines, the avionics, the airframe struc-ture itself. It is natural to overlook the less obvi-ous, and largely invisible elements, such as all thewiring that is used in commercial aircraft.

And yet the integrity of the wiring harnessesand connectors that enmesh the internal struc-ture of an aircraft, like veins delivering lifeblood,couldn’t be more important. As automated sys-tems and new technologies are integrated intotoday’s commercial airliners, the amount ofwiring required has ballooned.

There are approximately 74 kilometres ofwiring in Boeing’s 737-300/400/500 models andaround 67 kilometres in the 737-600/700/800/-900ER (Extended Range) models, all necessaryfor a multitude of electrical instrumentation andsensors. This is a typical amount of wiring inmodern aircraft but it pales in relation to certainairliners.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has 100 kilome-tres of wiring with over 3,500 connectors and40,000 cable segments. This is comparatively fru-gal when considering Airbus’ A380, which carriesan astonishing 530 kilometres of wiring.

All these kilometres of individual wires needto be bundled together into a harness and kept en-tirely safe and functional during the most extremeenvironments. Wiring, whether in the airframe or

in the engines, has to withstand all forms of stress,including bending, cracking, intense heat, humid-ity, dust, foreign object damage (FOD), moisture,grease, corrosive fluids, vibration and friction.That’s a lot of factors to manage during thedecades of an aircraft’s operational lifetime, butthe importance of effectively maintaining wiringharnesses cannot be understated. Any lapse in vig-ilance can ultimately result in tragedy.

Wiring related disastersInvestigators from the National Transporta-

tion Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that a sparkfrom faulty and deteriorated wiring caused an ex-plosion on board the 747-100 TWA Flight 800 in1996, resulting in the loss of all 230 passengersand crew. The official NTSB Aircraft Accident Re-port determined that the probable cause of the

The integrity of any aircraft’s wiring system is absolutely vital for

safe flying. Once overlooked with tragic consequences, wiring

harnesses and connectors now receive the crucial attention and

maintenance they warrant, says Nick Rice.

Wired forsafety


accident “was an explosion of the centre wingfuel tank, resulting from ignition of the flamma-ble fuel/air mixture in the tank”.

The short-circuiting of heavily worn wires wasalso cited as the cause of a cargo door suddenlyopening at 23,000ft on United Airlines Flight 811in 1989, sucking nine passengers out to theirdeaths on the 747. Another terrible loss occurreddue to faulty wiring on board Swissair Flight 111in 1998. Sparks were emitted, possibly from wireswithin the inflight entertainment system, whichignited flammable insulation material causing afire to spread to the cockpit. The pilots were sub-sequently overwhelmed by the flames and theMD-11 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean with all229 on board lost.

Again it was a wiring issue that caused the737-200 Copa Airlines Flight 201 flying from

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Panama to Colombia to crash in 1992. A malfunc-tioning wiring harness in the artificial horizonand altitude indicating instruments triggered in-termittent short circuits due to a pinched wire.The captain consequently received flawed instru-ment readings and the aircraft fell into a steepdive with no chance for recovery, eventuallycrashing into the swampland of the Darién Gapin Panama with all 47 people lost.

These examples clearly make for very uncom-fortable reading, but it highlights how imperativethe wiring harnesses and connectors are in anyaircraft. Before the TWA Flight 800 and SwissAir111 tragedies the wiring on aircraft was ostensiblya minor concern. In response to these aviation ac-cidents, the Aging Transport Systems Rulemak-ing Advisory Committee (ATSRAC) waschartered to gather industry leaders for the ex-amination of ageing aircraft systems.

Electrical wiringinterconnection systems

One of the main areas of the evaluation fo-cused on electrical wiring interconnection sys-tems (EWIS), which comprises wiring systemsand their components, such as wire splices andbundle clamps. Many of the results from the AT-SRAC committee shaped the FAA’s regulatory re-action to the handling and certification of EWISand according to the FAA’s regulations releasedin 2007: “Investigations of those accidents andlater examinations of other airplanes showed a

collection of common problems. Deterioratedwiring, corrosion, improper wire installation andrepairs, and contamination of wire bundles withmetal shavings, dust, and fluids (which wouldprovide fuel for fire) were common conditions inrepresentative examples of the ‘ageing fleet oftransport airplanes’.”

When MROs have to deal with aircraft morethan 20 years old wire checking has to be metic-ulous. The complete re-wiring of ageing aircrafthas not been adopted and so the issue of wire de-terioration is tackled with the installation ofEWIS that can monitor wire ageing, in compli-ance with the Original Equipment Manufacturer(OEM) Standard Practice Manuals and EWIStasks that are incorporated into the AircraftMaintenance Programme.

Installing EWIS can be a challenge but pre-vention and safety is the driving force. MattHansen, director of commercial aircraft group atEMTEQ, a worldwide leader in the productionand supply of innovative products for the avia-tion industry, says: “EWIS can be complicatedand for many OEMs it can be new to them, whichcauses pain. But the spirit of the requirements ispositive, as flight safety is the ultimate goal.Compliance is definitely more work and morecostly, but in the end, it’s about flight safety.”

The move towards a prevention concept and allround upgrading can have a positive effect on theMRO and wiring harnesses sector, as Hansen ex-plains: “Recently we are seeing increased competi-

tion between airlines upgrading their fleets, whichis showing a positive trend for new business poten-tial. Competition for flying customers is startingto chip away at recent financial hardships.”

New materials and technologyAs the wiring harnesses market continues to

evolve, so the perennial size, weight and materialgoals are steadily advanced. As Hansen puts it:“The push for smaller size, lower weight, andhigher capacity will never change. Just the same,speed of delivery, quality of service and low costproduction are staples in what has been a rela-tively mature market. Supporting the end-cus-tomer with EWIS compliance is an increasingneed in the market.”

New materials and technologies should im-prove the safety of wiring within modern aircraftand significantly reduce incidents and crashes.

Established in 1969, the US company Chero-kee Nation Industries specialises in aerospaceand defence manufacturing and has a long his-tory of supplying products and services to com-mercial and government clients such as Boeing,Lockheed Martin and NASA. Company presidentChris Moody says of the current state of thewiring harnesses sector: “The market for wireharnesses has become more of a global marketplace, with competition coming from all over theworld. We are moving away from the build-to-print era and into a build-to-concept environ-ment. Technology has had a major role in this

A repair technician performs a final inspection on a newly repaired electrical harness prior to return to service.



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evolution, motivating suppliers to become moretechnical.”

With specific regard to new materials Moodysays: “The industry is growing and advancingevery day. The newest trend in the aerospace anddefence market is composite braid material. It hasthe same properties as its metal counterparts, butis lighter in weight. Another exciting developmentis the use of 3D models. OEMs are now supplyingthe models accompanied by the pertinent infor-mation to build the product. The days of beingsupplied a drawing and parts list are in the past.”

Moody also confirms that the industry is likelyto see the increased use of self-controlling sys-tems that are built into an aircraft system to iden-tify faults via Built-in Test Equipment. “Thesesystems are quickly becoming very complex butthe potential to have self-diagnostics capabilitiesis expected to occur in the very near future,” hesays. “This will enable our industry to identify is-sues and prevent major problems down the line.”

Roland Arnzt, head of the avionics compe-tence centre for SR Technics — one of the world’sleading providers of technical solutions to air-lines — also emphasises how new materials,specifically aluminium, will contribute to en-hanced safety. “The development of harnessesand connectors is, as with every other aircraft sys-tem or component, going through an on-goingimprovement process,” he says. “Plugs are me-chanically better developed, smaller and withbetter corrosion protection. Cables have new iso-lation protection and weigh less due to other ma-terial being used, such as aluminium.”

Such new materials will increasingly find aplace on next generation aircraft, as Arnzt con-tinues: “Fibre optical wires and also aluminiumwires in sizes from gage 26, 22, 24, 20 and 18 willrepresent the latest standards. There is also asmaller type of relay in use.”

As regards the maintenance of wiring har-nesses Arnzt is distinctly optimistic. “We expectthe handling of wire to become even easier; asthey become smaller and increasingly manufac-

tured from lighter material, and are more resist-ant to environmental influences,” he says. “Thechange to the use of aluminium material is on-going and we are seeing harness manufacturingbeing outsourced to low cost countries. Hope-fully, with continuing developments, the prod-ucts will become more reliable and with a longerlifecycle and therefore fewer issues.”

As with any industry, the evolution of newtechnologies and the implementation of newmaterials is hoped to have a positive impactacross the board, improving passenger experi-ence, all round efficiency and therefore profit,and most crucially, safety. Sam Symonds, presi-dent and CEO of Co-Operative Industries Aero-

space & Defense (CIA&D), an industry leader andmanufacturer of electrical wiring cables and in-terconnects for over 66 years, elaborates on morenew developments in the sector.

“There are new technologies we are seeingthat offer future potential in the commercialworld. Although not currently applicable to ourcommercial airline customer’s products, we havebeen involved in programmes that incorporatesome very interesting materials and technolo-gies. Composite connectors, for example, are ex-tremely lightweight yet durable and are corrosionresistant. Lightweight titanium interconnectsalso offer strength combined with space savings.I also see a great deal of future potential with hy-

A repair technician re-strings wiring in an engine harness undergoing an OEM repair.



brid designs — things such as fibre optics beingintegrated with copper wire.”

The dual objective of being both as light-weight as possible but also incredibly durable andresistant is the task faced by developers. AsSymonds notes: “More robust and lighter weightouter chafe material as well as lighter weight elec-tromagnetic interference (EMI) materials are al-ways being pursued. Many harnesses, such asthose located on engine, are subject to severeconditions and must perform reliably in harshenvironments. Balancing lightweight materialsagainst the need for maximum protection is acontinuing challenge.”

Wiring maintenance Although there has been some success

achieved with small portable devices used fortesting harnesses on the f light line — whichhave improved trouble-shooting and eliminatedunnecessary harness replacements — there issadly no magical handheld gadget that aircraft

maintenance technicians can wave over longlengths of wiring harnesses to detect any irreg-ularities and address any inconsistencies. Amore exhaustive physical and visual approach isrequired.

This intense level of checking must be up-held and there can be no room for any shortcuts when inspecting wiring harnesses onageing aircraft and the increased amount ofwiring installed in next generation airliners.For CIA&D, maintenance checking is cur-rently performing as it should and Symondssays: “From our perspective it appears that air-craft maintenance personnel have a very goodgrasp on electrical wiring inspection criteria.As a respectable portion of our overall busi-ness is engine harness repair through ourFAA, EASA and CAAC certified repair station,we have visibility into what is removed andwhy. Most returns that we receive show nor-mal wear and are checked and tested and re-turned to service.”

The aviation industry has rightfully elevatedthe level of attention that all wiring in any aircraftdeserves. In order to avert any further disastersthe maintenance must be flawless. Wiring instal-lation and integrity is of the utmost importance,as was recently highlighted in August whenJapan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) discovered de-fective wiring in three of its 787 Dreamliners. Theairline detected the faulty wiring on an aircraft atTokyo’s Haneda airport before a scheduled flightto Frankfurt. The wiring was eventually repairedand the departure to Germany went ahead, butif not found the defective wiring could havecaused a fire-extinguishing system for the engineto malfunction, a spokesperson for ANA said.

The faulty wiring prompted Japan Airlines(JAL) to abort a Helsinki-bound flight and to in-stigate checks on all 10 of its Dreamliners. Thesewiring defects arrive on the back of problemswith the lithium-ion batteries on the 787, whichforced a worldwide grounding for four months atthe start of the year.

The beleaguered 787 is a popular aircraft inJapan, and ANA and JAL are two of the Dream-liner’s biggest customers. It remains to be seenwhether a full-scale investigation into thesewiring malfunctions will follow.

Aircraft safetyIt is a statistically proven and widely accepted

fact that flying is safer than most other modes oftransport. Looking at the United States alone,there has been only one fatal crash in the last fiveyears, an impressive record considering thatmore than 30,000 flights take off every day. Yet itis the relatively extreme conditions of flying —being 30,000 feet up in the air and not at nearground level, combined with the feeling that youhave no control — which results in a fear of flyingbeing uncommonly high in relation to otherforms of transportation. However, with the ad-vances in technology being made in the aviationindustry, incidents and fatalities will hopefullybe consigned to the past.

The MRO industry has a healthy futureahead, as Symonds concludes: “The airline in-dustry has seen many changes since its inception,and the past decade or so has proven to be dra-matic with great challenges. Our current eco-nomic environment has forced consolidation ofboth airlines and MROs, greatly reducing thenumber of independent organisations. This inturn, is forcing the reduction of suppliers. Thatbeing said, there is also opportunity.

“Overall, the demand for air travel is up andthe remaining carriers are increasing their fleets.This translates to an increased need for mainte-nance and support. Those OEMs and componentrepair centres that are well positioned, can remaincost-effective, and can offer value that benefits theend customer, will have a promising future.”

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The CF34, manufactured by General Elec-tric (GE), is the workhorse of the regionalairline industry, powering some of the

most ubiquitous 50 to 100-seat aircraft in opera-tion today. Of its three main variants, the oldestis the CF34-3, which went into airline service in1992 on the Bombardier CRJ100; the CF34-10,meanwhile, will power China’s new regional jet,the ARJ21, and is already flying with many oper-ators on Embraer’s E-190/-195 lines.

All three CF34 variants — the CF34-3, CF34-8 and CF34-10 — share near-flawless dispatch re-liabilities and are generally regarded as rugged,reliable and easily maintained engines. However,it’s difficult to paint a broad-brush picture of theCF34 maintenance market because each enginetype launched roughly a decade after its prede-cessor, meaning radically different engine matu-rities and MRO options.

As an older engine the CF34-3, for instance, hasa far lower residual value than the -10, which af-fects repair-replace considerations and opens upthe possibility of using PMA parts. “Mature en-

gines, like the CF34-3, are a different market than‘growth’ engines in terms of ownership, operation,workscope requirements, repair options, and ma-terial sources,” says Brian Neff, CEO of Ft. Laud-erdale-based MRO CTS Engines, which overhaulsthe CF34-3, the CF6-80, and the CFM56-3.

Neff points out that mature engines benefitfrom a deeper and more experienced maintenancemarket, with constituents who have had the timeto optimise repair and overhaul techniques.Amongst other things, this means that “on the ma-terial side, many parts can often be replaced withused serviceable material at less cost than a repair,due to the number of engine teardowns that occurin the latter half of an engine’s life”, he says.

The CF34 MRO market is in a state of flux as the more than

20-year-old CF34-3 approaches its twilight years. The type still

accounts for most of the overhaul work at CF34 repair stations, but

that will change as the newer -8s and then -10s reach their mid-life

check-up dates, says Alex Derber.

CF34 maintenance


There is also an added layer of complexity toCF34 MRO, which is that the engine is also usedby business jet operators of Bombardier’s Chal-lenger and Embraer’s Lineage lines. Naturallythese have their own specific workscopes, serviceintervals and repair requirements, although thefollowing will focus of the engine’s commercialapplications.

GE estimates that CF34 shop visit volumeclimbed from 780 in 2011 to 1,000 last year, on aninstalled base of approaching 6,000 powerplants.The CF34-3 is the most numerous of these, withabout 2,200 in service, though CF34-8 and -10populations are not far behind and will soonovertake the -3 as older regional jets are retired.

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The lion’s share of the CF34 maintenancemarket, judged by shop visits, is held by the en-gine’s manufacturer, GE, which recorded 350 in2012; followed by StandardAero, which claims 26per cent of the market; and then German MROsLufthansa Technik AERO Alzey (LTAA) andMTU, which reported 194 and 150 shop visits, re-spectively, in 2012.

Both LTAA and MTU claim turnaround times(TATs) for the CF34-8 and -10 of between 45 and60 days, depending on the scale of theworkscope, while MTU claims that a new taktsystem (takt was designed originally to pacemanufacturing lines), a new floor layout and bet-ter operating processes have helped it take CF34-3 TAT down to 45 days.

Mark Johnson, LTAA CEO, says: “Improve-ments to TAT are basically done through state-of-the-art machining equipment, optimisedshop layout, design and manufacturing of sup-porting tools, and IT infrastructure to supportclear visibility of processes. We also have a dedi-cated supply chain management organisation tomanage not only routine supply and repair ordermanagement, but also the just-in-time conceptand, in particular, the supply of ad-hoc spares toavoid work-stoppages.”

CF34-3

The CF34-3 is a 9,220lbs-thrust engine whichpowers Bombardier’s ageing CRJ100/200 re-gional jets. The market for these 50-seat aircraft

is currently in a state of f lux as America’s bignetwork carriers shed the old CRJs from theirfleets to replace them with larger, more fuel-ef-ficient and more modern models. Aircraft savedfrom the scrapyard are typically going to smalleroperators who can be more f lexible with theirrepair schedules and workscope requirements,as Kerry O’Sullivan, vice president ofCF34/CFM56 at Tempe, Arizona-based Standar-dAero, explains: “The CRJ200 aircraft market ischanging and ownership is shifting to new oper-ators, who prefer shop visits that address specific

areas of concern,” he says. As a result, Standard-Aero now offers quick-turn, limited workscoperepairs alongside traditional overhauls, a movethat O’Sullivan describes as “a particularly suc-cessful venture for us as the CRJ200 aircraft moverapidly through new marketplaces”.

Last year StandardAero says it processed“hundreds” of CF34-3s and CF34-8s through itsfacility in Winnipeg, Canada, about 80 per cent

of which were for the older type. This year it isexpecting a 10 per cent increase in shop visits anda fairly even split of work between the two CF34types as the newer CF34-8s encounter their firstmid-life events. These occur at about 10,000-12,500 cycles and are needed across the CF34 lineto mitigate performance degradation.

LTAA maintains all three CF34 types at its fa-cility near Frankfurt, Germany, with the CF34-3comprising about half of its shop visits last year.However, a big portion of maintenance work onboth the CF34-3 and -8 can be done on-wing, soLTAA must be able to quickly dispatch mechan-ics to its customers’ aircraft. To help manage thisit has worldwide service stations in Tulsa, Mel-bourne and Argentina.

MTU offers a full range of CF34 MRO servicesfrom another centralised location — Berlin Bran-denburg — whilst also offering on-site servicesanywhere in the world for its customers. Theseare backed up by its MTU Maintenance Dallas fa-cility and a partnership with Tulpar Technicbased in Kazan, Russia.

Although about half of MTU’s CF34 workloadin Berlin last year was for its oldest variant, “theCF34-3 has mostly outlived its heavy mainte-nance intervals and on this mature engine, wemostly perform smaller, custom-tailored shopvisits”, says Andrea Lübke, VP CF34 programmeat MTU Maintenance. Because most CF34-3shave had their last heavy overhauls and can inany case be repaired to a large extent on-wing,MTU expects global shop visits for the type to fallfrom 320 next year to less than half that by 2017.

CF34-8

The CF34-8C and CF34-8E are in service with71 operators on 1,000 aircraft — mostly the Em-braer -170/-175 and Bombardier CRJ700/900lines. As with the -3, plenty of -8 maintenancecan be performed on-aircraft, though this is

somewhat easier with the -8C than the -8E, dueto the latter’s mounting under-wing rather thanat the rear of the Bombardiers that the -8C pow-ers.

Such flexibility came in handy this year afterGE issued an AD requiring replacement of op-erability bleed valves on about 300 CF34-8s, orabout 15 per cent of the f leet. Fixes such asthese are made easier in part because of the

All three CF34 variants — the CF34-3, CF34-8 (pictured) and CF34-10 –— share near-flawless dispatch

reliabilities and are generally regarded as rugged, reliable and easily maintained engines.

“Improvements to TAT are basically done through

state-of-the-art machining equipment, optimised shop layout,

design and manufacturing of supporting tools, and IT

infrastructure to support clear visibility of processes.”

Mark Johnson, CEO, LTAA



modular design of the CF34, as Bob Oliphant,a GE Aviation spokesman, explains: “Accessibil-ity is important to ease of maintenance and theCF34 design enables more efficient, direct ac-cess to components that are due for restora-tion, with no unnecessary disassembly to gainaccess to some other part of the engine for over-haul.”

StandardAero reports that its field servicerepresentatives can perform anything fromsimple seal changes to complete module re-placements without removing the CF34-8from an aircraft (or by putting it on a nearbymaintenance stand), though it is also expect-ing more -8s through its shops in the near fu-ture as the engines — which average about11,000 cycles globally — come up for their mid-point checks.

MTU, meanwhile, predicts steady growth inthe CF34-8 market from 240 shop visits this yearto about 420 per annum in a decade’s time. MTUitself handles about 150 shop visits per year for allCF34 types.

Typical workscopes for CF34-8s coming intothe StandardAero shop include high-pressureturbine refurbishment variable guide vane sys-tem improvements and the sprucing up of gen-eral hardware. Among older -8s, it is also fairlycommon for the nut connecting the high pres-sure turbine and the high pressure compressor toseize, a problem for which StandardAero has de-veloped a fix for.

Another issue for some CF34-8 operators, ac-cording to LTAA, has been oil smell in the cabin,a problem for which it has developed a quick-turn solution by its field service representatives.

CF34-10The youngest member of the CF34 family en-

tered service in 2005 and is now flying with 63operators. At LTAA, shop visits for the typeclimbed from 17 in 2011 to 45 last year, while MTUestimates that about half of its CF34 shop visitsare either for the -8 or -10. It also predicts thatshop visits for the -10 globally will double in thenext 10 years from 130 in 2013.

CTS and StandardAero don’t repair the CF34-10, perhaps because the average -10 is at 6,000 cy-cles and only halfway towards its midpointchecks, though StandardAero states that “shouldthe right customer opportunity present itself wecould easily enter this market”.

LTAA reports two notable issues facing theCF34-10 at present: high oil consumption andstage four low-pressure turbine blade separation.The MRO can solve the first problem on site witha quick-turn solution, while the LPT can be fixedas a module event rather than a full engine shopvisit. This again demonstrates the flexibility ofthe CF34 design, though the added complexityof the CF34-10 limits its on-wing repair optionsin comparison with the -3 and -8.

There is only one AD on the CF34-10 that hasnot yet been fully complied with; issued in 2012

it requires certain engines to undergo centre venttube mid-support replacement.

A shifting MRO landscapeOne major development in CF34 maintenance

this year has been the extension of GE’s ‘TRU-Engine’ programme to the type. Those who sign upto TRUEngine are guaranteed maximum residualvalue of their CF34 assets via assurances that theengines will be maintained in an OEM configura-tion, using OEM parts, by TRUEngine-licensedshops. For the CF34 these are GE’s facilities inStrother, Kansas and Petropolis, Brazil, as well asStandardAero, which is the only third-partyTRUEengine provider on both the CF34 andCFM56.

“There are no disadvantages to this pro-gramme as operators can still make material andrepair choices at their discretion,” says Standard-Aero’s O’Sullivan. “However, those operators thatwant to ensure a TRUEngine status for their fleetcan be assured that we have all of the processes inplace to comply with TRUEngine standards.”

The first CF34 operators to launch its TRU-Engine programme were Brazil’s Azul, the UK’sFlybe, US lessors GECAS and Jetscape, Poland’sLOT, and US regional carrier Gojet. Perhaps co-incidentally, these represent a pretty accuratecross-section of the global CF34 operator base,about 55 per cent of which hails from the US, 20per cent from Europe and 25 per cent from therest of the world.

A Cf34-10 on engine test.


When selecting an IT system, airlinesand MRO companies face the choiceof the large-scale but less flexible en-

terprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, bestof breed (BoB) systems which have been builtfrom the ground up for the sector, or a hybrid of-fering which combines elements of both.

“ERP solutions are great for accountants andexcel in this area, but they rely on ‘bolt-on’ func-tionality to satisfy the needs of the MRO marketwhich often is cumbersome and expensive,” com-ments TRAX managing director Chris Reed.“ERP is typically designed for manufacturing, somaybe an OEM would prefer this type of solu-

With a number of airlines and MRO companies requiring professional MRO software for the first time or

needing to upgrade to a new system, the commercial aviation maintenance software sector is currently

a growth area. But what are the most important factors to consider when making this choice? Jason

Holland investigates.

Maintenancesoftware systems

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

tion, but the BoBs are designed for airline andMRO operations.”

Developing the right solutionIndeed, a lot of the successful maintenance

software systems in use today in the commercialaviation sector have been designed with specificindustry needs in mind. Ronald Schaeuffele,CEO of Swiss AviationSoftware (Swiss-AS), notesthat BoB solutions are “built on industry bestpractice and are based on the input of a customercommunity using and supporting the product”.

He says: “The big advantage of BoB solutionsis that they more easily adapt to constantly

AMOSA Story of SuccessRead more about the world-class M&E software system at

SWISS-AS.COM

“The best fit in terms of functionality, price and market standing,” states easyJet

“AMOS has clearly met the expectations as a full system for maintenance operations,” says Finnish

Aircraft Maintenance

“We assess AMOS as a top line product which is endeared and accepted as a fine tool by our users,” states Air Asia



changing requirements and that due to the manycommunity inputs they are forced to include in-dustry innovations at an early stage. The neces-sary strategic developments of a BoB solution areall integrated into the one community productwhile the community reviews the changes/en-hancements done by the vendor.”

Nevertheless, Schaeuffele states that becauseSwiss-AS’ solution, ‘AMOS’, has already incorpo-rated non-maintenance functions such as financeor human resources (within the maintenance con-text), it could already be considered as a “kind ofa hybrid solution”, incorporating some of the ele-ments traditionally associated with ERP systems.“From our point of view, a BoB system includes allthe processes that the maintenance departmentfocuses on; the aim is to enable the end user towork in the daily business without any disruptionsin the maintenance processes,” he says.

Ramco’s ‘Aviation Suite’ is another example ofa system built to provide the “best of both worlds”.The company “sources its traditional strength inproviding integrated ERP solutions and combinesthat with comprehensive functionality for avia-tion maintenance and engineering built from theground up”, comments Amrith Ganesh, head –aviation marketing. So while being designedspecifically for aviation, the solution incorporatesERP functions such as finance and human capitalmanagement “under one roof”.

According to Ganesh, Ramco’s approach alsoprovides a “seamless flow of data wrappedaround single technology architecture that elim-inates data silos and adds transparency across theentire maintenance execution and contract tocash cycle”.

TRAX’s Reed is proud that his company’s so-lution was “made purposely” as a BoB type. Al-

though taking elements of the ERP concept andusing them in ‘TRAX Maintenance’, Reed saysthis is mainly in cross company integration as-pects, such as lessening data duplication and re-dundancy by departments relying on each other’sinputs.

Mxi Technologies’ ‘Maintenix’ system was“designed and developed by aviation expertsspecifically for the aviation MRO community”,comments James Elliott, product marketingmanager, an approach which “speaks directly tothe unique challenges faced by the aviation in-dustry that a generic ERP system cannot accom-modate without expensive and time-consumingcustomisations that often result in limited suc-cess, at best”.

Elliott points to the evolving demands beingplaced on MRO solutions. “It is no longer enoughto simply act as a storage container for mainte-nance transactions; systems today need to betransformative,” he says. “Using MRO-specificsolutions gives organisations the head start theyneed to focus efforts on driving greater businessvalue from their MRO departments (such as topand bottom line optimisation, reduced costs, re-duced AOGs, etc.).”

The company’s application programming in-terface (API) strategy offers elements of the hy-

“From our point of view, a BoB system includes all the

processes that the maintenance department focuses on; the

aim is to enable the end user to work in the daily business

without any disruptions in the maintenance processes .”

Ronald Schaeuffele, CEO, Swiss AviationSoftware

Swiss-AS’ solution, AMOS, has already incorporated non-maintenance functions such as finance or human resources.

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Envision



brid approach, providing additional integratedconnectivity to critical systems within the enter-prise, including finance, human resources,timesheet, supply chain, flight operations, diag-nostics, procurement, third-party maintenance,shipping and electronic logbook.

Rusada’s ‘Envision’ solution is another to havebeen client led in its development of functional-ity. “It is aviation centric because that is wherethe experience of our company was founded.There are other BoB solutions for financial ac-counting, payroll management, airline ticketingetc that have been developed by specialists intheir field and chosen by clients who know ex-actly what they want,” explains Tim Alden, com-mercial director. “What Rusada does is work withclients to maximise the use of these applicationsby delivering a robust aviation solution capableof being integrated with other business systemsthrough the use of modern web services.”

Nick Godwin, managing director at Comm-soft, says his company’s ‘OASES’ solution is beingaggressively developed as new functionality con-tinues to be added. “Unlike many other BoB sys-tems, OASES puts major emphasis on itsintuitive usability, flexibility and customisabilityand is far less data hungry than some competitorsystems. This makes it ideal for CAMOs and fast-growing airlines, as the user is only paying forfunctionality that it uses, rather than an expen-

sive edition or version with functionality that isnever used,” he says.

Configurability and scalabilityin deployment

“There is no question that the scale and mag-nitude of systems implementation requirementscan play a role in an organisation’s decision tomove forward with a vendor solution,” says Mxi

Technologies’ Elliott. “Beyond the functionalscope of the offering, clients need to feel confi-dent that the vendor will deliver the softwarepromise in a means that minimises time, effort,cost and impact to the organisation.”

He notes that, ultimately, the degree of diffi-culty of any software implementation is directlyproportional to the quality of the data being im-ported from the legacy systems. “Mxi has done alot of work over the years to help our clients em-brace a ‘good data’ approach to MRO manage-ment, ensuring information is perpetually in a‘clean and standardised’ state throughout theMRO lifecycle,” says Elliott.

Configurability is an important issue in de-ployment. “Each client is different so it is criticalthat they have elements of configurability withinthe application otherwise you face the situationthat most ERP operators have where their solu-tion is unique in the marketplace,” commentsTRAX’s Reed. “We aim to keep a permanent up-grade path available for our customers and usethe configuration possibilities to allow each cus-tomer to have slightly different functionality, butwithin the same core application.”

Rusada’s Alden believes configurability is “keyto the success of an implementation”, and hewould typically expect a customer to “live in” theMRO software within four to six months — “arapid timeline [that] includes training and data

TRAX’s maintenance software solution was made purposely as a BoB type.

Mobile technology is currently a key trend in themarket.



transfer”. Alden explains: “The key to such rapiddeployment is the inclusion of the clients’ superuser team at all stages during the set-up phase.This team needs to be able to work with us as thevendor and be able to define the set-up of the sys-tem to match their way of working to minimisethe impact on approved procedures. Once theset-up of the system has been bedded down thenits application can be introduced to the userbase.”

Scalability, meanwhile, is important for cus-tomers who are in a growth cycle. “A good scala-ble application does not need to be replaced ifthe organisation grows,” says TRAX’s Reed. “Ourapplication is used by airlines with as low as threeaircraft and as high as seven hundred aircraft.”

Improvement in the marketReed says that although in general terms com-

panies are spending less on IT solutions as a per-centage of their revenue than they have in thepast, airline/MRO software is currently a growtharea. “There is expansion occurring in many areasof the world such as the Far East, so this is positivefor our industry,” he comments. “Customers arelooking for an off-the-shelf MRO managementsolution that can be implemented with the min-imum amount of fuss and is easy to use for theirusers and one that is popular in the community.Data sharing is becoming more and more impor-tant and solutions that allow greater connectivitywith the community are becoming more critical.”

Mxi Technologies’ Elliott observes that whilethe global aviation MRO market is projected togrow to $69bn by 2021, “only a small percentageof MRO organisations are running anything closeto a modern IT solution, hinging efforts insteadon a combination of old systems from the 1980sthat are inching closer to becoming obsolete, orcustom-built siloed solutions that are costly andrisky to maintain, while failing to deliver thebusiness benefits targeted across the industry”.

Clearly, there is a lot of potential in the air-line/MRO software market, and a number ofcompanies are looking for new IT solutions. “Dueto the increased complexity in aviation mainte-nance and tightened airworthiness regulations,many airlines have been forced to buy profes-sional MRO software for the first time or to up-grade to a new system,” says Swiss-AS’Schaeuffele. “The introduction of new genera-tion aircraft has accelerated this process. Whereairlines used to draw up a business plan to decideabout new MRO software, it seems that the busi-ness plan has only an inferior standing in today’sevaluation as the airlines need a new system thatcan handle the new requirements.”

Schaeuffele says that the central demandscustomers are making of the software are: bestpractice solutions, cost cutting potential, in-creased safety, and early incorporation of new re-

quirements such as new generation aircraft,RFID or e-signatures. Ramco’s Ganesh adds thatsmall operators are underserved in terms of ITsolutions and these companies are “looking atCloud based offerings as a way to improve theirefficiency, better manage inventory and reduceoperating costs”.

When looking at updating a current system,Rusada’s Alden suggests that one of the most im-portant factors that customers are looking for isthe ability to synchronise existing systems withtheir new MRO solution. “We have seen great in-terest in the web service work we have done forOEMs and MROs because it allows those organ-isations to retain their finance systems but thenprovide a better maintenance tool for the engi-neers without duplication of effort or loss offunctionality. Indeed the saving in licences forthe ERP finance system often significantly con-tribute to the return on investment of taking En-vision,” he says.

Future trends and outlookThe companies interviewed for this article

are finding different ways to adapt and prepare

for future trends in the MRO management soft-ware solutions sector. Ramco’s Ganesh says the“pulse of the industry” and where it is headinglies in the voice of the customer. “Our CAB —Customer Advisory Board — a panel of carefullychosen key customers across segments have astrong influence on the direction of our productroad map,” comments Ganesh. “This ensuresfull alignment of our product with present andfuture trends and needs. Ramco also relies on anetwork of other sources to adapt and face fu-ture trends such as: focus groups of industry ex-perts, a company-wide innovation wing,constantly evolving base technology architec-ture and a state-of-the-art R&D department as-sociated with several top technologyinstitutions around the world.”

One of Ramco’s central strategies is to usetechnology innovation to solve the business chal-lenges in an MRO environment. “We see mobil-ity, predictive analysis on big data, seamless dataexchange in a heterogeneous application land-scape as key trends that will shape this industry,”says Ganesh. The company’s Cloud based appli-cation delivery model allows it to expand the ad-

“Many application providers have just made their solution

‘portable’ so that the users can access the same screens and

functions that they have on their fixed workstation but on a

mobile screen.”

Chris Reed, managing director, TRAX

One of Ramco’s central strategies is to use technology innovation to solve the business challenges in

an MRO environment.



dressable market space, according to Ganesh,making available to the smallest operator “thesame sophisticated product capabilities thatdrive efficiency improvements and process opti-misation only large organisations” previously hadaccess to.

TRAX is currently focused on specific mobiletechnology. “Many application providers havejust made their solution ‘portable’ so that theusers can access the same screens and functionsthat they have on their fixed workstation but ona mobile screen,” says Reed. “This is not the sameas building specific mobile technology that iseasier to use and understand, requires less train-ing, performs better and encourages the users toactually use the technology.”

Mxi Technologies’ Elliott observes threemain trends in the MRO sector, with thebiggest and “most critical” evolution takingplace on the business, rather than technology,side. He sees mobile-ready maintenance appli-cations, business analytics that can help exec-utives and upper management make the rightbusiness decisions based on accurate informa-tion insights, and innovative ways for monetis-ing maintenance data as the main areas offocus. “For MRO software providers, this meansproviding a solution that can deliver the busi-

ness transformation customers are seeking,more so than just the latest bells and whistles,”he observes.

Commsoft’s Godwin sees a change in the roleof MRO software systems. “Trends in the MROsector require increasingly diverse information tobe presented in ever concise, relevant and acces-sible forms to suit the disparate needs of the enduser,” he says. “Faster processing and near realtime data transmission will allow MRO IT sys-tems to progress from being engineering compli-ance and reporting tools to being active decisionsupport systems and offering economic advan-tage through real time integration with finance,operations, human resources and other systems.Increasingly the use of KPI and BPI dashboardswith customisable alerts, status indicators andbusiness tracking are being requested, thus turn-ing systems such as OASES into senior manage-ment tools.”

Being embedded in an airline environmenthas been an important advantage to Swiss-ASin capturing trends and future requirements atan early stage, according to Schaeuffele. “Asquite a few members of the airline group areusing AMOS, it is important for us to provide astate-of-the-art product that meets the expec-tations inside and outside the ‘corporate fam-

ily’. AMOS is considered within the Lufthansagroup as a cost-saving-enabler and we have tolive up to our reputation. This dependency is awin-win situation for all parties,” he says.

The company is another that looks to involveits customer community in the development ofits software, creating the ‘AMOS Strategic Board’in which customers can “decide about the strate-gic development roadmap”, and offering work-shops that allow customers to influence thedesign of modules at an early stage.

With the era of the connected aircraft uponus and the introduction of new aircraft that havemore than six million parts in them, all designedfrom the ground up to be more software depen-dant, there is now more data than ever before inthe industry that needs to be managed accuratelyand taken advantage of. As Ramco’s Ganeshnotes, “aviation IT will soon see a growth spike in‘Big Data’ led predictive analytics”.

Mxi Technologies’ Elliott sees a similar trend.“Looking further out, say five to seven years fromnow, I see the promise of predictive maintenancewill largely intersect with the varying businessmodels throughout the MRO food-chain, start-ing with the fundamental ask either from cus-tomers or service providers: have you done theright thing and can you prove it?”

Commsoft’s OASES solution is being aggressively developed as new functionality continues to be added.

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DATA & DIRECTIVES

FAA airworthiness directives — large aircraft

Summary of biweekly listings for the last two months

Biweekly 2013-09/ cont’d

2013-08-16 Boeing 737-700 and -700C Do an external detailed inspection and an external nondestructive inspection (a medium frequency eddy current (MFEC), magneto optic imager (MOI), C- scan, or ultrasonic phased array (UTPA) inspection) for cracking in the fuselage skin along the chem-mill steps at certain locations specified in SB 737-53- 1310.2013-08-18 Boeing 737 Modify the fluid drain path in the wing leading edge area, forward of the wing front spar, and do all applicable related investigative and corrective actions IAW SB 737-57-1293.2013-08-20S General Electric CF6-80 Supersedes AD 2000-04-14. Replace the fuel tubes and brackets with improved tubes and brackets eligible for installation.2013-08-23 Boeing DC-10, MD-10, MD-11 Perform installation actions as stated in AD.

Biweekly 2013-10

2012-18-13R Boeing 737-100, -200, -200C, -300, -400, -500 Perform a low frequency eddy current (LFEC) inspection from the aft side of the aft pressure bulkhead to detect discrepancies of the web of the upper section of the aft pressure bulkhead at body station 1016 at the aft fastener row attachment to the ''Y'' chord, from stringer 15 left (S-15L) to stringer 15 right (S-15R). Perform a detailed visual inspection of the aft fastener row attachment to the ''Y'' chord from the forward side of the aft pressure bulkhead to detect discrepancies of the entire web of the aft pressure bulk head at body station 1016.2013-05-08 Airbus A330 & A340 Replace the O-ring seals installed on the two solenoid valves of each servo control using new O-ring seals IAW Airbus All Operators Telex (AOT) A330-27A3129.2013-08-01 Boeing 737 Do a one-time general visual inspection of the left and right thrust reverser halves of each engine for damage to the upper fire seal, for stiffness of the upper fire seal, and for missing vent holes as applicable IAW SB 737-78-1086. If appropriate, drill vent holes if they are missing, and install a new bracket behind the upper fire seal retainer.2013-09-01S Boeing 737-200, -200C, -300, -400, and -500 Supersedes AD 2003-08-15. Do an external eddy current inspection for cracking in the crown lap joints. Do an internal mid-frequency eddy current (MFEC) inspection for cracking in the lap joint fastener row between tear straps of the crown lap and do a detailed inspection of the lap joint lower fastener row for cracking IAW SB 737-53A1255.2013-09-02S Boeing 737-100, -200, -200C, -300, -400, -500 Supersedes ADs 2000-25-07. Perform inspections as specified. If any flap track assembly having P/N 65- 46428-31 or 65-46428-33 is found, before further flight, replace the flap track assembly witha new or serviceable flap track assembly IAW SB 737-57A1271.2013-09-07 Bombardier CL-600-2B19 Install stopper plates on the aft uplock frame of both the right and left MLG uplock assemblies IAW SB 601R-32-109.2013-09-08 Boeing 737-300, -400, and -500 Perform an operational test of the engine fuel suction feed of the fuel system, and do all applicable corrective actions IAW SB 737-28A1407.2013-10-02S Boeing 757-200 and -200PF Supersedes AD 2003-18-05. Perform corrective actions as specified.

Biweekly 2013-11

2013-09-08C Boeing 737-300, -400, and -500 Perform an operational test of the engine fuel suction feed of the fuel system, and do all applicable corrective actions IAW SB 737-28A1307.2013-09-10S Boeing 737-100, -200, -200C, -300, -400, -500 Supersedes AD 2000-07-06. Do all applicable related investigative and corrective actions before further flight IAW SB 737-52A1100.2013-09-11 Cessna Cessna Aircraft Company Inspect the A/C compressor motor to determine whether P/N 1134104-1 or P/N 1134104-5 is installed, and if so, perform specified corrective actions.2013-10-03 Airbus A330 & A340 Supersedes AD 2010-02-10. Perform one-time detailed inspections of both MLG bogie beams in the region of the bogie stop pad for detection of deformation and damage, and apply the applicable corrective actions.

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DATA & DIRECTIVES

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

2013-10-06 Airbus A330 & A340 If it is found, during the inspection required, that any installed LH or RH windshield was manufactured by Saint-Gobain Sully (SGS) and the part number and serial number are identified in the applicable Airbus service information, replace all affected LH and RH windshields.2013-10-07 Airbus A300 Reinforce the door frame shells of passenger doors 2 and 4 on both sides of the fuselage.2013-11-03 Bombardier CL-215 Do a detailed inspection for cracking of the left-hand (LH) and right-hand (RH) wing lower skin between wing stations (WS) 45.00 and 51.00 IAW SB 215- A558.

Biweekly 2013-12

2013-11-04 Boeing 747, 767, 777 Replace the BMS 8-39 urethane foam seals (including doing a general visual inspection of the airplane sidewalls for air baffles, and of the BMS 8- 39 urethane foam for penetrations) with BMS 8-371 insulation foam or BMS 1-68 silicone foam rubber seals, as applicable, IAW SB 747-25-3381.2013-11-06 Dassault Aviation Mystere-Falcon 900, Falcon 900EX Modify the tail strobe power supply wire routing IAW SB F900-431.2013-11-07 Embraer ERJ 190 Measure the left-hand (LH) and right-hand (RH) MLG side stay support fitting to detect bushing migration IAW SB 190-57-0036. Perform corrective actions as specified.2013-11-12 Bombardier BD-100-1A10 (Challenger 300) Inspect the identification plate on the hydraulic system accumulator having part number (P/N) 900095-1 to determine if an ''E'' is part of the suffix of the serial number stamped on the identification plate. If necessary, replace the accumulator with a new or serviceable accumulator.2013-11-13 Rolls-Royce Viper Mk. 601-22 Remove the specified parts before they reach their specified new, lower, life limits.2013-11-14 Boeing 777-200 and -300 Do a general visual inspection for hydraulic fluid contamination (including contamination caused by hydraulic fluid in its liquid, vapor, and/or solid (coked) form) of the interior of the strut forward dry bay, and do all applicable related investigative and corrective actions (including checking drain lines for blockage due to hydraulic fluid coking, and cleaning or replacing drain lines to allow drainage) if necessary IAW SB 777-54-0028.2013-12-02 Engine Alliance GP7270 and GP7277 Initially borescope inspect the baffle plate feature on the disk (360 degrees) before accumulating 1,500 CSN. At next HPC module exposure, but not to exceed 6,800 CSN on the HPC stage 6 disk, remove the HPC stage 6 disk, P/N 382-100-505-0, from the engine.2013-12-03 Rolls-Royce Deutschland BR700-725A1-12 Remove fuel pump tube P/N FW64852 and replace with a part eligible for installation.

Biweekly 2013-13

2013-01-01S Bombardier CL-600-2B19 Supersedes AD 2011-23-08. Remove the hydraulic system No. 2 accumulator IAW SB 601R-29-032.2013-05-11S Airbus A318, A319, A320, A321 Supersedes AD 2010-23-07. Restore the vacuum loss holes by doing a permanent restoration with resin IAW Note 3 of Airbus AOT A320-55A1038.2013-09-04 Bombardier DHC-8-400, -401, and -402 Do a detailed inspection of the left and right nacelle fire detection wires for damage (i.e. chafing). If damage is found on any nacelle fire detection wire: Before further flight, remove and replace the damaged wire with a new wire IAW SB 84-26-11.2013-10-52 General Electric GE90-110B1 and GE90-115B Do not operate the airplane if more than one installed engine has a TGB S/N listed in AD.2013-11-16 Hawker Beechcraft BAe.125 800A, 800B, Hawker 800 Revise the Limitations section of the airplane flight manual (AFM) by inserting the text specified in AD.2013-12-01 Rolls-Royce RB211 Perform an ultrasonic inspection of each LP compressor blade.2013-13-05 Boeing 747 series Perform external sliding probe eddy current inspections of the fuselage skin for cracking IAW SB 747-53A2854. Repair any cracking found.Note: The letter ‘C’ after the AD number denotes a correction to the original ADThe letter ‘S’ after the AD number indicates that the AD supersedes a previous ADThe letter ‘R’ after the AD number indicates a revision to the original AD The letter ‘E’ after the AD number indicates an emergency ADThe 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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North America Conference 15-16 October 2013 Omni-Mont Royal Hotel, Montreal, Canada

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To take advantage of our special conference rate please quote AJW Techniquewhen you email: [email protected] or phone: +44 (0) 20 7975 1670

our EASA, TCCA/FAA approved state-of-the-art facility on 15 October where you can meet the team responsible for our uncompromising

Network with your industry colleagues at an event described by experts as “

our special

Aircraft Technology 20130809

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Transcript of Aircraft Technology 20130809