Industry News

Feb. 14, 2011

Maintenance scholarship
The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) has established a $500 aviation maintenance scholarship through the Northrop Rice Foundation (NRF). The award will go to a student attending an FAA certificated Part 147 school, with the winner selected by NRF’s board of directors. For more information visit http://www.northropricefoundation.org/index.php/scholarships.

Helicopter maintenance seminar
Conklin & de Decker offers Helicopter Maintenance Management – Essential Tools for Your New Role, a seminar aimed at providing helicopter maintenance managers the tools needed to master their new position. It will be held on March 28 and 29 in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area To register or to learn more about this seminar go to www.conklindd.com.

Master Mechanics
Dave Stevenson received the FAA’s Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award and the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award on the same day in November. Gerald Martelli with the FAA’s Nashville office presented the awards to Stevenson who thought he was just going to a cookout.

Ron Utecht, TIMCO Aviation Services Co-CEO, president and COO, has received the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award.

Prior to joining TIMCO in 2005, he had retired from United Airlines after a 39-year career.

Master Aviation Educator
Gary M. Brossett, a Pratt & Whitney quality engineer and resident of Midland, GA, recently was accredited as a Master Aviation Educator (MAE) by Master Instructors LLC, the international accrediting authority for Master Instructor designations as well as the FAA-approved “Master Instructor Program.” Fewer than 700 aviation educators worldwide have achieved one or more of the Master accreditations thus far. Brossett is one of only 13 Georgia teachers of aviation to earn this prestigious “Master” title. Brossett is an AMTSociety member and frequent member of AMT Forum.

2011 Aviation Summit
The Center for Aviation and Aerospace Leadership (CAAL) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide will host its second Aviation and Aerospace Manufacturing Summit on Feb. 23-25, 2011, at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn in Orlando, FL. The two-day summit will present data and address issues on the state of aerospace manufacturing in the United States and around the world for both military and commercial markets, as well as address key trends and industry projections. Events will include workshops on leadership and strategy, lectures, and panel discussions. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.

Weight and Balance Handbook
The essential guide for pilots, flight crews, and aircraft mechanics, Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook, FAA-H-8083-1A, by the Federal Aviation Administration is available. Beginning with the basic principles of aircraft weight and balance, The Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook is the official U.S. government guide for pilots, covering procedures for preparing to weigh and actually weighing an aircraft. The FAA emphasizes the importance of this meticulous work, including examples of documentation furnished by the aircraft manufacturer and by the FAA to ensure the aircraft weight and balance records contain the proper data. It is available from Skyhorse Publishing, skyhorsepublishing.com.

SCLA School of Aviation
A class of 43 is the first graduating class from the Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA) School of Aviation, with full certification in general aviation mechanics, and the more comprehensive power plant and airframe mechanical training. The SCLA School of Aviation was formed in 2006 with the intent of educating Victor Valley residents in aircraft mechanics, making them ready for employment as jobs become available with companies located at SCLA. With this graduating class, nearly 50 percent are either already employed or will soon be employed by SCLA companies. Other graduates have found employment at other area airports or aviation companies, including Lockheed and the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Barstow.

Chromalloy opens Beijing office
Chromalloy has opened an office in Beijing, China, to better serve customers in the region. The new office expands the company’s staff to a group of sales leaders with deep industry expertise in each key segment. It has completed the expansion and doubled capacity recently at its turbine component repair and manufacturing center in Bangkok, Thailand. And last year the company invested more than $27 million to expand its turbine engine component casting operation in Tampa, FL (See page 18). To better serve customers in China, Chromalloy also launched its web site in Chinese. The site, at www.chromalloy.com, is available in Chinese and English.

Compound achieves NAS specification
Simrit’s E454 EPDM (ethylene-propylene rubber) compound was recently certified to NAS (National Aerospace Standard) 1613 Revision 5 Specification. The certification, which establishes the requirements for elastomer seal elements used in hydraulic systems using phosphate ester fluids, applies to all commercially available phosphate ester hydraulic fluids.
Simrit’s E454 black compound is intended for NAS-1611-XXXA and NAS-1612-YYA (A-code) series O-rings. Developed by Simrit in 2005, the E454 compound is applicable for the following applications: commercial aircraft hydraulic flight control units (primary and secondary); power units and pumps; and aircraft braking systems.

Sun ‘n Fun airshow
The world’s best-known air show performers return to Lakeland, FL, again this year for the 37th annual Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In & Expo, which will be held March 29 to April 3 at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. Sun ’n Fun will again feature a daily air show that runs from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday (April 13 – 15) and from 2:00 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (April 16 – 18). The night air show will take to the sky on Friday, April 1, at dusk. For the airshow schedule visit www.sun-n-fun.org/FlyIn/SchedulesMaps/airshowSchedule.aspx.

Repair facility in China
ST Aerospace’s joint venture (JV) company, ST Aerospace (Guangzhou) Aviation Services Company Limited, has received the business licence from the Administration of Industry and Commerce of the Guangzhou Municipality to establish its aircraft repair facility in Guangzhou, China.

The JV company will be an associated company of ST Aerospace and will be operated and managed as a part of ST Aerospace’s global network of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities. Expected to begin operations in the second half of 2013, it will perform commercial aircraft MRO for Airbus, Boeing, and McDonnell Douglas aircraft.

NS Aviation to locate in NC
NS Aviation, a start-up provider of aircraft maintenance and repair services, will locate in Forsyth County, North Carolina. The company plans to create 308 jobs and invest $1.27 million during the next four years in Winston-Salem.

The facility, originally built and operated by Piedmont Airlines, was most recently the home of Pace Airlines which ceased operations in 2009. NS Aviation plans to revive much of the former repair business of Pace Airlines and expects to hire many of the former Pace employees that are currently unemployed.

The project was made possible in part by a $300,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund. It provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state.

FlightSafety to offer Bombardier training
FlightSafety International plans to offer training for the Bombardier Challenger 605 aircraft in Europe. Training is scheduled to begin in early 2012 at the company’s London Farnborough Training Center in the United Kingdom.

The Challenger 605 training program will be conducted using a new FlightSafety designed and manufactured full flight simulator. It will be qualified to the highest standards by aviation regulatory agencies worldwide and feature the company’s industry leading VITAL X Visual System and advanced electric motion and control loading technology.

FlightSafety has provided professional training for pilots, maintenance technicians, and other aviation professionals who operate and support Bombardier aircraft for more than 40 years.

Aviaservices receives 145 approval
Aviaservices Ltd (Manston, United Kingdom) has received FAA Part 145 approval. This will provide it with the ability to Dual Release products in conjunction with its already held EASA Part 145 approval. The MRO facility in Manston, Kent, has extensive capability within the following areas: wheels and brakes, oxygen bottles, batteries, ELTs, galley insert equipment, catering equipment, cargo equipment, and aircraft interior refurbishment. For further information visit www.aviaservices.com.