Category: Commercial

KF Aerospace Adopts dentCHECK for its Commercial MRO Operations

Canadian AMO KF Aerospace has begun using 8tree’s dentCHECK to enhance the efficiency and quality of its dent-mapping activities.    

“KF performs hundreds of structural repairs annually on a wide variety of commercial aircraft” says Gregg Evjen, chief operating officer, “Implementation of dentCHECK has allowed KF to improve accuracy, accelerate the damage mapping processes, and produce a digital record for our Engineers to utilize as they develop the repairs.”

“We are absolutely thrilled that KF Aero decided on dentCHECK, when they embraced the tool after a rigorous evaluation a couple years ago”, said Arun Chhabra, CEO, 8tree. “They joined the global community of dentCHECK users as the first Canadian firm to do so. Several other Canadian operators have since followed in their footsteps. KF Aero joins the ranks of more than three dozen MROs, airlines and OEMs that use dentCHECK daily to disposition dent-damage on aircraft across the cargo, commercial, business and defense aviation sectors. We look forward to continuing to support KF Aero’s maintenance operations and having them experience 8tree’s exceptional customer service.”

dentCHECK is the world’s only handheld-portable, completely wireless 3D scanner tool with integrated AR that is purpose-built for the aviation maintenance industry. It is now used by the world’s leading commercial, cargo and defense MROs. Delivering real-time ‘go/no-go’ answers at the push of a single-button, the tool significantly reduces damage-mapping and reporting times, compared to traditional manual methods that use depth-gauges and straight-edges.

Approved and recognized by all major aerospace OEMs (Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer), dentCHECK is used by the airlines/MROs for fast, accurate damage-mapping and SRM-compliant multi-dent reporting. When compared to traditional inspection methods, dentCHECK says it delivers a 90% gain in efficiency and 35x better measurement consistency.

OEM-acceptance has led to widespread adoption of dentCHECK amongst airlines/MROs. Detailed case-studies from easyJet, Delta TechOps and TAP-M&E, as well as news from Aeromexico, Airbus’ Flightline, DHL-Express and Zeppelin, demonstrate that dentCHECK drastically reduces inspection and reporting times by up to 90%. This shortens aircraft Turn-around-Time (TaT), which further reduces lost revenues and very directly improves operational efficiency for airlines. dentCHECK enhances safety through an improved understanding of airframe reliability.

Stark to Become new Chairman of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Technik

The chairman of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Technik, Dr. Johannes Bussmann, will leave the Lufthansa Group at his own request later this year. After more than seven years in his current role and 10 years on the Executive Board, he will hand over leadership of the company to COO Soeren Stark. 

Stark has been a member of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Technik since 2019. He previously held a number of other executive functions at Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa Technik. Subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board, he will assume his new role on 1 July 2022. Johannes Bussmann assumed leadership of the world’s leading provider of technical services in aviation in 2015 after overseeing human resources on the Executive Board for three years. After leaving Lufthansa Technik, he will become CEO of a major German technology company.

“I look back with great gratitude on my years as Chairman of the Executive Board and my 23-year career at Lufthansa Technik,” Johannes Bussmann said. “We have achieved great things during this time. I am really proud to have been a part of this success story and to have had the opportunity to lead this company over the past seven years. The time has come for me to take on new responsilities outside the aviation industry. It is a challenge that I am looking forward to tackling.”

“The chairman of Lufthansa Technik’s Supervisory Board, Dr. Detlef Kayser, said: “I would like to thank Johannes Bussmann for his outstanding work at Lufthansa Technik. He and his team have led the company safely through the crisis. Above all, he played a special role in the success and growth story that Lufthansa Technik has written in recent years. I therefore wish him all the best for the future.”

Bussmann, who holds a doctorate in engineering, began his career at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg in 1999 as a development engineer. After serving in various marketing and sales positions, he became head of the Component Supply business unit in 2007 and then of the Engine Services business unit in 2011. He was appointed to Lufthansa Technik’s Executive Board in 2012. Bussmann implemented the company’s growth and investment strategy. He also decisively drove the digitalization of the company and the development of digital products, most notably the AVIATAR digital platform for optimizing flight operations. 

His appointed successor, Soeren Stark, joined Lufthansa Technik’s Executive Board as Chief Operations Officer in January 2019. In this role, he is responsible for Technical Operations and Logistics. Previously, Stark headed the Executive Board department Operations at Lufthansa Cargo AG for three years. He began his career at Lufthansa Technik in 2004 as Managing Director of Lufthansa Technik Logistik in Hamburg. From 2011 to 2016, the industrial engineer headed the aircraft overhaul business at Lufthansa Technik AG.

Commenting on the appointment, Detlef Kayser said, “Soeren Stark has distinguished himself in various positions in our Group and achieved much. At Lufthansa Technik, he has demonstrated his abilities as an excellent manager as he developed our worldwide overhaul network and played a key role in the restructuring work performed during the corona crisis, among other areas. With his high level of expertise, experience and leadership, he will lead Lufthansa Technik successfully into the future.”

Kayser also said the early succession arrangement would ensure continuity at the top of Lufthansa Technik. It is a decision that will enable the company to defend and expand its position as the world’s leading provider of technical services, he noted.

ATP Announces Bluetail Integration Partnership

ATP announced a new integration partnership with Bluetail.

“While Flightdocs has focused on ensuring aircraft compliance and current records, this partnership and integration with Bluetail allows our operators to have complete access and control of all historical documents and data from a single platform,” explained ATP’s VP, Product Management, Business Aviation Solutions, Kent Pickard. “The opportunity to add this benefit to our customers brings an aircraft’s history under one umbrella. This approach is essential for a proactive approach to managing your aircraft and ensures a seamless and enhanced customer experience.”

The advanced digitization of historical records along with the integration will allow for Flightdocs users to search and access current and historical records directly from the Flightdocs platform. Whether preparing for a prebuy, major inspection, or an audit, the ability to not only access, but act on records and data over the life of the aircraft streamline processes and add value to both the aircraft and the operator.

“When we originally founded Bluetail, we always envisioned that our platform could become the de facto aircraft records stack for business aviation, the document “foundation” if you will. With our deep integration with ATP Flightdocs – and thus their full suite of rich and integrated maintenance software – we believe that we can now offer our mutual customers the perfect structure built upon that foundation,” said Stuart Illian, Bluetail, COO and co-founder.

AMERON of AMETEK MRO Receives FAA-PMA Approval for Oxygen Mask Overhaul Kit

AMERON, a global provider of aviation safety OEM and PMA products and third-party repair and overhaul services, recently achieved FAA-PMA approval on its Eros Mask Overhaul Kit, P/N M422B340.

The M422B340 kit is used for the overhaul of OEM Zodiac Aerospace’s MF20 Series Full Face Quick Donning Masks and is similar to the OEM P/N 422B340 in fit, form, and function.
“AMERON’s M422B340 kit will save customers money when compared to standard OEM pricing,” said Adam Brammer, divisional vice president and business manager of AMERON. “It is yet another major addition to AMERON’s constantly growing PMA parts line available for purchase on our online store.”

The M422B340 kit consists of 13 parts, which are eligible to be installed on Airbus A300, A310, A340, A380 and Boeing 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, DC-10, MD-10, MD-11 series of aircraft.

Part Number Description
M419628 Locking Block
M447883 Valve
M553008 Gasket
M553044 Seal
M555012 Valve
M555015 Diaphragm
M555016 Main Valve
M555070 Diaphragm
M555153 Combined Diaphragm
M559018 Filter
MR00220X160A20B6 O-ring
MR00490X190A5005 O-ring
MR03460X240A20B6 O-ring

AMERON recommends Zodiac Aerospace’s MF20 Series Full Face Quick Donning Masks be overhauled every six years utilizing the M422B340 overhaul kit.

Marshall Centre announces rebrand as Marshall Skills Academy

In line with a renewed strategic focus and Marshall wide purpose, Marshall has taken the opportunity to rename the Marshall Centre business unit as Marshall Skills Academy.

Marshall Skills Academy will focus mainly on delivering technical and compliance training within the civil and defence aviation sector and technical engineering apprenticeships. Their vast experience and expertise in aerospace and engineering make them ideally placed to work with the industry to address the growing global skills gap in aircraft maintenance, inspiring and developing the next generation of talent and helping existing teams to remain compliant in a safety-critical industry.

“The timing of this announcement could not be more perfect as Marshall Skills Academy are about to announce a significant contract to deliver technical apprenticeships for a major industry player in the coming weeks, general manager, Dan Edwards said. “The name change is an important part of our plans to progress the business and solidify our position as the training provder of choice to Maintenance and Repair Orginization (MRO) in the UK and beyond. The announcement, along with National Apprenticeship Week (7th – 13th February) presents a great opportunity to reveal our new brand to the world.”

For the first time ever, Marshall Skills Academy will be offering apprenticeship schemes to other organizations in the civil and military aerospace market. Investment for the development of their new state of the art training facility at Greenhouse Farm is in process, which will enable the Skills Academy to train up to 100 apprentices a year.

“Our name change to Marshall Skills Academy is a truly exciting time for the business as we look to make it clearer in what we offer our customers,” head of Aviation Excellence, Matt Siggens commented. “We have also begun to work more collaboratively with industry professionals to help them solve their biggest challenges by delivering the world-class training that puts Marshall apprentices above and beyond the competition.”

In line with the new brand, Marshall Skills Academy has launched a new website and updated their social media channels with a fresh look and feel to reflect their new name and ambitions for the future, which tells a much clearer story about who they are and what they do.

Head of Wellbeing, Jo Boyd said, “We have had a significant impact in the aerospace and defence sector for more than 100 years by delivering the best apprentices in the business and we will continue by working closely with industry to understand the future skills required to keep our apprenitces current and able to work on the next generation of aircraft and technology for many years to come.”

MHIRJ Expands MRO Network with New Facility in Macon, Georgia, Solidifying its Position as the Largest Regional MRO in the World                                                                                   

MHI RJ Aviation Group (MHIRJ) announced that it is expanding its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Network with the opening of a new facility in Macon, Georgia. The new facility will be located at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport and is part of MHIRJ’s growing footprint in North America servicing the CRJ Series fleet. 

The lease has been signed for two additional lines of maintenance, with the potential to grow that number to four, which would bring the total up to 40 lines of maintenance within the MHIRJ network. With facilities in Macon, Georgia; Bridgeport, West Virginia and Tucson, Arizona, MHIRJ is the world’s largest Regional MRO.

“We are excited about this addition to our Service Center network as it confirms MHIRJ’s position as the largest Regional MRO in the world and it allows us to provide better service for our customers,” said Hiro Yamamoto, president and CEO of MHIRJ.

“We have experienced phenomenal growth in our business and are in the middle of a strategic expansion plan of our MRO infrastructure in the United States. The new Macon facility is MHIRJ’s first investment in the state of Georgia and will allow us to expand our business and bring our operations closer to some of our key customers,” said Ismail Mokabel, senior vice president and head of Aftermarket at MHIRJ.

The new facility will add around 200 jobs in the local community at full capacity, for which MHIRJ will kickstart the hiring efforts immediately. “Our key priority now is hiring talented technicians and support staff to join the MHIRJ team,” added Ismail.

“It’s a great day in Macon-Bibb County to welcome MHIRJ to the Middle Georgia Regional Airport,” says Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller. “Our airport has become a hub of aviation activity, bringing more and more companies here.”

Robby Fountain, MBCIA Chairman said: “The Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority is proud to have an international organization like MHIRJ choose our community to expand. Being located in the Aerospace Corridor and within a purpose-built hangar complex, we are well versed in the aviation industry and know MHIRJ will add to the successes of not only our community but the world as their facility becomes operational later this year. We are enthusiastic about the partnership with MHIRJ and proud to bring more #MaconOpportunities.”

C&L Aviation Group Receives STC Certification for Embraer 135/145 Universal FMS Upgrade

C&L Aviation Services has received STC certification by the FAA for its upgrade of the Universal UNS-1K (SCN600 or SCN800) Series Flight Management System (FMS) to the UNS-1LW (SCN1000-Series) WAAS enabled unit for the Embraer 135/145 aircraft. EASA and UK CAA approval is pending and expected to be completed by spring.  

“We have invested heavily in the success of this aircraft and having a viable option for operators to upgrade their FMS systems as these systems continue to evolve is an important piece of that,” said Charlie Carroll, Avionics sales manager for C&L Aviation Services. “Having our own in-house engineering group allows us to dedicate resources to STC projects like this one that meets customer’s needs.”

C&L has been modifying and upgrading the interiors and systems on ERJs for several years and specializes in converting these aircraft into business-class and luxury jets. C&L also provides on-site engineering, avionics support, aircraft exterior painting, and heavy maintenance services. The company also carries one of the world’s largest inventories of ERJ parts in their warehouse, which helps to reduce maintenance times associated with these types of projects. Currently, the company is developing several other ERJ upgrades including a new 1st-class seat design.

Nordam Holds Grand Opening for New Asia-Pacific Facility

NORDAM celebrated the completion and grand opening today of NORDAM Asia Limited, its new 5,828-square-meter aircraft component repair facility at Taoyuan International Airport. NORDAM Asia Limited is a joint venture with China Airlines, the flag carrier of Taiwan. Local government and aviation industry dignitaries joined executives from both companies for an opening ceremony, followed by a reception.

Based in the U.S. city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, independently-owned NORDAM is a provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul of component parts for the commercial and military aviation industry. The company previously provided these services to the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore for more than 20 years.  In 2017, it entered a synergetic arrangement with existing customer China Airlines to create efficiencies and share access to local resources, transitioning NORDAM’s repair facility from Singapore to Taiwan to establish NORDAM Asia Limited.

“Taiwan is well positioned geographically, and many of our customers find the new location will simplify logistics, which helps control repair costs,” NORDAM Asia Limited Chairman T. Hastings Siegfried said. He added that Taiwan has a positive industrial environment, reliable infrastructure, a good technical workforce, and a strong supply base for tooling, logistics and other key commodities. 

ALUULA Commercializes the World’s Lightest and Strongest Soft Composite Materials for the Aviation & Defense Industry

ALUULA Composites is pleased to announce that it has successfully launched an entirely new class of lightweight soft composites, calling them “a new class of world leading ‘lightest and strongest’ composite fabrics.”

ALUULA says they have developed a patented proprietary technique for fusing disparate materials at the molecular level, removing the need for heavy glues while creating much stronger bonds between the laminated layers. Using the world’s strongest known polymers as input materials, the ALUULA process delivers technical results that are significantly better than anything currently available in the soft composite world. The weight of an ALUULA composite material can be as much as 50% lighter than competitive materials while still delivering equal or greater strength characteristics. The ALUULA process also allows the use of input materials that were previously difficult to bond to, unlocking “next level” technical specifications.

“Between the interest in our materials generated from the ISPO Awards and the transformational effect our composites have had in the Wind Sport sector, ALUULA is now in co-development conversations with industry leaders from a broad range of uses and applications. It is an extremely exciting time for our entire team” said ALUULA COO John Zimmerman.

The ALUULA Vaepor series was given the ISPO Textrends Best Soft Product Award for 2021/22, acknowledging the many benefits the material offers over current industry standards. The ALUULA Vaepor series provides the world’s highest strength to weight characteristics while remaining extremely durable.

The ALUULA Durlyte series was recognized by ISPO Textrends as a Top 5 winner at the 2022/23 Awards while also achieving finalist status at the 2021 Outdoor Retailer Awards. Using the same ALUULA process, the ALUULA Durlyte series is by far the most durable composite material available in its weight class. In third party abrasion testing, ALUULA Durlyte is almost 10x more abrasion resistant as any other material available in the market.

ALUULA says they are already in co-development with industry leaders in several industry sectors where the idea of Lighter and Stronger soft composites provides clear advantages. These efforts are driving further innovation and Intellectual Property in the material bonding sciences. Very promising additional cross linking technology development continues between ALUULA and its chemistry partners.

MTU Maintenance and Nayak Group Enter Collaboration to Expand Service Offering

MTU Maintenance, global market leader in customized solutions for aero engines and the Nayak Group, line and base maintenance specialists, have entered into a collaboration agreement to offer a broader variety of services to each of their respective customer groups. From now onwards, MTU Maintenance is able offer its wide range of on-site engine services in combination with aircraft line and base maintenance services, a new addition and to be performed by the Nayak group, to all its customers. In turn, the Nayak group will also be offering more extensive engine services, via MTU Maintenance, to its aircraft customers.

“This agreement is the next step in MTU’s commitment to our customers to increase our services and network and become the number one on-site engine service provider in Europe,” says Martin Friis-Petersen, SVP MRO Programs, MTU Aero Engines. “We are excited to be partnering with such an experienced maintenance provider to improve the speed at which we can support customers with comprehensive solutions that minimize downtime and keep airlines flying.”

“The Nayak Group is a fast and reliable MRO provider specialized for airline customers worldwide,” adds Jörg Sauerland, Managing Director of Nayak Germany. “We are delighted to be collaborating with MTU Maintenance, expanding our existing engine services such as performance washes, changes and borescopes to include the breadth and depth of the MTU portfolio and expertise. With our complementary service portfolio, we can provide our customers a wide range of solutions.” With its decentralized network of 50 facilities in 16 countries, the Nayak Group performs line and base maintenance services worldwide and services more than 75 aircraft and engine combinations.