Category: Commercial

Need a Bolt that Will Last 15X Longer? Lambda says LPB is the Answer

You don’t need a highly engineered bolt for assembling furniture. But what about assembling an airplane body? Bolting a turbine engine disc to a rotor? Repairing a racecar suspension? In 1989, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge’s upper deck suffered a catastrophic collapse in part because of a corroded bolt.

The performance of threaded fasteners – screws, nuts, and bolts – is critical in commercial engineering. The Fastener Quality Act of 1990 was enacted by Congress after several high-profile fastener failures, like the San Francisco bridge collapse, according to the National Institutes of Standards and Technology.

Lambda Technologies Group has released a study showing how threaded fastener fatigue life can be dramatically improved by using compressive residual stress.

In an experiment conducted on a threaded rod manufactured from B7 steel (AISI 4140, ASTM) AI93), Lambda Technologies used Low Plasticity Burnishing (LPB) to introduce high compressive residual stress into a threaded fillet. Fatigue testing showed the LPB samples had a fatigue life 15X greater than the untreated specimens.

Low Plasticity Burnishing or LPB is a patented mechanical process that applies pressure to the surface of metal components using a custom-designed hydrostatic burnishing tool. The pressure is delivered with enough force to generate plastic deformation, compressing a layer of the metal so that it resists damage from foreign objects, corrosion fatigue, fretting, stress corrosion cracking, and other common damage mechanisms.

“The LPB process provides a means of introducing an optimal compressive residual stress in the thread root where failures occur,” explained Doug Hornbach, CEO of Lambda Research, Inc., the research and materials testing laboratory that is part of Lambda Technologies Group. “Manufacturing processes used to form threads do not produce the compression that can be generated with LPB. Shot peening, which is a widely used surface enhancement method, will dimple and distort the thread face while not adequately treating the thread root. LPB works because we can design custom-shaped tooling that fits into the root of the thread.”

Lambda conducted this experiment on steel, but LPB can be performed on almost any alloy.

“The speed at which we can treat the screws and bolts is another major benefit of the process,” commented Paul Prevéy, CEO of Surface Enhancement Technologies (SET), the division of Lambda Technologies Group that develops surface treatment solutions for commercial engineering applications. “LPB is performed on conventional CNC machines. With customized tooling installed on a high-speed lathe application, LPB is applied in a second or less.”

The complete case study on improving threaded fastener fatigue performance is available on Lambda’s website at http://www.lambdatechs.com/diffraction-notes.

 

ATS Texas Pneumatic Systems (TPS) Selected as Honeywell Channel Partner

ATS (Aviation Technical Services) announced its subsidiary business of Texas Pneumatic Systems (TPS) has been selected by Honeywell to join Honeywell’s global channel partner network. This agreement enables TPS to be listed as a certified Honeywell repair station for select aviation parts, creating a partnership benefiting mutual customers surrounding the repair, overhaul, and service of a range of airframe and engine components and their related accessories.

“ATS is honored to join the Honeywell channel partner network,” said Brian Olsen, ATS president of Component and Engineering Solutions. “Our ATS Component Repair business has grown significantly since 2015 and this Honeywell partnership helps us continue to do so through greater access to Honeywell approved parts and support, amongst other benefits.”ATS offerings include:
•Airframe Services: Heavy maintenance and modification
•Component Repair: Providing repair and rotable exchange options for accessories, composites, electrical and fuel components, flight control surfaces, hydraulics, pneumatics and structures
•Engineering Solutions: PMA parts, STC offerings, as well as design and repair engineering
•Ranger Asset Management: Component part sales, consignment, and inventory distribution services available for virtually every commercial airframe and engine platform. Also includes asset acquisition and teardown activities

Deloitte Names Coykendall as U. S. Aerospace and Defense Leader

Deloitte announced the appointment of John Coykendall, a principal at Deloitte Consulting, to lead its U.S. aerospace and defense (A&D) sector within the U.S. industrial products and construction practice. Additionally, Coykendall was named Deloitte’s global aerospace and defense sector leader. He succeeds Robin Lineberger, who will be retiring from Deloitte in May.

Based in Stamford, Connecticut, Coykendall will lead the overall strategic direction of the A&D sector, as well as the go-to-market strategies for Deloitte’s key businesses including audit & assurance, consulting, tax and risk & financial advisory services. Among Deloitte’s A&D clients are companies on the Fortune 500, including the aerospace; commercial aircraft; business and general aviation; space and ship building; and defense industries.

“We are confident John’s sector, client and leadership experience will provide an excellent foundation to continue our momentum in the A&D market,” said Paul Wellener, vice chairman, Deloitte and U.S. industrial products and construction leader. “He is well-positioned to help our clients transform amid the multidimensional challenges facing the sector, including and especially recovery from the pandemic. We congratulate John on his new role and thank Robin for his exceptional leadership and contributions to the organization.”

Most recently, Coykendall served as the consulting leader for Deloitte’s global industrial products and construction practice. During his 25-year career, he has worked extensively with global companies with highly engineered products in the A&D, industrial products and automotive industries. He has led large-scale transformation efforts to help businesses with strategic cost transformation and operations/supply chain initiatives.

“The pandemic has created never-before-seen challenges and opportunities for the A&D sector,” said Coykendall. “While the long-term impacts for the commercial aerospace sector remain to be seen, rapid innovation in emerging and transformative technologies are ushering in a new era of aviation. I’m honored to take on this leadership role at such a pivotal time in the industry. I look forward to helping our clients, across the sector, navigate the complex and bold moves required to accelerate adoption of industry 4.0 and other generational step-changes that are expected to drive growth and shape the industry of the future.”

Coykendall has an undergraduate degree from Lafayette College in business and economics; and government and law. He also holds an MBA from Duke University.

BA Group Adds to Real Estate Portfolio with Exclusive Property Hagerstown Area

Business Aviation Group, LLC is proud to add a purpose-built MRO/Defense Hangar to its industry-leading real estate portfolio in the US.

Located at the Hagerstown Regional Airport and currently available for lease, Hangar 65 is well-equipped for a variety of aviation services and business applications – from Flight Departments to Aircraft Service Centers and MRO operations.

Built in 2007, Hangar 65 offers 20,000 square feet of office/shop space and 40,000 square feet of state-of-the-art Hangar space. The large Hangar footprint – which features heated flooring, compressed air and foam fire suppression – makes it ideal for heavy and ultra-long-range aircraft.

“BA Group caters to discerning aviation clients looking for versatile and modern facilities in key locations,” said Will Mace, Associate Broker, BA Group. “Specifically designed with the needs of a large MRO/defense contractor in mind, Hangar 65 fits our real estate portfolio perfectly.”

Located just a 35-minute flight or 90-minute drive northwest of the DC/Baltimore area, Hagerstown Regional Airport is an important business hub in the North West region and is currently completing a $6 million terminal expansion project which is set to be completed this spring.

“The Hangar 65 facility has been an important flagship at our airfield for many years,” said Garrison Plessinger, Airport director, Hagerstown Regional Airport. “As we prepare to unveil our newly designed terminal, we are proud to include it in our airport community.”

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/y4vv39ax

Aeroji Announces Operational Beta Start Of Their Aero-Engine Leasing & Sales Platform

Aeroji GmbH, a startup based in Berlin, Germany that develops a social marketplace platform for aero engine trading and leasing, announced Halftime for the initiated beta testing phase and as such is inviting all interested aviation professionals to join and contribute to tailor the platform accordingly.

Starting Thursday, March 04, 2021 the beta testing phase of the Aeroji marketing module will be accessible and in operational mode for three months, reaching the second big company milestone after the launch in December. Within the first half of the Beta phase the Aeroji Team additionally secured MTU Maintenance Lease Services B.V. and British Airways as Beta users. The company says the platform is continuously improving, also according to valuable feedback of the current beta users. Aeroji says, “Customer feedback is taken seriously, highly appreciated and welcomed with open arms.”

Apart from minor bug fixes and performance enhancements the testing phase is not only used to implement new and tailor-made features and functionalities but also lets beta users explore a new digitized approach of searching, assessing, trading, networking and more.

Additionally, Aeroji began holding Webinars in order to guide the user through the platform and offer a glance in future functionalities. “We are convinced that Beta users are part of the success equation and therefore need to know exactly what we are currently working on and how to use newly set up features, which will be beneficial for their daily business. We are continuously developing the platform and webinars are the best way to communicate with the users directly in order to receive quick and honest feedback regarding our developments. In principle we cherish the dialogue and the results out of it over than just presenting a product without customer proximity,” says Dimitri Martel, co-founder and managing director of Aeroji.

In December 2020 the Aeroji introduced a playground phase for all beta users to explore the platform and its features. Starting from March 2021 Aeroji says they will leave the playground phase and switch to the operational phase with real assets in the database.

“The platform is evolving but nothing has changed regarding any interested professionals, please be welcome to join at any time during the Beta phase,” says Martel. Moreover, Aeroji sets itself up for future functionalities and strives for supporting the MRO community with tailor-made processes. Therefore, MRO professionals are welcome to join the platform as well. The platform will benefit from the growth and provide continuously more value with growing network.

FEAM Has New Partnership with Sunaero in Cincinnati

FEAM announced a new partnership with Sunaero-Americas. FEAM is a provider of airline line maintenance and engineering services to domestic and international air carriers flying transport planes throughout the U. S. Sunaero, a fuel tank and fuel systems repair specialists, will provide on-site fuel system repair services at the new FEAM MRO hangar located at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG) International Airport that caters to the growing air cargo fleet.

“FEAM’s strategic partnerships with aviation technical specialists like Sunaero has solidified our company as the leading provider of line maintenance in the MRO industry,” said Scott Diaz, Director of Business Development. “Reducing the recovery time of out of service aircraft and improving fleet performance of our airline partners is a core initiative at FEAM, resulting in continued expansions and deploying line support services to over 28 airports across the country this year.”

FEAM opened the 103,000-square-foot and $19 million hangar at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) early last year. The facility created the need for more than 100 high-paying aircraft mechanic jobs and supports the growing global logistics network at the airport. The hangar accommodates all narrow-body aircraft, as well as the Boeing B747 aircraft.

“At Sunaero-Americas, we strive to put quality and customer satisfaction first, and we are proud to share this commitment with FEAM, said Havan Tucker, Sunaero CEO. This partnership offers an opportunity for both FEAM and SUNAERO to better serve our valued customers.”

Sunaero utilizes helium tracer gas technology to pressurize the fuel system which allows for rapid identification of the leak point with the use of helium leak detection sensors. Repairs are then conducted timely and once completed, helium tracer gas is again used to re-pressurize the fuel system and confirm the leak point is repaired. This is accomplished without re-fueling the aircraft until after the leak point is confirmed repaired and therefore saves time and money to return the aircraft to service.

 

Wencor Announces New CEO

Wencor Group has announced that Shawn Trogdon has been promoted to chief executive officer. Trogdon succeeds Chris Curtis, who is stepping down as CEO on August 31 to retire.

Trogdon joined Wen cor in 2014 as global controller and has held the CFO position at the company since 2016. He brings more than 15 years of executive leadership experience in the aerospace industry, having consistently demonstrated an ability to build, grow and enable high-performing teams and businesses. Prior to Wencor, Trogdon held senior finance positions at Wesco Aircraft Holdings, an aircraft parts distributor, Landmark Aerospace, an aviation services company and Grant Thornton, an independent audit, tax and advisory firm.

“As the aerospace industry navigates a complex and rapidly evolving environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe that Wencor has the unique opportunity to not only adapt and recover, but also emerge stronger and more resilient. Wencor remains committed to providing world-class customer excellence and innovative solutions to the aerospace aftermarket,” said Trogdon. “I also want to thank Chris for his leadership of our company over the past four years and wish him the best in his retirement.”

Curtis joined Wencor in 2016 as CEO, during which time he helped the Company grow its strategic customer relationships through Wencor’s Total Material Solutions programs, expand and deepen Wencor’s OEM supplier relationships, and improve the operational delivery and product development functions to deliver industry leading responsiveness, customer service, and economic value to Wencor’s airline and MRO customers.

“It has been a privilege to serve as CEO of Wencor for the last four years, and I am incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished,” Curtis said. “Now is a natural time to transition leadership as Wencor enters its next chapter and Shawn is the ideal person to continue to grow Wencor’s business lines and deliver long-term value.“

“We thank Chris for his contributions to the company and dedication to developing Wencor into a market leading aftermarket components and repair platform,” said Dan Zamlong, managing director at Warburg Pincus. “We are excited to continue to partner with Shawn for the next phase of the company’s growth. Shawn’s deep understanding of the industry and business will ensure Wencor’s continued execution on its mission to provide innovative solutions, particularly in the post-Covid world, that enable airlines and MRO providers to maintain aircraft with maximum reliability, availability and cost efficiency.”

PW4000 That Failed Had Less Than Half Allowable Cycles

The United B777 Pratt & Whitney engine that failed on Flight 328 had flown les than half the flights allowed between fan blade inspections several reports have indicated. The blades are supposed to be inspected every 6500 cycles – a cycle being one take-off and landing – and this aircraft had only 3000.

Japan and South Korea have ground B777s in those countries pending fan blade inspections. FAA says they had discussed requiring inspections sooner after a Japan Airlines incident involving a PW4000 in December. Subsequent to the United incident, the FAA issued an Emergency AD for inspections.

JetBlue Reaffirms its Investment in Crewmembers with Focus on Increasing Access, Equity and Diversity

JetBlue announced plans to launch new internal career development programs that reaffirm its commitment to crewmembers and support its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategy. These new pathways focus on creating greater access to select career paths, fostering equity by removing barriers to entry and increasing representation in senior leadership.

JetBlue is launching two new development programs focused on three career trajectories: 1) a new pathway from frontline operational jobs to corporate services roles, and 2) opportunities for crewmembers to pursue careers as pilots or aircraft maintenance technicians.

The pathway from the operation to corporate services is designed to help nurture, develop and grow future leaders. This path will include hands-on experience including a mix of classroom learning and support, and two rotational job placements, based on business need, with job placement assistance upon completion of the program.

The pilot and aircraft maintenance technician gateway programs will alleviate some of the known barriers to entry for these careers such as financing and fears of leaving a permanent job, while adding some certainty and a defined pathway to the process.

“We created these initiatives because at JetBlue our crewmembers and culture are key to our success,” said Mike Elliott, chief people officer, JetBlue. “Our new initiatives will help remove some of the barriers candidates may face so we can better help talent continue to grow. Realizing we don’t all start from the same place, equity and accessibility are at the center of our new crewmember development efforts. These new programs will help us build a more diverse internal pipeline.”

These pathways join JetBlue’s other development programs like JetBlue Scholars, its employer-sponsored college degree program, and its Gateway Select pilot training initiative, which have proven valuable for crewmember growth.

JetBlue’s evolved DEI strategy – Increasing representation in senior leadership

Crewmember feedback was part of the impetus for JetBlue to reexamine and evolve its DEI strategy, which now concentrates on three areas: people, sourcing and brand. JetBlue’s DEI strategy includes an investment in crewmembers’ development, retention and growth like the two pathways programs, as well as long-term efforts to engage and work with minority and women owned businesses (MWBE), and more.

JetBlue’s goal is to reflect the diverse communities and cultures it serves in all aspects of our airline. While JetBlue is a fairly diverse organization overall, this representation decreases significantly in corporate services and is even less in senior leadership roles. As a result, JetBlue is making a significant commitment to diversity its leadership, including:

  • Doubling its race and ethnic minority representation at the officer and director level, from 12.5 percent today to 25 percent by the end of 2025
  • Increasing its representation of women at the officer and director level, from 32 percent today to 40 percent by the end of 2025

“Diversity affects our ability to attract and retain top talent, while a more inclusive workplace drives better decision-making and innovation. Our greatest area of improvement is within our officer and director positions where the racial and ethnic composition has remained limited in growth. We can do better. With these commitments, and new programs we’re cultivating a more diverse workforce and charting a path to meet these objectives for both our crewmembers’ development as well as business’ success,” Elliott continued.

Another Triple 7 Makes Emergency Landing

Pilots of a Russian operated Boeing 777 made a emergency landing today due to a possible engine failure indication. The Rossiya Airlines flight was en route from Hong Kong to Madrid when they received the warning light and opted to divert and land. They went to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport and landed safely. There were 25 people onboard the mostly-cargo flight. There were no reported injuries.