Category: Commercial

Turkish Technic Offers Connectivity Upgrade with its New Server and WAP Products

Turkish Technic has completed the design, production and certification process of its new server and wireless access point (WAP) products, the backbone of in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems. This also marks a new milestone of in-house production in aviation sector for Turkish Technic following the production of its aviation seats and galley. Turkish Technic’s new server and WAP surpass the competition with the features such as easy integration with various software applications and providing flexibility in determining equipment configuration according to current system requirements.

Providing the option of storing media (movies, videos, newspapers, magazines etc.), internet access and sharing the content with the passengers abroad the aircraft, servers act as a media source to transform air travel into a fun experience. Developed and produced by Turkish Technic, the products are customized according to the market needs and equipped with new features. Both the server and WAP are a step up from the IFE & Connectivity market competition. The new server provides 6 TB of data storage, which is 3 times bigger than its counterparts. The WAP has 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz dual band radio.

“During these challenging times that affect aviation and the whole world, our commitment to improve our software and hardware capabilities continues. Being a leading MRO company in the world, we work to improve our service quality as well as the product range,” said Ahmet Karaman, general manager of Turkish Technic. “With an aim to provide best connectivity products in the market, our team continues to bring their best efforts forward to achieve that goal. After developing and producing our aircraft galley and seats, we now add our servers and WAP products to the list. We would not be able to do all this without the passion and commitment of our people. I thank them for their tireless efforts and cooperation.”

Developed by the skilled and dedicated experts and engineers at Turkish Technic, the server and WAP are designed to meet all advanced communication needs of its customers. With their full function tests and trials in extreme conditions complete, the server and WAP are approved by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Iberia Maintenance Selects Ramco

Software specialist Ramco Systems announced that it will implement its aviation software, Ramco Aviation M&E MRO Suite for Iberia Maintenance (Iberia MRO), an MRO service provider in IAG Group.

Ramco Aviation Software will replace multiple systems to unify operations across airframe maintenance, engine shops, component shops & supply chain. In addition, Iberia Maintenance would also benefit from digital enablers such as Mobility via AnywhereApps, HUBs, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Dashboards and integration to ecosystem offerings powered by Ramco.

The technology transformation program will enable Iberia Maintenance to future-proof its business growth while offering simplified user experience driving better user adoption, increase process automation and self-service, among others.

Implementing this new ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) brings four important advantages for Iberia MRO: first, maximum mobility in accessing documentation and assigning maintenance tasks online, among others; second, information and real-time update of the work carried out on the Aircraft; third, the reliability and agility of having a single source of information for Iberia MRO production management system and, finally, a much more sustainable and efficient paperless solution, as Ramco Aviation ERP eliminates printing and scanning for tasks to be performed.

This new ERP developed by Ramco will be used by more than 3,000 Iberia maintenance personnel. A 50 people team will work in its implementation project.

“We were looking for a best of breed Aviation MRO Software that caters to our different business lines. Ramco Aviation were the standout option which offers comprehensive MRO-specific functionality all in a unified offering as an out of the box solution. We are confident, the digital transformation program with Ramco will help us bring major benefits to our customers through operational efficiencies, reduced maintenance TAT, simplified processes and improved productivity,” Andy Best, chief technical officer, Iberia Maintenance, said. “Also, as an organization, we strongly believe in investing in the latest technology and innovation to help deliver superior and differentiated services to customers. Our partnership with Ramco will help us stay ahead on the Innovation front. Together, we look forward to delivering this game changing technology.”

Virender Aggarwal, CEO, Ramco Systems, added, “We are excited to partner with Iberia Maintenance to help them achieve great heights in the market. Our laser sharp focus in building deep MRO specific functionality coupled with latest technological tools has helped us win the trust of global majors. The pandemic has driven many large businesses to speed up their digital transformation agenda. We are keen to support Iberia Maintenance with our best-in-class mobility, chatbots and AI capabilities to achieve business growth. We look forward to a long and successful journey with them.”

Innovative Solutions & Support Flat Panel Display System Upgrade Continues Strong Growth in Air Cargo Sector

Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) announced their Cockpit/IP FPDS System Upgrade for Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft is now in operation on well over 400 airplanes worldwide. IS&S stated, “the significant shift in air carrier operations toward cargo movements has brought the need for more freight-configured aircraft to the marketplace, and many available aircraft for that mission are these proven Boeing airliners.”

S&S believes the growth trend toward older aircraft being reconfigured for cargo operations will continue, as these aircraft provide a cost-effective ease of entry for the legacy carriers and also for newer operators initiating or expanding their air cargo platforms. “The IS&S system provides greatly enhanced economy for these older aircraft, and also increases their residual values as well as delivering safety benefits to everyday operations. Several notable freight operators have opted into our Cockpit/IP system upgrade for their Boeing fleets,” IS&S stated.

The IS&S flight deck upgrade replaces aging flight instruments on the Classic Series Boeing 737 and the 757/767, utilizing a common 10.4-inch LCD display architecture that IS&S developed and certified to increase operational performance, improve dispatch and on-time arrival, simplify maintenance, enhance situational awareness and improve safety for legacy aircraft. The IS&S retrofit decreases fuel consumption and aircraft weight, resulting in operational savings and reduced CO2 emissions. The system also achieves 3 and 10 day MMEL approval.

Utilizing existing wiring, the installation can be completed in 24 hours while reducing the component count by 70% and removing approximately 180 pounds of legacy equipment, without the operator having to wait through heavy maintenance checks and extended aircraft downtime.

First ATR 72-600F Aircraft Delivered to FedEx Express

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and the world’s largest express transportation company, announced the delivery of the first ATR 72-600F aircraft to its feeder aircraft network. The delivery of the new state-of-the-art freighter was made from ATR to FedEx in Toulouse, France.

“The arrival of the first ATR 72-600F is a major milestone in the modernization of our feeder aircraft fleet, and it positions us strongly to continue growing our global footprint and serve more customers in locations that aren’t always accessible by our larger jet fleet,” said Scot Struminger, EVP and CEO of Aviation, FedEx Express. “The ATR 72-600F was constructed with input from FedEx engineers every step of the way, so we’re proud and excited to finally take possession of this impressive aircraft.”

The ATR 72-600F is the first-ever production freighter built by ATR and can carry heavier payloads than ATRs converted from passenger configuration. The aircraft has a large cargo door, allowing for carriage of bulk cargo as well as Unit Load Device (ULD) configurations. It has a bulk capacity of 2,630 cubic feet (74.5 cubic meters), and when in ULD mode it can accommodate up to seven LD3 containers or five 88” x 108” pallets.

FedEx originally announced the purchase agreement with ATR in November 2017. Under the agreement, FedEx Express made a firm purchase of 30 ATR 72-600F aircraft with options to purchase up to 20 more. Subsequent deliveries will be about six aircraft per year over a five-year period. The first ATR aircraft will be operated by ASL Airlines Ireland, a FedEx ATR operator since 2000, as part of the FedEx Express Feeder fleet.

FedEx currently deploys 364 feeder aircraft operating in 56 countries. Most of these feeder aircraft are owned by FedEx and leased and operated by different third-party air carriers under their own operating certificates. The FedEx feeder fleet is comprised of aircraft under 60,000 pounds maximum gross take-off weight and allows the company to provide fast, economical services to small and medium-sized businesses around the world.

Aircraft Mechanic Dies After Being Crushed by Vehicle at O’Hare

An Envoy Air maintenance mechanic, Jijo George, aged 35, was pinned by a ground equipment vehicle and crushed at Chicago O’Hare Intl. Airport on December 15, 2020. He was transported to a nearby hospital, Resurrection Medical Center, where he died. An autopsy was performed and his death determined to be accidental.

An aircraft drivable pushback apparatus was the equipment George was pinned under.

“We are providing support to the family and our employees to help them through this loss,” Envoy Air spokesperson. Minnette Vélez-Conty, said in a statement.

“Currently, the situation is under investigation by our safety organization. We reiterate our commitment to safety and security as we conscientiously maintain policies, processes and systems to achieve the highest levels of safety in the workplace.”

George was married with one child and one on the way.

S. S. White Flexible Rotary Shafts Activate Nexcelle’s Thrust Reverser Actuation System On the CFM International LEAP-1B Turbofan Engines Powering The Recertified Boeing 737 MAX

S.S. White Technologies, supplier of flexible rotary shafts for the aerospace industry, is supplying the flexible shafts that transmit power to activate the Thrust Reverser Actuation Systems (TRAS) on the CFM International LEAP-1B turbofan engines that power the recertified Boeing 737 MAX aircraft now back in service.

When an aircraft has landed, the TRAS is activated and redirects the engines thrust by exposing deflecting vanes along the sides of the engine nacelles. These deflectors force the engine’s thrust to exit forward working with the wheel braking system to help slow the ground speed of the aircraft.

S.S. White provides flexible rotary shafts that transfer power to synchronize the actuators that open both halves of the thrust reverser units upon landing.  These same flexible rotary shafts also help lock the TRAS system to prevent any inadvertent engagement during flight.

In addition, S. S. White says all of their aerospace flexible shaft products are designed to one of the “industry’s highest performance criteria by utilizing a unique computer modeling software program developed by S.S. White called PERFLEXION.”  The company says this program allows the design engineers to fully model the behavioral characteristics of the wire bundles within the shaft core and arrive at an optimum product that provides maximum bending flexibility and torsion strength while allowing minimal torsion deflection with up to a 30 percent improvement above current industry standards.

IBA Forecasts Long-Term Engine Value Resilience

The long term value of commercial aircraft engines is set to withstand the worst effects of Covid-19, according to new data from IBA.

In a recent webinar entitled How To Build Resilient Engine Management Programmes For The Road To Recovery, the leading aviation data and advisory company outlined how engines are set to show long term value retention.

Engine values and lease rates remain soft across all the widebody, narrowbody, regional jet markets in the short term. Mature widebody engines have experienced the greatest reductions and young narrowbody engines the least.

However, engine values are showing long term stability. Taking a 1999 build Airbus A320ceo as an example, the value of its CFM56 engines has dropped by less than 10%, due to the combined benefits of OEM price inflation and regular reinvestment.

The advent of Covid-19 vaccines is driving some positivity into the engine marketplace, but activity remains depressed as traders are reluctant to sell at the 30-50% discounts currently being sought.

Lease rate factors on sale and leaseback activity have improved with activity focusing on next generation engines, whilst shop visits have now stabilised at just 50% of pre-Covid levels.

The result of this new normal in the engine marketplace is lessors seeing an increased volume of engines being returned off lease and stored, MROs cutting capacity to meet new demand levels, and OEMs focusing activity on correcting service entry issues with new engines.

While the long-term value proposition for the more liquid engine types is sound, the immediate issue for most engine owners, lessors and airlines is cash management and considerable efforts are being made to optimise the blend of cost versus time on wing.

IBA forecasts that the earliest that MRO demand will start to surpass pre-Covid levels is early 2024, with shop visit demand not set to recover until 2022 at the earliest.

“The engine marketplace has faced significant, immediate challenges since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the underlying, long term picture is a more stable one and the advent of vaccines is likely to accelerate that trend,” says Phil Seymour, president of IBA.

Aerospace Tech Week Helps fill the gap

Aerospace Tech Week 2021 helps fill the gap

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: AEROSPACE TECH WEEK 2021 dates MOVE to 23rd-24th June 2021 to fill the gap after the 2021 PARIS AIR SHOW is cancelled.  

Unfortunately, there will be no Paris Air Show to look forward to in 2021, due to the pandemic, but the niche Toulouse based event, AEROSPACE TECH WEEK, is still planning to go ahead but NOW moving dates from 26th-27th May to 23rd-24th June 2021 in order to plug the gap.

Moving AEROSPACE TECH WEEK forward a month gives valuable extra time for the vaccines to be rolled out across the world, and the organisers also believe that by 23rd-24th June 2021 there should be a greater chance for increased air travel to resume, although the organisers still have alternative back up dates in November 2021, just in case.

The move to the cancelled 2021 Paris Air Show dates will enable the aerospace industry to continue with some of its scheduled JUNE event activity and announcements. The industry also desperately needs an in person (face to face) event to help start the recovery and therefore AEROSPACE TECH WEEK is likely to be one of the first major aerospace events to take place in over 18 months.

Whilst AEROSPACE TECH WEEK might not have the flying displays that the Paris Air Show has it does deliver on vital B2B networking opportunities for the civil aviation, aerospace and defence sectors, via its six main events under one roof covering; Avionics, Connectivity, Flight Ops IT, MRO IT, Testing and FACE.  

AEROSPACE TECH WEEK is fast becoming established as the “go to” event for airlines, OEMs, MROs and aerospace and defence suppliers as it alternates between the large aerospace regional clusters of Munich and Toulouse, with AIRBUS being its platinum sponsor.

AEROSPACE TECH REVIEW magazine and AEROSPACE TECH WEEK are in an ideal position to help aid with the industry recovery and to move it forward.

For more details on the Exhibition Halls, 6x Conferences, Certified Training, Workshops and the networking receptions please visit: www.AerospaceTechWeek.com

The show registration opens in January 2021 but if you are intersted in seeing how they can FILL THE GAP in your 2021 trade show plans please contact Adrian Broadbent. 

Norm Matheis Joins Mid-Canada Mod Center

Norm Matheis has joined Mid-Canada Mod Center (MC2) to take on a business development role with the company. An avionics industry veteran, his focus is helping commercial, government and special mission aircraft operators future-proof their operations, enhance safety and achieve operational efficiencies through emerging avionics technologies.
“The MC2 team and I are extremely pleased to have Norm take on this new business development role,” said Bill Arsenault, president of Mid-Canada Mod Center. “There aren’t many in Canada with the talent, breadth of experience and skills he has honed over his long and successful career. Norm’s deep technical insight, coupled with sales and marketing acumen are sure to provide significant benefits to our clients and MC.”
Before retiring in 2018, Matheis worked with Universal Avionics, an Elbit Systems Company, for more than ten years in senior sales roles with responsibility for the Canada region and dealer and OEM network. Since the beginning of 2019 he has been consulting on avionics and special mission aircraft and contributed to the aviation media. A graduate of the Centennial College Avionics Maintenance Specialist program, Matheis is also a licensed AME E. Prior to Universal Avionics, Matheis held technical support, management and sales roles at aircraft modifiers and an airframe OEM.
“I get a lot of satisfaction from taking complex requirements, developing possible solutions, and presenting them so it’s clear to the client how their challenge may be solved,” Matheis said. “I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with Bill and the MC2 team. We have collaborated on many successful solutions for clients over the years, and experience demonstrates that, while I’ll be concentrating on specific market segments, owners and operators of virtually any aircraft type can put their trust in Mid-Canada.”

AAR Becomes First Independent Third Party MRO Approved by the FAA for SMS Requirements

AAR was recognized as the first independent MRO for implementing a Safety Management System (SMS) in accordance with the requirements set forth in the SMS Voluntary Program by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). AAR says the implementation of the SMS will allow the company to better serve its customers and the flying public by proactively identify safety issues and trends before they reach their full potential.

AAR utilized its APRISe software, a proprietary closed-loop system for quality and safety management, to facilitate the SMS process. In addition to SMS, APRISe includes everything from investigations to audit findings, customer feedback, injury reporting, import/export compliance and many other functions.
“As of today, the SMS program is fully implemented in our AAR MRO Rockford and AAR MRO Miami facilities. SMS will be implemented at our remaining MRO sites in 2021”, says Art Smith, AAR chief quality officer.
“AAR´s SMS implementation meets the expectations of the Flight Standards Service SMS Voluntary Program guidance for acknowledgement of a fully functional SMS,” says Tiffany LaTour, FAA SMS program office manager. “Thank you for your continued commitment to improve aviation safety in our National Airspace System and again, congratulations on your momentous achievement.”