David Lockwood, Cobham’s CEO welcomed UK Secretary of State for Defence, Gavin Williamson and Michael Tomlinson, Member of Parliament for Mid Dorset and North Poole at their Wimborne facility in December.
The UK Secretary of State also had an opportunity to meet a number of Wimborne-based Cobham apprentices and graduate trainees and discussed defence industry matters and the importance of STEM (science, technology engineering and maths) at schools and colleges.
Proudfoot, an operational transformation consultancy, has expanded with three new team members: Michael Howard, executive vice president, MRO Americas, Aaron Heidel, vice president of Operations, MRO Americas, and Jonathan Robinson, vice president of Operations, MRO Americas.
This follows the appointment of managing director, Dennis Santare in April 2018 who is in charge of Proudfoot’s MRO Americas practice with more than 10 years’ experience in the aviation industry. Proudfoot says it is taking “a bold leap forward” in its approach to operational and digital transformations across maintenance sectors, but specifically in the world of aerospace and defense. With these three new leaders in place, Proudfoot says it is looking forward to helping more aerospace and defense clients as well as clients from across sectors “to unlock the hidden value in their MRO operations.”
“The Proudfoot model focuses on client capability development and is true to our key objective of delivering meaningful, impactful results through people,” Pamela Hackett, CEO said. “We are focused on Proudfoot leading the way in achieving behavior change at speed and scale with tangible outcomes that stick for the long-term. Some of our incredible results have included freeing up over 200 hanger days for one of our MRO clients to gain more customers. These appointments support our vision to support our clients in capability development to build strong solutions that save time and money.”
The new appointments include:
Michael Howard, executive vice president, MRO Americas, who backgrounnd is a blend of experience as a U.S. Marine Corps officer, electrical engineer, and management consultant. Howard joins Proudfoot as an industry expert in the aerospace and MRO sectors, now leading the US MRO team’s business development efforts. He specializes in strategic planning, operational planning, program management, and transaction support, supporting industry leaders and private equity investors in the aerospace, defense, and automotive industries, having previously led worked at General Motors, and ICF International, a leading aerospace and defense consultancy. “Mike has a proven track record of developing account relationships and delivering high quality engagements. And, he is a treasure trove of knowledge regarding the defense MRO market. We’re thrilled to have him onboard,” said Santare. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Control Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. During his ten years as a Marine Corps officer, Michael amassed over 1,500 flight hours in the Boeing F/A-18.
Aaron Heidel has been added as vice president of Operati
ons, MRO Americas. Heidel joins Proudfoot with more than 17 years of industry and consulting experience in operations, strategy, program management, and business development in aerospace and defense. He spent nearly 10 years as an engineer at OEMs and understands the practical implications of process optimization. “Aaron brings to bear direct experience at some of the top aerospace and defense brands, including Airbus and Raytheon. We are excited about the customer perspective that Aaron has,” said Santare. He earned his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, his Masters in Aerospace Engineering, and his Masters of Business Administration all from the University of Michigan.
And lastly, Jonathan Robinson has joined as vice president of Operations, MRO Americas. As an operations executive in the OEM and aftermarket operations world, Robinson brings experience as both a consultant 
and industry leader in the aerospace & defense and industrial products industries. Santare said of Robinson, “I’m especially looking forward to the unique perspective he will bring to our leadership team, having served industry leaders such as Pratt and Whitney, private equity investors such as Highland Capital, and spending time strategy consultancies such as PWC and Oliver Wyman.” In his new role as VP of Ops for the US MRO team, Robinson will leverage his career learnings to work with senior executives as well as front-line staff to implement the sustainable behavioral changes that drive operational improvements in areas that include turnaround management, program & project management, Lean Six Sigma deployment, and strategy alignment & deployment. He earned his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, as well as an MBA from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Ampex Data Systems (Ampex), a Delta Information Systems Company, has signed a long term agreement (LTA) with Collins Aerospace to deliver TuffServ solid state recorders (SSRs), memory storage systems, and mission data loaders for use in Collins Aerospace’s MS-110 airborne reconnaissance systems.
The TuffServ SSRs will leverage use of the Ampex Common Compute Environment (ACCE), which includes network attached storage (NAS) software and graphical user interfaces (GUIs) common to all TuffServ airborne NAS products. Ampex will provide support from its headquarters in Hayward, Cal.
The company says their TuffServ series is designed to perform in extreme airborne, ground, and space environments and offers the fast, ruggedized Network File Servers. Additionally, the TuffServ series supports the full spectrum of commercial and military operations to include Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Flight Test, provides removable storage capacities up to 100TB, and a range of interfaces and software capabilities.
“This agreement is a fundamental, ongoing part of Ampex’s strategic approach to working with leading edge mission system providers in the high data rate market,” stated Jim Orahood, vice president and general manager of Ampex Data Systems. “We are exceptionally proud to have been selected by Collins Aerospace and look forward to continued success in supporting this multi-year effort.”
Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group has agreed to acquire StandardAero, a global provider of aftermarket engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the aerospace and defense industries, from Veritas Capital. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory conditions and is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2019. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“We are excited to partner with The Carlyle Group, and we thank Veritas Capital for its support and partnership,” Russell Ford, CEO of StandardAero, said. “We look forward to working with Carlyle to further our aggressive growth trajectory as we continue providing world-class services to our customers as one of the world’s best and largest independent MRO service providers.”
Adam J. Palmer, Managing Director and Global Head of Aerospace, Defense and Government Services for The Carlyle Group, said, “Russell Ford and the StandardAero team have built a reputation for industry-leading capabilities and customer service. StandardAero is well positioned in an attractive market and we look forward to building on its strong foundation by helping it grow and meet evolving customer needs.”
Ramzi Musallam, CEO and Managing Partner of Veritas Capital, said, “We have enjoyed our successful partnership with StandardAero. Russ and the StandardAero team have generated robust growth while consistently delivering outstanding services to customers through a relentless commitment to excellence. The StandardAero partnership underscores Veritas’ commitment to growing and adding lasting value to businesses in the aerospace and defense industries. We wish the StandardAero management team all the best in their next phase of growth.”
Founded in 1911, StandardAero is one of the world’s largest independent MRO providers offering extensive services and custom solutions for commercial aviation, business aviation, military and industrial power customers. As an OEM-aligned strategic partner, StandardAero has developed a reputation for quality and performance that drives a sustainable competitive advantage and positions the company for future growth
Equity for the investment will come from Carlyle Partners VII, an $18.5 billion fund that focuses on buyout transactions in the United States.
AerSale has acquired aircraft component repair specialist Avborne. Avborne, is a certified Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 145 repair station in Miami, Florida. Avborne has been providing highly technical and specialized repair services covering a broad range of commercial and military aircraft systems, including hydraulic, pneumatic, electronic, and landing gear components.
AerSale says Avborne’s in-house engineering development team was a key determination for the acquisition and they hope to continue to introduce innovative, cost-saving repair and overhaul regimes as one of the few component MROs operating today under the authority of an FAA Open Class Rating. This licensing allows Avborne to initiate its own FAA repair validation packages for expedited introduction of new repair and overhaul capabilities well in advance of traditional MRO participants. In conjunction with AerSale’s existing MRO facilities, the acquisition of Avborne will enable AerSale to provide complete MRO services across numerous aircraft platforms, from the component level through aircraft heavy maintenance.
“As a recognized leader in high-tech component repair development and services, Avborne is the ideal partner for expanding our existing portfolio of high-quality aviation products and MRO services,” said Nicolas Finazzo, CEO at AerSale. “We are exhilarated over the added value our customers will enjoy from AerSale’s expanding family of integrated aircraft, engine, and component solutions.”
Avborne’s acquisition will include the addition of approximately 100 skilled professionals and technicians to the greater AerSale company, along with a 112,000-square-foot facility located near Miami International Airport. Avborne holds European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), AS9110C, and Coordinating Agency for Supplier Evaluation (C.A.S.E.) certifications.
On Dec. 3 Clinkenbeard relocated to a 40,000-square-foot facility in South Beloit, Ill. The new facility is twice as big as the previous facility and includes space for engineering, machining, a mechanical mockup build shop, and a foundry pattern shop.
In addition, several upgrades to the business have recently been made. For example, a DMG Mori 5-axis milling center and a DMG Mori turning center have recently been installed on the shop floor.
Clinkenbeard says it prides itself on the rapid production of complex castings and machined parts using a wide variety of ferrous and non-ferrous materials. The company’s principal markets include U.S. defense and government, aerospace, aviation, automotive, heavy truck and engine, power generation, and industrial.
The company says one of their key metrics of success is adherence to meeting and exceeding the time-to-market requirements of its customers.
Another Tuskegee Airman died Saturday, December 8, 2018 in New York. He was 100 years old. Wilfred DeFour served as an aircraft technician during World War II. CNN reported that DeFour attended a ceremony last month for the renaming of a Harlem post office in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military aviators and trained at the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama.
“I regret so many of my comrades are no longer here with us,” DeFour said, according to WABC. “It will mean there’s recognition for Tuskegee Airmen and that’s very important.”
The group was generally said to include pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff who went through a U. S. Army Air Corps training program to bring African-Americans into the war effortt, according to Tuskegee Airmen Inc., a group devoted to the history of the airmen. After the war ended, DeFour worked for the U. S. Postal Service for 33 years.
AAR Mobility Systems has been awarded a task order valued at $27.5 million from the U.S. Air Force for production of 463L cargo pallets. The cargo pallets will be manufactured in Cadillac, Michigan and are expected to be completed by December 30
, 2020. This task order is tied to a previously awarded contract, which brings the total cumulative face value to $170.6 million.
Safran Helicopter Engines has signed a contract with Denmark’s Defense Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO), to support 11 Arriel 1D1-powered AS550C2 Fennec operated by the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF). The engines will now be covered by Safran’s Global Support Package (GSP) and the contract will last until mid-2030s, when the fleet is retired.
In July 2016, Safran signed a seven-year contract to support 14 RTM 322-powered EH101 Merlin operated by the RDAF. Since then, 75 engines have been protected by a Safran GSP.
This new agreement satisfies the RDAF requirement for engine availability in anticipation of domestic and international military operations.
“DALO looks forward to this agreement ensuring sufficient engines to support operational tasks during the period,” Captain (Navy) Kim Bo Meier, director Air Force Systems at DALO, says. “The contract reaffirms the excellent working relationship that exists between the parties.”
Under the GSP, the customer receives a commitment to have serviceable engines available whenever they need them. Other GSP principles also apply, including budget certainty, fixed price per engine flying hour and a technical partnership with the OEM.
This particular GSP will be managed by Safran Helicopter Engines Germany, which supports more than 280 operators flying in Germany, Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia.
GSP is part of EngineLife Services, Safran’s range of solutions for helicopter engine operators.
“This contract marks a major new milestone in our partnership with DALO and the RDAF,” Olivier Le Merrer, Safran Helicopter Engines executive vice president Support & Services, says. “We will deliver world-class services to guarantee the availability of their engines; thus demonstrating that the GSP model is particularly well-suited to supporting the engine fleets of modern armed forces.”
S.S. White Technologies, manufacturer of flexible shafts and related assemblies, highlights bespoke flexible shaft solutions for aerospace applications. Flexible shafts transmit rotary motion much like a solid shaft, but can be routed over, under and around obstacles where a solid shaft cannot be used. Flexible shafts are used in a variety of applications, including many capacities in aerospace, such as in thrust reverser actuation systems (TRAS), flap and slat systems, variable bleed valves, jet afterburner nozzle control systems, cargo door actuation systems, valve override and many more. S.S. White provides customers with custom flexible shaft solutions designed for specific applications, all backed by S.S. White’s wealth of experience and expertise.
While used in many systems on various aircraft, one significant aerospace application is to manually actuate valves if the automatic system in place were to fail. Any number of valves may be manually actuated using a flexible shaft assembly, including Air Turbine Starter (ATS) and anti-ice valves, as well as those applications mentioned in the paragraph above. The ability to control the valves manually in the event of the automated system’s failure means the aircraft can still be safely dispatched on time, avoiding the time and costs associated with having to find a substitute aircraft.
In addition to the ability of flexible shafts to enable manual overrides of aircraft systems that are usually automated, they are also used in rotary motion technology in aerospace applications for a number of other reasons.
Flexible shafts:
• Eliminate alignment problems
• Dampen vibration
• Absorb shock
• Accommodate relative movements
• Possess a 3:1 weight advantage over other design solutions while transmitting greater power loads
• Lower overall cost due to fewer parts needed and faster installation time
• Provide greater design freedom than other shaft technologies
S.S. White Technologies produced its first flexible shaft in 1874 for a high-speed dental engine used for drilling teeth. Today, their flexible shafts for aerospace applications are used in thrust reverser, flap, slat actuation systems and manual overdrive systems of air and space craft, in the ammunition magazine drive of the AC-130, in many Airbus & Boeing thrust reverser systems, in the Hubble Space Telescope, on the international space station (ISS) and as part of the V-22 Osprey’s rescue hoist system.
S.S. White provides flexible shaft assemblies as part of a custom solution. Every application in which a flexible shaft is used is different, and S.S. White not only manufactures the flexible shafts, but also provides the technical expertise to create solutions to engineering challenges.
