Category: PRs

As a Boeing Authorized Service and Warranty Center, Jet Aviation Basel’s team is adding the B777 series to its portfolio of services, including line and base maintenance, refurbishment and completions. The company says its dedicated Boeing maintenance team has a proven track record on all Boeing models and has performed numerous C-Checks, fuel tanks modifications, 9- and 12-year inspections and major cabin refurbishments since 1999.

“The addition of the B777 to our capabilities was driven by customer demand and now allows us to serve the entire family of Boeing operators,” says Johannes Turzer, vice president and general manager of Maintenance at Jet Aviation Basel. “Having a dedicated Jet Aviation Boeing maintenance team on site provides customers with peace of mind when looking for a reliable partner and one-stop-shop operation for maintenance, refurbishment as well as completions services,” he adds.

Blackhawk Modifications announced the installation of its 500th new engine upgrade, a key milestone in the company’s 15-year history of growth and success. The historic upgrade included installation of two new Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-52 engines by Ballard Aviation of Newton, Kansas.

The new engines from Blackhawk were part of an overall refurbishment program Ballard Aviation completed on a 1998 King Air B200 in preparation for sale by Ballard Aviation.

The newly upgraded aircraft will be on display in the Blackhawk exhibit at outdoor display #318 throughout EAA AirVenture 2014, July 28 – August 3 in Oshkosh, Wis.

“This 500th engine upgrade is an important achievement and point of pride for all of us at Blackhawk,” said company president and CEO Jim Allmon. “Five hundred Blackhawk customers are now enjoying aircraft performance and reliability increases only possible with more powerful new engine upgrades. Breathing new life into existing airplanes is what our business is all about. You can bet we’ll continue to help our customers get the most from their airplanes and their investments for years to come.”

“For 15 years, Blackhawk and Pratt & Whitney Canada have teamed up to provide engine upgrade packages that continue to benefit valued operators and pilots who fly PT6A-powered aircraft,” said Denis Parisien, vice president, General Aviation, Pratt & Whitney Canada. “With its fleet of single and twin-engine turboprop STC upgrades, Blackhawk is the largest non-OEM buyer of new Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engines in the world. We congratulate Blackhawk on this impressive milestone and thank them for their long-standing collaboration.”

 

Photo: Members of the Banyan avionics team recently received the Garmin Platinum Award presented by Joe Stewart of Garmin. Shown here are Russell Otowchits, Nathan Hernandez, Craig Chin, Don Campion, Joe Stewart, Pedro Artidiello, and Lynn Juengel.

 

Banyan Air Service recently received the 2013 Garmin platinum award for excellent sales performance as part of the Garmin International avionics distributor network. Banyan has received similar recognition over the past 12 years for consistently ranking among the top distributors of Garmin aviation products.

Joe Stewart, Garmin International aviation regional sales manager, presented the award to Don Campion, president of Banyan, and the Banyan Pilot Shop team. Then in a second ceremony to the Banyan Avionics team. “Banyan has been among the top tier of authorized Garmin sales and service centers for many years and it is my pleasure to recognize them with this award,” says Stewart.

“Our avionics team and our pilot shop team are extremely honored by this award,” says Don Campion. “Garmin products are very popular. Customers want the latest Garmin products such as the D2 GPS pilot watch and the VIRB action camera available in our pilot shop and they also want aircraft upgrades such as the Dual Garmin 600 Glass Cockpit upgrade that our avionics department recently completed on a Pilatus PC-12.”

Photo: Western Aircraft Celebrates Expansion with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Pictured with scissors: President of Western Aircraft Jeff Mihalic, President and CEO of Greenwich AeroGroup Jim Ziegler. Photo courtesy of Western Aircraft.

 

Western Aircraft welcomed guests and held a ribbon cutting celebration today in honor of its most recent expansion.

The company added two new buildings totaling 26,000 square feet to its 18-acre leasehold. The new construction includes an expanded parts facility as well as a two-story infill building that houses support shops for Western Aircraft’s services operation.

“This day has been made possible through the collaboration of the public and private sector as well as the support of our parent company Greenwich AeroGroup,” said president of Western Aircraft, Jeff Mihalic. “We started this journey nearly four years ago with tremendous support from the City of Boise and the State of Idaho and today we thank all our partners for their efforts and contribution to our vision.”

“Western Aircraft is an important partner to the Boise Airport and a growing part of Boise’s resurgent economy,” said City of Boise Mayor David Bieter. “Western Aircraft has seen amazing success in recent years, and with that success has come a need for better facilities. I’m thrilled that the City of Boise and the Boise Airport are in a position to assist that expansion and help create more jobs and more opportunity here in the City of Trees.”
Mihalic added that Western’s business expansion was driven in large part by the sales tax exemption on installed parts passed by the Idaho legislature in 2012 and the growth of Western’s capabilities and sales force.

“Ninety-five percent of our customers are based outside of the state of Idaho. We’re now capturing customers from as far south as San Antonio, Texas and as far east as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.”

The overall expansion includes more than $2.3 million in new facilities and more than $2.4 million in facility improvements and specialized tooling. Additionally, due to the added business, Western Aircraft has increased staffing from 150 to 200 employees.

Gary Cooper passed away on 18th July. Starting his career in the RAF as an Aeronautical Engineer before working for FR Aviation where he specialised in maintaining Aircraft Fuel Systems and fuel tank repairs both on military and then commercial aircraft. In 2000 he established what developed into the highly successful “Tank Devils” which operates as an emergency fuel tank repair service which he and his wife Portia nurtured into a global business before selling it to an international aviation group. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the USA for his contribution to Fuel Quality Management, along with several business awards and in 2008 he gained recognition and was included into the definitive directory of “Who’s Who”. Before joining Scarletts in 2011 he acted as a consultant and served as Engineering Specialist advisor to IATA. He leaves behind his wife Portia. The Funeral will be held on 31 July 2pm at Poole Crematorium, Dorset.

At 12:15 EST on July 22, 2014, the FAA issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) informing U.S. airlines that they are prohibited from flying to or from Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport for a period of up to 24 hours.  The notice was issued in response to a rocket strike which landed approximately one mile from Ben Gurion International Airport on the morning of July 22, 2014.  The NOTAM applies only to U.S. operators, and has no authority over foreign airlines operating to or from the airport.

The FAA immediately notified U.S. carriers when the agency learned of the rocket strike and informed them that the agency was finalizing a NOTAM.

The FAA will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation.  Updated instructions will be provided to U.S. airlines as soon as conditions permit, but no later than  24 hours from the time the NOTAM went into force.

The text of the NOTAM reads:

!FDC 4/3630 ZZZ PART 1 OF 2 SECURITY ISRAEL POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS SITUATION—ISRAEL AIRSPACE DUE TO THE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS SITUATION CREATED BY THE ARMED CONFLICT IN ISRAEL AND GAZA, ALL FLIGHT OPERATIONS TO/FROM BEN GURION INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (LLBG) BY U.S. OPERATORS ARE PROHIBITED UNTIL FURTHER ADVISED. A. APPLICABILITY. THIS NOTAM APPLIES TO ALL U.S. AIR CARRIERS OR COMMERCIAL OPERATORS, ALL PERSONS EXERCISING THE PRIVILEGES OF AN AIRMAN CERTIFICATE ISSUED BY THE FAA EXCEPT SUCH PERSONS OPERATING U.S.-REGISTERED AIRCRAFT FOR A FOREIGN AIR CARRIER, AND ALL OPERATORS OF AIRCRAFT REGISTERED IN THE UNITED STATES EXCEPT WHERE THE OPERATOR OF SUCH AIRCRAFT IS A FOREIGN AIR CARRIER. B. PERMITTED OPERATIONS. THIS NOTAM DOES NOT PROHIBIT PERSONS DESCRIBED IN PARAGRAPH A FROM CONDUCTING FLIGHT OPERATIONS WITHIN THE TERRITORY AND AIRSPACE OF ISRAEL WHEN SUCH OPERATIONS ARE AUTHORIZED EITHER BY ANOTHER AGENCY OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE FAA OR BY AN EXEMPTION ISSUED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR. 1407221615-1407231615EST END PART 1 OF 2

!FDC 4/3630 ZZZ PART 2 OF 2 SECURITY OPERATORS SHOULD CALL THE DOMESTIC EVENTS NETWORK (DEN) AT 202-493-5107 FOR AUTHORIZATION. C. EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. IN AN EMERGENCY THAT REQUIRES IMMEDIATE DECISION AND ACTION FOR THE SAFETY OF THE FLIGHT, THE PILOT IN COMMAND OF AN AIRCRAFT MAY DEVIATE FROM THIS NOTAM TO THE EXTENT REQUIRED BY THAT EMERGENCY. THIS NOTAM WILL BE UPDATED WITHIN 24 HOURS, OPERATORS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR U.S. NOTAMS FOR CHANGES OR UPDATES. 1407221615-1407231615EST END PART 2 OF 2

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Curtiss-Wright Corporation announced that its Sensors & Controls division has entered into a six-year comprehensive agreement with Aerolineas Argentinas to provide product support for multiple components used on Aerolineas Argentinas’ Boeing 737 New Generation (NG) fleet. Under the agreement, Curtiss-Wright will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul support for components manufactured by Curtiss-Wright for Boeing and additional products manufactured by other suppliers. The estimated potential lifetime value of the contract is approximately $1.5 million. The support services provided under the agreement, which commenced in 2013, are scheduled to run through the end of 2019.

“We are very pleased to have been selected by Aerolineas Argentinas to provide our industry-leading maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for components used on their Boeing 737 New Generation (NG) fleet,” said Graham Macdonald, senior vice president & GM, Sensors & Controls division. “This new agreement covers numerous, highly engineered components on the Aerolineas Argentinas 737 New Generation (NG) fleet, which is a result of our commitment to provide the fastest possible response and highest quality product support in the industry. We are especially pleased to support Aerolineas Argentinas, one of two major Latin American carriers to recently sign a long-term agreement with Curtiss-Wright for product support.”

The Sensors & Controls division will provide the maintenance, repair and overhaul services covered under the agreement at its Actuation Systems business unit’s product support facility located in Gastonia, N.C. The serviced products will be shipped to Aerolineas Argentinas in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 

In January RF System Lab announced the arrival of the 2.8mm VJ-Advance (VJ-ADV) video borescope. Now, the creators of the 2.8mm VJ-ADV would like to provide an update regarding the different industries that are utilizing the super slim 2.8mm VJ-ADV, as well as detail what makes this video borescope such a necessity in those industries.

The 2.8mm has all the same features as their original, 6.9mm VJ-Advance, including four-way joystick-controlled camera articulation, medical grade camera technology, and trigger activated image capture. However, as indicated by the name, the 2.8mm VJ-ADV offers a much slimmer insertion tube diameter, allowing inspection of much tighter spaces.

A function that was noted in several instances was the aerospace industry’s use of the 2.8mm VJ-ADV to complete casting inspections. Internal Foreign Object Debris (FOD) detection is crucial, especially for integral parts such as the small cord oil passageways in the casting that surround the turbine engine. The 2.8mm video borescope is ideal for casting inspection because of its slender size and smaller bending radius, allowing it to easily navigate through tight corners and small tubing to detect corrosion or FOD.

The small passageways of the casting are extremely expensive to replace, so a majority of companies in the Aviation and Aerospace industry use borescopes like the 2.8mm VJ-ADV to perform preventive avionics maintenance to ensure that the welding is fully sealed and that there are no ruptures or leakage in the joints of the casting. Performing this inspection prior to installing the casting also instills confidence that future inspections will be passed and that the integrity of all parts that make up the casting is upheld.

Another notable industry in which to 2.8mm has been popular is 3D printing and other electronic inspections. 3D printers are becoming standard in many industries, and making sure the 3D printer you are using to create parts is in full working order, as well as inspecting the finished printed parts, is a must. The 2.8mm seamlessly fits into small openings and guides effortlessly through compact inner workings of electronics and the products they create. Uses of the VJ-ADV within the electronic industry have included solder paste inspections, circuit board inspections and different methods of preventative maintenance.

In addition to those industries, the 2.8mm VJ-ADV has been used for inspections that fall into the “other” category. These “other” inspections range from inspecting the inside of golf club heads to looking inside 300 year old violins.

RF System Lab says the 2.8mm articulating video borescope has become a top-seller in the industries above and in many others that require a sub-4mm borescope such as oil and gas, chemical processing and manufacturing.

JetSupport’s MRO division has become part of the Honeywell authorized Service Center network. The service center authorization is crucial in JetSupport’s effort to offer a full service and support solution to its customers. JetSupport’s current maintenance capabilities, which include the Cessna 650 and Falcon series aircraft, entail a strong presence of Honeywell products. The initial authorization grants approval to perform maintenance on the Honeywell TFE731 and APU series products. In a later stage JetSupport aims to add the TPE331 and avionics products to its authorization.

JetSupport B.V. provides MRO services and support solutions for business aviation and special purpose aircraft with focus on flexibility, transparency and personal touch. With over 4500 sqm of facilities such as hangar space, offices and lounge, JetSupport is located at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in The Netherlands. More information about JetSupport can be found on http://www.jetsupport.nl.

TNT Express has been awarded a contract for the provision of international and domestic delivery services to MTU Aero Engines.

The contract sees TNT Express transporting aircraft engines parts between MTU Aero Engines’ facilities in Munich, Hannover and Berlin-Brandenburg and aerospace customers across Europe. The most important destinations are the UK and Ireland. The contract includes the handling of return shipments of components to MTU Aero Engines’ maintenance facilities in Germany.

Cost-efficiency and reliability were the two key considerations in selecting TNT Express. TNT Express provides MTU Aero Engines with a combination of Express (premium) and Economy Express (deferred) delivery services. The vast majority of the consignments travel by road, using TNT’s European Road Network. The service is covered by an on-time delivery warranty.

“TNT’s ability to transport palletized freight in a fast yet cost-effective manner is very useful to industrial customers. We are very pleased to have been chosen by an industrial leader like MTU Aero Engines for part of their pan-European deliveries,“ said Ian Clough, managing director, International Europe, TNT Express.