Aircraft Supplier & MRO News

AirGuide Business, Oct 13, 2008

Oct 13, 2008

Transportation Department says nine big U.S. airlines now hire outside contractors for 70% of their major maintenance work, double the rate of four years ago. With heavy maintenance outsourced to Central America and Asia, the DOT inspector general worries that FAA inspectors assigned to individual airlines are unable to visit repair stations on a regular basis. "We actually concur with all the inspector general's recommendations," said an FAA spokesman. "We have procedures in place that already address some of the recommendations, and we have some projects in progress that address others." Oct 6, 2008

ACSS

ACSS is moving ahead with development of its T3CAS integrated TCAS, TAWS and Mode-S transponder product, which is due to be certified in the third quarter of 2009. Flight tests are scheduled for the middle of next January. The company, which is jointly owned by L-3 Communications and Thales, is exhibiting on the L-3 stand (Booth 4200) and Kris Ganase, L-3[sup.1]s president of the Aviation Products Group, says that the T3CAS product is ideal for the bizjet market as it combines three important modules in a single box. Oct 6, 2008

ACSS

ACSS[sup.1]s TCAS 3000 Surveillance Processor (SP) has been selected by Cessna as an ACSS[sup.1]s TCASption for its Citation Mustang VLJ aircraft. ACSS, which is jointly owned by L-3 Communications and Thales, is exhibiting on the L-3 stand (Booth 4200). The new TCAS 3000 SP can combine certified ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) capability with ACSS[sup.1]s Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System technology. Oct 6, 2008

Airbus, Pratt & Whitney

Airbus is poised to begin flight-testing the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan demonstrator engine on its A340-600 flying testbed in Toulouse. The GTF engine was installed on the A340 in the No 2 position in place of the Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engine in late September. The airframer has been undertaking ground testing at Toulouse this week ahead of the first flight. The A340 is understood to have carried out taxi tests yesterday. Oct 10, 2008

Aircell, Jet Aviation, Bombardier

Aircell has named Jet Aviation as the first business aviation customer for its air-to-ground Broadband internet service. The system will be fitted to Jet Aviation[sup.1]s Bombardier Global series aircraft. The Aircell Broadband system allows passengers and crew to use their own wi-fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs to surf the web, receive e-mail and access their corporate VPNs at mobile broadband speeds, using a network of ground stations. Oct 6, 2008

All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Boeing

Boeing has concluded innovative compensation deals with All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines Boeing hasirlines to supply new 767-300ERs as bridging capacity for their delayed 787 deliveries, but the structure of the acquisitions is yet to be finalised. Last month, the two airlines each announced deals with Boeing for nine 767-300ERs, for delivery from 2010. Both carriers should have taken their first 787s this year, but the programme's ongoing production delays have pushed deliveries of the new twinjet back until the second half of next year at the earliest. According to industry sources, the 767s are being provided to the Japanese 787 launch customers as a compensation/bridging settlement. The airframer has confirmed the ANA deal but not the JAL order, although it has recently added nine 767s to its backlog against an undisclosed customer - which is believed to be JAL. Oct 6, 2008

Ameco Beijing, Boeing

Ameco Beijing is to install blended winglets on nine Boeing 767-300ERs for German leisure carrier Condor. Ameco Beijing says in a statement that "the nose-to-tail work involving winglets modification plus C-check is expected to start next April" Oct 11, 2008

Arinc Direct

Arinc Direct has expanded its portfolio of flight services for business aviation with its new, fully-integrated weight, balance and performance runway analysis application. Developed in cooperation with the Aircraft Performance Group, the program will enable Arinc Direct customers to perform weight and balance (W&B) calculations on-line via the internet. Customers can obtain take-off and landing limiting weights for specific airport and atmospheric conditions, as well as aircraft configuration. The take-off and landing analyses will provide customers with V-speeds, take-off distance required, runway length available, landing distance required, landing distance available, and the [sup.3]Safe Distance[sup.2] required as per FAA guidance. Oct 6, 2008

Avidyne

Avidyne is partnering with WSI Corporation to provide datalink weather information using Avidyne[sup.1]s MLX770 two-way datalink transceiver and the Iridium satellite constellation. The company will provide WSI[sup.1]s weather data products, including worldwide graphical METARs, textual METARs, TAFs, and Winds and Temps Aloft. Premium services will include WSI[sup.1]s NOWRad and SATRad imagery as well as worldwide lightning data. Oct 6, 2008