ARSA Cautions Clinton on Aviation Exports

Legislation pending on Capitol Hill threatens to undermine the global competitiveness of the U.S. aerospace industry, according to a letter sent to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA). The association’s executive vice president, Christian Klein, warned that proposed language in the FAA reauthorization bill will obstruct aviation maintenance exports and hinder the ability of U.S. companies to compete internationally.
Klein praised the Obama administration’s commitment to strengthening the U.S. economy through the National Export Initiative but said the pending legislation
is contrary to that effort.

ARSA asserts that provisions in the House legislation requiring the FAA to inspect foreign repair stations twice annually and imposing mandatory drug-and-alcohol testing on overseas repair stations will violate international accords and result in
retaliatory measures by key trading partners. Furthermore, the House bill fails to recognize the longstanding U.S.-Canada Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement, which treats certification granted by Transport Canada to an approved maintenance organization as the equivalent of FAA approval, said Klein.

Hawker Beechcraft Services Indy Offers Factory Paint

Full paint-shop capability has recently been added to Hawker Beechcraft Services’ Indianapolis service center. The recently completed facility can accommodate aircraft ranging in size from the Beech Bonanza to the Hawker 4000. Christi Tannahill, HBC vice president for global customer support, told AIN the 8,500-sq-ft facility offers full strip and paint services, including factory or custom paint designs. “The facility is designed specifically to meet new EPA regulations,” she said.

In addition to its paint capabilities, HBS Indianapolis performs maintenance, repair and modification of airframes, powerplants, avionics systems and AOG support. The facility, which was completed last August, includes a 48,500-sq-ft maintenance hangar and 23,000 sq ft of customer areas, administrative offices and back shops. HBS also provides paint services at its locations in San Antonio; Little Rock, Ark.; Wichita; and Chester, UK.

Aerosouz Named AgustaWestland Dealer

AgustaWestland has appointed Aerosouz an authorized service center in Russia. Located near Moscow, The service center will provide maintenance support and maintain a spare parts inventory for the Italian manufacturer’s light commercial helicopters.

A spokesman for AgustaWestland said the company has sold some 20 new-generation helicopters in Russia and sees further business opportunities in the country across its product range for a number of roles, including corporate transport, emergency medical service/search-and-rescue and offshore transport. Additional service centers are planned for areas where the company has helicopters in operation. AgustaWestland now has more than 70 service centers worldwide.

Timco Aerosystems Receives AS9001B Certification

Timco Aerosystems has been officially registered with AS9001B certification, acknowledging that Aerosystems’ management systems, processes, documentation and internal audit practices meet or exceed global standards. The registration was granted after the company passed a series of audits and was verified by the independent KEMA organization for its engineering services, product manufacturing and certification services.

Summit Aviation Breaks Ground on facility Expansion

A 78,000-sq-ft expansion and renovation of the current 160,000 sq ft of space has begun at Middletown, Del.-based Summit Aviation. The project will add hangars, workshops, warehouses, a training center and office space. The Delaware Economic Development Office awarded Summit Aviation a performance-based $1.36 million grant from the Delaware Strategic Fund to help the company expand the site and add up to 188 jobs over a three-year period. The groundbreaking marked the company’s 50-year anniversary. Greenwich AeroGroup, Summit’s parent company, is also making a $12 million capital investment at the Middletown site.

“The partnership between Summit Aviation and the Delaware Economic Development Office helped fuel the expansion plans for the new hangar but also ensures we have the trained workforce to drive this growth,” said Robert Fitzpatrick, president of Summit Aviation. “The state of Delaware is a great partner.”

The MRO offers aircraft and engine maintenance and modification services on Bell, Eurocopter, Sikorsky, Boeing and MD helicopters, as well as on Pilatus, Cessna Caravan, Beechcraft King Airs, Beechjets and other aircraft. The company also provides maintenance and support to its customers for Pratt & Whitney Canada, Turbomeca and other engines.

Interjet receives accreditation for ethics standards

Lanseria, South Africa-based Interjet’s maintenance department has received
B-BBEE accreditation as awarded by the South African National Accreditation Systems and Black Economic Empowerment Verification Agencies. The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) is recognition for meeting minimum norms and standards on the ethical conduct and procedures employed in ensuring the verification of codes of good practice.

The company has also announced personnel changes, including Trevor Van Rooyen to the position of COO and Paul Ludick to the position of CEO. Van Rooyen will be responsible for all operational activities within Interjet, and Ludick will focus on sales and marketing.

Northwest Propeller BECOMES Hartzell Service Facility

Northwest Propeller of Puyallup, Wash., has joined Hartzell Propeller’s network of recommended service facilities. The 25-year-old Northwest Propeller is located at the Pierce County Airport at Thun Field in Washington State. Northwest’s technicians perform repairs, maintenance and overhaul on propellers, hubs and governors. Hartzell has some 20 recommended service facilities worldwide.
LBAS Expands Interior Refurb and Mod Business Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS) has selected OHS Aviation Services as a tier-one supplier for all cabin interior and aircraft exterior aesthetic-related work. OHS, which is located on Berlin-Schoenefeld Airport, is an EASA Part 145- and Part 21J-approved facility authorized to maintain, refurbish and modify all cabin interior items on Bombardier business aircraft. The company’s back shops work on upholstery, leather, wood and paint. It also offers specialized services such as bright work and cleaning for cabin interiors and aircraft exteriors.

West Star Consolidates Surplus Avionics in East Alton

West Star Aviation is consolidating surplus avionics sales and service functions at its East Alton facility. West Star’s surplus avionics division is a supplier of overhauled units for exchange, rental or sale. The company buys or consigns a customer’s surplus avionics and instrument inventories.

Global Jet Services Offers Online G550 Engine Run Course

Maintenance training company Global Jet Services has launched its newest on-line E-learning maintenance training course: the G550 Engine Run course. According to the company, the new course will result in more qualified technicians and increased safety, efficiency and cost effectiveness. The course goes through every item on the checklist and includes a walk-around using a real G550. Interactive instruments, panels, consoles and controls allow the student to press buttons, flip switches and pull handles, and the graphics and simulations provide the experience of being in the cockpit. A narrator also guides participants through the program with audio prompts and further information.  

A special section of practical exercises introduces the technician to three common emergency procedures that can be practiced in timed scenarios. “We know it can be difficult to perform engine-run training in the field,” said JD McHenry, the company’s president. “So we developed a course that offers as close to a real, hands-on experience as you can get outside an actual cockpit or full-size simulator.”

Lufthansa Technik Completes Its 10th Airbus A318 Elite

Hamburg-based Lufthansa Technik’s VIP and executive jet solutions division completed and delivered its 10th Airbus A318 Elite since the start of the completion program in 2006. The project took four months and one week. Swiss business jet operator Comlux The Aviation Group took delivery of the airplane at the beginning
of last month. Another A318 Elite is currently running through an executive completion at Lufthansa Technik’s U.S. subsidiary, BizJet.

 
The A318 Elite completion program offers various options and a choice of materials and colors for seats, divans, carpets, furniture, bulkheads or ceilings to allow the creation of an individual cabin interior. To accelerate completion times, Lufthansa Technik selected new ways to create the interior: all wooden surfaces are made of film coating instead of real wood veneer, offering a huge variety of design possibilities and durability that will appeal to charter operators. All designs can be offered in either a high-gloss or satin  finish. Lufthansa Technik is an authorized completion center for Airbus corporate jets and part of the Airbus-approved service center network.

PRO LINE 21-EQUIPPED KING AIRS GET WAAS LPV UPGRADE

Hawker Beechcraft Services (HBS) is now offering wide area augmentation system (Waas) upgrades on Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21-equipped King Air 200/300s . This installation closely follows the introduction of the King Air C90GTi upgrade announced in March. Similar to the C90GTi Waas installation, the HBS King Air 200/300 Waas upgrade offers operational flexibility and cost savings associated with direct and curved area navigation (Rnav) routes. Waas Rnav offers improved access to special-use airspace, high-traffic and/or terrain-challenged airports.

According to the company, the installation offers greater mission success through the use of Waas-enabled localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV) approaches. More than 1,900 LPV approaches are certified and in use today. Waas LPV approaches provide decision heights as low as 200 feet with half-mile visibility. Waas upgrades for the Premier IA and Hawker 400XP/Beechjet 400A are nearing completion and expected by the third quarter of this year.

Jet Works Air Center Named Learjet 45 Service Facility

Denton, Texas-based Jet Works Air Center has been granted FAA authorization to perform all routine airframe inspections and maintenance on the Learjet 45 series. The company is also authorized to perform such work– including the 12-year wing
de-mate–on the Learjet 55 and 60.

The MRO also works on Gulfstreams, Challengers, Hawkers, Beechjets, Citations, Mitsubishis, King Airs, Pilatus and Piaggios. Jet Works Air Center is a factory-authorized service center for Pilatus and Piaggio and the exclusive North American completion center for the Piaggio Avanti.

King Air and Hawker Beechcraft Maintenance Available in Egypt

Alkan Air, a Cairo-based charter operator and service center, has received an Egyptian Ministerial decree to maintain and service King Airs and Hawkers.
Alkan Air claims that the decree, backed by the Egyptian CAA, makes it the only handler in the region–consisting of Egypt, Libya, Sudan and Algeria–that offers complete maintenance services, parts and line checks.

The company has been an authorized Hawker Beechcraft service center since 2002 and maintains the equipment and parts to service a variety of other business aircraft.

Avidyne OKs Duncan Aviation To Work on Legacy Displays

Avidyne has entered an agreement with Duncan Aviation of Lincoln, Neb., in which Duncan will become the exclusive provider of repair services for Avidyne customers that are using first-generation flight situation displays (FSD) and early model FlightMax multifunction displays (MFD).
Under the terms of this agreement, Duncan Aviation will be the worldwide repair center for Avidyne’s legacy display products, including the 5-RR FSD, and the FlightMax 440/450/640/650/700/740/ 750/800/850/950 MFDs. Repair and service of Avidyne’s FSDs and legacy FlightMax MFDs is currently being transitioned to Duncan Aviation’s Lincoln facility. A company spokesman said customers will not experience any interruption in service or delays in quoted turn-around times.