JUNE 27, 2019 - No. 051 In This Issue Aviation company to create up to 450 jobs in Salina MHI Reaches Deal To Acquire Bombardier's CRJ Program Global Demand for Airline Pilots Drives Major Growth for Etihad's Aviation Training Division Aviation Orgs Urge FAA To Revamp Mx School Proposal Viasat, Teledyne Partner to Deliver Connected Flight Deck Services to Commercial Aviation Customers AerSale Acquires Qwest Air Parts, Inc. to Expand Airframe Parts Sales MA Group and Sichuan Haite Group to develop aerocomposite JV. Copperstate Turbine Engine Becomes TAE Aerospace SR Technics Malaysia Gains Thailand Certification EASA Opinion Seeks Runway Incursion Safeguards IATA Agreement Not Slowing GE Aviation's MRO Surge FAA Reassigns Senior Managers in Office Overseeing Southwest Airlines SpaceX caught the nose cone of its Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time in the net of a boat Aviation company to create up to 450 jobs in Salina A major airplane maintenance company is coming to Salina with immediate plans to employ 50 workers by this fall and up to 450 employees within three years. The largest hangar at the Salina Regional Airport, Hangar 959, has been leased to 1 Vision Aviation, a Sioux City, Iowa-based FAA-certified aircraft repair and maintenance station. The company does maintenance, repair and overhauls on commercial and corporate airliners, as well as private planes, crop dusters and other general aviation products. The company's general aviation division has both maintenance and avionics capabilities that will be expanded into a new operation in Salina beginning in July. The company plans to grow its job numbers as new airline business is contracted. "We like to bring people in, as well as staff locally," said Justine Sponder, business manager for 1 Vision Aviation. "We like to take advantage of the local workforce to help boost the economy there. We hope to have a quick employee build-up." The company also performs line maintenance, service checks, heavy checks, modifications, interior and exterior aircraft painting, sheet metal work, refurbishment and fiberglass repair. 1 Vision Aviation also can support airlines with a team capable of deploying anywhere in the continental U.S. within 12 hours to get grounded aircraft back in the air. In a special meeting June 20, the Salina Airport Authority board approved financing for $2.6 million in repairs and improvements to Hangar 959 in support of 1 Vision Aviation's expansion project. Tim Rogers, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority, declined comment on 1 Vision Aviation until he presents a request for general obligation bond temporary notes before the Salina City Commission on Monday to begin improvements for those facilities. Sponder said the hangars at the Salina Airport are bigger than the ones the company uses in Sioux City, "so we can take on bigger aircraft in Salina and expand the number of planes we work on." Other details will be announced in the near future, Rogers said, including plans for a welcome and introduction of 1 Vision Aviation to the community. LifeSave Transport to arrive Additionally, LifeSave Transport has rented a hangar at Salina Regional Airport to provide emergency medical transportation services to Salina and north-central Kansas. At a special meeting on June 20, the Salina Airport Authority board approved a five-year lease for Hangar 504 to the Wichita-based air ambulance company. LifeSave will base 16 pilots, paramedics and flight nurses at its new Salina base, and flight operations may begin as early as July 15. The company was founded by Kansas emergency medicine physicians and includes fixed wing, rotor wing, ground ambulances, a state-of-the-art communication center, in-house maintenance facility, education department and patient billing division. The board also approved financing and a budget for $195,000 in H504 improvements. These improvements will include a new fire sprinkler system and remodeled crew quarters. The hangar will house a LifeSave Bell LongRanger helicopter and has enough space to support a Beechcraft King Air if the need arises. A formal introduction and welcome of LifeSave Transport will be announced at a later date. https://www.hutchnews.com/news/20190625/aviation-company-to-create-up-to-450-jobs-in-salina Back to Top MHI Reaches Deal To Acquire Bombardier's CRJ Program Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Bombardier have entered into a definitive agreement under which MHI will acquire the CRJ regional jet program for $550 million in cash and assume liabilities amounting to some $200 million. Under the deal, MHI will acquire the maintenance, support, refurbishment, marketing, and sales activities for the CRJ Series aircraft, including the related services and support network located in Montréal and Toronto, its service centers located in Bridgeport, West Virginia, and Tucson, Arizona, as well as the type certificates. The deal signals the impending end of CRJ production, control over which Bombardier will maintain until the backlog evaporates in the second half of 2020. The CRJ production facility in Mirabel, Québec, will remain with Bombardier and the Canadian company will continue to supply components and spare parts. Under the agreement, Bombardier will also retain certain liabilities representing a portion of the credit and residual value guarantees totaling some $400 million. Bombardier's interest in the Regional Aircraft Securitization Program (RASPRO), valued at about $180 million, will go to MHI. The sides expect the transaction to close during the first half of 2020 following regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. The agreement comes some three weeks after MHI confirmed it had reached an advanced stage of negotiation with Bombardier over the potential acquisition. That development followed two days after Viking Air parent Longview Capital said it completed the acquisition of Bombardier's Dash 8 aircraft business and named its new subsidiary De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited. That deal followed the more celebrated sale of a controlling stake in the Bombardier C Series to Airbus last July, in which the Quebec government now shares a minority position with the Canadian manufacturer under what on June 1 became known as the Airbus Canada Limited Partnership. In a statement released Tuesday, MHI said the acquisition will complement its existing commercial aircraft business, namely the development, production, sales, and support of the Mitsubishi SpaceJet commercial aircraft family. It noted that the CRJ program's maintenance and engineering would aid critical customer support functions, what MHI called a strategic business area. "This transaction represents one of the most important steps in our strategic journey to build a strong, global aviation capability," said MHI president and CEO Seiji Izumisawa. "The CRJ program has been supported by tremendously talented individuals. In combination with our existing infrastructure and resources in Japan, Canada, and elsewhere, we are confident that this represents one effective strategy that will contribute to the future success of the Mitsubishi SpaceJet family." Bombardier president and CEO Alain Bellemare added that the deal would prove to be the best "solution" for airline customers, employees, and shareholders. "With our aerospace transformation now behind us, we have a clear path forward and a powerful vision for the future," he said. "Our focus is on two strong growth pillars: Bombardier Transportation, our global rail business, and Bombardier Aviation, a world-class business jet franchise with market-defining products and an unmatched customer experience." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2019-06-25/mhi-reaches-deal-acquire-bombardiers-crj-program Back to Top Global Demand for Airline Pilots Drives Major Growth for Etihad's Aviation Training Division Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Soaring global demand for airline pilots, and the growing popularity of Airbus A320 and Boeing 787 aircraft, have jointly sparked major growth in the pilot training division of Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways. In the past year, Etihad has won contracts to train pilots for more than 40 clients, over half of them airlines in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Indian sub-continent and South East Asia. One year ago, it supported only three other operators. "Air travel is booming, and so is demand for pilots and other aviation professionals," said Captain Paolo La Cava, Managing Director of Etihad Aviation Training. "The number of passenger journeys on the world's airlines is expected to double within 20 years, and the aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing are both predicting that total aircraft numbers will also double to accommodate this growth," he said. Captain La Cava said training for new pilots from 'ab initio' stage was a growing activity of Etihad Aviation Training, which currently has over 100 cadet pilots and 22 training aircraft, including four Embraer Phenom 100 jets, all based at Al Ain, in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. But by far the fastest-growing segment of the business has become retraining pilots to fly new aircraft types, particularly the Airbus A320-family of narrowbody jets and the wide-bodied Boeing 787 Dreamliner, two of the most in-demand types. "As airlines and private operators introduce more of these jets, demand is increasing significantly to transfer pilots from flying other aircraft types," said Captain La Cava. "Many operators simply don't have the facilities or capacity to retrain the number of pilots required for these planes. But we do, and demand for our services is growing. In the first half of this year, our volumes have exceeded expectations by 30 per cent. A key reason for our success is that our instructors are also active pilots with Etihad Airways, operating the aircraft types on which we are training other pilots." Captain La Cava said Etihad Aviation Training was equipped with 10 Full Flight Simulators including three Airbus A320 devices, three Boeing 787 units, two Boeing 777s, a single unit for Airbus A330s/A340s, and one A380 simulator, as well as 12 fixed-based Airbus and Boeing training devices. An Airbus A350 simulator will be introduced later this year, as well as an A320 fixed base training unit. In addition to training pilots to operate these aircraft types - all of which Etihad operates, has previously flown, or will introduce - Etihad Aviation Training provides courses for flight instructors, examiners and senior examiners, as well as cabin crew and aircraft maintenance personnel. Its credentials were strengthened late last year when it became the first aviation business in the UAE to receive accreditation as an Approved Training Organisation by the European Aviation Safety Agency. This approval, EASA 147, is connected to the Etihad Engineering Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility, providing exposure to operational aircraft and instructors. "From small beginnings just over a year ago, we have built our training business in Abu Dhabi to become the largest such facility in the Middle East, and one of the largest independent providers of training in the aviation industry," said Captain La Cava. "Etihad Aviation Training is providing real solutions to emerging issues in our industry, and we are confident that we will continue to grow our global client base as airlines and other operators continue to expand their own businesses." https://www.aviationpros.com/education-training/flight-training/press-release/21086398/global-demand-for-airline-pilots-drives-major-growth-for-etihads-aviation-training-division Back to Top Aviation Orgs Urge FAA To Revamp Mx School Proposal Fourteen aviation groups are appealing to the FAA to take a less prescriptive approach as it updates standards for aviation maintenance technician schools (AMTS) under Part 147. Instead, the groups pushed for an outcomes-based approach in their jointly submitted comments to a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) that was released in April. The agency originally issued a proposed rulemaking in 2015, saying current regulations and requirements are outdated and do not meet industry needs. After reviewing the initial comments, the FAA followed with the SNPRM to incorporate two changes requested by industry: to provide the option of competency-based training and satellite training locations. But in the joint comments, industry groups are asking the agency to go further, including reconsidering prescriptive terms in the SNPRM. They further encouraged simplification of dual-enrollment programs and deference to the Department of Education requirements on issues involving quality of education. "Fixing 147 is an industry imperative. Handicapping our schools burdens both graduates and employers," they said. "Give us the flexible and dynamic rule needed to ensure we can educate the future workforce by the best means necessary." The joint comments-signed by the Aeronautical Repair Station Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, National Air Transportation Association, and National Business Aviation Association, among others-endorsed comments previously filed by the Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC), which represents AMTS. "The education community is in dire need of an outcomes-based regulatory approach, whereby schools have the flexibility to develop individualized programs that meet local employer needs," ATEC told the agency. "Given the agency controls the standard, the mechanic test, and associated guidance material, it need not micromanage how an AMTS will ensure students are properly prepared to meet the standard." ATEC further stressed the need to adhere to the Department of Education standards. "Higher institutions of learning are overseen by accreditors that ensure educational outcomes are achieved through annual audits and regular oversight," ATEC said. "The agency's proposals duplicate-and often contradict-these accreditation requirements. ATEC asks that the agency focus its oversight on elements specific to a certificated aviation maintenance program that are not otherwise driven by DOE requirements." ATEC added it appreciates the agency addressing concerns regarding competency-based programs and satellite locations. But at the same time, the association expressed concerns that the SNPRM "layers in a complicated web of duplicative requirements and approvals for competency-based programs and satellite locations. The added elements would create more bureaucracy and disincentivize schools looking to expand reach to high schools and provide competency-based programs." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-06-26/aviation-orgs-urge-faa-revamp-mx-school-proposal Back to Top Viasat, Teledyne Partner to Deliver Connected Flight Deck Services to Commercial Aviation Customers CHICAGO, June 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- (Electronic Flight Bag Users Forum) -- Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, and Teledyne Controls LLC, a leading provider of sophisticated avionics systems, announced today a partnership to bring real-time connected flight deck services to commercial airlines. Designed for Viasat in-flight connectivity (IFC) customers, this partnership allows commercial airlines to decrease operational costs by eliminating expensive manual data off-loading processes; make better use of data mid-flight with improved data analysis and relevancy; and reduce data loss through preventative maintenance and the immediate access of flight deck information. As data becomes increasingly critical in aviation operations, commercial airlines are looking to leverage analytics to identify actionable insights that will help streamline operational efficiencies, reduce costs and increase safety. Using Viasat's IFC system paired with Teledyne's Aircraft Interface Device (AID), airlines can off-load Quick Access Recorder (QAR) data and reliably stream Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) messages in real-time from the flight deck. Additionally, airlines can augment flight operations and maintenance quality assurance programs by immediately identifying and responding to maintenance issues, reducing aircraft on ground (AOG) timelines. "The combination of Viasat's in-flight connectivity service with Teledyne's Aircraft Interface Device is delivering tremendous cost savings along with data benefits to commercial airlines," said Murray Skelton, senior director of Aircraft Solutions, Teledyne. "In working with Viasat, we can securely off-load over 80% of ACARS data in real-time, which allows airlines to improve quality assurance programs and reduce costs associated with sending messages over expensive Very High Frequency (VHF) radio systems, especially when over water." Don Buchman, vice president and general manager, Commercial Aviation, Viasat added, "Through our partnership with Teledyne, we're changing connected flight deck services by enabling airlines to creatively use in-flight connectivity to create a fully connected fleet. Commercial aircraft generate large volumes of data, and our goal is to help airlines use this data more effectively by removing the expensive manual, post flight data acquisition process as well as create an environment where communications and analysis happens between the flight deck and ground operations teams-all in real-time." Qantas Airways finds success through connected flight deck communications Qantas is using high-speed Viasat satellite connectivity with Teledyne's GroundLink® avionics software across its domestic fleet of B737 and A330 aircraft with Wi-Fi to stream information over the Viasat system. The airline is also looking at new ways to leverage the system for Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) application - for tracking and visualizing weather, turbulence modeling and to improve pilots' overall situational awareness when in flight. "Viasat's inflight connectivity service delivers a comprehensive aircraft data delivery solution for the flight deck and cabin," said Alex Passerini, Qantas Chief Technical Pilot. "Together with Viasat and Teledyne, we have an innovative solution that has modernized our flight deck communications, allowing us to streamline the process for how we deliver information to the ground for advanced flight tracking and real-time aircraft monitoring. It is also enabling aircraft communications in remote areas of Australia without traditional ACARS coverage." About Teledyne Controls Headquartered in Southern California, Teledyne Controls LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY). Teledyne Controls is a leading manufacturer and innovator of a wide range of data management solutions designed to help aircraft operators collect, analyze and distribute aircraft data more efficiently. Teledyne Controls maintains worldwide facilities and a global network of field representatives to support its many airline, airframe, and military customers. To learn more about Teledyne Controls, visit: www.teledynecontrols.com, or follow the Company on social media at: Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter About Viasat Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. For more than 30 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate. Today, the Company is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, secure, affordable, fast connections to impact people's lives anywhere they are-on the ground, in the air or at sea. To learn more about Viasat, visit: www.viasat.com, go to Viasat's Corporate Blog, or follow the Company on social media at: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/viasat-teledyne-partner-to-deliver-connected-flight-deck-services-to-commercial-aviation-customers-300874140.html Back to Top AerSale Acquires Qwest Air Parts, Inc. to Expand Airframe Parts Sales AerSale®, a global supplier of aircraft, engines, used serviceable material (USM), and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, announced today it has acquired aircraft parts distributor Qwest Air Parts, Inc. Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Qwest is a recognized leader in aircraft dismantlement and the refurbishment and resale of USM. Qwest has disassembled over 200 aircraft, offers 24/7 AOG service, and operates a teardown facility in Crestview, Florida. Gary Jones, Qwest's founder, President and CEO, will continue to lead Qwest, which will operate as a stand-alone independent subsidiary of AerSale. The acquisition of Qwest will add scale and reach to AerSale's already significant airframe USM offerings. Furthermore, Qwest's recently certified repair station, Q2 Aviation LLC, will supplement AerSale's growing MRO platform. "As a proven leader in aircraft parts distribution, Qwest is an optimal partner to help further expand our large inventory of high-demand USM, which we cost-efficiently source through fleet acquisitions and part-out of our retiring lease portfolio assets," said Nicolas Finazzo, Executive Chairman of AerSale. "Our customers can now look forward to even more expertise and added value from our integrated aircraft, engine, and component solutions." AerSale is a premier provider of one-stop services offering aircraft and engine leasing, uncompromising MRO services, and USM supply solutions to the world's most demanding commercial and governmental operators. The company provides flight equipment operators and MROs significant cost savings on the purchase of USM in lieu of expensive OEM new replacement parts. The acquisition of Qwest will include the addition of 38 skilled professionals and technicians to the greater AerSale family, along with a 160,000-square-foot headquarters and warehouse facility in Memphis, and a 20,000-square-foot teardown facility in Florida. Qwest holds all relevant quality certifications, including ASA-100 and U.S. Department of Transportation Hazardous Material certification. About AerSale A global aviation leader celebrating its 10-year anniversary, AerSale specializes in the sale, lease, and exchange of used aircraft, engines, and components, in addition to providing a broad range of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) and engineering services for commercial aircraft and components. AerSale also offers asset management services to owners of end-of-life aircraft and engine portfolios. Headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida, AerSale maintains offices and operations in the United States, Europe, and Asia. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/aersale-acquires-qwest-air-parts-190300627.html Back to Top MA Group and Sichuan Haite Group to develop aerocomposite JV The MA Group (Naples, Italy) and Sichuan Haite Group (China) will establish a joint venture (JV) in China to implement MRO, manufacturing and R&D for aircraft landing gears and composite components for aircraft. The two groups signed an agreement at the Paris Air Show on June 17. Established in 1991, Haite Group is an integrated group base on aviation and industry within China. Sichuan Haite High-tech Co. Ltd., under the Group, is the first private aviation maintenance company, and the first listed company providing comprehensive aviation technical service within China. The company main activities include R&D for airborne equipment, test equipment, high-end equipment, test and maintenance of aviation machinery, electronic equipment, aeroengine maintenance, airframe overhaul and modification, training for pilots, flight attendants and maintenance personnel, aviation finance lease, integrated circuit chip manufacturing, general aviation services and gas turbine projects. Founded in Italy in 1936, MA Group is a global aerospace technology and manufacturing company that is the world's fifth largest producer of landing gear and a leader in the field of aviation composite materials. The group's business involves all aspects of design to the development of key components of aircraft, including the R&D and manufacturing of general aviation aircraft, landing gear and aircraft composite structure components. They have a complete integrated production service capability in the aerospace field, covering all stages from design to indoor test and service maintenance. "This agreement," says Giorgio Iannotti, senior VP of MA Group, "gives the possibility to increase our network in MRO, to develop a repair station for the needs of our customers and to acquire new ones in Asia market. This jv with Haite Group will be also the possibility to introduce Sky Arrow in the Chinese General Aviation market, as a platform for different Aerial Working Missionsconcluded Mister Iannotti." https://www.compositesworld.com/news/ma-group-and-sichuan-haite-group-to-develop-aerocomposite-jv Back to Top Copperstate Turbine Engine Becomes TAE Aerospace During the recent Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association conference, Australian MRO provider TAE Aerospace announced the name change of its latest acquisition, Arizona-based Copperstate Turbine Engine Co. (CTEC), to TAE Aerospace. The acquisition-which included CTEC's Scottsdale, Arizona, and Anchorage locations-occurred in February shortly after TAE purchased Kansas City-based Propulsion Controls Company (PCC). In addition to other capabilities, all three companies provide MRO support for the Honeywell TPE331 turboprop and/or its associated Woodward fuel control. "CTEC was a good match for us in culture, market knowledge, and the way they do business," said TAE Aerospace CEO Andrew Sanderson. "We could see where the synergies from our business in Australia would fit well with these businesses in the U.S. [The acquisitions were] a good stepping stone for our entry into the U.S. market." Founded in 2000 to perform aircraft maintenance for the Royal Australian Air Force, TAE Aerospace offers a range of MRO services including overhauls, repairs, or maintenance on various aircraft wheels and brakes; select GE, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney Canada, and Rolls-Royce engines; Honeywell and Woodward fuel controls and governors; electro-mechanical components; and Kidde fire protection equipment. With the acquisition of PCC and CTEC, TAE claims to be the largest provider of TPE331 services in the world. "With these acquisitions, we can share components with global coverage," said Sanderson. "TAE can now serve TPE customers around the world from Alaska to Antarctica and everything can stay within our combined capabilities. We will also have better buying power with Honeywell and others in our supply chain by combining the CTEC business with our Australian business." While Sanderson said TAE plans to infuse some capital into improvements at the CTEC facilities, personnel will essentially remain the same. "The employees are excited about being part of a global enterprise with more corporate structure," said John Phoenix, former CTEC v-p, now TAE Aerospace U.S. sales and marketing manager. "They see that TAE is serious about improvement and that [TAE] didn't buy us to simply sell us off. We're all in this together." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2019-06-26/copperstate-turbine-engine-becomes-tae-aerospace Back to Top SR Technics Malaysia Gains Thailand Certification SR Technics Malaysia, the Swiss MRO's component repair center in the Asia-Pacific region, has had its airworthiness certificate extended for component maintenance by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT). The approval, which was granted last month following an auditing process, is valid for three years and will give the company the green light to repair parts under Thailand's aviation safety body. This covers parts on Thailand-registered aircraft as well as third-parties in the Asia-Pacific requiring CAAT certification. It supplements more than 800 components repaired by SR Technics in Malaysia approved by regulators such as the FAA, EASA and China's CAAC, which it received approval from early last year. SR Technics Malaysia opened in April 2014 and provides component maintenance for Boeing and Airbus aircraft including the Airbus A320 family, the A330, the A340 and the Boeing 737NG. Thomas Kennedy, vice president component maintenance at SR Technics, says the approval will provide a further boost to the MRO. "The certificate opens up possibilities to further support our customers in Thailand and nearby countries and helps consolidate our business in the competitive Southeast Asia region," he says. https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/sr-technics-malaysia-gains-thailand-certification Back to Top EASA Opinion Seeks Runway Incursion Safeguards After considering 1,785 comments to a December 2018 notice of proposed amendment (NPA) aimed at improving runway safety, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a formal opinion calling for a range of measures to prevent runway incursions by aircraft, vehicles, and people. The next step toward issuing a final rule, the formal opinion covers the operation of vehicles at airports, including the authorization of drivers, and the conformance of vehicles operating in maneuvering areas. Linked to this is also the proposal for a new requirement on communications between vehicles and ground control facilities, as well as a proposal for the control of pedestrians on aircraft movement areas. In addition, the opinion proposes all the necessary requirements to support the application of new runway surface condition assessment and reporting standards that will be applicable worldwide by November 2020. Moreover, new requirements are introduced regarding notam origination, airport maintenance and snow removal plans, aircraft towing and FOD control, as well as changes to existing requirements related to surface movement guidance and control systems. The agency expects to issue a final rule in the second quarter of next year. EASA had received comments to the NPA from national aviation authorities, airport operators and airport operators' associations, aircraft manufacturers and operators, air traffic control providers and aviation professional organizations. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-06-25/easa-opinion-seeks-runway-incursion-safeguards Back to Top IATA Agreement Not Slowing GE Aviation's MRO Surge A recently enacted agreement between IATA and CFM International tailored to ensure the manufacturer is not forcing its customers to use its parts and services has not changed much for the narrowbody engine supplier, executives at CFM partner GE Aviation confirm. "There's no material impact on our services business as a result of the agreement," GE Aviation Services president and CEO Jean Lydon-Rogers said at an investor briefing held during the Paris Air Show. "The opportunity to work with IATA relative to this complaint was truly an opportunity to listen to our customers, and what it did was allow us to have a lot more transparency about our practices and a confirmation that we do support an open and competitive MRO market." The agreement, reached in 2018 and put into effect at the end of February, codified policies that CFM has in place for supporting its customers. While it contained a few new items, the policies-spelled out by CFM and published on its website-largely document existing standards and practices. The move may not lead to wholesale changes, such as a surge in parts manufacturer approval (PMA) and other alternative parts usage, but the policies provide clear guidance on what customers can and cannot do with their engines. They also spell out what ramifications-if any-their actions may have in areas such as OEM warranties. "The rules and regulations around PMA have been the same forever," GE Aviation president and CEO David Joyce said. "Folks can come in and they can certify components to put inside the engines ... our job is to create a value proposition for original equipment parts that is better than the value proposition for PMA. "I would say that the agreement we reached with IATA was more to ensure that, as you saw as that services market continues to be as big as it is in CFM, IATA wants to make sure that that market stays open," he added. GE and CFM co-partner Safran are riding a surge in CFM56 overhauls to record services revenues. The venerable engine model boasts some 28,000 in-service engines-most of them CFM56-5Bs and -7Bs that power some Airbus A320ceos and all Boeing 737NGs. Worldwide shop visits of the two models are approaching 3,000 and are not expected to peak until the middle of the next decade. By then, the first CFM LEAPs will be approaching shop visits, helping GE keep its aftermarket momentum going. "We just went through a five-year plan with [Lydon-Rogers] a couple of weeks ago. I'm probably more bullish now than I was before we got together," Joyce said. "We thought we would get [total GE and CFM] worldwide shop visits to 5,500 by 2020. We'll actually hit that [in 2019], and we're talking north of 5,600 by next year. And if we cast that out to 2025, it's growing every year." While the CFM franchise is a primary driver, GE's services business boasts diversity across thrust classes. "We actually see growth in ... the GE90 and the CF34 through the next decade," Lydon-Rogers said, referring to GE's venerable widebody and regional-jet engine models. "So those have not even seen their peak yet. And it's interesting to note that about 63% of our engines have had one or fewer shop visits to this point in their life. So there are quite a bit of shop visits ahead for us." https://www.mro-network.com/maintenance-repair-overhaul/iata-agreement-not-slowing-ge-aviation-s-mro-surge Back to Top FAA Reassigns Senior Managers in Office Overseeing Southwest Airlines The Federal Aviation Administration has removed three senior managers in the office overseeing Southwest Airlines Co. , amid allegations of lax safety enforcement raised by agency whistleblowers and various resulting government inquiries, according to people familiar with the matter. The Transportation Department's inspector-general has been looking into some of the safety issues for many months, these people said, including lapses by the airline in documenting maintenance for more than 100 of its jets. Other parts of the probe focus on failures to reliably compute the weight of checked baggage and hazardous landing incidents in which one aircraft smacked a wingtip on the tarmac and another ran off the strip in stormy weather. Separate congressional investigations began delving into a number of such operational and maintenance slipups by Southwest more recently, though one person familiar with the details said those inquiries didn't have any impact on the personnel moves. The reassignments, also prompted by allegations that managers retaliated against whistleblowing safety inspectors, were revealed to FAA employees on Tuesday, these people said. An FAA spokesman declined to comment on personnel matters, but in a statement suggested the management shake-up was tied to long-running friction and disputes inside the office stemming from various whistleblower complaints. The spokesman said the agency takes allegations regarding safety oversight and retaliation seriously while working "continuously to improve the FAA organization's overall performance to meet our critical safety mission." "To uphold these principles, we take appropriate action as necessary," he said. A spokeswoman for Southwest said it is cooperating fully with the inspector general's probe. "We remain absolutely confident that our maintenance procedures ensure the airworthiness of our aircraft," she said. The employees who were reassigned include Carroll Hebert, office manager, and two of his lieutenants responsible for operations and maintenance. Mr. Hebert didn't immediately respond to an email request for comment. The three managers have been replaced on an interim basis; naming permanent replacements could take months. The union representing FAA safety inspectors nationwide has complained to both FAA headquarters and congressional staffers about alleged management retaliation against inspectors who raised safety concerns, according to people familiar with the details. The union declined to comment. The personnel shifts, which went into effect over the weekend and were announced to FAA employees in the Dallas-area office Tuesday morning, follow months of escalating controversy-some of it public-regarding the office's oversight of Southwest. Among the issues under scrutiny by the inspector general and officials at FAA headquarters is widespread miscalculation of the total weight of checked bags loaded onto each Southwest flight, according to government officials and internal agency documents. That investigation was the subject of a previous Wall Street Journal report. The FAA's civil probe, documents show, found systemic and significant mistakes with employee calculations and luggage-loading practices, resulting in potential discrepancies when pilots compute takeoff weights. While in a few cases the FAA found the load was more than 1,000 pounds in excess of what airline paperwork indicated, Southwest has said its system carries minimal risk for passengers. In the past, the carrier said it had cooperated fully with the FAA and voluntarily reports issues to enhance safety, with a Southwest spokesman calling dealings with the agency part of a "routine dialogue." Earlier this year, the airline said it planned to phase in new baggage-counting procedures by the end of 2019. Inspector general investigators have been gathering information and interviewing inspectors about the baggage issue and other matters since last year, and are expected to issue a comprehensive report on FAA oversight of Southwest by early 2020, according to some of the people familiar with the process. Officially called the FAA's certificate-management office overseeing Southwest, the same part of the agency was the focus of significant controversy more than a decade ago when congressional investigators discovered that local agency managers had allowed the airline to continue flying tens of thousands of passengers on nearly two dozen aircraft without completing mandatory structural inspections. The public furor prompted the agency and lawmakers to revamp the FAA's mission to focus solely on safety oversight, eliminating its prior responsibilities for promoting aviation. This time, similar debates about policy and management priorities again have roiled the office, creating what one person familiar with the details called a "toxic environment," pitting management against inspectors opposed to the agency's changing, less-punitive approach to oversight. https://www.wsj.com/articles/faa-reassigns-senior-managers-in-office-overseeing-southwest-airlines-11561502498 Back to Top SpaceX caught the nose cone of its Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time in the net of a boat SpaceX caught the half of the fairing, or nose cone, of its Falcon Heavy rocket on Tuesday, passing another milestone as the company seeks to consistently reuse an expensive part of its rocket. Stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, high speed boat "Ms. Tree" caught the fairing half in a net strung up above the boat's deck, CEO Elon Musk confirmed in a tweet. The fairing is the bulbous nose cone on top of the rocket. SpaceX has attempted to catch the fairing multiple times before. With its boat previously stationed in the Pacific Ocean, the company has been trying to land the fairing in the net since 2017. The boat had several near misses, with Musk noting on a previous attempt that SpaceX missed catching the fairing by only "a few hundred meters." The fairing halves each have a set of guidance systems and parachutes, as they re-enter the Earth's atmosphere at multiple times the speed of sound. Even though this is the first time the boat caught a fairing half, SpaceX has been able to fish the fairings out of the water on close misses. Reusing the fairings on future launches is key to SpaceX's cost saving goals. Fairings represent about 10% of the cost of a rocket, the company has said. With a Falcon 9 rocket coming with a price tag starting at $62 million, that means fairings cost about $6 million. Additionally, as SpaceX aims to make rocket launches more akin to air travel - where complex machines are consistently reused with minor maintenance between flights - the company aims to recover every part of its rockets in the future. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/25/spacex-caught-falcon-heavy-rocket-nose-cone-in-net-of-high-speed-boat.html Curt Lewis