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June / July 2017

PARIS AIRSHOW BOROSCOPES ROMANIAN MRO
REVIEW PROBING, SEEKING, FROM MIGS TO
GROWING INTEREST FINDING AEROSTRUCTURES
IN MRO
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EDITORIAL
DEPARTMENTS Editor-in-Chief
Andrew Drwiega
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04 Editors Comment 38 Classied
06 Intelligence: Focus - 42 Legal Spin Column Contributing Editors
Paris Airshow Review Charlotte Adams
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David Jensen
Douglas Nelms
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MILITARY MRO MRO

US Sales Director

12
Daniel Brindley,
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How does the U.S. Air Force maintain its STRATEGIC EU Sales
MAINTENANCE
eets of strategic aircraft? Doug Nelms Jina Lawrence
jinalawrence@avm-mag.com
visited Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma
to nd out. International Sales
Paul McPherson
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June / July 2017

PARIS AIRSHOW BOROSCOPES ROMANIAN MRO
REVIEW PROBING, SEEKING, FROM MIGS TO
FINDING AEROSTRUCTURES

DESIGN/PRODUCTION
GROWING INTEREST
IN MRO

small axe studios

16 Boroscopes
Are boroscopes smarter than ever? Dale Smith looks into the latest developments.
mark@smallaxestudios.net
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22 MROs in Europe
Charlotte Adams talks a number of major European MROs to nd whether
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CLIENT SERVICES
Administration
Romanian Resourcefulness
28 Editor-in-chief Andrew Drwiega travelled to Aerostar in Romania to discover that a
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32 100 Years of Russian Military MRO

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 E D I T O R S C O M M E N T
MRO Crucial In German
CH-53 Replacement Contest
BY ANDREW DRWIEGA
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
W
hen it comes to military MRO, the
business can be worth nearly as much
than the original acquisition contract
even more if the aircraft platform stays in service for
a long time (all the mainteance hours over the life
of the platform together with financial injections for
capability upgrades. Often the platform can have
its out-of-service date extended if a replacement
capability is found difficult to squeeze into already
restricted national defence budgets.
The replacement for the German Air Force
Schwerer Transporthubschrauber (STH) Sikorsky
CH-53 Super Stallion heavy helicopter is such a
case. In the early 1970s, German Army Aviation
(who until 2013 owned and operated the CH-53s)
received two pre-production CH-53Gs which were
manufactured by Sikorsky in the United States,
followed by 110 CH-53Gs manufactured under
license by VFW-Fokker ( Vereinigte Flugtechnische
Werke) at Speyer, Germany. VFW was taken over
by Messerschmitt-Blkow-Blohm (MBB) in 1981,
which was itself bought by Deutsche Aerospace in
1989 (which is now part of the Airbus Group).
Most of the German CH-53G/GS/GE/GA fleet
have now been flying for well over 40 years and
are in need of replacement. Of that inital fleet
there are currently around 60 helicopters (down
from 80 a few years ago) that are being used by
the German military on a regular basis (and the
budget is there to fly and maintain them).
Through the legacy of German production,
Airbus has won the last three modernisation
contracts for varying numbers of the overall CH-53
fleet. In 2002, Airbus upgraded 38 CH-53Gs to
CH-53GS (Special) at a cost of around worth
around 23 million, an order placed by the Federal
Office for Defence Technology and Procurement
(BWB) which was completed by the end of 2005.
In 2012, Airbus modernised 40 Super Stallions
to CH-53GAs to include new avionics and
communications systems. The German armed
forces wanted its new NH-90 transport helicopters
and Tiger attack helicopters to be able to work
in concert above the battlefield. Airbus of course
produced both of the other helicopters, the former
alongside other industry partners.
4 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017
In February this year Airbus received another
135 milliondirective from the Federal Office of
Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology
and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) described as
an obsolescence management contract to retrofit
26 CH-53s (20 CH-53GS and six CH-53GE) with
new components and up-to-date parts. This
contract will ensure that as a new heicopter type
enters service around a planned date of 2023,
there will be enough heavy lifters around to
during the delivery period and volume capability
is retained while the older, first modified CH-53s
are taken out of service.
The main players for the CH-53 replacement
are the original manufacturer, Sikorsky, with its
brand new CH-53K. It is not yet in service but
any German order could be slotted into the U.S.
Marine Corps production line for deliveries to
begin around 2022. The rival is Boeings latest
version of its iconic Chinook, the CH-47F. This is
available and in service. However, both American
companies are concerned about two things at
least: numbers of aircraft ordered and who gets
to conduct the MRO on them. If the German
government defaults to Airbus, then the unit
cost for either aircraft will escalate sharply as
the OEM would have little prospect on making
a volume of money post-delivery, except for
spares supply.
Wolfgang Schoder, CEO of Airbus Helicopters
Germany, recently heavily underlined the historical
role that his Military Support Centre in Donauwrth
has played in supporting the CH-53s: Airbus
Helicopters has been the German specialist for
maintaining, repairing and modernising heavy
transport helicopters for decades. We have
the necessary infrastructure, highly trained
professionals and can guarantee supply for all
Bundeswehr models.
The German government is now faced by its
own aerospace industry wanting a special deal,
while both foreign OEMs will play hard-ball
on the price if they arent offered any of the
OEM pie. The request for proposals is expected
to be issued mid-2018 with a contract award
in 2019.
Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu















Le Bourget Remembered Edited by Andrew Drwiega

Jean Marc Janaillac, chairman

and CEO introduces the AFI
KLM E&M press conference;
the jacXson engine replacement
demonstration out on the apron.
(Photos: Andrew Drwiega).

It was not nice or pleasant. Paris Airshow was a nightmare of endurance for exhibitors
and visitors alike. Security led to individual body searches by security guards - and their
numbers fell woefully short of the numbers required for the job, especially during the
early morning rush.
Even the show itself has become an endurance challenge in order to First repairs to be implemented by AFI KLM E&M are Trent 1000
download volumes of information rather than a celebration of the air. LPC shaft and IPC front stub shafts, and Trent 1000/Trent XWB tiled
Andrew Drwiega presents some of the relevant MRO news. combustion chambers.
Jean Marc Janaillac, chairman and CEO began the Air France Industries Eric Schulz, Rolls-Royce, president - Civil Aerospace, said: "We are
KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) press conference staged delighted that Air France KLM opted for the A350 and the Trent XWB
during the Paris Airshow with the observation that the MRO market was for their long-haul operations. This agreement paved the way for AFI
still expanding but is competitive putting pressure on margins. He KLM E&M to develop capabilities on Trent XWB MRO. We welcome
added that the new generation of aircraft meant an investment strategy to them as part of the Rolls-Royce CareNetwork."
improve the organisations IT systems would be implemented. Anne Brachet, executive vice president, AFI KLM E&M added: "We
Anne Brachet, executive vice president agreed: We foresee a are delighted to join the CareNetwork. Thanks to the engineering
pressure on the margin due to competition but that new platforms capabilities and repairs that we will be developing in partnership with
such as the A350, 787, A320Neo, 737 Max and the new GEnx engine Rolls-Royce, we will bring greater value for the Trent engines products,
gave an opportunity for the development of different services. Digital destined for a long and brilliant career.
is key - everyone is talking about it, she said. Additional announcements made by AFI KLM E&M a cabin
One of the major announcements made by AFI KLM E&M was modification with Air Mauritius covering Part 21 cabin modifications
its partnership with Rolls-Royce in its CareNetwork. With 25 aircraft to six Airbus aircraft in the Air Mauritius fleet: two A319, two A330-200
on order and options for a further 25, the Air France KLM group will and two A340-300. Also a partnership agreement with Sabena technics
be a major operator of the A350 powered by the Trent XWB. The to establish a joint venture to support A320 and ATR component
maintenance of these engines will be entrusted to AFI KLM E&M. In repairs in Singapore's new Seletar aviation cluster.
addition, AFI KLM E&M and Rolls-Royce will extend their cooperation
to the sphere of repairs on Rolls-Royce engine parts and components. Inmarsat Partners with Airbus Over EAN
Air France KLM will be supported under a long-term service support Inmarsat announced a strategic partnership for its new European Aviation
agreement with Rolls-Royce, while Rolls-Royce will support Air France Network (EAN) inflight broadband service with Airbus at Le Bourget.
Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance to implement Trent XWB Airbus will offer airlines a specialist retrofit solution to deploy EAN on the
engine overhaul capability in Paris. entire A320 family of aircraft, including A319s, A320s and A321s.

6 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu
A warm welcome for visitors to Le Bourget, but not one that they care to remember. (Photo: Andrew Drwiega)
The agreement marks a further milestone in the development of EAN;
the worlds first dedicated aviation connectivity solution to combine
space-based and ground-based networks to deliver a seamless WiFi
experience for airline passengers throughout Europe. It follows a separate
announcement earlier this year that International Airlines Group (IAG), the
parent company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling, will be
the launch customer for EAN. IAG has begun equipping its aircraft and
aims to have 90 percent of its short haul fleet complete by early 2019.
EAN is based on an infrastructure which brings together a dedicated
S-band satellite and complementary ground network, to offer a fully
integrated and seamless network that delivers the service quality and
performance assurance not offered by satellite only providers.
The network, which is on course to commence commercial services
in the second half of 2017, also delivers passenger WiFi technology
to Europe. Inmarsats strategic partner Deutsche Telekom is currently
constructing the ground network.
Airbus Retrofit Solution
The Airbus retrofit solution consists of modification kits with all cabin
network equipment required for EAN deployment. It also includes service
bulletins (SBs) that detail the tasks and materials needed for installation
and also certify the airworthiness of related modification work.
Airlines can procure the new solution directly through Airbus or
Inmarsat, with both partners forecasting that more than 750 aircraft
could be retrofitted with EAN over the next three years.
The partnership with Airbus marks a further key achievement for
EAN. In addition to its function as an inflight broadband solution,
the agreement also contains provisions for airlines to utilise EAN for
advanced aircraft maintenance and operations management, leading
to increased efficiencies and important cost reductions.
Leo Mondale, Inmarsat Aviation president, said: Our partnership
with Airbus will offer clear advantages to airlines operating the popular
A320 family aircraft. They will gain access to the new gold standard in
passenger inflight broadband with a retrofit solution that comes from the
aircraft manufacturer itself and has been specifically designed for ease-
of-use. In addition to EANs function as a high-speed inflight broadband
service, our collaborative agreement with Airbus also opens the doors to
streaming data on the aircraft maintenance and operations side.
New Digital Solutions from UTC
for Order Tracking
UTC Aerospace Systems has introduced a suite of digital solutions
that are accessible through a new customizable, self-service portala
one-stop shop for parts and services. To enable this, UTC optimizied
internal processes using smart data to proactively manage MRO
customer commitments.
The digital customer experience and accompanying secured portal
are the result of collaboration between UTC Aerospace Systems and
United Technologies Digital.
Download free iOS app via www.avm-mag.com/iOS
"We have made significant investments over the last year to achieve our
current 97 percent on-time repair performance. Our new suite of digital
solutions was developed to take our performance and responsiveness to
the next level," said aftermarket vice president Ajay Agrawal.
UTC Aerospace Systems repairs more than 400,000 aircraft
components each year, and over 50 MRO facilities around the globe
The new digital solutions suite was developed in collaboration with
key customers. It will allow UTC offer customers better interfaces with
the company that should increase reliability and transparency around
order and shipping status, as well as improving responsiveness and
consistency in customer service around the globe.
UTC Aerospace Systems expects all customers and MRO sites will
be migrated to the new customer service platform by 2018.
Satair Sign Safran Nacelles Agreement
Satair Group signed its first major contract with Safran Nacelles,
covering global lifetime supply chain services for engine nacelle parts
and components used on Airbus A340-500/600 jetliners.
The Satair Group has now assumed responsibility over Safran
Nacelles entire supply chain for the A340 nacelle elements, carrying
out support duties through the lifetimes of the four-engine aircraft.
There are currently 90 A340-500/600s in operation, and Satair Group
estimates the aircraft type will remain in service beyond 2030.
A physical transfer of Safran Nacelles A340 nacelle parts inventory has
been made from the companys Paris support center to Satair Groups
Copenhagen facility. Safran Nacelles will continue a direct working
relationship with its A340 customers for overall customer support, nacelle
maintenance and repair (MRO) services as well as engineering support.
This agreement with Satair Group, on the entire supply chain for
this legacy nacelle program, enables us to focus on our utmost mission
as a nacelle designer and integrator for current and future programs,
while also maintaining our MRO and technical support provided to
A340 operators, explained Safran Nacelles CEO Jean Paul Alary.
With Satair Group, we have found a partner that brings its logistic
expertise to manage efficiently the supply chain.
Bart Reijnen, CEO of Satair Group commented: We look forward to
working closely with Safran Nacelles in ensuring the best possible logistics
services for its customers, who will benefit from the ability to pool more
parts through our efficient supply chain and global distribution.
Uplifting JacXson
And finally one of the more interesting demonstrations at Le Bourget was
the JacXson production and maintenance unit from the eXcent Group.
Out on the apron, the company demonstrated the JacXson mobile unit
which the company describes as a precision assembling, mounting
and disassembling tool which makes possible to avoid using cranes,
maintenance buildings, various lifting and transportation means.
Demonstrations on the static display showed how easily mechanics
could use the unit to help with an engine installation and removal.
Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 7
 

GAMA Endorses FAAs Elwell Over No Change to ADS-B



 Deadline
At the beginning of July the General Aviation Manufacturers
Ozenick for DAS Americas Association (GAMA) endorsed the newly appointed Federal
Aviation industry veteran Mark Ozenick has Aviation Administration (FAA) deputy administrator Dan Elwell for
been appointed as reiterating the FAAs commitment to the Automatic Dependent
president of Dassault Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) compliance deadline for all
Aircraft Services (DAS), aircraft flying in designated airspace.
Dassault Falcon Jets Speaking during the NextGen Advisory Committee meeting in
company owned late June, Elwell stated that the ADS-B Out equipage mandate
service center network. will not change. The December 31, 2019, date is firm.
Ozenick will oversee According to a GAMA statement, air traffic control system
DAS operations in modernization activities are accelerating worldwide and general
North, South and aviation has been at the forefront of this transformation. From early
Ozenick Central America and adoption of GPS capability in the cockpit, to rapid equipage with
will report to Geoff Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) technologies to enable GPS based approaches
Chick, senior vice president, Customer Service at thousands of airports, through pioneering the development of ADS-B with the Capstone
at Dassault Falcon Jet. Program in Alaska, to the rotorcraft community's enthusiastic embrace of ADS-B equipage in
Mark brings extensive industry experience the Gulf of Mexico, general aviation has led the way.
to DAS and has a proven commitment to We have confirmed across the full spectrum of general aviation associations that our
providing a superior customer experience industry strongly supports air traffic control modernization to include having the ADS-B Out
and best-in-class quality of service while mandate stand firm, as the FAA has consistently communicated, by December 31, 2019,"
maximizing customer satisfaction, said Chick. said GAMA president and CEO Pete Bunce. We look forward to working with the deputy
Ozenick brings nearly four decades of administrator to facilitate accelerated equipage rates for fixed and rotor wing aircraft as the
experience to his new leadership position mandate deadline approaches.
at DAS. His career accomplishments include
leading cultural change initiatives as a C-Level
operating executive in business and military AFI KLM E&M to Upgrade French Air Force E-3Fs
aircraft flight operations and within the
aerospace MRO sectors.

SR Technics Appoints Two Heads

from Within
SR Technics has announce two appointments:
Roberto Furlan as head
of Engine Services and
Jakob Straub as head
of Aircraft Services and
Line Maintenance.
Furlan joined SR
Technics in 2007 as
division manager for
Engine Parts Repair,
Furlan and he recently served
as vice president
Engineering in Engine
Services. Previous
employment was
with companies
including Fischer The French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) has awarded AFI KLM E&M a single
Advanced Composite contract covering Maintenance in Operational Condition (MCO) and cockpit renovation for
Components and MTU the four-aircraft AWACS fleet of the French Air Force.
Aero Engines. This includes the maintenance of the fleet's aiframe, component and engines. While
Straub started his operational support is still under the responsibility of the French Air Force, AFI KLM E&M will
Straub career as a mechanical provide in-hangar industrial maintenance, engine engineering, and the end-to-end supply chain,
engineer at Swissair in including inventory management and the maintenance of the AWACS-specific information
1978, and since then he has held several system which guarantees data exchange confidentiality. The MCO part of the contract will be
global leadership roles across the company. supervised by the SIMMAD (a special MCO unit for France's defense aviation equipment).
From 2009 until 2013, Straub led Jet Aviation A key part of this contract is an AWACS cockpit upgrade. Commissioned in the early 1990s,
Zurich before returning to SR Technics. He the aircraft will undergo a complete refurbishment of its avionics, including the redesign of its
became head of line maintenance at SR autopilot and intertial navigation system. AFI KLM E&M has selected Boeing Defense, Space
Technics in 2015. & Security as a major partner in this contract. Boeing has already carried out a similar upgrade
SR Technics chief operating officer Jean- for both the US Air Force and NATO. Under the present partnership, AFI KLM E&M will provide
Marc Lenz said: I am delighted that we were project management for the upgrade while Boeing will be responsible for the certification, as
able to fill these key positions with internal it is already qualified for this type certificate.

8 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu
 



experts. Roberto and Jakob both have
a long history in the aviation industry and
within our company.
Wizz Air Creates Chief Technical
Officer Position
Heiko Holm, currently head of Technical
Services at Wizz Air has been promoted to
a newly created position as chief technical
officer, reporting to Diederik Pen, executive
vice president and chief operations officer.
The chief technical officer will remain the
post-holder for continuing airworthiness and
the the accountable manager for Wizz Airs
Part 145 maintenance organization. Heiko
graduated from the University of Applied
Sciences in Hamburg, Germany as an
engineer specializing in aircraft construction
and design. His last post outside of Wizz Air
was director of operations for Lufthansa
Technik in Shenzhen, China.
Pedersen Made CFO at NAC
Regional aircraft leasing specialist Nordic
Aviation Capital is strengthen its executive
management team with the appointment of
Brian Ruben Pedersen as chief financial officer.
Having held several senior executive
positions in Maersk, Pedersens most recent
position was as CFO for Maersk Global Shared
Services in Mumbai. He has over 22 years
experience working in various financial and
managerial roles and has gained substantial
international exposure from working in a
variety of countries including Hong Kong,
Pakistan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Brazil.
Sren M. Overgaard, CEO of Nordic
Aviation Capital, commented: Brian
brings a wealth of leadership and financial
experience to NAC. His achievements and
expertise in financial management will make
a significant contribution to the financial and
strategic development of our company.
10 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017
Thales Expands in Singapore
Thales newly expanded facility in Changi, Singapore consolidates all avionics production
and MRO activities under one roof.
In the past year, Thales in Singapore has grown its repair volume by over 30 percent. It also
provides a Customer Support Centre (CSC) for the Diehls Singaporean subsidiary, set up in
November last year to better serve its regional customers. The CSC has been operational since
the beginning of the year.
The widened scope of the extended partnership increases Thales repair volume in
Singapore to an estimated 40,000 pieces of equipment per year, making Singapore the
Groups largest centre for avionics maintenance and repair services worldwide.
The expanded Thales facility is testament to Singapores continued strength as an
aerospace hub for Asia Pacific and an excellent example of how we can partner OEMs to
facilitate their regional expansion. Companies can tap on Singapores connectivity, pro-
business environment and pool of skilled talent, to be closer to their customers and harness
the growth of the regional aviation market, said Eric Huber, Thales vice presiden and general
manager for Avionics Services Worldwide activities.
Singapore houses one of three avionics repair sites for the Group, with the other two located
in Chatellerault, France and Piscataway, USA.
Air Burkina Signs-Up with MTU
MTU Maintenance has signed an exclusive three-year maintenance agreement with Air Burkina.
The contract for the airlines four CF34-8E engines from their E170 aircraft covers maintenance,
repair and overhaul, on-site services and guaranteed spare engine leasing availability.
Air Burkina is the national airline of Burkina Faso and claims to be the only west African
company to have operated without interruption for 50 years. Air Burkina is MTUs first CF34-8
customer in sub-Saharan Africa.
Superior Air Parts Celebrates 50 Years
Keith Chatten, CEO of Superior Air Parts
announced that his company began its 50th
anniversary celebrations by attending this years
Oshkosh AirVenture.
The 50th anniversary of any organization is big,
but for Superior to achieve this milestone in todays
general aviation market is especially meaningful for
everyone in our organization, he said. I would like
to take this opportunity to thank every one of our
suppliers, distributors and customers around the
world for making our 50th anniversary possible.
Making Flying More Affordable Since 1967 Today, our tagline is Making flying more
affordable since 1967, and that commitment
means a lot to us. Our customers have come to
rely on us to bring some competitive cost control to the aftermarket parts business and we
take that role very seriously, Chatten said. Considering we started by making a simple valve
guide in 1967 and have grown to hold 3,500 PMAs today, its clear that aircraft owner/operators
around the world appreciate the pride we put into every product that carries the Superior Air
Parts name.
Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu
 Big Planes; Big Spares
(and 3D too)

by Douglas Nelms

Lightning strikes behind a B-1B Lancer parked on the ight line as a major storm approaches Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma May 18, 2017. The B-1B is at Tinker
undergoing depot level maintenance and has been stripped of a majority of its paint. (U.S. Air Force photo/Greg L. Davis)

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P
roviding MRO services to the wide
range of aircraft operated by the
United States Air Force (USAF)
requires a very sophisticated, and
well regulated, operation. Add the
fact that the majority of the aircraft
being maintained such as the Boeing
B-52 are 50 to 60 years old, and it
becomes even more impressive.
The Air Force Sustainment
Center (AFSC), based at Tinker AFB and commanded by Lt.
Gen. Lee K. Levy II, provides the overall management of this
depot level maintenance, what the Air Force calls execution and
consolidation oversight of maintenance, supply chain activities
and installation support.
Falling within the AFSC is the Oklahoma City Air Logistics
Complex (OC-ALC), the largest of three Air Logistics Complexes
for USAF aircraft, concentrating on Boeing KC-135s, B-52s,
B-1, E-3s and Northrop Grumman B-2s. The two others Air
Logistics Complexes are Robins AFB in Georgia, providing
depot maintenance on the Boeing F-15 Strike Eagle and C-17
Globemaster , Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy and C-130 Helcules,
KC-10 and SOF aircraft, and Hill AFB, Utah, which handles
maintenance for the Lockheed Martin F-35 and F-22, General
Dynamics F-16, Fairchild A-10 and Northrop T-38.
The 76th Aircraft Maintenance Group is a key part of the
OC-ALC, providing the blue collar, hanger floor maintainers
who do the maintenance. The OC-ALC also includes the 76th
Propulsion Maintenance Group responsible for depot level
maintenance for Air Force and Navy aircraft engines. The 448th
Supply Chain Management Wing, responsible for ensuring that
the necessary spares are available as needed, is also part of the
responsibilities of the AFSC.
The three elements, consisting of the AFSC, 76th and 448th,
get together once a year for a requirements review and depot
determination (or R2D2) meeting to develop one big list of what
theyre expecting for the next two years, according to Steve
Alsup, director of logistics for the AFSC, or AFSC-LG. They then
use that input to help scope and shape the size of their workforce
for those coming years. As our workforces expand and contract
based on the nature of the work that we have coming down the
pike, this process has never been more important, he said.
The aircraft themselves are managed under the Air Force Lifecycle
Management Center (LCMC). The LCMC program office for the
particular aircraft type will monitor the aircraft and decide when it is
time to come in for maintenance normally about every five years.

12 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu
Members from the 97th Maintenance Directorate secure a vertical n of a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft, May 10, 2017, Altus Air Force Base,
Oklahoma. The maintainers partnered with Tinker AFB to produce the part required to repair the KC-135. This operation has happened only once in the past four years.
(U.S. Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Jackson N. Haddon/Released)
These program offices track the maintenance activities of the
aircraft and look for trends, Alsup said: If were starting to see
the same thing break over and over, maybe we need to modify
our processes to meet the warfighters need.
The OC-ALC handles over 100 aircraft a year, with the majority
being the KC-135, according to Wade Wolfe, the organisations
vice director. His unit does some $3.4 billion worth of work a year,
with just over 9,800 employees.
We do in excess of 70 KC-135s a year, about 17 B-52s,
about 10 or so B-1s and two or three E-3s, he said. He also is
responsible for repairs on over 500 engines per year.
The vast majority of the maintenance work is done by
Department of Air Force civilians. Out of 8,176 maintainers, only
97 are military.
Management of the hangar floor maintenance operations is
aided by a new computer system being added called the Lean
Depot Management System (LDMS). This new software is a
totally self-contained system that the complex will use to help me
with bills of materials, what we refer to as bonds, schedule items
in for maintenance, help us order the material, help establish pick
lists for parts required and help with our kitting processes.
Wolfe has over 1,000 software engineers to develop the
software for the maintenance program. OC-ALC workload is
growing, and should double over the five years, he said. The
software engineers write code for the different systems on the
various aircraft maintained at the center. He noted that weapon
system software has grown exponentially over the years. For
example, the B-2 was first fielded with 1.5 million lines of code,
versus the (incoming) KC-46, which is estimated to have 15 million
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lines of code.
Alsup noted that the computerization that runs his wristwatch
could probably have run a B-52 thirty years ago.
Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the maintenance center
is aging aircraft. Within the next couple of years, the USAF will
be introducing the Boeing KC-46, a heavily modified Boeing 767,
into it fleet. The first aircraft is scheduled to enter service next
year and arrive at Tinker for the first C-Check in 2019. The Air
Force C-Check is very light, consisting of 373 tasks, Alsup said.
New maintenance hangars are already under construction, and a
large part of the software for the KC-46 is commercial-based, with
the AFSC partnering with Boeing, he added.
But in the meantime, Tinker is providing maintenance for
KC-135s and B-52s that are over half a century old. Engineering
studies have shown that the B-52 could keep flying into the
2040s and beyond, leading to speculation that the giant bomber
could reach the 100-year-old mark. And with the half-century-old
aircraft, the problem becomes simply finding the parts. A section
of a B-52 is opened and a part that has never needed to be
replaced suddenly is.
Another problem comes when a part is needed for a low-
density aircraft, such as the B-2, with only 20 being supported
Spare parts to keep the Air Forces aircraft flying are the
responsibility of the 448th Supply Chain Management Wing.
Parts are ordered up to two years in advance under a $5.3 billion
budget, according to Frank Washburn, the Wings director.
About 80 percent of the parts used are sourced through repairs
rather than new-buys, with most of the repairs done in-house
and the rest by outside contractors. Not all of those parts go
Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 13
 Newly painted KC-135 Stratotanker ruddervator weights sit in a cradle to dry as they are prepared for use by the 553rd Commodities Maintenance Squadron at the
Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex, July 25, 2016, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. The yellow zinc-chromate is used to prevent corrosion on metal surfaces.
(U.S. Air Force photo/Greg L. Davis)

into Tinker. Roughly 70 percent go to

operational units, with only about 30
percent going into depot maintenance and
engine overhaul programs, Washburn said.
So a request for bid will be put out
for that part. Then we can get into a
situation of what we call no-bid, added
Washburn. Nobody wants to bid on
making two left-handed widgets for a
B-2. They want to make 100, because
thats where the value is. So we have to
make a decision whether to go ahead
and order 100, giving us a lifetime supply,
or find a small company that can reverse
engineer the part and build it using new
manufacturing techniques such as additive
manufacturing (3-D).
As an example, Washburn showed a
small fan from a B-52 that would cost
about $1,200 if it were all metal. We
leveraged additive manufacturing to be
able to make this out of composites and
got approval from the program office to
be able to use it in B-52s. This little fan
spins and cools an instrument in flight.
So its not flight safety critical, but it is
Members of the 565th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron install one of eight engines on Ghost Rider July essential to the operational B-52s. This is
8, 2016. The B-52 Stratofortress, tail number 61-007, recently underwent extensive programmed depot now being additively remanufactured for
maintenance at Tinker Air Force Base. Ghost Rider is the rst B-52 to ever be regenerated from long-term
storage with the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., and $100. He added that the fan was built
returned to fully-operational ying status. (Air Force photo by Kelly White) by some little company down in Texas

14 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu
and is now digitized. I dont have to keep
these on the shelf any more. It has a little
digital label like a UPC label, so I just hit
the UPC lever, it sends the signal over to
the machine, and the machine makes it.
Washburn said that additive
manufacturing IT is now starting to
advance so rapidly that it quickly
replaces what was considered to be next-
generation. Additive manufacturing
is even becoming available for metal,
although there is still a long way to
go. We want to be able to get to a
point where were actually additive
manufacturing structural parts. Some 20
percent of aircraft grounding conditions
caused by problems with parts are
because of structural aging. You can really
The next Tinker and the
Primes is scheduled for August
21-23 in Midwest City, OK.
What Tinker and the Primes says is that
the industry partners across the U.S. will
meet here so that our air logistics complex,
our supply chain, and our small business
and contracting folks can meet with our
industry partners to determine how we
can innovate together and solve problems
that affect the Air Force, whether it be
maintenance repair and overhaul, or supply
chain, Washburn revealed. Sarah Holshouser, 553rd Commodities Maintenance
In the event of the outbreak of combat Squadron composite fabricator, drills out rivets on a
action, the AFSC has what it calls a surge. KC-135 aileron she is overhauling at the Oklahoma
City Air Logistics Complex, July 25, 2016, Tinker Air
We do what if scenarios right into our Force Base, Okla. The 553rd CMMXS manufactures
calculator. If we increase flying hours all and maintains components for KC-135, B-1B, B-52H,
of a sudden in response to contingency E-3 and E-6 aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo/Greg L. Davis)

see the impact of aging weapon systems
when you look at structural parts as well.
A key to meeting the needs of these aging
weapon systems is going to be innovation,
Washburn admitted. The AFSC has created
what it calls Tinker and the Primes. This
is an annual conference bringing together
representatives from the three major USAF
depot maintenance facilities, as well as
industry partners including hundreds
of aerospace, defense and government
contracting businesses and organizations.
operations, we can determine based on
current stock levels that we have across
the entire globe how many more of these
widgets I am going to need, how many
more landing gears, wheels, tires, you name
it. The 448th will then surge the supply A-10s into Bagram, they would take their
chain so that industry partners can respond
to the new requirement to provide the
anticipated spares.
Operational units are also provided
with Readiness Spares Packages that they
take with them into combat scenarios.
Those are very critical, especially for
the first 30 days of intensive operations,
said Washburn. So in the Afghanistan
scenario, if we had to send a unit of
Readiness Spares Package with them
and be able to sustain operations
immediately. And with technology the
way it is, when they pull a part out of the
spares package, I know about it and we
can replenishing it.

 

 




  

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Get your FREE subscription via ww.avm-mag.com/subscribe Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 15
 A Fresh Look
at Borescopes























 

 








 


 





 





by Dale Smith
Shayne Gallo, Q.A. manager for USA Borescopes: The major hurdles to overcome are providing enough illumination inside
the inspection area, as well as getting proper color denition and clarity to perform suitable inspections.

16 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu






























 











 



I
ts hard to imagine, but its been
nearly 65-years since the first turbojet
powered commercial aircraft entered
service. Whats even harder to believe
are the tremendous technological
advancements the various
manufacturers have made in those
aircraft. The performance, economy
and reliability found in todays jets were
truly unimaginable in those early days.
Take the early Pratt & Whitney JT-series of engines for example:
when the venerable JT8D was FAA certified in 1960, it had a TBO
of a mere 800 hours. Compare that to todays engines that have
on-condition TBO numbers exceeding 3,000 hours and youll see
just how far technology has come.
Of course, along with technology, the tools technicians use to
inspect and repair todays engines have come a long way too. One
of those is the borescope: it has seen quite an evolution. In fact,
today you actually have three varieties of borescopes to choose
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from: the standard rigid borescope, the flexible fiberscope and the
newest member of the family, the multi-functional videoscope.
Rigid borescopes: this is the most traditional form of the
technology. Its basically a rigid tube with a series of lenses inside
that is used whenever you have straight-line access to a particular
section of the airframe or engine. Typically rigid borescopes deliver
exceptional optical clarity.
Fiberscopes: These are flexible instruments that can easily bend
to travel deep inside the engine. Strands of fiber optic material
transmit light to illuminate the area being inspected, while other
strands are used to collect the images and carry them back to the
viewing eyepiece.
Videoscopes: These are the latest advancement in remote
visual inspection (RVI) technology. They are flexible like a
fiberscope, but instead of using fiber optic strands to capture and
relay the images, the videoscope has a small video camera at its
end. The video camera gives the videoscope much better image
quality, plus it provides the added benefit of digitally recording
and storing the images.
Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 17
 While any scope can show you something inside an
engine that you cant see with a flashlight and mirror,
each is better suited for a particular type of inspection,
explained Doug Kindred, president, Gradient Lens
Corporation. Today, fiberscopes are mostly used
on the manufacturing side to inspect the insides of
parts: especially if you have to get through really small
openings.
On the aircraft inspection and maintenance side,
videoscopes have taken over, he said. Why wouldnt
everybody want one? They deliver better image quality
and you have the capability to capture images and video
to document the inspection. Technicians can just do a
better job.
Kindred stated that thanks to their literal flexibility
and the aforementioned video recording capabilities, the uses
for videoscopes today has expanded beyond the engine and into
airframe inspections.
A PVRS-2-4-1300-Articulating Flexible We have customers using our six-meter long scopes for looking
Videoscope from USA Borescope.
at welds, rivets, and for inspecting wiring bundles, as well as looking
for corrosion, he said. While six-meters gets you well inside the
airframe, the key benefit is still the ability to capture images and
share them with other members of the maintenance team.
I was recently at a helicopter maintenance shop and we
were looking inside a turbine engine, Kindred added. We saw
something on the monitor that looked like the blade was cracked.
After we reviewed the video again later on, we found that it wasnt a
crack at all. It was actually a tiny bit of debris.
By bing able to review the video again we went from having to
tear down the engine, to having to do nothing at all, he concluded.
Thats a huge difference to the operator. Dont underestimate the
value of being able to share and review the inspection video.

Videoscopes: pushing forward picture quality

Obviously, when it comes to using any scope the better the image
the better the quality of the inspection. Borescope manufacturers
across the board are constantly working to deliver the best overall
image quality possible.
Olympus America recently took a big step forward with the
introduction of their new IPLEX NX videoscope, what the company
calls the first HD quality industrial videoscope. As the company
stated in the products announcement, introducing a new ultra-
bright laser diode light system the IPLEX NX, [will] help locate flaws
that were previously undetectable and streamline inspections in even
difficult to reach areas.
Since high-density CCD (charge-coupled device) camera chips
are inherently light-hungry, we use Laser Diode (LD) technology to
produce unsurpassed brightness, stated Frank Lafleur, product
manager, Remove Visual Inspection, Olympus America. To do so,
new diffusion methods with formed lenses are used to assure even
distribution at the inspection site. Top it off with the new high-
precision micro lens production and assembly methods, and it makes
the basis of the HD RVI image.
It (HD) is noticeable in every circumstance. The bare line
resolution was increased by a grade or two on the USAF resolution
chart [a resolution test pattern conforming to MIL-STD-150A
standard, set by US Air Force in 1951], he said. What really
makes it impressive is the range at which you can deliver the high-
resolution image. The PulsarPic processor balances all settings and
the result is an amazing image from up-close on highly-reflective
surfaces to a couple of feet away from a dark surface.
While CCD cameras have long been the standard for the
videoscope industry, there is a bit of a shift going on. The

18 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu
Using a borescope to inspect the welds of the
engine nacelle anti-ice system.
(Photo: Hawkeye videoscope.)

race is on to improve the lower-cost

CMOS (complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor) style image sensors,
stated Shayne Gallo, Q.A. manager for
USA Borescopes. The major hurdles
to overcome are providing enough
illumination inside the inspection area, as
well as getting proper color definition and
clarity to perform suitable inspections.
Our latest articulating videoscope, the
USAVS2-4-1500, introduces new features
Duncan Aviation engine techs, Brian Foersch, using a borescope on a Honeywell engine. (Photo: Duncan Aviation)
to provide improved color definition,
clarity and brightness inside dark he said. That will save you thousands of buying, especially in the lower price points.
inspection areas, he added. This has dollars. The market has become very cluttered
proven to be especially popular among And speaking of shopping for a new with a lot of new low-cost imports and its
the engine shops performing inspections scope, Kindred cautioned that no matter hard for the typical maintenance guy to
on PT6, Turbomecca and other smaller what youre looking for you really do need really know whats what, he said. They all
turbine engines. to pay close attention to what you are look similar in their marketing materials. My
While the CCD vs CMOS debate
continues, Gradient Lens is taking the best
tool for the job approach and is now using
both CCD and CMOS camera sensors on its
flexible videoscope products.
The CMOS camera sensors were
Hawkeye
Videoscopes
originally developed for smartphones and
because they are a mass consumer product,
they cost a lot less than a CCD cameras,
Kindred explained. Some operators may
remember that years ago CMOS cameras
were lower quality than CCD cameras, but
the technology has made great strides. We
use a 1.8mm camera in our 4mm and 6mm
diameter borescopes today. Sharp, Clear Photos & Video
Its really made these videoscopes
cost-effective for smaller shops and FBOs Large 5-inch LCD Monitor
to take advantage of the technology, he
said. There are still a lot of these facilities
Easy-to-Use Controls
using fiberscopes, which are okay, but dont Annotation Feature
deliver near the image quality of a CMOS
videoscope. Rugged Tungsten Sheathing
The better the image quality, the
better job the technician can do during his Quality Construction
inspection, Kindred said. The damage
Precise 4-Way Articulation
they are looking for can often be quite small
and very hard to see even for
a technician who is very experienced.
If you play your cards right and do your
homework you can get a videoscope with
a CMOS camera that really approaches the
quality of a scope with a CCD camera, gradientlens.com/V2 800.536.0790 Made in USA

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advice is to do your research and dont skimp on optical quality.
Ask the manufacturer to give you a demonstration at your
facility and do the inspections you routinely do, Kindred said.
We do this all the time. We sell very few scopes over the phone.
Nothing beats a hands-on demonstration. If they wont give you
one, move on to another brand.
Borescopes: The next generation
Borescopes, fiberscopes and videoscopes are really good at doing
what each was intended to do. But, according to Jitu Patel, vice
president of Machida, the new technological wave is to enable
scopes to do more than act as a passive observer.
We work closely with engine manufacturers to develop tools
to meet their specific needs, he said. Since we make everything
ourselves here in the United States, we can develop these
specialized solutions to their needs. Thats what weve been doing
for 40-years.
Three new solutions that Patel described are Machidas working
channel borescope, power blending borescope and its brand new
videoscope that switches between ultraviolet and white light.
Our working channel borescope has a separate hollow channel
running the length of the shaft, he said. You can run a variety of
other tools including mechanical grabbers or even a vacuum line
out through the channel to do a number of tasks inside the engine
or airframe.
With the power blending borescope, if there is a nick or dent
in a turbine blade, you can use the specialized tool to repair the
damage per the engine manufacturers specifications, Patel said.
Right now the blending borescope is approved for GE, Pratt &
Whitney and Rolls-Royce engines.
To make the repairs easier for the technician, you can connect
a portable viewer, which means the technician no longer has to
look at the work directly through the scopes ocular. The larger
image allows him to better focus his efforts on the actual blending
process, he explained. In addition, the blending process can
be digitally recorded for sharing with other technicians or the
engine manufacturer.
Jennifer Kempsey, Machidas marketing and operations
manager added that the company is just now introducing a
new borescope that will give technicians even more in-engine
inspection capabilities.
Our newest product is a 3mm video borescope that does
both UV (ultraviolet) and white light inspections. It was developed
specifically to enable more accurate dye penetrant inspections
inside the engine, she said. You use the white light to navigate
the tool inside the engine, then when you get to the area where
the dye penetrant has been applied, you switch over to the UV
light to do the inspection.
Borescopes: critical inspections
Shawn Schmitz, an engine technical representative for Duncan
Aviation said that borescopes have found a long list of uses
throughout the MROs various facilities.
They allow us to perform inspections in areas in the engine
and airframe where it is impossible to see with a flashlight
and a mirror, he said. For example, a lot of todays engines
are on-condition, which means at a given interval you can go
in and do a borescope inspection to determine if the engine
can stay on the aircraft or have to be removed
for maintenance.

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20 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu
 The quality of the scopes today allow you to get crystal clear
images, you can also shoot video of the internal components
and take critical measurements to determine the severity
of a problem, Schmitz stated. The ability to take critical
measurements is especially helpful.
Schmitz explained that engine manufacturers put specific
limits on critical components including the rotating parts inside
a jet engine. Lets take a first-stage compressor for example: if
we borescope it and find nicks or damage to the leading-edges
of the blades, the engines maintenance manual gives us criteria
to base our maintenance decision on, he said. If the manual
says you can have a 15 thousandths deep nick on a first-stage
blade, I now have a borescope with the technology to go in
there and take a picture of that damage and measure the depth
of that nick.
I can then take that measurement and make a determination
about the airworthiness of that blade, Schmitz said. By
enabling us to make a more informed decision, the borescope
can save the operator a lot of time and money.
Schmitz said that while todays borescopes are very intuitive
to use, Duncan Aviations technicians all receive instruction from
the engines manufacturer when they attend the authorized
factory training.
We also buy borescopes from a variety of vendors and we
always ask them to come in and show us how to correctly use and
care for the equipment, he said. Thats critical. These tools can
cost $30,000, so you want to make sure youre doing it correctly.
In addition, to help the technicians stay sharp, Schmitz said
that they have made little wooden shadowboxes that house a
scrap compressor blade. These imaginative simulators were
created to allow Duncan Aviations technicians to practice on
using the borescope in confined areas.
They can go in and find the nick, take a picture and measure
it, he said. Its proven to be a great way to stay proficient with
the tool. Then when you actually work inside the engine you
know what you are doing.

Common borescope mistakes

Even with training, technicians still make mistakes when using
a borescope. According to Patel one of the most common is simply
not reading and understanding the instruction manual.
The technician needs to do this with every borescope they use,
he pointed out. It just takes a few minutes and it tells them clearly
what they can and cannot do with each piece of equipment.
The next mistake is letting go of the borescope when its
inside the engine. It will just slide right out and hit the floor,
which usually breaks the camera, Patel said. We say one-
hand operation and that means keeping one hand on the
borescope at all times.
Another problem is trying to use a borescope in an engine
thats too hot, Kempsey said. All of our borescopes work at
150F and below. Anything above that temperature will damage
the internal components of the borescope. They all have some
kind of epoxy or glue around the lenses and those temperatures
will melt that glue allowing the lenses to shift.
Lastly both Patel and Kindred stressed the need to use the
right tool for the right job. All too often technicians will try to
THE AERO ENGINE MRO
force a 4mm borescope shaft through a 3.5mm opening. That SUPPLIER OF CHOICE
can not only damage the borescope, but also quite possibly the
inside of the engine.
No technician wants to be the one to go to their boss and
say that the company has to remove and dismantle an engine www.farsoundaviation.com
because they damaged it with a borescope.

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 by Charlotte Adams
(Photo: Lufthansa Technik)

EUROPEAN MRO:
Challenges Mount But Opportunities Remain

 













 

 

E
urope is a large, mature, and slow-
growing MRO market. But it will
remain dynamic, thanks in part to
planned aircraft purchases and -
while fuel prices remain low - to
the refurbishment of older aircraft.
Flexibility, cost control, expansion
(especially into lower-cost areas),
partnerships, and innovation will be
key. Traditional expertise in engine
and component MRO, as well as bundled services such as pooling
and inventory/asset management, will be drivers, along with new
technologies such as big data/analytics and robotics.
22 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017
The market is fiercely competitive, a condition which is leading
to consolidation of capacity, according to Jeremy Remacha, CEO
of SR Technics, the Swiss-based MRO now owned by Chinas
HNA Group. The industry needs to continuously realign its
costs, technology, and service delivery in order to keep up.
Remacha predicts that activity is likely to be unsettled as the
industry realigns but asserts that safety assurance must remain
paramount in MRO selection.
Robert Gaag, senior vice president, corporate sales, for Europe,
Middle East & Africa (EMEA), with Lufthansa Technik (LHT),
perceives overcapacity in some areas, as well as an increasing
tendency towards intellectual property protection.
Although the European aviation market is far less predictable
Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu
 Lufthansa Technik and MTU Aero Engines are planning a joint geared turbofan
(GTF) overhaul shop. (Photo: MTU Engines)
than in the past, one thing is certain: it is still growing, advised
Vincent Metz, vice president, strategy, for AFI KLM E&M. Our aim
is, therefore, to be flexible so that we can continue to develop
the most worthwhile solutions.
Changing Environment
MROs are experiencing massive changes in the demands on them
as a result of an environment where the world fleet is growing but
where aircraft, components, and engines require less maintenance,
said Gaag. The financial challenges of many airlines and the growing
presence of low-cost carriers intensify price pressures.
In its March 2017 market outlook report, Netherlands-based
VZM Management Services underlines business risks, ranging from
unpredictable behavior by the worlds major players to economic
uncertainties created by Brexit and protectionist rhetoric. However,
MRO globalization helps to mitigate those risks as well as to
control costs and service far-flung customers.
Even Brexit has a silver lining. UK MROs have profited from the
decreasing value of the pound after the referendum, explained
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Marcel Versteeg, VZM managing director. The effect of the UKs exit
from the European Union is expected to be bigger on airlines. Parts
logistics, as well as the operations of English contractors in support
of EU-based MROs, could become more complex, however.
Finding skilled workers is another issue. VZM often hears that
western European maintenance organizations have trouble finding
and keeping skilled technicians and specialists. Manpower is
a challenge, in the face of a growing number of opportunities
where fleets are requiring heavier inspections and new platforms
are being introduced, agreed Pedro Raposo, MRO business
development director with OGMA in Portugal.
Leaders also cite the decreasing popularity of technical skill
training, demographics (ageing population), non-competitive
salary levels, and the need for new skills to handle challenges
such as big data, added Versteeg. Whats more, new engineers
expect to be promoted to management positions within a few
years rather than as employers would prefer stay in the
engineering ranks long enough to be able to help develop repairs
and process improvements.
Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 23
 One of the facilities operated by Air France KLM Engineering & Maintenance
(Photo: Patrick Delapierre).
The European MRO market is $17
billion-$19 billion in size, with long-term
growth of around 2 percent, Versteeg said.
This is well below the average of around
3 percent [for] the global MRO market,
which is estimated to be $65 to $70 billion
in value.
Opportunities
LHT wants to exploit the big data analysis
area early with new business models, so that
the MRO can play a decisive role in shaping
the industry, said Gaag. It also expanded
its digital services portfolio last year with the
acquisition of software firm, FlyDocs.
AFI KLM E&M also has made big data
analytics a top priority. The Franco-Dutch
MRO already has industrialized two data
analytics solutions, Metz explained. Its
Prognos Engine Health Monitoring suite is
used to analyze engine data and predict
faults. A second tool originally developed
for the A380 is Prognos for Aircraft, which
includes system performance monitoring
and alerts.
When a weak signal is detected,
suggesting the possibility of an impending
failure, the MRO and the client can
optimally plan maintenance work in light
of [the customers] operational constraints.
Thus fleets can be in the air longer,
operations can be more efficient, and
the amount of unscheduled maintenance
falls dramatically, lowering total cost of
ownership, he said. AFI KLM E&M has
expanded Prognos for Aircraft to cover all
of the Airbus A380s systems prioritized
according to the experience of Air France
and KLM vis--vis delays and cancellations.
Lessor Services
Lease transition services and other lessor
24 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017
programs are a good fit for Europe, where
a significant proportion of aircraft are
leased, Metz said. AFI KLM E&M can
enable a smooth transfer with all required
maintenance, including cabin modification
offers. OEM-owned OGMA also has a
great working relationship with lessors in
lease transitions, Raposo pointed out.
MTU Maintenance is developing
lessor lifecycle solutions, stated Katia
Diebold-Widmer, head of marketing
for the unit. Aircraft and engine lessors
increasingly want to take a more active
role in managing engines, their most
valuable asset, she observed. They
want to be directly involved in engine
maintenance decisions, particularly during
the transition between lessees, in managing
and optimizing maintenance reserves
and choosing the timing of engine shop
visits. MTUs services extend from engine
purchase through maximizing value at the
end of life through a sale, extended lease-
out, or a teardown for serviceable material.
Rolls-Royce has launched LessorCare,
which draws together a range of services
into one framework yet allows lessors to
adapt the level of service through the life
of the engine, according to Tom Palmer,
Rolls-Royce senior vice president -services,
Civil Aerospace. Customers can sign
one agreement covering all Rolls-Royce
Trent engine types and services, such as
customer support, transition services, and
asset management.
Globalization
AJ Walter (AJW), the UK-based parts
specialist and component MRO is looking
to expand in all regions, said Dave Lewis,
AJW Group chief technical officer. The firm
recently opened a sales office in Moscow
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The introduction of new eets brings its own manpower
challenges for MROs, says Pedro Raposo, MRO
business development director with OGMA in Portugal.
but also boasts a significant presence in
Asia, with its Singapore regional office,
and in North America with AJW Technique.
However, the majority of our MRO spend is
in Europe and will continue to be in Europe
because of our current customer base.
AJW also emphasizes partnerships with
component manufacturers. With the desire
of the OEMs to get into the aftermarket,
rather than go against them, we certainly
take the view that we should partner with
them, Lewis said. These relationships
allow AJW to get OEM products at a very
competitive price and to have an OEM
tag, which is seen as a very good thing in
the market.
Last December AFI KLM E&M announced
a new materials and logistics service center
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to serve Asia-
Pacific carriers. The decentralized facility
will function as a local spares pool but will
also deliver component services.
Meanwhile Spairliners, the joint
venture (JV) with LHT, has opened a
new warehouse and logistics center for
component supply in the Singapore Free
Trade Zone, Metz said.
LHT also is investing and expanding
capabilities to maintain its No. 1 spot,
Gaag stated. Late last year the German-
based MRO announced a JV with GE in
Poland. The new engine shop, XEOS, will
focus on overhauling GEnx-2b and GE
9X powerplants. LHT also plans a joint
geared turbofan (GTF) overhaul shop with
MTU Aero Engines. And Lufthansa Technic
opened its third narrow-body overhaul line
in its Puerto Rico facility and a wheel &
brake overhaul shop in Frankfurt.
LHTs aircraft overhaul unit in Manila has
been positioned to serve the entire region.

(Photo: Lufthansa Technik)
And LHT component services will acquire
a second mainstay in Hong Kong to
complement the Hamburg site.
LHT plans to close its last overhaul line
for commercial aircraft in Hamburg this year
but will continue to expand commercial
overhaul services internationally. The
closure will not impact the MRO services
for LHTs VIP, government, and special-
mission customers in Hamburg.
AFI KLM E&M signed a memorandum
of understanding with OEM Safran Aircraft
Engines to create a joint company for
engine compressor airfoil repair. And CRMA,
a subsidiary of the Air France KLM Group,
has launched project Apollo to expand its
production capacity for engine parts repairs.
Independent MRO: SR Technics
A few years ago we opened a modern
component facility in Malaysia, serving our
global customer base, an administration
center in Belgrade, and now we are looking
into expanding our operations in Malta,
explained CEO Remacha.
The Kuala Lumpur facility is part
of our overall strategy to develop a
comprehensive global operation, designed
to bring the company closer to its
customers. Malaysia operations employ
about 170 people and serve over 460
contracted aircraft. The shared service
center in Belgrade now employs more than
240 people in areas such as finance and
accounting, compliance, internal auditing,
export control, indirect procurement, IT,
HR, and engineering.
In April of 2017 SR Technics handed over
its remaining line maintenance operations
in France to a new operator. But the
company has announced an extension of
line maintenance capabilities for the A350
and A320neo in Zurich and Geneva.
Remacha revealed that engine visits are
up by more than 20 percent. The MRO also
is launching Material.Monetary.Solutions,
26 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017
a service to help engine customers reduce
material inventories.
Engine Specialists
According to CAVOKs February 2017
engine MRO forecast, the European engine
MRO market will have a CAGR of 2.4
percent in unescalated U.S. dollars from
2017-2027, Diebold-Widmer said. This is
low, compared to the global forecast of 5.1
percent CAGR (unescalated USD),
she observed.
Shop visits are expected to be fairly
flat, going from 1,983 in 2017 to 2,065 in
2027 with a CAGR of 0.4 percent for that
period. This is because Europe is a mature
market, she explained. That being said,
it is also an important market, as many key
MRO players, including MTU Maintenance,
have main locations in Europe from
which they serve the international engine
community.
There also are opportunities in the
region. MTU Maintenance, for example,
provides tailor-made service offerings,
which can combine engine MRO, leasing,
and asset management.
MTU Maintenances revenue grew 21
percent in 2016, to $2.1 billion, according
to Diebold-Widmer. The largest share of its
turnover came from the V2500 engine family,
for which MTU Maintenance claims to be the
leadingMRO provider worldwide, with a 2016
market share percentage in the mid-thirties.
MTU Aero Engines foresees around 10
percent overall growth (in U.S. dollars) in its
MRO segment for the coming year.
The CFM56 family and the GE90 are
also engines to watch, she said. The
CFM56 installed fleet is large and the
variants are starting to mature, which
will translate to heavier shop visits - and
material replacement - with increasing MRO
costs. Many CFM56s will be retired over
the next 10 years, increasing the supply
of spare engines and used serviceable
Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu
material (USM). Were looking forward to
supporting operators through this phase of
the engines lifecycle. For instance, through
customized builds, green-time lease in
or out, and teardown and remarketing of
parts. Interest in the GE90 is also growing.
And customers are increasingly
interested in services that go beyond
traditional MRO, said Diebold-Widmer. In
the European market, MTU Maintenance
Lease Services has partnered with Embraer
to provide comprehensive CF34-10E spare
lease engine support. This features the
establishment of a CF34-10E pool service
available to Embraer E190/195 operators
in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Managed by MTU, the service provides
guaranteed availability of CF34-10E spare
lease engines through a monthly access
fee. It also involves a pre-agreed daily fee,
usage fees, and additional support services,
as required, such as engineering, engine
condition monitoring, and transportation.
MTU Aero Engines, meanwhile, plans
to set up a 50/50 JV with LHT for GTF
MRO in the second half of 2017, subject
to regulatory approval. The new facility is
expected to be operational by 2020, with
over 500 employees and a total investment
of around 150 million euros. The site, the
exact location of which either inside or
outside Europe will be decided in coming
months. It is intended to accommodate over
300 shop visits of PW1000G-family GTF
engines for A320neos and other aircraft.
Rolls-Royce has ramped up competition
within its own network. It closed the TAESL
(Texas Aero Engine Service Ltd) facility, a
JV with American Airlines, due to reduced
demand and lack of growth opportunities.
Delta TechOps, the first Approved
Maintenance Center with no Rolls-Royce
equity stake, will start work on a new
facility in 2018, to go live in 2020. A second
independent AMC, Mubadala, will build a
Trent XWB facility. More than 20 percent of
the 1,600 Trent XWBs sold to date will be
operated by airlines in the region, Palmer said.
VZM anticipates opportunities as MRO
work is reshored to Europe and North
America. This is expected to occur as
Asia-Pacific fleet growth displaces some
offshored European and U.S. wide-body
base maintenance.
But reshoring has not had much of an
impact in Europe yet. When it happens,
its up to the MROs to take advantage
of it by offering short, reliable turn times
with flexibility and good aircraft reliability
after the check, Versteeg advised. Quality
of service will become a more important
differentiator in this environment, as labor
rate differentials decrease.

Aerostar is keen to diversify its customer base through customers such as Royal Air Moroc. (Photo: Aerostar)
ROMANIAN
RESOURCEFULNESS:
More than just MRO
R
omania is not perhaps the first
country that comes to mind when
thinking of an organisation with
a traditional MRO base in both
the civil and military sectors, but
Aerostar S.A. is not only maintaining
its heritage but investing in new
machinery and in expanding
its facilities.
Aerostar S.A has a founding in
military aircraft manufacture and maintenance which was established
back in 1953 at Bacau airfield, in eastern Romania. The first fighter
aircraft built in the country after the Second World War was the
Avioane Craiova IAR-93 Vultur. It was intended to replace MIG-15s
and MIG-17s and was a joint programme between Romania and
Yugoslavia. The prototype was build by Aerostar and the maiden
flight was made at Bacau on 31 October, 1974. In terms of military
business, the company now has a reputation for maintaining the
Romanian Air Forces fleet of MIG-21 LanceRs, but more of that later.
Aerostar is an organisation that has developed three main strands
of business: commercial MRO, military MRO; and aerostructure
and component manufacturing and assembly which now accounts
for nearly 50 percent of its business. The organisation is based and
operates from the Bacau airfield with a spread of facilities including
28 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017
by Andrew Drwiega
two main hangers dedicated to civil MRO; the first an older style
three bay hanger, the second a newer four bay hangerof 5,000m
which was opened in the summer of 2012. Combined this provides
around 10,000m of hanger space dedicated to MRO activity.
Aerostar is an approved Part-145 maintainer, with this side of the
business being focused on the provision of C and D checks for MRO
commercial aircraft, particularly the Boeing 737 aircraft series 200-
900, Airbus 320 family and BAe 146 100-300 / AVRO RJ.
Dragos Sfirlea, Aerostars quality and environmental manager,
said during a visit by AVM this summer that the MRO business
was increasing year by year. Not all of the customers are located
within the European Union he pointed out. Since diversifying into
commercial aviation MRO activities nearly 13 years ago, Aerostar has
actively built up its customer base from airlines based in Europe, the
Middle East, and Africa. These now include Royal Air Moroc (RAM)
and Pegasus Airlines (Turkey), as well as a couple of well known
holiday travel airlines
During 2016 a total of 80 aircraft completed C and D Checks
at Bacau. Since the company moved into commercial aviation
MRO activities some 500 aircraft from around 30 airlines have been
overhauled at Bacau.
We have five teams per aircraft plus and avionics team: they each
address one area - fuselage, hydraulics, flight controls, engines and
APU, structural, and finally avionics, said Sfirlea. Between 20-30
Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu
Aerostar has invested money not only in new tooling but also in upgrading the skills of its employees. (Photo: Aerostar)
people are assigned to each aircraft. They all report to an aircraft
manager linked to the customers representative. If problems arise,
then they can take decisions quickly. We keep expendables but not
rotables. We do a pre-arrival check for each aircraft to ensure that
we have the right materials and equipment for every type of aircraft
due to arrive. If there is one that we have not worked on before, we
buy or rent the required tools, depending on if it will be a one-off or
regular work, he said.
Our objective is to become a one-stop-shop for maintenance,
said Sfirlea. The drive is to form mid- and long-term framework
agreements with airlines beyond the more standard yearly maintenance
contracts. There has been an investment both in tooling and in the
training of engineers and other personnel across the business. The
company already holds approvals from EASA/RoCAA, Morocco, UAE,
Turkey, Ukraine, Ghana, Bermuda, Aruba and Guernsey.
Sfirlea added that a new test stand was being built for hydraulic
fuses. Such additions are important for reducing turnaround times.
Anything the company can add to its maintenance portfolio that
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reduces the number of items that have to be sent to other suppliers
means a quicker fix leading to the job completed on time.
Our business is not buying and selling parts for MRO, added
Sfirlea. Sometimes customers pre-deliver parts before the aircraft,
sometimes they come with the aircraft, sometimes they ask us to by
the parts for them. But we are conducting scheduled maintenance
and we want to ensure the quickest turn-around. The usual C checks
will last around five days but the D checks can be much longer,
sometimes up to a month
Manufacturing base
Aerostructures, components and assemblies, not to mention landing
gear and hydraulic systems are providing around 50 percent of the
companys revenue. Walking around the machine shops and there are
many new additions which have been added in recent years. This part
of Aerostars business dynamic and growing.
We consider 2016 as the year Aerostar was fully recognised for
its position in the civil aviation manufacturing market, stated Doina
Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 29
 The MIG-21 engine test cell is original, although a couple of upgrades now mean that engineers get far more
accurate digital readings on every run. (Photo: Andrew Drwiega).
Matanie, Aerostars marketing manager.
We are a major supplier of the shroud box
assembly for the wing of the Airbus A320
family, with our initial customer Airbus UK
then GKN. Our production rate is growing
each year and we now supply about 50
percent of total assemblies. We are also
sole supplier for Gulfstream landing gear
doors: we produce vanes, air brakes, and
spoilers for Dassault Falcon 7X; as well
as millions of parts for various aircraft
programmes. We now supply around 30
ship-sets of shroud boxes per month. We
also supply more than 50 percent of certain
categories of hydraulic actuators. We also
provide components for the Airbus 320Neo
in the lower arm landing gear. Matanie
points out that many of these are relatively
new programmes that will allow Aerostar
to continue to build its reputation in supply
integrators for the mid- to long-term.
Grigore Filip, Aerostars president and
general director, confirmed that he wanted
to ensure the companys future role as a
subcontractor the companys that already
include Airbus, GKN/Fokker, Aerotech and
Messier-Dowty for landing systems. We
look to develop our manufacturing activities
and have already made much investment in
the acquisition of machinery and equipment
30 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017
- and in the qualifying processes, he said.
Software too is important, and at the time
of our visit the world had been enduring
a spate of cyber hacks into all types of
industry. A local Renault plant in Pistesti
had been effected and had lost production
for a number of days. I am concerned
about computing and cyber attack, so we
protect against that, he said. The company
already separates its internal and external
networks.While this does inflict some
constraints, it is very good, he said.
The MIG Legacy
Aerostar has been providing MRO services
for the Romanian fleet of MIG-21 LanceRs
since it was selected by the Romanian
government to upgrade the entire fleet of
110 aircraft In November 1993. Around half
still remain in service with each jet returning
after around 600 hours. Engines return in half
that time - about 300 hours.
Romania is in the process of building a
new fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting
Falcons but only 12 have been purchased so
far. These aircraft, from the Portuguese Air
Force, comprise 12 used F-16AM/BMs, nine
single-seat and three dual-seat versions.
Sfirlea said that when each aircraft returns Grigore Filip, Aerostars president and general
director. (Photo: Aerostar)
to Bacau, on average every seven and a half
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Not your average MRO facility. A Russian Air Force MIG-21 FenceR conducts an engine test on the apron before departing for a full ight check. (Photo: Andrew Drwiega).
years, it is fully stripped down, inspected
and overhauled then reassembled. In
total, Sfirlea estimates that the plant has
overhauled MIG-21s around 3,500 aircraft,
and 6,500 for the Tumansky R11-300
engines (on average there are two engines
per aircraft). The engines are rated for six
years between overhauls. The aircraft comes
back after 600 flying hours and the engine
300 hours - so during the time between
overhauls each aircraft will fly with two
engines assigned to it.
The engine test unit is a mix of old and
new. The original Soviet era test dials are
still in place, but the monitoring and testing
system has been overhauled at least twice
and now provides much more accurate
digital readouts.
Catalin Zota, operational director of the
aero products division said that a full test
for each engine through the facility lasts
for a maximum of 25 hours during which
all engine parameters are checked. It takes
approximately 73 days for the complete
strip down, repair and test of each engine
stated Zota.
Expansion plans
Grigore Filip, Aerostars president and
general director is driving the companys
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expansion. During our conversation at the
end of the tour, he revealed that plans are
now unfolding to expand Aerostars MRO
business beyond its currently base to a new
facility located at Iasi airport, around 130km
to the north of Bacau.
Filip revealed that the company was
in final negotiations with the Iasi airport
authorities over a plan to build a new four-
bay hanger. Based on our analysis, this is
a good place to expand the business into
another location, said Filip. We are now in
the final stage of concession [talks] for the
land. When the application is approved,
the main investment and building work
will begin in 2018. We will be ready for
business in Iasi in 2019, he stated.
Analysis conducted by Aerostar indicated
that the new airport provided a good location
and that the towns university would also be
a good source of potential new employees.
Once completed, it will provide MRO facilities
for the Airbus A320 family andBoeing 737
Classic and New Generation aircraft. It is
not planned to conduct military MRO or
part manufacturing at the site. However, the
addition of another hanger would represent
around a 50 percent expansion in Aerostars
MRO current capacity, increasing the number
of aircraft bays from seven to 11.
Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 31
When asked whether the company would
consider the conversions business, Filip said
while conversions were interesting, we
can bring more value in heavy maintenance
which lets us apply our competitive
advantage and comply with delivery terms.
This does not transfer to conversions where
costs apply. He said that he was aware
of several Boeing 737 conversions on the
market but he believed that they could not
be done competitively due to the heavy
cost involved.
We make investments made step by
step - we invest to win a contract, but that
will be something we are fairly sure of
before making the investment. At this time
the company provides 100 percent of its
own funding and there is no programme
in Romania to attract EU funding, he said,
adding that there is a lot of competition so
we cannot wait.
Filip concluded that the future will have
the same balance: 50 percent production;
25 percent defence; and 25 percent in civil
MRO. Manufacturing will remain in Bacau.
We have a growing amount of business
which is why we are taking the opportunity
for the new hanger. Each project has its
own requirements and investment depends
on demand.
A Century of
Russian Military
MRO
by David Oliver

The rst upgraded Il-38N aircraft,

Yellow 19 was named after its
designer Radiy Petrovich Papkovsky.
(Photo: David Oliver).

32 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu
One of the 28 Russian Naval Il-38s that will be checked and repaired at the 20th Aircraft Repair Plant before being upgraded. (Photo: Russian MoD)




 










 









 




R
ussias oldest pre-Revolutionary repair
plant continues to provide MRO
services to Russian front line military
aircraft 100 years on.
In 2016 the strategic partner of Russias
Ilyushin Aviation Complex, the 20th
Aircraft Repair Plant located at Pushkin
on the outskirts of St. Petersburg
celebrated its 100th anniversary.
On 20 August, 1916 plans for the construction of an aviation
workshop and test laboratory were put before the pre-revolution
Imperial Russian Council of Ministers. The project received the
highest level of approval and on 24 August, 1916 a secret order
for fleet
176 was issued. The home station for the facility was on
the eastern dike of Grebnoy Harbour in the port of Vasilievsky Island
in Saint Petersburg. The first aircraft to be repaired at the plant
included the experimental Gakkel-3 and Gakkel -7 biplanes, the
YuN-30, a Russian-built Farman F-30, Dornier Val flying boats, D.P.
Grigorovich
-5,
-9 and
-11 flying boats, and I.I. Sikorsky designed
S-6
and S-10. Between the wars Soviet Beriev
BR-2 reconnaissance
flying boats, Polikarpov U-2 biplane trainers, giant
B-3 bombers,
and the Tupolev SB light bombers were repaired at the plant in what
was then Leningrad.
During the Great Patriotic War a total of 2,117 aircraft, 1,429
aero engines, and 1,582 propellers were repaired in spite of the
three-year long siege of Leningrad. Practically all the types operated
by the Soviet Air Forces were repaired or modified by the workers
and engineers at the 20th Aircraft Repair Plant. These included
the Ilyushin Il-2 and DB-3F, and Petlyakov Pe-2 light bombers, and
Polikarpov I-16, Yak-1, Yak -7
, Yak -9, MiG-3, LaGG-3, Pe-2, I-2, and
Lavochkin La-5 fighters.
After the end of World War Two it was necessary for a

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 The new Il-38Ns Novella-P-38 target search and track system mounted above the cockpit. (Photo: David Oliver)
considerable amount of hard work to be undertaken to reconstruct
the damaged facility, install new equipment and to train new
technical staff to replace those lost during the war. At the same
time it was expected that the facility should continue to repair and
upgrade of aircraft, engines, weapon systems and other aviation
equipment for the Soviet Air Forces and Navy.
On 1 August 1955, the aircraft maintenance centre was renamed
Naval Workshop No 20 and with new jet-propelled aircraft
entering service, new specialist equipment was required to deal
with the more complicated engines. The facility was expanded
to accommodate large multi-engine aircraft including the Naval
Aviations Beriev B
-6 flying boat.
The facility was again expanded in 1964 in order to overhaul
and modify the Tupolev
u-16 four-jet strategic bomber. The plant
undertook the long complicated task of repairing and converting
Naval Aviation Tu-16Ks to the
u-16
-10-26 variant, 62 of which
were rebuilt to launch centerline AS-2 Kipper cruise missiles and
two AS-6 Kingfish anti-ship missiles. At the same time the plant
began to undertake military conversion of Ilyushin Il-14, Il-18 and
Tu-124 transport aircraft.
Currently, the 20th Aircraft Repair Plant comprises a complex of
heated hangars, production workshops and warehouse buildings
employing, highly qualified specialist staff with many years of work
experience. The enterprise is equipped with non-destructive test
(NDT) benches for primary aircraft elements, the testing of hydraulic,
fuel and other systems. Repairs and modification of radio electronic
equipment and avionics are also carried out.
34 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017
In 2014, the 20th Aircraft Repair Plant was contracted by state
defense order to overhaul nine Russian Naval Aviation Su-33
Flanker-D aircraft at a cost of RUB1.03 billion (around U.S.
$17.46 million) . Deliveries of three overhauled Su-33s per year
were scheduled to begin in 2014 but due to financial problems,
this schedule was delayed until 2016. Based on plans for the
deployment of the Su-33s for participation in the war in Syria,
the upgrade included the installation the SVP-24 Hephaestus
targeting system.
However, due to its close relationship with the Ilyushin Aviation
Complex the plant is heavily involved in extending the lives of the
various Il-18 variants that continue to be operated by the Russian
Air Force and Navy. A small number of Il-18 Coot-A transport
aircraft are operated by the Russian Air Force alongside 25 Il-20 and
Il-22 Coot-B aircraft, while the Russian Naval Aviation flies a mix of
Coot-A/Bs in the transport and electronic warfare (EW) roles and a
fleet of 25 Il-38 May anti-submarine aircraft.
The Indian Navy launched an upgrade programe to extend the
life of its fleet of five ex-Russian Navy Il-38s that it acquired in
1975. A U.S. $150 million contract was signed in September 2001
for Russia to modernize the aircraft. The Leninets Institute of
Russia, also located in St Petersberg, was given the task of fitting
its Sea Dragon multi-mission avionics and electronic warfare (EW)
suite and the 20th Aircraft Repair Plant would check and upgrade
the airframes and engines prior to fitting of the new system. The
first aircraft arrived in Russia for the upgrade on 29 March 2002
and returned to India on 15 January 2006. This modernization
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A Russian Navy Il-38 being refurbished at the 20th aircraft repair plant at Pushkin before upgrading to Il-38N standard with Il-18s in the background. (Photo: UAC)
was to allow the aircraft to remain operational for another
15 years.
The airborne eyes of the Russian Navy belong to the ageing
fleet of Il-38 aircraft. In response to the deployment of US
Polaris nuclear submarines equipped with ballistic missiles,
the Soviet Union began the development of the Il-38 long-
range ASW aircraft based on the Il-18 four turboprop-powered
commercial airliner. The first flight of the Il-38 prototype aircraft
took place on 28 September 1961 and a total of 94 were
produced. The aircraft were fitted with a magnetic anomaly
detector (MAD) sensor tail cone, a Berkut hydro-acoustic
sensor, J-Band Wet Eye radar in an underfuselage radome, and
weapons bays ahead and behind the wingbox, for sonobuoys,
homing torpedoes and depth charges.
Prompted by recent heightened East-West tension over Ukraine,
an Il-38 modernization programme is being undertaken. The 20th
aircraft Repair Plant is overhauling the Il-38 airframes and four 3,170
kW (4,250 shp) Ivchenko AI-20M turboprop engines before the
systems are upgraded by the Ilyushin Aviation Complex.
The upgrade involves the installation of the new Novella-P-38
target search and track system. The fully digital Novella system is
capable of detecting airborne targets at a distance of up to 90 km
and surface targets up to 320 km. The system allows up to 32 targets
to be kept in sight simultaneously, both above and under water.
The Novella system is fitted in a box-like structure mounted on
three short pylons above the cockpit while an electro-optical/infrared
(EO/IR) turret is mounted under the nose.
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The upgrades will enable the Il-38N to conduct additional roles
to ASW, these will include anti-surface warfare (ASuW), electronic
intelligence (ELINT) and SAR as well as ecological monitoring. The
first Il-38N aircraft began intensive flight trials at the Pacific Fleet
air base of naval aviation at Elisovo in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskyi.
In November 2016, the Russian Navy received two more
upgraded Il-38N aircraft followed by another in February 2017
in addition to the initial five that have already been released for
service under the initial RUB3.45 billion ($58.5 million) contract. The
Deputy General Director of the Ilyushin Aviation complex, Yuri Yudin
confirmed that under the contract with the Russian Defence Ministry,
Ilyushin was to deliver a total of 28 Il-38N aircraft to the Russian
Navy by 2025.
Russia completed the limited upgrade of the Indian Navys aircraft
to Il-38SD standard by August 2015 but it is not expected that
they will be bought up to Il-38N configuration due to their pending
replacement by the Boeing P-8I Poseidon.
Recently the 20th Aircraft Repair Plant has checked and repaired
three Coot-B airframes prior to being converted to upgraded
Il-22PP electronic jamming aircraft for the Russian Air Force.
While Russias oldest aircraft repair plant has a healthy
backlog of work, it has shown it is not immune to the downturn
in Russias economy. In April 2016 a local reporter interviewing
President Putin asked why the workers at the 20th Aircraft
Repair Plant in St Petersburg were not getting their salaries.
The president gave his assurance that they would all be paid
in the near future.
Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 35
Specialised Painting

Edited by Andrew Drwiega






 




 









  

S
tructural parts define the shape of an
aircrafts structure and all metal parts
require coating that prevents corrosion for
an aircrafts lifetime. The changes to new
materials used for structural parts pose
challenges to paint manufacturers.
Originally founded in 1895 as an independent subsidiary of
English paint factory Robert Ingham, specialist paint company
Mankiewicz was acquired by Ottmar J. Grau in 1930 and has been
managed by the current CEO, Michael Ottmar Grau, since1980.
Mankiewicz has recently celebrated ten years of providing water
based structural parts coatings to the aviation industry. As well as
structural parts, the company provides paints for aircraft exteriors
and interiors. In principle a distinction is made between the
surfaces of an aircrafts exterior, the interior cabin and its structural
parts. The latter are skeletal elements of the construction that give
the aircraft its shape and are covered by the exterior skin.
Replacing defective structural parts is extremely costly, both in terms
of time and money and this is why dedicated coating systems are used
that yield very high levels of corrosion protection. Mankiewicz provides
coatings for such parts that fit the OEMs specifications.
In general, aircraft are made from the lightest possible materials,
to maximise their aerodynamic lift. These materials must also
possess the strongest structural properties possible, to withstand
the loads undergone at take-off, during flight and at landing. New
materials are constantly being developed by aviation research that
are ever better able to meet these demands. The challenge that
Mankiewicz faces is to keep pace in developing optimised coatings
as the materials and processes evolve.
36 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017
Taking Out Toxic Solvents
We accelerated the development of water-based paints from quite
early on and now many aircraft OEMs possess qualifications for our
products. This year we are celebrating ten years of water-based paint
systems for structural parts the emission of several thousands of
tonnes of organic solvents have already been saved thanks to the
use of water-based paints, explained Sven Schrder, key account
manager for structural parts within the Aviation Department of
Mankiewicz Germany.
Coating Concepts of the Future involve chromate-free corrosion
protection for the various aluminium alloys in conjunction with
suitable pre-treatments. The coatings have the task of protecting the
aircraft for a service life of some 25 years against corrosion as well
as mechanical and chemical stress. This includes the impact of fuel,
oils, hydraulic fluids, battery acids and de-icing agents. In addition
to resistance to the stresses mentioned, further requirements
include excellent adhesion, elasticity and thermal stability, because
the coatings must follow the sometimes extreme movements of
an aircrafts fuselage: Depending on the type of aircraft the wing
tips can move several metres up and down and the fuselage itself
stretches during flight and shrinks again on the ground. Due to their
particular environmental conditions aircraft undergo extreme thermal
stress. Temperatures can vary between +70C on the ground in
sunshine and -55C while in flight. Mankiewicz designs its structural
and exterior paints to meet such challenges.
Diversity challenges
The large diversity of materials and pre-treatments in use presents
one of the challenges in developing coating systems for structural
parts. Aluminium and titanium are primarily used for metal
Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu

structures, whereas fabrics of glass and carbon fibres are the
main non-metallic materials, explained Schrder. The latter
are impregnated with resins and hardened in autoclaves during
manufacture or already impregnated fibres are employed. In some
cases honeycomb structures are also laminated, in order to save
weight while increasing stiffness.
The material and condition of a structural part essentially
determines the pre-treatment and selection of the coating.
Aluminium alloys, for example, are pre-treated with chemicals and
depending on the application they are anodized using chromic
acid, phosphoric acid or sulphuric acid. Chemical conversion layers
are also used for very large structural parts or for extra protection
schemes. The primer is applied onto the prepared substrates.
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In this case, said Schrder, Mankiewicz uses coatings that are
solvent or water-based with 2K epoxy resin coatings. These also
contain chromates, which are presently undergoing a critical review
under REACH (The Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of
Chemicals). However, due to the extremely strict demands for
certification of aircraft, there is currently no alternative available
for this reason, together with other users and manufacturers, the
company advocates an authorisation of chromates to allow these
systems be produced and applied as an exception for a further
seven years.
In the case of structural parts of non-metallic materials the first
step is to eliminate the release agents used during production
without leaving any residue. The surfaces of these parts often
exhibit defects and irregularities and require preparation before
painting can commence. Mankiewicz has developed special primer
and filler systems to cover the diverse requirements. In addition
to a smoothing compound there are spray fillers and pore fillers
for eliminating imperfections. To obtain a smooth and clean
surface, the fillers applied are mechanically ground. A coat of
chromate-free primer is subsequently applied to the surface now
free of defects.
The next decade in the aviation industry is set to be as
challenging as the last for Mankiewicz. Schrder said that the next
steps for the business include the further reduction of process
costs and growing along with the worldwide branching out of
supply chains for structural parts. Moreover, the automation of
mixing and application processes are an important development to
cope with the current ramp-up of aircraft production. And last but
not least, time will show if the use of composites will pay off in the
long run.
partner of choice
to streamline your
supply chain.
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Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017 37
ERA Re-engages
MRO Issues

by Bernie Baldwin

 

 


!


 

   


 




  
 

 









 
 
I
mpending departure from his role as director
general of the European Regions Airline
Association (ERA), a post that he has held
for the last four years, isnt stopping Simon
McNamara from pursuing initiatives to
expand the organisations influence. And
maintenance is an area in which he foresees
greater ERA involvement.
40 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017
At present, we have what we call a virtual maintenance group,
which meets by correspondence, by conference calls, explained
McNamara, who will become communications director at Flybe
in a few months. We are trying to inject a bit of new life into it,
because its relatively dormant right now.
Among the European trade bodies, theres not as much
activity in maintenance representation as I think there could be.
Its not because theres a lack of issues; there are constant issues
Aviation Electronics Europe 19-20 June 2018 Munich, Germany www.ae-expo.eu
Captions L-R. (Images: Xxxxxxx)
such as Part 145 approvals, changes in EU legislation, plus other
major areas such as licensing of maintenance personnel.
The ERA has a growing number of MRO supplier members
alongside airline members, providing the opportunity to come
together on maintenance and safety and share information. Its
also very rulemaking-driven as well, the DG notes. There is a
lot of European legislation on maintenance standards. EASA is
constantly working away on maintenance issues and thats where
we want to be involved, because EASA will keep working.
The EU Ramp Inspection Programme (SAFA/SACA) is another
area where ERA is involved. These are random inspections,
where if you fly into [an outstation] you can be inspected by
a local inspector. Theyll inspect the aircraft and can ultimately
ground the aircraft if they are not satisfied with its condition
or paperwork.
We are active in that area, because we see inconsistent
application of the inspections across different [EU] Member
States, which causes problems when one particular inspector
will ground an aircraft for an engineering reason, where another
would not ground it. So there is inconsistent application of
standards there.
Supply chain management is also where ERA has a role as
many airline members fly out-of-production aircraft such as
Jetstreams, Fokkers, Avros and Saabs. Over the past two years
weve facilitated an annual meeting of the out-of-production Type
Certificate holders, states McNamara. We asked them, What
can we do as an Association to help you keep those aircraft
flying?, because they still form a significant part of, particularly,
the sub-50-seat market and probably will for some considerable
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time. The meetings are more about information exchange [at
present] rather than coming up with concrete proposals. Were
planning a further meeting at our General Assembly in October.
Upcoming avionics requirements and the associated
modification work also interest the Association. Its a
challenge with some of these new mandates and new avionics,
because generally speaking the older the aircraft, the more
complicated it is to integrate, McNamara observed. We are
very active on CPDLC (controllerpilot datalink communications)
and Surveillance, Performance and Interoperability (SPI)
implementation, which primarily comes down to ADS-B Out
equipage on which there is an imminent mandate coming up.
Retrofit aircraft should be compliant by December 2017. So
[carriers with such aircraft] should be fitting ADS-B Out by then,
but the fact of the matter is that there are very few ground
stations ready to receive ADS-B Out or even use it.
Its something of a shambles, he asserted. As usual, airlines
are working to be compliant, but the ground air traffic service
providers dont have an equivalent mandate system, so they
are very behind schedule. As such we are actively working with
EASA to find a solution that will provide a longer transitional
arrangement for equipage.
With new aircraft only having to be ADS-B Out equipped
from 2020, McNamara believes it makes sense to re-look at
this area. Were pushing quite hard but were very much in
the hands of EASA to weigh up all the pros and cons of the
argument we make.
Some might say its all unfinished business, but McNamara is
clearly creating a well-paved path for his successor.
Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2018 41
LEGAL SPIN
By
ByJASON DICKSTEIN
Jason Dickstein
Parts and Material
Certications: Improving
the Spec 106 Form


re you familiar with Spec 106? It is a specification written
by the air carrier community that details how suppliers
should handle and document aircraft parts. One of the
problems with this specification is that it has not been
updated in over 15 years.
Many people in the aviation industry are familiar with the Spec
106 Form. This form is an appendix to the specification and is
used throughout the aviation industry to provide commercial
documentation to parts. It is often known as the Parts and Material
Certification. But fewer people in the industry realize that the form is
just an appendix to an industry standard.
A friend wrote to me with a Spec 106 question. It is a question
that I have heard before. At its root, the question is, What does
block 13C on the ATA Spec 106 form (Last Certificated Agency)
mean and whose name do we put into that block?
In the case that was presented to me, a distributor was
planning on purchasing aircraft parts from a non-US air carrier.
The carrier in question is a foreign regional carrier (FRC) with no
Part 129 certification from the FAA (it does not fly to the United
States).The distributor was wondering whether the FRC could be
Last Certified Agency of Block 13C of their ATA-106? The answer
to that question depends on whether the FRC has performed a
maintenance activity on the part.
The Spec 106 instructions for block 13C very simply say:
Name the last certificated agency and its certificate number who
last performed maintenance on the part.
This simple explanation is often ignored by parties who have not
read the instructions. As a consequence, one can see Parts and
Material Certifications completed with a wide variety of information
in this block.
The block 13C instruction sentence likely anticipated FAA-
certificated agencies, because it was written over 20 years ago by
U.S. air carrier representatives. But that limitation is not specified
in the instructions, so the block can include any certificated party
bearing a certificate from any airworthiness authority.
Something that is specified in the instructions is that suppliers
of surplus parts that have been inspected shall include a document
from a FAA 121, 135, 129 or 145 certificate holder indicating
condition. This would be in addition to the Spec 106 form. This
is not a regulatory requirement, but it is a requirement of the
specification in section 3-7, and it shows us what was considered
appropriate when the specification was developed.
Back to our fact pattern; the distributor indicated that the
FRC employs certified inspectors. These inspectors perform
inspection at the time of receipt (receiving inspection) and issue
documentation stating that the part is considered airworthy.
Inspection is typically considered a maintenance activity that
must be reflected in an approval for return to service or other
maintenance release. Typically receiving inspections are not
considered to be maintenance activities in their own right, but are
part of the maintenance organizations activities. But if receiving
42 Aviation Maintenance | avm-mag.com | June / July 2017
inspection is treated as a separate maintenance activity in this FRC,
and receiving inspection is documented as such, then this activity
coul dbe a maintenance activity performed by a certificated agency.
So now we have to look at what kind of parts are being
transacted in this case.
If the parts are new parts that are surplus to the FRCs needs, then
the inspectors could inspect them to new condition, issue appropriate
approval for return to service verifying that the parts have been
inspected to new condition, and then the Spec 106 form could list the
FRC as the last certified agency in block 13C. This may be subject to
the same section 3-7 caveat mentioned above if the parts are received
by a company with a Spec-106 compliance receiving inspection system.
The idea of issuing an air carrier approval for return to service is
not a new one. Northwest Airlines used to issue 8130-3 tags for
their surplus parts indicating that the parts had been inspected to
verify the condition in which they were sold. For new surplus parts,
this meant that their new, unused, status has been confirmed. An
FRC could use whatever maintenance release form they typically
use (such as the ANAC SEGVOO-003, CAAC AAC-038, EASA Form
One, TCCA Form One, etc.) in order to document the inspection.
They should be careful to describe what inspection was performed
in the remarks block of the maintenance release form.
But what if we are talking about parts in as removed condition?
In such a case, the FRC could still be the last certificated agency
if it performed an activity like an inspection. For example, a post-
removal inspection that verifies that the part is unairworthy could
be a maintenance activity. In this case the activity would be the
inspection, and the unserviceable tag could be the record of the
work performed (to meet this requirement, it typically needs to
state what work was performed, e.g. the inspection).
Just because the part is not serviceable does not negate the
fact that an inspection was performed and documented. But of
course, the FRC must have appropriate maintenance capabilities to
perform the inspection in question if they do not (e.g. because all
of their maintenance work is performed by contractors) then their
inspection might represent unauthorized maintenance in such a
case the maintenance contractor might be the appropriate party to
perform and document the inspection in question. In that situation,
the maintenance contractor may be the last certificated party.
Opportunity for Improvement
One of the issues with the Spec 106 form is that the instruction set
is not very well suited to non-US operations (it was written by the
US air carrier community in the 1990s). In todays industry, global
operations and global sources of supply have become the norm.
The Aviation Suppliers Association (ASA) has been working on
proposed revisions to Spec 106. ASA is working with both A4A
and IATA on this project.
If you have any interest in participating in this process, then
please let ASA know; we are currently working on this project, and
plan to have our proposals ready quite soon.
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