MRO 2008 Show News Briefing - April 7, 2008 - (Page 6)

Regionals Buck Trend, They’re Expanding Maintenance Activities Bucking the trend toward outsourced MRO, U.S. regional carriers are expanding in-house facilities to handle an increasing amount of their maintenance needs, particularly on growing fleets of Embraer 170/190 family aircraft and next-generation versions of Bombardier CRJ700 and CRJ900 jets. U.S. regionals’ fleets are extensive, and their aircraft are flown intensively, making maintenance key. A growing number of larger regionals operate fleets ranging from 150 aircraft to many hundreds, eclipsing the fleets of so-called “major” airlines. Most regionals perform virtually all of their own line maintenance and the bulk of their major maintenance as well, in extensive facilities around the U.S. Reasons include the regionals’ expertise in their aircraft and their “more regionalized” short-to-medium range networks, making hubs and maintenance bases, with spares provisioning, never far away—and their ability to service aircraft overnight. Examples of regional carriers expanding in maintenance include SkyWest Airlines at Colorado Springs (the firm has 436 aircraft and no fewer than 13 other maintenance bases, with the largest in Salt Lake City); Mesaba at Des Moines; Compass Airlines at Louisville International; Republic in Columbus, Ohio; and American Eagle, at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport near Bentonville. —Overhaul & Maintenance Goodrich Expands in U.S. and Beyond Goodrich has begun a $5.5 million expansion at Monroe, N.C., MRO , targeting third quarter completion. The new space will accommodate helicopter actuation repairs and large aircraft cargo work. Goodrich Monroe opened in 2004 and currently operates a 65,000 sq ft facility. Goodrich (Booth 415), which saw its aftermarket business grow 16% last year, has just expanded in Singapore too, and late last year broke ground for a 110,000 sq ft facility in Dubai (shown). BorescopesRus Expands in Clarksville Optical inspection specialist BorescopesRus (Booth 939) says it broke ground in December on a 4,000 sq ft expansion of its facility in Clarksville, Tenn., allowing additional space for a repair center, sales offices and warehouse. The company is promoting a hand-held 4mm videoscope kit for Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 and other small engines that’s priced at just $8,995.00. Recently disclosed BorescopesRus customers include Hawker Pacific Australia and Pinnacle Airlines. Aero Kool Sees International Surge The weak dollar is prompting a urge of business at southern Florida’s Aero Kool, which has recently expanded its overhaul capability for components including cooling turbines and air cycle machines. “The dollar is so soft that many people are taking advantage and sending their components to the U.S. to be overhauled,” says sales and marketing vp Rick Weltmann. ISO 9001-2000 and AS 9100-certified Aero Kool holds FAA Repair Station Certificate VD1R554K, and EASA 145.4038. Booth 325. Bayco Lights—Intrinsically Safe Wylie, Texas-based Bayco (Booth 2222) is promoting a new line of intrinsically safe rechargeable task lights for aircraft inspection and MRO work in explosion prone environments—such as paint shops and the interior of fuel tanks. The UL-approved XPR-9860 and smaller -9820 have LED lights (dual-mode, both flash and flood) and nickel metal hydride batteries “assuring a full charge every charge” with no recharge memory effect. Super bright white LEDs afford “up to 240 lumens of brilliant tight-focused flashlight beam for long reach and up to 300 lumens of floodlight for wide-view visibility,” the company says, and are “are virtually indestructible.” Joe T okarz is Bayco marketing director. RPM Revs Up the U.S. on eOx Cleaners Europeans have been using “green” eOx Aviation Cleaners for the last 25 years; now the line will be made available in the U.S. by RPM Technology (Booth 534). eOx products, it says, are non-hazardous, non-toxic, odor-free, and biodegradable. They also bring economic benefits, the company claims, by reducing man-hours required to clean an aircraft by up to 33%, and reducing aircraft down-time by as much as 47%. Helicopter MRO Seen Growing American Eagle maintains all fleet types except ATRs, at Dallas/Fort Worth. 6 The market for commercial helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul is worth about $5 billion a year and is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 3.1% over the next decade, reaching $6.8 billion by 2016, says Michigan’s AeroStrategy (www.aerostrategy.com). April, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aerostrategy.com http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

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MRO 2008 Show News Briefing - April 7, 2008 Contents PBL and Partnerships Delta-Chromalloy PMA Reverse Engineering? Straighter, Rounder Regionals Buck the Trend Composites Loom Large Freighters and Cargo

MRO 2008 Show News Briefing - April 7, 2008

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