Farnborough 2008 Show News - July 15, 2008 - (Page 32) FA R N B O R O U G H 2 0 0 8 “The 2009 reduction in [MRO business] outlook is driven by over 500, less fuel efficient commercial jets being parked during the year The North American market will see a decline from $16.6 billion in 2008 to $15.9 billion in 2009.” — David A Marcontell, executive vp, TeamSAI. Fewer landings mean lower maintenance requirements for commercial airlines. Airline Woes Hurt MRO Operations in the States Slumping airline operations around the world will cost the maintenance, repair and overhaul industry $1.3 billion in lost business in 2009, according to Denver-based TeamSAI Consulting. Three-quarters of the lost business will be in the U.S., where airlines have been especially hard-hit by steep increases in fuel prices, downturns in the U.S. economy and the lowest passenger satisfaction levels in the country’s airline industry. The U.S. airlines’ reliance on a large number of fuel-thirsty legacy jet liners, including B737 classics, DC-9 / MD80 jets and 50-seat CRJs, aggravates the problems. This will turn the previous net growth prediction into a net loss of business. “The 2009 reduction in [MRO business] outlook is driven by over 500 less fuel efficient commercial jets being parked during the year the North American market will see a decline from $16.6 billion in 2008 to $15.9 billion in 2009,” said David A. Marcontell, TeamSAI’s executive vp. “The ripple effect radiates out to suppliers,” Christopher Doan, the firm’s president and CEO, added. But Doan also believes that the weak dollar will help steer non-U.S. airlines to U.S. MROs. TeamSAI is a partner with Aviation Week (Hall 1, Stand E4) in MRO Prospector, a new web-based market development tool intended for use by MRO firms. MROs that specialize in business aircraft maintenance service, however, are seeing no such slump. Cessna Aircraft and Gulfstream Aerospace, among other firms, continue to expand their MRO facilities in response to marked increases in business volume. Industry observers expect 39,000 new business jets to be sold in the next two decades, fueling the expansion of the general aviation MRO business. —Fred George VSI Debuts a New Range of Helmet Displays at Farnborough Vision Systems International, LLC (VSI), in collaboration with Elbit Systems Ltd. (ESL), is introducing a new range of lightweight Helmet Mounted Displays (HMD) called HMD-Lite, designed for a broad range of applications in military trainers, transport aircraft, and helicopters. Traditionally helmet displays are used only in first-line fighter jets, to improve pilot situational awareness. Due to the system’s complexity and high integration cost, only few platforms could be considered for the system, explains Drew Brugal, president of VSI. HMD-Lite is a customizable HMD that provides all the benefits of prior HMDs, including helmet visor projected imagery and symbology, and also precision head tracking and cueing. In addition, it also upgrades the avionics capabilities such as navigation, audio and video recording, training, simulation and mission management. According to VSI, these capabilities come with minimal hardware modifications and lower cost, while maintaining the safety and much of the functionality of VSI’s other HMDs. The system has already undergone preliminary testing on board the flight simulator of a military transport aircraft, demonstrating the advantages for tactical flight, ease of installation and operation. The HMD-Lite was evaluated through simulated missions including air drops, navigating landing zones, localizing target under restricted visibility and bad weather, and avoiding obstacles and threats. One of the system’s unique capabilities demonstrated in these tests was its ability to “see through” the aircraft, covering “dead zones” where visibility is impaired by the wings and fuselage, thus improving navigation and situational awareness in all directions. The pilot, therefore, gains an improved ability to scan the terrain during Visual Flight Rule (VFR) flights, reducing workload during target reconnaissance, airdrops, and landings on unpaved strips. “This product brings the demonstrated benefits of our HMDs now being flown in the world’s premier front-line fighters to a much broader stable of aircraft such as light attack/fighter lead-in, trainers, transports, utility, and Search & Rescue. We even see application for paramilitary, police and other government fixed-wing operators at a price point they can afford, with an integration spectrum from completely stand-alone to full integration. HMD-Lite is the right product at the right time,” VSI’s Brugal added. VSI Inc. is a joint venture between EFW Inc., an Elbit Systems of America company and a subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd., and Rockwell Collins. —Tamir Eshel 32 July 15, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews
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