Farnborough 2008 Show News - July 16, 2008 - (Page 62)

FA R N B O R O U G H 2 0 0 8 Bedek Prepares for a Prosperous Future With soaring fuel costs driving airlines into bankruptcy and looming global recession threatening cargo operators, MRO is bound to be the next target in the food chain. Dany Kleiman, General Manager of IAI’s Bedek Aviation Group, agrees, but is not waiting to be the next target. “We identified the current downturn at the end of 2007, and there is no sign we have reached the bottom yet,” Kleiman said in an interview with Show News. “Bedek provides a sensitive indicator for predicting market change,” he explained. “As a service provider, we work with 250 active customers, handling over 600 contracts every year; therefore, we reflect the market dynamics in commercial aviation operations, aircraft leasing, engines and accessories.” The downturn has yet to “seep into the system.” In the past 24 months the company reported a growth rate of 24% per year ($726 million sales in 2007, a 37.5% increase from the previous year). In the first quarter of 2008 Bedek’s sales continued to improve, reaching $190 million, compared to $173 million in the same period last year. By the end of 2007, Bedek’s backlog amounted to $1.1 billion. Kleiman told Show News he agreed the market is declining, but indicated that the long-term effect on the company will not be profound. “This trend will cause airlines and service providers to sharpen their operations, skills and more, this trend is establishing a future market for Boeing 767-200 and -300 which will be withdrawn from service and diverted to cargo operations in upcoming years. Bedek recently inaugurated two new hangars at the Ben Gurion Airport. The hangers, with total area of 160,000 square feet, will provide for B747-400 conversions from passenger to freighter configurations and for heavy maintenance. Bedek is also expecting to see the first Airbus A340 arriving here for heavy maintenance by year’s end. Each hangar will accommodate three aircraft simultaneously (one wide-body aircraft such as the B747 and two smaller aircraft). Bedek is also diversifying its global operations, with subsidiaries and operating facilities in China, India, South Africa, Israel, Latin America and the U.S. “We anticipate a slowdown of the demand for cargo aircraft in the next few years, but as the market rebounds, it will lead to continued growth of 7% per year. This upturn may not necessarily come from an economic recovery, but from the establishment of the new aircraft in the market as Boeing and Airbus ramp up deliveries of B-787 and A-380, accelerating the release of 747-400 and 767 aircraft to the secondary cargo market. Kleiman concluded on an optimistic note, saying, “Overall we expect the longterm trend to be within our original business plan expectations.” —Tamir Eshel Bedek’s new hangars at Ben Gurion Airport total 160,000 square feet. Kleiman told Show News he agreed the market is declining, but indicated that the long-term effect on the company will not be profound. offerings in order to survive. Outsourcing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) is one option for cost saving; renegotiating existing contracts is another way to deal with the pressure. Airlines can save costs by optimizing their maintenance operations without degrading safety standards” he added. “We consider ourselves as partners, not service subcontractors. Based on our long-term experience and engineering know-how, Bedek has the broad view needed to recommend and pursue cost reductions and optimization to meet the customer’s goals.” Another positive consequence of the current crisis is the rejuvenation of airlines and cargo fleets. “Some of the older aircraft are grounded as they become too expensive to operate; these include the Boeing 727 and 747-200ER. Therefore, in aircraft conversions (from passenger to cargo) we are shifting the focus from older aircraft to newer types,” said Kleiman. These include an ongoing conversion program for the 767-200. As the only passenger-tocargo conversion provider in the market, Bedek has so far performed over 40 such conversions. Bedek is also in the certification process for cargo conversion of the Boeing 767-300 and 737-400. Further- Elbit Avionics Assist with ‘Blind’ Landings Helicopters operating in desert environments frequently encounter a loss of visibility and situational awareness when performing landings and takeoffs. The phenomenon of low visibility occurs when the rotor of a helicopter disturbs the surface of the approach and landing area. Sand, dirt and debris become airborne and can cause loss of pilot visual reference to the ground prior to touchdown, a condition known as “brownout.” This is most common where the terrain is covered with fine sand and dust created by vehicle operations. It is particularly risky when 62 a helicopter is landing in an unfamiliar location where it could hit an unseen obstacle. A similar difficulty arises when heavy snow causes a “whiteout” situation. Elbit Systems is offering a new avionics application called Dust-Off, utilizing a new combination of on-board sensors and image processing to assist landing in low visibility situations. Dust-Off allows helicopter pilots to maintain situational awareness and avoid obstacles during low visibility flight and adverse landing conditions. The new application utilizes off-the-shelf systems such as SWORD Laser Radar (LADAR) and Digital Map System (DMS), both developed by Elbit. Throughout the landing approach, the two systems constantly monitor the helicopter’s flight path in the virtual (DMS) and real (LADAR) world, presenting landing and situational awareness cues to the pilot through the ANVIS/HUD-24T display (known in the UK as DNVG). This new vision system is equipped with a line-of-sight tracker and supports both day and nighttime operations. — By Tamir Eshel July 16, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Farnborough 2008 Show News - July 16, 2008

Bombardier, Shenyang $5 Billion for Composites 787 and Seven V-22s for Export Sale? Saving Fuel at SFO Raytheon Roars Into UAVs Bell Eyes ARH-70A Costs All According to Plan We Fly the PC-12NG Russia’s T-50 PAK-FA Optimistic in Israel ICAO Sim Classifications Pratt to Power New Drone Russian Conglomerate

Farnborough 2008 Show News - July 16, 2008

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