March 12, 2020 - No. 018 In This Issue ABARIS TRAINING Aviation Maintenance Leaders' D.C. Tour Includes White House, DOT Stops GENERAL AVIATION AWARD RECIPIENTS FOR 2020 NAMED Civil Aviation Authority grounds 21 helicopters over engine safety concerns Magnetic MRO and Airbus Sign Airframe Maintenance Agreement Cash crunch at SA Express means the airline cannot afford aircraft maintenance Textron Aviation, WSU, IAM Form Apprenticeship Program Nokia lands air traffic control deal with Irish Aviation Authority AIM Readies To Open Mx Training Campus in Virginia IBS Software Takes Lufthansa Cargo Handling to the Cloud S7 Technics signs a unique consignment stock agreement with Satair Aviation Maintenance Leaders' D.C. Tour Includes White House, DOT Stops On March 10, a small group of senior aviation maintenance industry professionals participated in a series of collaborative discussions with high-ranking federal officials. The group began the day with a White House policy briefing, followed by stops at the Departments of Labor, State and Transportation. The meetings were part of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association's "Executive to Executive Briefings" series during which industry leaders have face-to-face discussions with government officials responsible for matters impacting aviation, manufacturing and international commerce. "E2E", which was first hosted by ARSA in 2018, served as the official kick-off of the association's 2020 Annual Conference. Participation in the day of meetings is limited only to representatives from Conference sponsors, meaning those in attendance represent companies that are highly committed to ARSA's broader goals of good government and reasonable oversight. The purpose of the day is to form and reinforce connections among and between agencies whose policies impacting repair stations and other aviation businesses. Getting beyond the walls of the FAA, where most aerospace stakeholders focus government engagement, facilitates better and broader understanding of key industry issues. "The E2E day constantly reinforces both the fluid and consistent aspects of aviation policy," said ARSA Executive Vice President Christian A. Klein, the association's chief manager for the E2E Briefings. "Each year, we are able to address fundamental issues that we've been working on for years - availability of maintenance data, international regulatory harmony, a few others come to mind - but we also get to be on the front lines of new and emerging challenges facing the world economy." This year those emerging challenges included coronavirus response, increased scrutiny on certification and delegation practices resulting from the Boeing 737MAX and impacts of trade tensions between the U.S. and overseas partners. Since E2E participants represent multinational corporations, family-owned small businesses, aircraft parts manufacturers, service providers and industry service providers, the group was able to engage these topics from a number of angles. The group got a break from its government meetings during a lunch stop at the Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters of Airlines for America. The association representing North American air carriers has been a close ally of ARSA for years, and its President & CEO Nick Calio welcomed participants to touch base on the policy priorities of an important set of maintenance industry customers: part 121 air carriers. After Calio was called away for a White House meeting concerning aerospace needs in response to COVID-19 business impacts, A4A Senior Vice President of Regulatory and Legislative Policy Sharon Pinkerton joined the group to continue the discussion. Having completed its "E2E" day, ARSA will host members for a day of legislative engagement on Wednesday, March 11 before closing out the week with two days of regulatory and business content presented through its traditional Annual Repair Symposium. https://www.aviationpros.com/airports/press-release/21129211/aeronautical-repair-station-association-arsa-aviation-maintenance-leaders-dc-tour-includes-white-house-dot-stops Back to Top GENERAL AVIATION AWARD RECIPIENTS FOR 2020 NAMED The General Aviation Awards program has announced its three honorees for 2020 including a well-known flight instructor and AOPA Pilot contributor, an aviation maintenance expert who has helped refurbish five AOPA sweepstakes aircraft, and a longtime accident prevention counselor and safety advocate from Georgia. The winners will receive their awards-given annually for more than 50 years in a partnership program between the FAA and sponsoring organizations from the aviation industry-at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in July. Catherine Cavagnaro of Sewanee, Tennessee, was named the 2020 National Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year. Cavagnaro owns and operates Ace Aerobatic School in Sewanee and is widely regarded as an expert in spin recovery and avoidance and upset-recovery techniques. Cavagnaro is a regular contributor to AOPA Pilot magazine and a speaker at AOPA's regional fly-ins. She is a professor of mathematics and former chair of the mathematics department at Sewanee: The University of the South, where she developed and implemented courses in aerodynamics, differential equations, and mathematical modeling. She serves as a lead representative for the FAA Safety Team of the Nashville Flight Standards District Office and was honored as the 2018 FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year, according to the award announcement. She is a designated pilot examiner. Dennis Wolter of Cincinnati was named 2020 Aviation Technician of the Year. AOPA members know Wolter as the founder of Air Mod, the company that redesigned and reupholstered the interiors of five AOPA sweepstakes airplanes between 1994 and 2013. Wolter founded Air Mod in 1973 after graduating from the University of Cincinnati in 1969 and teaching engineering and aviation maintenance there from 1970 to 1973. He holds a supplemental type certificate and has produced numerous FAA field approvals for "seat improvements, cabin ventilation, instrument lighting, cabin upholstery, windshield and window modifications, and passenger restraints." He has presented "numerous seminars about interior renovation, corrosion, aging aircraft issues and compliance with FAA regulations" at AOPA events, EAA AirVenture, Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo, and aircraft type club events. He has written nearly 100 articles for owners' group magazines and "currently writes monthly articles for Cessna Flyer and Piper Flyer magazines." Gary Brossett of Midland, Georgia, will receive the 2020 National FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year award. He was appointed a Georgia accident prevention counselor in 2005, and went on to become an FAA Safety Team representative, devoting himself to "managing and mitigating GA accidents, incidents, pilot deviations and runway incursions." During the past five years he has hosted more than 84 aviation training events in his area-76 percent of total events-and more than 208 in the Georgia district, or 44 percent of the total. Brossett served in the U.S. Air Force from 1980 to 2005 as a mechanic, engine shop supervisor, lead engine mechanic, engine maintenance supervisor, aircraft maintenance supervisor, and technical school administrator and instructor, according to the announcement. After leaving the U.S. Air Force, he joined Pratt & Whitney and serves as a senior quality engineer and maintenance instructor at the company's Engine Center in Columbus, Georgia. He is an airframe and powerplant mechanic with inspection authorization and a private pilot with airplane single-engine land and lighter-than-air/balloon certificates, and a certificated remote pilot. https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/march/10/general-aviation-award-recipients-for-2020-named Back to Top Civil Aviation Authority grounds 21 helicopters over engine safety concerns New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority has grounded 21 helicopters because unapproved work done on their engines means they're not fit to be in the air. Inspections at a company which does repair work on the Rolls Royce/Allison 250 series turbine engines - reported to be Oceania Aviation - found drilling and grinding work had not been okayed by Rolls Royce. The engines are mostly fitted to Bell Jet Rangers and Hughes 500 series helicopters, with transport and agricultural operations affected. No Police Eagle or rescue helicopters are thought to be affected by the move. "The visits revealed departures from Rolls Royce-approved engine maintenance instructions that adversely affect the airworthiness of the engines," CAA director of civil aviation Graeme Harris said. "The primary issue relates to unauthorised drilling and grinding work done on safety-critical components within the engine compressor section," Harris said. Newshub reported the company involved was Oceania Aviation, a major New Zealand aircraft maintenance provider. An email to customers reportedly informed them the company's turbine factory had been closed temporarily following an audit by the CAA, and would reopen once the issues were fixed. Grounding the helicopters is the best way to ensure all engines are made safe while minimising effects on the aviation sector, the CAA says. There are 41 engines that will need parts repaired or replaced - 25 in New Zealand, 13 in Australia, two in Indonesia and one in Papua New Guinea. Other affected engines are part way through being overhauled at the maintenance facility. A new Airworthiness Directive requires 20 compressor sections to be repaired within 30 days, or 50 flight hours, and 21 compressor sections affected by grinding to be immediately withdrawn from service for repair - meaning 21 helicopters are grounded from today. Affected components must be replaced or fixed before these engines return to service. Harris said the CAA was also looking closely at all the organisation's engine maintenance work. "Further safety action may be necessary in due course but that is unknown at present. "I have also taken action today to the maintenance organisation from conducting any further RR 250 series engine maintenance works until a detailed safety review can be completed." Eight aircraft will be subject to the 30-day / 50-flight-hour limit for replacement of the compressor section and a further 17 will be grounded immediately - after being allowed to fly to a repair facility. The firm has fully co-operated with the CAA investigation. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12316235 Back to Top Magnetic MRO and Airbus Sign Airframe Maintenance Agreement Magnetic MRO and Airbus have signed a long term airframe maintenance agreement for the support and maintenance of Airbus family aircraft. "The Total Technical Care is not only about the quality of MRO services. It's also about first-class customer support, transparent processes, and exceptionally high procedural standards. We're very proud of our team which has proven to meet these standards on numerous occasions. We are glad to expand our partnership with Airbus and share the experience of Magnetic MRO high quality of service with them and their partners. This has definitely opened new horizons for Magnetic MRO, and we are looking forward to wide cooperation now that we are an approved supplier for Airbus maintenance-related activities," shared Inga Duglas, chief commercial officer at Magnetic MRO. Magnetic MRO provides EASA and FAA-certified Total Technical Care services for aircraft operators and owners in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Magnetic MRO Group provides narrow and wide-body aircraft line maintenance via its global network of over 20 stations across Europe, Asia and Africa. The company's heavy maintenance services are delivered at its MRO centre in Tallinn, Estonia. Integrated with LEAN processes, aircraft maintenance is conducted at Magnetic MRO's advanced 5-bay facilities which are equipped with hi-tech solutions, including automated docking stations, tooling RFID as well as other IT solutions that allow to assure efficiency in work and precise on-time delivery. https://www.aviationpros.com/aircraft/maintenance-providers/mro/press-release/21129015/magnetic-mro-magnetic-mro-and-airbus-sign-airframe-maintenance-agreement Back to Top Cash crunch at SA Express means the airline cannot afford aircraft maintenance With its working capital fast depleting, SA Express, according to a report written by the airline's business rescue practitioners, Phahlani Mkhombo and Daniel Terblanche, cannot afford to book its planes for maintenance, creating safety concerns about the airline and threatening its ability to operate scheduled services. Four of its planes have been grounded. By last Wednesday, the state-owned SA Express had R1.4-million in its bank account and R17-million in outstanding payments relating to its aviation operations that were due on the same day. This is the perilous financial situation that has been laid bare by the business rescue practitioners of SA Express, Phahlani Mkhombo and Daniel Terblanche, in their first progress report - which has been obtained by Business Maverick - on restructuring the struggling airline. Arguably, there hasn't been much progress in saving SA Express from collapse. SA Express flight routes typically serve smaller cities in SA such as Bloemfontein and Kimberly, and neighbouring countries such as Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, as a regional feeder to South African Airways (SAA). It was once a fast-growing African regional airline since taking to the skies in April 1994, but it was at the centre of SA's State Capture story of corruption, resulting in the airline last turning a meaningful profit in 2016. With its working capital fast depleting, four of SA Express's fleet of six operational aircraft - comprised mostly of Bombardier Q400s (light planes that are designed for shorter-distance flights) - have already been grounded. This was made worse by SA Express not paying the R6-million in quarterly aviation insurance premiums due in December 2019 - insurance that protects an airline's business and passengers, as well as its pilots and crew. SA Express, according to the report written by Mkhombo and Terblanche, cannot even afford to book its planes for maintenance, creating safety concerns about the airline and threatening its ability to operate scheduled services. Since SA Express was placed under involuntary business rescue on 6 February 2020 by the High Court in Johannesburg, Mkhombo and Terblanche said they had walked into a "negative" environment at SA Express. This has resulted in the exodus of skilled SA Express workers, who are mostly responsible for aircraft maintenance and technical operations, including the acting quality manager (two years in the role, 12 years at the airline), general manager technical (two years in the role and was once responsible for SAA's aircraft), training captain and line pilots. The maintenance division has also lost a number of people over the past few years. More worrying is that Mkhombo and Terblanche said SA Express doesn't have "enough suitably qualified/certified aircraft engineers to sign out aircraft and supervise maintenance on aircraft to meet the demands of the operation". To ensure that all SA Express's aircraft fleet can be signed out for maintenance, Mkhombo and Terblanche said there is a need to hire eight people at a training and certification cost to the airline of R800,000. The dearth of qualified aircraft engineers at SA Express has already impacted on its operations, as recent regulatory audits of SA Express cited "airworthiness" - regarding how aircraft components are stored and traced when an aircraft is booked for maintenance - as an ongoing issue for the airline. "The tracing of aircraft components is unreliable - often work is done on aircraft where parts are removed from one aircraft and moved to another (part-robbing), and the corresponding paperwork is delayed," said Mkhombo and Terblanche in their report. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is an internationally recognised body that audits global safety management in airlines, recently made 85 findings against SA Express in its report named the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). The body said the airline's airworthiness and component management/traceability was a major concern: "Many items could not be closed in time and subsequently the company fell off the IOSA Register for a period of time. This posed a significant commercial risk." Funding requirements Mkhombo and Terblanche require between R438-million and R691-million in post-commencement financing (PCF) from the Department of Public Enterprises and National Treasury to enable the airline to continue while a business rescue plan is put in place. A final rescue plan, which has to be approved and adopted by SA Express creditors through a vote, is expected to be published on 30 April 2020. But SA Express is facing an intense waiting game as the department has not released the money - pushing Mkhombo and Terblanche closer to applying for the airline to be liquidated, which involves shutting its operations and selling assets to pay creditors. They are empowered to do so under the Companies Act if they believe there are deliberate attempts to undermine their restructuring efforts. To get funding that the department has not raised, Mkhombo and Terblanche asked for help from the rescue practitioners of SAA, which is also in the throes of business rescue. Both state-owned airlines have a commercial agreement in which SAA sells flight tickets on behalf of SA Express, and the former pays the latter once passengers have travelled. To fund the airline's operations for February, Mkhombo and Terblanche had to reach an agreement with the SAA rescue practitioners, Les Matuson and Siviwe Dongwana, for a R47-million advance in the form of a pre-payment for ticket sales over five days. This means that SA Express will give up its future ticket sales revenue from SAA until the R47-million is settled. Without the PCF from the department and National Treasury, SA Express will struggle to pay March salaries to its more than 690 employees. BM https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-03-12-cash-crunch-at-sa-express-means-the-airline-cannot-afford-aircraft-maintenance/ Back to Top Textron Aviation, WSU, IAM Form Apprenticeship Program Textron Aviation has teamed up with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and WSU Tech to develop a collaborative apprenticeship program that is designed to ensure a long-term flow of skilled production tooling specialists. The first of its kind in the region, the two-year apprenticeship program encompasses both factory and classroom training to develop a range of skills involved with the design, build, and maintenance of production tooling, including everything from specialized hand-held tools to large jig assemblies that support aircraft parts and assemblies. Under the program, participants typically will train at WSU Tech for two days, while spending three days with assigned mentors at Textron Aviation facilities in South Central Kansas. While participating in the program, apprentices will receive salary and benefits from Textron Aviation, as well as related tuition and fees at WSU Tech. Upon completion of the program, participants will earn a tooling associate of applied sciences degree from WSU Tech and become full-time Textron Aviation employees. Employees further have the option of tapping into Textron Aviation's tuition reimbursement program to work toward a bachelor's degree. The initial class will involve 15 students. "Through the new apprenticeship program with WSU Tech, our students will get the benefit of an advanced curriculum designed specifically for this program, as well as learn on the job from our highly skilled tradespeople," said Maggie Topping, senior v-p of HR and communications at Textron Aviation. "This program is another example of the innovation and disciplined business practices of the people of Kansas that have made us a global aerospace leader," said Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, who visited the manufacturer for Tuesday's announcement. "This kind of partnership is exactly the formula that helps attract talented people to work and live in Kansas." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-03-11/textron-aviation-wsu-iam-form-apprenticeship-program Back to Top Nokia lands air traffic control deal with Irish Aviation Authority Nokia announced on Wednesday that the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has deployed its IP and MPLS networking products as part an upgrade from legacy services to a next-gen network. The high-bandwidth IP/MPLS network, which went live last year, increased IAA's capacity to help ensure the operation of new, more demanding air traffic control (ATC) applications. The network also provides support for legacy, non-IP applications, including end-to-end communications between radar stations. The IAA also used Nokia's professional services team for network design, architecture, integration and deployment. The contract with IAA also included Nokia taking part in the integration and testing of the network. Going forward, Nokia will continue to provide IAA with long-term support and maintenance services. Nokia and IAA have conducted a number of live trials across multiple airspace sectors in the key North Atlantic region, delivering critical voice and radar services to controllers over the new Nokia IP/MPLS platform. The deployment of the new network preceded the expected doubling of global air traffic by 2030, according to Nokia. The North Atlantic airspace is one of the most crowded airspaces in the world, and the IAA will need more capacity as traffic grows. "Given our responsibility to ensure the smooth operation of the North Atlantic airspace, it has been crucial that Nokia earn our trust," said the IAA's Billy Hann, director of ATM operations and strategy, in a statement. "The quality and reliability of its technology and the thoroughness and collaborative approach of its teams has been first class throughout the entire migration process. We are very pleased and confident in the performance of the new network." https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/nokia-lands-air-traffic-control-deal-irish-aviation-authority Back to Top AIM Readies To Open Mx Training Campus in Virginia The Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) will host a grand opening of its 109,000-sq-ft Hampton Roads campus in Norfolk, Virginia, and is partnering with area secondary schools that will allow 11th and 12th graders to take courses and earn credit at AIM. Through the partnerships with Hampton City Schools' Academies of Hampton and Norfolk Public Schools' Career and Technical Education, students can earn up to 19 credit hours by the time they graduate that will transfer to AIM programs. They'll also earn two FAA certifications in UAS piloting and general aviation. "Aviation Institute of Maintenance is proud to make Norfolk home," said campus executive director Ashley Oden. "We've been so warmly welcomed by the community in our new location and look forward to celebrating with our friends and neighbors as we cut the ribbon." The grand opening will be held on March 17. On a tour of the campus to be held during the grand opening, AIM will feature two of its newest airplane additions: a Cessna 421 and a Sabreliner 80. Hampton Academies and Women in Aviation-Southeastern Virginia chapter were responsible for the Sabreliner donation. As part of the partnership with Hampton Academies, AIM will provide awareness of aviation careers, hands-on training, and pathways to industry certifications for students, as well as additional training for Hampton Academies teachers. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-03-11/aim-readies-open-mx-training-campus-virginia Back to Top IBS Software Takes Lufthansa Cargo Handling to the Cloud FRANKFURT, Germany, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IBS Software, a leading SaaS solutions provider to the global travel industry, has signed a five-year contract with Lufthansa Cargo AG (LCAG), to take full ownership of the hosting and maintenance of Lufthansa Cargo's iCAP cargo handling application platform, which is powered by IBS Software's iCargo cargo management platform. Lufthansa Cargo's decision to move to IBS Software's SaaS hosting platform is part of its long-term objective to focus on its core cargo business without compromising on IT operations. As part of the decision-making process, Lufthansa Cargo evaluated the capabilities of global hosting service providers on critical areas including application availability, security regulatory and data privacy. Lufthansa Cargo stands to benefit from IBS Software's industry-first 'zero outage' capability for its SaaS offering. With zero outage capability, planned maintenance is completed with absolutely no outage to the business IT system - one of the major benefits for Lufthansa Cargo. This unique capability results in operational stability, which is essential to fulfill the customer promise and to provide effective and seamless cargo handling operations around the clock across all time zones without any service disruptions. Lufthansa Cargo will also benefit from superior and faster application performance of highly complex cargo business functions and processes. As an example, Lufthansa Cargo processes one million messages per day. Each message will now be processed noticeably faster than before in less than one second on the IBS Software SaaS platform. Initial performance of the system, which operates from IBS Software's new data centre in Frankfurt, has shown that the SaaS service has exceeded the benchmarks in all parameters set by Lufthansa Cargo, with 100% SLA compliance. Lufthansa Cargo CIO Dr. Jochen Göttelmann said, "IBS Software has consistently delivered beyond expectations throughout our relationship that started with the iCAP implementation. They have demonstrated their capability to take on the established leaders in application hosting and offer a true SaaS provisioning that helps us to focus on our core competencies. We greatly value the responsibility and commitment that IBS Software brings to the table." "IBS Software is thrilled to sign up Lufthansa Cargo as a SaaS customer, benefitting from our industry leading iCargo platform hosted in our world class data centres. Lufthansa Cargo's selection of IBS Software is testament to our excellent track record of iCAP delivery for the past seven years, and our commitment to consistently deliver value to our customers," said Ashok Rajan, SVP & Head of Airline Cargo Services, IBS Software. About IBS Software IBS Software is a leading SaaS solutions provider to the travel industry globally, managing mission-critical operations for customers in the aviation, tour & cruise and hospitality segments. IBS's solutions for the aviation industry cover fleet and crew operations, aircraft maintenance, passenger services, loyalty programs, staff travel & air-cargo management, making it the enterprise with the widest range of offerings for the aviation industry. IBS also runs Demand Gateway - the world's largest distribution network for leisure hotels. For the tour and cruise industry, IBS provides a comprehensive guest centric, digital platform that covers onshore, online, and onboard solutions for the modern tour and cruise provider. IBS is a Blackstone company and operates from 11 offices across the world. Further information can be found at https://www.ibsplc.com/ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibs-software-takes-lufthansa-cargo-handling-to-the-cloud-301020481.html Back to Top S7 Technics signs a unique consignment stock agreement with Satair S7 Technics, a leading independent maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services provider in Russia and the CIS territories, has signed a consignment stock agreement with major aviation spares and solutions provider Satair at the MRO Russia & CIS 2020 forum. The multi-year deal covers the exclusive distribution of more than 350 part numbers from a range of suppliers and is the first of its kind directly linking Satair with customers in Russia and the CIS region. Furthermore, the agreement facilitates the possibility of growing the cooperation between S7 Technics and Satair even further over the coming years. The new strategic partnership between the two companies will significantly expand the scope of S7 Technics' maintenance capabilities, by increasing its overall productivity and allowing for a more efficient release of aircraft from maintenance checks. Commenting on expanding its long-standing business relationship with S7 Technics, Terry Stone, Satair's managing director and head of sales and support in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, says: "The agreement embodies an important milestone in customising services towards the customers and strengthening our presence in the region." Alexey Petin, the head of strategic procurement at S7 Technics, adds: "This agreement represents a key effort in advancing S7 Technics' competitive positioning and the further servicing of our customers' needs in the region. We are thrilled to grow our relationship with Satair." S7 Technics operates three heavy maintenance bases located at Moscow (DME), Novosibirsk (OVB) and Mineralnye Vody (MRV) airports and also has several line maintenance stations across Russia. The company holds EASA-145, EASA-147 and EASA-21G&J approvals as well as Bermudan, Russian and certification for some other countries. The company currently offers its services to Russia's S7 Airlines, Aeroflot Group carriers and UTair, as well as to airlines from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with an annual provision of more than 100 heavy maintenance checks and more than 1,000 light maintenance procedures. http://www.rusaviainsider.com/s7-technics-signs-a-unique-consignment-stock-agreement-with-satair/ Curt Lewis