Category: PRs

Rolls-Royce has awarded StandardAero its prestigious Authorized Maintenance Center (AMC) license to repair and overhaul T56 Series IV engines.  The license includes the T56-A-427 and T56-A-427A, which power the Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye and Advanced Hawkeye, all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning aircraft in service with the U.S. Navy. The T56-A-427/-427A delivers 5,250 shaft horsepower.   

StandardAero’s San Antonio MRO facility has been overhauling the T56 Series IV since their first induction in 2018, and has completed over 127 engines to date. This new AMC license allows StandardAero to provide repair support for these engines to any global customer.

StandardAero has complete capability today, including a correlated T56-A-427A engine test facility, to provide immediate T56 Series IV repair and overhaul.  

Rick Pataky, StandardAero San Antonio Military Vice President and General Manager commented, “We are proud to continue our support for the U.S. Navy and their critical mission. Moreover, we are dedicated to providing quality service, value, and mission readiness to all of our military customers, and being acutely responsive to our customer needs as they address urgent real-world events.”

The Southern California Aviation Association (SCAA) Safety Stand Down is set to return for 2024 in conjunction with Web Manuals’ annual internal user conference GO DIGITAL US at Hotel del Coronado, San Diego from April 16-18.

The joint Safety Day initiative, comprising SCAA Safety Stand Down and GO DIGITAL US will take place on April 16 and 17 respectively and will be the first time the SCAA Safety Stand Down has taken place since 2018. Web Manuals, the world leader in digital documentation for the aviation industry, will be the key partner and title sponsor for the event’s return.

This year’s theme is ‘Unlocking the Future of Safety Management Systems (SMS)’, with the agenda including discussion on cultivating safety leadership, monitoring safety performance, and enhancing health, wellbeing, and safety of crew members.

“Reviving SCAA’s Safety Stand Down is something the entire Web Manuals team feels passionately about. It’s been a privilege to be involved in planning this event and we’re keen to continue our work with the SCAA to support the next generation of aviation professionals,” said Krister Genmark, chief commercial officer at Web Manuals. “For years, our digital documentation software has enabled companies to ensure compliance with the latest regulations and disseminate crucial safety information across an organization within minutes. Now, we are going one step further to drive awareness and education throughout Southern California.”

As well as running Safety Stand Down, SCAA is dedicated to providing education, networking, mentoring, and scholarship programs for aspiring aviation professionals within the Southern California aviation community. Web Manuals supporting further SCAA events throughout the year.

Philip Kost, chair of the safety committee at SCAA, said: “This year’s Safety Stand Down is expected to be our most popular yet, following a six-year wait. Web Manuals’ support, not only financial but also in planning and co-running all three days, will make it an impactful event for such an important aviation issue.”

AAR announced an exclusive multi-year commercial distribution agreement with TRIUMPH’s actuation products and services business unit. 

Under the agreement, which commences in January of 2026, AAR will exclusively distribute TRIUMPH’s commercial actuation product line, which includes more than 100 top-level assemblies and their subcomponents used on various Boeing and Airbus commercial platforms. AAR will support commercial airlines and MRO customers through its global distribution network.

This new OEM distribution relationship complements AAR’s existing product offerings and customer base. Additionally, TRIUMPH will benefit from AAR’s services and robust global sales force in efficiently executing the delivery of inventory to customers.

“This relationship will expand AAR’s offerings to the commercial aftermarket on key Boeing and Airbus platforms,” said Frank Landrio, AAR’s senior vice president of distribution. “We are excited to distribute this product line as part of the AAR product portfolio given TRIUMPH’s reputation for quality.”

 AAR subsidiary Airinmar, an independent provider of component repair cycle management and aircraft warranty solutions, has signed a multi-year support services extension with Philippine Airlines (PAL). 

Working in conjunction with PAL’s Aircraft Material Management team, Airinmar will provide a full suite of support services covering both aircraft warranty and value engineering. The services will supplement PAL’s current activities and continue building on the successful recovery of the Philippine flag carrier’s aircraft warranty entitlements and reducing the cost of component repair. 

“Since we implemented Airinmar’s services at the start of 2020, Airinmar has been a trusted partner. We appreciate their commitment to value engineering and solid warranty management, which has contributed to meeting Philippine Airlines’ safety and efficiency goals,” said Alvin Kendrich Limqueco, PAL SVP – Supply Chain Management Group. “We will continue to leverage Airinmar’s comprehensive engineering knowledge and expertise to help drive down PAL’s operational maintenance costs and thereby contribute to our overall sustained improvement goals.” 

Airinmar’s value engineering support will continue to deliver cost savings through supplier compliance with PAL’s contracted component repairs and minimize component flight-hour out-of-scope repair charges.

Airinmar’s aircraft warranty management services cover the identification, claim, and recovery of the multiple aircraft warranty entitlements provided by Airbus, Boeing, and de Havilland and their suppliers. 

“We are delighted to extend our successful relationship with PAL and continue working alongside their Aircraft Material Management team to reduce maintenance costs across PAL’s multiple fleet types,” said Matt Davies, Airinmar’s general manager. “We are excited to be part of PAL’s growth strategy as their fleet expands with new aircraft deliveries in the coming years.”

StandardAero’s Airbus helicopter dynamic components MRO facility, located in Richmond, BC, Canada, recently celebrated the company’s 40^th year of supporting Airbus Helicopter dynamic components services.  The facility is a full-fledged, D Level rated, MRO shop, supported by Airbus factory trained technicians covering all MRO, VDI and BBOV disciplines for servicing Airbus helicopters.   

The Richmond site offers full repair and overhaul, including testing, of AS350/H125, AS355, H130/EC130 Dynamic Components.  On-site capabilities include cleaning/stripping, Level II NDT covering MPI, FPI and in-house ECI, CNC CMM measurement, coatings, a clean room for bonding and a full complement of traditional and CNC machines to support our in-house Reworks.  StandardAero also performs R&O on small components such as shock absorbers and TGB spiders. 

“Our Richmond team of technicians and engineers has a lengthy history when it comes to Airbus components, dating back to the mid-1980’s,” said Andy Wong, general manager of StandardAero’s Richmond site.  “Additionally, we authorized to perform balancing on tail rotor short shafts.  This is a direct result of our OEM partnership which is a cornerstone of our business philosophy.” 

The Richmond Airbus shop boasts an extensive in-house repair catalogue for singular piece parts.  All of the company’s inspectors and certified machinists have successfully completed the requisite Airbus BBOV training.  This provides StandardAero the ability to salvage parts with Airbus specified repairs contributing to a faster turnaround times while returning the original parts back to the customer. 

To continue to maintain alignment with the OEM, the Richmond Airbus MRO shop completed the Airbus Special Process Audit in 2023 and is certified for more than a dozen critical Airbus Special Processes. 

“We believe nothing is more important than ensuring the customer is mission ready and we have openly made our extensive Rework capability available to all other dynamic component repair shops who do not possess in-house capability,” added Wong.  “Our Richmond site also welcomes piece part repair requests directly from customers and our engineers work closely with the engineers at Airbus to make every attempt to repair rather than replace parts in order to keep operator costs low and reliability high.”

The Props & Hops Selection Committee is thrilled to announce the four recipients of the 2023 Props & Hops Aviation Scholarships: Jacob Boehm, Clint May, Andrew Orstad, and David Pethel. Each recipient received $4,000.

The Seventh Annual Props & Hops event, held last October at the Mandan Aero Center, was attended by over 250 local folks and raised $16,000 for scholarships. The Advanced Pilot Scholarships and Advanced Aviation Maintenance Technician Scholarships were created in honor of North Dakota aviators Mark Sundby and Darrel Pittman, who both recently passed away. Funds are dedicated to helping aspiring pilots and maintenance technicians earn their licenses and start their careers in the aviation industry.

“This accomplishment reflects not only on these young aviator’s academic excellence, but also their commitment to personal growth and community involvement. Our scholarship award winners have passion, drive, and have clearly made a lasting impression on the selection committee.” says Shannon Boehm, a member of the Selection Committee. “We look forward to witnessing their continued success and the positive impact they will undoubtedly make in their academic and professional pursuits.”

Jacob Boehm, Advanced Pilot Scholarship Recipient

Jacob is a native of Mandan, ND, and a current student in the Commercial Aviation program at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND. After graduation, he hopes to secure a position as an airline pilot. He is also currently serving as a certified Aircraft Structural Repairman in the North Dakota National Guard.

Andrew Orstad, Advanced Aviation Maintenance Technician Scholarship Recipient Andrew is a Bismarck, ND, native and first year student at Northland Community & Technical College in Thief River Falls, MN. He is pursuing a certification in the Aviation Maintenance & Technician Program. After graduation, he hopes his certification will serve as the foundation for professional growth and development within the aviation industry.

Clint May, Advanced Pilot Scholarship Recipient

Clint served for almost eight years in the United States Army, gaining a background in rotor-wing aviation. He moved back to North Dakota with his family and is currently working as a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) in the Bismarck-Mandan area. He plans to obtain his Airplane Multi-Engine Rating to further his understanding and technical aptitude in the aviation industry and as a CFI.

David Pethel, Advanced Aviation Maintenance Technician Scholarship Recipient

David, a native of Jamestown, ND, is currently a student at Lake Area Technical College in Watertown, SD. He has completed his first year of school and earned his airframe license, as well as interned at the Bismarck Aero Center. After he completes the Aviation Maintenance

Technology Program, he plans to move to the Bismarck-Mandan area and work in the aviation industry.

Props & Hops is a state and federally registered 501c3 nonprofit organization that was founded in 2017. The organization’s mission is to bring positive attention to the aviation community by showcasing the benefits that the airport brings to local communities and raise funds for aviation related causes that are tied to Bismarck/Mandan and surrounding area. The organization designates a selection committee, made up of five local aviators, to determine an annual beneficiary within the surrounding aviation community. Props & Hops has been able to donate over $100,000 to selected causes over the years.

Global motion technology company Schaeffler announces the expansion of its operations in the U.S. with the addition of a new manufacturing facility focused on producing automotive electric mobility solutions. This announcement represents the company’s commitment to innovation and growth in the Americas region.

Schaeffler is investing more than $230 million in building the new greenfield manufacturing facility, strategically located in Dover, Ohio, as well as future expansions in the state until 2032. As part of an agreement with the State of Ohio and JobsOhio, the company will receive incentives via grants and tax credits for these investments that will create 650 jobs in the state. These jobs will lead to growth at the company’s current facility in Wooster, Ohio, and the new manufacturing facility in Dover.

Construction of the new facility will begin in mid-2024 with an estimated completion in the third quarter of 2025. Once complete, the first phase of the facility will boast roughly 130,000 square feet of advanced manufacturing space dedicated to electric mobility solutions for the automotive industry. Products manufactured at this site will include electric axles for light and medium-duty vehicles.

“Our new plant will play a pivotal role in shaping our future in the Americas region,” said Marc McGrath, Chief Executive Officer of Schaeffler Americas. “Dedicated to advancing our innovative product offering, our new Dover, Ohio facility will feature state-of-the-art production processes so we can better serve our customers, while also adopting sustainable practices, as we continue to pioneer motion,” continued McGrath.

The new facility will produce products with cutting-edge technology, featuring Schaeffler-designed and manufactured tools and equipment. The products include electric axles, showcasing Schaeffler’s dedication to delivering sustainable and efficient high-performance solutions for the rapidly evolving electric vehicle market. Beyond innovation, sustainability is at the core of Schaeffler’s operations. The new facility will incorporate eco-friendly practices, aligning with the company’s commitment to environmental responsibility and to be climate neutral by 2040.

West Star is pleased to announce that several locations in their network have been awarded the FAA Diamond Award of Excellence for 2023, including four of their full-services locations: East Alton, IL (ALN); Chattanooga, TN (CHA); Grand Junction, CO (GJT) and Perryville, MO (PCD).

The Diamond Award is the FAA’s highest achievement for technicians and employers who initiate and sustain highly effective training programs. To qualify for this award, 100% of the AMTs had to participate in specialized training that included safety, technical knowledge, aircraft systems, aviation regulations and FAA rules. Additionally, the technicians completed a minimum of 12 hours of structured FAA training, earning each of them individual awards as well. 

“As West Star grows, training will continue to be our top priority. We have increased our financial investment in training substantially year over year. Training is an investment in our people and our people are my top priority. It’s a great honor to recognize their continued hard work and overall accomplishments,” said Allen McReynolds, COO. “This award also confirms to our customers that West Star’s aircraft technicians are the best in the business and take pride in their work and achievements,” he said.