All indicators show that the aviation industry is expected to grow marginally in upcoming years. The predicted boost in commercial flights will benefit aviation industry distributors; increased domestic trips by U.S. residents will result in higher demand for commercial aircraft repair and maintenance. As commercial flights increase, demand for aircraft parts will grow. Introducing next-generation…

For many products the cost of service, maintenance, replacement parts, and upgrades over its lifecycle can be a larger proportion of lifecycle cost of ownership than the original acquisition cost. Managing these “downstream” activities efficiently is an essential element of ensuring product availability, product safety, and minimizing total cost. For the product supplier this can…

FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have been discussing new ways to document and transfer aircraft articles across international borders. This ends up affecting the rest of the world, because it sets standards for how both of those authorities will operate that they then incorporate into their other international relationships. Many of the…

by Charlotte Adams Automation is everywhere you look — in the hangar and repair shop as well as the cockpit. For the repair shops, line maintenance operations, MROs, and airline support departments that make the best use of it, computer technology gives a competitive edge in this tight-margin business. Benefits include lower costs, higher efficiencies,…

By Jason Dickstein Over the years, I have heard a lot of debate about the use of PMA parts on leased aircraft. Challenges may arise from restrictive clauses in lease agreements that prevent the use of PMA on the asset. This can cause particular headaches when the lessor is an air carrier that is looking…

by Joy Finnegan, Editor in Chief Record low oil prices. Record high airline profits. Slow growth in the U. S. and slower than predicted in China. Workforce retirements. Big data. More electric aircraft. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). New technologies. All of those factors and many more impact the MRO marketplace. Every year at this time,…

by David Jensen Well, perhaps not totally so. However, one manufacturer is applying a chemistry and design that takes battery operation a step closer to a maintenance-free goal. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have become ubiquitous, powering everything from smart phones to electric-powered automobiles. They can be found in aircraft, too, in portable radios, electronic flight bags…

By Ryan Aggergaard After a flurry of activity at the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, the United States finds itself in the midst of an emerging (if slowly) regulatory regime governing the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, also known as UAS or, more commonly, “drones.” Although the FAA is still working through…

by Charlotte Adams Aircraft batteries are too often taken for granted. That is, until a plane loses electrical power far from home and has to switch to its emergency back-up system. Fortunately the prevailing nickel cadmium and lead acid battery technologies are well understood, while evolving lithium chemistries are becoming more acceptable as proper safeguards…