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There are some surprising developments in the world of aircraft paints and coatings, and not necessarily to do with materials. Ian Harbison spoke to some of the leading players.

René Lang, executive managing director aviation at Mankiewicz Coating Solutions, says base coat/clear coat paint systems predominate on airliners these days, perhaps as high as 95% of the total fleet. Using this method, the color scheme is applied first and then given a protective layer that also provides a high gloss finish. The two coats are optimized for UV resistance as well as having some flexibility to cope with movement of the aircraft structure.

However, this combination cannot be used on all wing surfaces. Currently, these usually have different topcoats for the upper and lower wing boxes. On top, maximum flexibility is required as the wing continuously moves in flight. Underneath, high resistance to chemicals is paramount, as it is subject to being splashed with fuel and hydraulic fluid. This necessity to have two products leads to extended process times, inefficient procurement and storage of products, and reduced longevity with a deterioration in appearance.

Mankiewicz has developed a new product — ALEXIT WingFlex — that has the necessary flexibility and chemical resistance to allow it to be used over the entire wing with no intermediate masking and drying. It is easy to repair and touch up in case of “ramp rash” and also produces a high gloss finish that matches that of the clear coat on the fuselage. This improved appearance can be important in reassuring nervous passengers that they are flying with a safe and professional airline. The new product can be used on the production line and during maintenance. For MROs, the faster turnaround time is a particular benefit, she says, as they do not like putting an aircraft into a paint shop for minor wing work.

Julie Voisin, Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings segment market manager, says the company has just introduced Jet Prep Pretreatment, a chrome-free, water-based, translucent, sol-gel metal pretreatment solution. It can be sprayed, brushed or wiped onto the aircraft. A slight blue pigment tint provides a visual cue to where it has been applied and a flat appearance when dry confirms that it has been successfully applied. It has also introduced a chrome-free primer as well, meaning it can provide a chrome-free paint system from substrate to topcoat.

Michael Green, segment business services manager at AkzoNobel Aerospace, concurs that the majority of aircraft these days are painted with a combination of base coat/clear coat. Such a combination will have a service life of around eight to ten years. One market advantage for AkzoNobel Aerospace is that, at present, it is the only base coat/clear coat paint system qualified for new Boeing aircraft — the SAE AMS 3095 specification gives airlines more choices for refurbishment.

Of course, structures of composite aircraft have a primer applied and then an intermediate coat to protect the material from attack by paint strippers. A side benefit of this is that milder strippers can be used. Composite parts also have a rougher surface, requiring a range of fillers to be used to produce a smooth finish suitable for painting — even slight unevenness will show up with a high gloss finish. The problem is even greater with 3D printed parts but Mankiewicz have developed Primefill, which acts as a primer and filler. Lang says the development challenge was to produce a material that also met fire, smoke, toxicity and heat release requirements (FST) and not adding much weight.

David Patterson, executive vice president and head of sales, North America, at International Aerospace Coatings (IAC), says there is a definite move away from mica paint because of the difficulty in application. Green adds that American Airlines have dropped it, replacing it with Silver Eagle, a solid grey. Lang explains that overlapping passes of the spray gun can cause areas of darker color, or “tiger stripes” and requiring experienced painters and a forgiving and robust paint system. Having said that, Mankiewicz and IAC recently collaborated on a Boeing 747-400F of National Airlines featuring a striking grey mica paint scheme.

Voisin says that special finishes have maintained a steady demand. There are two camps when it comes to design in this market: classic understatement or eye-catching. Of course, the pandemic increased demand for private aviation, while the overall airline fleet has declined. She comments that some special finishes are difficult to repair, which is perhaps why airlines could be less likely to adopt them.

Obviously, the best way to resolve application problems is proper training. Méabh Tobin, global marketing manager at IAC, says new hires at the company’s global facilities undergo a 26-week training course that equips them with the skills required to strip aircraft of existing finishes, prepare aircraft for refinishing, and apply aircraft paint by hand and by spray gun in a safe and professional manner, moving from test panels to real aircraft. She says that, on average, 90% of apprentices successfully complete the program and begin work as full-time employees with IAC. Even new recruits who have experience still have to do familiarization training.

The company has recently set up a facility at Teruel, the location of Tarmac Aerosave, sending trainers to Spain while trainees have been coming to Shannon. This is one of Eleven IAC paint facilities (the others are Ostrava in the Czech Republic, Dublin and Shannon in Ireland and Amarillo, Everett, Fort Worth, Greenville, Portland, Spokane and Victorville in the U.S.). Patterson says there is regular communication across the network to exchange ideas and process improvements.

This is particularly important for new facilities — the company was recently awarded a long-term contract to operate both of the Boeing widebody paint facilities in Portland from January 2024. Capable of accommodating up to a Boeing 777, they will be primarily used to paint new production aircraft. IAC has partnered with Boeing since 2012, with Victorville and Spokane both supporting the OEM alongside airline customers.

Sherwin-Williams runs several training courses a year at its Wichita site while, for major MROs and OEMs, it supplies on-site training. Voisin comments that the Wichita courses allow people to get away from their normal working environment, allowing them to focus on the training and to interact with other people. For the on-site training, they are using familiar tools and processes but the Sherwin-Williams trainers can also provide advice based on their experience of multiple paint shops.

Green says AkzoNobel has started using virtual reality for training. As well as reducing the length of the course, it also reduces the amount of paint used, making it more sustainable. The system can measure speed of application, any overlap, calculate the thickness of paint being laid down, and the cost. As well as new trainees, it can be used by more experienced personnel to analyze their techniques and improve.

Lang adds that Mankiewicz always works closely with customers, with training for them at its training centers as well as being in the hangar with them for the first aircraft.

That close connection with the customer has been strengthened by AkzoNobel with the launch in March of Aerofleet Coatings Management, a digital management system that uses data gathered over several years to help ensure that aircraft are only repainted when needed, not to a fixed time schedule. Green says this is part of a strategy to become more of a partner than just a paint supplier, particularly for airlines with fleets in excess of 100 aircraft. He adds that two of the biggest advantages of base coat/clear coat for these huge airlines are its longevity (eight to ten years) and the reduced turnaround time to repaint the aircraft. This reduces the annual repainting requirements to manageable proportions. However, aircraft can still be stripped and repainted even with useful life remaining.

The new system, which is part of AkzoNobel Aerospace Business Solutions, a new entity combining many of the services already provided by the technical support teams, uses an app that stores all the information collected, such as dry film thickness, color variation, gloss and general appearance, as well as flight path data — such as weather conditions — which can affect the longevity of the coating. This is fed back to a database, which tracks the fleet’s performance over time. By analyzing this information and mapping it over several years, it becomes easier and more accurate to determine when an aircraft needs to be repainted, rather than simply using time or flight hours. Over time, the frequency with which aircraft need to be repainted will fall, reducing costs, material use and waste.

Manual inspections can be further enhanced by automated inspections conducted by drones. These are already being used for general visual inspections (GVI), lightning strike inspections, paintwork and regulatory marking inspections. Here, AkzoNobel has taken a further step by investing in French drone company, Donecle. The drone flies in a set grid over the plane’s surface — taking up to 1,000 high-definition photos — and the built-in software analyzes the images to flag any issues or wear of the coatings. This standardizes the inspection and is less subjective. It’s also faster and more in-depth than a manual inspection — an automated drone can scan an entire narrowbody aircraft in less than an hour. The Donecle drone is also used to check for surface damage using the DentCHECK software from 8tree.

While there have been advances in paints and coatings technology to make it more environmentally friendly, Green says there is still a tendency for airlines and MROs to be led by regulatory requirements and local health and safety rules, rather than pushing ahead with innovations. This is partly because the returns are limited. In fact, the rules can sometimes seem to work against the industry. Matz points out that chromates are only dangerous to personnel during the application process, which can be mitigated by personal protection equipment, extractors with filters and proper disposal of any waste. The biggest advantage of those materials, she says, is that if the chromate layer is damaged, it will leach out of the surrounding material and self-restore the surface. Voisin cautions that the apparent lack of progress in improving environmental standards might be misleading. There needs to be a lot of development and then testing, including in the real world, to ensure that any new product will not damage an aircraft skin. That requires a lot of time (and money) so there is a careful balance to be struck.

While there is still a problem with VOCs, this has been significantly reduced by a shift to water-based paints for interiors and structural parts. Mankiewicz has developed a metallic paint for interiors that is not only water-based but can be applied in a single layer, rather than the usual three. Another way of reducing emissions is to allow airlines and MROs to mix their own paints on site. The company supplies mixing benches that are computer controlled to produce the precise brand colors in small quantities, rather than shipping from its various facilities.

In response to the pandemic, Mankiewicz also carried out a large survey of cleaning and disinfecting materials to see how well their paints stood up them, since they were being worked on more often. There were no adverse findings, which also means that gentler and greener cleaners can be used successfully.

In recent years, cloud-based MRO IT software systems have made significant inroads into the aviation maintenance industry, and for good reason. These systems have brought enterprise-wide integration of corporate operations to their users, by providing real-time access to critical data. As well, one of the big advantages of cloud-based MRO IT systems is that customers “do not have to purchase, staff, and maintain their own physical server facilities,” said John Stone, vice president of product management for ULTRAMAIN, the provider of the cloud-based MRO IT system under the same name. “We do all that for them through our cloud offering.”

A Range of Choices

There are currently several cloud-based MRO IT systems available to the aviation maintenance industry. In general, these systems “are tailored for the aviation industry, helping to streamline maintenance and airworthiness management for airline operators, CAMOs (continuous airworthiness management organizations) and MROs across the world,” said Faraz Khalid. He is head of product for OASES, another same-named maker of a cloud-based MRO IT system.

Another MRO IT systems contender is the Ramco Aviation Solution. Made by Ramco Solutions, “it is a fully web-centric application developed from the ground up, specifically for the aviation industry,” said Saravanan Rajarajan, Ramco Systems’ director of solution consulting. “This solution offers an integrated platform for airline, MRO, defense, and helicopter customers to manage functions like maintenance and engineering, supply chain, safety, compliance, quality, planning, and financial control.”

A fourth MRO IT system called ENVISION is made by Rusada (now part of Veryon).

“Rusada has developed a multi-discipline maintenance platform hosted in the cloud,” said Richard Landsbury, the company’s sales director. Like many of its competitors, “ENVISION specializes in the areas of airworthiness, maintenance, and flight operations, allowing aircraft operators and maintainers to maximize their operational efficiency.”

Constantly Evolving

Customer and operational demands are ever evolving in the MRO industry, and MRO IT systems are constantly evolving to keep up with them.

A case in point: ULTRAMAIN is regularly updated “to ensure it remains current with the latest technology trends and needs of the industry,” said Stone. Such upgrades include “built-in help in the form of Just-in-Time (JiT) training videos to reduce training overheads and help users better understand areas of the software they use less frequently.” After all, good help is hard to find anywhere. If an ULTRAMAIN user has extensive help through JiT training videos at the touch of a mouse, it prevents downtime due to staff struggling to find the right answer.

That’s not all: ULTRAMAIN now has a mobile inventory-based stocktaking feature to “reduce the overheads and improve the accuracy of stocktaking,” Stone said. Meanwhile, the ‘Sales Management Application’ found in ULTRAMAIN “better serves the needs of our customers that provide third party services and reduces the costs associated with maintaining a separate Sales Management system.”

Over at OASES, the company has spent the last two years enhancing its MRO IT system with the launch of OASES Mobile and OASES Cloud and adding two-factor authorization to their platform. As well, “we’re excited to announce the upcoming deployment of OASES Release 11.0.0,” said Khalid. “This update not only offers quality of life enhancements but also introduces significant new features to our entire software suite.”

These new features include the OASES Gateway, which supports seamless integration with other third-party systems and workflows. “Furthermore, we’re unveiling OASES Insights, an advanced business analytics tool specifically for the aviation industry,” Khalid said. “With OASES Insights, customers can effectively analyze, visualize, and interpret data from their daily operations. This empowers teams to anticipate and mitigate challenges, boost efficiency, and achieve substantial time and cost savings.”

Over the years, Ramco’s aviation software has enhanced its MRO capabilities covering all MRO subsegments such as Engines, Airframe, Hangar, and Components. The latest version includes advanced functionalities and brings new product capabilities to the market.

For instance, “Our MRO Contract Management solution enables customers to model over 150 variants of contracts across various MRO business segments with micro-level management of out-of-scope, capping terms, and conditions,” said Rajarajan. “Our new Enhancements in Work order scheduling leverages our optimization tools to enable organizations to optimize their existing labor, capacity, and material resources. We also have added functionalities to simplify complex assembly maintenance with comprehensive improvements in work planning, execution, closure, and invoicing functions — enabling the complete end-to-end management of contract-to-cash processes within the system.”

Next, ENVISION is supporting digitalization through two new methods for paperless maintenance planning and execution. Landsbury said, “Our digital task card functionality allows users to upload aircraft maintenance programs and manuals directly into ENVISION, which can then automatically extract and create digital versions of the maintenance tasks. Users can then add additional content, book time, and sign-off, all within the system, removing the need for paper records.”

The professionals at Rusada have “put a much greater focus on mobility and digitization in the last two years,” Landsbury said. “On the mobility side, we have released two new apps to streamline the functions of stock management and flights, opening up ENVISION to more users on more devices and allowing for data capture at the source.”

In October 2023, Rusada introduced ENVISION’s PDF Task Integrator to the MRO market. It adds the ability to upload, augment, and execute task cards provided in PDF format to the system, simplifying what was traditionally a very manual and paper-based process.

Crunching Data, Delivering Benefits

With its ability to collect, integrate, and analyze information across an MRO’s entire operation, cloud-based MRO IT systems are adept at ‘crunching the data’ for their users. This allows these users to better manage projects, identify trends in equipment failures, and generally improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of their processes — and their turnaround time for clients.

But is it all worth it? Does cloud-based software actually save money for the MROs that invest in it? According to Stone, the answer to this question is “absolutely.” And all the other software suppliers interviewed for this article echo his belief.

The reason? “Fully connected all digital solutions such as ULTRAMAIN provide more clarity in all aspects of the maintenance process, from planning to execution to post execution analysis to eliminating inefficiencies and reducing costs such as those associated incurred using paper,” explained Stone. “Improvement in all areas improves the bottom line.”

Streamlining operations is also key to savings. For example, “OASES provides MROs with cost savings by fine-tuning maintenance schedules, reducing unexpected downtime, and boosting overall operational efficiency,” said Khalid. “This streamlines maintenance procedures, prevents superfluous maintenance, and ensures that aircraft and equipment remain operational, thereby decreasing costly disruptions.”

As for the cost of occurring and running an MRO IT system? “While initial investments in IT infrastructure can be substantial, embracing cloud solutions like OASES Cloud allows MROs to convert these capital expenditures into operational costs,” Khalid replied. “This can lead to savings on IT staffing and maintenance. Furthermore, cloud solutions grant MROs the flexibility to easily scale based on their needs. As fleets expand or contract, the cloud infrastructure can adapt without requiring significant new hardware investments. Utilizing a cloud-based MRO solution like OASES ensures aircraft spend more time in the air transporting passengers and less time grounded in hangars for repairs and maintenance.”

Efficiencies also come from integrating systems that previously hadn’t been well aligned. In this regard, “Ramco’s MRO solution helps in digitally transforming complex MRO processes,” said Rajarajan. “The integrated solution helps in improving efficiencies and productivity. This is primarily achieved through digitization and eliminating paper, automation of processes either through the workflow rule or intelligent decision assistants, mobile operations of positions such as mechanics and warehouse persons to increase productivity.”

Another form of savings occurs when MROs effectively manage their time. “By having the ability to plan and schedule maintenance more effectively, MROs can reduce downtime between jobs, and ensure they are utilizing their staff in the most efficient manner,” Landsbury said. “For parts and tools, the data that our system collects allows you to refine your min/max stock levels in a much more scientific way and therefore reduce the amount you over or understock. The system’s management of tools works in a similar fashion, and also allows you to keep on top of maintenance jobs, ensuring tools are more readily available. This reduces the time that mechanics or technicians spend waiting around for parts and tools when they could be working on an aircraft. Finally, by having the ability to plan, assign, and execute maintenance digitally, without numerous paper records circulating round, you can save significant amounts of time across multiple employees.”

Keeping Data Safe

Data security is an issue for every business. Cloud-based applications tend to elicit an “Oh, is it safe?” reaction from potential customers: Is the data secure when you’re working with an application that is housed in the cloud?

Fortunately, the answer is yes. This is because this data is protected by encryption and firewalls. It’s a myth that cloud-based applications are “easy to hack”. They’re not.

A case in point: ULTRAMAIN’s data protection has been hardened by “blocking paths and methods for malware,” said Stone. “Data is encrypted at rest and in transit. Our cloud offering keeps ULTRAMAIN running on a well-performing hardware stack that includes state-of-the-art cybersecurity protections that client devices can connect to via the internet. Our offering includes a redundant failover environment in a separate facility to reduce the risk associated with server failures or localized internet outages. We also provide managed services to monitor and update the solution as required, including health monitoring for ULTRAMAIN on behalf of our customers. Finally, ULTRAMAIN provides comprehensive access controls and management tools based on user roles that are easy to manage but yet powerful.”

OASES has the same dedication to data security. “We have robust encryption, regular security updates, and stringent access controls,” Khalid said. “Furthermore, our collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) leverages their significant investments in security infrastructure. This provides our users with advanced features such as network security, configuration management, access control, and data encryption. AWS’ infrastructure is consistently audited and holds certifications from various accrediting bodies, ensuring that its security measures are always current and robust. Moreover, we actively guide and assist our clients in adopting the best practices for data protection and cybersecurity within OASES.”

Ramco takes it a step further. “We sign data protection agreements with our customers detailing our measures to protect their data,” said Rajarajan. “Data in transit is encrypted using TLS1.2 protocol, and data at rest stored in storage is encrypted using the AES-256 algorithm. Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) is utilized to encrypt data at the database level. We also have ‘Security for Privacy’ measures to protect customer information through role-based access controls, segregation of duties, and privileged access management for authorized administrators with multi-factor authentication. As well, we don’t engage subcontractors/sub-processors in delivering services to our customers, thereby reducing the risk due to re-entrustment.”

At Rusada, “ENVISION provides several robust features to ensure the security of data and information,” said Landsbury. “Within the solution itself, access to information is heavily controlled by a role management system, where users are only allowed to access the areas assigned to their roles. This can drill down all the way to field level, to provide a highly customizable set of access rules and protect sensitive data. ENVISION also implements measures such as encryption, authentication, authorization, auditing, backup, and recovery, to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and the system. There is multifactor authentication provided through single sign-on via the Microsoft active directory server. ENVISION also supports Microsoft’s Active Directory Federation Services and SSO concepts to provide a more robust and secure experience.”

The Power of the Cloud

We have already demonstrated the security of cloud-based MRO IT systems. But there are other reasons why MROs are moving to the cloud to better manage their operations.

“Cloud-based systems are becoming increasingly popular with MROs, thanks to their scalability, cost-effective infrastructure, and the ability to access real-time data from any location, greatly improving operational efficiency,” said Khalid. “We are definitely seeing more and more MROs acknowledging the lasting benefits of adopting cloud-based solutions which makes them an attractive option for their operations.

“The majority of Ramco’s customers are using cloud-based deployments,” Rajarajan said. “This is because hosting on the cloud is proven to have a better value proposition than on-premises, due to a reduction in both CAPEX and OPEX expenditures. In the cloud, no capital expenses are required for setting up an infrastructure. We take end-to-end ownership to monitor and manage cloud infrastructure, databases, and applications on a 24/7 basis for our clients, enabling MROs to focus on their core operations. Hosting on the cloud also enables quick and more accessible infrastructure upgrades as their businesses grow.”

Landsbury agrees. “The current trend we’re seeing is a move to more modern, web-based solutions that can be hosted in the cloud,” he said.”The benefits of cloud hosting are primarily that you, as a business, don’t then need to worry about maintaining and updating systems and servers yourself. By choosing a cloud-hosted solution you can also guarantee a fixed monthly hosting cost and avoid any large one-off costs that on-premises hosting can incur. Additionally, hosting can provide faster and simpler access to additional data points needed for predictive analytics.”

The bottom line: “The sooner an organization goes to the cloud, the sooner it opens the door to these benefits,” said Stone.

What’s to Come

Looking ahead to the future of cloud-based MRO IT software systems, one can expect advances in areas such as predictive maintenance algorithms, remote asset monitoring, and enhanced integration with other enterprise systems. The ability to leverage real-time data from connected devices will also help MROs and their clients to proactively address maintenance issues before they escalate into costly Aircraft on Ground situations.

“Upcoming advances in cloud-based MRO/CAMO IT software systems are set to integrate more sophisticated AI and machine learning (ML) applications, vastly enhancing predictive maintenance capabilities,” said Khalid. “Moreover, we think there will be much deeper integration with IoT (Internet of Things) devices in the future. These forthcoming improvements promise heightened efficiency and precision in aviation maintenance and airworthiness management. The use of more potent computing resources for AI applications seems a natural evolution for cloud-based MRO software.”

The confluence of AI/ML, mobile, and 5G technologies will be game changers and enable MROs to achieve higher operational efficiencies. In the MRO industry, “this may involve integrating ERP systems, EFBs, mobile and wearable technologies, and embedded IoT and external systems seamlessly interlinked,” Rajarajan said. “As an MRO organization accumulates a wealth of such data, AI/ML technologies will be able to mine deep insights and be trained to make intelligent decisions. We expect the intersection of these technologies to unlock some interesting capabilities in MRO software, thereby delivering better value to aviation organizations.”

“We at Rusada believe the infusion of AI with MRO IT software systems has the potential to bring countless benefits to users,” said Landsbury. “Our ENVISION solution already captures vast amounts of data from across the operational spectrum, and the quickest and simplest way to take advantage of that information would be to let AI analyze it and assist with some of the more analysis-based tasks. This could include everything from maintenance forecasting, to inventory planning, to staffing requirements where AI makes suggestions based on the information it is receiving from across the company, plus any historical trends. This would dramatically increase the efficiency of many MRO operations.”

All told, the quality and power of cloud-based MRO IT systems have made great strides in recent years — and they are likely to become even more useful and powerful in the years to come.

The engine leasing market is in some turmoil at the moment, caused by the high demand for air travel, supply chain issues, staff shortages and Pratt & Whitney’s GTF problems.

Starting with GTF, an initial announcement in July by Pratt & Whitney was that a new GTF inspection program would start in September on PW1100G-JM engines on Airbus A320neo Family aircraft. This followed the finding of a rare condition in powder metal used to manufacture certain engine parts and would require accelerated removals and inspections within the next nine to twelve months, including approximately 200 accelerated removals by mid-September of this year.

On September 11, the OEM made another announcement. The inspection program would now result in 600 to 700 additional shop visits for PW1100G-JM engines in the coming years and an average of 350 aircraft being grounded in the period 2024 to 2026. A majority of the extra engine removals will occur in 2023 and early 2024.

The company is adding maintenance capacity, increasing part output and taking other action to mitigate the impact. Somewhat ominously, it is analyzing powder metal components on other engine models within its portfolio, although it expects to see far less impact.

As a result, demand has skyrocketed in the last few months for mid-life and older aircraft. There was already reasonable demand but, now, even Airbus A319s that would have been assumed to be heading for part out at end of lease, are being put back into service.

In addition, ACMI operators, who provide additional seasonal lift to larger carriers, especially in Europe, tend to be more agile and move faster than their customers. In the last couple of years, they have experienced rapid and healthy growth, as they anticipated post-pandemic growth. They tend to look at mid-life aircraft that are 15 years old or younger, but are now starting to look at 20-year-old models again. That is a driver for the engine market.

Some engine leasing companies are able to take advantage of price rises as part of the juggling act with the portfolio but are running out of inventory and struggling to replenish their portfolios. That means they are now looking for older engines with less remaining life. There are still plenty of potential acquisition candidates but they are now more expensive and some have better pedigrees than others, requiring a lot of due diligence. However, many engine shops are putting together similarly timed modules to make a complete engine. Overall, there is a growing interest in continued time engines, as previous generation aircraft enter the mature phase of their life cycle.

Up until six months ago, many operators using IAE V2500 engines would insist on SelectOne or SelectTwo models, due to the fuel economy savings. Now, the older engines are back in demand as the availability of Select engines has diminished and the demand has increased. This means airlines have to lower their expectations as it relates to what may be available to meet their capacity requirements, whether it is how old the engine is, whether it is Select or pre-Select, or even the aircraft type, an A319 against an A320. Of course, if SelectTwo is scarce, the price rises, which pulls SelectOne and pre-Select values upwards with it.

There are end-of-lease returns occurring where the expectation six to twelve months ago would have been to send the aircraft for part out; these aircraft are now staying in service with the existing operator, or in certain instances moving on to a new operator for an additional lease term. While there are aircraft that have been parked for a considerable time, there are no signs at present that these are being reactivated, although it is possible if GTF problems persist or are delayed, with 737NGs and A320s being the most likely candidates. These are likely to have been parked because a heavy check was imminent and the level of lease rates at around $150,000/month did not make the significant investment worthwhile. If lease rates remain at $200,000/month plus, the cost might be justified.

With production rates yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, supply chain issues and rising engine parts costs, there are global capacity constraints on narrowbody lift. Throw in problems with new-generation powerplants and it creates favorable conditions for long-term values on used aircraft and engines. At least the pilot shortage seems to have abated.

Of course, it is still unclear whether this is a near-term issue or will it persist? Fixing the supply chain and reaching previous aircraft production rates will be the greatest help.

The MRO and parts businesses have had a couple of strong years and this is predicted to continue for a couple more because there is so much work around. Many lease contracts are tied to return when a heavy check is due. If the leases are being extended, that heavy check must be carried out.

As for sourcing new engines, leasing companies tend to acquire an aircraft that might provide one serviceable engine for the lease pool and another for part out along with the airframe. Any minor repair work that might be necessary could be contracted out for repair, reducing costs.

The airlines have to afford the maintenance costs but engine leasing companies are often more about private investment. As the overall costs become more and more expensive due to increased OEM list prices on material and a shortage of used serviceable material being available at reasonable prices, they are being forced to rely on acquiring engines with useful remaining life. The market will eventually have to accept higher lease rates reflecting higher overhaul costs and the increasing costs of continued time engines.

Also reflective of this private investment attitude, it has always been difficult for a mid-life lessor to carry out an overhaul and have a zero-time engine with a large book value. The speciality has been half-life engines and, in some ways, there has been no change. However, the price point of that engine has gone up, presenting a challenge, although lease rates have gone up a bit to help offset the increase.

The companies tend to have a wide customer base, especially with ACMI and cargo airlines, as they also prefer mid-life engines. Major airlines tend to rely more on their own overhaul capabilities, although there are occasional ad hoc requirements. There has also been increased interest of late, with several majors checking the market for the availability of mid-life engines, which can be seen as a response to the various problem situations at the moment.

A typical lease term is between 12 and 36 months — shorter terms of three to six months can lead to greater exposure to finding technical problems during installation/removal. Major airlines tend to prefer shorter leases when they use an outside source as this is usually in response to an emergency but they are likely to accept the typical term in the current situation.

The biggest problem for the leasing companies now is inventory, levels having dropped due to demand. As a result, they will have to be a bit more creative in replenishing stock. Higher purchase prices will be inevitable.

Despite GTF, it is the delays to deliveries of new aircraft that are causing the crisis in the mid-life engine leasing market. One engine leasing company is AerFin, where Oliver James, VP Trading, says the ongoing GTF issue will likely have a considerable impact across the supply chain. Lease rates for V2500 engines have started to rise in the last few weeks in line with demand. Going into next year this will lead to healthy competition for quality V2500 engines to support operators affected by the GTF.

He says AerFin is active in the V2500 market, including green time leasing for that engine and the CFM56. However, he predicts that next year will probably see a shortage of quality feedstock to meet the demand. That may also have an impact on the CFM56-5B market as airlines may look to onboard additional A320ceo aircraft with the alternate 5B engine variant.

He confirms that lessors have witnessed unprecedented levels of lease extensions on older generation aircraft that would otherwise have been parted out. That, again, causes supply shortages of aftermarket components as fewer aircraft are being parted out. Of course, many aircraft were parked during the pandemic and, of those still on the ground, he says the number of them dismantled has been lower than expected. he notes that the decision to reactivate those aircraft is on a case-by-case basis and highly dependent on the maintenance spend required to make them airworthy again.

Another trend during the pandemic was that airlines rotated engines from parked aircraft within their fleets to avoid engine shop visits and preserve cash.

Several freighter conversions have been completed but cannot be delivered because of engine shortages. Freighter aircraft typically operate at lower utilization rates and can therefore use engines with fewer cycles remaining. However, this has become a sweet spot for passenger operators seeking temporary short-term engine leasing solutions to overcome the GTF challenges and delays with new aircraft deliveries.

Whilst AerFin has a strong aftermarket focus on the narrowbody fleets such as the Airbus A320 Family and Boeing 737NG series, they also specialize in the Embraer E-Jet Family and the associated GE CF34-8E engine. The regional market has also been affected by the GTF but only where operators have been looking to transition from E175-E1 to the newer generation E175-E2 or A220. This has been particularly evident in Europe. In this scenario, those operators may be forced to retain the E175-E1 for several more years. This has presented AerFin with a unique opportunity to continue supporting customers with various flexible solutions to help navigate this challenging period.

The company has an EASA Part-145 MRO facility in the U.K., which is being used to directly support airlines, lessors and asset owners, seeking engine MRO Lite solutions, whether that is lease transitions, top case repairs, module swaps or QEC/LRU changes whilst also working closely with the major engine MRO shops in supporting overflow work to alleviate engine turn time pressures.

AerFin remains well positioned in the market, having successfully sourced a significant volume of quality aircraft and engines which will allow the business to further enhance its service offerings which will act as a springboard to supporting its next phase of growth.

Former NTSB and FAA investigator Jeff Guzzetti explains how a maintenance error committed months earlier led to the left engine separating from the wing of a DC-10 during takeoff from Chicago.

It happened over four decades ago, but its infamy remains unmatched. On May 25, 1979, American Airlines Flight 191, a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Chicago O’Hare Airport. All 271 persons aboard were killed, along with two more souls on the ground. It remains to this day the deadliest aircraft accident on U.S. soil.

The crash occurred a dozen years before I began my career as an investigator. I was a rising senior in high school at the time, and the horrific event ignited my interest in aviation safety. Time magazine published an article after the accident which coined a phrase about my future alma mater. The article discussed how and where people learn to fly and fix airplanes, and it cited Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as the “Harvard of the Skies.”

Aside from its record death toll, readers of AVM should note that the root cause of the tragedy was “improper maintenance procedures” during an engine removal two months before the doomed Los Angeles-bound flight.

Flight 191 began its takeoff roll at 3:03 pm from runway 32R. As the nose rotated upward during lift-off, the left engine and pylon assembly, along with a chunk of the leading edge of the left wing, separated from the aircraft, rolled over the top of the wing, and fell to the runway. Hydraulic lines ruptured and caused the leading-edge slats on the left wing to retract, degrading the lift capability of the wing. The wounded DC-10 continued to climb but immediately began to roll to the left until the wings were perpendicular to the horizon. The Time magazine article that caught my attention included a haunting photographic that captured the DC-10’s final pose (see graphic 1).

Flight 191 was airborne for only 31 seconds. After achieving its highest altitude of 325 feet, the airliner pitched down and its left wing struck the ground. The aircraft exploded and was scattered onto an open field and trailer park. An aircraft hangar, several cars, and a mobile home were also destroyed (see graphics 2 and 3). The NTSB noted that “the disintegration of the aircraft structure was so extensive that little useful data was obtained from post-impact examination of the wreckage. …” with the exception of the no. 1 (left) pylon and engine, which were found off the side of runway 32R (see graphic 4).

The Investigation

The NTSB “go-team” arrived at the crash site later that evening while first responders continued to put out fires and remove bodies. Elwood “Woody” Driver, a former WWII Tuskegee Airman, was the Vice Chairman of the NTSB at the time. He led the go-team launch and was its spokesperson. During one of his initial press conferences, Driver held up a broken engine pylon bolt (see graphic 5) that had been found on the runway where the engine had separated, implying a structural deficiency of the DC-10’s design.

That assumption was proven false, and Driver’s faux pas was etched into the lexicon of accident investigation training of what not to do when briefing the public early in an investigation

What Driver should have done was hold back on presenting that sole piece of evidence until investigators had a chance to learn the full context and meaning of the bolt’s existence. Patiently following the evidentiary trail without making assumptions preserves the integrity of the investigation and prevents unfounded speculation and distraction.

The NTSB’s first order of business was to locate and download the “black boxes”. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) indicated an uneventful takeoff roll, with 53-year-old Captain Walter Lux verbalizing the proper “V-speed” callouts to First Officer James Dillard, age 49, who was the pilot flying. Just as the airplane began to lift off, Dillard uttered one word – the final word on the CVR – which was “damn.” The flight data recorder (FDR) ended with the aircraft in a 112° left roll and a 21° nose-down pitch attitude with full counter aileron and rudder controls and nearly full up elevator being applied.

The DC-10 was powered by three GE engines: one on each wing and one on the tail. The engines on the wings were mounted onto pylons, and these pylons were attached to the wings via forward and aft bearings (see graphics 6 and 7). The left engine weighed 11,612 pounds. and its pylon weighed 1,865 pounds., for a total engine-pylon assembly weight of 13,477 pounds.

Investigators discovered that the pylon forward bulkhead and portions of the flange from the pylon aft bulkhead either remained with the separated no. 1 pylon or were scattered along the runway. The no. 1 pylon’s aft wing clevis fitting and portions of the pylon aft bulkhead, thrust link, and pylon forward bulkhead attach assembly remained with the wing (see graphic 8). The thrust link bushing bolt had broken in two parts – the parts that Woody Drive held up to the world – and were found in the grass adjacent to the runway.

Investigators found a 10-inch fracture on the flange of the rear bulkhead of the pylon. The fracture contained a crescent-shaped deformation which matched the shape of the lower end of the wing clevis (see graphics 9 and 10). The gouge appeared to be produced by a fastener head, hitting the clevis with a sliding movement, and the resulting damage weakened the pylon’s structure. But how, and when, did this damage occur?

A 200-Hour Shortcut

About a year before the accident, McDonnell-Douglas issued a service bulletin calling for replacement of the spherical bearings on the forward and aft bulkheads of the pylon clevis (see graphics 8) to “correct service-related unsatisfactory conditions.“ The bulletin specified that the engine should be disconnected from the pylon before the pylon was removed from the wing. Compliance was recommended at the “operator’s convenience” and American opted to perform the work during a “C” check.

However, in an effort to save about 200 hours of maintenance work to accomplish the modification, American wrote an “Engineering Change Order” (ECO) that called for disconnecting the engine and pylon as a single unit and then lowering the unit with a forklift. They based this ECO shortcut on previous experience with older DC-10s for a similar modification. At that time, McDonnell-Douglas reviewed the procedure and advised against it, but American went ahead anyway, with no knowledge by the FAA.

Engineers at American did not conduct a fault analysis regarding the effect a forklift would have on the engine-pylon assembly in the event of a forklift malfunction or a human error. Forklift placement anywhere other than directly beneath the center of gravity would result in a torque that could overstress the joints, resulting in a crack on the pylon bulkhead (see graphic 11).

In the days following the crash, investigators inspected the maintenance procedures of all U.S. airlines that were flying the DC-10. They discovered that Continental and United Airlines copied the 200-hour shortcut devised by American, and they also incorrectly removed the engine and pylon as a single assembly. United used an overhead hoist to lower and raise the assembly, while Continental used the forklift method.

Review of the entire domestic DC-10 fleet revealed the removal and installation of 175 pylon/engine assemblies, of which 88 involved the incorrect method of removing the engine and pylon as a single unit. Of these 88, 12 were lowered and raised with an overhead crane. The remaining 76 were lowered and raised with a forklift.

The fleet inspections revealed six DC-10s with fractured upper flanges on the pylon aft bulkheads: four from American and two from Continental. All six cases involved the use of a forklift. NTSB metallurgists found that the failure modes on the Continental aircraft were similar to those found on American’s DC-10 fleet.

The Midnight Shift and a Forklift

Investigators attempted to reconstruct exactly what happened to the DC-10 that crashed in Chicago. They discovered that the pylon was likely damaged during maintenance performed about two months prior to the accident, on March 30, 1979. American’s maintenance personnel not only removed the pylon and engine as a single unit, they also removed the bearings in the opposite order specified in the ECO. Instead of removing the pylon’s forward bearings first, they removed the aft bearings. This permitted the forward bulkhead to act as a pivot.

The midnight shift started the work and removed the aft bolt before going off duty. The forklift they used to support the assembly remained in place for hours, and investigators suspected that some hydraulic pressure may have bled off overnight and caused the forks to move. Any advertent or inadvertent loss of support to the engine and pylon assembly would produce an upward movement at the aft bulkhead’s upper flange and bring it into contact with the wing clevis.

Sure enough, when the day shift reported for duty, two of the mechanics saw the upper lug of the aft bulkhead come into contact with the bolts attaching the clevis to the wing. Manipulations of the forklift allowed the assembly to rotate, resulting in the pylon’s rear flange contacting the wing clevis. The force from this contact resulted in an undetected crack in the aft bulkhead that grew slightly longer each subsequent flight until it failed during Flight 191.

The Probable Cause

After holding a 10-day public hearing in July 1979, and just before Christmas of that same year, the NTSB issued a very long and involved probable cause. There was plenty of culpability to spread around. The Board ruled that the left wing aerodynamically stalled during takeoff, resulting from “… maintenance-induced damage leading to the separation of the no. 1 engine and pylon assembly at a critical point during takeoff.” The cause also cited, “The separation resulted from damage by improper maintenance procedures which led to failure of the pylon structure.”

The Board also listed numerous “contributing factors” such as the vulnerability of the pylon design to maintenance damage, deficiencies in FAA surveillance and reporting systems, and inadequate practices and communications among the airlines, McDonnell Douglas, and the FAA. The only entity spared of any fault was the flight crew, who had “no reasonable opportunity” to save the aircraft.

The Legacy of Flight 191

Flight 191 became a call to action for the industry and its regulators. The NTSB issued several recommendations that added clarity to quality control processes and reporting requirements. The FAA slapped American and Continental with fines of $500,000 and $100,000, respectively, for improper maintenance.

The DC-10’s reputation had already been tarnished by two previous fatal accidents that had differing circumstances and causes. Two weeks after the Flight 191 tragedy, the FAA grounded the entire DC-10 fleet. The grounding was lifted a few weeks later when the design was exonerated, but the damage was done. The DC-10’s use in passenger service began to plummet, and the McDonnell-Douglas shut down the line a few years later.

The personal toll of the accident was also immense. For example, two years after the accident, a 47-year-old mechanic who served as a crew chief at American’s maintenance facility committed suicide one day before he was to give a deposition in a civil lawsuit regarding his role in the crash. His wife told investigators that he “suffered from guilt” over the tragedy, even though he was not directly involved in the engine/pylon work.

As it echoes throughout the aviation industry 44 years later, the Flight 191 tragedy warns that attempts to streamline maintenance processes may reduce costs, but great care must be taken to ensure that additional safety risks are not introduced. Additionally, the reporting and cross-communication among all industry players regarding critical damage or failure incidents are vital to timely implementation of risk controls by all operators of similar aircraft.

New, innovative aviation technology is a force multiplier when it comes to reducing job complexity to attract a greater pool of talent.

The MRO industry is seeing an exodus of retiring mechanics — even as fewer young mechanics sign up to enter the trade. Exacerbating the situation is the extensive training and dated equipment aspiring technicians must contend with before they can join the workforce.

To find solutions, we can look at the adoption of advanced technologies by other industries over the last three decades. New technologies have enabled tasks to be performed by technicians that only a short time ago could only be done by highly trained professionals. For example, in the automotive industry conducting diagnostics over WIFI networks, applying advanced filtering on images, and analyzing millions of records with the touch of a button are now easy to do.

The Problem: Decreasing Workforce During Industry Growth

The aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sector is facing a growing personnel shortage. A top cause is that mechanics are retiring at an increasing rate. Before the pandemic, reports say the average age of an aircraft technician was 57. With airlines offering early retirement packages, the industry is facing an irreplaceable loss of knowledge.

At the same time, not enough young mechanics are joining the trade. According to the 2022 Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC) Pipeline Report published in late November 2022, the pandemic is estimated to have cost the industry at least 5,000 new mechanics, creating an even bigger challenge in the talent pipeline shortage. ATEC president and dean of WSU (Wichita State University) Tech Aviation Program James Hall has been quoted as saying that, “The number of prospects in the mechanic pipeline needs to grow by at least 20% to meet industry’s needs; national enrollment at A&P schools is only growing at about 2% per year.”

Longer-term resource modeling is even more concerning. Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting with deep industry knowledge and specialized expertise in strategy, operations and risk management, poses a stark assessment on its website. 2027, according to Oliver Wyman, is “projected to be the worst year for the shortage — the bleakest scenario has the supply deficit at more than 48,000 aircraft maintenance workers, a shortfall of about 27%.” (Figure 1)

Meanwhile, after two years of turmoil due to the pandemic, the aviation industry appears to be poised for a decade of growth. Oliver Wyman’s report entitled: “Global Fleet & MRO Market Forecast 2022–2032,” says there is optimism that the industry has turned the corner and is now on an upward trajectory. The report says:

“At the beginning of 2022, the global fleet was the same size as it was in 2017, and it is not expected to top its January 2020 apex of almost 28,000 until sometime in the first half of 2023. By 2032, the fleet is expected to eclipse 38,100 aircraft, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.1% between January 2022 and the beginning of 2032.” (Figure 2)

Although projected growth in the MRO industry is encouraging news, it adds to the hiring shortage problem. The following are several solutions the industry is trying, to solve the demand for new aviation technicians:

• Increased wages: According to industry resources, the median annual salary for aviation technicians has increased by approximately 23% from 2019 to 2023: Average 2019 salary according to Epic Flight Academy: $73,050. Average 2023 salary according to Salary.com: $89,822

• Better training: Local vocational schools and community colleges are offering A&P (Airframe and Powerplant) training programs and are collaborating with nearby MROs to attract, train and place young aviation technicians.

• Federal legislative efforts: Expanding access to A&P test prep courses and training not only provides relief to the civilian talent shortage but also eases military-to-civilian aviation career transitions for veterans entering the commercial workforce. This includes protecting or expanding the applicable uses for the GI Bill.

• Accelerated accreditation: Instead of taking the traditional career path of progressing from training to an MRO (or contract job or regional airline) and then to an airline, major carriers are hiring some A&P college students before they have even graduated.

The Solution: Using Technology Innovations to Attract Technicians

Advancements in computing, the miniaturization of sensors and electronics, and better battery technology — combined with flatscreens and touch-enabled displays — create opportunities to re-imagine existing equipment by making it significantly easier and more cost-effective to operate and repair. Simplifying these tools also helps attract job seekers who might not consider themselves capable of working in industries with such high technical requirements as the aviation industry. Therefore, reducing equipment complexity means significantly expanding the addressable pool of talent.

The good news is that we are already seeing new diagnostic products and innovative approaches entering the aviation industry. To keep up with the growing demand and the widening resource shortfall, however, we need to speed up this effort and rethink how to simplify the work and further reduce operational complexity by applying the latest technology. This requires us to truly challenge the accepted norms for the minimum skill sets required to perform the job — and to put a heavier burden on technology rather than the technician.

The following section shows how three new diagnostic products developed by three different MRO equipment manufacturers demonstrate this concept in action. This equipment is presented to exemplify the new thinking the industry needs to embrace when defining the skill set of an aviation technician. These technologies place a heavy emphasis on reducing complexity and focus on ease of use and speeding up diagnostics.

Example 1: Electrical Wiring Troubleshooting

The wiring diagnostic company, WiN MS, offers aviation technology for monitoring the state of health of onboard electrical networks and complete infrastructures. It promotes its Aero Smart-R Kit as “the easiest tool to perform fast and accurate troubleshooting on electrical wiring systems.”

The all-in-one kit utilizes reflectometry, a radar principle in which a sensor sends an electromagnetic wave over the cable. This wave is partially or totally reflected when it encounters defects or anomalies. The resulting tool ensures essential time savings for operators by reducing downtime and improving productivity. Coupled with powerful analysis algorithms, the data from WiN MS tools bring new benefits for technicians including state-of-health knowledge at regular intervals of a fleet or installations and the ability to identify anomalies upstream and anticipate failures.

Aero Smart R-Kit – key benefits for technicians include faster wire inspection than the traditional method, one box for any cable and any aircraft, only one parameter to setup and wireless connection for high mobility.

Example 2: Aircraft Dent Measurement and Detection

The Iris dentCHECK drone combines innovations from two companies: Donecle’s drone technology and 8tree’s dentCHECK 3D sensor technology. The Iris dentCHECK is designed to fly around an aircraft checking flaps, slats, radome, doors and fuselage. During the drone’s pilot-free, fully autonomous flight, its 3D sensor finds and measures dents on aircraft down to 0.1mm-depth accuracy.

The dentCHECK drone is positioned by the company as being able to “detect and measure dents and buckles on the surface of the aircraft 50 times faster than manual methods.” This digitized method, it says, “slashes dent-mapping/reporting times by 90 percent,” compared with traditional methods.

Iris dentCHECK – key benefits for technicians include 50 times faster detection than manual methods and claims that it can help cut dent-mapping reporting by 90 percent.

Example 3: Turbofan Vibration Analysis and Balancing

The PBS eXpress, an aircraft engine vibration analysis and balancing system from MTI Instruments runs advanced algorithms to record vibration and speed, and generates a one-shot balancing solution for small-frame turbofan and turboprop engines, commonly used in regional business jets and general aviation.

The portable, handheld PBS eXpress (Figure 7) is based on the same technology as the company’s well-known PBS-4100+ products and adds a modernized touchscreen and other advanced functionality. This includes Balance Wizard technology that significantly streamlines the diagnostic and balancing process. According to the company, the system’s “intuitive user interface enables first-time users to perform vibration analysis and engine rotor balancing, with minimal training.”

PBS eXpress – key benefits for technicians include:

• Easy to set up: preconfigured engine parameters. Just connect cables and begin testing.

• Intuitive touch-based user interface.

• Guides even first-time users to success in as little as two engine runs

• Works with existing cable sets for enhanced migration capabilities.

Conclusion

When one looks at today’s aviation MRO industry, the misconception of the younger generation’s expectations of the skill set needed to join the workforce is significant. Much of the industry’s electronic equipment was developed at least 20 years ago and is unintuitive, difficult to use and cumbersome. As a consequence, the operation of such tools is reserved for older, experienced staff, who are increasingly scarce. In contrast, the advanced technologies shown in the examples above — 3D sensors, drones, WiFi networking and touchscreens — are being utilized to make emerging MRO equipment dramatically easier to operate by the next generation of more technology-savvy technicians.

New, innovative aviation technology is a force multiplier when it comes to reducing job complexity and attracting a greater pool of talent to this exciting industry — an industry in desperate need of workers on the cusp of a decade of growth.

The aviation industry, especially aircraft maintenance, has come a long way since Orville and Wilbur Wright’s historic 1903 flight in a plane made from wood and fabric.

Just nine years after the Wright brothers’ flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Sperry Corporation developed a gyroscopic autopilot. When computers became small enough in the late 1950s, aircraft companies started installing them. In the 1980s, the Airbus A320 became the first plane to fly with an all-digital fly-by-wire control system.

Not surprisingly, aircraft maintenance evolved along with the airplanes. In the early days, maintenance focused on repairing airplane parts with basic tools, but in the 1960s-80s, the airline industry developed the predictive maintenance system, which used built-in test equipment (BITE) for on-board diagnostics and fault detection and information from flight data recorders (FDRs) to determine scheduled maintenance.

During the 1990s-2000s, airlines started using computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), which managed resources, schedules and tracked work orders. The airline industry also turned to robots and sensors for automated inspections, as well as the first maintenance forecasting tools.

During the last two decades, software developers have created Artificial Intelligence-powered platforms that have revolutionized aviation maintenance. AI maintenance systems now touch on almost every aspect of aviation maintenance:

• MRO Predictive Maintenance Programs use aircraft performance data from a variety of sources, such as sensors, FDRs, flight logs and maintenance records, to predict maintenance needs before problems occur. AI-driven MRO predictive maintenance solutions help reduce downtime, save money, and, most importantly, improve safety.

• Automated Inspections use AI-powered vision systems to automate the inspection of engines, airframes and wings. These advanced systems can identify defects, cracks, corrosion, and other issues faster and more accurately than human workers, which allows maintenance crews to make timely repairs and minimize the risk of in-flight failures.

• Maintenance Optimization Programs can automate maintenance scheduling and maximize resource allocation, reducing downtime and increasing efficiency.

• Virtual Assistants, or AI-powered chatbots, use Natural Language Processing algorithms, which can provide technicians with instant answers to maintenance questions. AI systems scan and analyze technical manuals to provide relevant information to repair technicians.

• Improved Decision-Making occurs because aviation maintenance crews can receive real-time information and recommendations from AI programs, enabling them to make more informed decisions on how to maintain the aircraft.

• Supply Chain Management Programs optimize the supply chain for aircraft parts and components, reducing the risk of delays caused by parts shortages that could negatively impact aircraft safety and operational schedules.

• Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality platforms can give technicians an immersive training experience in lifelike simulations where they may brush up on their skills or learn the newest maintenance protocols without working on an actual aircraft. Technicians can access pertinent information, such as equipment specs, directly within their range of vision thanks to the AR smart glasses. The ability to see and work with digital models superimposed on real equipment will be invaluable to technicians. With VR headgear, seasoned maintenance workers and students can do repairs on a virtual aircraft and flight deck.

As you can see, AI-powered platforms are the next-generation solution for aviation maintenance. Here are some real-life examples of how aviation companies are using AI to improve maintenance and safety:

• Airbus uses a cloud-based data storing system, which collects and records vast amounts of real-time data of in-flight events that can be used to improve the reliability of aircraft maintenance.

• Rolls-Royce has developed an automated AI inspection system that can cut the time it takes to inspect an aircraft engine by 75 percent with an ROI in the millions over five years.

• United Airlines schedules maintenance more effectively and cuts downtime by using artificial intelligence (AI) to forecast when aircraft parts are likely to break.

Although the aviation industry has already used AI programs, 2023 is the beginning of the AI aviation maintenance age.

ZipDo, in a 2020 presentation, reported that 70 percent of airlines have tried or are using AI in multiple areas, and by the end of 2023, 88 percent of airline investment budgets will go to technology. Straits Research projects a 46.97 percent CAGR from 2023-2031 for global artificial intelligence in the aviation market.

The times are certainly changing.

If Orville and Wilbur Wright were standing in an airplane hangar housing a jumbo jet watching maintenance crews at work, their jaws would drop to the proverbial floor. The aviation industry has changed ten thousandfold since the historic 12-second flight in a wood and fabric airplane more than a century ago.

In the next 100 years, aviation maintenance technology may lead the way to safer air flights that technicians today would
not recognize.

Akash Sinha, Director of Operations at Chetu, a global software solutions and support services provider, oversees development projects in aviation, transportation, weather, environment, and maritime verticals.

In the world of commercial aviation, PMA (Parts Manufacturer Approval) manufacturers play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of aircraft by keeping them flying with high quality parts. Because these parts are not made by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) like Airbus and Boeing, they cost less to buy. However, because PMA parts have been certified by aviation authorities such as the FAA and EASA, they are just as safe and reliable as OEM parts — if not more so!

As airline travel recovers in the wake of Covid-19, the demand for cost-effective, high performance aircraft parts just keeps growing. This has led to a boom in the PMA parts markets as manufacturers do their best to keep up with demand and their customers’ need for parts on a timely basis.

So what are the trends and challenges in the booming PMA parts market these days? To find out, Aviation Maintenance spoke to a number of industry experts. Here is what they told us.

Cost Not the Only Factor

Historically, the lower cost of PMA parts has been the big reason for airlines and MROs to use them. But as Bob Dylan once said, ‘the times they are a-changin’.

“Today, I am hearing from a lot of the buyers that cost is no longer even an issue,” said Jason Dickstein, president of the Modification and Replacement Parts Association (MARPA). “Saving money is not what they’re interested in. Instead, a lot of them are buying PMA because of availability or reliability.”

Dickstein’s view is echoed by Paul Bolton, chief operating officer with First Aviation Services (FAvS). “Buying decisions are often not made on cost but on parts availability and safety track record,” he said. “The reduced cost is generally just a bonus.”

This doesn’t mean that airlines and their MROs have stopped caring about cost control, because they still do. “Maintenance accounts for 5-15% of an airline’s operating costs and is one of the few levers they can use to manage short- to mid-term costs,” said John Benscheidt, president of Jet Parts Engineering. “This has traditionally been the driver for use of PMA, but more recently the airlines have been looking to PMA to ease supply chain delays and help keep their legacy aircraft flying as delays in new aircraft delivery continue. As a result, we see an increase in PMA acceptance that is outpacing the overall growth of MRO.”

“One big development has been the renewed life of older aircraft and engine models,” agreed Patrick Markham, vice president of technical services at HEICO. “There were some fleets that we expected to be retired that are now undergoing another round of maintenance and will continue to fly. [At the same time] We are expanding our offerings to include the new-generation fleets, including the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX.”

At Aviation Technical Services (ATS), vice president of engineering solutions, Ben Tschirhart, observed that “we are seeing more and more airlines showing interest in PMA use, including some that previously indicated they wouldn’t use PMA or didn’t see a need for it. This increased interest often coincides with the expiration of long-term pricing agreements that tend to overlap with the start of very heavy C-checks. As such, there is an influx in demand volume at a time when supply chains are constrained and prices for parts have increased significantly.”

Even though the Covid-19 pandemic seems to be over, its impact is still affecting the aviation maintenance market — to the benefit of PMA manufacturers. “Since Covid-19, we are seeing wider PMA acceptance by airlines/customers,” said a spokesperson with Aviation Component Solutions (ACS). “Additionally, we are seeing the OEM supply chain network failing, causing the end item customers to reach out to the PMA marketplace to fill this void. In some cases, we have reason to believe the OEMs are likely purchasing PMA parts to solve their supply chain issues. Additionally, we are seeing the freight airlines both requesting and approving PMA engineering technical packages more aggressively than ever before.”

Opportunities for New PMA Parts Abound

The trends cited above are driving the PMA market, and motivating PMA manufacturers to identify new areas for sales. For instance, “we have noticed a lot of PMA providers putting more focus on interior parts,” the ACS spokesperson said. “Additionally, we see providers getting more aggressive and migrating into areas, like electrical parts/components and sensing devices.”

”I think there are lots of exciting opportunities out there,” said Bolton. A case in point: “We’ll see a growth in system alternatives as platforms that were expected to twilight have continued to operate with lessening OEM support,” he told Aviation Maintenance. “We could also see an increase in critical part support as the PMA community grows in size and complexity.”

Older aircraft that are being under-served by their OEMs continue to provide opportunities for the PMA industry. In particular, “PMA manufacturers are developing new parts for old fleets that the OEMs have stopped supporting because they are focused on the new fleets,” says Markham. At the same time, “PMA manufacturers will also develop new PMA parts for the new fleets in areas where they have had good results in the prior generation.”

In a bid to come up with new products, ATS is picking the brains of its own technicians. Specifically, “we sponsor an internal Ideas Program where ATS technicians are encouraged to submit parts to our ATS engineering department that they believe would be a good candidate for PMA development,“ Tschirhart said.

Old Parts Not Going Away

At the same time that PMA manufacturers are on the hunt for new parts opportunities, their existing PMA parts continue to be strong sellers. In fact, industry experts say that they are not seeing a widespread decrease in demand for older PMA products.

“I’m not aware of any drops in demand,” said Dickstein. “If I had to guess, older aircraft or those weaned from the fleet — the parts for them might see declining demand. But I’m not really aware of any places where things are cutting back.”

“To be honest, we haven’t really had any areas with declining demand,” Bolton said. “On the whole we are supporting more mature aircraft platforms, or platforms with fairly unstable supply chains, so we’ve been able to continue our sales in these areas.”

Benscheidt also agrees there has not been a decline. However, there has been a shift from regional to mainline aircraft parts sales,” he said. “Shortly after Covid-19 hit, regional aircraft took the place of many larger aircraft routes, so maintenance was more extensive on those fleets. This shift back to larger aircraft seems to be a normalizing of that trend.”

Going forward, there are some older PMA parts categories likely to eventually experience declines in demand. For example, “there are certain aircraft types in the process of being retired that will lead to a decrease in related PMA demand, such as the MD-11s in use at a couple of freighter operators, as well as older generation narrow-bodies,” said Tschirhart. “As new aircraft become available and replace some of the aging, less-efficient aircraft types, we would expect this trend to continue leading to some degree of obsolescence.”

According to the ACS spokesperson, this likelihood is beginning to affect the sale of older Boeing PMA parts, namely “737 Classic parts. Additionally, we have seen a decrease in demand from passenger airlines for the 757 and 767,” they said.

Supply Chain Issues Remain

As much as PMA manufacturers are solving supply chain issues for their clients, they themselves are dealing with similar headaches.

“Supply chain issues since Covid-19 continue to be problematic,” said the ACS spokesperson. “Both labor and material shortages have been the biggest culprits. They seem to be getting worse, not better. Though we do not seem to have the problems the OEMs are feeling, we are seeing some delays in delivery as a direct result of the pandemic. [To cope] We are purchasing larger lot sizes and ordering earlier than we typically would to ensure continuous support to our customer base.”

Unfortunately, some of the supply chain issues — like rising prices — being faced by PMA manufacturers have less to do with the pandemic and more to do with human greed.

A case in point: “I have a number of MARPA members who were very committed to the American supply chain before Covid-19,” Dickstein said. “One CEO in particular was talking to me about the fact that he has always bought American steel. But when we imposed tariffs on Chinese steel, he noticed that instead of the American steel producers just producing more steel and selling more to capture that excess market, they simply raised their prices so that they were the equivalent in price to Chinese steel.”

This being said, most current PMA supply chain challenges are tied to the fallout caused by the pandemic itself, rather than cynical profit-taking afterwards.

“The main issue at the moment is the increased requirements from the large OEMs flooding the PMA manufacturing base with orders, thus making it difficult for the smaller OEMs and component suppliers to find slots,” said Bolton. “As we’ve continued producing products throughout Covid-19, we’ve been able to build a strong relationship with our supply chain [to minimize this problem]. We also try to use smaller, more specialized manufacturers who are less susceptible to cyclic variations in capacity.”

In a general sense, supply chain pressures have eased from a year ago, but the system is still under pressure. “We predict that this strain will last for another 12 to 18 months,” Benscheidt said. “Labor and raw material availability are primary drivers causing these disruptions. Fortunately, PMA providers are typically nimbler than the OEMs when it comes to supply chain management. So Jets Parts Engineering has been able to make adjustments to our reorder planning, sourcing and manufacturing schedules to alleviate some of these pressures to ensure we have parts ready to ship when our customers need them.”

ATS is another PMA manufacturer dealing with supply chain challenges. “We have a robust PMA supply chain pipeline, but turn times on receiving some materials have increased during the last few years, as has the cost of goods,” said Tschirhart. “Extrusions, paints, titanium, and plastics fall into this category. We anticipate this to continue in the near term as suppliers work through labor and raw material shortages that are largely driven by upstream constraints. Partnering with our heavy maintenance customers allows us to anticipate and plan for associated PMA requirements, minimizing span time disruptions and helping with cost when able to purchase in bulk quantities.”

Of course, PMA manufacturing isn’t the only sector grappling with supply chain delays, which is good for this industry’s business. “Some airlines have come to the PMA industry to solve a short-term supply chain challenge, and then realize the benefit of a lower-cost second source,” Markham said. “We have even had OEMs contact us directly to gauge our ability to support the general market when they cannot.”

The Future Looks Bright

Supply chain issues notwithstanding, everything indicates that the PMA market will remain strong in the years to come, thanks to the growth of airline traffic and the need for them to maintain an increasing number of aircraft, both new and old. This is why John Benscheidt predicts that “PMA market will continue to outpace the overall MRO market growth as increased adoption of PMA parts occurs and supply chain pressures continue.”

The reason he expects growth to continue is because newcomers to PMA products who start small tend to become enthusiastic users over time. This is because such newbies tend to come for the competitive prices of PMA parts, and then stay for their reliability and high quality.

“Initial PMA programs at airlines who have never used these types of alternative parts will typically start with interior parts, then expand into acceptance of airframe, components, and engine parts. We expect this trend to continue but at a faster rate,” said Benscheidt. “Lessor acceptance of PMA parts will fuel PMA adoption as well. As fleets age and the anticipated resale market narrows, lessors become less restrictive about PMA in specific segments such as expendable, non-engine components. Ultimately, it’s the airlines driving the industry: they want a competitive market to keep the OEMs in check while maintaining availability, safety and reliability. PMA companies will continue to be a path for airlines to do this.”

Granted, this is a very upbeat assessment about the future of the PMA industry. But it is one that is based on the many problems that PMA parts solve for their users.

“More airlines are becoming open to PMA use as they work to meet the maintenance and reliability needs of their fleet,” Tschirhart said. “As this interest grows and feeds the PMA houses, we expect to see more proliferation of parts to the market. The big driver here, though, is parts availability and customer service. As long as the PMA houses provide superior customer responsiveness, ATS expects PMA use to continue to grow and remain strong into the future.”

“The PMA parts industry is driven by airline demand,” agreed Markham. “As the airline and lessor PMA acceptance continues to expand in both depth and breadth, PMA parts will continue to support the older fleets as parts are being developed for the new generation fleets.”

Such is the growing level of acceptance of PMA parts in commercial aviation, that some airlines are forming partnerships with PMA manufacturers.

“These airlines reach out to some of their PMA partners and very actively feed them projects,” Dickstein said. “They’re doing internal studies to figure out ‘where our reliability issues are, where is our unplanned maintenance coming from, and how do we get around that?’ They then take this data to their PMA partners for solutions.”

The takeaway: “Present market conditions are opening people’s eyes to the PMA alternatives out there, which can only be a good thing,” said Bolton. “Leasing companies and airlines who traditionally would not consider PMA now must consider their options to avoid AOG (Aircraft on Ground) situations. This gives the PMA community the opportunity to showcase their reliability and safety track record, which can only help to grow the market.

The bottom line: “We believe the demand for PMA parts will increase, with greater worldwide acceptance,” the ACS spokesperson concluded. “Due to slowdowns during the pandemic and a higher number of daily flights now, ACS believes that we will continue to see an uptick in demand.”

To maximize in-flight productivity on private business jets, all eyes are set on optimizing Wi-Fi connectivity. With it, business jets are being turned into flying business headquarters. Passengers can stream content to their personal devices, surf the internet, send and receive email, use social networking and universal messaging, and even hold video conferences on their smartphones, tablets, laptops, or gaming devices. Here’s how that’s being done.

Air-to-Ground Wi-Fi

With air-to-ground (ATG) Wi-Fi network, a business jet works as a hotspot that passengers connect to. The signal is transmitted from cell towers located on the ground to the aircraft in the sky, and vice versa.

The benefits of air-to-ground service include: the size and weight of equipment is smaller and lighter than traditional geostationary (GEO) satellite systems, equipment and installation costs are lower than GEO equipment, and much lower latency. Latency is the delay that occurs when data is sent from the aircraft to the network because ground networks are much closer (40,000 feet or less) compared to GEO satellites which are 22,000 to 25,000 miles from earth.

“It’s a matter of physics, it takes longer for the signal to travel thousands of miles versus thousands of feet,” says Dave Mellin, director of communications for Gogo Business Aviation, Broomfield, Colo. “What that means is there are no delays waiting for the signal to travel with ATG and that makes using services like video conferencing (Microsoft Teams, Zoom) work well versus GEO satellite systems where there are delays which make video conferencing or even simple voice conversations difficult.”

The downside to ATG networks is they are limited currently to North America for many companies. “ATG delivers a very specific service that is limited by the presence of the ground towers, which immediately restricts operating range,” says Michael Skou Christensen, CCO, Satcom Direct, Melbourne, Fla. “Yes, there is a price advantage, but low fees are not necessarily an advantage in this space. People fly in private jets because their time is precious, not because they are cheap transport options and increasingly, passengers want to use more data to use more applications on more devices. When they fly, they want great connectivity all the time, no matter where they are travelling. ATG is unable to support that growing need.”

Satellite Wi-Fi

The main advantage of satellites (satcom) is that they can reach almost any point on the globe, including over the poles and oceans. It uses a satellite geostationary orbit to connect users to the internet. The Wi-Fi signal is available to passengers through an onboard router. This is usually the most expensive form of Wi-Fi, but it’s also the most efficient. Typical ATG Wi-Fi speeds range from around 3 to 10 Mbps, while satellite systems for aircraft now offer between 30 Mbps and 100 Mbps.

Christensen explains, “It is not surprising to see some of the ATG players transitioning to the satcom space and trying to develop flat panel antennas. They do not have the experience and are already having to rethink their designs. The satellite airtime that is supported by our Plane Simple antenna series is bringing a range of affordable, easily upgradeable, easy-to-install solutions — just two-line replaceable units are all that’s needed — our SD modem unit and the antenna — to deliver high-speed data.”

When comparing ATG and satellite-based internet systems, each type of system has benefits and disadvantages. Satellite systems can be further broken down into two main categories, GEO or Geosynchronous Earth Orbit and LEO or Low Earth Orbit.  Again, ATG systems typically cost much less to purchase and install than most satellite systems.

“Another benefit of ATG systems is their ability to be installed on a larger variety of aircraft due to their smaller installati≠≠on footprint, although newer satellite antenna technologies are reducing their footprint as well,” Rich Pilock, vice president of product management, SmartSky Networks, Morrisville, N.C. “When it comes to performance, there are many differences between the systems. Both ATG and LEO systems typically have very low latency when compared to GEO systems, which is critical for real-time applications. Satellite systems in general can provide much more bandwidth to the aircraft than ATG systems, but typically provide very little bandwidth to move data off the aircraft, which is very important for customers.”

Installation

ATG systems utilize small antennas mounted on the belly of the aircraft, while satellite systems utilize larger antennas mounted in the tail or on the top of the aircraft. Equipment configurations will vary but as an example, Darren Emery, vice president of customer operations at SmartSky Networks says the SmartSky system utilizes a single line-replaceable unit (LRU) radio to provide the interface to the antennas and the cabin system. “In the case of a satcom system, additional LRUs may be required with beneath-radome (a weatherproof housing for the antenna), or separate power and modem equipment. Both systems share similarities in equipment by providing cabin Wi-Fi connectivity for passenger and crew use via one or more cabin wireless access points/routers, depending on the size of the aircraft.”

Costs will vary depending on factors including the type of system, the aircraft size, and whether other work is being completed during the installation, but for an ATG Emery says the out-the-door price varies between $100K and $200K. A typical satellite system installation may cost double or triple this amount.

Overall installation complexity varies by system, but a wide range of MROs and OEMs are familiar with connectivity solutions and can provide minimal downtime for installation for less complex systems. A maintenance interval provides a great time to bundle potentially cost-saving maintenance and connectivity upgrades when areas of the aircraft may be exposed for maintenance tasks.

“When considering a new connectivity system or upgrading an existing system, users should consider the total installation requirements to reach the intended connectivity goal,” says Emery. “Some systems may require multiple LRUs, or a further update path in the future to receive a next-gen capable performance. Those installing a new system should consider the total cost of ownership. While the installation cost may be attractive depending upon the overall installation scope, factor in the overall monthly service costs over say, five years, along with the level of performance you are seeking. An overall total cost of ownership calculation can provide surprising results and demonstrate tangible overall savings, particularly for a next-generation ATG system.”

ATG systems typically require just one LRU, sometimes two, and they are small and can be placed anywhere inside the aircraft. Because of their smaller size and weight, Mellin says they can also be installed on small aircraft including GA aircraft such as the Cirrus Vision Jet (Gogo AVANCE L3 is a factory option on the Vision Jet), as well as super light jets and turboprops on up to long-range heavy-iron jets. “ATG systems use small antennas mounted on the belly of the aircraft. GEO systems are larger and heavier, usually require more than two LRUs, which are larger, and the antennas they use are large so they can only fit on large aircraft. The antennas are typically mounted in the tail of the aircraft. For LEO systems, they use electronically-steered antennas (ESAs) that are mounted on the fuselage. Gogo’s LEO system, called Gogo Galileo, requires just one antenna, one Gogo AVANCE LRU and one wire for power in and another for Ethernet, so installation is relatively simple compared to GEO systems. Gogo Galileo comes with two antenna options.”

Connectivity Challenges

There are several different challenges for Wi-Fi connectivity on business jets: weight of antennas, size of aircraft, the number of users in an aircraft and their expectations, as well as physics.

Christensen explains that increasingly in-flight connectivity is compared with the terrestrial experience, characterized by a consistent, high bandwidth, low latency connection. “Replicating this experience in an aircraft that is constantly altering course, flying at 45,000 feet at nearly 0.9 Mach, is a technical challenge. The antenna and satellite are both in motion, obstacles, such as clouds or rain, can affect latency depending on where the aircraft is, the airtime provider and the antenna used.”

Mellin explains that the keys to overcoming connectivity challenges and providing quality Wi-Fi service on business jets include: coverage, capacity, connection and consistency. “Coverage needs to be sufficient to ensure no breaks as the signal moves from tower to tower or from satellite to satellite. There must be enough capacity to support multiple aircraft in a given area so the signal doesn’t degrade even in high-traffic area. Connection is done using quality antennas and networks that communicate seamlessly even when traveling at 500 mph at 35,000 feet, and in extreme environments where temperatures fluctuate from -55 degrees Celsius (-67 Fahrenheit) to 85 degrees Celsius (185 Fahrenheit). Consistency is achieved through the combination of all the above working well continuously together. The systems also need to keep up with the latest developments in technology and evolve as those occur. Gogo AVANCE is a platform, not a product, and it is designed to be updated continuously as technology evolves without needing to replace the onboard equipment, and AVANCE can accommodate multiple networks with its multi-bearer capability.”

The aviation environment is challenging because business jets are flying 500 mph at 41,000 feet. Every time the aircraft moves in any direction, Pilock says the systems need to react to those changes to maintain their connections. “All of the systems have that capability built in, but many variables impact the quality of the service. As an aircraft transitions from one beam or tower to another, the systems must work quickly and efficiently to maintain a high quality connection. Within the cabin, the providers must ensure that the wireless network is configured correctly with minimal interference so that every passenger has a great experience.”

Christensen adds that a connectivity challenge is space availability; the size of the antenna and space in the aircraft as traditional tail-mount terminals may have up to six system boxes. “These have generally been placed in the baggage compartment taking up valuable space. Antennas need to fit into the radome on the tail, which is why it’s only been possible for large cabin aircraft to access the technology. So yes, the larger the jet, the easier it has been to install Wi-Fi with minimal compromise. However, the SD Plane Simple terminals have been designed to fit into the unpressurized part of the aircraft, so they do not take up valuable cabin space. Equally, the ESA flat panel is designed to fit onto the fuselage of smaller aircraft. This means that even the smaller jets can benefit from Wi-Fi installations with minimal invasion of the cabin space. It’s a revolution for this class of airframe in terms of access to connectivity.”

What’s Different About Business Jets?

Both business jets and commercial passenger airplanes rely on very similar technologies to provide internet service to passengers. In many cases they even utilize the same satellite systems to make their connections. “The biggest differences lie in how they provide the service to the passengers within the cabin,” Pilock says. “Since most airlines provide some sort of entertainment on board as well, they have more infrastructure such as media servers for access to stored content as well as many more wireless access points to support more users.”

Christensen explains the needs of the business jet customers are different than the commercial sector, which is why Satcom Direct developed a Wi-Fi connectivity system built for this sector. “In the business aviation world, if the connectivity is not working it is considered an AOG, and the aircraft is likely to be grounded until a solution is sourced. It is not a revenue-generating mechanism or a differentiator between cabins, it is an expectation, so the hardware needs to be robust, and provide consistent connectivity and function wherever the aircraft is in the world. It is a very different proposition to the commercial offering.”

Derek Zimmerman, president, Gulfstream Aerospace customer support, Savannah, Ga., says the biggest differences between business jet cabin versus passenger airplanes are the airframe geometry, passenger count and optimization that is based on the difference in size and scale between these two market segments. “The commercial marketplace has larger airframes and passenger counts, typically resulting in a single fuselage-mounted antenna. The passengers usually change every flight and therefore the service must provide a consistent standard for multiple and generic uses. In our world, the different configurations of a business jet better lend itself to one or more tail-mounted antennae. The passenger counts are lower, and the needs of individual passengers are better defined. This allows both the service and the installation to be tailored to the specific devices, applications, and users that are connected to the aircraft. This includes an expanding suite of on-ground and in-flight tools to manage and prioritize network performance and cybersecurity.”

Upgrades to Business Jet Wi-Fi

Connectivity to the aircraft, and within the aircraft to onboard devices, has matured over the past decade. While the installation itself is now relatively straightforward, traditionally each service provider delivered a customized solution, often leveraging hardware developed for different markets (ex. Maritime, commercial aviation, etc.). Zimmerman says a by-product of this approach was that each service required considerable downtime and expense to certify, replace and retrofit each new installation. He adds that this made the upgrade path difficult and costly, which wasn’t a sustainable solution.

Zimmerman says Gulfstream has been working with its key partners to include satellite operators, hardware manufacturers and service providers to help the industry transition to more “network agnostic,” and therefore reusable, product designs that are purpose-built for business aviation. “The goal is to offer a consistent, common architecture that allows for easier service selection and upgrade paths through replaceable modules or software revision. This approach will also allow operators to leverage multiple network sources to deliver the best possible coverage, performance, redundancy and service flexibility.”

In terms of upgradability, Emery says the average life of an onboard system can be 17 years or more, and that lifecycle depends on how long you are willing to live with older technology than what is available on the market at any given point. “In the electronics world, many times by the time you purchase a system, a newer version is out. For that reason it is beneficial to select a system that is software defined. That means you can upgrade to the latest version and newest capability without having to install new equipment. This extends the life and performance of your investment for many years. SmartSky’s innovative hardware includes software-defined radios on the aircraft and on the network. They currently use a combination of 5G and LTE technologies and customers will be able to take advantage of the next ‘G’ when it comes along without additional hardware investment.”

Every aircraft is unique as is the mission of the aircraft. Mellin explains the system you choose needs to be looked at through that lens: “What is the mission of the aircraft? Where does it fly (North America, globally)? What size is the aircraft? What is your budget for the system, installation, and monthly service? How many people will be on board and what do they need in-flight Wi-Fi for (lighter use like internet browsing and email, or more robust requiring high-speed connections with low latency like video conferencing, video streaming, gaming, large file transfers, etc.)? If you look at the options available using those criteria you can find the best solution for your needs.”

Future

Looking to the future of business jet Wi-Fi connectivity, Zimmerman expects upcoming products to deliver access to more satellite constellations, including both GEO and LEO networks, along with faster speeds, increased bandwidth, reduced latency, and more comprehensive and flexible service offerings from existing networks.

Aviation aircraft teardown/part-out provides a sustainable source of high-quality, cost-effective spare parts for aircraft operators, maintenance facilities and others in the aviation industry. It helps to address the growing demand for spare parts, especially for older aircraft models or those that are no longer in production. By salvaging and reselling serviceable components, the teardown/part-out process offers an environmentally friendly solution by extending the lifecycle of existing parts and reducing the need for new manufacturing.

Recovering components and parts from an aircraft that has been retired or is no longer economically viable to operate and maintain is a main goal. “The teardown process aims to maximize the overall value of the retired aircraft versus part-out, which tends to target high-value parts to generate large revenue for the seller,” says Tony Whitty, senior vice president of aircraft & engine procurement at AJW Group, West Sussex, United Kingdom. “These are then reused as spare parts for other aircraft still in operation. After removed parts have been inspected and cataloged into the system, their condition is assessed for serviceability and their potential resale value. If parts can be reused, they are overhauled in facilities such as our MRO facility based in Montreal, AJW Technique, and they’re then offered out into the aftermarket for resale, lease or exchange. Part-out is a specific subset of the teardown process. Although both processes feed into the aftermarket, part-out tends to focus on a specific market demand for essential parts whereas teardown caters to the broader spare part aftermarket.”

The primary focus of part-out is the profitable sale of individual components. “The profitability of a teardown is often more lucrative than part-out as it involves recovering a wider range of products and materials,” explains Stephen Damron, director of airframe and QEC product lines, Kellstrom Aerospace, Roselle, Ill. “Part-outs, on the other hand, are more selective and target high-value components only.”

When is an aircraft considered a candidate for teardown? It can be as a result of an extensive period of out-of-service or when expensive heavy maintenance is due requiring unique structural inspections, repairs or modifications. “The expenses related to latter activity in making the aircraft airworthy is a deciding factor for many owners, leasing companies and lessors” says Talha Faruqi, president of Atlanta-based Aventure Aviation, a company that has acquired 19 airframes in the last 16 months for teardown. “Generally speaking, we are seeing airframes reach retirement age at approximately 18 to 25 years of service, with a few teardowns under 10 years in service that are a result of unusual circumstances where the owners feel the cost to bring back to airworthy condition outweighs the opportunity to harvest parts and sell them in the current supply-and-demand opportunities.”

Aircraft teardown/part-out is growing and Covid is partly to blame. Post pandemic, there have been challenges for airlines in availability of aircraft parts caused by labor shortages, material availability and logistics issues. The problem has been exacerbated with delayed deliveries of new aircraft resulting in extension of existing aircraft leases and continued operations of matured aircraft. This in turn has led to increased demand of used serviceable material (USM) which is normally harvested off retired airframes.

“Stockists and suppliers of USM are paying a higher acquisition price for retired aircraft and are equally challenged finding MRO facilities where parts can be taken off an aircraft expeditiously,” Faruqi explains. “Any delays in parts removal are added costs especially with the high interest rates and borrowed funds in acquiring the aircraft. Equally, MRO shops who certify these parts as airworthy for further service have huge backlogs again due to labor or piece parts, required to fix the parts, causing shortage of USM in the market.”

Many can benefit from aircraft teardown and part-out. Lee Carey, vice president asset management at EirTrade Aviation, Dublin, Ireland, explains that his company works with many different customers throughout the process and from different parts of the industry. “Aircraft disassembly and part-out benefits various stakeholders by providing spare USM component availability and reducing the cost of procuring these parts for end users. This allows aircraft owners to monetize assets while ensuring the remaining material is then recycled, thus facilitating a more efficient global supply chain. Airlines can benefit from aircraft disassembly due to the increased availability of spare parts which can contribute to better operational efficiency. In addition, the cost savings which USM offers compared to new material offered by OEMs.”

Whitty also cites the environment benefits from this process. “AJW Group is focused on its sustainability efforts, and we’re proud to be making strides to create a more environmentally friendly aerospace industry through our MRO operations. We’re all trying to reduce the environmental impact of our businesses, which is why AJW Group has committed to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and is committed to its sustainable development goals. It’s a win-win for everyone involved in the teardown/part-out process.”

In addition to the airlines and the environment, Sebastian Taylor, global sales manager at Air Salvage International (ASI), Cirencester, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, explains how the following groups benefit from teardown and part-out:

• MRO facilities. MRO facilities rely on a steady supply of spare parts to support aircraft maintenance and repairs. Teardown/part-out provides MRO facilities with a reliable source of high-quality used components.

• Part traders. This is great business for many companies. A well-managed company will be able to make good profit. Once the high value parts, such as engines, landing gear, APU and avionics have been sold, the majority of the costs involved are already covered.

• Lessors. Similar to the above, lessors will utilize a part-out company to remove engines. These engines will be leased back out to the market to extend the investment potential.

• Aircraft manufacturers. This provides valuable feedback and insights for manufacturers to improve future designs based on the performance and durability of salvaged components.

• Local economy. ASI provides a variety of jobs to the community. Some of these roles are highly skilled while others less so. Air Salvage says it works closely with many schools and colleges as well as partnering with many charities. Lastly, due to the nature of the business it teams up with many local suppliers for specific material and services, an example of this is locally sourced sustainable wood for our crates used in shipping.

Procedures

Teardown of aircraft has become as much an art as it is knowing what parts have the highest demand and being aware where the supply line for parts is weak. To gain this knowledge requires being plugged in to market trends by constantly monitoring the daily inquiries from end users and then making a decision on which airframe has the ability to turn over fastest.

“Aventure Aviation realized several years ago that we would stay within a niche airframe rotable USM parts market and have lined ourselves up with companies who would acquire the powerplant (engines) off retired aircraft while Aventure acquires the airframes,” Talha says. “This model has worked for us and our strategy of acquiring multiple airframes at a time has been right when many parts suppliers stayed on the sidelines. We have close relationships with several parts suppliers who have acquired packages of spares off our teardowns and this has helped us accelerate our desire to purchase additional airframes.”

The safety and efficiency of the aircraft teardown/part-out process are paramount as components and parts need to be recovered in the best possible condition. In the beginning of the process, there is usually an initial assessment of the condition of the retired aircraft which includes looking into maintenance history and the potential for aftermarket resale of the parts.

After this, Whitty says his team then begins the disassembly, beginning with removing external parts and then moving internally to components, systems, avionics and other high-cost equipment. “Once this is done, components are inspected and assessed for possible reuse, after which those that can be used in the aftermarket are labeled and cataloged into an inventory tracking and location system. Items that will be reused are then overhauled according to industry standards and may be tested and recertified to meet requirements. Lastly, once the overhaul, refurbishment and regulatory certification are completed, the components are marketed directly to buyers and on aftermarket buying platforms.”

Taylor lists the main procedures that Air Salvage uses during teardown and part-out:

• Initial assessment: The first step is to evaluate the aircraft’s condition, maintenance history and market demand for its parts. This is carried out by our client in advance.

• Regulatory compliance: Adherence to applicable regulations and requirements is crucial throughout the teardown process.

• Disconnection and isolation: Aircraft systems, such as electrical, hydraulic and fuel systems, are carefully disconnected and isolated following manufacturer’s guidelines and industry best practices.

• Component removal: Skilled technicians systematically remove valuable components, such as engines, avionics, landing gear, flight control surfaces and other high-demand parts. This process involves labelling and packaging of components.

• Structural dismantling: The aircraft’s structure is dismantled, focusing on salvaging components with market value. This may involve removing wings, fuselage sections, tail assemblies and other structural elements.

• Inventory and documentation: Throughout the teardown, a comprehensive inventory is maintained, documenting all parts and their condition.

• Parts evaluation and repair: After removal, components are carefully inspected, tested, and evaluated for their condition and serviceability.

• Storage and distribution: Salvaged components are stored in appropriate facilities. Parts are then distributed for resale or reuse.

• Scrap management: Parts that are not deemed economically viable for reuse or resale are properly disposed of or recycled in compliance with environmental regulations.

Hazardous material management is crucial as well. Strict environmental regulations and compliance rules must be upheld throughout these dismantling procedures; hazardous materials and fluids must be removed safely and according to relevant regulations.

Damron explains, “Proper handling and disposal of hazardous materials involves the removal and management of fluids (fuel, oil, hydraulic fluids), chemicals and batteries safely and in compliance with environmental regulations to prevent pollution and harm. Documentation and certification are maintained throughout the part-out process. This includes recording details of component assessments, refurbishment activities and material recycling. Proper certifications and documentation ensure traceability and transparency in the entire process.”

Ease of Aircraft Teardown

Some aircraft are easier to tear down and part-out than others. Design and accessibility, availability of documentation and support, market demand, age and condition of the aircraft and regulatory considerations contribute to this complexity.

Carey says his company closely examines the viability of every teardown project and is continually seeking ways to maximize efficiency and revenues for its customers. “It’s important to consider that each aircraft is unique, and the specifics of the teardown process can vary depending on the aircraft’s condition, modifications and maintenance history. On newer aircraft in particular, there can be limitations in terms of the number of repair shops which have the capability to repair specific components. This can make it more challenging for USM companies to repair those components efficiently when there are only one or two repair sources.”

Faruqi explains the aircraft that are easier to tear down and have a faster ROI are the narrow-body, single-aisle Airbus and Boeing fleet. “This is primarily due to the number of similar aircraft still in operation world-wide and the shortage of factory new replacement parts. Wide-body aircraft have their own unique challenges and harvesting parts for resale depends upon the market availability. Many parts suppliers have reluctance in investing in tearing down aircraft such as B747, B777-200, A340 and A380s for the same reason that there are not enough customers to warrant a costly investment.”

Taylor says smaller aircraft tend to be a little easier due to the size of components. However, “The B737 and A320 are the most popular and therefore clients will have a larger harvest list for these. Wide-body aircraft have larger and heavy components which have their challenges. Obviously the B747 and A340 have four engines, again increasing parts to manage.”
Taylor lists common aircraft parts and sections during teardown and part-out and the ease or difficulty of doing so:

• Engines. Engine removal is typically a complex and time-consuming process. Their removal involves disconnecting numerous systems, such as fuel, electrical and hydraulic connections. Additionally, engines are heavy and require specialized equipment.

• Flight control surfaces. Flight control surfaces, such as ailerons, elevators and rudders are critical for aircraft maneuverability. These components are usually attached to the wings or tail section and require careful disconnection and handling to avoid damage.

• Structural sections. Removing large structural sections, such as wings or fuselage segments, can be challenging due to their size, weight and the need to maintain structural integrity.

Aircraft disassembly processes involve a range of specialist machinery and equipment to dismantle the aircraft and extract valuable components safely and efficiently. EirTrade has developed a cradle that can support the fuselage during the teardown process of narrow-body aircraft and enable high-value components such as landing gear to be removed at the start of the process.