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Monday, September 24th, 2018
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LATEST NEWS
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Rolls-Royce has been keen to find a permanent fix to problems which have beset the Trent 1000 engine and which, according to half-year results issued on August 2, have cost the company US$728 million, contributing to an overall pretax loss of US$1.7 billion.
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The Trent 1000 engine has been the engine of choice of the Boeing 787 and a large portion of the engines have been affected. Rolls-Royce has now finished a raft of improvements which the company believes will be cleared for introduction within a few months. It is anticipated these improvements will allow earlier-standard Package B and C engine operators to resume long-range flights with no limits, while also relieving them of inspection burdens imposed earlier this year by regulators after the discovery of fatigue cracks. These improvements have focused on the three-shaft engine’s intermediate pressure (IP) spool.
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According to Rolls-Royce’s large engines chief engineer Frank Haselbach: “We have to prove the newer system works, and laboratory testing showed us it is going well,” adding: “We have rolled 62%-plus of the fleet with the new blading and are sampling the first engines now. We will also pull engines off to prove the turbine system will have the lifetime we predict for it and, so far, we have not had any issues with the new blades. Some are already in the territory of 1,000-1,500 cycles.”
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It was discovered that the principal problem was caused by “hot corrosion,” where thermal barrier coating on the IP turbine blades was stripped away prematurely, exposing the underlying material to low-cycle fatigue. Analysis of the phenomena showed this was tied primarily to operations in and around airports in the Asia-Pacific region where there are high concentrations of atmospheric sulfur. “It’s fundamentally pollution around big cities that have ‘dirty’ industries,” Haselbach further explained.
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Rolls-Royce has been keen to find a permanent fix to problems which have beset the Trent 1000 engine and which, according to half-year results issued on August 2, have cost the company US$728 million, contributing to an overall pretax loss of US$1.7 billion.
The Trent 1000 engine has been the engine of choice of the Boeing 787 and a large portion of the engines have been affected. Rolls-Royce has now finished a raft of improvements which the company believes will be cleared for introduction within a few months.
It is anticipated these improvements will allow earlier-standard Package B and C engine operators to resume long-range flights with no limits, while also relieving them of inspection burdens imposed earlier this year by regulators after the discovery of fatigue cracks. These improvements have focused on the three-shaft engine’s intermediate pressure (IP) spool.
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According to Rolls-Royce’s large engines chief engineer Frank Haselbach: “We have to prove the newer system works, and laboratory testing showed us it is going well,” adding: “We have rolled 62%-plus of the fleet with the new blading and are sampling the first engines now. We will also pull engines off to prove the turbine system will have the lifetime we predict for it and, so far, we have not had any issues with the new blades. Some are already in the territory of 1,000-1,500 cycles.”
It was discovered that the principal problem was caused by “hot corrosion,” where thermal barrier coating on the IP turbine blades was stripped away prematurely, exposing the underlying material to low-cycle fatigue. Analysis of the phenomena showed this was tied primarily to operations in and around airports in the Asia-Pacific region where there are high concentrations of atmospheric sulfur. “It’s fundamentally pollution around big cities that have ‘dirty’ industries,” Haselbach further explained.
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Liebherr LAMC Aviation (Changsha), the joint venture between the Chinese company LAMC (AVIC Landing Gear Advanced Manufacturing Corp.) and German-based Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH delivered the first C919 landing gear system which has been assembled in China to its air framer customer COMAC.
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The assembly line for the landing gear of the C919 at Liebherr LAMC Aviation (Changsha) Co., Ltd. was built jointly by Liebherr and its partner LAMC based on the assembly facilities and testing equipment of Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH, Lindenberg (Germany), Liebherr’s center of competence for landing gear and flight control systems.
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Arndt Schoenemann, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Liebherr LAMC Aviation (Changsha) stated: “The delivery of the first complete C919 landing gear system assembled in China by Liebherr LAMC Aviation (Changsha) Co., Ltd. to COMAC represents a further major milestone in the history of our Joint Venture. We are very happy to contribute together our experience and know-how to the success of the prestigious C919 program. It reflects an even more important step, because we are able to hand over the first system to our customer much earlier in the prototype phase of the C919 than originally planned.”
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Liebherr LAMC Aviation (Changsha) will assemble the next C919 nose and main landing gears in Changsha. Step by step, the joint venture is taking over the direct procurement of the parts delivered by approved suppliers.
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Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH had been selected by COMAC to develop, manufacture, qualify, certify and service the landing gear system of the C919 whereas its sister company, Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse SAS, center of competence for air management systems, provides also a major system on board the C919, the integrated air management system.
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Airbus has delivered the first A350-900 Ultra Long Range (ULR) aircraft to launch customer Singapore Airlines (SIA). The aircraft is being prepared for flight and is scheduled to depart Toulouse for Singapore later today.
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The latest variant of the best-selling A350 XWB is capable of flying further in commercial service than any other aircraft, with a range of up to 9,700 nautical miles, or over 20 hours non-stop. Altogether, SIA has ordered seven A350-900ULR aircraft, configured in a two-class layout, with 67 Business Class seats and 94 Premium Economy Class seats.
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SIA will begin operating the A350-900ULR on 11th October, when it will launch non-stop services between Singapore and New York. With an average flying time of 18 hours and 45 minutes, these will be the world’s longest commercial flights. Following New York, the aircraft will enter service with SIA on two more non-stop transpacific routes, to Los Angeles and San Francisco.
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Täby Air Maintenance, TAM, is seeking approval for a Part 21 Design Organisation, thus aiming to further enhance services to operators of the worldwide fleet of Saab 340 and Saab 2000 airliners. Plans call for a spring 2019 full design approval.
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"We constantly strive to provide operators with a seamless service, and with full in-house design and production capabilities, we can provide all necessary engineering, design, production and certification services," says Pär Gulle, TAM Managing Director.
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"Our current production approval covers the manufacture of a wide range of parts, including mechanical and structural parts for installation on aircraft. With an approved design organization, we will also be able to provide STC, minor design changes and minor repairs for large and small aircraft (CS-23, CS-25, CS-27) related to i.e. installation of avionics equipment, electrical systems, structure and cabin interiors, Pär Gulle summarizes TAM’s plans."
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Universal Avionics (UA) has announced the first SBAS-Flight Management System (FMS) upgrade for the ATR 42-500 type.
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The operator, First Air, also performed the engineering design, certification, and installation for their fleet renewal. Six First Air ATR 42-500 aircraft have each received dual UA UNS-1Fw SBAS-FMSs and a Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS).
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First Air’s ATR 42-500 aircraft operate in Northern Canada, where the area relies on air services to support economic development and to connect its remote air-access-only communities with one-another and the world. Weather is often challenging and the ability to fly RNAV (GNSS) LPV LOS approach procedures is essential. The new UA SBAS-FMSs replace obsolete factory non-SBAS FMSs, and give First Air the ability to fly these essential approaches along with procedures with RF leg segments.
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Universal Avionics (UA) has finished the 60th Embraer-140/145 aircraft completion in Envoy Air’s WAAS/SBAS-FMS upgrade program. The upgrade program includes 169 aircraft, all of which will be retrofitted with dual UA UNS-1Lw FMSs, providing Envoy Air with a navigation source for ADS-B Out and the latest in capabilities and operational efficiencies.
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With the WAAS upgrade, Envoy can take advantage of improved navigation performance, along with increased reliability and database capability.
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Airbus has celebrated the topping out of the E-Aircraft Systems Test House at its Taufkirchen/Ottobrunn site near Munich in Germany.
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The facility will provide the infrastructure to install hybrid-electric propulsion systems with a total power of up to 2x20 MW for Airbus’ E-Aircraft Systems Programme.
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The project is on schedule for completion in March 2019. Afterwards, test benches will be installed and first tests could already be conducted in the second half of 2019.
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The E-Aircraft Systems Test House is a key enabler for Airbus’ strategy on the development of hybrid-electric propulsion systems. Its main objective will be the integration of different sub-systems. It will include test benches for the integration with batteries and gas turbines, energy distribution systems and electric drives.
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Shanghai Airlines has taken delivery of the carrier's first 787-9 Dreamliner from Boeing. The airline says it plans to use the super-efficient and passenger-preferred Dreamliner to upgrade its regional and long-range service from its base in China's largest city.
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The new airplane, with a special symbol of "100" on its fuselage, is the 100th airplane for Shanghai Airlines, a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines.
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The 787-9 is the second member of the Dreamliner family, which offers 20 to 25 percent better fuel efficiency per seat and lower emissions than the airplanes they replace. As the longest-range member of the family, the 787-9 can fly 290 passengers, in a typical two-class configuration, up to 7,635 nautical miles (14,140 km).
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Shanghai Airlines is set to receive additional 787-9s in the coming years. The airline plans to fly their initial 787s on popular domestic routes such as Shanghai to Chengdu and Beijing, as well as regional routes from Shanghai to Japan and Korea. As the carrier's 787 fleet grows, it plans to take advantage of the aircraft's long range and superior fuel efficiency to open new, international routes.
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Lufthansa Technik AG handed over a converted Airbus A321 to the German Armed Forces. In addition to military missions, the aircraft is also used for political/parliamentary purposes.
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On the customer side BAAINBw was responsible for the procurement and on-schedule and on-budget conversion of the former Lufthansa aircraft named "Neustadt an der Weinstraße". BAAINBw had awarded the contract with a total volume of around €90 million to Lufthansa Technik following a public tender at the beginning of 2017.
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In addition to the purchase of the aircraft and its conversion, the contract also included the procurement of spare parts and logistical support to ensure operational readiness as well as the adaptation of the aircraft to the requirements of the BMVg's Special Air Mission Wing.
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Pentagon 2000 Software has worked with Aero Trade, to expand the deployment of software and systems to manage their growing business operations.
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Customers are supported with 24 hour AOG service, so the use of Pentagon 2000SQL™ allows the team of experienced aircraft parts specialists to keep their focus on quality management and delivering the highest level of customer service.
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David Chaimovitz, President and Co-Founder at Aero Trade, commented that “operations continue to grow at our North American and European facilities. The Pentagon 2000SQL™ system has scaled up with us and includes the key capabilities for our staff to service our customer base and expand into additional markets”.
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