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Friday, December 14th, 2018
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LATEST NEWS
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After taking off from the Mojave Desert in California, the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo successfully reached an altitude of 82.7km, well beyond the altitude that space, or the thermosphere, begins at 80km, but below the recognised 100km altitude, the Karman Line, where the Earth’s atmosphere ends and outer space begins. It is understood that the rocket plane climbed to an altitude of approximately 10,000 meters (32,000 feet) under jet propulsion, after which the rocket was ignited, powering the aircraft for 60 seconds, enabling it to fly at 2.9 times the speed of sound.
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Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic was formed in 2004 and this was the fourth test flight for a program which has been beset with delays, most notably after the fatal crash of VSS Enterprise, a SpaceShipTwo, which broke up during a test flight on October 31, 2014, killing the co-pilot and seriously injuring the pilot. Competitors in the ‘commercial passenger space race’ include Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, both of which have achieved a greater altitude with their aircraft, but neither of which have yet to launch manned flights into space.
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Thursday’s Virgin Galactic flight carried two pilots and a mannequin named Annie who was there to represent a ‘passenger’. Commenting on the event, Sir Richard Branson said: "Today we have shown Virgin Galactic can open space to the world." According to Sir Richard, the first 90-minute scheduled flights should begin in March, with Sir Richard Branson being one of the first passengers. Tickets for the flights cost US$250,000 and it is understood that 600 have already been sold or deposits placed for them.
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Delta TechOps has partnered with Rolls-Royce to provide worldwide On-Wing Care Services for various Rolls-Royce Trent engines. "This collaboration with Rolls-Royce expands our existing relationship and provides customers with round-the-world support from our expert field teams," said Jack Arehart, V.P. — MRO Services.
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Under this agreement Delta TechOps will provide engine line maintenance support services at remote sites for Trent 700, Trent 800, Trent XWB, Trent 1000 and Trent 7000 operators. The services range from entire engine removal and install, to video borescoping, fan blade changes and main gearbox replacement.
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The Rolls-Royce On-Wing care network ensures the highest-level of service in locations that are convenient to its customers. On-Wing Care rapid response services maximize aircraft engine operational availability thereby minimizing potential impact to customer fleet schedules.
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In October 2015, Delta and Rolls-Royce signed a formal agreement for Delta TechOps to become an Authorized Maintenance Center for Rolls-Royce engines. Under the agreement, the airline provides engine services for the latest generation Trent XWB, Trent 1000 and Trent 7000, in addition to the BR715, which had already been added to engine capabilities.
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To further enhance engine maintenance capabilities, Delta TechOps has invested in other major projects. This fall, the maintenance provider opened its new 127,000-ft² state-of-the-art engine shop, which enables Delta to perform maintenance on engines with the most sophisticated and advanced technologies. At the end of the year, Delta TechOps will also open the largest test cell, with its first engines testing in early 2019. When it opens, the new test cell will be capable of safely running a mounted, stationary engine at full power with 150,000 pounds of thrust.
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The first A380 for All Nippon Airways (ANA) has rolled out of the Airbus paint shop in Hamburg, Germany, bearing the airline’s distinctive and unique Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle livery.
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ANA has firm orders for three A380s, becoming the first customer for the superjumbo in Japan. The airline will take delivery of the first A380 at the end of Q1 2019 and will operate the aircraft on the popular leisure Narita-Honolulu route.
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The three ANA A380s will be painted in a special livery depicting sea turtles which are native to Hawaii. The first aircraft is blue, the second will be green and the third orange. The ANA A380 livery is one of the most elaborate ever painted by Airbus. It took 21 days for the Airbus team to paint a surface of 3,600 m² using 16 different shades of color.
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The aircraft will now have completion of its cabin and enter a final phase of ground and flight tests in Hamburg, during which all cabin systems will be thoroughly tested, including air flow and air conditioning, lighting, galleys, lavatories, seats and in-flight entertainment. In parallel, Airbus will also undertake advanced aircraft performance tests before it flies back to Toulouse for preparation of its delivery and ferry flight.
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The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINWBw) has ordered seven H145 helicopters to replace the German Armed Forces’ (Bundeswehr) obsolete Bell UH-1D search and rescue fleet.
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The aircraft will be delivered in 2020 and will be stationed at the sites in Niederstetten, Holzdorf and Nörvenich. Airbus Helicopters will also be responsible for logistics support, repair, and maintenance of the helicopters.
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According to an agreement with the Federal Ministry of Transport, the Bundeswehr is also responsible for search and rescue operations in the event of aircraft accidents on German territory. It therefore maintains a fleet of search and rescue helicopters on permanent standby; and these helicopters are also available for use in national disaster management operations. The Bell UH-1D model currently in use by the Bundeswehr first entered into service in the early 1970s.
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On January 1, 2019, Martin Friis-Petersen will take on the role of Senior Vice President MRO Programs at MTU Aero Engines, heading up the sales and marketing organization for MTU Maintenance. He takes over from Leo Koppers, who is retiring after 16 years with MTU.
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“We are extremely grateful to Leo Koppers for his great skill and personal dedication. In the time he has been with MTU, he has been the go-to expert for MRO, well-known and respected among key industry players and highly regarded by customers and colleagues alike,” says Michael Schreyögg, Chief Program Officer, MTU Aero Engines. During Koppers tenure, MTU Maintenance’s yearly sales volume has tripled and many key campaigns have been won. “Leo has been a remarkable leader and, as a talented salesman bringing in around 25 billion in deals, a tremendous asset to the company. Together with his team he set major cornerstones for the future growth of our MRO business. We wish Leo the very best for his retirement years.”
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Koppers successor, Martin Friis-Petersen, has been the Managing Director of MTU Maintenance Lease Services B.V. since 2014. Friis-Petersen joined MTU in 1999 and has held various leadership roles throughout the company, including as Chief Financial Officer of MTU Maintenance Zhuhai and SVP MRO Operations at MTU Maintenance Hannover.
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Caribbean airline Bahamasair has become the latest airline to select ATR’s Global Maintenance Agreement (GMA) contract.
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The GMA covers the full Bahamasair fleet, which is composed of three ATR 42-600s and two ATR 72-600s. The contract covers Standard Exchanges, Line Replacement Unit (LRU) repairs and Propeller repairs. Bahamasair becomes the fourth airline in the Caribbean to choose the GMA and this reflects the quality and comprehensiveness of ATR’s maintenance service in the region.
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Václav Havel Airport Prague has released that the number of serviced passengers per year had reached 16 million on Wednesday December 12. This confirms the current trend that Prague Airport has been growing faster than the European average of airports in the same category. By the end of the year, the number of passengers serviced at Prague Airport is estimated to be 16.8 million, which means a 9% increase compared to 2017. The airport is expected to experience further growth in 2019.
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Since the beginning of the year, Václav Havel Airport Prague has serviced an average of 46,000 passengers every day. The busiest month was July with almost 1.9 million passengers. The largest number of passengers, a total of 1.7 million, travelled to London, where all six international airports have direct connections to Prague.
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Over the long term, Prague Airport has been among the fastest growing airports in Europe in the 0– 25 million passengers category and has been growing faster than the European average. For example, for the third quarter of 2018, the airport recorded a 9.3% growth in the number of serviced passengers, while the European average over the same period was 5%.
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Prague Airport has responded to this trend by investing in various development projects. “Next year, we are planning to open new check-in counters in Terminal 1 and a brand new check-in island in Terminal 2. We will finish the redevelopment of aircraft parking stands in pier B, where we will also modernize two departure gates. We will also start reconstruction and expanding our baggage sorting facility,” said Vaclav Rehor, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Prague Airport.
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GAMECO (Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co) has successfully re-delivered an A380 to Lufthansa after performing a C4 check plus exterior painting. This is the first of four nose-to-tail aircraft inputs from Lufthansa.
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Norbert Marx, CEO / General Manager of GAMECO said: “We are very excited that Lufthansa selected us to perform this job on their flagship aircraft A380. When the first one is out there with its elegant new paint scheme, it will get a lot of attention. Lufthansa is a benchmark in the industry and with this cooperation we can expand our customer base and market share in the important European Market.”
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GAMECO, established in 1989, is one of the largest and most capable MROs in Asia. It provides not only heavy maintenance and painting, but also line maintenance, component repair& overhaul, landing gear repair & overhaul, material management, engineering service, ground support equipment and technical training.
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Royal Air Maroc (RAM) is celebrating the delivery of its first GEnx-1B-powered Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. RAM will eventually operate a fleet of nine GEnx-powered B787 Dreamliners.
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“GE Aviation and RAM have developed a strong relationship over the last decades, providing engines and maintenance for the majority of the airline’s fleet and partnering on innovation and digital projects to enhance their operations,” said Chaker Chahrour, vice president and general manager of Global Sales and Marketing for GE Aviation.“
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Robinson Helicopter Company has delivered two R44 Raven IIs to longtime Robinson dealer, PHU Polinar of Poland. On November 13th, PHU Polinar delivered the aircraft to the Polish Air Force University, marking the first acquisition of American helicopters to be used for military training in Poland.
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Founded in 1927, the Polish Air Force University is an accredited state-owned institution that offers undergraduate degrees for officers in the Polish military as well as commercial ratings for civilian students.
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According to PHU Polinar, the more than 70 Robinson helicopters successfully operating in Poland convinced the state the R44 is not only reliable but is the right vehicle for its flight training programs. Both R44s were equipped with a fully integrated glass cockpit featuring Garmin’s GDU 1060 TXi, GTN 750 navigator, GTX 345 transponder with ADS-B In/Out and Spidertracks for real time tracking.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
February 19 - 20, 2019 – Palma de Majorca, Spain
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