November 15, 2018 - No. 090 In This Issue Algerian airplanes take off without maintenance Companies flock to Hagerstown in search for aviation mechanics DC Aviation Becomes Rockwell Collins Authorized Dealer Aviation complex will design and build planes, train pilots Continued Progress Under Boeing's Predictive Maintenance Umbrella Changes Coming for U.S. Aircraft Registry. Maintenance method will predict equipment failures Magnetic MRO Cuts Paper Consumption, Shifts to Biometric e-Signatures Bombardier's aerospace apprenticeship program in Bridgeport becomes first in West Virginia to be registered with U.S. Department of Labor Russia says it's going to beat Elon Musk and SpaceX's 'old tech' with a nuclear rocket Algerian airplanes take off without maintenance The aircraft maintenance technicians' strike at Houari Boumediene Airport's maintenance base in the Algerian capital has continued into the fourth day in a row. The head of National Union of Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (STNMA), Ahmed Botoumi, revealed on Wednesday the expansion of the strike to include workers from some local airports who joined the protest. Boutoumi said in a press statement that aircrafts belonging to Air Algérie take off from Algiers International Airport without being monitored and examined by technicians and maintenance engineers. He also mentioned that the strike was initiated in solidarity with the 12 engineers who were dismissed on Tuesday. Thus, the protest shifted to a national scale after being limited to the capital. "The dialogue with the concerned authorities is still not possible until we manage to settle this inconvenient situation that does not help either the workers or the airport management," explained the president of the STNMA. Boutoumi denied the existence of any contact between the union and the relevant authorities, namely, the Transport Ministry, or the Algerian Civil Aviation Authority. Air Algérie stated on Tuesday, confirming that the strike is illegal and that the company's income does not allow for increasing wages. The company noted that the staff had already received bonuses, expressing its surprise when the workers entered a strike. However, protesters were not convinced of the justifications provided by the company, announcing their intention to continue to strike in solidarity with their suspended colleagues. The management of Air Algérie decided to fire ten striking maintenance technicians, after exhausting the legal steps and necessary measures to handle such situations, including the presence of a solicitor. The management board of Air Algerie declared that "amid the workers' insistence on illegal interruption of the company's activities, the Algerian Civil Aviation Authority took appropriate measures that conform to the legal and regulatory standards and procedures against the individuals who proved to be the cause of such disruption." It is noted that, on Sunday night, Algerian aircraft maintenance technicians entered in a strike at Houari Boumediene Airport, calling for several professional and social demands. The STNMA, in the words of its President Ahmed Botoumi, has not assumed responsibility for the strike and described it as an "unorganised and spontaneous move that did not respect legal procedures, as it was initiated collectively by the aviation engineers without having the necessary support provided by the union in such cases". As such, the strikers attempted to demand the administration of Air Algerie to implement the terms of the collective agreement signed earlier by the management and the union." Boutoumi asserted that the strike is "chaotic," as the workers decided to start a protest without consulting or taking the union's approval. The spokesman confirmed that the union had issued a strike notice to the Casablanca court about two months ago. However, the court ruled that the strike was illegal, a decision which angered the workers who decided to strike without reference to any of their unions, including the National Union of Aircraft Maintenance Technicians. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181115-algerian-airplanes-take-off-without-maintenance/ Back to Top Companies flock to Hagerstown in search for aviation mechanics HAGERSTOWN, Md. - With about 30 percent of the workforce in aviation maintenance reaching retirement age, many companies are reaching out to the younger generation to enter the field. About 25 companies visited the Pittsburgh Institute of Aviation (PIA) in Hagerstown, Maryland to offer opportunities to young men and women. Barry Loeser said he never imagined that he would want to be an airplane mechanic. In fact, he had other plans. "Originally, I wanted to go to college, and for a while, I wasn't sure. But I heard this and I was like, 'that sounds pretty cool,' to be able to work on airplanes and jet engines and stuff is pretty awesome," said Loeser. So Loeser started classes at the PIA, where he learned a whole cavalcade of skills such as hydraulics, pneumatics, and mechanics. Skills that employers from all over the country are looking for. "Anywhere you go, you can name any state and you can probably find jobs in aviation right now," said Bernard Adams, campus director of PIA Hagerstown. Adams says that there is this high demand because aviation mechanics is not an easily recognizable career. "No one talks about the aircraft mechanic. Because you don't want to see us. Because that's when you have a problem with the aircraft," said Adams. https://www.localdvm.com/news/maryland/companies-flock-to-hagerstown-in-search-for-aviation- mechanics/1597309325 Back to Top DC Aviation Becomes Rockwell Collins Authorized Dealer Germany-based aviation services provider DC Aviation reported that its flagship Stuttgart maintenance service center is now a Rockwell Collins authorized Business and Regional Systems (BRS) dealer. The move gives it access to the U.S. company's product range, which features avionics equipment for just about every type of business and commercial jet currently operated. Under the terms of the four-year deal, DC Aviation, Germany's largest business jet operator, will provide sales and support for Rockwell Collins avionics and cabin systems to its customers. That includes the Venue cabin management and entertainment system, with its interactive Airshow moving map and Tailwind airborne satellite TV, as well as future mandated avionics requirements such as ADS-B Out. "We welcome the opportunity to further increase our service level for comprehensive maintenance solutions and modifications by becoming an authorized Rockwell Collins BRS dealer," said Oliver Weiss, the German company's vice president of maintenance. "DC Aviation's extensive industry experience, wide maintenance network, and knowledge of business operations, in cooperation with Rockwell Collins's innovative communication and aviation electronic solutions is a collaboration which I am certain will be of considerable benefit to both companies." https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-11-13/dc-aviation-becomes- rockwell-collins-authorized-dealer Back to Top Aviation complex will design and build planes, train pilots A Mexican conglomerate is holding talks with the Guanajuato government with a view to building an aviation complex in the state that will design and assemble planes as well as train pilots. IK Aerospace Group, made up of light aircraft manufacturer Horizontec, aircraft interior manufacturer Siasa Air and aerospace software company Optimen, told the newspaper Milenio that the new complex could be built in one of three Guanajuato municipalities - León, San Miguel de Allende or Purísima del Rincón. Construction of the facility, which will be the first of its kind in Mexico, requires approximately 100 hectares of land. Giovanni Angelucci Carrasco, founder of Horizontec, said that the group's discussions with the Guanajuato government are already well advanced. "There is good progress in Guanajuato, where we already also spoke to the next governor. There is a lot of interest on the part of the state government for us to set up there. We have three possible options to lay the first stone," he said. Angelucci explained that the idea for the project is to have a private runway, a manufacturing plant, an aircraft maintenance center and a flying school for pilots, which could include future customers who purchase light planes manufactured at the new complex. Horizontec, currently based at the aerospace complex at the Querétaro International Airport, is developing a new two-seater plane after building and testing a prototype made out of compressed wood and fiberglass last year. The three companies belonging to the IK Aerospace Group consortium would combine forces to build the new 100% Mexican aircraft known as the Halcón 2 at the complex slated to be built in Guanajuato. Measuring seven meters in length and with a wingspan of 9.4 meters, the two-seater, 100- horsepower-engine aircraft belongs to the light sport category. It will have a flight range of eight hours, an average top speed of 250-300 kilometers per hour and can reach an altitude of 15,000 feet. "Aeronautics in Mexico has an excellent future," Angelucci said. "Growth projections for the [aerospace] industry in the country place [Mexico] among the first seven or eight [manufacturers] worldwide . . ." https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/aviation-complex-will-design-and-build-planes/ Back to Top Continued Progress Under Boeing's Predictive Maintenance Umbrella Predictive maintenance is no single tool, but a set of tools and procedures aimed at a goal according to Boeing. "For us, it represents an umbrella of activities to help operators turn unscheduled maintenance into scheduled activities," summarizes Dawen Nozdryn-Plotnicki, director of advanced analytics for digital aviation and analytics at the aircraft manufacturer. The analytics chief says the approach is already well along, "yet with new advances in bigger data, more powerful analytical methodologies and newer airplane designs, we continue to have more to do." Boeing's predictive umbrella covers a range of actions: maintenance strategy; maintenance planning, day-of-operations monitoring, execution, reliability analysis, maintenance and post- operations monitoring for feedback and improvement. Predictive maintenance alerts can influence both modification of aircraft design and scheduled maintenance, Nozdryn-Plotnicki notes. And there are many ways predictive maintenance can be achieved at individual airlines. For example, Boeing offers airlines self-service analytics, consulting services to address specific needs, digital solutions that include both analytics and expertise and of course its turn-key maintenance, engineering, and supply chain program, Global Fleet Care. However deployed, Boeing's predictive tools are working. "When customers tell us our predictive algorithms helped reduce 80% of maintenance burdens on a problem, that makes our day," Nozdryn-Plotnicki says. The OEM has invested in further gains in designing the 737MAX and developing the 777X. Another major investment is developing more algorithms and technology platforms to exploit ever bigger and better aircraft data. Boeing's predictive services are already widely used. For example, Airplane Health Management conducts over two million calculations each hour for over 100 airlines flying 4,700 aircraft. And AHM is just one of the OEM's predictive services. Some of the biggest future challenges in predicting problems stems from the near perfection of aircraft performance, with technical reliability usually above 99%. That means most generated data is not useful for finding signals of failure. "The skewed nature of the data makes modelling really difficult, an interesting challenge to overcome," Nozdryn-Plotnicki says. Impact also matters. She contrasts aviation with e-commerce industries that have high-volume, low-consequence environments: "where . . . getting results wrong isn't so significant . . . you just get the wrong website or a bad movie recommendation." https://www.mro-network.com/technology/continued-progress-under-boeing-s-predictive- maintenance-umbrella Back to Top Changes Coming for U.S. Aircraft Registry There are changes ahead for the U.S. aircraft registry due to new provisions in the recently passed FAA reauthorization bill, as well as anticipated recommendations stemming from ongoing investigations by the DOT Inspector General (IG) and Government Accountability Office (GAO), panelists said yesterday at Corporate Jet Investor Miami 2018. Under the reauthorization bill, the FAA's Oklahoma City-based aircraft registry is required to become fully digitized within three years, including all non-digital registry information and manual- /paper-based processes, business operations, and functions. The agency must also install systems that allow digital submission of information and conduct any transactions electronically. Further, the reauthorization bill will allow the FAA to charge a manual surcharge "for certain matters conducted in person" and prevents a government shutdown from affecting the registry. It also directs the FAA to initiate a rulemaking by early February that would extend the duration of general aviation aircraft registrations from three years to seven. Meanwhile, the DOT IG and GAO audits, spawned by last year's Boston Globe reports that criticized the registry, will cause even more, yet-to-be-determined changes. A DOT IG audit report on the efficiency of the FAA registry is imminent, while one on security is expected next year. The GAO report is also anticipated to come out next year. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-11-14/changes-coming-us- aircraft-registry Back to Top Maintenance method will predict equipment failures The Army is on the verge of a paradigm shift in the way it leverages data from maintenance of aviation, ground and weapons systems. At a Nov. 7 Predictive Maintenance Industry Day at the Jackson Center in Huntsville, representatives from the Army Materiel Command shared with industry partners the Army's vision for developing and applying a predictive maintenance capability that will improve materiel readiness. "We want to move forward with predictive, analytical capabilities for Army platforms," Lisha Adams, AMC executive deputy to the commanding general, said. "This effort will enable the Army to drive progress in readiness, modernization and reform from a sustainment and logistics perspective." Adams called on industry partners to provide feedback to the Army proposal, as their solutions will help the Army improve efficient use of resources for both legacy and modern systems. "This effort has equal value for our technically sophisticated systems containing hundreds of sensors, as well as our legacy systems that have few-to-no sensors collecting data," said Col. John Kuenzli, AMC's lead of the predictive maintenance competition. The goal is to identify and predict mechanical failures throughout Soldiers' equipment to ensure the Army's supply chain, which is comprised of thousands of industry and Army organizations, is synchronized with tactical unit needs, Kuenzli said. "We're going to provide a capability that improves the decisions our maintenance technicians and mechanics make every day to provide the Army's Soldiers with battle-ready equipment," he said. Prototype options developed by industry will be tested on the M1A2 Abrams tank, the Stryker combat vehicle and the AH-64 D/E Apache helicopter. Army Materiel Command is conducting the competition through the use of an Other Transaction Agreement. Army Contracting Command-New Jersey Director Thomas Dougherty described the features of the OTA contract to industry participants, noting it opens the competition to non- traditional and traditional defense contractors. "This prototype OTA is a common-sense, flexible and efficient way for the Army to reach out to commercial entities and non-traditional defense contractors to get their best commercial solutions," Dougherty said. Dougherty likened the OTA contracting tool to an additional arrow in the government's "quiver" of solutions to contract with industry and academia. Army Materiel Command expects prototype contract award options will be awarded in February with a one-year period of performance. https://www.theredstonerocket.com/military_scene/article_55f081d4-e827-11e8-8cda- 772a17b650fe.html Back to Top Magnetic MRO Cuts Paper Consumption, Shifts to Biometric e-Signatures Magnetic MRO, a global provider of Total Technical Care for aircraft operators and lessors, made a significant step towards becoming a fully paperless MRO. The company has decided to digitalize paper-based aircraft maintenance work orders, as well as introduce biometric e-signatures for aviation mechanics and other certifying staff. Please see the video story of Finger Print Sign Off project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW5hLlJzauM "Paper documents made their job back in those days when there was no other reliable alternative for keeping track of aircraft maintenance works. But today, highly secure digital storage systems provide an unprecedented level of reliability and security against manipulations or unauthorized edits," comments Jan Kotka, the COO of Magnetic MRO. "With this in mind, we've made yet another important step towards a paperless environment by digitalizing aircraft maintenance work orders and securing them with fingerprint signatures. The new system has already received an approval from Estonian CAA." "Biometric e-signature and digital storage bring document management to a new level of transparency and security. Further on, the new system eliminates an unnecessary and time- consuming process of delivering work orders from the engineering department to maintenance shops and vice versa. What is particularly delighting, our clients will also benefit from the system, since all aircraft-related documents will now be available even faster," shared Sergei Shkolnik, Magnetic MRO's Base Maintenance Director. "If you want to deliver maximum added value for your customers you must deliver efficiency. After all, nothing pleases aircraft owners and operators more than on time and on budget aircraft maintenance," added Jan Kotka. Recently company launched an unmanned, RFID-based Tool Control System in order to improve its inventory management. Now, it's time to cut the paperwork, said the COO of Magnetic MRO. Magnetic MRO in brief: Magnetic MRO is a global provider of EASA and FAA-certified Total Technical Care and Asset Management solutions. Headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia, the company maintains a strong presence in Europe, the CIS, Africa and North America. With two decades of experience in the MRO market, Magnetic MRO has an established reputation of a technologically advanced, innovative provider of integrated MRO services. The company specializes in a wide range of MRO areas: from engine management to line and base maintenance, from components to landing gear solutions, from engineering services and asset management to interior solutions and full aircraft painting. https://www.aviationpros.com/press_release/12436603/magnetic-mro-cuts-paper-consumption- shifts-to-biometric-e-signatures Back to Top Bombardier's aerospace apprenticeship program in Bridgeport becomes first in West Virginia to be registered with U.S. Department of Labor BRIDGEPORT - A Bombardier apprenticeship program became the first of its type in the state to be registered by the Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship, according to officials. The Bombardier program was registered with the U.S. Department of Labor on Wednesday at a signing ceremony attended by county, state and federal officials at the aerospace company's West Virginia Air Center. Bombardier is the first aerospace company in the state to register and is one of only about 25 such programs to be registered in the nation, according to Kenneth Milnes, state director for the Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship. "It will be great for this part of West Virginia. It will be great for this airfield," said Adam Mouse, a Department of Labor apprentice and training representative. "Hopefully, more companies can come on board, or you guys can add more occupations. The sky's the limit with this. This is a good way to get into a workforce and earn a good living, learn a good skill that will be with you for the rest of your life." The registration will not limit the autonomy of the program, but helps in establishing standards and providing technical support in operations, Milnes said. "We were able to do the standards, work the bugs out of them and personalize them," he said. "This is your program. It's a living, breathing document. If you want to change it, you can change it today, tomorrow or next year. It's not concrete. It's not the U.S. Department of Labor's program. It is your apprenticeship program. We just provide technical service to assist you in operating your program." According to company officials, the program was established to help fill open positions in the Bridgeport facility as competition for trained technicians increases across the country. "It's really important for the business because there's a nationwide shortage of (aviation maintenance) technicians. I think the most recent numbers are about 12,000 short - the industry is short 12,000 technicians. So, we've taken on the challenge of growing that skill here locally," said Stephen McCoy, head of service centers for Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. The shortage is only growing, according to Chad Hill, director of operations for the Bombardier West Virginia Air Center. "It's a huge problem. All companies are starting to feel it. I think if we could rewind back to 2016 we started to feel the pressure then. As a business, we had to either try to tap on the national labor market and go out and compete to bring people in, or we could come to the realization that we have talented people here in the immediate area. It's just the certification that's the issue and coming up with the process to bridge that gap," Hill said. "That's the real key to this apprenticeship program." Apprentices are able to work and earn a wage through their training. Local demand for the program has been immense. Over 1,000 people applied for 50 spaces in the first apprenticeship class, which began in late July 2017, according to McCoy. Clarksburg-native Tyler Tiano was working in Bridgeport last June when he heard about a new opportunity that would provide career training in the region's growing aerospace industry. Tiano, who had no previous experience in the industry, is now part of the first cohort of apprentices. "It was a new opportunity to me, having never worked in aviation before. Putting my hat in the ring to have an opportunity like this was very exciting to me," Tiano said. "I just found it perfect to be able to work in this field and be close to home." He expects to complete the program in January after gaining the required 18 months of hands-on experience to take the general airframe certification test. "It's been a really rewarding experience and a great opportunity that we're really lucky to have been given here in this part of the state and this part of the country," he said. State Sen. Mike Romano, D-Harrison, called apprenticeship programs "the greatest way to train employees." "They come in. They're a clean slate. They learn your methodology. They learn your corporate philosophy and they become great employees," Romano said. The apprentices get "cradle to grave jobs in North Central West Virginia where you live, where your families live and you get to stay here. That's an unbelievable success story in my world." Harrison County Commissioner David Hinkle praised the company's commitment to Harrison County and North Central West Virginia. https://www.wvnews.com/theet/news/bombardier-s-aerospace-apprenticeship-program-in- bridgeport-becomes-first-in/article_56000475-ae5d-5bf7-bc77-4d41e6276484.html Back to Top Russia says it's going to beat Elon Musk and SpaceX's 'old tech' with a nuclear rocket Elon Musk and SpaceX won't be leading the reusable rocket space race long, at least not if Russia has anything to say about it. Russia's Keldysh Research Center has been working on a reusable rocket solution for nearly a decade now, and now it's ramping up the hype with a new concept video showing how its spacecraft works. Speaking with reporters, Vladimir Koshlakov explained that Elon Musk and SpaceX pose no real threat to the group's plans. Musk, Koshlakov says, is relying on technology that will soon be antiquated, while Russia is looking towards shaping the future of spaceflight. The Russian researchers say that their nuclear-powered rocket platform will be able to make it to Mars seven months after launch, and that its reusable rocket stages can be put back into service after just 48 hours. "Reusability is the priority," Koshlakov reportedly said. "We must develop engines that do not need to be fine-tuned or repaired more than once every ten flights. Also, 48 hours after the rocket returns from space, it must be ready to go again. This is what the market demands." Obviously, since SpaceX is currently the biggest name in reusable rocket tech, the topic of competition was brought up by reporters. Koshlakov's answer is somewhat predictable but nonetheless interesting. "Elon Musk is using the existing tech, developed a long time ago," he noted. "He is a businessman: he took a solution that was already there, and applied it successfully. Notably, he is also doing his work with help from the government." This is just the latest shade being thrown on Musk from scientists in Russia. Last year, the director of Russia's top spaceflight contractor made some rather harsh statements asserting that the SpaceX boss was crazy if he thought that SpaceX would be able to send paying passengers on trips into space. https://bgr.com/2018/11/14/russia-nuke-rocket-spacex-rocket/ Curt Lewis