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Wide Body Mro


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Looks like some of the work is returning to the USA. I wonder if this will spill over into Canada or is most of that work still done in Canada?

AAR sees widebody MRO work returning stateside

By: Jon HemmerdingerWashington DCSource: 8 hours ago

Demand in the USA for MRO work on widebody aircraft is on the rise as airlines increasingly chose to have such work completed stateside, according to MRO service provider AAR.

The company tells Flightglobal that a facility it plans to open in Rockford, Illinois, is being designed specifically to accommodate newer widebody types like Boeing 787s and 777s, and competing products from Airbus.

The focus will be on next-generation widebody aircraft, the Wood Dale, Illinois-based company tells Flightglobal.

AAR, which announced plans for the new 200,000ft2 facility in August, says it expects to break ground this year and complete the site in spring 2016.

The facility will include two 90,000ft2 hangers.

Until recently, AAR says, US carriers often favoured having such widebody MRO work done overseas, typically in countries in Asia and South America.

But airlines are now bringing MRO work back to the USA, due partly to the increasing complexity of the newest aircraft and to rising overseas labor rates, according to the company.

We see that [trend] only continuing, says AAR, noting that its facilities in Indianapolis and Lake Charles (Louisiana) are already seeing more widebody work.

We know the market is out there, AAR insists.

It will be at the Chicago Rockford International airport about 145km (90 miles) west of Chicago OHare International airport a central-US location that the company says should make it convenient for customers.

AAR does not intend the site to siphon work from its other facilities.

Rather, AAR expects work from new widebody customers will keep the Rockford site busy.

The company says it does not have any new customers lined up yet, but that the site is gaining visibility with potential customers.

Like AARs other sites, the Rockford location will provide a range of services, including scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and modification work and interior modifications.

As these new airliners accumulate more miles, we will do more [work] as necessary, says AAR.

asset image

AAR rendering of its Rockford (Illinois) MRO site, scheduled to open in Spring 2016

The Rockford location is being developed by AAR in partnership with the state of Illinois, which has agreed to invest $15 million in construction and $600,000 in employee training.

One benefit of the Rockford site, AAR says, is that it will be designed from scratch for the newest widebody types.

[it] is nice to be involved with the design from the beginning, to make sure everything is state-of- the-art and meets our needs, says AAR.

By comparison, many of AARs six other MRO sites were already operational when AAR acquired them.

For instance, Northwest Airlines previously operated AARs Duluth (Minnesota) facility and United Airlines previously operated its Indianapolis facility, says AAR.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/aar-sees-widebody-mro-work-returning-stateside-403363/

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Guest longtimer

I thought this would be of interest to all who read this thread:

Not familiar with ACT but it appears they are headquartered in the US, have I got that right. If so it then appears they had farmed out their MRO

The incident dates back to 2010

ACT A300's gear collapse traced to undetected fatigue

By: David Kaminski-MorrowLondonSource: in 4 hours

French investigators have determined that fatigue cracking in the undercarriage of an ACT Airlines Airbus A300B4 freighter caused the left main landing-gear to collapse after touchdown in Afghanistan.

The aircraft (TC-ACB) had been arriving at Bagram after a cargo service from Bahrain on 1 March 2010.

Its crew had already been alerted to a possible problem during the visual approach to runway 21 because cockpit indications showed the left main gear was not locked, and an absence of pressure in the green hydraulic system.

The A300 carried out two passes of the airport in order for air traffic controllers to observe the state of the undercarriage. It appeared normal but the pilots opted for a minimum-speed approach at 160kt.

About 18s after touchdown, during braking, the left gear collapsed, says French investigation authority BEA. The A300 departed the runway and came to rest 2,000m beyond the threshold. All five crew evacuated without injury.

BEA says the articulating arm, located at the top of the main gear leg, fractured as a result of fatigue cracking – adding that this fracture “probably” occurred as the gear retracted after take-off, when forces on the component were maximal.

The left gear subsequently deployed under gravity when the undercarriage was extended for landing, leading to a hydraulic leak.

BEA’s inquiry determined that some maintenance tasks on the gear, during its last overhaul at Turkish Technic, were “not completed in the prescribed manner”, but points out that the process layout of the maintenance manual could lead to “misunderstanding” or “omissions” when preparing job cards. Pitting and corrosion in the landing-gear assembly went undetected.

Turkish Technic and landing-gear manufacturer Messier-Bugatti-Dowty subsequently undertook a review of procedures, with Messier and Airbus emphasising the need to apply corrosion protection promptly to parts awaiting plating treatment.

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