SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

MRO NORTH AMERICA 2009
April 21-23, 2009
Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center
Dallas, TX

WHAT HAPPENED AT MRO 2008

AVIATION WEEK’s Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) North America Conference & Exhibition in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, drew record crowds as airlines and MROs gathered to share information and best practices. Green and the current AD compliance issues were at the forefront of conversation.

Jim Ballough, director, Flight Standards Service, FAA, and John Hickey, director, Aircraft Certification Services, FAA, discussed airworthiness directive (AD) compliance issues and Safety Management Systems (SMS) with airlines, services providers and suppliers. Highlights include:

AD compliance issues related to the FAA-mandated audit fall into three categories: 1) outright non-compliance for which aircraft are grounded; 2) perceived compliance, but poor workmanship, which could cause issues such as chafing of the wiring that could result in mandatory groundings; 3) basic compliance, but slight deviations in application need to be examined. Once an issue has been identified, airlines should not continue to operate affected aircraft, said the FAA.
The FAA maintains that overall compliance is at 99%, but airlines are uneasy about the remaining 1%. “We’re just wondering what’s going to happen next,” says Oliver Martins, American Airlines’ engineering, planning and quality assurance chief (Aviation Week & Space Technology, Apr. 21, p. 23).
The FAA is reviewing its AD and self-disclosure processes to see how they can be improved to minimize ambiguities. As in the past, it continues to work with suppliers and airlines during this review.
Companies should implement SMS and known best practices to internally evaluate themselves and ensure safety.
The FAA is reviewing its oversight of suppliers and the routing of Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUPs). Both may result in further hearings from Congress in months to come.

For current figures, data and projections related to MRO, download the “Forecast and Survey Presentation” session given on Tuesday, April 15.

Visit us often for the latest aviation, aerospace and defense news, and for more information on the MRO North America 2008 Conference & Exhibition including photos, blogs and videos. Also visit the AVIATION WEEK MRO Channel. Full coverage of the conference will also be available in the June 2008 issue of Overhaul & Maintenance.