Lockheed Martin C-130 Maintenance Facility Is An Aviation Dream Center

Aerospace flies high in BC


Image by BC Gov Photos

Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Pat Bell comments on the job creating power of the aerospace industry in British Columbia along with Mark Van Rooij, Chief Executive Officer and President of AvCorp. Industries Inc. and Cathy Hawkins, senior manager, Boeing.

To read more, visit: www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2012/09/aerospace-is-flying-high-i…

Everyone from aerospace industry veterans, to hobby aircraft enthusiasts, can appreciate impressive technology when they see it. The Lockheed Martin c130 maintenance center at Cascade Aerospace, is the perfect example of a facility that was built to not only perform its job as an efficient and accessible c130 maintenance hub, but to leave visitors and customers awestruck. It’s all about the sheer size, cutting-edge technology and organized systems, which go into the daily procedures, at this state of the art aircraft base.

Cascade Aerospace is a full service, third party aircraft fleet management firm. They are the solution of choice for managing complex, long-term and integrated aircraft service support programs. Their clients include government, military, OEM and commercial customers. Cascade has a satellite operation in Trenton, ON, located on the Canadian Forces base, to provide c 130j and c130 maintenance services for the Department of National Defence.

The c130 maintenance facility itself is 230 000 square feet. That’s enough space to house eight narrow bodied aircrafts. The center was built in 2000, and it’s located within the Abbotsford International Airport, with airside access. The workshop runs as efficiently as aircrafts after being serviced at Cascade. The facility has many built in efficiencies including:

Hanger floor computers for quick access to technical data and parts ordering for c130 maintenance.

Automated tool and parts delivery to the shop floor

Bar-coded time and material management programs. 

Vending machines that allocate consumables to each job. 

Overhead cranes to easily remove tails, engines and stabilizers

Support shops including: avionics, electronics, machine shop, structures, paint shop, component repair and overhaul. 

The c130 maintenance company, Cascade Aerospace offers a full range of aerospace services. Program management for example, has Cascade acting as the single point of accountability and customer interface, providing: integrated governance, project management, airworthiness management and fleet management. This branch of c130 maintenance ensures that the customer meets all schedule, price and quality requirements. Much more goes into the effective running of an aircraft fleet than can be imagined but the staff, in combination with a top notch c130 maintenance center; guarantee the smooth and streamlined operations of an aircraft fleet.

Aircraft modification is another specialty service offered by Cascade Aerospace. In addition to c130 maintenance, the firm can perform: major or minor aircraft modifications, structural refurbishment, center wing box replacements, avionics upgrades, interior installations, reconfigurations, and aircraft re-engining programs.

Cascade are specialists at c130 maintenance but they are also about extending the aircraft service life, reducing operational costs, and enhancing operational capabilities for their client’s fleet. Their reputation for providing the best solutions, while working actively with clients, is why the aerospace community is growing up under their wing. Both the Abbotsford International Airport, and city of Abbotsford, British Columbia have partnered with Cascade Aerospace to continue supporting and growing the aerospace industry in British Columbia. With c130 maintenance programs, fleet and program management, this is an aerospace facility that is sure to impress any aviation enthusiast.

Cascade Aerospace Inc. is a dynamic, privately-held Canadian specialty aerospace and defence contractor focused on providing long-term integrated aircraft support programs for Original Equipment Manufacturers [OEMs], military, government and commercial customers. For more information please visit www.cascadeaerospace.com.

The Company That Engineer Innovative Aviation Solutions

Soyuz TMA12M Launch, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan (NASA, International Space Station, 03/25/14)


Image by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
Editor’s note: Happy Monday, Flickr friends! Here’s a pretty morsel of eye-candy to start the day, and wishing you a great week ahead.

One of the three Expedition 39 crew members currently onboard the International Space Station photographed this image of the departure from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 21:18:03 GMT, March 25 (March 26, Kazakh time) of two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut in the Soyuz TMA12M. Inside the space station were Expediton 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin and NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, both flight engineers. Inside the Soyuz on route to meet the present inhabitants was another Expedition 39 trio — Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of Rosmosmos and Flight Engineers Steve Swanson of NASA and Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos.

Image credit: NASA

Original image:
www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2explore/13453283564/in/set-721…

More about space station research:
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html

View more photos like this in the "NASA Earth Images" Flickr photoset:
www.flickr.com/photos/28634332@N05/

________________________________

These official NASA photographs are being made available for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photographs. The photographs may not be used in materials, advertisements, products, or promotions that in any way suggest approval or endorsement by NASA. All Images used must be credited. For information on usage rights please visit: www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelin…

Excellence within the aviation services industry means meeting the client’s specific requirements with precision targeted, state-of-the-art solutions that enhance their operational capacities. Leaders in innovation, Cascade Aerospace have developed a reputation for surpassing industry standards by collaborating with some of the most recognized companies in the aerospace and aviation field to help clients maintain superior levels of operational functionality.

Headquartered in Abbotsford, BC, Cascade Aviation partners with pioneering military, OEM and commercial customers in the process of managing complex long-term integrated aircraft service support programs. With over 500 employees, Cascade offers the certified expertise to engineer aviation solutions that reflect the company’s exceptional dedication to operational excellence.

That commitment also carries over into the management team, who lead their field with over 100 years of combined experience within the aviation and aerospace industries.

The company acts as the customer interface hub for all operational planning within the field of project management. Their project management office works directly with their clients to apply best-in-class solutions to help increase their operational availability. These solutions are custom designed to meet the client’s pricing, scheduling and quality requirements.

As the recognized leader in strategic fleet management, Cascade’s expert services help companies to assess the performance of their aircrafts. Through detailed performance monitoring and co-ordination, the company can ensure their clients get the best out of their resources. They also conduct in-depth annual and long-term planning in regards to the optimal operating, engineering, use of materials and maintenance scheduling for the clients’ fleet in order to increase their operational availability.

Cascade’s aviation experts provide a plethora of services to help clients meet their operational requirements, including custom product design, manufacturing and certification. With a 30-year history of developing and obtaining airworthiness approvals for major aircraft modifications, the expert team of aviation engineers at Cascade is widely experienced in all areas aerospace maintenance. This extensive maintenance background includes years of experience repairing aircraft structures, systems, avionics, interiors, in addition to electrical and flight analysis instruments.

Through their premium integrated logistics services, Cascade helps clients identify and resolve support resource inadequacies within their systems performance during the in-use phase of aviation equipment. Their aviation engineers work to spot systems weaknesses prior to symptoms or supply chain failures materializing, so that structural integrity and optimal operating capacity are meticulously maintained.

Additionally, each aviation engineer within the Cascade Aerospace team is an expert at forecasting critical systems needs. This means that the company can develop targeted inspection programs for the various parts of the plane, such as the airframe, major systems and components. This intensive inspection process helps to optimize spare part location as well as material costs and ensures that operations are streamlined by applying a scientific discipline to work scheduling and spare parts delivery for a more effective means of achieving long term planning cycle and annual operating requirements.

Cascade Aerospace Inc. is a dynamic, privately-held Canadian specialty aerospace and defence contractor focused on providing long-term integrated aircraft support programs for Original Equipment Manufacturers [OEMs], military, government and commercial customers.

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U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement

Big Sky, Big Face Shot


Image by Zach Dischner

I just got back from a week on the beach for spring break, but before those pics go out, I have to post from a trip I took a trip to Big Sky, Montana for a week in the begining of March to give a talk at the IEEE Aerospace conference there about my engineering project, DayStar. Which is awesome, because it pretty much was designed to work around the skiing time!

This shot was taken 2 days after snow fell. 2 DAYS AFTER! Big Sky is awesome. The mountain is HUGE! And hat some massive lines. I was legitimately scared shitless of some of the runs on the top of the tram, something I haven’t felt in Summit County for quite a long time. And there is fresh snow everywhere! There are never lift lines, so you don’t need to do an alpine start to get a run in fresh snow like you do half the time at Vail (sorry Vail. you rock, but its true). 2 days after the last morsel of snow fell we were still finding great snow and steep skiable lines. Here are a few from my favorite fresh-snow vantage I could find.

And yes, I know its crooked. I almost missed him zooming by. I was set up, but had no idea he (my nerd buddy Kevin) was coming down, so this was a purely blind reflex shot.

Check out the Big Sky Blog Post: 2manventure for more pics!

More Places to find me: Zach Dischner Photography | 500px
Blog: 2manventure

In the late 1990’s, NAFTA was a trigger that motivated aerospace industry manufacturers take to look at Mexico. Multi-national businesses and mid-sized industry suppliers saw the inherent the advantages of considering cost-effective Mexican locations from which to service global markets. As a result, aerospace manufacturing in Mexico has undergone extensive growth in the last 20 years, and it continues to grow today.

Since 2004, the number of aerospace manufacturers in Mexico has ascended from about 100 to over 300. Today, just about every element of a plane can be assembled in Mexico. The Mexican Government has also established a multifaceted, robust plan that aims to amplify and advance the country’s aerospace design, development, and engineering yield, highlighting the appealing cost of Mexican labor.

The U.S. and Mexican governments recognized the emerging trend toward multinational design, production, and interchange of civil aeronautical products, prompting a desire to promote aviation safety and environmental quality while recognizing common concerns for the safe operation of public aircraft. As a result, on September 18, 2007, Mexico and the United States signed a bilateral aviation safety agreement (BASA) in Montreal, Canada.

What is the ‘BASA’?

The Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement, or BASA, is a part of the International Open Skies Policy initiative. The U.S. and Mexico labored together for more than three years to finish this agreement. The BASA removes authorization measures for certain items that are related to the aeronautical industry in both countries. It is the reciprocated acknowledgement by the countries’ civil aeronautical authorities of certifications of aeronautical products, in turn promoting safety and environmental objectives. The Mexican Senate approved the agreement on October 8, 2009.

The application of the BASA assists the supply operations to aircraft manufacturers and their clients. One effect of the agreement is that it helps to reduce costs: the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) no longer needs to re-authorize certifications carried out by the Mexican Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC). The FAA and the DGAC determined that the aircraft certification methods of each authority for the design and production approval, airworthiness certification, and ongoing airworthiness of the civil aeronautical products, parts, and equipment, are satisfactorily analogous in composition and presentation to sustain Implementation Procedures. The Implementation Procedures are based on a high level of mutual confidence in the FAA’s and DGAC’s procedural capability and regulatory competence to perform these tasks. As a result, Mexico’s aeronautical authority is now allowed to certify parts, components, and aeronautical systems. They can even complete aircrafts manufactured and assembled in Mexico that are intended for the U.S. and other aerospace markets. This improvement removes a step in the supply-chain, as products no longer have to be examined internationally before being shipped off to assembly companies, saving time and money.

How does it affect Aerospace Manufacturer in Mexico?

The BASA removes obstacles for an industry wanting to outsource production to Mexico. It contains provisions that will let manufacturers verify and transport machinery directly from Mexican factories, rather than sending them back to the U.S. for conclusion and security checks, therefore avoiding expensive re-certifications or secondary reviews. The BASA reduced costs particularly for companies importing parts and components to be transformed into systems and aircraft portions.

Results of BASA:

• The growth of the industry and the creation of jobs.

• Enhances the safety of air transport between the U.S. and Mexico.

• Reduces regulatory burdens for airlines and aviation authorities of both countries.

• Eliminates a step in the supply-chain since products no longer have to be inspected international before being shipped off the assembly companies.

• Reduces costs for both the governments and the manufacturers.

The Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement between the U.S. and Mexico has further expanded Mexico’s aerospace industry. This is another major step between the two governments to increase commercial cooperation while increasing security and safety standards.

 Steven is the director of corporate marketing for the Tucson, Arizona-based Offshore Group. The Offshore Group has enabled businesses to establish and start-up low-cost and low-risk operations since 1986 Steve has been working in the area of U.S. -Mexico manufacturing and trade for the past twenty years, and is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese Manufacturing in Mexico , Mexico Shelter Companies

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Opportunities & Future in Aviation & Aerospace Industry

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center: View of south hangar, including B-29 Superfortress “Enola Gay”, a glimpse of the Air France Concorde, and many others


Image by Chris Devers

Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Boeing B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay":

Boeing’s B-29 Superfortress was the most sophisticated propeller-driven bomber of World War II and the first bomber to house its crew in pressurized compartments. Although designed to fight in the European theater, the B-29 found its niche on the other side of the globe. In the Pacific, B-29s delivered a variety of aerial weapons: conventional bombs, incendiary bombs, mines, and two nuclear weapons.

On August 6, 1945, this Martin-built B-29-45-MO dropped the first atomic weapon used in combat on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, Bockscar (on display at the U.S. Air Force Museum near Dayton, Ohio) dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. Enola Gay flew as the advance weather reconnaissance aircraft that day. A third B-29, The Great Artiste, flew as an observation aircraft on both missions.

Transferred from the United States Air Force.

Manufacturer:
Boeing Aircraft Co.
Martin Co., Omaha, Nebr.

Date:

1945

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Dimensions:

Overall: 900 x 3020cm, 32580kg, 4300cm (29ft 6 5/16in. x 99ft 1in., 71825.9lb., 141ft 15/16in.)

Materials:

Polished overall aluminum finish

Physical Description:

Four-engine heavy bomber with semi-monoqoque fuselage and high-aspect ratio wings. Polished aluminum finish overall, standard late-World War II Army Air Forces insignia on wings and aft fuselage and serial number on vertical fin; 509th Composite Group markings painted in black; "Enola Gay" in black, block letters on lower left nose.

As flights have become a viable option for people with new airline companies offering affordable tickets, the airline industry has boomeranged. In recent days, the aviation industry is going through a very difficult time. According to the recent reports, the airline industry today is positioned for a big turnaround.

With the increasing demand of low cost carriers and business jets in Asia and Latin America there are many unique and exciting positions available in the Aviation field. The leading market of Asia and the Latin America is making a sizable impact in passengers carried with a 6% growth rate forecast. Obviously this expanding growth will also generate the demand for new Aircraft which itself will guarantee significant jobs in the airline industry.

One career that many think of when they talk is an airline pilot. Pilots are responsible for the safety of the flight and the passengers, so Pilot jobs are always very demanding. Those who are interested in adding wings to their career, Air Cargo Jobs can be a good option for them.

Pilot can be defined as the focal point of air crew. On the other hand, Air hostesses and flight attendants can be termed as the face of airlines. They mainly look after the hospitality and comfort aspects of the passengers. A graduate in any discipline with an additional degree/diploma in Hotel Management or Tourism are certain characteristics associated with this profession. Choosing this career is really exciting which allows meeting many people and traveling many places around the world.

To keep pace with the increase in operation of Aviation Services, many new and larger airports are being constructed. It has created immense job opportunities for interested people in pursuing ground duties.

Aerospace sector is the closely related sector to aviation which deals with design, development, manufacturing and maintenance of all types of flying vehicles. It is a very advanced high tech industry. The need for expert O&M aerospace manpower is also increasing.

Air Traffic controllers have important jobs in the aviation and aerospace industry and they have the responsibility of communication with pilots and making sure that landings and takeoffs occur as smoothly as possible. It includes some other career building fields like flight engineers, avionics technicians, avionics technologists, and even astronauts.

With the airline industry back on the upswing, finding a job within the industry has become much easier than it was in the past. Aviation jobs have become a commonplace on the Internet. An online aviation job board is the quickest way to find a position within the aviation industry.

http://www.aviationexchange.com/

James is a freelance content writer and an Aviation Industry expert. He provides free consultation over Aviation Jobs opportunities of 21st century. He is also well known for his writing on Aviation Products and Aviation Services.

Opportunities & Future in Aviation & Aerospace Industry