mro options for the world's most ubiquitous engine - ABDOnline

Feature| AOG Options
Rolls-Royce celebrated the grand opening of its new
North American Headquarters for On-Wing Care in
Indianapolis, Indiana, with a ribbon cutting ceremony on
June 4th.
[Pictured from Left to Right: Rick Pataky, Director of
Maintenance, On-Wing Care, Rolls-Royce; Marc Drew,
Head of On-Wing Care, Rolls-Royce; Richard G. Smith, III,
Executive Vice President, NetJets; Steve Friedrich, Vice
President - Sales & Marketing, Corporate & Regional
Engines, Rolls-Royce; and Bruce Montigney, Office
Manager, Indianapolis Flight Standards District Office.]
Photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce.
manually, since automated solutions are
available. This tool is a combination of
hardware on the plane and software and
experts on the ground.
This multi-step process does not involve
transmission of engine data while in the air,
explains Rinkevicius. "It acquires the
information through a piece of hardware,
downloads the information when you land, and
then it is analyzed by one of our designated
analysis centers that looks at the actual engine
performance data. What it basically does is it
gives the customer the information to better
manage maintenance decisions."
In order to keep corporate and other
customers flying, Pratt & Whitney maintains
facilities around the world for engine repair and
overhaul. The company also can dispatch
mobile repair team when aircraft are unable to
make it to a repair facility.
TAKING WING
Rolls-Royce, the United Kingdom-based engine
manufacturer, recently opened a new repair
and overhaul facility in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Part of a worldwide network of on-wing care
centers, the new facility is designed to support
both corporate and commercial customers.
The company is building such sites in
response to customer requests. Several years
ago, input from customers convinced the
company of the need for a facilitiy certified to
meet the FAA 14 CFR (Code of Federal
Regulations) Part 145 repair station designation
to handle maintenance requirements after the
sale of an engine, explains Rick Pataky, Director
of Maintenance for Rolls-Royce On-Wing Care
North America. He notes that the intent was to
provide rapid AOG support functions for the
company's customer base.
Pataky adds that since Rolls-Royce
manufactures the engines, it has some
advantages over third-party repair shops. For
one thing, the maintenance personnel can
work closely with the engineering groups that
designed the engine. For another, he points
out that Roll-Royce is a technology company,
which translates into constant efforts to
produce repairs that can be done on-wing with
the aircraft in service. Examples of such
innovations include in-situ, non-destructive
testing, which can help stretch the time
between maintenance to the maximum.
Finally, the company's repair and overhaul
technicians also can benefit from the
information collected through engine health
monitoring systems. That can help spot
problems and schedule corrective action, which
is another way that unproductive time on the
ground can be made as short as possible.
Being ready can reduce the time needed for
repair, says Pataky. "When the airplane lands,
you should have a team of people there with
the tooling and parts for anything that is
predicted."
20 EngineAir Fall 2009 www.abdonline.com
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Photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce.