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Issue link: http://amt.epubxp.com/i/122613
MRO OPERATIONS Av-Reps' in-house technical training programs are recognized by Transport Canada, EASA, FAA, and the Canadian Council for Aviation & Aerospace (CCAA). The CCAA is a Canadian notfor-profit organization that helps business, labor, educators, industry associations, and government agencies address the critical human resource needs for the industry. During an interview, Robert Takacs, vice president sales and marketing, and Paul Redkin, quality manager, commented that Transport Canada was currently in the shop conducting an audit of its training and quality programs. I asked about EASA audits and they said, "Transport Canada auditors were dual qualified and were conducting EASA audits concurrently." Redkin mentions that they always receive high marks from the auditors for their quality and training programs. I asked Av-Reps if their landing gear and component overhaul business came from any particular segment of our industry or geographical location. Takacs says that they receive work from customers as far away as New Guinea and as close as next door at Pearson International. Landing gear and components are overhauled for large commercial carriers and regionals, at about a "40 to 60 percent ratio." The company doesn't specialize in a certain fleet type but being located in Canada, it does a lot of Canadair CRJ 100/200, CRJ 700/900 and is beginning to get a significant amount of Q400 work. Having overhauled more than 100 sets of nose and main landing gears for the DHC-8 establishes Av-Reps as a bit of an expert for MRO on these landing gear. Landing gear maintenance schedules Regional operators have a variety of landing gear maintenance programs. Av-Reps works with its customers and tries to develop an annual paired removal schedule. It also has an exchange and Aircraft On the Ground (AOG) program, and when needed can get a fresh gear out to the customer quickly. When asked about some of the common problems they see in overhaul, Redkin says, "Corrosion is our nemesis and it is problematic for aircraft that fly Caribbean or Pacific routes. Corrosion is often found under bushings and on gland nuts and mating threads and is caused by salt, moisture, and dissimilar metals." According to Av-Reps, "Modern aircraft landing gears are extremely durable and can make about 10-15,000 cycles before they are removed and overhauled." Redkin says that "only about 5 percent of customer gear removals are Aviation Representatives Inc. specializes in component repair and overhaul for regional and larger commercial aircraft. unscheduled. These are usually caused by corrosion, fluid leaks, or cracks. There can be a considerable difference in time and cost between the two scenarios. In unscheduled removals we don't dissemble the gear. We follow the manufacturer's troubleshooting practices until we locate the problem, then stop and implement a repair or component replacement and return the gear to service. Time is money for the regionals and we want to get their gears returned to operating spec and out of the shop as quickly as possible."