Aerospace in Wales

Citation

Ford, T. (2001), "Aerospace in Wales", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 73 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2001.12773aaf.001

Aerospace in Wales

Aerospace in Wales

Keywords: Wales, Aerospace industry

Organised in co-operation with the Welsh Development Agency (WDA), a recent visit highlighted the growing investment in high technology industries (in this case Aerospace) in various parts of the country. Four major sites were visited and the overriding impression was of increasing employment possibilities in an expanding area of manufacture and overhaul.

More than 100 aerospace companies are based in Wales and the WDA is helping to strengthen the industry further with programmes to assist businesses develop their expertise and adopt best-practice techniques to become suppliers to world-class companies. Two large British Airways facilities were among those visited, the first of these being British Airways Avionic Engineering (BAAE) at Pontyclun.

BAAE provides a one-stop solution for the repair and maintenance of a wide range of electrical, electronic and electro-mechanical components. They are specialists in Boeing and other aircraft and have made a name for themselves for high quality repairs and fast turnaround times, which can be testified by over 100 customers worldwide. Some 300 technicians are employed here with multi-skilling encouraged wherever possible to increase the flexibility and capacity. A key to optimising efficiency with a spares holding of over 40,000 part numbers is the automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS), which can satisfy almost all of the demands from the technicians. To minimise disruption of the repair process, an air tube delivery system is employed to carry spares rapidly and safely to the workshops.

The FAA and JAA approved organisation can deal with types manufactured from the 1970s up to the present. Examples of the latter include TCAS 2 Change 7 and the latest weather radar incorporating windshear detection. For air data systems, flight simulation software has been developed providing continuous improvement of the diagnostic and fault-finding proficiency. For flight management and control, a range of automatic test equipment is available, the product range including cabin pressure controllers, flight management computers, flight recorders and cockpit voice recorders, anti-skid control units, and pressure switches.

Other areas of expertise include navigation, communication and radar. This rapidly changing field is catered for with the ability to maximise component reliability through accurate simulation of operational conditions. Engine/APU control and instrumentation; cockpit displays; electrical systems and aircraft lighting, as well as galley equipment and passenger entertainment systems, are also dealt with.

A recent award to BAAE is a comprehensive five-year maintenance contract for the support of Airbus A320 avionic components from FLS Aerospace. A significant investment in test equipment is part of the Airbus capability programme. There is a close working relationship between BAAE and Sextant and intake of Honeywell (formerly Allied Signal Avionics Division) products is developing. There is a long-term agreement to provide A320/A321 maintenance support on Honeywell's behalf.

A visit was also made to British Airways Maintenance Cardiff (BAMC) at Rhoose. Here, heavy maintenance is undertaken on Boeing 747 and 777 aircraft, primarily British Airways, but other aircraft operators are also dealt with, as appropriate. Four lines of wide body aircraft are overhauled in this fully FAA and JAA approved facility. A typical mix of 747 and 777 aircraft was seen at the time of the visit, the former type undergoing various stages of major servicing, ranging from most of the removable equipment (e.g. seats, flight deck panels) out of the aircraft, to a completely serviced aircraft awaiting delivery to the customer. The BAMC facility, which has been established for some time, is part of the manufacture, supply, maintenance, repair and overhaul organisations that are making Wales a major force in aerospace activities, including refurbishment of interiors and specialist components.

Defence Aviation Repair Agency (DARA)

The re-organised DARA has four sites:

1. 1.

   St Athan;

2. 2.

   Fleetwood;

3. 3.

   Sealand; and

4. 4.

   Almondbank.

St Athan in South Wales is a large, comprehensive facility and is the Head Office of DARA. It brings together for the first time the Ministry of Defence (MoD) deep aviation repair elements for fixed and rotary wing aircraft. The RN and RAF combined their aviation repair sites in 1999 to create the organisation, of which RAF St Athan is an integral part employing some 1,000 service and 3,000 civilian personnel.

The Aircraft Business Unit (ABU) within DARA services more than 440 aircraft annually for the RAF, RN, British Army, Italian Air Force, Royal Saudi Air Force and other governments. The ABU undertakes deep maintenance of types including VC10, Tornado, Hawk, Jaguar, Harrier and Sea Harrier, as well as Lynx, Sea King, Chinook and Gazelle. The facilities for fixed wing aircraft are at St Athan and for rotary wing at Fleetwood. Capabilities include painting and stripping, structural repair and overhaul, dehumidified aircraft storage, and embodiment of modifications across the full spectrum of structural, mechanical, electrical and avionics systems.

The Engine and Components Business Unit (ECBU) provides comprehensive repair, overhaul, maintenance and testing facilities for ten engine families and a wide range of components. The unit has capabilities at St Athan, Almondbank, and Fleetwood, with equipment including NC machining centres and composite repair, welding and heat treatment facilities. There is also the Electronics Business Unit (EBU) avionics department, which provides repair services to component level.

Major Tornado maintenance constitutes one significant aspect of work at St Athan. The concept of process acceleration has been applied, initially in the Tornado F3 Maintenance Facility, with the object of minimising wasted time and resources and reducing turn-round times. The results are being applied to other types at St Athan.

Another major activity at the site in South Wales is the Hawk major airframe replacement programme, the first completed aircraft of which was returned to the RAF in mid-2000. It is part of a large project to extend the life of the Hawk and dates from a decision in the late 1980s to revise the out-of-service date of this aircraft from 1996 to 2010.

It became clear from structural work that fatigue damage would prevent most of the fleet reaching this date. It was decided to replace the aircraft centre and rear fuselage with a new frame, as one of the primary problems was cracking, largely circumferential in nature, around areas of the rear fuselage. A cost-effective structure had to be produced that would have minimal effect on the front fuselage and retain existing systems. A close partnership with the contractor, BEA Systems, was essential and this was complemented by the technical knowledge of the RAF Wyton-based Training Aircraft Integrated Project Team. The process will produce over 20 modified aircraft per year. The flow process proceeds from the RAF station of origin, first to St Athan where the aircraft is prepared, then to BAE Systems where the refit is carried out, then back to St Athan where the aircraft is rebuilt and finally, back to the particular RAF station of origin.

Mention has been made of the ECBU, which at St Athan has some 200 service and civilian staff. About 900 RB199 and 500 Adour modules are dealt with each year. The whole process includes receipt and module strip, the latter section deciding the depth of work which is to be performed. The chemical cleaning plant is the next process, which is a unique facility within the RAF, used to prepare components for non-destructive testing. Methods used include eddy current, magnetic particle inspection and fluorescent dye penetrant. Every component is then inspected, the equipment including a co-ordinate measuring machine which is accurate to 1.8 microns. Next, all the inspected and repaired parts are assembled into kits ready for assembling into modules. Modules are then returned ready for despatch to the customer. In addition to the module work, complete engines are also built, primarily for the Red Arrows, but also to support RAF Coltishall and RAF Valley for Jaguar and Hawk aircraft.

In addition, continuous improvements have been made, a typical saving being an 80 per cent reduction in turn-round time on various components. These have included the Tornado secondary power system and involve dismantling and reassembling the gearboxes. This involves six sub-assemblies: and 20 sub-components attached to the gearboxes, using over 400 self-locking nuts. More rapid techniques have been devised which save an hour on each gearbox, resulting in a saving of over £3,000 annually. A good example of process acceleration, referred to earlier, is the reduction of 11 weeks to less than one in the turn-round times of the Tornado main fuel control unit on the main assembly line's work. This has been accomplished by introducing parallel processing, thereby minimizing wasted time.

A joint venture

The other organisation visited was Nordam Europe at Blackwood, which is a joint venture between the US-based Nordam Group and GE Aircraft Engine Services. The Nordam Group leads in the repair and overhaul of fan reversers, nose cowls and fan cowls, and flight controls, while GEAES is notable in the overhaul of aircraft engines. In 1997, Nordam opened its second largest bonding operation in the world at Blackwood, which repairs and overhauls jet engine nacelle systems and engine components, including nose cowls, thrust reversers, exhaust components and controls. It also refurbishes eroded and delaminated metal or composite skins, and replaces worn and damaged structures with new materials.

Types of engines catered for include CF6, RB211, JT9D, CFM56 and V2500. Initially, the company obtained the bulk of its work from GEAES customers but the Nordam customer base is expanding rapidly and the company now handles outsourced maintenance for FedEx, Sabena, South African Airways, Air France and Airtours, among other airlines and cargo-carrying companies. since the company began operating in Wales, growth has been rapid, not least because of its capability to undertake majors on site and replace components from its own stocks. Optimism for the future is reflected in all of the aerospace facilities in Wales.

Terry Ford