AIRMEC '83

Abstract

The 3rd international Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Exhibition and Congress, AIRMEC 83, was staged in Düsseldorf for the first time. The space‐city style raised walkways, with their oval glass roofing, which link the halls and buildings of the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre, made an appropriate setting for an Exhibition of modern Aerospace technology. The Exhibition occupied a stand space of approximately 3,000 sq. metres. The displays offered a comprehensive picture of current developments in the servicing and overhauling of aircraft of all kinds. AIRMEC 83 attracted exhibitors from 15 countries. Of the 110 companies taking part, 45 were from West Germany. Britain had the second largest group, with 18 stands covering a floor space of 352 m2. Thirteen of the British contingent were grouped together in a British Joint Venture organised by the British Overseas Trade Board. Visiting the various stands, I found that most of the exhibitors were pleased not only with the attendance figures (2,500), but also with the quality of the visitors. Those attending the show came from 34 countries, and were, almost without exception, members of the technical management of their company or were sales executives. More than half were from establishments with more than a thousand employees. However, on the Friday, which was the last day, a number of exhibitors were complaining about the timing of the Conference in relation to the exhibition. The Conference ended on the Thursday lunch‐time, as a result, attendance at the Exhibition was somewhat sparse on the Friday morning and virtually non‐existent in the afternoon. Many exhibitors felt that the Conference should have been spread over the full period of the Exhibition. During the Conference, experts from 10 countries delivered a total of 32 lectures on aircraft maintenance and overhauling. These ranged from a series of lectures on hangars to training of personnel, design of engine maintenance and computer‐aided maintenance and spares management. The knowledge gained was not only of significance for airlines of developing and emerging industrial countries that have no sophisticated maintenance facilities of their own, but also to long‐established airlines. In times of dwindling profits, every airline has to keep a careful eye on possibilities for cutting operating expenditure, whilst at the same time ensuring optimum safety of the aircraft. Through the international exchange of experience and the presentation of new maintenance techniques, AIRMEC greatly contributed to the achievement of this objective.

Citation

SAVAGE, T. (1983), "AIRMEC '83", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 55 No. 6, pp. 2-8. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb035872