CIT joins IAMA

Carlisle Interconnect Technologies (CIT) has joined the Independent Aircraft Modifiers Alliance (IAMA). CIT has developed modification packages and supplemental type certificates (STCs) for airlines; avionics manufacturers; and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) partners for more than 30 years.

IAMA is an alliance of aircraft retrofit and modification companies committed to common standards for STC documentation and quality.

Jeff Behlendorf, CIT’s director of product management, integrated products says, “Our IAMA involvement will allow us to share experience and best practices with the entire industry.”

CIT holds more than 200 STCs to upgrade Part 25 aircraft avionics, systems, and special mission equipment from global regulators. CIT is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 21 Design Approval Holder, has European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 21 Design Organization Approval (DOA), and maintains multiple Part 21 manufacturing locations and Part 145 repair facilities.

AGC invests in Aerospares 2000

Oklahoma-based Acorn Growth Cos. (AGC), a private equity firm investing in aerospace, defense, and intelligence, has acquired majority interest in Aerospares 2000 Ltd., an aftermarket supplier and distributor of rotable parts for commercial aircraft.

Approximately 90% of Watford, England-based Aerospares’ sales support aircraft on ground (AOG) situations globally.

Aerospares’ founder Adam Nemenyi will remain CEO and retain significant ownership in the company.

Aerospares supports more than 350 global customers, including airlines, cargo operators, leasing companies, and MROs. Nemenyi says partnering with AGC “can expand our business and offer enhanced support to our global customer base in our current locations, as well as through geographic expansion.”

Triumph awarded Chinook engine component MRO contract

The U.S. Army awarded Triumph Group’s Integrated Systems business a 5-year maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) contract for indefinite quantity and delivery of engine fuel pump metering units for CH-47 Chinook aircraft with Honeywell Aerospace T55 engines. The approximately $50 million contract lets the Army use Triumph’s fuel pump maintenance and repair station for routine repairs and overhaul services. The repair station serves original engine manufacturers, commercial fleet owners, the U.S. military, and foreign military fleets. 

Berry Aviation maintenance hangar opens in Texas

Berry Aviation Inc. recently opened a 31,400ft² maintenance hangar in San Marcos, Texas. The space includes a 19,300ft² aircraft maintenance area, a 3,500ft² component repair and overhaul area, and a 2,800ft² parts department.

Berry Aviation President and COO Stanley Finch says, “This new hangar adds enough aircraft capacity to give us an estimated 75% increase in hands-on maintenance work [and] aligns well with our extensive list of advanced FAA Part 145 certifications.”

Late in 2019, the company received 10 new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 145 Class Ratings for airframe, powerplant, propeller, and accessories.

“These improvements have increased the company’s ability to add new repair capabilities by tenfold,” Finch says.

Founded in 1983, Berry Aviation was acquired by Acorn Growth Companies in 2018.

Columbia Mfg. adds large-scale CMM

Eastern Connecticut-based turbine engine components manufacturer Columbia Manufacturing Inc. has installed a large-scale Mitutoyo coordinate measuring machine (CMM) to electronically inspect and verify parts up to 5ft x 9ft x 5ft. The investment supports the company’s 30% year-over-year growth in its maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) segment, according to President and CEO Robert Friedland.

Bob Nieszczezewski, CFO and vice president of MRO Operations, adds, “By modernizing operations and incorporating new technologies like the large-scale CMM, we are positioned well for continued growth in both original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and MRO.”

Columbia Manufacturing’s customers include General Electric Aviation, Pratt & Whitney, and the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency. The 100-employee company is also an FAA/EASA certified repair station for military and commercial aviation.