Winter 2006/ Spring 2007

Big contract for Ludwigsfelde

MTU Aero Engines Holding AG Dachauer Straße 665 ■ Technology + Science ■ Customers + Partners ■ Anecdotes 80995 • Tel. +49 89 1489-0 Fax +49 89 1489-5500 www.mtu.de Lightweight champ goes New sound in the Aviator glasses – from eye into production skies over Neuburg protector to cult object Contents Cover Story Editorial Big contract for Ludwigsfelde 4 - 7

Technology + Science

Dear Readers: Promising flight control computer 8 - 9 Lightweight champ goes into production 10 - 11 Unlike some other industries, is a While we are enthused with our recent long-horizon business reckoning not so much achievements, we are not content to rest on in terms of days and months but rather years our laurels. The pressure is on to verify and MTU Global and decades. Aircraft and engines remain in reverify whether our processes and struc- Big contract for Ludwigsfelde service for decades before they need replac- tures are up-to-date. In aerospace, perhaps Massive order for MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg: ing. Success and the fruits of labor are simi- more so than elsewhere, standing still means German content 12 - 13 Air Wisconsin has the CF34 engines of its CRJ200 fleet larly slow to mature. That is typical also of falling behind. That is why we have begun to repaired by MTU. MTU. Yet the last six months have seen a again scrutinize the company for weaknesses Page 4 number of welcome exceptions to the rule. and potential improvements and have al- Customers + Partners ready initiated first actions. That is the only For one, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Branden- way to remain a major-league player and Lightweight champ burg at Ludwigsfelde has scored the largest offer our customers optimum products and New sound in the skies over Neuburg 14 - 17 goes into production CF34 deal in its history when the respected services at reasonable prices. That basic Research pays dividends: Atlas Air – Call sign: Giant 18 - 19 U.S. carrier Air Wisconsin awarded it a sole- truth has been guiding MTU Aero Engines MTU Aero Engines special- source contract to repair and overhaul the en- from day one and will be motivating it also in ists develop new lightweight gines of its entire 70-unit fleet of Bombardier the years ahead. blade material. Products CRJ200 regional twinjets. Page 10 Next, MTU has managed to contract with Passing grades 20 - 23 for a stake in the F414 Repair on a rough sea 24 - 25 engine. For us, that is a strategically momen- tous event marking the company’s entry into the lucrative U.S. defense business. Beyond Udo Stark Reports that, we are presently examining our options Chief Executive Officer to expand our foothold in the U.S. military market. Jigsaw puzzle of a thousand pieces 26 - 29

Retired engine, a gold mine 30 - 31 There is good news for the GP7000 engine to power the A380, too. After several program slips, the mega-transport has made Anecdotes its first GP7000-powered flight. For the en- gine and for MTU, that marks a landmark New sound in the skies over Neuburg milestone on its path to entry into service. Aviator glasses – from eye protector to cult object 32 - 35 Quantum leap at Fighter Wing 74: Eurofighter replaces Phantom, catapulting the military airfield into the next Last but not least, MTU Maintenance millennium. Hannover in Langenhagen has delivered the News 36 - 39 Page 14 first PW6000 production engine. It was Masthead 39 handed over in end-August to representa- tives of our long-standing partner Pratt & Aviator glasses – Whitney. from eye protector to cult object All of this witnesses that we are now har- The fascination of flying: vesting the fruits of strategic decisions we How aviation pioneers made in the past several years. Those fruits triggered new fashion benefit not only the group’s Munich head- trends and aviator glasses quarters but equally its affiliates elsewhere. became everyday acces- sories. Page 32

2 REPORT REPORT 3 Cover Story Big contract for Ludwigsfelde

By Silke Dierkes

When Kevin Gordon, powerplant operations director at Air Wisconsin, received the test run data from the first CF34 shipped to Ludwigsfelde, he was pleased with the post shop visit performance. Not that Air Wisconsin would have expected otherwise. Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation (AWAC), the largest privately held regional airline in the U.S., has joined the customer list of MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg, awarding the shop the largest CF34 order in its history. The airline contracted to have the CF34-3B1 engines of its entire 70-unit Bombardier CRJ200 fleet repaired and overhauled at Ludwigsfelde.

In end-July, the transatlantic cooperation service: “The short turnaround times, highly long-term contract accentuates our stand- MTU’s integrated engine services cover all was cemented with a ten-year contract skilled workforce, great workmanship and ing as one of the leading CF34 maintenance, options from the work in the shop to on- worth 240 million euros. Planned are as the company’s carefree program package repair and overhaul (MRO) providers. In Air wing repair and the leasing of replacement many as 300 shop visits, all to be processed have tipped the scales in favor of MTU.” Wisconsin we’ve won a highly successful air- engines. “We put a high priority on being within MTU’s proverbially short lead times line customer. It has our uncompromising available to our customer around the clock despite the overseas shipping they involve. Carrying six million passengers a year, the support, and we’ll do whatever we can to every day of the year,” emphasizes André airline puts a high priority on reliability and keep it on its successful track.” Wall, president and CEO of MTU’s affiliate at The debut of an AWAC CF34 in the MTU safety. For Gordon, those are the prime Ludwigsfelde. Helping to win the contract shop constituted a grand vote of confi- requirements for the engines. “We’re experi- Jointly with Air Wisconsin, MTU’s mainte- also were MTU’s innovative proprietary dence: Air Wisconsin has already shipped its encing very low removal rates on our nance specialists meticulously crafted a tai- repair techniques. For the new customer, first CF34 to Germany for overhaul without engines,” he emphasizes. Air Wisconsin’s lor-made maintenance concept. “It’s a they were a compelling business case: prior capability test. “I was very impressed engine fleet indeed is one of the most reli- unique mix of various modules that helps us repairing comes a lot cheaper than buying with the workmanship, commitment to able among CF34 operators. All the more minimize exposure to unscheduled repairs pricey replacement parts. excellence as well as the overall engineering reason for the Ludwigsfelde people to wel- and stabilize prices without sacrificing flexi- capabilities at MTU,” says Gordon. Christine come the new shop visitors. Bernd Kessler, bility,” explains Kurt Jensen, MTU’s U.S. The CF34 is one of the practically unchallenged best- selling engines in its class. Globally, several thousand Deister, executive vice president and CFO, president and CEO commercial mainte- sales director for the CF34. CF34s are in revenue service, and thousands again lauds MTU’s firm commitment to superior nance at MTU Aero Engines, notes: “This are still on the order books.

4 REPORT REPORT 5 Cover Story

Fan blade assembly requires focused concentration Visual inspections, like the one here made on a Before the engine goes into the test cell, it needs and accuracy. CF34’s compressor, remain an important quality rigging in a special room. assurance tool.

At Ludwigsfelde, people are not new to the Bombardier and jets. Customers August 23 of that year, it started operating business: some 25 customers from across appreciate the engine because of its low from the Outagamie County Regional Airport the globe are shipping their CF34 workhorses noise level and emissions. MTU’s mainte- on the outskirts of Appleton, flying a few for rejuvenation to MTU Maintenance Berlin- nance segment is well positioned to compete DeHavilland Doves to Chicago in neighboring Brandenburg, Air Wisconsin being the first in that growth market. Its engine portfolio in- Illinois. Today, AWAC’s planes take off 500 U.S. airline customer among them to sign up cludes all models of the best-selling engine: times a day on a route network extending for a fleet contract. The North American mar- the CF34-3, -8 and -10. The Ludwigsfelde over the entire Northeastern ket is of strategic significance, since this is people have been supporting the CF34-3 and Canada, serving 70 destinations for US where about 70 percent of all CF34 engines since early 2002; for the CF34-8, the fastest- Airways Express. Appleton has since been are flying. The General Electric engine family growing member of the family, they received struck from the route line-up but remains the is among the most popular in its class and repair station authority in 2006, and prepa- company’s headquarters. Air Wisconsin had powers regional and business jets like the rations for the youngest sibling, the CF34-10, come into its own as a regional feeder carrier Canadair CRJ100/200, -700, -900, Chal- are already underway. for United Airlines, for which it still provides lenger 604/605 and Embraer 170/175/ ground services in 21 U.S. cities. Air 190/195. Appleton, Wisconsin-based AWAC is not a Wisconsin’s growth was accelerated by newcomer to commercial aviation. The re- mergers with Mississippi Valley Airlines in On 50-seat aircraft, the CF34 has already gional carrier was established in 1965 as an 1985 and Aspen Airways in 1991. taken the lead, and it will be the sole power- upstart carrier in Wisconsin, a state with a plant on all future 70- and 100-seat large population of ethnic Germans. On

Air Wisconsin serves 70 destinations for US Airways Express. A CF34 in the test cell of MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg at Ludwigsfelde.

“In our long history, we’ve flown a number of of good engine reliability with the CF34 and different airplanes,” recalls Stan Petersen- not managing our own MRO shop really has Gauthier, vice president of financial planning cut down our administrative burden.” On the and analysis. In the early 80’s, Air Wisconsin maintenance side, the fleet’s CF34 engines was the U.S. launch customer for the British are in good hands with MTU. Aerospace BAe 146. These four-engine jets served short- to medium-haul markets. “This aircraft was in service with us for 23 years and was recently retired. We accomplished all of our own repair and overhaul work onsite and gained valuable experience with engine program management with the BAe For additional information, contact fleet. Many of the successes we enjoyed with Jörg Witaseck this program were rolled into our CF34 fleet +49 3378 824-570 management philosophy,” notes Gordon. The For interesting multimedia services associ- present all-CRJ fleet of 70 aircraft affords a ated with this article, go to: notable advantage: “The combined benefits http://www.mtu.de/206Contract

6 REPORT REPORT 7 Technology + Science Promising flight control computer

By Robert Wouters

In a first for Germany’s leading engine manufacturer, MTU Aero Engines has developed a flight con- trol computer (FCC) for use on EADS’s Barracuda UAV demonstrator. While the unmanned aerial vehicle performed brilliantly on its maiden flight, it crashed upon approach during its second attempt. Mishaps of this sort can never be entirely excluded from consideration in the early flight test phase. EADS will continue its UAV activities as planned. MTU Aero Engines, too, will help the project to progress and is already working on FCC enhancements. Modular construction designed for optimum configurability: the plug-in modules Mega-amounts of know-how on the PCB, high performance, but still of the Barracuda FCC. cost-optimized.

The small military reconnaissance aerial oped jointly with EADS in three years of tems rank among the best money can buy. A typical showpiece of MTU’s control capa- cence: should at some later date some of pects: “The modular construction enables its vehicle made its debut at this year’s ILA air- project work. He is confident “that MTU will With its new flight computer, MTU demon- bilities is its digital engine control and moni- today’s electronic components be no longer deployment on other aircraft as well, also show in Berlin. After that, Andreas Danier, become a welcome partner also in UAV strates that a long background and compe- toring unit (DECMU) for the EJ200 engine. “It available, this would by no means necessi- manned. That’s what we gather from our who heads up new business development, flight controls”. The company has already tency in the conventional area can indeed has demonstrated our world-class talent in tate costly redevelopment. talks with many system manufacturers.” advanced military engines at MTU, can made a name for itself worldwide in aircraft be infused into other, similar systems. developing this technology,” emphasizes afford to be less tight-lipped about the flight engine control and monitoring systems, a Robert Hierlwimmer, senior manager, elec- Impressive also is the short lead time; MTU Apart from the FCC, MTU has still further control computer (FCC) the company devel- technology underlying the FCC. These sys- tronic accessory development at MTU. “And has built three flight control computers that content on the Barracuda; it develops and the company’s inherent expertise in elec- passed EADS’s acceptance tests without manufactures the exhaust nozzle. Since the tronics manufacturing and packaging tech- requiring appreciable modifications. 18 nozzle is part of the airframe, not the engine, niques also helped to meet the FCC chal- months from the project launch, a flightwor- it called for a separate design. The experi- lenges.” thy C-model was delivered to EADS. For mental aerial vehicle is powered by a Pratt & Hierlwimmer, there is little doubt: “We’d like Whitney Canada JT15D engine. MTU has What makes the FCC so very special is its to see the FCC go into production.” The fact helped in the definition of the engine require- modularity and flexible configurability. In the that EADS has already placed a follow-on ments and integration of the engine in the close-to-production specimen, triplicate order for the software to be raised up one aircraft. lanes with three electronic modules each are safety category is augured as a favorable processing the customer-furnished applica- omen. For additional information, contact tion software for the flight maneuvers. A fail- Andreas Danier safe module secures the power supply. The Naturally, MTU will not be content to lever- +49 89 1489-2571 computer module receives the sensor data, age present achievements only in the UAV To download images associated with the flight program commands and the data arena, although that is a rapidly growing mar- this article, go to: from the other constituents of the flight elec- ket. Danier is upbeat about the FCC’s pros- http://www.mtu.de/206FCCE tronics, compares and processes them and The demonstrator’s faultless performance during the on this basis computes the control com- Power for the demonstrator: Pratt & Whitney Canada’s JT15D engine. first flight could not be repeated on its second. mands for the unmanned combat aerial vehi- cle (UCAV). The input/output (I/O) module then relays them to the actuator systems to initiate the flight maneuvers.

In their design work, the developers had bet on adaptability, cost-effective construction and hardwired individual program routines written specifically for the application. That satisfied the engineering specifications and provided a cost-effective solution compared with earlier system concepts. The modular construction and configurability of the FCC appreciably reduce the exposure to obsoles-

8 REPORT REPORT 9 Technology + Science “Its outstanding property is its low density, which makes it just about seven percent lighter than comparable alloys,” explains Dr. Lightweight champ goes into production Stefan Weber, who supervises commercial program development at MTU. “The low den- sity not only translates into lower blade By Nicole Geffert weight, it also puts less load on the rotor disk, permitting us to slim it down. Even the When the A380 mega-transport in August took off for the first time with the GP7000 on-wing, it casing section can be reduced because the carried a special lightweight aloft: LEK94, a novel material MTU Aero Engines had developed for use loads to be contained are lower.” in turbine rotor blades and nozzle vanes. With this innovation, the MTU specialists struck an opti- mum balance between lightweight construction and heat resistance. After its successful debut in the Such outstanding properties also convinced GP7000, LEK94 now is headed for production use in further engine programs. MTU’s partner: in April 2005, LEK94 passed the demanding technology readiness review Put to test in searing heat: LEK94 undergoing thermo-mechanical testing. at Pratt & Whitney (P&W). A nod came also from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administra- To create a new material, an enormous de- team that readied the new material for pro- tion (FAA), whose stringent safety criteria velopment effort and massive, protracted duction use. The MTU experts minimized the LEK94 had met. This is the first time an MTU research is needed. To be successful, spe- content of heavy, heat-resistant, pricey and material has been approved for use in a P&W cialty metals engineers need outstanding rare materials like rhenium, tungsten and engine and in the U.S. expertise and staying power, a feeling for tantalum. That saved weight and cost and emerging trends, and the lucky ability to made LEK94 relatively affordable. The mate- After its successful debut in the GP7000, fur- launch their innovation in a program at just rial is readily producible and castable. ther applications loom on the horizon: LEK94 the right time. The hurdles to take before is envisaged for use in the intermediate-pres- their material makes it into production are The metal was patented in 2001. It was put sure turbine rotor blades of the TP400-D6 to high indeed. MTU’s materials engineers to its first crucial test as a rotor blade mate- power the Airbus A400M military transport nonetheless decided to develop their own rial in the low-pressure turbine of the ATFI and has already passed pertinent tests. blade material—LEK94—rather than choose among commercially available metals.

“Advanced efficient turbine concepts de- mand low weight and high speeds,” explains Dr. Jörg Eßlinger, who heads materials engi- neering at MTU. “To keep centrifugal forces low, blades must be lightweight construc- tions. Additionally, the searing turbine tem- peratures demand highly temperature-resist- ant materials. There is no lack of expensive, heavy high-end materials available for sale, but their thermal and strength potentials often are more than what is needed.”

The new material from MTU’s laboratories was to be lightweight, affordable and yet

resistant to the heat prevailing in a turbine. Setting global benchmarks: the GP7000’s low-pressure turbine, before complex test wiring is removed. While this may sound like trying to square the circle, it didn’t keep MTU’s materials demonstrator. A year later, the project “Potentially, the forward rotor blade and noz- engineers ten years ago from plunging into gained momentum when LEK94’s deploy- zle vane rows of nearly all MTU low- and the development of a material that was to be ment in the GP7000 seemed indicated. “A intermediate-pressure turbines could be in LEK94. From 1994 to 1998 they and their new blade material needs to undergo harsh LEK94,” says an upbeat Eßlinger. partners in academe and industry puzzled testing to validate it for production use. over the new under national publicly That’s why for us it was imperative to get the sponsored research programs. new metal into the GP7000 engine tests,” Mack remembers. For additional information, contact “LEK94 is a single-crystal nickel-base super- Dr. Thomas Mack alloy, which puts it into the group of metallic Until 2005, Mack’s team worked meticulously +49 89 1489-6635 materials for maximum service tempera- to ready the material for production use. To download images associated with tures,” explains Dr. Thomas Mack, the high- LEK94 passed material, component and this article, go to: temperature materials maven overseeing the engine tests with flying colors. http://www.mtu.de/206LEK94E

10 REPORT REPORT 11 MTU Global and more capable successor to the F/A-18 Hornet. The U.S. Navy fielded it in November 1999, and meanwhile more than 250 of the 550 aircraft on order have entered service. Soon, it will be joined by an electronic war- fare version dubbed “Growler”. In all, the F414 will be around for quite some time.

“2.5 percent doesn’t sound like much, but the F414 is a huge program. MTU expects its F414 sales to total around 500 million euros over the next 20 years,” figures Andreas Danier, who heads new business develop- ment, advanced military engines and is responsible for such acquisitions at MTU. He wants to expand that business segment: “For A powerhouse: F414-GE-400 us, this new contract is a first step. We’re : 97.9 kN reheated, 55.6 kN dry continuing discussions with General Electric Airflow: 77.1 kg/s (GE) and are seeking an up to ten percent Length: 3,912 mm stake in the near term. What we’re after is Diameter: 889 mm sophisticated items where MTU can lever- Dry weight: 1,120 kg age its technological lead position. Take : 30:1 blisks, for instance.” Configuration: three-stage low-pressure compressor, seven-stage high- pressure compressor, , high- and low-pressure Coming into focus also are further military turbines (both single-stage), GE programs, as well as new F414 applica-

German content tions on emerging training and combat air- of GE - Aviation, applauded the deal: “This is By Patrick Hoeveler craft, unmanned aerial combat vehicles or a mutually beneficial arrangement,” he said. successor versions of F404-powered air- “MTU is an excellent supplier with a signifi- New blood at Top Gun: the days of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat are gone forever. The renowned Navy Fighter craft. In the military arena, MTU had so far cant global aerospace presence. GE is seek- Weapons School is now instructing pilots on the U.S. Navy’s latest acquisition, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. concentrated largely on its German govern- ing to place the F414 in new aircraft applica- Onboard that plane next year will be German-made parts: MTU Aero Engines has signed an agreement with engine ment customer but now wants to appreciably tions and to expand its presence in Europe. prime contractor General Electric - Aviation to participate in the F414 engine for the carrier-based combat aircraft. expand its military activities. According to This teaming arrangement will provide a Danier: “In Europe, defense budgets are strategic long-term advantage.” stagnating. Not so in the U.S., where the mil- “For MTU, the entry into the U.S. military The agreement makes MTU a 2.5 percent casing and rotor blades but avoid rubbing. itary market is the world’s largest and still market through this agreement represents a risk- and revenue-sharing participant in the With its long experience in this area, MTU growing apace.” major new milestone in the company’s histo- F414 program. The German company will be can more or less readily launch into manu- ry,” MTU’s chief executive officer Udo Stark providing the high-pressure spool as well as facturing, no new technology development He goes on to add: “This new partnership said in a statement in July this year when the two high- and low-pressure turbine shroud being needed. helps our company grow and it moreover For additional information, contact deal was signed during the airshow in segments. To be manufactured in Munich, secures jobs in Munich. GE sees risk-sharing Andreas Danier Farnborough. “The U.S. market is the largest these are highly-engineered parts. The The F414 entered production in 1998. It de- participations as products the proceeds +49 89 1489-2571 in the world, and we are pleased to have shrouds, for instance, defining the outer livers about 30 percent more thrust than its Russell F. Sparks, vice president and general manager from which are plowed back into future pro- of GE – Aviation military systems operation (left), and For interesting multimedia services achieved this footprint in this attractive envi- boundary of the rotor assembly, are sup- predecessor, the F404, and is the sole pro- Udo Stark, CEO of MTU Aero Engines, shown signing jects.” Russell F. Sparks, vice president and associated with this article, go to: ronment.” posed to minimize the clearance between pulsion choice for the Super Hornet, a larger the contract at Farnborough. general manager, military systems operation http://www.mtu.de/206F414E

12 REPORT REPORT 13 Customers + Partners You bet it was an F-4F Phantom that this fine morning appeared far away in the sky as a tiny dot in the glaring morning sun. It was given away by the plume of smoke trailing New sound in the behind its two engines. “Smokey” is what the Western world’s most- built combat aircraft is monikered to this day, for a good reason: so much smoke is a dangerous telltale especially during mis- skies over Neuburg sions in enemy airspace. Phantom pilots therefore try to hide behind a ruse: since an By Clemens Bollinger F-4’s exhaust plume diminishes when the Two different worlds on one air base: F-4F Phantom afterburner is selected, they like to fly with (above) and Eurofighter (below) of Fighter Wing 74. Germany’s smallest air force base (AFB) is presently undergoing the largest reconstruction one engine at maximum power and the in its history: Zell AFB near Neuburg on the Danube, home to Fighter Wing 74, is making a other at idle setting. The Eurofighter has little need for such sweeping effort to get ready for hosting 29 Eurofighter aircraft. The AFB is gradually taking deceptive tactics; its EJ200 engines don’t leave of its F-4F Phantom IIs, which will be fully phased out by 2008. This type of reequip- smoke in the first place. And with its mere ment is tantamount to a quantum leap, in the air and on the ground, from the 1970s into the 17-ton takeoff weight, versus the Phantom’s new millennium. 27 tons, it’s far ahead of the game, anyway, and much to the delight of its pilots.

14 REPORT REPORT 15 Customers + Partners

One of them is Major Norbert Biehler. As he shows up in Shelter 19, clutching the helmet under his arm, he seems to be the German Air Forces’ answer to Bruce Willis, only big- ger. Which prompted a lady journalist to ask whether the seat in the Eurofighter indeed was adjustable. “Sure,” he says and contin- ues to assure her: “Compared with the Phantom, the cockpit has plenty of unclut- tered space.”

Biehler is one of the four Neuburg officers so far qualified to fly the Eurofighter. He has logged 51.5 hours on it, compared with forty times that much accumulated on the Phantom. 15 further F-4 pilots are succes- The demanding military flying routine on the Eurofighter has begun. Its EJ200 engines are repaired and overhauled under the cooperative model of engine maintenance sively being detached for Eurofighter cross- between the German Air Force and MTU. training to the training unit at the Laage Fighter Wing 73. The back seaters (weapon The maintenance crew accompanies the jet projects, a good three-quarters of which are against Phantoms. That’s the one big advan- systems officers) of the presently 28 to the last-chance position. This is where the connected with the introduction of the tage you have when you operate two differ- Neuburg Phantoms are retiring as planned, if specialists will once more circle the aircraft Eurofighter. The construction activities—and ent fighter types alongside each other.” For temporary career officers, or are assigned in a much-rehearsed choreography to check this is still another differentiating character- the alert section, which by NATO mandate other specialist jobs with the air force. closures, tires and potential oil leaks, and istic versus the Phantom era—are turning the the Wing maintains 24/7 all year round, prime the armament. As part of the airfield, occupied since 1961 by Fighter Wing things remain pretty much the same for now: Before Biehler climbs up the moveable yel- Phantom-to-Eurofighter conversion, the bar- 74, into a full-fledged AFB including a repair until 2008, it still relies on the Phantom low ladder and into his cockpit, he briefly riers at the last-chance position needed rais- hangar, arming facilities, fire station, IT facil- . calls up the pages of the ESS (engineering ing, considering that an IRIS-T missile gone ities and squadron operations facilities, all of support system) sitting barely three meters wild would clear the size of barrier used in them brand-new. Things have changed a lot Major Biehler’s act is over. He sits relaxed at Major Norbert Biehler: After 2,000 hours on the Phantom, he was cross-trained on the to the side of the jet. That’s how the Eurofighter in January. the old Phantom days. for the technical group as well: the formerly a table in the Second Wing lounge. He had Eurofighter does its “paperwork”. Through

A Renaissance architecture jewel, Neuburg is “pilot’s acceptance” the major finally ac- from the Phantom engines’ powerful thud. 30+19 is then ready to taxi to runway 27. An independent squadrons have been folded been flying almost an hour against a embedded in a charming Danube landscape. knowledges that he has taken control of the F-4F is already waiting for it. The show into a maintenance and electronics squadron Phantom over Southern Germany. His dedi- aircraft. From here on out, the plane is his In the cockpit, meanwhile, the preflight sys- begins. While the seventies jet begins to much in need now of training to cope with cated pilot’s enthusiasm might prompt him baby. The canopy closes and the major is rar- tems checks are made. They cap careful move under the full power of its afterburner, novel materials, more complex avionics and otherwise, but in his officer role he is ing to go. flight preparations that had started two the Eurofighter sprints behind it at merely English as the new AFB language. pledged to remain mum on operational hours ago with the weather and flight safety military power (dry), needing less runway details. So ask him who won today and he’ll A few seconds later, the difference between briefing, route and fuel calculations on the length to take off. The commander, Colonel A new simulator building has gone up, too. just grin from ear to ear. a Phantom and a Eurofighter becomes audi- computer and tactical coordination with Uwe Klein, is pleased with the textbook take- This is where newly qualified Eurofighter bly apparent: when the Eurofighter’s No. 1 other pilots. By way of good-bye, Biehler’s offs from the construction site, his alias for pilots can practice—without courting injury engine is started using the onboard APU (not Eurofighter rocks its mighty slats all the way the AFB. or death—how to most effectively serve For additional information, contact the airstarter as with the Phantom) and lights up and down. The major then eases the air- Fighter Wing 74’s major function, namely Martin Majewski up, a medium-to-high-frequency secondary plane out of the shelter. He doesn’t need to Not without good reason. Because the that of securing the Federal Republic’s air +49 89 1489-5369 tone comes into play and that sound mix touch the throttle for that; the engines devel- reconstruction and modernization program, sovereignty. “After that simulation training,” For interesting multimedia services remains during the rocket-like climb that fol- op sufficient thrust for taxying at idle. With stretching from 2003 into 2008, includes says Commander Klein, “we can practice all associated with this article, go to: lows a little later; it’s easy to differentiate the F-4, he always had to assist a little. totally 40 smaller and bigger construction that real-life in the air, pitching Eurofighters http://www.mtu.de/206NeuburgE

16 REPORT REPORT 17 Customers + Partners 1993, whose radio call sign, not inappropri- ately, is “Giant”. Atlas Air is the world’s lead- ing provider of ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) leasing. It wet Atlas Air – Call sign: leases its 747 freighter fleet to leading air- lines around the world, including Cargo, LAN Airlines, Qantas, Emirates and Korean Air Cargo. Operationally based in Miami, Florida, Atlas Air in the name of its Giant clients serves 101 destinations in 46 coun- tries, heading for important freight locations like Quito in Ecuador, with flowers in the By Andreas Spaeth hold, or Belo Horizonte in Brazil, to deliver auto parts. n their tail fins, the jumbo freighters of Atlas Air carry a likeness of the Greek god Atlas carrying the world on O The Boeing 747 is a very popular passenger transport and moreover used as a freighter in global service. his shoulders. The mythical allusion nicely fits the company’s profitable business: hauling airfreight. The U.S.-based AAWW’s other subsidiary is scheduled-serv- Many airlines use both the passenger and the freighter versions. Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (AAWW) operates around 35 Boeing 747 freighter aircraft, the largest such fleet ice provider Polar Air Cargo, which was worldwide, and relies on MTU to overhaul its engines. acquired by AAWW in late 2001. Polar Air is a cargo airline flying primarily scheduled Anchorage. The Chinese market is of partic- erplant engineer on its payroll,” according to routes under contracts with shippers and ular significance to Polar, which connects it Heck. “And that one is assisted stateside by Whether it’s badly needed aid for Tsunami 9,000 kilometers to the west. This is where forwarders like DHL, Kühne + Nagel, with the rest of the world, mainly from one of our MTU Maintenance staff.” victims or routine freight like race horses, Atlas Air came in: it dispatched one of its Schenker and UPS to airports across the Shanghai. Its close association with sister Holstein cows, Formula 1 race cars and heli- transports to Scotland, one that could take globe. It has hubs in Seoul, New York-JFK company Atlas Air permits the pair to flexi- MTU is responsible for the maintenance of copters that need hauling swiftly over large aboard a hundred-ton payload through its and Chicago, and further bases in bly utilize their freighter fleets. The group is 40 CF6-50 engines powering Boeing 747- distances: Atlas Air has a close meshed hugely-yawning swing-up nose. Trained Amsterdam, Tokyo, Los Angeles and Alaska’s the second biggest U.S. airfreight company, 200F freighters and 88 CF6-80 engines global network of branches and suitable workers loaded the band’s massive equip- after FedEx. equipping Boeing 747-400Fs. Each year, transports to provide efficient solutions and ment in the freighter, which then took it to some 35 Atlas engines visit Hannover for meet all sorts of logistic challenges. Take for California right on schedule. By the time the To focus fully on its core business, which is repair. Says Heck: “Atlas Air had been shop- instance the American Green Day rock band band members arrived in Hollywood, the carrying freight, AAWW has the engines of ping around for a long-term partner and that after a long-planned concert in scene was all set for their smashing per- its relatively young fleet maintained by out- finally picked us. We’re the world’s largest Scotland’s Glasgow wanted to perform just formance. side specialists. Since 2004, it has been independent CF6 MRO provider, and Atlas two days later in the glory and glamour of entrusting a large part of its engines to the appreciates our flexibility, reliability and Hollywood. Their music was to provide the Through its two subsidiaries, Purchase, New care of MTU Maintenance Hannover in quality of workmanship. Rounding out our proper background for the after-show party York-based Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Langenhagen. “It is one of our biggest cus- overall package, we’re performing engine following the presentation of the 47th Inc. operates 35 Boeing 747 all-cargo air- tomers,” says Christoph Heck, the responsi- trend monitoring (ETM) on the Atlas CF6-80 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, nearly craft. One of them is Atlas Air, established in ble sales director for North America. engines. This has already helped detect and “Although Atlas has 180 engines in its fleet, prevent various cases of imminent engine the company proper has only a single pow- damage before it matured.”

For additional information, contact Christoph Heck +49 511 7806-621

To download images associated with this article, go to: http://www.mtu.de/206AtlasAirE

When the CF6 arrives in Hannover, it is first stripped to see what needs to be repaired or replaced.

18 REPORT REPORT 19 Products

Passing grades

By Achim Figgen Mounting a GP7200 on S/N MSN009, the one that made the maiden flight on August 25, 2006. In end-August, the first GP7000-powered A380 took to the air. The flight was captained by Guy Magrin, who flew with Franck Chapman, an experimental test pilot like himself. The other crew members were test flight engineer Bruno Bigand and flight test engineers Patrick du Ché and Jean-Philippe Cottet. After a little over four hours, aircraft and engines had suc- cessfully been put through their paces. At the Engine Alliance, faces were beaming. The joint General Electric/Pratt & Whitney venture had developed and built the engines, with an active assist from MTU Aero Engines.

In the morning of the first flight, the crew checked to make sure the take-off would be met at the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport at 7:30 eventless. True, on this Friday morning, for a final flight briefing and latest weather there wasn’t half the world’s population report. Also, journalists were hanging waiting to watch the take-off as it did at the around and got a brief interview before the first flight ever of an A380 on April 27, ground crew handed the aircraft (registra- 2005, but Airbus and the Engine Alliance tion F-WWEA) over to the five-man flight nonetheless wanted to perform flawlessly at crew. Shortly past 9:00, with the flight crew this significant event. onboard, the doors shut behind them and the auxiliary power unit (APU) cut in, all The crew of pilot Guy Magrin (left) is meticulously essential aircraft systems were double- preparing for the first flight.

20 REPORT REPORT 21 Products them from traversing a critical thrust range all four at the same time. The engine bleed air, too, was activated engine by engine to Test cell III expansion keep oil vapors from penetrating into the cabin through the air conditioning system. That done, the APU was cut out and onboard The GP7000 catapults MTU to new power supply became the sole responsibility heights in terms of program share (22.5 of the GP7200 foursome. They handled that percent) and physical dimensions, the task as readily as they did all the other tests engine’s size, weight and thrust over- still to come during this four-hour and ten- whelming the capabilities of the Munich minute maiden flight. location’s development test cell III. So far used for test runs of PW2000 and V2500 That ultimately the envisaged tests were not engines and approved for a maximum conducted in their entirety was attributable thrust of 300 kN, the test stand is to fickle weather that still worsened during presently undergoing reconstruction. The the flight. Magrin, and Chapman in the right complete support structure of the build- seat, finally were lucky to find a break in the ing is being reinforced to safely sustain thunderclouds that let them return to the greater power of the 76,500 lb (340 A GP7200 is being readied for a test run. Once Toulouse, where at 14:10 they touched down kN) thrust GP7277 (first approval level of The GP7200 made its first flight on December 3, 2004, under the left wing of a Preflight inspection of a GP7200 prior to trials on a flying testbed. test stand III is expanded, such tests can also be GE-owned Boeing 747. in pouring rain. the new engine). Also the internal com- performed in Munich. ponents of the test cell are being mod- The aircraft had been in the air before, and on December 29, 2005, and in February At 20 minutes to 10:00, the four engines The GP7200 engines now have the first ernized, with a new thrust cradle and Plans are starting in mid-2007 to con- so had the GP7000, except not on the wing 2006, the first GP7200 had been mounted in were started and at 10:00 sharp, Guy Magrin major test behind them. But MSN009 and its mixer tube being installed in the exhaust duct test runs of complete GP7000 of an Airbus mega-transport: on December Toulouse on an A380 bearing the serial num- advanced the throttles. Upon take-off, the four engines are still facing arduous weeks. duct and the entire instrumentation engines not only at General Electric and 3, 2004, a GE-owned Boeing 747 serving the ber MSN009. On this August 25, the mega- pilots hesitated a bit before retracting the Admittedly, the certification schedule ahead being renewed. Pratt & Whitney but also at MTU. After all, Engine Alliance as a flying testbed had made transport now sat on the apron poised for its and flaps and reducing the of them is less complex than what the four the Munich site has taken a stake not a first flight with a GP7200 under its left maiden flight, the weather being little more thrust. They throttled the four engines down A380s powered by the competing engines Completed so far has been the recon- only in manufacturing but, at 22.5 per- wing. The U.S. FAA had certified the engine than just about adequate. not simultaneously but in pairs to prevent had gone through before them. Those tests struction of the exhaust area to satisfy cent, in the entire program, which were designed to demonstrate the proper municipal noise emission requirements includes development. That work doesn’t The A380 with its four GP7200 engines completed its first flight without a hiccup. On this engine type, MTU Aero Engines is responsible for the complete low-pressure function of the airborne systems. Yet the and the expansion of the intake area. finish once the engine is certified; turbine and the turbine center frame. It also produces high-pressure turbine blades and disks. tests focusing on the airframe-engine inter- While the latter also helps to reduce upgraded engine versions are already in noise, it mainly makes sure the GP7200 the works and the modifications and gets all the airflow it needs in testing. improvements inevitably arising in an Adapted also had to be the gas burners engine’s life, too, need validating by test. installed in the 8.5- by 8.5-meter intake The Munich people are getting fully to heat the incoming air. equipped for the job.

action or demonstrating the effects of low and high temperatures or high altitudes on the capability of the engine (the so-called cold soak and hot-and-high trials) will natu- rally have to be repeated for the A380- GP7200 combination. Airbus expects certifi- cation to be received in mid-2007.

For additional information, contact Odilo Mühling +49 89 1489-2698

To download images associated with this article, go to: http://www.mtu.de/2061Flight

22 REPORT REPORT 23 Products Products incurring losses in the millions of dollars. “Helping availability also are the fast turn- around times in our shop and the replace- ment engines we’re leasing out,” explains Ulf Kliemank from sales/marketing at MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg, which glo- bally has some 100 General Electric LM2500, LM5000 and LM6000 series turbines under contract. Support is provided for customers across the globe. Maintenance solutions are tailored to individual requirements, which is one of MTU’s strong points. Says Kliemank: “We sit down with the customer and develop a concept. We agree on a maintenance stra- tegy to suit local conditions and service loads: for continuous duty turbines, require- ments are different than for peakers that the power companies cut in only to accommodate peak loads.”

For BP, MTU goes the extra mile: “We’re pro- In MTU’s care: assembly of an LM6000 at MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg in Ludwigsfelde. viding preventive maintenance of a depth and breadth unparalleled elsewhere,” according cal track, doing far more than what their to customer care operator Bernd Zander. In manufacturer recommends.” BP has great recognition of MTU’s industrial gas turbine confidence in its cooperation with MTU. excellence, the British oil company, which “We’ve proved to be a reliable and trustwor- ranks among the largest in the world, has thy partner,” says Kliemank. So much trust renewed the maintenance contract for five entails more responsibility. MTU Mainte- years, extending it to cover its entire North nance Berlin-Brandenburg is now handling Sea fleet. The Ludwigsfelde experts are sup- also the entire turbine spare parts and docu- porting not just the Schiehallion, but now ment management for BP. also the Vallhall and Ravenspurn, two oil drill- ing rigs in the North Sea. “For the eight MTU’s custom-tailored offerings are appreci- LM6000s and LM2500s, including spare tur- ated not alone by BP: upon its recommenda- bines, we’re proceeding on a precise analyti- tion, also Britannia has entrusted three

Field service in action: MTU overhauls the gas turbines on BP’s North Sea oil rig Vallhall also Repair on a rough sea onboard. LM2500s on the North Sea drilling platform of the same name to MTU’s specialist care. By Silke Dierkes The Ludwigsfelde people have scored wins also in Turkey and Algeria. The Turkish power The ocean is rolling along gently, as yet. The Shetland Islands are some 150 kilometers due east. Circumspectly, the company Habas has its four LM6000s main- helicopter from Aberdeen maneuvers to touch down on the narrow landing pad. Rene Uhlig and Mario Büchner of tained by MTU, and the state-owned Algerian MTU’s field service team have reached their workplace, the Schiehallion, a BP FPSO (floating production, storage and natural gas producer Sonatrach likewise put offshore loading) vessel in the North Atlantic. The oil company swears by the service of MTU Maintenance Berlin- its four LM2500s into MTU’s caring hands. Brandenburg and now has also its North Sea fleet supported by it. For those turbines, though, Rene Uhlig and Mario Büchner won’t have to board the heli- copter: these new clients are land-bound. After 8,000 running hours, an LM6000 gas The 40-megawatt 20-ton generator gets a bines’ highly-stressed hot section is replaced turbine (including the generator) is now due new friction bearing. on land. No use trying to do that onboard, for inspection. The two service technicians not with a heavy sea. For additional information, contact from Ludwigsfelde will spend 18 days on- The field service team visits the Schiehallion Ulf Kliemank board. They replace filters, check pumps, at least four times a year. The three LM6000s The MTU service aims to ensure the gas tur- +49 3378 824-313 calibrate sensors. 15 meters up, they calmly onboard are maintained each after 4,000 bines’ outstanding reliability. That’s impor- To download images associated with replace a 25-kilogram hydraulic actuator. Six and 8,000 service hours. Between the minor tant for oil rig operators and power compa- this article, go to: to eight meter waves are pounding the hull. and the pending major inspection, the tur- nies alike, any production disruption readily Competent service: apart from the LM2500 (above), MTU also repairs LM5000 and LM6000 series gas turbines. http://www.mtu.de/206IGTBPE

24 REPORT REPORT 25 Reports Jigsaw puzzle of a thousand pieces

By Nicole Geffert

At MTU Maintenance Hannover, the PW6000 success story unfolded in rapid succession. Barely a year after the MTU Maintenance specialists had joined the international manufacturers’ league, they completed final assembly, from thousands of detail pieces, of the first PW6000 production engine. In end-August, the engine was handed over to the customer, Pratt & Whitney, in a brief ceremony. Early next year, the Langenhagen people moreover expect to inaugu- rate maintenance operations on the A318’s engine.

The local political brass had gathered in the build-up shop at Langenhagen to celebrate completion of the first PW6000 production engine. Lower Saxony’s economics minister Walter Hirche congratulated the engine builders on their speedy work. On hand to thank the well-wishers was MTU Aero Engines president and CEO commercial maintenance Bernd Kessler, side by side with his colleague on the board Dr. Rainer Martens, executive vice president and chief operating officer. With this engine for the A318, according to Kessler, MTU is opening a new chapter in the company’s history. “Never before have we had final assembly responsibility for a commercial engine.” For him, the fact that Pratt & Whitney had relin- quished final assembly to MTU was a grand The PW6000 sectional view illustrates with how few compressor and turbine stages the engine makes do.

proof of the U.S. company’s confidence and neering changes come, they must be dealt appreciation; engine prime manufacturers with fast and we better be prepared to re- normally prefer to do final assembly them- spond promptly,” he emphasizes. selves. The infrastructure to cope with the new task At Langenhagen, people have carefully pre- is in place, too. The component and assem- pared for the newcomer. EASA production bly line in the shop shines like a new penny. approval for the engine was received in On the shop floor, the area is clearly demar- August 2005, and parts production approval cated from the repair area with orange mark- came in July 2006. More than 50 personnel ings. Segregation is the rule also in the have been trained and are now being sup- stores: PW6000 parts are kept apart from ported by two Pratt & Whitney mechanics. MRO stock to prevent mixing. “This way we Every little operation has been studied in de- comply with aviation regulations that tail. “We’re benefiting from the experience demand strict separation between manufac- we’ve had in years of MRO engine assembly turing and repair processes,” according to and from the depth and width of our people’s Hary. Another helpful procedure is not to expertise,” explains Peter Hary, PW6000 drop off PW6000 parts and components at Bernd Kessler, president and CEO commercial main- tenance, photographed in Hannover handing off the project manager. His team’s flexibility is the materials receiving dock but send them first production engine. another thing he can count on. “When engi- direct to the assembly line.

26 REPORT REPORT 27 Reports

Control of the complex final assembly pro- cess is the responsibility of an eleven-people program team assembled from representa- tives of the various disciplines involved. It in- cludes specialists from operations schedul- ing, quality assurance, logistics, data pro- cessing and test stand operations. They meet once a week to check on the status quo to make sure they are on schedule, no mate- rials bottlenecks are looming, detail parts are being received on time and module assembly is progressing smoothly. They’re walking through the anticipated work step by step. “We know at any time where to find which part, down to the nuts and bolts,” that is how Manfred Vögele, PW6000 program manager at MTU’s Munich plant, character- izes the sophisticated information logistics in Last finishing touches on the completely assembled PW6000. The engine seen through the open nacelle in the test area of MTU Maintenance place. With a complex project like that, you Hannover. can’t lose sight of the big picture. Especially not when various players are cooperating parts for the three-stage low-pressure tur- reducing engine assembly and test times,” But before that, the Hannover people’s atten- across local company lines. bine. These parts then go to MTU Mainte- declares Hary. If the team was allowed 90 tions are firmly riveted on still another date: nance Berlin-Brandenburg, where a highly- days for the first two engines, the next eight February 1, 2007. That’s the day the PW6000 The parts and components arrive from various trained team assembles the modules, each PW6000s will be shipped to Airbus within 70 maintenance operations in Hannover should companies: Pratt & Whitney supplies, among from about 2,000 different pieces. When as- days, and all others within 60. be up and running. “That’ll make us the only other items, all parts of the high-pressure sembled, the turbine is shipped to Hannover, repair station for this engine worldwide,” turbine, low-pressure compressor and tur- almost 300 kilometers away. In accordance with the further timetable, enthuses Hary. bine exit case. Joel Sitty, who in Langen- A318 launch customer Chile-based LAN Air- hagen represents the U.S. engine manufac- At the Langenhagen location, mechanics lines will receive its first PW6000 in the turer, sifts the boxes holding the compo- mate the high-pressure compressor rotor spring of 2007. Totally, LAN has ordered up For additional information, contact nents. Did they safely survive the shipping? and stator. Their attention is fully focused on to 46 with 90 engines to power them. Peter Hary Are the certificates what they should be? It their workbenches. Precision is the first pri- Hary adds that by end-2008, plans are to +49 511 7806-4346 is only when he’s made sure that all the Ts ority. The specialists then unite the high- manufacture 60 engines, “so we can prompt- For interesting multimedia services are crossed and Is are dotted that Sitty will pressure compressor with the high-pressure ly fill orders from other potential PW6000 associated with this article, go to: release the parts to assembly. turbine and the combustion chamber casing, customers”. http://www.mtu.de/206Jigsaw supplied by MHI, to form the core engine. The parts for the six-stage high-pressure The high-pressure compressor for the PW6000 to power the A318 marked the first time MTU was able to compressor arrive from Munich. The col- Some workbenches further down the line, launch a module on a commercial core engine. leagues there also manufacture the detail High-pressure compressor and combustion chamber casing are united in a single block. colleagues dexterously assemble the fan mo- dule. Except for the gearbox, which comes The low-pressure compressor indeed is a Pratt & The single-stage high-pressure turbine is coated to The low-pressure turbine and the turbine exit case fully assembled, all modules are assembled Whitney module but is assembled in Hannover. protect it from hot gas corrosion. are assembled at MTU. from detail parts, also the fan casing. Fan module, low-pressure turbine and core en- gine are then mated to form the full engine, including accessories. Now completed, the PW6000 next travels to the test stand to prove it meets performance specifications. The Hannover people have acquired entirely new test equipment to cope with the new- comer. “Our test stand has since attained golden test cell status,” reports Hary. “That is to say, other test cells to run the PW6000 will have to correlate the engine perform- ance data and parameters with those deter- mined in our test cell.”

Already, the final assembly crew is raising the bar, successfully so. “We’re continuously

28 REPORT REPORT 29 Reports When an engine has become ultimately ob- Nickel price development (US $/ton) Aluminum price development (US $/ton) solete or irreparable, it is stripped and des-

tined for recycling to recover what valuable 35.000 3.500 base materials remain in it. “You’ll find large 30.000 3.000 amounts of cobalt and nickel in the steel Retired engine, 25.000 2.500 alloys used for instance in turbines, combus- tors and low-pressure turbines,” explains 20.000 2.000 Hans Werner Rottmann, who is a technical 15.000 1.500 trainer at MTU Maintenance Hannover. 10.000 1.000 a gold mine “These materials are hideously expensive, and so are aluminum, magnesium and titani- 5.000 500 Source: London Metal Exchange By Andreas Park um, the latter being used mostly in the front 0 Source: London Metal Exchange 0 section of compressors.” 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 After fully 100,000 hours in service, an aero engine has done its bit and goes into retirement. For its owner, though, 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 it remains an asset worth recycling. Owing to dwindling raw material resources, there’s still money in retired engines Tungsten and rhenium, too, are rare, valuable and condemned engine parts, and getting rid of them is a paying proposition for their owners and the environment elements indispensable in engine manufac- record prices almost daily. The reason for the at MTU Maintenance Hannover. Innovative alike. turing. They, too, are found in specialty alloys titanium boom is that titanium occurs only in MTU repair processes will often revive tur- used in drive shafts, high-pressure compres- combination with iron ores and needs to be bine blades or other parts for a second, third sors, turbine blades and other components. extracted in several process steps. The recy- or even fourth tour of duty. In their manufacture, they consume a good cling people need to worry little if any about deal of costly energy and work. This, inci- cost drivers like these. The number of airlines taking MTU up on its dentally, explains the high price of new air- rejuvenation offer is growing. They are mov- craft engines, a single engine for the Airbus The recycling companies take the scrap A380, for instance, listing at around ten mil- apart and sort it to resell it at a profit to spe- lion euros. cialty foundries, where it is melted and con- verted into new base materials, which are At MTU, waste material is collected and sold then bought back by MTU and other engine in minimum batches of ten tons to special- manufacturers. So the materials are given a ized recycling dealers. To prevent black mar- new lease on life, without however “compro- keting, components to be sold are first certi- mising their high quality”, maintains Dr. fied, sealed and rendered unserviceable. For Frank Seidel, who heads up repair develop- especially valuable individual parts, that is ment and materials at MTU Maintenance done at MTU or locally at the recycling deal- Hannover. “Normally, in today’s world, base ers’ facilities. To make sure the parts are materials are part newly mined and part irreparably destroyed by sawing them apart recycled, anyway.” or drilling holes in them, MTU is regularly conducting sampling inspections at its recy- cling partners. Repair rather than recycle

Microplasma welding is used to perform delicate Proceeds from the sale of scrap vary with its Retired components are not invariably repairs on diverse engine components. economic potential. To quote Financial Times doomed to the scrap yard. “If perfectly Deutschland, for instance, the price of tung- repaired, they can be reused, taking the ing some of their engine components into sten has quintupled during the past several place of costly virgin parts,” confirms Tammo hold inventories against the time they can be years and titanium is presently fetching new Seiffert, who is customer program manager repaired. “It pays for our customer to do that even if the technique needed to repair them is still under development,” says Burkhard A broken low-pressure turbine disk with a piece cut On this high-pressure turbine disk, too, parts were off to mark it as unserviceable. cut out to mark the disk as condemned. Oesten, who supervises occupational safety and environment at MTU Aero Engines’ Munich location. “If nothing else, it certainly helps the environment.”

For additional information, contact Sabine Biesenberger +49 89 1489-2760

For interesting multimedia services associated with this article, go to: http://www.mtu.de/206GoldMine

30 REPORT REPORT 31 Anecdotes Aviator glasses – from eye protector to cult object

By Elisabeth Wagner

In the early days of powered flight, pilots were on the cutting edge of progress. They were hell-bent on flying, single-minded, uncompromising, gutsy and reckless. Small wonder impulses from aviation had kicked off trends in men’s fashion that were to endure for decades. A textbook example are aviator glasses, which from ungainly eye protector goggles evolved into a popular everyday accessory.

they had in crashes was the splintering woodwork of their planes that cushioned the .

Emerging as one of the first pilot accouter- Around 1910, aerial record-hunting was in ments were goggles. In the windy cockpits, full swing, with the trailblazing pilots daring they protected from the weather and with- each other to fly higher, faster and farther, out them, many an adventure might have cheered on in their breakneck risk-taking gone awry. The eyes of even the greatest fly- and commitment by enthused crowds. For ing heroes would not be able to withstand many of them, though, their adventures the bitter cold and draft. Another lurching were fatal, not least because of their danger was spurting hot water set free wretched equipment. The only protection when, once again, a cooler busted. So was

32 REPORT REPORT 33 Anecdotes of Hollywood films. When Tom Cruise in There are various brands of suitable glasses 1986, with Ray-Ban glasses on his nose, available for today’s commercial pilots. enthralled a wide public as a dashing pilot in Lufthansa, for one, does not recommend or “Top Gun”, sales again soared. Flying and mandate particular models. “It is crucial that fashion had once more been perfectly mar- the glasses have glare protection and that ried. dark glasses do not cloud the view of the instruments,” according to an airline spokes- In military aviation, pilot goggles have since person. evolved into high-tech helmets. The German Air Force indeed carries two standard mod- From the fashion aspect, today’s aviator els of sun glasses in its inventory, but when glasses cover the whole gamut: vintage car, it comes to demanding flying, a helmet is a convertible and Harley-Davidson fans alike must. It provides connections for the oxygen favor glasses that look retro, suggesting kin- mask, integrated headphones and micro- dredness with aviation pioneers. Like the phone and, moreover, a dual visor with a model from Junkers. But also the glasses of dark and a clear lens, the latter to protect the other makers keep selling well, with or with- eyes, the visor comfortably accommodating out direct reference to aviation: the fascina- correction lenses underneath. The latest tion of flying persists unabated. In the imagery of Ray-Ban advertising, the attractive male pilot was accorded a firm place. weapon systems like the Eurofighter and the Tiger helicopter, as well as the NH90 trans- For additional information, contact Sabine Biesenberger also the 1960s. In their sunglasses, people port helicopter, battle exposure to optical Heavy clothes and aviator goggles were standard Still a far cry from the comfort offered today: pilot and copilot facing cold and wind head-on in the cockpit of +49 89 1489-2760 discovered a fashion accessory in its own information flooding by integrated helmet equipment also for passengers of the early days. the legendary Junkers F13 around 1930. To download images associated with right. Ray-Ban glasses led the market, not systems that project mission conduct infor- this article, go to: hot oil. French pilot Pierre Prier, after his By 1919, the first passenger flights were and goggles to shield head and eyes, the typ- least through their appearance in a number mation directly onto the visor. http://www.mtu.de/206Glasses first, four-hour London-Paris non-stop, reiter- made. Founded in 1917 by AEG, Deutsche ical flyer’s gear, that truly is the lure of fly- ated what many other pilots had experienced Luft-Reederei made daily flights between ing.” In military aviation, the pilot goggle evolved into the integral helmet. Without it, many maneuvers would be unthinkable today. Standard pilot helmets carried in the before him: “I saw things like through a veil. Berlin and Weimar, carrying mail and up to German Air Force’s inventories include a dark and a clear-view visor approved for aviation as part of the helmet. I had no glasses and the hot oil had scorched three passengers on each flight. The flights Despite the public’s often frenzied enthusi- my eyes.” If pilots in those first years were made using single-engine biplanes. asm for aviation, the clumsy pilot goggles of nonetheless preferred to fly without glasses, Because the passengers, like the pilots, sat the pioneering days were not exactly the it was because oil-smeared or steamed-up in the open air, they wore fur-lined flying fashion freak’s delight. But still, one of the eyeglasses would blind rather than help suits, leather flying caps and goggles, cour- first attempts to bring fashion to flying was them. tesy of the house. In her book “When Women made in 1927. When Thea Rasche, one of took to the Air”, Jutta Rebmann cited a read- the outstanding women pilots of her time, During World War I, powered flight took on an er’s letter saying: “The real attraction surely was trying to attract funding for a large avia- entirely different dimension. The celebrated is a journey through the air in an open tion project, she exploited her popular name epitomes of an enthusiastically welcomed machine. Packed into a bulky pilot suit, cap posing in the U.S. for Thea-Rasche aviator technical age now had turned warriors. glasses, among other things. Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, To protect the eyes also of fashionable young women: famous as well as notorious leader of the Bausch & Lomb launched the Ray-Ban brand in the In the 1920s, pilots increasingly suffered war’s most successful German fighter wing, mid-1930s. from the glare they encountered at the high by 1917 had downed 80 British airplanes altitudes and long flying hours they were before, in 1918, he himself perished in an air achieving. In 1930, German emigrants battle. While on most photographs, he is seen founded Bausch & Lomb in New York State to without glasses, the Red Baron, so-called manufacture the first sun glasses of the time because of the bright red paint on his plane, in large-scale production. The lenses used is commonly associated with pilot goggles. the Umbral glass developed by Schott, which Credit for much of that may also be due to blocked radiation and was offered in various Charles M. Schulz, father of the white beagle magnifications. In 1934, Bausch & Lomb sold Snoopy of Peanuts fame that phantasized of the first “aviator glasses” featuring tear- being an American ace in World War I pro- shaped green lenses. tecting the world from the Red Baron. In the serial comic, one of the most widely syndi- In 1936, plastic glasses in aviator look hit the cated in the world from 1950 to 2000, Snoopy market. Anti-glare properties soon after in- is shown numerous times wearing a pilot spired the Ray-Ban brand of sun glasses. In scarf and goggles and, dressed up that way, the early years, the marketing was targeted found his way as a cuddle toy into the homes at a sporty public and outdoorsy profession- of his fans. als. After World War II, sales of sun glasses were booming in the 1950s and especially

34 REPORT REPORT 35 Gemini Air Cargo added to customer list

MTU Maintenance Hannover has concluded a nine-year sole-source agreement with the NEWS U.S. freight carrier Gemini Air Cargo to pro- vide repair for 13 CF6-80C2 series engines. Relocation to Erding complete The engines are operated in the MD-11 fleet of the charter operator. “In Gemini Air Cargo, MTU’s new branch at the Erding air force J79 remain in Munich. This February, the we’ve won another significant U.S. custom- base (AFB) is up and running, having its first German Air Force transferred a hangar on er,” says Ferdinand Exler, president and CEO The MD-11 is the larger, bigger brother of the DC-10. engine repair already behind it. In July, the the AFB grounds to MTU. Rebuilding it for of MTU Maintenance Hannover. “This helps first overhauled RB199 left the shop. The engine and module assembly requirements us bolster our position in a part of the world Gemini Air Cargo counts among the largest notable airlines, such as Lufthansa Cargo Erding shop also provides service support for and equipping it with the necessary facilities that alongside Asia is our major regional ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and and South African Airways. the RR250-C20 helicopter engine, alongside and shop inventory took five months. The market.” Insurance) operators leasing their aircraft to the Tornado engine. The repair effort for the relocation also included the Munich parts two engines was shifted to Erding under the store. expanded industry-military cooperative model First CFM56-7B supported in Zhuhai of engine maintenance, while the EJ200 and Ludwigsfelde gearing up

Fully automated, highly flexible and extremely fast: MTU’s new repair facil- ities at MTU Maintenance Berlin- Brandenburg afford clear advantages. The first of the new additions is a six- axis spark erosion machine used to

A view into the new hangar of the MTU branch at Erding air force base near Munich. It has since become fully Repair work on an RB199 Tornado engine. operational. Walter Strakosch (right), president and CEO of MTU Maintenance Zhuhai, handed over the first repaired CFM56-7 to customer China Southern.

Partners: Munich Technical University and MTU Successful debut at MTU Maintenance Zhuhai: in late August, the first CFM56-7B Munich Technical University and MTU Aero engine of the popular CFM56 family com- Engines signed a long-term cooperation pleted its initial shop visit. It was returned to repair cooling air holes and the blade agreement in late July. The aim is to better the customer, China Southern, ahead of tip pockets. Next, the new adaptive leverage innovation potentials in high-tech plan. milling center to machine fan and tur- product research. bine blades is an allrounder driven by The new CFM version complements MTU special software to provide a globally While cooperation between the two had so Maintenance Zhuhai’s product portfolio, unique gamut of machining options. far been limited to specific projects, the part- completing the induction of the planned The third addition, finally, is a high- ners now are looking to launch an engine vacuum furnace for the thermal treat- construction and production center of excel- ment of materials. A CFM56 seen in the rigging room of the test cell of lence. Under one roof, four of Munich MTU’s affiliate in Zhuhai. Technical University’s chairs will now be The new facilities enable the MTU cooperating with the engine manufacturer: engine types: alongside the CFM56-7B, affiliate to perform high-tech repairs those of propulsion, product these include the -3 and -5B versions and the on costly engine parts like high-pres- development, materials science and materi- V2500. MTU’s Chinese affiliate had prepared sure turbine blades in-house to avoid als mechanics, as well as the Institute for a year-and-a-half for the engine powering the the long lead times of outside suppli- Machine Tools and Industrial Management. New Generation transport. ers. That enhances the competitive- The cooperative effort is designed to pro- ness of the Ludwigsfelde people also duce technological solutions for advanced The cooperation agreement between the Munich Technical University (TU) and MTU was signed in the China Southern uses CFM56s to power its Boeing by international comparison. propulsion components and their production. rooms of the TU. 737 fleet.

36 REPORT REPORT 37 100th Eurofighter engine delivered MTU retrofits further T64s MTU organized Las Vegas Masthead Conference MTU Aero Engines is retrofitting another 40 Editor: T64 engines powering the German Armed MTU Aero Engines Holding AG Forces’ twin-engine CH-53 transport helicop- Eckhard Zanger ters. The company had earlier upgraded 86 Senior Vice President Corporate Communications and Investor Relations of the engines from the -7 to the more pow- erful -100 standard. “The retrofit will run all of Editor in chief: two years,” explains Dr. Stefan Weingartner, Sabine Biesenberger who heads defense programs at MTU Aero Engines. It occurs under the scheduled main- Address: tenance intervals. “The substantially more MTU Aero Engines Holding AG powerful version of the trusted T64 enables Dachauer Straße 665 the German services to deploy their helicop- 80995 Munich • Germany ters also in climatically and geographically Tel. +49 89 1489-2760 trying regions without experiencing perform- Fax +49 89 1489-4303 ance losses,” according to Weingartner. E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.mtu.de The twin T64-powered CH-53 is the German Armed The MTU forum in Las Vegas, Nevada, was much Forces largest helicopter. It is used also for heavy-lift frequented. A round number to celebrate at MTU Aero defense programs at MTU Aero Engines. applications. Editorial staff: Engines’ Munich facility: the leading German “That shows once again we’re deserving the The MTU Maintenance group in mid- Clemens Bollinger, Silke Dierkes, Achim Figgen, Nicole Geffert, Patrick Hoeveler, engine manufacturer completed the 100th great trust the air force is investing in us.” September conducted for its customers a Andreas Park, Andreas Spaeth, Elisabeth Wagner, Robert Wouters Eurofighter EJ200 production engine, handing “Las Vegas Conference & Event 2006” to it over to the customer in end-July. The 100th EJ200 engine went to EADS at facilitate discussions and networking. From Graphics & Layout: Manching for installation in a Eurofighter air- across the globe, about 90 customer repre- Manfred Deckert “It’s very close to five years after we deliv- craft. The air force will receive totally 180 of sentatives had accepted the invitation to the Sollnerstraße 73 ered the first production engine that we now the advanced European combat aircraft, West Coast. The guests’ feedback was up- 81479 Munich • Germany can wind up the first tranche, and on time,” each equipped with two powerful EJ200s. beat throughout: Adria Airways, for in- Tel. +49 89 30728287 explained Dr. Stefan Weingartner, who heads stance, was grateful for “the unique opportu- nity to meet other MTU customers”, and Photo credits: Complete Turbine Service “for the informa- Cover Page: MTU Aero Engines photo archive Pacific bridgehead 4,000th shop visit in Hannover tive presentations”. Pages 2-3: Air Wisconsin, MTU Aero Engines photo archive Pages 4-7: Air Wisconsin, MTU Aero Engines photo archive MTU Maintenance Hannover has completed and not least the training shop, where young Pages 8-9: EADS, Pratt & Whitney Canada, MTU Aero Engines photo archive repair of its 4,000th engine, dispatching it in talent learned their admirable skills. The air- MTU AENA posts new Pages 10-11: MTU Aero Engines photo archive end-August. The engine was a V2500-A1, line representatives lauded the MTU team for orders Pages 12-13: U.S. Navy, General Electric, MTU Aero Engines photo archive S/N V0091, from US Airways. Rick Oehme, the high quality and reliability of their work. Pages 14-17: MTU Aero Engines photo archive vice president technical operations at US Air- MTU Aero Engines North America (AENA) has Pages 18-19: Atlas Air, Polar Air, MTU Aero Engines photo archive ways, and Craig Harry, managing director It was just three years ago that the MTU secured new commercial and military con- Pages 20-23: Airbus, Achim Figgen, General Electric, MTU Aero Engines photo archive purchasing, had traveled to Hannover to shop at Langenhagen had celebrated its tracts from Pratt & Whitney (P&W) and Pages 24-25: BP, MTU Aero Engines photo archive receive their engine. Once there, they made 3,000th engine overhaul. The company fig- General Electric (GE). Pratt & Whitney has Pages 26-29: MTU Aero Engines photo archive a tour of the shop. What fascinated the visi- ures on reaching the next 1,000 mark in high-pressure compressor blisks (IBRs) ma- Pages 30-31: MTU Aero Engines photo archive tors most was MTU’s unique repair flowline 2007. chined in Newington, Connecticut, that will Pages 32-35: DIZ, Eurofighter, Lufthansa, Luxottica Fashion Brillen, be utilized in both P&W’s F119 engine pow- MTU Aero Engines photo archive ering the twin-engined F-22 “Raptor” and Pages 36-39: MTU Aero Engines photo archive F135 engine which provides single engine Tesoro Hawaii Corporation is MTU Mainte- propulsion for the Joint Strike Fighter. For Printed by: nance Berlin-Brandenburg’s first industrial GE, the U.S.-based MTU affiliate will manu- Graphische Betriebe Eberl GmbH gas turbine customer in the Pacific region. facture rotating component spares require- Kirchplatz 6 On the occasion of the first shop visit of its ments for GE’s F110, T58 and F101 engines. 87509 Immenstadt im Allgäu • Germany LM2500 gas turbine, two representatives of Customer deliveries are required in 2007 to Tel. +49 8323 802-0 that customer came to Ludwigsfelde. “Your 2008. facility is the cleanest and most organized Contributions credited to authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editors. shop I’ve ever been to,” lauded project engi- In the commercial engine segment, MTU We will not be held responsible for unsolicited material. Reprints are allowable provided neer Tim Dunn. His company is an affiliate of AENA has contracted with GE to supply 50 reference is made to the source and a voucher copy is mailed to the editors. publicly listed Tesoro Corporation headquar- spare disks for the CF6-80A’s high-pressure tered in San Antonio, Texas, which operates turbine and is currently negotiating with GE an oil refinery on the coast of Oahu produc- Shaking hands at the hand-over: Bernd Kessler and Ceremonious hand-over of the 4,000th engine to for involvement with a similar, higher-volume ing 95,000 barrels of crude a day. Rick Oehme. US Airways. CF6-80C2 high-pressure turbine disk.

38 REPORT REPORT 39