Goodrich has presented an operational excellence award to Etihad Airways for averaging 2,600 landings between Goodrich carbon brake overhauls for its fleet of five Boeing 777-300ERs, each of which carries 12 brake assemblies.
The long-life, 30% beyond the overall fleet average of 2,000h for brake overhauls, represents a "win-win" situation for both the operator and the manufacturer as Etihad has a fixed cost per landing brake maintenance programme with Goodrich, says Jim Wharton, vice-president of commercial wheels and brakes for Goodrich.
The brake maintenance programme is offered on new-generation aircraft and typically covers brake maintenance over a 10-year period.
Wharton says Etihad achieved the superior performance by "adamantly adopting" Goodrich's brake life improvement programme, which focuses largely on braking techniques used during taxiing as the 777 uses auto-braking during landings. Carbon brakes are sensitive to the number of applications, particularly in cold weather, says Wharton.
Goodrich this week at the Paris air show also announced that it would certificate its new Boeing 737 wheels and carbon brakes in the second half of this year after successfully completing flight testing.
The company says the combination, available on all modern 737 variants, provides weight savings of around 320kg (700lb) per aircraft cover high-capacity steel brakes.
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Source: Flight Daily News
