Goodrich will today announce a contract with Qantas to provide aftermarket support for the electro-mechanical braking system on the Australian airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The contract, the first 787 maintenance deal Goodrich has signed, will be based on a cost-per-aircraft-landing basis. The value and length of contract is currently undisclosed.
“Qantas is a strategic customer, not only for wheels and brakes but of Goodrich as an enterprise,” says Tim Vastine, Goodrich’s director of airline sales, Americas and Australia. About 12 years ago, Qantas outsourced its wheel and brakes shops in Sydney and we won that competition, therefore we already have a good wheel and brake service centre there.
Potential
Of the 12 airlines that have made their 787 wheel and brake selection, Goodrich has so far won orders from seven. “Notably these include the launch customer All Nippon Airways as well as Japan Airlines, China Southern, Shanghai Airlines, Northwest Airlines and our most recent win, LOT Polish Airlines,” says Vastine. “We have had our brakes selected for all the launch customers of each region. Northwest Airlines is also a potential customer for maintenance support, and the two companies are currently in discussions.
Goodrich has heritage with electro-mechanical brakes, with the idea originating in 1995. Its first successful test of an electric braking system took place in 1998 on an F16. The technology also features on the Global Hawk UAV. “I think the Global Hawk experience helped, as Boeing was aware of our technology and its development,” adds Vastine.
The key feature of the brakes is that everything is modular. Because the electrical actuators – which replace the traditional hydraulic pistons – are modular, they can be replaced on the brake while still on the aircraft.
Source: Flight Daily News
