TULSA, Okla.,
April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- There is a way to quickly
shed 1,000 pounds of fuel weight on a
Boeing 757 overnight.
Here's how: American Airlines has begun installing new safety equipment
designed to protect the center fuel tanks of B757 aircraft, which today must
carry a minimum 1,000 pounds of fuel to guard against a potential spark and
explosion.
Using a kit designed by American and its partner, TDG Aerospace,
installation can be accomplished during an overnight maintenance check.
As a result, American Airlines and its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul
division, American Airlines Maintenance Services, are way ahead of the
industry in this endeavor.
The equipment was developed by TDG Aerospace, Inc., in conjunction with
American, and is called the Universal Fault Interrupter, or UFI. The UFI
protects the center fuel tanks from electrical faults, extended dry-pump
operation, and un-commanded pump operation, each of which is the subject of
pending Special Federal Air Regulation 88. The installation has Federal
Aviation Administration Supplemental Type Certificate approval for the B757
and is an Alternate Method of Compliance (AMoC) to the fuel restrictions
required by Airworthiness Directive 2002-24-51, thereby eliminating the
requirement and associated cost to carry the 1,000 pounds of additional fuel.
To quickly adopt this leading-edge technology, American and TDG set as a
design goal the ability to install the units on an overnight maintenance
check.
American Airlines Aircraft Maintenance Technicians in Boston have
successfully proven they could do the work in that time frame. This
translates into the elimination of costly out-of-service time and paves the
way for AA Maintenance Services to offer the UFI installation to other
operators of the B757s.
The UFI, now available through TDG Aerospace, employs a redundant relay
solution that prevents the pumps from continuing to operate if a control relay
should fail to work.
This cooperative effort between American Airlines and TDG Aerospace helps
alleviate the minimum fuel restrictions of FAA AD 2002-24-51, while providing
a sound solution to forthcoming SFAR 88 mandates regarding fuel pump auto-
shut-off, electrical fault protection, and un-commanded pump operation.
For more information, contact American Airlines Maintenance Services at
http://www.mroaa.com or TDG Aerospace, Inc. at http://www.tdgaerospace.com
AmericanAirlines(R) We know why you fly(R)
Current AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR) releases can be accessed on the Internet.
The address is http://www.aa.com
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