At the beginning of April, Airborne Technologies (ABT) announced that the company – which had once been Diamond Aircraft “Wiener Neustadt-based aviation high-tech company is now fully EASA-certified.
Following ABT’s previous certification as a design and production organization, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (the EU’s aviation safety authority, so to speak) has now also certified the company led by founder Wolfgang Grumeth as a global maintenance organization. This important and recognized certification entitles the company to maintain and repair aviation components that are already in use. In detail, the authority now certifies that ABT has the combined necessary skills of a modern and high-performance “Special Mission Integrator”, as well as the required manufacturing technology for carbon fiber composite parts, cable harnesses, electronic assemblies, electromechanical components and metal work and assemblies. ABT’s range of services is rounded off by an in-house flight test department with EASA-licensed test pilots. Greater autonomy and independence from subcontractors and suppliers also means greater flexibility for customers and therefore faster implementation of their projects. These customers include private companies as well as authorities, police and the military from all over the world – with the exception of the USA and China, where there are many national final suppliers and retrofitters.
Increasingly complex sensor systems
The demand for extensive and far-reaching modifications to fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters in the so-called “special mission” and government sector is constantly increasing. A number of platforms in both categories and from various users have already undergone a sensor upgrade in the halls in Wiener Neustadt, which were expanded to 7,000 square meters in 2016. Aircraft manufacturers are also increasingly relying on cooperation with smaller, highly specialized companies such as ABT, whose core expertise is aimed precisely at this niche. Each of these derived conversions and their mission profile is unique, far removed from the ordinary. Whether observation, surveying or sovereign missions, the range of applications is broad and complex. Design organization
Certification as a DO (EASA Part 21J) entitles a company to design modifications to helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft and, if classified as a “minor modification”, also to certify them. In the case of so-called “Major Changes”, the company receives EASA certification (the so-called STC) from EASA in Cologne. This qualification puts the certified design organization on a par with the original aircraft manufacturers and at the same time dispels the widespread misconception that modifications to aircraft may only be carried out by the aircraft manufacturer. This is despite the fact that modifications by ABT often involve considerable intervention in the airframe. Production Organization
Extensive modifications to aircraft – especially in this upgrade area – also require the production of specific components. As a certified PO (EASA Part 21G), you also have the privilege of producing these yourself and issuing a quality certificate (“EASA Form 1”) for them. The PO approval covers all relevant areas, such as metal structural components, electrical components, electromechanical components, cable harnesses and fiber-reinforced plastic components as well as predominantly carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy resin. Here too, this qualification is comparable to that of the manufacturer, as the components are delivered from the manufacturer to the shipyards, also on the basis of “Form 1” quality certificates. And now: Maintenance Organization
In the final step, Part-145 ABT certification authorizes the maintenance, repair, modification and servicing of components that are already in operation at the customer and in the aircraft. Product upgrades can also be carried out directly and immediately via the maintenance organization. Quality management
In order to ensure all of this in the long term, it is logical that an independent quality management system must be established and can be assumed. ABT states that, for reasons of efficiency, it makes sense in this case for this QM system to be equally responsible for all three areas (DO, PO and MO). In order to obtain these certifications, all processes must reflect the EASA regulations to the letter. Appropriate procedure descriptions must be established and the relevant technical personnel must be trained and educated.
Proof that these procedures are in line with the regulations and that they are also practiced by the applicant company is confirmed in the course of the certification process in several official audits.
The military are also demanding civilian approvals
Civilian approvals in the military sector have been a trend for some time now. Although military aircraft and helicopters are not subject to EASA regulations and are probably not usually operated within the EASA spectrum, more and more military customers see civil certification as a basic requirement, as an EASA STC is a welcome seal of quality – especially for aircraft types whose (civil) basic certification was carried out in accordance with EASA certification specifications and for which EASA has issued a “Type Certificate”. Wolfgang Grumeth: “With the comprehensive certifications and the in-house range of services, starting with the production of carbon fiber components through electrical and electromechanical components to flight testing, there is practically no special requirement in the field of modification for special mission aircraft that the engineers and designers at Airborne Technologies cannot meet. The customer receives competent solutions adapted to current market developments from a single source, as a ‘one-stop store’.”
Reading tip: Flug Revue article about Airborne from the previous year.
Click here for more news about Airborne Technologies.
