747, 767, MD-11 Aircraft Affected by June HPC ADs

United Services, an airline support business within United Air Lines, announced its intention to provide air carriers with FAA-mandated repairs to Pratt & Whitney PW4000 94" series engines. United stands ready to deliver these repairs -- and to do so faster and more cost-effectively than anyone, according to Greg Hall, senior vice president-Maintenance and Engineering for United. "United flies and maintains more aircraft with PW4000 series engines than any other airline in the world," Hall says. "We work on these engines every day, and have proven our expertise and commitment to safety through years of precision maintenance."

In June 2003, the FAA issued a new Airworthiness Directive (AD) regarding a needed repair to the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 94" series engines. Air carriers around the world are required to submit their engines to maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities to comply with this mandatory modification.

United is prepared to install Pratt & Whitney's high-pressure compressor (HPC) ring-case kit in all 250 of the PW4000 94" engines United operates in its fleet, and is already set up to do the same and more for any air carrier needing the required modification and repair. United maintenance employees already have several years of experience with the implementation of a similar project related to the HPC ring case of PW4000 112" series engines. United has been maintaining PW4000 94" engines for 14 years and works on an average of 24 engines of this type every month. All work will be done at United's San Francisco Maintenance Center, one of the world's largest engine maintenance facilities.

"Day by day, we apply United's 77 years of aviation experience and innovation to every engine we repair and maintain," Hall says. "We're recognized across the industry for our demonstrated expertise, safety, and reliability in various types of engine maintenance, including both the PW4000 94" and PW4000 112" series."

Both the Boeing 747 and 767 aircraft models employ the PW4000 94" engine, as does the McDonnell Douglas MD-11. All PW4000 94" engines must be fitted with the ring-case kit by June 2009, according to the AD. This mandated repair is the third AD the FAA has issued on this subject, and, as Hall points out, United has already completed repairs for its customers mandated by the previous two directives.

"We can administer the ring-case repair as a stand- alone job, or as part of a complete engine overhaul," says Hall. "Either way, we believe our customers will see their engines turned around faster and delivered more cost-effectively with us than with anyone else." "United is a fully competitive, market-driven MRO provider for air carriers around the world," says Hall. "United Services is leading the effort to deliver superior United maintenance services for all current and prospective customers."

FMI: www.unitedsvcs.com