AerSale, Inc. to Provide Maintenance Services to NASA’s DC-8 – The Flying Laboratory
CORAL GABLES, Fla., Nov. 20, 2013 - AerSale, Inc. announced today that it will be providing “C” check maintenance services for one of NASA's Airborne Science Program workhorses – the DC-8-72 flying laboratory. The aircraft has been flown to AerSale’s maintenance facility in Roswell, New Mexico, where it is to undergo major inspection and maintenance servicing.
AerSale will provide maintenance as part of the aircraft’s new Low Utilization Maintenance Plan -- LUMP for short. The LUMP also marries basic maintenance, the Corrosion Prevention and Control Program (CPCP) and the Structural Significant Items (SSI) inspection program into a single maintenance plan for efficiency and safety.
Boeing developed the LUMP program for NASA's DC-8-72 based on a maintenance plan for aircraft that fly fewer than 1,200 hours annually. For NASA's DC-8-72, this translates into periodic inspections that cost less and are more easily scheduled around science mission activities.
"This heavy ‘C’ check enters NASA's DC-8-72 into the LUMP scheme of maintenance that provides a highly efficient means for managing airframe and subsystems inspections," said NASA's DC-8-72 project manager Frank Cutler.
“We are enthusiastic that NASA has selected AerSale to fulfill this DC-8-72 maintenance contract. This project allows AerSale-Roswell the opportunity to demonstrate its exceptional aircraft heavy maintenance expertise in compliance with the rigorous operational requirements of NASA,” commented Nicolas Finazzo, Chief Executive Officer of the company. “We are dedicated to the success of this program and excited about the prospect of fulfilling additional NASA requirements in the future.”
About NASA’s DC-8-72
NASA's DC-8-72 flying laboratory has flown Earth science missions for more than 25 years under NASA's Airborne Science Program. A meticulous level of maintenance has allowed this aircraft to conduct research on six continents and study ice fields on the seventh – Antarctica. The four-engine jet transport aircraft has been highly modified to support the agency's missions. Acquired by NASA in 1985, the aircraft is 157 feet long with a 148-foot wingspan. With a range of 5,400 nautical miles – about 6,200 statute miles - it can cruise at altitudes from 1,000 to 41,000 feet supporting science missions of up to 12 hours in duration, although most science missions average 6 to 10 hours. The DC-8-72 can carry 30,000 pounds of scientific instruments and equipment and can seat up to 45 scientists and flight crew.
About AerSale
AerSale is a global leader in the supply of commercial aircraft, engines and OEM used serviceable material to passenger and cargo airline operators, leasing organizations, governmental entities, multinational OEMs and independent maintenance repair and overhaul organizations (MROs). AerSale also offers MRO and asset management services to owners and operators of used aircraft and engine portfolios. More information can be found at www.aersale.com.
