11/2011 | Master of 5,000 components
Manfred Rosenthal (55) is a welcome addition to the Lockheed Super Star team, having been in charge of component overhaul in Auburn, Maine since the spring. Rosenthal was assigned to the project by Lufthansa Passage and is able to draw on a wealth of experience gained on challenging tasks and projects in the Lufthansa Group. Thus, amongst other things the graduate business information specialist worked on the development of planning tools for ground handling and has headed up various Lufthansa stations.
The five-strong Components Team has taken up quarters right next door to the maintenance hangar in which the Super Star is docked. So far 5,000 L-1649A components have been stored there under optimal conditions, catalogued, prepared for dispatch to overhaul shops or already sent on their way. This entire process is being optimally mapped and controlled through WinAir, a software package specifically developed for aviation.
Describing his work, Manfred Rosenthal says: “It is my job to ensure that all the materials are available in time for the date on which they are planned to be reinstalled. In the design of the L-1649A, Lockheed bent over backwards to please its customers, and as a result there are big differences in the components, depending on whether the aircraft was originally delivered to TWA, Air France or Lufthansa. This does not make the search for overhaul providers any easier, as we have to look for shops that can specifically overhaul components from our former TWA aircraft and have the necessary FAA certification. Which components are reinstalled into the aircraft is determined by the last FAA approved revision status of the aircraft, supplemented by safety-relevant and operationally sensible requests for changes from the Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin-Stiftung as the customer and future operator of the L-1649A.”
In the search for suitable specialist companies, the team uses special search engines that enable one to specifically seek out capability by individual parts number. At the same time the Components Team is extremely well-connected in the industry and, last but not least, consults other operators of large commercial aircraft from the propeller era about reliable and adequately certified specialist firms. The parts looked after by the Components Team are the line replaceable units (LRUs) and standard parts such as control cables and pipework. On the other hand control surfaces, flaps and cowlings count as secondary structure, for which Production is responsible in the adjoining hangar. The doors are the one exception, as they fall within the responsibility of Manfred Rosenthal and his team as well.
According to the rules that are standard in aviation, the components hangar has to be divided strictly into two separate areas for serviceable and unserviceable components. At the moment the majority of parts on the well-filled shelves are unserviceable, but this will soon change. Manfred Rosenthal explains the process: “Initially it was important to record all the components so as to obtain an overview of the total quantity of parts. Now we can set priorities and dispatch them on the basis of their planned reinstallation date.”
Wolfgang Borgmann
Back to overview
The five-strong Components Team has taken up quarters right next door to the maintenance hangar in which the Super Star is docked. So far 5,000 L-1649A components have been stored there under optimal conditions, catalogued, prepared for dispatch to overhaul shops or already sent on their way. This entire process is being optimally mapped and controlled through WinAir, a software package specifically developed for aviation.
Describing his work, Manfred Rosenthal says: “It is my job to ensure that all the materials are available in time for the date on which they are planned to be reinstalled. In the design of the L-1649A, Lockheed bent over backwards to please its customers, and as a result there are big differences in the components, depending on whether the aircraft was originally delivered to TWA, Air France or Lufthansa. This does not make the search for overhaul providers any easier, as we have to look for shops that can specifically overhaul components from our former TWA aircraft and have the necessary FAA certification. Which components are reinstalled into the aircraft is determined by the last FAA approved revision status of the aircraft, supplemented by safety-relevant and operationally sensible requests for changes from the Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin-Stiftung as the customer and future operator of the L-1649A.”
In the search for suitable specialist companies, the team uses special search engines that enable one to specifically seek out capability by individual parts number. At the same time the Components Team is extremely well-connected in the industry and, last but not least, consults other operators of large commercial aircraft from the propeller era about reliable and adequately certified specialist firms. The parts looked after by the Components Team are the line replaceable units (LRUs) and standard parts such as control cables and pipework. On the other hand control surfaces, flaps and cowlings count as secondary structure, for which Production is responsible in the adjoining hangar. The doors are the one exception, as they fall within the responsibility of Manfred Rosenthal and his team as well.
According to the rules that are standard in aviation, the components hangar has to be divided strictly into two separate areas for serviceable and unserviceable components. At the moment the majority of parts on the well-filled shelves are unserviceable, but this will soon change. Manfred Rosenthal explains the process: “Initially it was important to record all the components so as to obtain an overview of the total quantity of parts. Now we can set priorities and dispatch them on the basis of their planned reinstallation date.”
Wolfgang Borgmann
Back to overview
Manfred Rosenthal
