A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

U.S.-based Derco (Hall 3 E140) and the Netherlands’ StandardAero are teaming to offer F-16 operators worldwide repairs for the Pratt &amp; Whitney F100-220/220E engines, Derco announced here at the Paris Air Show. StandardAero repairs F100 engines, while Derco’s F-16 Component Asset Management (CAM) program offers fixed-rate engine repair pricing at both the LRU and module level. The agreement represents a continuation and expansion of Derco’s support capability under its existing F-16 CAM program launched at the 2015 Paris Air Show, said Mark Konzal, Derco’s v-p of marketing and business development. “Through the CAM program, we bring OEM asset management to critical components throughout the F-16, and as a member of the Lockheed Martin F-16 Hologram program we bring solutions to the aircraft structure,” said Konzal.


StandardAero, meanwhile, has been “rapidly advancing our capabilities for serving the large, existing market of F-16 aircraft powered by F-100 engines” since its acquisition of Dutch Aero Services in 2015, said Mark Wittingen, StandardAero’s v-p of military sales. “Our new partnership with Derco gives us the collective ability to provide faster, better, and more comprehensive OEM-aligned repair services to keep these aircraft flying at peak efficiency.”


Also announced here in Paris, Global Defense Solutions (GDS) has chosen Derco as exclusive distributor for all direct commercial sales of the C-130 E/H/J Loadmaster Crashworthy Seat (CWS) certified for the C-130 E-J models, previously available only through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Derived from a commercially available baseline seat frame, the seat is designed with armored options, four-point adjustable harness, fireproofing, and survivability through 9g crash load.


“The CWS is specifically designed to allow for optimal aircrew safety and convenience,” said GDS president Kevin Suckman. Derco director of strategic partnerships Kaan Tuncel called the expanded seat availability “a great benefit to operators who value safe and proven loadmaster seats that are designed with personnel comfort in mind.”


Derco also renewed an exclusive distribution agreement with Lord Corporation for all the latter company’s C-130, P-3 and E-2C military products to the U.S. government and operators worldwide. Additionally, Derco announced a contract extension with Safair Operations for a cost-per-fight-hour program for aftermarket material and logistics support. Commercial L-100 operator Safair provides humanitarian aid, endangered animal transport, search and rescue, and research missions. “Given that Derco is the largest C-130/L-100 logistics provider in the world, we see them as well positioned to provide thru-life support for our L-100 fleet,” said Safair CEO Elmar Conradie.

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

Derco and StandardAero Team on F-16 Engine Repairs

Distribution deals for GDS C-130 seats, Lord products for military platforms also announced by US MRO

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