Story ID: 016CompRefurbUpdateAINOct2013editedByAY_NM.doc
Jeff Bonner R&D Plays Mahjong
By: AIN Staff
Caption: 
Word Count: 262
Jeff Bonner Research & Development, a San Antonio-based aircraft cabin component developer and subassembly fabricator, has read the tea leaves for the Asian market and responded with a high-tech version of the ancient game of mahjong for installation in private jets.

Myth has it that mahjong originated with the philosopher Confucius in China in about 500 B.C. Typically involving four players, it requires a combination of concentration, strategy, skill and calculation and a certain touch of of luck. Now Jeff Bonner R&D has taken the game to new heights of technology while retaining the ancient virtues it represents.

“During the past three years we have had numerous requests to manufacture a mahjong table for executive jets based in Asia,” said v-p of sales Ed Harris. The result, he said, is not only development of an adaptation of an off-the-shelf table, but also the creation of a one-off semi-private mahjong room inspired by the Asian arts.

“The FAA guidance is in place and we have adapted similar electro-mechanical products in the past,” Harris added.

Machine capabilities at Jeff Bonner include everything from a 450-ton press and 19-foot autoclave to dual paint booths and CNC lathes, and projects include work contracted by private and head-of-state aircraft owners, airlines and manufacturers of military equipment.

Jeff Bonner R&D has an in-house engineering staff familiar with both secondary and primary structure design and certification and claims it can manufacture 99 percent of any aircraft component without relying on outside vendors.