Page 44 - AAA JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2017 Online Magazine

MRO TRENdS
FEATURE XXXXXXXXX XXXX
TOP: An Airbus researcher using
the ACROSS demonstrator on the
left side, with the virtual reality
mock-up on the right
BOTTOM: AR will revolutionise
training programmes related to
aero engines. In the AR world,
the trainee can be imparted an
immersive training experience
and have access to the aero
engine 24/7
44 MAINTENANCE REP AIR O VERHA UL
44 ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017
pointers at the event that the technology aircraft. The virtual aircraft is the result of
is a part of the repertoire of some, and on a partnership with HOP! Training by ICARE,
the radar of many in the industry. While an AIR FRANCE KLM group subsidiary. “The
companies like Boeing and United Airlines visualization system allows us to virtually
expressed interest in the Optech4D access the aircraft, its cockpit, its technical
demonstration, one of the highlights compartments, open the engine and APU,”
of the show was Air France Industries said Olaf Hoftijzer, director KLM Training
KLM Engine & Maintenance wowing the E&M. “It’s possible to trigger different pre-
audience by reproducing an entire aircraft conceived maintenance scenarios to enable
and its systems in a 3D environment, as the technicians to interact with the aircraft’s
it demonstrated its web-based virtual systems in real time to remedy a problem.”
aircraft system for a KLM-operated 787 In July, last year, Lufthansa Technik AG
used AR as it launched a laser-based system
for installation support when equipping
VIP aircraft cabins in the framework of its
research and innovation projects. The mobile
projection system can be adapted to suit
every installation situation and is projected
directly into the work environment for the
structural employee. The result? Better
precision and less work. “We have achieved
another milestone in further advancing the
digitization of industrial work processes
at Lufthansa Technik with the projection-
based installation support using laser-
based templates,” said Dr. Severin S. Todt,
Head of CAx Competence Center and
Tool & Equipment Solutions at Lufthansa
Technik, in a press release. “Following in
the footsteps of virtual reality, augmented
reality is now a part of our working world.”
Any technology that promises additional
safety is good news for an industry that
lays much emphasis on seeking ways to root
out the possibility of human error to the
maximum extent possible. Providing a fillip
to advocates of AR, a study by Paul Davies, an
electrical engineer at Boeing Research and
Technology, revealed that technicians using
the technology were faster and much more
accurate than a group that were doing it the
old-fashioned way. “Users of our software
have seen reductions in costly mistakes
while experiencing gains in productivity
and efficiency,” said Higgins. “They have
also seen increases in retention rates and
a higher return on training investments.”
The results at Air France Industries KLM
Engine & Maintenance support Higgins’
claim. According to the company, the virtual
aircraft has taken training to another level
as it allows instructors and trainees to
simultaneously combine practice and theory
segments, without once accessing the
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