Page 34 - AAA APRIL - MAY 2017 Online Magazine

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Rapid Repair

Use of new technology in aircraft maintenance helps expedite the inspection process,
thereby reducing flight delays
By Jay Menon

MAnY innovAtion ProJeCts eMerging Zealand, Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa the inspection process, especially after a
from behind the doors of hangars and Technik have also trialed automated robotics lightning damage.
workshops are leading to significant cost in some form for inspections. Recently, All The easiest way to spot lightning damage
savings in MRO activities. Commercial Nippon Airways flew a drone to check for is to look for signs on the exterior: burn
aviation MRO is demonstrating a penchant damage on a passenger aircraft. A drone marks and small holes, and even missing bits
for new technologies. In the Internet of carrying a camera ascended to about 16 at the aircraft’s extremities, like the wing
Things (IoT) age, several firms are using meters above the ground and scanned a tips, according to Boeing. And that means
tablets, mobile apps and wearable devices to 57-meter-long Boeing 787 parked in front of pulling the aircraft from service for a manual
harness data and turn it into useful business a hangar. It flew in an automated mode at a inspection, which takes a full day. “Today,
information. speed of 1 meter per second while capturing lightning-strike inspections take several
Some innovations are exploiting the images of the midsize jetliner from above, hours and it can take longer to identify
rapidly expanding capabilities of autonomous and landed after about 10 minutes. the limits within the aircraft maintenance
equipment such as UAVs and robots. Many “This new use of technology can help manuals,” Bunting says. “Drone inspections
of them depend on massive collaborative in reducing flight delays,” a senior official will reduce this and by capturing accurate
efforts between major airlines, OEMs, of the ANA Digital Design Lab was quoted footage, we can share it with the aircraft
statisticians and information technology by Nikkei. “The technology is not ready manufacturer and speed up the assessment
specialists to fully exploit the data systems for immediate application but it has great process as well.” Bunting believes unmanned
on aircraft. Airlines such as easyJet have potential to improve efficiency and the aircraft may eventually serve other functions
highly publicised their use of drones for safety of work processes,” the official adds. such as delivery of spare parts.
maintenance on their A320 aircraft following According to easyJet project manager Mark During the easyJet trial, UK-based firms
lightning strikes, while the likes of Air New Bunting, the new technology could speed up Blue Bear Systems Research and Createc’s
34 MAINTENANCE REPAIR OVERHAUL APRIL / MAY 2017 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/AAA