Tom Samuel, CEO of Comply365, says that the move to a single platform for authoring and distribution of operations manuals is a recent trend.
The overall business need for airlines is the need to streamline their operational content management processes — and they prefer a single platform for authoring and revision management, as well as distribution and compliance tracking for all types of operational manuals and to make them easily accessible to customers across all departments. One obstacle here is the different formats in use for OEM manuals (XML) and company manuals (Word) for flight operations and for technical operations (SGML but also have to integrate with engineering and maintenance ERP systems).
Comply365 is seeing increased adoption of their ProAuthor platform from all types and sizes of airlines. Some of these are established operators coming to the technology for the first time, while others are start-ups that see the technology as a way to establish a solid foundation.
A good example of the latter is MYAirline, a Malaysian low cost carrier, that selected and started using Comply365 before it even started flying Airbus A320s in December 2022. As part of the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) process, the airline’s Document Management team and Subject Matter Experts collaborated, and used ProAuthor to create operational manuals and handbooks from scratch for eight departments across the airline.
During the creation of MYAirline’s operations manuals, tags were applied that allowed reusable content to be standardized across all manuals, and specific electronic forms and workflows were created That allowed for better congruency and optimization across all authoring and reviewing processes.
The airline has also mapped their manual content against Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) regulations and IOSA Standards and Recommended Practices (ISARP) to ensure effective governance, empowering compliance monitoring from the start, and drastically reducing the time it takes to prepare for audits.
However, today there are still obstacles that prevent airlines from getting significant operational value through their operational content management processes. Airlines still focus on delivering a set of operational manuals to front-line staff — pilots cabin crew, mechanics — rather than thinking about delivering specific context-specific operational content to their front-line staff, such as information pertinent to an individual aircraft (perhaps with a slightly different equipment fit from others in the fleet) or information specific to the destination and diversion airports for a particular flight.
A recent new customer is Calm Air, which operates ATR 42s and ATR 72s on passenger and cargo services to small communities in the far north of Canada. Crews will now be able to review and comply with their most up-to-date operational content more accurately and quickly, even in the most remote locations — Gillam Airport has a 5,000 ft gravel runway. The airline also will be able to deliver content and personalized notifications based on roles and locations and drive higher rates of compliance with reporting insights. Electronic forms also will allow crews to capture data from the field to send back to the operation.
There are also obstacles in interactions between operators and regulators as well, Samuel adds. Of course, some content has to be approved by the regulator before it can be distributed to front-line staff. He says there is some progress here, with some operators wanting the regulator to be involved at an earlier stage in the approval process. Instead of all the changes being completed and sent for approval, an airline can include the regulator to look at some proposed changes during the work. That also applies to real-time operational compliance tracking, where the operator can provide a regulator with access to a portal to monitor airline compliance with a new version of a manual.
Adoption of more efficient operational content management technology can often be seen at a country-level. Once one operator adopts new (and more efficient technology) within a country, and the first regulatory approval is gained, it is common to see other airlines in that country make changes to their operational content management technology, and easily gain the required regulatory approvals. An example here is SunExpress, a leisure carrier based in Turkey, which became a Comply365 customer in early 2022. Pegasus Airlines then followed, becoming a Comply365 customer in early 2023. The same trend can be observed in other countries.
As airlines of different sizes, ages and geographies adopt new operational content management technology, they want increased sophistication in system capabilities, and increased simplicity in daily use. A further requirement is good support services to help them with managing change, and to enable them to get the most from the system. This involves a consultancy role for Comply365, using its expertise and experience with other airlines to help new customers realize value from their solutions. This occurs before, during and after implementation, where Comply365 tracks the customer’s progress of realized value against the original efficiency baseline.
Web Manuals, based in Malmö, Sweden, has also seen business booming, with the addition of 70 new customers globally. Krister Genmark, VP of sales, says this growth has been distributed across various regions, with 57% of new clients hailing from the EMEA region, 26% from the Americas, and an exceptional 17% from the Asia Pacific. In addition to a geographical spread, 33% of the new clientele represents the business jet sector, while 14% each belong to the airline and special mission/medical evacuation segments. The remaining percentage embodies a dynamic blend of operator categories, including helicopters, ATOs, MROs, cargo, and drone operators.
Italian leisure carrier NEOS, which operates a fleet of Boeing 737-800, 737 MAX 8 and 787-9 has been a customer since 2021.
One of the main reasons for choosing Web Manuals was the ability to automatically link compliance while editing documents, which was not possible with the airline’s previous manual editing software. Implementing a digital system means that the laborious task of manually monitoring and updating regulatory requirements becomes a thing of the past.
Before switching to digital manuals, the compliance and quality team at Neos had to edit documents in Word or FrameMaker, while manually recording compliance checklists using Excel files, which was time-consuming and prone to errors. With Web Manuals, this process is now automated, saving time and improving operational accuracy.
Web Manuals was also able to support the airline’s recent IOSA renewal audit, successfully completing and certifying conformity with the IOSA regulation, as well as with the continuous compliance with EASA AOC, CAMO, Part-145 and ATO certifications.
A customer since 2022, Widerøe in Norway has been using Web Manuals for flight operations, ground operations, CAMO, Part-147 and ATO. It recently added the IQSMS connector. It had been using IQSMS for audit planning, where detailed compliance lists are provided to facilitate requirements checks and control over the audit preparation. The integration between the systems allowed for real-time alignment of documentation through linking between manuals and regulation items. The process started with the internal EASA Part-SPA audit, which has about 150 requirements. Typically, this audit would take about two days with five participants, but with the assistance of the IQSMS connector it was completed in half a day.
Stefan Bundgaard, director of product, says there have been a few new developments.
The company’s Reader App, which is usable as an EFB Type B and is adapted to iPads, iPad mini, iPhones and Android devices, has now been updated with improved features for flight crew, such as the Offline Mode providing access to critical documents, and the Dark Mode allowing a cockpit-specific dark mode to use during the night to reduce eye fatigue. It can be tailored to fit the user’s preferences in terms of navigation buttons, document filters and search bars, announcements, navigation tabs, and tags.
New compliance libraries have also been implemented. As well as regular updates to the major standards like EASA, FAA, and IATA, those from Bahrain, Canada, Papua New Guinea and the United Kingdom have been introduced, while work is in progress to introduce those from the UAE.
May saw the introduction of the MRO Combi Package, which involves Web Manuals and AeroEx in a strategic partnership aimed at supporting businesses in navigating the recent changes in Part 145 regulations while maintaining operational excellence. These are related to safety management, personnel and compliance monitoring systems. The package combines Web Manuals’ digital documentation solution with AeroEx’s expertise in aviation regulation compliance and includes the user-friendly Web Manuals platform, which facilitates editing, distribution, and monitoring of manuals, along with the exclusive Part 145 compliance library. To further enhance compliance and safety management, the package incorporates AeroEx’s cloud-based AMAS.aero platform.
The MRO package also includes the AMAS.aero Connector, enabling direct links to relevant manuals within the Web Manuals system during compliance audits. Additionally, it features the AeroEx Part 145 Maintenance Organization Exposition (MOE) template, facilitating easy implementation and compliance with the new legal regulations.
The company is also working with Time To Fly, which tracks and analyzes all published and upcoming changes in regulations. The result is the Regulatory Watch to combine systems to provide a real-time compliance verification solution for upcoming changes for OPS, IATA, ICAO, CAMO/Part 145 and ATO.
Not the most exciting or obvious part of an airline’s operations, digitization is increasingly proving to be a game changer for those smart operators with an eye on the future.
Various IT systems and applications are being used to improve aircraft engine maintenance and overhaul. Ian Harbison spoke to three major players about their different approaches.
Firstly, we look at the views of a software supplier with Rob Mather, vice president, aerospace and defense industries at IFS. He says the engine maintenance market, for IFS, comes from two angles: the first is the engine operator/owner, the other is the engine maintainer, either the operator or an MRO. Each has very different needs. The operator/owner is looking to predict when they need to do maintenance and schedule it, hopefully extending time on wing in the process to prevent downtime and unscheduled maintenance. They also place great emphasis on back-to-birth records and configuration management. An MRO, on the other hand, providing maintenance as a service, has a simpler focus on a fast turnaround, both to satisfy the customer and to get the next revenue-earning engine in progress.
Rob Mather, IFS
That means IFS has developed aviation maintenance products that address both of those customer needs, although, sometimes, where an airline has its own engine MRO capability, or an OEM is offering a complete support package (such as TotalCare from Rolls-Royce (which uses IFS customer software in its Blue Data Thread program)), there can be a blend of the two. The latter case, he comments, has been led by the defense side, where performance-based logistics and ‘platform as a service’ (PASS) solutions have been around for some time.
For MROs, there is an increasing interest in using IT to streamline processes in the workshop. That means orchestrating the disassembly and reassembly of the engine as well as careful scheduling of the work, assignment of technicians, timely delivery of parts, ensuring the work is done according to the contract and generating the all-important invoice. There is also a need for the customer to be able to see the status of the work at any time and to rapidly approve any work beyond the scope of the contract or estimate that needs to be done.
For digital twins, he says there are a number of factors. First is the current model of the asset, then the accumulated data against that model and the predictive model that is applied. That means the more robust a model, the more data that can be gathered. Once again, this development has been led by the military. The most recent step has been the introduction of machine learning to develop the predictive model by moving away from the analysis of historical data to look at actual trend information using conditional and contextual information.
In future, artificial intelligence will also be used in maintenance scheduling optimization to further streamline and optimise the maintenance processes, including task planning and personnel. IFS is currently using a similar method within its Field Service Management (FSM) software to intelligently deploy Field Service Representatives (FSR), including route optimization to ensure the best placed, skilled and equipped FSR is quickly on site with customers. The scheduling optimization functionality has also just been released for use in manufacturing as well.
Markus Wagner, MTU Maintenance
Next is an MRO specialist. Markus Wagner, head of digital maintenance services at MTU Maintenance, based in Hannover, says his company uses a number of digital tools in its MRO processes and offers digital maintenance services, most prominently CORTEX and Engine Trend Monitoring (ETM), its proprietary software programs which are used for data processing and analysis as well as maintenance planning either for single engines or entire fleets.
CORTEX analyses technical, commercial and market data to generate tailor-made maintenance strategies for customers. Using AI optimization algorithms and taking into account a multitude of variable parameters, such as utilization, operational conditions, parts availability, cost structures and engine health, the software produces cost-optimized MRO scenarios. These results are then discussed by company experts with each customer to find the best solution.
For a given contract period and type, the tool is able to forecast material needs down to a life-limited part (LLP) level, comply with configuration requirements and can calculate spare engine requirements to cover the respective MRO intervals. Thanks to the tool, the customer then knows how much on-wing time is left and what the residual value of their assets will be at the end of the life cycle. In this way nothing is left to chance in seeking out all the possible factors that could save the engine operator maintenance costs.
ETM collects engine performance and other operational parameters recorded during the flight, processes them with MTU proprietary physics-based models and continually updates the customer on the latest condition of their assets. ETM is offered in conjunction with MRO services as well as a stand-alone service as a means to increase efficiency and lower the operating cost of an engine through advanced diagnosis, analysis and prognosis.
AFI KLM E&M inducted its first Pratt & Whitney GTF engine this summer. Pratt & Whitney image.
The system observes fuel flow, exhaust gas temperature, shaft speeds and other metrics. If there are abnormalities in the values, it sends an alert to a platform that is fully accessible via any smart device. Company engineering experts then analyze the deviations and make recommendations about a course of action, helping customers to avoid operational disruptions.
He says there is an increasing focus to move more towards data driven decision making as opposed to a hardware driven process, which has traditionally been the dominating paradigm. MTU has over 40 years of MRO experience with a wide range of engine types and has respectively large sets of data which it can feed into digital tools.
This unique position in the industry means it can strengthen the end-to-end connectivity between the customers and MTU employees, the product it delivers and MTU’s processes.
Digital twins and AI are playing into the data-driven decision-making process. He notes that ‘digital twin’ can sometimes be a buzzword, but the underlying thermodynamic model in ETM and extensive MRO records enables the creation of a detailed representation of an engine in operation that can then be used in MRO planning.
It can also help with CORTEX’s fleet management process by optimizing the algorithms the software uses to derive maintenance scenarios. This is why having all that past MRO data is so crucial because then it can contextualize what is already known about a specific engine model and compare that to a real-world engine. In an ideal case, a complete technical history can be used to develop the most precise maintenance strategy, which not only optimizes the MRO workscopes and relevant costs, but also maximizes the value and on-wing time of the engine or fleet over the entire life cycle.
Looking forward, there are two ways to improve the IT-based services of the entire MRO process — increase the efficiency of the MRO processes and business enablement. This means newer and better ways of conducting maintenance work will enable the company to offer the market exactly what it demands.
The biggest challenges to this probably lies in the harmonization of newly developed digital tools like AI-assisted MRO planning with legacy systems that have been around in the industry for decades. It is very much an on-going topic, he says.
Karine Lavoie-Tremblay, Pratt & Whitney
Finally, the view from an engine OEM. Karine Lavoie-Tremblay, director, commercial engines digital transformation at Pratt & Whitney says the company, as a part of its Industry 4.0 strategy, has launched a comprehensive technology roadmap to enable business and operational performances improvements. It is currently implementing the Standard Production System (SPS) and Operational Excellence (OpX) framework as well as making good progress in key technology projects such as piece part inspection, connected factory, and industrial simulation which contribute towards its digital MRO transformation initiative. Automation is a key element of this strategy, driving efficiency on the shop floor and allowing production associates to do more fulfilling tasks.
Some examples of how Pratt & Whitney has enhanced operational effectiveness from technology insertion initiatives include:
• Engineers at the Singapore engine center, Eagle Services Asia, have developed a collaborative robot (cobot) that is assisting technicians on shop floors to help them free up time to focus on more substantive work. The integrated system of the cobot, camera system and advanced sensors was developed to capture and document hundreds of pictures at different locations on an engine when it arrives at and departs from the overhaul center. Detailed photo documentation of the engine’s external components is an integral process of the overhaul process, showing the pre- and post-overhaul condition of an engine. This system comprises a cobot mounted on an automated guided vehicle (AGV) and captures photos at programmed locations around an engine. This system replaces the routine photo-documentation task previously performed by technicians and elevates the skill set of the technicians to operate the system.
• Component Aerospace Singapore successfully deployed the first MRO application of 3D printing for aero-engine component details, whilst pioneering robotics in the MRO sector, including the development of an automated system to replace manual fixtures for tube repair.
• Pratt & Whitney Component Solutions implemented an industrial simulation pilot. The software package creates a digital twin of a factory, showing movement of product, people, process steps and inventory, and allowing for analysis of cycle times, turnaround times, cost, quality signature, and overall equipment effectiveness with the press of a button. The pilot resulted in optimized floor space and increased productivity.
Shown here is the Pratt & Whitney PT6 E-Series engine. It is the first engine family in the general aviation turboprop market with a dual-channel integrated electronic propeller and engine control system. The E-Series is one of several PT6 variations which in total have flown 500 million hours. Pratt & Whitney image.
Pratt & Whitney also offers EngineWise services, which includes different levels of Engine Health Management (EHM) services tailored to meet customers’ needs and provide expert analysis of engine operational data. These services deliver greater insights on maintenance planning requirements, superior reliability and controlled maintenance costs over the life of the engines.
As technology continues to develop, there have been significant investments in Advanced Diagnostics and Engine Monitoring (ADEM), part of the EHM platform, and in the ability to efficiently capture, store and analyze data from multiple sources, in order to offer state-of-the-art visualization and analytics, including full flight data capabilities.
Combining access to a more comprehensive set of data at the operational engine level, as well as the part level from our aftermarket technology insertion program, enables the company to validate design models at a much faster pace and develop advanced maintenance alerts and recommendations for customers to optimize their fleet operations.
Pratt & Whitney is running several key initiatives related to product-specific digital twins and the digital thread for the flow of connected data from enterprise resource planning (ERP), product life cycle management (PLM), and manufacturing execution system (MES) platforms. Another example is industrial simulation, as mentioned above, at Pratt & Whitney Component Solutions.
Another area of interest is smart glasses and wearable technologies which have an integrated camera, a small screen and audio that enables hands-free communication. There are an endless number of uses for smart glasses such as training, troubleshooting and equipment qualification. A first step in their use, during the pandemic, was to conduct an FAA audit on an engine at its Christchurch Engine Center in New Zealand.
Pratt & Whitney recently launched Percept, an advanced AI-based aircraft engine analysis tool. Percept is a computer vision product that operates on top of the Awiros video intelligence operating system (OS). Its cloud-based interface allows users to capture images and videos of aircraft engines on their mobile devices and receive real-time responses on parts availability. This helps a faster and cost-efficient turnaround of leased engine assets. Instead of an inspector having to examine an engine and check individual parts, Percept automates the inspection and reduces time taken by nearly 90%.
Looking further ahead on the technology front, the company has launched a Singapore technology accelerator. This center of excellence will focus on distinct strategic areas: automation, advanced inspection, connected factory and digital twin, which will enhance technology insertions, connectivity, and intelligence to benefit other company aftermarket sites around the world.
There are still some limits to be overcome in developing and deploying new technology. One particularly important area is the upskilling of the workforce to keep pace and stay relevant to the needs of the business and industry. This year, Aftermarket Operations has already hired hundreds of employees and is continuing to establish partnerships with A&P and trade schools, attend on-site career fairs and build more robust onboarding/training programs.
Biomimetics is the science (or art) of engineering natural phenomena. Sharks are known to be extremely efficient swimmers and this is helped, in part, by their skin, which is covered in denticles, or small riblets. These smooth the flow of water and reduce drag. As the science of hydrodynamics and that of aerodynamics are similar, this has been of interest to aviation for some time but has taken on a new lease of life with the increased push towards the reduction of CO2 emissions.
Lufthansa Technik has been playing with the idea for a number of years. In 2011, along with Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM) and Airbus, it started the three-year Multifunctional Coating project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. This involved embossing a riblet pattern into a coating, the process also curing the coating to give rigidity. Small patches were then attached to the fuselage and the upper surface of the wing of various Lufthansa aircraft to test the longevity and durability of the coating in regular aircraft operations.
With additional funding by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, 2014 saw the three partners joined by bwm, a specialist machine tool manufacturer, in the FAMOS project, which set out to develop a method of automatic application of the riblets. This was achieved in 2017 in a demonstration at the ZAL Center for Applied Aeronautical Research in Hamburg. However, the conclusion was that embossing was too complex.
After discovering some teams in the Red Bull Air Race were successfully using sharkskin film to boost the performance of their aircraft, it was decided that this was the better solution. Two Austrian concerns had developed the sharkskin film. Bionic Surface Technology, a small high-tech start-up specializing in high-fidelity flow simulations, had used a self-developed code to design the optimal size for the microstructures, while Joanneum Research, a material sciences research institute, could print the microstructures on a very thin adhesive film.
Although Joanneum Research was able to develop the riblet film and produce enough for testing and certification, it would be unable to do this on an industrial scale, so chemical giant BASF became involved as it had already started to work on a process to produce films with microstructures for various applications and had developed and lab-tested a prototype aviation-grade riblet film for Lufthansa Technik, the first version of AeroSHARK. The next steps were to resume testing with more than 100 small patches again being fitted to aircraft in service to monitor durability and to test application and removal methods on a Boeing 737-500 used as an apprentice training tool in Hamburg.
AeroSHARK has riblets measuring around 50 µm in size and a maximum weight of 180 g/m2.
In October 2019, during a C-check, almost the entire lower fuselage of a Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 was covered in 500 m2 of the film, the first large-scale application made to a commercial aircraft. With the modification certified by EASA, the aircraft has remained in service and has accumulated more than 6,500 flight hours, demonstrating that emissions were reduced by up to 0.8%.
The first 777 application was to a SWISS 777-300ER in August 2022. A total of 12 Boeing 777-300ERs will be fitted with AEROshark by SWISS
Jens-Uwe Mueller, manager AeroSHARK, says the main reason for selecting the Boeing 747-400 back then was to promote the benefits of retrofit to customers while taking advantage of many years of experience with the aircraft to accelerate the testing and certification process. He adds that 0.8% may not sound much but, combined with other emission reduction measures, it plays a small but important part in making aviation cleaner. It also means that the technology is mainly aimed at long-range, widebody aircraft, which spend the greatest part of each flight in cruise.
In October 2019, during a C-check, almost the entire lower fuselage of a Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 was covered in 500 m2 of the film, the first and largest application made to a commercial aircraft.
Unfortunately, plans to retrofit the entire Lufthansa 747-400 fleet were cancelled by the pandemic but, encouraged by the test results, the partners designed a new, and even larger, AeroSHARK modification that uses the same adhesive films with riblets measuring around 50 µm in size and a maximum weight of 180 g/m2.
Having looked at possible alternative platforms to the 747-400, the Boeing 777 was selected, not just because there are plenty of aircraft in service (about 1,100, or 25% of the world widebody fleet) but also because they are operated by two Lufthansa Group airlines: Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) flies the 777-300ER, carrying passengers, and Lufthansa Cargo has the 777F freighter.
The AeroSHARK film is able to withstand strong UV radiation as well as temperature and pressure fluctuations at high altitudes. Resilience against cleaning procedures and icing and flammability were also tested. One result was that dry washes are not yet permitted for AeroSHARK-equipped aircraft.
The film comes in standard panels measuring 100 cm x 50 cm, which are cut to size and currently applied to about 40% of the overall surface area of the aircraft, covering large parts of the fuselage and the engine nacelles. For the 777 modification, this involves more than 2,000 individually trimmed parts. The shapes and riblet pattern are determined using a 3D model of the aircraft developed from very precise laser scanning and CFD computation to establish the airflow around the aircraft. To include the wing bending geometry in the 3D model, Fraunhofer IOSB carried out a photogrammetric procedure on a SWISS flight from Zurich to San Francisco in the summer of 2021. A single camera looking through a cabin window took a photo every few minutes, mapping the positions of special markings on the wing to provide a 3D model of the wing flex. The accuracy of Lufthansa Technik’s CFD simulations was validated, in August 2021, with a series of tests in the low speed wind tunnel at the Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) in Brunswick, using a scale model of the cancelled Dornier 728 regional jet.
With the CFD model verified, work turned to where the panels might be applied. No-go areas included sensors, heated areas and doors as well as where they might be at risk from ice build-up or foreign object damage or could disrupt laminar flow. In addition, some panels required holes to be cut so that they could fit round access panels. Preferred areas were those that were easy to certify and, thanks to CFD, where drag reduction would be greatest. This is a complex exercise, as the airflow alters direction along the aircraft, which is also, typically, in a 4° nose up attitude in cruise. That means the direction of the riblets must subtly change from panel to panel. The panels are applied in such a way that they do not overlap. This means, in the unlikely event that a panel detaches, it will not take other panels with it.
AeroSHARK comes in standard panels measuring 100 cm x 50 cm which are cut to size and applied to about 40% of the overall surface area of the aircraft, including large parts of the fuselage and the engine nacelles. For the 777 modification, this involves more than 2,000 individually trimmed, parts.
Having said that careful alignment is needed for maximum results, the effect of not being aligned in climb and descent is negligible. Similarly, the weight penalty can be offset after a couple of hours in cruise. For the 777-300ER, the basic saving is 80 kg of jet fuel per hour, which means a little less fuel can be loaded, making the aircraft lighter. Taking a 10 hour flight as an example, that means a saving of 800 kg. This is reduced to 640 kg by the deadweight of 160 kg for AeroSHARK. However, the lighter aircraft weight realizes additional fuel savings of 180 kg for that flight, giving a total reduction of 980 kg.
Application on the first Lufthansa Cargo Boeing 777F.
Annual savings for the same aircraft are expected to be around 400 tons of kerosene and more than 1,200 tons of CO2, while the Boeing 777F will save around 370 tons of fuel and 1,170 tons of CO2 each year. The differences arise from the routes, world regions and utilization for each airline. As SWISS and Lufthansa Cargo have twelve 777-300ERs and eleven 777Fs respectively, these are meaningful reductions, more than 25,000 tons of CO2 annually.
In the future, Lufthansa Technik plans to use a software algorithm in its AVIATAR system to calculate the savings by using consumption data from the fuel flow rate sensors on the engines. Currently, the company uses a different method based on full flight data. This delivers precise measurements to within +/– 0.1%.
The first 777 application was to a SWISS 777-300ER in August last year, with successful test flights in early September resulting in a temporary Permit To Fly from the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) for that particular aircraft, which entered revenue service in October. The test flights were followed by several weeks of evaluation of the collected data and other documents, such as measured values from flow simulations. After completing its review of all submitted documents, EASA granted the STC for both types in December, allowing fleet modifications to begin. The first 777F was fitted with AeroSHARK in February in Frankfurt during a scheduled maintenance layover. The FAA STC was received in April. Incidentally, although the two types have different fuselage lengths, they share many aspects relevant for the design and certification process, for example the same wing geometry and structure, so each STC covers the 777-300ER and the 777F.
To date, ten 777-300ERs of SWISS have been modified so far, with completion of remaining two expected in late summer/early fall this year. This is because the airline is very keen to advance their sustainability efforts and willing to take aircraft out of service just to receive the modification. In contrast, Lufthansa Cargo is integrating the AeroSHARK modification into the standard scheduled base maintenance layovers of their 777Fs, with the second aircraft planned for July and completion of the remaining nine aircraft not expected before 2026. However, experience has brought about a reduction in downtime for the modification to about five days (less than usually needed for a C-check on this aircraft type). The eleven 777s currently modified with AeroSHARK have also already accumulated several thousand flight hours in recent months.
The plan is to expand coverage, for example, to the Airbus A330 and A350 and Boeing 787. There is also an exception to the widebody application and that is the Airbus A321XLR, with its 4,700 nm range making AeroSHARK a viable option. Of course, each of these would require a new CFD model and a separate STC.
Finally, Mueller says the reaction from the industry has been very positive, with airlines showing interest in the 777 having more than 250 of these aircraft in their fleets. He also notes that the interest is now coming from airline personnel involved in sustainability, not engineering.
François Chazelle, head of sales support, flight efficiency – SITA FOR AIRCRAFT shares how innovative fuel optimization technology is helping the aviation industry to reduce their emissions today.
Sustainability is becoming more important to airlines, especially with IATA’s Fly Net Zero by 2050 commitment to consider. Reducing CO2 emissions is more front of mind when considering fuel optimization than seeing it as a way to save money. Even though newer generation aircraft with more efficient engines are a ‘quick win’, there is still a need to find ways of further reducing emissions.
When talking to an airline’s head of sustainability, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is often mentioned. However, SAF is currently more expensive than conventional jet fuel, so the economic argument still carries weight. It can also be difficult to obtain, as availability is still limited. In addition, the green savings from SAF come from its manufacture especially as, having gone through an engine, the exhaust emissions from SAF are just the same as JET A-1 aviation fuel.
The Opportunities Today
There is a real opportunity for airlines to make fuel savings today to decrease emissions while maximizing the full performance potential for every aircraft they use, through fuel efficiency solutions. Today, SITA has a suite of fuel optimization solutions, SITA OptiFlight, comprising:
– SITA OptiClimb, which recommends customized climb speeds and acceleration levels for each flight using machine learning predictive performance models to save up to 5% of climb-out fuel.
– SITA OptiDirect, which recommends shortcuts that pilots can request from Air Traffic Control (ATC) based on historical tracks flown, with an indication of fuel and time savings taking into account the wind and temperature forecasts for the flight.
– SITA OptiLevel, which advises pilots on the best initial flight level and potential cruise level changes taking winds into account.
– SITA OptiDescent, which helps pilots better anticipate on Distance to Go and Top of Descent based on machine learning of historical approach patterns.
Despite COVID-19, the customer base for these solutions has grown, with 26 airlines operating more than 1,000 aircraft, including Singapore Airlines; a flag carrier and a large leisure operator in Europe; and a large freight operator in the U.S. Other customers that can be named include Aerologic, Air Austral, Air Asia, Sky Airline, Transavia and VivaAerobus.
The range of aircraft currently covered by SITA fuel optimization solutions includes Airbus A320 Family, A330 and A350; Boeing 737, 757, 767, 777 and 787; and Embraer E190, and SITA OptiClimb can be applied to any jet aircraft type.
SITA OptiDirect uses machine learning algorithms applied to historical flight data to recommend shortcuts with time and fuel savings information to pilots. SITA image.
The solutions do not need certification as all the recommended speeds are advisory and always within the flight envelope for each type. In addition, SITA supports its airline customers by carrying out a safety impact assessment. There is a highly experienced SITA team supporting customers including a former airline pilot and an air accident investigator, which is reassuring to potential customers.
Singapore Airlines selected SITA OptiClimb late last year following a successful test period and validation on the Airbus A350 fleet since August 2022. SITA has calculated that the solution will help the carrier cut aircraft carbon emissions by up to 15,000 tons annually. It estimates that airlines can derive fuel savings of up to 5% during climb-out on each flight using SITA OptiClimb, with around 5.6 million tons of CO2 emissions avoided annually if every airline worldwide used the system.
Innovating with Customers
Feedback from the customer is important in the development and evolution of solutions in SITA. Back in 2015 when launch customer Transavia France selected SITA OptiClimb, the original thinking was to have more than three speed settings for the product, as the more detailed the climb profile, the greater the potential savings. However, Transavia’s pilots said three speeds could be correlated to and entered into the flight management system during cockpit preparation, allowing the profile to be flown automatically.
Making it easy to use meant the application rate increased rapidly and the more often SITA OptiClimb is used, the greater the savings, so it was a valuable trade-off. Across the worldwide fleet, application rate is around 75%. The remaining 25% is mostly ATC-imposed limitations such as a level off or a particular speed for separation reasons. Pilots may also need to adapt their speeds in case of turbulence.
SITA OptiClimb helps airline operators optimize fuel utilization during the aircraft’s climb-out phase. The solution combines aircraft tail-specific machine-learning models with 4D weather forecasts to recommend customized climb speeds at different altitudes. SITA image.
In fact, Transavia France carried out a comparison of the respective contribution to overall operational fuel savings of SITA OptiClimb and four other legacy best practices that could be monitored via a fuel dashboard – using reverse thrust at idle accounted for 5.6% of total fuel savings; reducing reserve fuel represented 12.8%; continuous descent approaches (CDA) represented 15.2%; and reduced altitude acceleration represented 16.7%. SITA OptiClimb represented 48% of total savings which is basically equivalent to savings brought by the four legacy best practices. In a nutshell SITA OptiClimb enabled to double the savings achievable by the airline.
Adaptable Solutions
Of course, there are variations between aircraft that have to be accounted for. The A350 flies much higher than some other wide-body aircraft and there is a particular altitude at which airspeed automatically switches to Mach from knots. SITA OptiClimb takes account of this in its calculation.
There are also differences between airports. Regulations often that say climb-out should be at a maximum of 250 knots to a minimum of 10,000 feet, but this does not apply in Malaysia, so SITA OptiClimb can be optimized on an airport-by-airport basis. This is important as the first 30 minutes of the flight are where the greatest savings can be made, as the greatest thrust levels are in use. The system balances horizontal and vertical speeds to reach a certain point at a designated distance and altitude within the same time as the aircraft’s Econ climb rate, respecting the airline’s Cost Index for the flight.
This doesn’t deviate from the flight plan, so no ATC clearance is required (although ATC at one European airport does ask pilots to advise if they are using SITA OptiClimb). In cruise, any changes do have to be cleared with ATC, for example, if SITA OptiDirect recommends a shortcut or SITA OptiLevel suggests a level change. This has led to OptiATC, an exploratory collaboration with SkyGuide, the Swiss air navigation services provider.
Fuel Optimization for ATC
OptiATC is intended to assist both shortcut recommendations and in the descent phase, which is always determined by ATC. However, as SITA OptiDescent has a history of approaches into each airport, the pilots can select their preferred approach and send the new route to the ATC center, where it is displayed on the controller’s screen, saying this is the approach the airline normally uses. This enables the ideal Top of Descent to be calculated followed by a Continuous Descent Arrival (CDA).
There is also a reporting tool for the ATC manager, enabling them to quantify the fuel and emissions savings that they have helped to achieve.
Work on OptiATC was carried out by a strong research team in SITA, with a history of involvement in several other industry research projects, including the European Commission’s Clean Sky 2 project. Looking into the future, collaboration between all the parties involved in commercial aviation is the way forward as it’s part of an ecosystem and greater savings can be made.
Some airlines are beginning to look at a connected cockpit, either by satcom or from a tablet via Wi-Fi to ACARS. SITA OptiClimb and SITA OptiDirect are fully integrated in the eWAS Pilot mobile weather application which provides accurate 4D weather forecasts and real-time updates from various sources to warn about weather hazards such as thunderstorms, lightning, clear air turbulence, strong winds, icing and even volcanic ash.
Updated weather is perhaps the most important part of cockpit connectivity, particularly for meteorological events that are short lived. SITA OptiFlight then benefits from that connectivity to provide updated fuel saving recommendations.
The technical log has always been a mandatory requirement to record the maintenance status and performance of every aircraft on every flight. The introduction of the electronic technical log (ETL) has made life easier for everyone and is opening up new opportunities to exploit the data. Ian Harbison reports.
Conduce
Paul Boyd, managing director, Conduce Group, says the company’s eTechLog8 can help an airline obtain the efficiencies of removing paper and improving data quality exponentially. As well as ensuring airworthiness compliance, the data can be brought into other aspects of the business. It will collect all the data the customer is required to collect as well as significantly improve the data accuracy and consistency. This is achieved thanks to drop-down filed and pre-populated data entry workflows. As for the ongoing minor inaccuracies, he says not everything can be pre-defined so if a drop-down table provides choices, it is inevitable that human error will occur. He adds that, for Conduce, the airline has total ownership of the data and the responsibility for collecting it, so, if an error occurs, it can be amended using strict correction parameters for logging all corrections. The use of mandatory data fields, regulatory or business led, means that all data will always be collected, no missing data entries as with the paper.
ULTRAMAIN’s ELB comes with an electronic journey log, integrated technical and cabin logs, a dent and buckle chart, eDocs and a refuel log among its ETL features. All of these things are designed to simplify the life of the user, the company says. ULTRAMAIN image.
Hayley Russell, marketing manager, says one of the problems is a lack of standardization. While there is ATA SPEC 2000 Chapter 17, an industry standard for modelling ELB data as well as a set of methods for exchanging the ELB object data among computing systems, there are subtle differences that come into play. For example, trying to match data from the ETL for a particular flight with information from a fuel system. One system may have a column called ‘Location’, while another may have ‘Airport’. That seems relatively easy to map from one to the other but not if one uses a three-letter IATA code and the other a four-letter ICAO code. That muddies the data lake.
Paul Boyd, Conduce
As well as the flight crew device, there is often a cabin crew device. This can pass any cabin findings, using eCabinLog8, to the eTechLog8 device for pilot review and action, and then to eCentral8, the core of the Conduce back-office application. eCentral8 also has an inbuilt data integration layer, eGIS8, that manipulates the data into the format required by the customer airline systems, such as AMOS, TRAX, OASES, Rusada, AerData Stream, ROAM, FuelPlus and many others. eCentral8 is also the main system configuration portal to manage aspects such as new aircraft joining the fleet.
Robert Saunders, Ultramain
Boyd notes that in-flight connectivity is usually specified in RFPs but, in real life, there seems little call for defects to be transmitted ahead of the aircraft’s arrival, although it is possible with the device. However, the company is now looking more closely at integration as it has a couple of projects that involve Collins Aerospace/Airbus Ground Flight Operations & Maintenance Exchanger (FOMAX) managed services.
The main driver is still replacing paper, and he says there has been a huge increase in interest in the last few years. During the pandemic, with many aircraft grounded, there was less activity at airlines and those companies looking to the future started to invest in ETLs and other applications. As a result, Conduce has seen significant growth in each of the last three years.
One reason for the demand is that the use of EFBs is pretty much universal so the focus has shifted to the engineering side, which has traditionally been last in line for investment, as most is spent on airline customer-centric aspects such as cabin improvements, in-flight point of sale systems, etc. There is now a growing awareness of the commercial impact of maintenance problems – not just compensation payments for delays but reputational loss from damaged or malfunctioning seats, for example.
The company has around 30 AOC customers. These include flag carriers such as Etihad Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines etc, and LCC and ACMI providers including Jazeera Airways, SmartLynx Airlines, and many others. Boyd states that an ETL provides a real benefit as aircraft can be deployed around the world on long-or short-term projects. If five aircraft are based in a remote area and the data can be sent back electronically, quickly and accurately, less support staff need to be deployed. In addition, getting utilization data in a timely manner helps enormously with maintenance planning. Operators of freighters, business jets and offshore helicopters are also included on the extensive Conduce customer list.
The most recently completed projects included Jazeera Airways in Kuwait, which went live in December 2022, just eight months after contract agreement. The company operates 19 Airbus A320 Family aircraft, with two newly A320neo aircraft usingTechLog8 in parallel with the paper from their very first flight. In the same month, December 2022, Texel Air selected eTechLog8. The Bahrain-based cargo airline and MRO has a fleet of one Boeing 737-300F, two Boeing 737-800BCF and two Boeing 737-700FC FlexCombi. This is expected to go live in Q1 2023 and will also use Conduce’s eDoc8 and eForm8 features, digitizing certain forms, checklists and briefing files into fully interactive PDF forms that can be completed on the device.
Ultramain
Robert Saunders, director of business development — ELB at Ultramain, remembers when the first Class 3 ETLs were introduced at Cathay Pacific — a lengthy and expensive process. He says the revolution came in 2010, with the introduction of the iPad, although there was resistance both from some regulatory authorities and some airlines to move away from paper. However, demand had been slowly increasing but has recently taken off as airlines trying to recover from the pandemic realize that ETL and the background data-processing capabilities can introduce increased efficiency, increased aircraft availability and reduced costs. That was not always the case. Airlines would say they wanted to get rid of paper but hadn’t thought out how or why.
Another significant change came with e-enabled aircraft like the Airbus A350. One airline during the pandemic, although with a reduced flying schedule for its A350s, reported a 44 percent reduction in delays.
The ULTRAMAIN ELB software has three main functions — tech log, cabin log and flight log — and can be used on the flight deck on the installed EFB, notebooks or tablets and, in the cabin, on smart phones, tablets and IFE. It can operate offline as well as connected to ground systems.
Flight crews can record and transmit accurate write-ups in real-time as defects occur. This allows maintenance teams to investigate problems before aircraft arrival. He points out that line maintenance may have to deal with 10 aircraft in a 12-hour shift, and advance notice of problems allows them to prioritize their activities.
Data is sent to ELB Ground System using whichever data communication links are available. This is a paperless database for technical log data, which can originate with paper or be electronic from the start. The database can be audited for fleet-wide technical log information and it can be integrated with MRO software systems in accordance with SPEC2000 Chapter 17.
For cabin crew, eCabin allows them to electronically record discrepancies quickly and accurately, eliminating the paper log. They can view previous write-ups, as well as their status and resolution. As eCabin integrates with the ELB, the captain can review cabin crew entries and determine if any should be recorded on the ETL instead.
ULTRAMAIN’s ELB software functions as a tech log, cabin log and flight log. It can be used on the flight deck on the installed EFB, notebooks or tablets and, in the cabin, on smart phones, tablets and IFE. Their eCabin product integrates with the ELB so the captain can review cabin crew entries to see if any should be recorded on the ETL instead. ULTRAMAIN images.
The ETL contains additional information, such as the MEL. Flight crew can check to see whether they are happy to depart with performance restrictions imposed by a faulty component or system. It can also prompt repeat checks, perhaps for a fuel leak.
Information from the ETL can be used as part of the data lake required for predictive maintenance but Saunders thinks the ultimate providers of these services will be the OEMs. He says if someone has to monitor the data and raise a work order, it takes time. A large system like Skywise from Airbus could feed information straight to the ETL with prognostic/diagnostic information for the mechanic.
Swiss-AS
The AMOSeTL was developed using the Flutter/Dart platform and the company says users will benefit from a new user experience due to material design language and their own design system consistency. In January, Lufthansa Technik purchased 100 percent of Swiss-AS shares from Swiss International Air Lines. Swiss AS images.
A surprise late entrant to the ETL market is Swiss Aviation Software (Swiss-AS), which only announced its AMOSeTL product in July 2022. The decision was made earlier, at the end of 2020, when the company was carrying out its annual roadmap review. It realized that while it was involved in maintenance through its long-established AMOS system and AMOSmobile/EXEC through developments in maintenance mobility, there was a gap. At the same time, there was demand from customers and, uniquely, customers who were prepared to invest in the development — these included Cebu Air, Condor, EL AL, Luxair, Malaysia Airlines, Sideral, SunExpress and four others. Two of these already had an ETL integrated with AMOS but the others were all moving away from paper.
The company makes reference to the AMOS customer community, and there are a number of airlines who are champions of new technology, being willing to use their resources to help the development of new products. In this case they started paying the subscription fees straight away, as well as funding for unique solutions. Of course, this means they will be the first to have AMOSeTL.
In addition, new customers can sign up today. They will not be able to actively participate in the development, but will be able to test and align their processes up to Q3 2023.
The project kicked off in November 2021, with definition workshops with the funding customers. The native offline app was completed six months later and made available. A year in, full development started with the pilot module, with the maintenance module due to enter service in May this year and the cabin module in November. In-flight testing is being carried out at the moment with the named customers as well as ground testing. Deliveries of the full system will start in Q4 2023.
The funding customers show a wide geographical spread and a variety of operators, from full service, to regional and leisure. While development with a single customer might have been easier, it means the solution will be highly configurable and will also make it easier for the company to help new customers adopt it. In addition, the funding customers are bringing invaluable operational experience to the company.
The system has been designed to be user-centric, focused on each type of activity, as well as being tailored to the airline’s own processes and procedures.
Of course, while AMOSeTL interfaces seamlessly with AMOS, AMOS has interfaces with many other systems, so the data flow is seamless throughout an airline’s organization. For example, a pilot may want to check with CAMO that the aircraft is airworthy or a line maintenance supervisor may want to see if the aircraft has been accepted by the pilot. It is also possible to store information on AMOSeTL that has been extracted from AMOS, such as damage charts.
One of the unnamed funding customers is a helicopter operator. This is an interesting diversion from conventional ETL use. While offshore operations can be very similar to those of an airline, operating a daily schedule between rigs in fixed positions, this is a governmental operation, so ETL data has to include dropping off or picking up passengers at remote off-airport locations, as well as noting changes to role equipment, such as fitting a rescue hoist or camera.
AMOSeTL, which is a Type-A EFB application to simplify the aviation authorities’ approval process, has the following main functions:
– Pilot in command: reporting defects in an intuitive way, selecting them from a pre-existing list and being able to add any additional relevant information for the maintenance staff and goes beyond a defect report.
– Cabin: being able to report a cabin defect in a simple way; if needed, a highlighted picture can be added in order to enhance the flight crew to cabin crew communication.
– Maintenance: being able to report defects, close defects and perform line maintenance related tasks, such as daily checks, from its own working environment.
– Admin: being able to manage users and roles, workflows and configuration directly in AMOS, roll-out updates and configuration through their Mobile Device Management.
– Authorities: in analogy to the paper TechLog, the authorities need to consult and access the continuous airworthiness of the aircraft associated with the specific eTL. They can consult every page but are not able to edit any detail.
In January, Lufthansa Technik announced that, as part of its new Digital Tech Ops Ecosystem, it had purchased 100 percent of Swiss-AS shares from Swiss International Air Lines. The new organization brings it together with the AVIATAR data and analytics platform and flydocs, the provider of digital records and asset solutions. The three entities will remain independent but increase collaboration. The ecosystem is open to collaborate and link with customers or external digital solutions; modular, to make individual use of parts feasible; neutral, meaning, that a customer stays independent of OEMs and MROs; secure, granting customers full control and ownership of their data; and seamless to ensure a consistent workflow and data access across solutions. That means data from AMOSeTL will have even wider applications.
TrustFlight
Karl Steeves, CEO of TrustFlight, says that there has been much more interest in the last couple of years as airlines increased their desire to go paperless as a result of the pandemic. However, progress is still slow as there is usually a long RFP process. The ETL also bridges flight operations and maintenance, which also adds time. In addition, the industry is risk averse — no one wants to be first to go to the regulatory authorities. That means it can take 18-20 months to complete the deal in some cases.
Karl Steeves TrustFlight
He says ultra-low-cost carriers are an important market, including Flair in Canada and Bonza in Australia. The latter signed up in August last year, making it the first Australian airline to operate exclusively with paperless digital technical logs when it began flights in January. TrustFlight will also be providing CAMO and fleet technical management support.
TrustFlight says validated, real-time, records coming in from both flight crew and maintenance is key to keeping fleet status up to date and accurate. Utilizing an electronic tech log also helps eliminate transcription errors and manual processes. TrustFlight image.
The ETL is linked to the company’s Centrik operational management system, which gives access to a complete history for an individual aircraft or across the fleet. This allows trend analysis, including a Reliability Analysis Model that can show aircraft that are outliers, even to seasonal variations in air conditioning. As it is a web-based system, it is possible to have remote sign-off. If an aircraft has a technical problem after push-back, a mechanic can check and make it a deferred defect without a return to the gate. For ease of use, the log pages are designed to match the airline’s paper forms.
As fuel is a major expenditure, it is possible to scan receipts as well as logging why the engine is running — maintenance runs are charged under emissions rules.
NVable
Cameron Hood, CEO of NVable, agrees that the main market driver is the desire to go paperless but points out that, compared to the EFB, it is much harder for the ETL, which has to be accepted by maintenance, flight crew and the authorities. Nevertheless, the company’s Electronic Techlog, part of its Converge system, continues to evolve. A new application is on the iPad, supplementing a Windows-based version. The new application gives airlines flexibility in a controlled way but they will have to write their own procedures. The back end processes — the website and web servers — do not change. Discussions are under way with a number of customers.
While the iPad should stay with the aircraft, it is also possible to use personal issue devices and an application is available as a result of strong demand. However, he believes technology should not try to circumvent the proper controls that are in place. That greater flexibility can cause greater problems in procedure control. One of the most important is how does an airline prove to the authorities that the correct information is available at the aircraft for an engineer to use. While there is strong demand, he strongly recommends that the ETL stays with the aircraft.
There is a trend to integrate data more, to gain a greater understanding for operations and maintenance. This has come from a growing realization that this will allow things to be managed and controlled much more efficiently. A recent request has been for a station diary. The company has been asked to produce Maintrol diaries before, to log events online, but the new development extends the concept to providing advance notice to a line station that an inbound aircraft has a problem that has to be rectified.
There is also a greater desire for integration with MRO systems and the company has been working with Aspire and its OASES system, as well as customer-led work with systems such as AMOS.
Cameron Hood NVable
NVable’s Electronic Techlog is part of its Converge system and continues to evolve, with a new application on the iPad, which supplements their Windows based version. NVable images.
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