Use of Flight Data Monitoring FDM Techniques To Benefit Operational Efficiency

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Use of Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) Techniques To
Benefit Operational Efficiency

• Peter Clapp
• FDM Sales Marketing

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Flight Data Monitoring (FDM)

• Also referred to as Flight Operations Quality
  Assurance (FOQA), FDM is the collection, storage,
  download and analysis of aircraft parametric data
  for the purpose of highlighting safety issues,
  and to effect improvements in operational
  procedures and training
• Requirements
• Comprehensive data set
• Data collected from all flights
• Reliable download mechanisms
• Sophisticated analysis tool suite
• Can also be a window into operational
  efficiencies and costs

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Issues

• Data availability?
• Data urgency?
• Technical capability
• Realising benefits
• An end-to-end solution

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Data Availability

• The data-rich aircraft
• Availability of parameters data bus
  architecture
• Routine collection of data
• The connected aircraft
• A429/Ethernet connectivity on-board
• The aircraft as a node on the IT network
• Automated a/c update service on-board databases
• Routine data download at end of flight

Data Acquisition Unit
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Urgency Issues

• Corrective actions
• Urgent/Non-urgent
• Preventative actions tend not to be urgent
• Categories
• Before landing
• Immediately after landing
• Later

Wireless Groundlink Recorder
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Technical Capability

• Downloading data Wireless connectivity
• 100s of systems now flying
• Close to 100 data capture
• Average data latency measured in minutes
• Data storage mining
• Large (Terabyte) storage capacities at affordable
  prices
• Parallel processing capacities
• Data mining tools

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Realising Benefits

• Recent FDM Case Studies
• Flap usage
• Brake temperature
• Fuel studies
• Do we have that risk?

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Flaps Landing Distance
(34,615 Flights)
Distribution of Landing Distance all Fleets
Landing Distance in 100s of Feet
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Take-off Brake Temperature Case Study
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Insufficient Brake Cool Down Time
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Quantification of Fuel Cost/Saving

• Fuel savings from single-engine taxi operation.
• Fuel cost associated with Gate Wait. (Waiting
  for ground marshall.)

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How Do We Compare? - TAM Flight 3054

• Preliminary Causes
• Wet runway
• Deactivated 2 T/R
• Failure to retard 2
• Study has revealed a small but tangible risk!
  

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An end-to-end Solution

• Use of operational data is only part of the wider
  solution
• But there are solutions available today that can
  facilitate better decision making based on actual
  system performance data

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Use of Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) Techniques To
Benefit Operational Efficiency

• Peter Clapp
• FDM Sales Marketing