View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by City Research Online Sikora, I., Pavlin, S. & Bazijanac, E. (2000). Flight Operations and Engineering Documentation Managing and Distribution Supported by Intelligent Transport Systems. Paper presented at the Transport, Traffic, and Logistics, 2 - 3 Oct 2000, Portorož, Slovenia. City Research Online Original citation: Sikora, I., Pavlin, S. & Bazijanac, E. (2000). Flight Operations and Engineering Documentation Managing and Distribution Supported by Intelligent Transport Systems. Paper presented at the Transport, Traffic, and Logistics, 2 - 3 Oct 2000, Portorož, Slovenia. Permanent City Research Online URL: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/2580/ Copyright & reuse City University London has developed City Research Online so that its users may access the research outputs of City University London's staff. Copyright © and Moral Rights for this paper are retained by the individual author(s) and/ or other copyright holders. All material in City Research Online is checked for eligibility for copyright before being made available in the live archive. URLs from City Research Online may be freely distributed and linked to from other web pages. Versions of research The version in City Research Online may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check the Permanent City Research Online URL above for the status of the paper. Enquiries If you have any enquiries about any aspect of City Research Online, or if you wish to make contact with the author(s) of this paper, please email the team at publications@city.ac.uk. Ivan Sikora Flight Operations Technical, Emirates Airline, P.O. Box 92, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Stanislav Pavlin, and Ernest Bazijanac University of Zagreb, Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, Vukelićeva 4, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia FLIGHT OPERATIONS AND ENGINEERING DOCUMENTATION MANAGING AND DISTRIBUTION SUPPORTED BY INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS The Summary Aviation as a multitude of activities is meant to satisfy needs of its customers to overcome distance and time between any departure and arrival point in the world. Airlines and other aircraft operators (governments, armed forces, general aviation, and business aviation) differ in their structure depending on their size and services they provide. Some departments are to be found in larger airlines only. However, core departments, to every airline or aircraft operator, are flight operations department and engineering department. Sophistication and the size of these departments depend on the size of the system they are incorporated in. Business logistics of an airline consist of numerous distinctive activities and functions. These activities have to be planned and completed in synchronisation. The paper presents an overview to intelligent systems for the support to these activities with particular stress on flight operations and maintenance functions in a medium sized airline. Authors show how the approach to documentation management, as a part of logistics in the production of transportation service, has evolved since the early 1990s when aviation has started to recognise the value of digital technical data. In light of this, authors analyse conceptual framework adopted by today’s aircraft manufacturers towards their logistics activities supported by Internet as a new means of transferring data. The advent of new sophisticated pilot-machine interfaces and aircraft systems tends to increase the volume of the documentation describing these tools drastically. The paper communicates how operational documentation has to change to move towards a more easy and modern media. Intelligent systems that prove aviation entering a period where the "written book" is going to be complemented if not largely supplemented by the "electronic book" are presented from the early beginnings of digital data application to the most recent achievements. 1 JAA = The Joint Aviation Authority is an associated body INTRODUCTION of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) Aviation is a driving force in many technology fields. representing the civil aviation regulatory authorities of 27 Concepts and designs on drawing board or computer European states. aided design stations of today will appear on the runway sometime in 5 years. Documentation is supporting system for these great advancements. SITA = Societe Internationale de Telecomunication Aeronautiques, Private network shared by aviation users. Initially conceived for telex communication purposes today Logistics process support for documentation in Flight ffer a range of services and communication options. Operations and Engineering has always been just in line with available documents media. Only recently original 2 structure underlying documents was challenged by aircraft FLIGHT OPERATIONS AND ENGINEERING manufacturers, airlines, and aviation authorities. The availability of new information media (digital data), 2.1 dedicated software, and hardware have called for a Flight Operations and Engineering are just two out of change. This change has already started affecting some several subsystems in any airline. Their existence is airlines. When aviation community will shift to digital dedicated to deal with aircraft directly in the sense of document, they will be tools that will have to be user creating the airline’s product. Safe, timely, and efficient friendly. This feature will ease their acceptance by transportation of people, cargo, and mail are goals that are immediate users -–engineers, pilots, and mechanics. sought by all people working in them. As Wells [11] puts it Flight operations and engineering activities support have like this, “Line departments are those areas that are been subject to modification and adjustments in order to directly keep pace with technology that already boarded aircraft, in transportation.” recent 3-5 years. As technology is doubling every 18 Flight operations policies, procedures and techniques that months, it is of the highest importance to keep pace with are developed and put in place by flight operations oblige developments. one tenth of airline’s workforce [11], that are usually Having correct information enables potentially affected subjects to act accordingly. Today’s The Structure involved in producing and selling air employed in it, to stick to well defined internal and Internet based, communication and commerce will make international rules. International regulations started with this requirement even more important. ICAO Annexes sometime at the end of 40s, have been The authors of the paper employed the methodology of recently enriched, and broadened within JAA countries by analysing obvious and not so obvious trends in the field of JAR OPS. As Di Santo points out “…JAR-OPS, defines documentation and it’s support systems that are the part the Joint Aviation Requirements in the fields of aircraft of logistics process in producing – transportation service – operations.” [2] aviation product. This paper is not implying any specific JAR-OPS Part 1 covering Commercial Air Transportation solution. Its purpose has been to gather and organise by aeroplanes was adopted by the JAA at the end of information on intelligent systems for the support of flight March 1995, and the first issue being published on 22 May operations and engineering. Then, at the moment when 1995. the decision has to be made, it is the role of particular organisation or person to make the most of the information Apart from the obligation to the air transportation system presented in the paper. itself flight operations is responsible for the development of schedule patterns and procedures in order to utilise Having in mind that the audience reading this article might flight equipment and personnel in most economical not be from the field of aviation here are some terms used manner. It also directs an operations analysis and later on in the article: planning service that effectively plans and exercises ICAO = The International Civil Aviation Organisation. continuous Organise together civil aviation authorities from the throughout the system. countries subscribers to the Chicago convention. This Engineering employs around 25 percent of the total world governing body for civil aviation promotes safe, workforce in a major airline. As Wells reports “…they efficient and reliable operations in aspects of air spend a fifth of the revenue money.” [11] This substantial transportation. effect on the economics of an airline results from the control over flight-operations activities mission of this department. They have to keep the Flight Crew Operating Manual (FCOM) (as within Airbus company’s equipment in condition to provide safe and Industrie) or Flight Operating Manual (as within Boeing saleable air transportation. Commercial Aircraft company), just to mention the largest A carrier generally divides aircraft maintenance and servicing work into different levels of inclusiveness and intensity. According to Wells [11] these might include enroute service, terminal pre-flight check, service check, maintenance check, and overhaul. Arranged in ascending order the work and checks performed in each of them are based upon manufacturers and civil aviation authorities findings. 2.2 Documentation Requirements manufacturers of today, it is present with all aircraft manufacturers and is a part of required documentation for aircraft to get airborne at its maiden or any other regular flight. As Speyer states “It is pertinent to every aircraft registration and due to specific modifications in the life time of an aircraft it is almost unique for every aircraft registry.” [10] Moreover, it is a part of the airworthiness requirements and regulated by civil aviation regulation on national and international level. Engineering and maintenance on the other side have the Aviation specific knowledge is the product of different need to cover and document precisely all the parts of the people working towards common goal. This way of gaining aircraft, the manner they should be checked against knowledge is not unknown to the human kind. The only documented benchmark values or procedures, and the thing that is very specific is rather short period of time way they can be repaired or even replaced with other during which it developed from the roots to today’s level. parts that will serve the same purpose. This path has not always been covered in clean Documents for performing those checks are created and calculations and well cut definitions. Large amount of issued by engineering section and distributed to check knowledge has been gathered from experiment and stations. Engineering drawings and aperture cards are sometimes even disasters. “Only by proper coordination it used to support different engineering and maintenance is possible to aim all of them to a specific goal – activities: major and minor structural repairs, heavy production of aviation equipment.” [10] maintenance, modifications design, parts information Numerous documents are used within airline to cover all inquiries and repairs. They serve multiple purposes. One aspects of its operations. Different airline’s subsystems part carries information on what is needed to be done, have different documentation. Until nowadays there has while the rest carries information who has actually done been hardly any change in the format, media and the way and checked the work. [11] this documentation has been used. Up to now each new Airbus Industrie operator received Today an average of 60 technical publications are with its firs aircraft a package of between 80000 to 120000 delivered with every aircraft, of which, 45 different drawing aperture cards with a set of associated data on manuals are still delivered as paper media. Airbus film. [8] Initial and update file supply depends on the Industrie states that yearly for all customers, that sums to aircraft type. The number can vary upon the aircraft model around 123 million paper pages, with their subsequent and manufacturer as well but the order of magnitude is the economical as well as qualitative constraints. [10] same. Thus depending on the size of the operator and its fleet, some airlines have to face the management of Concentrating on Flight Operations there is one specific several collections reaching to some 1.8 million drawing document that is a backbone of all activities related to the aperture cards. exploitation of the aircraft. This document describes aircraft as a piece of equipment. Not only that it’s purpose is to tell operating crew what are 3 CLASSICAL DOCUMENTATION STRUCTURE AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS regular ways of operating it. It tells the crew what are The advancement in aircraft technology in the past three physical limits to this machinery in order not to require decades is very prominent and fast. This is very noticeable more than the aircraft can do in normal operations. In the towards the actual operator of the aircraft – pilots as a part same time there are chapters telling crew why something of flight operations. Numerous equipment improved can stray from normal and what to do in that case. human/ machine interface. It has also reduced workload Different manufacturers use different terms to describe and improved safety. In the meantime, documentation manual with this content. No matter whether it is called together with related logistics for pilots has remained almost the same. Despite planning and control processes in place, all of these logistics processes are susceptible to simple errors The evolution of avionics technology and the systematic use of computers on board have created new challenges. The advent of new sophisticated tools in avionics (Flight Management and Guidance System, Traffic and Collision Avoidance System, Global Positioning System, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System) tends to drastically increase the volume of the documentation describing such as the possibility of the misplacing an aperture card. Aperture cards are often misfiled, lost, or become unreadable from repeated use. It usually takes several weeks from the time a customer orders replacement card until they receive them. 4 these tools. In spite of significant advances in aircraft design, particularly relative to the cockpit, flight operations documentation’s format and medium have remained unchanged for years. Documentation continue to be always in “…“classic” paper document contained in a portable binder that can be updated periodically by physically replacing or adding pages.” [10] TRENDS AND IDEAS IN DOCUMENTATION STRUCTURE AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS If logistics is understood as the orientation towards services that comprises co-ordination of activities, “…in order to reach acceptable support of the system during its operating cycle…” [4], then all present developments in the field of intelligent systems for the support to flight operations and engineering can be grouped in several groups. Flight safety and efficiency rely on aircraft operating information that is accurate, up to date, easy to add and use. Without a doubt, as aircraft have become more complex, the amounts and types of needed operating information have grown. A s the result, the task of These groups corresponds to the basic elements of documentation systems themselves: - people – documentation’s authors and users; - physical locations for the documentation. - processes – creation, distribution, and manipulation of preparing, distributing, accessing and using operating information has become more challenging to all. the documents; In the same time the structure of documentation and documentation itself; logistics processes for providing correct and up, to date - documentation or maintenance procedures have to be Documentation end users, flight operations or engineering, adapted to the new situation. That is common process and are given possibility to integrate and publish their own all aircraft manufacturers and aircraft users agree on it. It information. may take only one night to change a set of computers in manufacturers data in order to improve safety and the cockpit or in engine but may take weeks to modify/ efficiency of the equipment they use. Cut and paste update corresponding paper documentation. facilities Engineering wise the work performed by the airlines on documentation not compromising its quality. In the same their basic set of documentation represents a significant time, they improve their own data consultation efficiency cost in terms of workload, demanding a level of quality and processing. which is not easy to maintain. As Docus points out “This Access to documentation is improved. It is through single work the point of entry. Distribution cycle for revisions and updates incorporation of the airline's modification, the creation of are reduced. Costs to distribute them are reduced as well. derived documents such as job cards or maintenance More than one user can use documentation at the same planning documents, the duplication of the amended time. This reduces the duplication and unnecessary documentation and its shipment to the stations.” [3] maintenance of several sets of documents. By having Airlines typically file aperture cards in cabinets in their fewer documents to maintain, the effort required to technical libraries. Filing of the cards is very time maintain current and accurate technical libraries is consuming process. According to Savio “…one person significantly reduced. needs approximately an hour to file 500 aperture cards... it Document management is simplified not only for end takes 168 hours to file an average Boeing 747-400 update users but for the airline manufacturers as well (e.g. containing 84000 aperture cards.” [7] Schuetze includes the update of the basic set, They can allow states them that integrate to their findings enrich “…currently into manufacturer’s Airbus Industrie Technical library manages more than one million aperture products. As Docus states “Today’s standard in aviation is cards…” [8], while Mecham states that “... there are Airline Transport Association (ATA) specification 2100.” [3] 4000000 part number records in Boeing.” [5]). Hence, costs, and organisation in reduced facilities and technical drawing management reflect on the balance sheet as well. Standard prescribed digital formats to be used are: a) Generalised Marked up Language), Moreover, high-speed systems with search-and-retrieval capabilities reduce search and retrieval time. Instead of b) time for engineering research (for example for the interchange of graphical info Tag Image File Format (TIFF), flipping through paper and microfilm document there is more for textual information interchange SGML (Standard c) developing repair or more efficient flight operations for the interchange of graphical info in vector mode Computer Graphic Metafile (CGM). procedures). With simple and accurate mechanism for data, retrieval users are ensured that current information is Digital data products and services offered by aircraft available to relevant personnel. Better planning due to manufacturers for end users are there to be exploited more time available leads to streamlined engineering and through hardware and data transfer media that is best maintenance operations for example. suited for that purpose. The structure and organisation of Once impartial reference in a form of book documentation make the most out of this combination. General practice is has started to be more of a troubleshooting or consultation that every product is the result of testing among targeted tool recently. Data sources can be combined in order to users and validation by the manufacturer. operations’ documents have been adjusted in order to give better advice or solution that is more effective. Intelligent text and graphics information interconnecting Although generally introduced by the most influential among several applicable data sources can help in finding aircraft manufacturers of today, Airbus Industrie and already applied solution that proofed to be effective at Boeing Commercial Aircraft company, changes have not least once before. End users can also add in-house been left to their discretion only. Industry associations and information that they author. government agencies in the countries of their origin have According to Benavides “ Portable Maintenance Aid (PMA) streamlines the often time consuming process of troubleshooting modern complex aeroplanes.” Even more “…When designing the PMA we wanted to incorporate all technical documentation necessary for line maintenance in one application that can be carried on the aeroplane.” [1] 5 5.1 BASIC CHANGES FOR INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS Documents Media and Structure been taking close look at developments in this field. Speyer reinforces this by statement that for example “…1997. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) together with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had a project to examine operating documents.” [10] On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in Europe according to Di Santo “…since it is believed that a high degree of standardisation of Operations Manual within the JAA will lead to improved overall flight safety. JAR-OPS strongly recommends that the structure described in the JAR-OPS Subpart P (defining Flight Operations Manual structure) should be used by operators as far possible.” [2] Paper FCOM book or aperture cards are in the process to be replaced by their electronic representatives. Access to information through systems for digital data creating, organising, and distributing is undoubtedly more flexible than contemporary paper systems. As Speyer states these will include “… tape, video, network, CD-ROM, on line consultation.” [10] 5.2 Having Transfer Media more documents in digital format shifts developments in intelligent support systems towards the change of access and data transfer technologies. Once isolated consultation or troubleshooting tools will become “live” and always “current” being connected on-line to the One of the prerequisites for digital data dissemination and main repositories of data related to either flight operations use is the use of common standards for writing, or engineering. interchange, delivery and use of digital data produced by This concept was introduced in late 70’s by Boeing aircraft, engine and component manufacturers, which are required for support and operation of their respective Commercial Aircraft company and their Boeing On Line Data (BOLD) system. 70 largest Boeing customers were connected via electronic data interchange channels in order to facilitate 60% of all Boeing Commercial Aircraft spare part or maintenance documents orders. 5.3 Contemporary Trends Initial moves toward the present situation began in early Applying Menard’s [6] comment that “Costs associated to 1990s. Moves were cautious and initiated by two major the on line services are linked to the domains of driving forces. Airbus Industrie was working on the communication, the hardware/ software as well as the necessary foundations for digital documents and systems relative domains that provide the support necessary for while Boeing Commercial Aircraft has been exploiting the the efficient operation of the offered service.” to this in house digital systems and developing them for situation, it is not surprising that although that was a step commercial application. forward the system was very expensive and not flexible. Unit service costs will come down either by sharing The - 1992 and 1998 has been Boeing Commercial Aircraft developing and providing intelligent through single line from one user. In line with this Airbus systems Industrie is providing a group of intelligent support digital at engineering airline’s data location manipulation using dedicated electronic data interchange lines, systems under Single Point Of Contact service”…that will generate a reduction in the communication costs on the between characterised with: communications line to access one particular service between several users or by accessing multiple services period - Airbus Industrie designing and developing flight customer side…the logistics to be implemented to access operations and engineering manuals in standard one or several on line services is the same time.” [6] There digital formats and with new trouble shooting features. are several options to access services available but the Year 1998. has been very intensive for Airbus Industrie. most common one nowadays via TCP/ IP protocol on the They finished conversion of all its aircraft types’ FCOM to Internet or any other network that supports it (e.g. Aero digital format. In the same time these document , once Net by SITA. available on CD-ROM for consultation on personal Once experimental Cold-War era’s electronic computer, came on-line. communication system, Internet has established itself as Boeing Commercial Aircraft moved forward with several the leading information communication technology of mainly engineering today. Although only several years more than a decade applications during 1999. They are available on personal after the introduction of World Wide Web (WWW) on the computer and airline’s network. troubleshooting and consultation Internet, Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) and hyperlinking information between documents made “The Year 1999. was also very specific year for both Web and telecommunications the new railroads to allow manufacturers and all airlines due to imminent 2000. This change at a pace similar to industrial revolution.” [9] Next change of year has been calling for intensified efforts in few years will prove whether Internet will continue to preventing and proving that it will not have any minor or create digital society and influence it’s development. major impact on airline’s operations. Evidences available by now show that transition was mainly smooth and Aero Net is private aeronautical network that supports eventless. Internet standard with enough security, reliability and capacity for aerospace users. Public Internet connection compared to Aero Net is usually better in terms of connecting fees; but its use can pose some security problems. Several studies have been done related to secure server mechanism because there has been some inconveniences related to the reliability of the data transferred by the Internet. Both Boeing Commercial 6 CONCLUSION The abundance of information and their importance is present in every facet of today’s world. Technology intensive industries such as aviation are even more affected by this fact. In most professional fields, there are several times more publications and information sources Aircraft and Airbus Industrie are aware “…that critical that an expert can read working full time. factors in the success of commercial Internet use lie in Medium size airlines with all its departments have to understanding observe and accomplish tasks needed for safe, efficient, the business streams, managing and and reliable operations. The criteria are given by airline censorship issues and handling ‘very complex’ security.” manufacturers, airworthiness authorities, and airlines [9] themselves. These tasks are not a function of the number technological advances, addressing privacy of employees. They are the function of fleet size mostly. [5] Mecham, Michael: Boeing Scores a Hit With WWW Hence, regardless of restricted number of employees, Parts tasks have to be accomplished in timely and high standard Technology”, June 23, 1997, p. 60 of quality comparable to larger airlines with more qualified employees. That is one reason more to accept the change [6] Listing, “Aviation Week Operations distributed and used. Space Menard, Daniel: Airbus Industrie Flight Operations Digital Information Starategy, 10 in the way information is collected, put together, and Conference, th Performance and Airbus Industrie, San Francisco, 1998, Chapter 07, p. 6 Despite all new systems available, they will not be introduced to all aircraft operators immediately. There is [7] Access To Aeroplane Engineering Drawings, “Airliner not common logic that can describe who are the operators Magazine”, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Seattle, that are introducing these systems. All these new tools Apr – Jun, 1995, p. 21-22 imply the personal computer as a tool to a pilot, engineer, and mechanic. This implies drastic changes in the Savio, Craig., and Steve Reese: REDARS On-line [8] Schuetze, Andreas et al.: Airbus Industrie Drawing organisation of the airlines. Although there are obvious, Access, “FAST Airbus Technical Digest”, Airbus advantages regarding consulting, updating and storing of Industrie, Toulouse, 25, 1999, p. 24-25 data these are not exclusive criteria to apply the change. [9] Sheppard, Ian: Cyberspace, “Aerospace Therefore paper documentation will still be produced and International”, Royal Aeronautical Society, London, used in airlines in spite of their size. 27, 2000, 5, p. 24) Better use of time and storage space in flight operations [10] Speyer, Jean-Jacques: Information Needs For Flight and engineering departments that stems from recent Operations, change in documentation structure, media and logistics Conference, Airbus Industrie, San Francisco, 1998, systems presented in the paper are very attractive to Chapter 08, p. 3-4 medium sized airlines. Having at hand digital media and hardware to create, use and transfer it, it will not be so difficult to maintain such demanding level of quality in crucial parts of any airline system despite of its size – flight operations and engineering. 7 REFERENCES [1] Benavides, Richard et al.: Digital Data Products and Services for Commercial Airplanes, “Aero Magazine”, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Seattle, 5, 1998, p. 29-30 [2] Di Santo, Guy: Implementing JAR-OPS with Airbus Industrie Operational Documentation, “FAST Airbus Technical Digest”, Airbus Industrie, Toulouse, 22, 1998, p. 17 [3] Docus, Michael: Less Paper in Cockpit, 10 th Performance and Operations Conference, Airbus Industrie, San Francisco, 1998, Chapter 06, p. 1-2 [4] Grozdanic, Berislav et al.:Organiziranje i funkcioniranje logističkog sustava u vojsci – posebice u ratnom zrakoplovstvu, “Suvremeni promet”, Fakultet prometnih znanosti, Zagreb, 1-2, 1998, p. 152 10 th Performance and Operations [11] Wells, Alexander: “Air Transportation a Management Perspective”, Bellmont, 1989, p. 232-239)