A I R B U S T E C H N I C A L D I G E S T

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 0

100 years of powered flight 2

Fumigation of aircraft 3
with carbon dioxide (CO2)
Gregoris DASSIOS

Flap rigging on the A320 family 8

Shark Fin Tool
Ludovic GIRARD

Cost reduction for 11

initial spares investment
Michael HAUPT

Less paper in the cockpit 15

Daniel MENARD
Laval CHAN-KAM-FAI
Eric LESAGE
Bruno DAHAN

Editor: Denis DEMPSTER, Product Marketing Fuel leak repair 27

Graphic Design: Sylvie LAGRE & Alain FAURE, Alain MARECHAL
Customer Services Marketing
Telephone: +33 (0)5 61 93 39 29
E-mail: fast.digest@airbus.fr
Telex: AIRBU 530526F Worldwide Airbus Customer Services 31
Telefax: +33 (0)5 61 93 27 67
Printer: Escourbiac In a nutshell... 32
FAST may be read on Internet http://www.airbus.com
under Customer Services, Publications Cover illustration: “Less paper in the cockpit”

© AIRBUS INDUSTRIE 2000. All rights reserved

The articles herein may be reprinted without permission except
where copyright source is indicated, but with acknowledgement to
Airbus Industrie. Articles which may be subject to ongoing review must
have their accuracy verified prior to reprint. The statements made herein
do not constitute an offer. They are based on the assumptions shown and This issue of FAST has been printed on paper
are expressed in good faith. Where the supporting grounds produced without using chlorine, to reduce waste
for these statements are not shown, the Company will and help conserve natural resources.
be pleased to explain the basis thereof. Every little helps.

FAST / NUMBER 27 1
 s we move into the 21st century
with the A3XX, an aircraft capable of
carrying some 580 passengers and
crew over 8000 nautical miles, non stop, it is
difficult to imagine that only 100 years ago a
prize was offered for the first man to fly from
the Aéro-Club de France at Saint-Cloud, around
the Eiffel Tour and back to Saint-Cloud, within
30 minutes. Although there were many
entrants for the competition, only one man
actually competed, Alberto Santos-Dumont, a
young Brazilian.
He won in his airship the “Santos-Dumont
No.4”. It had a 9 horsepower engine driving a
two-blade propellor via a long shaft. Mr Santos-
Dumont sat behind the engine, on a bicycle
seat, in the open. There were no passengers.
He went on to win another prize, in 1906, for
the first sustained flight in Europe – 220 metres
at a maximum altitude of six metres, with a
controlled turn at the end. It was in his
“Aeroplane 14-bis” with a 50 horsepower
motor driving a two-blade pusher propellor.
The first passenger wasn’t carried till 1908.

2 FAST / NUMBER 27
 by Gregoris DASSIOS
Cabin Furnishings & Payload Systems Engineer
Customer Services
Airbus Industrie

Operators have reported cases of aircraft infestation

by rodents such as mice and rats, and reptiles such as
snakes and lizards, causing discomfort and alarm
amongst passengers and crew, but also potentially
considerable damage to the aircraft. Their presence in
an aircraft can lead in extreme cases to the aircraft
being grounded, especially when electrical wiring
damage has been discovered. Rats and mice seem to
be attracted by the odours emitted by the insulation
around the wires.
In-service experience has revealed that rodents and
reptiles tend to board an aircraft through open doors
and access panels, when it is parked for a relatively
long period of time either in the hangar or on the
apron, especially during the night when human activity
is reduced. Also, they have been observed entering the
aircraft during loading of catering trolleys and cargo.

FAST / NUMBER 27 3
 U
p to mid 1997, Airbus As a result, it has been
Industrie had provided determined that carbon dioxide
operators with the (CO 2 ) can fulfil the above
possibility of fumigating infested requirements, where the
aircraft with a methyl bromide extermination of the rodents and
based chemical agent, referred to reptiles would be achieved by
as ‘SOXAL-PESTIGAS’ in the means of asphyxiation.
Aircraft Maintenance CO 2 is already used in industry
Manual (AMM). for protecting food stored in holds
However, due to of ships and warehouses, and for
the continuing inter- protecting cultivated plants. In
national process of addition, the use of CO 2 for
banning toxic fumigation fumigation was of special interest
agents for civil use, and since its procurement cost is lower
concerns about the usage and than Nitrogen (N2) and less of it is
potential side effects of this agent, required.
Airbus Industrie decided to In August 1999, Airbus Industrie
withdraw it from the AMM. conducted CO2 fumigation tests in
Specifically, these concerns were an A319 aircraft. The test readings
focused upon: were taken using probes placed in
designated areas in the cabin,
◗ Residue of methyl bromide still cockpit, avionics and cargo
traceable in some areas in the compartments measuring the CO2
cabin and cargo compartments up concentration at specified time
to 36 hours after aircraft aeration; intervals.
NOTE: no live animals of any kind
◗ Accumulation of methyl were used in these fumigation tests.
bromide residues in the thermal- The test results were positive,
acoustic insulation blankets behind since CO 2 concentration reached
the linings of the cabin and cargo; approximately 90% of the aircraft
volume, and scientifically it has
◗ Compatibility of methyl bromide been shown that the lethal dose to
based agents with sophisticated exterminate a rodent is
aircraft electronic equipment; approximately 60% of CO 2 with
exposure of about six minutes.
◗ Existence of Therefore, Airbus Industrie
chloroflourocarbons (CFC) in decided to implement CO2 and the
methyl-bromide agents, which are associated fumigation procedure
restricted in many countries by into the scheduled AMM revisions
law, further to the Montreal for each aircraft.
protocol.
CO2 Fumigation
Airbus Industrie launched an procedure
investigation to identify another
fumigation agent, possessing the
IMPORTANT: Operators are advised to
following characteristics:
consult AMM 12-21-12 for the specific
◗ Inert; aircraft fumigation procedure. The AMM
◗ Non toxic; for A319/A320/A321 was revised in May
◗ Widely available in the world 2000 to incorporate fumigation procedure
market; by CO 2 and for the A330/A340 in July
◗ Low procurement cost; 2000. The revision to the AMM for the
A300/A300-600/A310 family is planned
◗ Easy to contain and transport;
for the first quarter of 2001.
◗ User friendly.
In addition, operators are advised to
refer to SIL 12-007, revision 01, issued
end of October 2000, since useful
Solution supplementary information is provided.
=CO2
4 FAST / NUMBER 27
 The fumigation procedure by CO2
is the same for all of Airbus Industrie Figure 1 Apparatus:
aircraft. A locally manufactured Outflow valve adapter
filling adaptor is installed over the
outflow valve of the air-conditioning Hook
system and an outlet pipe installed at Foam or Prot. hose
one of the cockpit sliding windows
(see figures 1, 2 & 3 ).
When Airbus Industrie conducted Foam
the fumigation test, an average CO2
mass flow rate of 3.6 kg/min was
selected, corresponding to almost
2000 litres/min of CO2, by adjusting
the pressure to 8 bars at the CO2 sup-
ply. In this case the filling time for an Connection
A319 was nearly three hours. to CO2 source Wingnut
Equipment is available, with a higher
mass flow rate capability that would
allow large aircraft to be filled in Figure 2 Apparatus:
approximately the same time. The Sliding window adapter
filling time is calculated using the Screw
required CO2 mass specified in the
table below for each type of aircraft Wooden
fuselage and the mass flow rate plate
selected. When the specified amount
of CO2 has been reached, the filling
process stops. Outlet
Wingnut
Although the cargo compartments connection
are nominally sealed from the cabin, Foam
cockpit and avionics compartments,
it was demonstrated during the test
that the cargo compartments are also
filled with CO2. This will occur Attachment bars
through the cargo compartment drain protected with foam
lines (the leakage in/out is in fact cal-
ibrated for the purpose of assuring
containment of fire extinguishant).
Usually, the CO2 gas is contained
under pressure in liquid form of
about 150 Bars and at low tempera-
tures. Heat exchangers and evapora-
tors, (see photo " ), are used to elevate
the temperature of the gas prior to
approximately 15°C on entering the
fuselage.
Heat exchangers
The following table shows the amount of
and evaporators
CO2 required for each fuselage #
Amount
of CO2
(kg)
2500kg 2500kg
2500 2300kg 2300kg
Required amount of CO2 per fuselage

2000kg 2000kg
2000
1700kg

1500

1000 900kg
750kg
600kg

500

0 A319 A320 A321 A330 A330 A340 A340 A300 A300 A310
-200 -300 -200 -300 -600

FAST / NUMBER 27 5
 CO2 Fumigation with 60% CO2 content for six
procedure (cont’d) minutes.
The CO2 has an anaesthetic effect
The CO2 enters the cabin through after 20 seconds.
a locally manufactured simple Penetration of the CO2 into the
adapter that is installed over the out- thermal-acoustic insulation blan-
flow valve. To ensure that the CO2 kets behind the cabin and cargo lin-
penetrates to the highest level in the ings, was measured at about 90%
cabin an outlet tube is fitted above during the fumigation test.
the ceiling panel behind the cockpit, Using Conventional
with the end placed at the highest
position in the fuselage. The other Methods
end is taken out through a blank fit- If an operator wishes to use con-
ted in place of the sliding window in ventional traps (spring loaded or
the cockpit (see figure 3c " ). Thus with adhesion) to catch rodents and
as the level of CO2 rises in the or reptiles then the following tech-
cabin it forces out the ambient air nique should be used:
through the tube. After the CO2 fill- ◗ Prior to placing the traps,
ing process, the aircraft should remove all catering trolleys and
remain closed for half an hour for the waste from the trash com-
rodent extermination and 12 hours pactors, (if any), from the galleys,
for reptile extermination. from the lavatory waste bins and
from any other container which
General information could contain any waste.
◗ Remove all soap bars and dis-
Using CO2 and pensers from the lavatories.
Insecticides ◗ Remove all cosmetic products
Fumigation using CO2 is not from the lavatories.
totally effective against insects but ◗ Place the traps in the cabin, in
very effective against rodents and the aisles, below the seats, in the
reptiles. In case an operator needs galley and lavatory areas, in the
to exterminate insects as well as cockpit, in the avionics bay, in the
rodents and reptiles then insecti- cargo holds, and in the Flight
cide in association with fumigation Crew Rest Compartment, Lower
should be used. First the internal Deck Mobile Crew Rest compart-
section of the pressurised fuselage ment and Lower Deck Lavatories,
has to be sprayed with ‘Baygon’, if any of these are installed.
(Material No. 14-004 or 14-004A), ◗ Close all aircraft doors and
and then, the CO2 fumigation pro- hatches for twelve hours with no
cedure should be performed. human activity around the aircraft.
Insects such as ticks are almost The main advantage of fumigat-
resistant to high concentrations of ing an aircraft by CO2 over the use
CO2 gas since they can close their of conventional traps is that the
trachea and virtually stop their result is definitive in a specified
metabolism. Other insects such as time frame.
cockroaches will lay their eggs
prior to dying. CO2 has no effect on
the eggs, however ‘Baygon’ is IMPORTANT: Do not under any
effective against them. circumstances use poison
In the case of reptiles, the fumi-
capsules for rodents, since their
gated aircraft has to be kept with all
doors, hatches and drain ports later removal could be easily
closed and sealed for at least twelve omitted by cleaning personnel,
hours. This is due to the fact that leaving them to be swallowed by
reptiles hibernate when under child passengers.
threat or lack of nutrition. They can Do not under any
reduce their heartbeat significantly circumstances use ultra-sonic
as well as their rate of breathing. animal repellent devices inside
Rodents are exterminated after and/or near the aircraft.
being exposed to an environment

6 FAST / NUMBER 27
 CO2 SUPPLIER
Airbus Industrie encourages operators wishing to use CO2 for fumigation to use
the method described in the AMM. They should contact and use local CO 2
suppliers and their associated equipment for performing the fumigation task. Airbus
Industrie performed the fumigation test in association with Linde AG. (see address
below) who supplied the gas and also the equipment.

Figure 3 Installation of apparatus

A Pressurized
area

B C

Connection
to CO2 source

Outflow valve Sliding window

Think
again! Conclusion

A
irbus Industrie, being
conscious of the
difficulties faced by Contact person and address of supplier
operators when pests board their Mr. Soenke WEIDGEN
aircraft, and with the gradual LINDE AG
prohibition of toxic agents against Schnackenburgallee 22
them, has developed an effective, 22525 Hamburg, Germany
user friendly solution for the eradication of Tel: +49 40 8531 2146
stowaway reptiles and rodents. Fax:+49 40 8531 2125
It uses products and materials that are in common use,
e-mail: soenke_weidgen@linde-gas.de
and very simple to adapt to the aircraft.
Good hunting! Note: LINDE AG has international
distribution centres.

FAST / NUMBER 27 7
 by Ludovic GIRARD
Flight Controls Systems Engineer
Engineering Services
Airbus Industrie

Being the only all new

aircraft in their class the A320
Family benefited from the
advances in technology
introduced in the intervening
twenty years. Inevitably these
advances reduce the
maintenance costs by reducing
the time that the A320 Family
spends on the ground for
maintenance purposes,
because they are easier to
maintain, having easier and
accurate trouble-shooting and
modern maintenance
procedures.

8 FAST / NUMBER 27
 A
change in the wing manufacturing process has allowed an
improvement in the flap rigging procedure. Until now rigging of
the flaps has required disconnection of the flap drive system and
use of rather cumbersome devices, which were placed on top of the wing.
With the introduction of new manufacturing tools, to more precisely
position flap tracks two and three, and more recently track four, in relation
to the top surface of the wing, this rigging method has been replaced by a
much simpler one.
This new rigging procedure uses the flap tracks as the datum with a
small tool that looks like a shark’s fin, for alignment of the flaps. The drive
system does not need to be disconnected, if it is found to be correctly
rigged.

Shark fin tool

This tool kit is composed of two
tools. One for flap tracks two and
three and another for track 4. Each
tool has a base, a fin and a scale
block (see photo 1 " ). They are
much smaller and lighter than the
previous overwing rigging boards.
Thus they are easier to transport,
handle and store, which reduces the
possibility of them being damaged,
and so increases the accuracy and
repeatability of the rigging.

Installation Photo 1
The scale block sits on one of the
With the flaps in the up position, steps at the top of the fin
the base of the tool is clamped
directly to the top, aft end of the
flap track, up against the beam end-
stops. The fin slides into the slot on
top of the base (see photo 2 " ) and
is held in the correct position by a
pip pin. The scale block sits on one
of the steps at the top of the fin.
Having a fixed position, the shark
fins are much more accurate than
the overwing rigging boards, which
were located by measurement. In
addition, the fin does not require
adjustment before carrying out the
rigging, leading once again to an
improvement in the accuracy and Photo 2 The fin slides into the slot on
the repeatability of the rigging. top of the base

Rigging procedure
Rigging pins installed Photo 3
The flaps should be in the up in the drive levers at
position with rigging pins installed the flap tracks
in the drive levers at the flap tracks
(see photo 3 " ). It is no longer
necessary to systematically
disconnect the flap drive torque
shafts to achieve the required fore
and aft flap position before
carrying out the flap rigging. This
reduces the required rigging time
approximately by half.
FAST / NUMBER 27 9
 Rigging procedure (cont’d)

Flap/carriage Figure 1
main eccentric
bearing

Eccentric hole at
maximum aft
position
Alignment of the flap trailing
edge with the zero (nominal)
position of the tool scale block is
done using the main eccentric
bearing located on the carriage
(see figure 1 $ ) .

Rotation of this eccentric bearing Rotation of these forward eccen-

provides the vertical adjustment of tric bearings causes only the trailing
the whole flap with regard to the edge of the flap to move vertically
wing (see figure 2 "). On most air- (see figure 2 # ). This deviation from
craft this is all that needs to be done. the nominal position of the trailing
edge is inherent to the aircraft and is
recorded on a label installed on
Forward the side of the flap track 3
eccentric (as shown on photo 4 ").
bearing
Label installed Photo 4
Main
eccentric on the side of
bearing the flap track 3
tracking
deviation from
the flap nominal
position

Hence, any re-rigging of the outer

Rotation of the main eccentric bearing allows
the vertical adjustment of the whole flap with flap on in-service aircraft must take
regard to the wing into account the presence, or not, of
Rotation of the forward eccentric bearing a deviation value recorded on this
Figure 2 allows the vertical adjustment of trailing edge
of the flap
label. If a value is recorded on the
label, in the first place the outer flap
Flap rigging: However, on some aircraft, nominal position has to be recov-
action of the main and straight and level flight required the ered by moving the forward eccen-
forward eccentrics outer flap to be pitched very slightly tric bearings on tracks 3 and 4. Then
up or down to provide the aerody- the flap can be rigged by using the
namic balance. In this case, the flap main eccentric bearing, and finally
nominal position determined on the the flap trailing edge should be
production jig, is modified using the moved back to the dimension
flap forward eccentric bearings on marked on the label, by the forward
Conclusion tracks 3 and 4. eccentric bearings on track 3 and 4.

T
his procedure will significantly reduce the time required to rig Airbus Industrie
the flaps. It will also make their adjustment easier to perform Fabienne BARON, AI/SE-E5
and more accurate. As this new rigging procedure is also Tel: +33 (0)5 61 93 47 40
applicable on aircraft initially rigged with overwing rigging boards, it is Fax: +33 (0)5 61 93 44 25
highly recommended to take advantage of this new procedure and tool E-mail: fabienne.baron@airbus.fr
(ref. AI SB A320-27-1119). Documentation references
Note: to further assist the operators, a video “SHARK FIN TOOL AI SB A320-27-1119 rev 04 issued August 21, 2000
FOR EASY FLAP ADJUSTMENT” providing the salient points of the AMM 27-51-00 PB501
Modifications 26649 and 28827
flap rigging procedure, is available on request (see contact $ ). SIL 00-032 (video)
FAST / NUMBER 27
10
 by Michael HAUPT
Provisioning Manager
Materiel Support
Airbus Industrie Customer Services

The Initial Provisioning (IP) spares investment recommendation is a central

determinator of spares investment. This important working document is used not
only by airline materiel planners but also by their financial controllers. This
article highlights how both have benefitted from the effects which reduced the
airline’s initial expenditure in spares. The main reasons for the reduction in the
value of Initial Provisioning investment in the last five years have been, improved
parts reliability, reduced repair time and spares stock quantities adapted to in-
service experience, together with spare parts pricing initiatives.

FAST / NUMBER 27 11
 Where the results We focussed initially on the
expensive parts category, the
come from? LRU’s (Line Replaceable Units)

T
he Airbus Provisioning which represent some 95 % of
Department investigated investment within a typical IP-
how the value of recom- package.
mended spares investments given Four main investment-saving
to customers has reduced over the initiatives have been developed
last five years. since 1995:
The Initial Provisioning recom- ◗ A price freeze, against the global
mendations given by Airbus tendency of rising prices, kept the
Industrie are based on formulae, cost of spares below the index.
statistical distributions, technical ◗ Improved parts reliability
and operational parameters. supported by guarantees allowed a
One of the questions was, reduction in stock levels.
whether the spares stock quantity ◗ Cost optimised calculation
could be further reduced. Another parameters were applied in
point has been to what extent are accordance with the MMEL, and a
different achievements contribut- staggered fleet build-up.
ing to savings in spares investment. ◗ Guaranteed lower shop
And finally, how can the processing time (SPT) shortened
Provisioning Department support the re-supply chain.
their customers by providing them
with cost optimised data. Competitive pricing
The customer’s operational input
(including items such as annual
saved money
utilisation, fleet size, transit time) is Inflation is a common phenome-
considered to be a constant. non and was at some 1.6 % per
Therefore it indicates only the annum on average in the aviation
changes implemented in the past industry from 1995 to 2000.
few years through product and The following chart contains
process improvements. For the pur- some high cost items that typically
pose of the investigation we com- can be found within the IP package.
pared the investment recommended It reflects the savings due to price-
to airlines that ordered their single- freezing agreements achieved by
aisle fleet in 1995 with the value of Airbus Industrie with the Original
a similar package today. Equipment Manufacturers (OEM)
and compares the Airbus pricing
High cost items that typically can be policy against the US price rise
found within the IP package reflecting the index.
saving due to price-freezing agreements

Auxiliary Power Unit 19

{

Flight Management Achieved

28 savings (kUS $)
& Guidance Computer
Unit-Braking Steering 6

Actuator 20

Flight Warning Computer 12

Computer-Management Airbus price in 1995

Display 10
Airbus price in 2000
FCU-Flight Control Unit 8
Price if the US index
had been applied
Computer Fuel Quantity
7
Indicator
Display Unit 8
(kUS $)
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

12 FAST / NUMBER 27
 Improved parts reliability
requires smaller stock quantities
Analyzing the Recommended the airline’s maintenance. Due to
Spare Parts Lists, the reliability of the large number of Airbus aircraft
LRUs has significantly improved now in operation and their
when measured by the MTBUR accumulated flight hours, more
(Mean Time Between Unscheduled real data became available
Removals) figure. For all LRU about the MTBURs. Successive
items contained in an Initial implementation of these in-service
Provisioning package the parts’ MTBUR figures converted our
reliability has improved by 11.5 % calculations into more efficient
while the 10 most expensive items planning documents. These in-
improved their reliability by up to service figures are supported by
46 % thus leading to substantially guarantees contained in the
less spares investment. General Conditions of Purchase
Parts reliability is usually (GCP). If a guaranteed MTBUR is
defined by design, by the not met the supplier will provide a
manufacturer, and influenced by remedy (see figure 1 ").

% Figure 1
All IP LRU's Improved component reliability
140 (MTBUR in %)
10 most
expensive +46.7% Source: Airbus Industrie Provisioning
LRU's +46.7% Department, Investigation of Initial
120 Provisioning Documents for LRU
components on single-aisle aircraft
+11.5%
+11.5%
100

80

60
1995 2000

Economical spares reducing the recommended invest-

ment by lowering the protection
availability can be levels for “Go-If” parts to typically
85% to 92%. Protection levels for
planned with the “Go” items, less essential for
aircraft dispatch, were reduced to
optimised stock levels levels between 70% and 80 %. By
To plan availability of spare parts introducing this feature the invest-
a so-called protection level is wide- ment could be more closely adapt-
ly used. It reflects the probability of ed to operational circumstances.
having a part in stock when needed.
Furthermore we typically classify
the parts following their “essential-
Quicker repair =
ity code” in these categories: less stock holding
◗ “No-Go” Looking at the period from 1995
◗ “Go-If” to 2000 the average Shop
◗ “Go” Processing Time (SPT) for all
The parts that are essential for LRUs in a typical Initial
aircraft dispatch (i.e. “No-Go” Provisioning package has short-
parts) are calculated with compara- ened from 19 to 14 days represent-
tively high levels, ranging from ing a more than 26% reduction.
94% to 96 %. Starting in mid-1995 For the 10 most expensive items
an input variation using the essen- the reduction has been up to 32%.
tiality code became possible, thus

FAST / NUMBER 27 13
 Quicker repair = the number of calendar days
less stock holding (Cont’d) needed for repair administration
has a great influence on the
The SPT is defined as the total formula-based calculation of
number of calendar days from recommended quantities.
receipt of the part at the repair base
until its dispatch from the repair
base. As many airlines don’t have Further savings
the repair capabilities to perform all programme
the maintenance tasks, several
vendor repair shops are also for Airbus proprietary
involved. Airbus obtained materiel successfully
agreements with them to shorten the implemented
repair cycles. The latest agreement,
called GCP 2000, guarantees a The Customized Lead Time
maximum shop repair time of 10 (CLT) programme is an initiative
Figure 2 in materiel planning and delivery
days for avionics and 15 days for
Reduced Shop Processing Time non-avionics components. The GCP introduced by Airbus Industrie in
(SPT in %) 2000 has been signed by 40 major 1997. Today the 25 airlines already
Source: Airbus Industrie Provisioning OEMs so far (see figure 2 "). participating can effectively reduce
Department, Investigation of Initial Streamlined processes within the the inventory of Airbus proprietary
Provisioning Documents for LRU airline can achieve further parts held in stock.
components on single-aisle aircraft.
improvements along the repair Benefits of CLT are:
chain. This is due to the fact that ◗ Shortened process times within
the supply chain
◗ Reduced customer safety
% stocks and holding costs
All IP LRU's ◗ Optimization of inventory
140 10 most expensive LRU's by common planning for
120 essential items
-26.5% -32.4% ◗ Reduced materiel costs
100 through increased use of
80 routine ordering
Essentially the airlines
60 hold no Airbus proprietary
40
parts in stock and obtain the
parts needed on a just-in-
20 time basis. Dispatch can be
achieved the same day if
0 requested.
1995 2000

Conclusion

T
he significant reduction in the value of spares reflected in the Airbus Industrie
Recommended Spare Parts List (RSPL) and now being appreciated by Materiel Support
Airbus operators results from several initiatives taken by Airbus
Industrie over the last five years. In particular, freezing prices, guaranteeing Michael HAUPT, AI/SM-P
reliability, optimising spares recommendations to meet actual airline operational
needs, and guaranteeing shorter component repair times have all contributed to Tel: +49 40 50 76 27 17
meeting the airlines’ need to reduce operating costs. Fax: +49 40 50 76 28 29
e.mail: michael.haupt@airbus.fr

14 FAST / NUMBER 27
 The Airbus
"Less Paper
in the Cockpit"
concept
"A modern approach
to cockpit information management"

Imagine...
Imagine a world where the
pilot enters a paper free cockpit,
checks the technical status of his
aircraft then switches on his laptop
to retrieve his information. The day
before his flight, he was connected
by electronic mail to his airline to
receive the latest Flight Crew
Operating Manual/ Minimum
Equipment List (FCOM/MEL)
updates and also updated his per-
formance modules. He sits in the Daniel MENARD Laval CHAN-KAM-FAI
cockpit seat with his laptop on the Department Manager Senior Performance Engineer
table in front of him, checking the Flight Oper. Digital Info. & Tools Group Manager Perf. Program
Flight Oper. Support Depart. Flight Oper. Support & Training
ECAM warnings with the MEL
Module and selecting the inopera-
tive items before switching to the
Takeoff Module. In order to start
the LPC software, he must enter the
aircraft registration number and
the software will present the infor- Eric LESAGE Bruno DAHAN
Senior Performance Engineer Program Manager
mation relative to this aircraft on Group Manager A330/A340 Perf. Flight Oper. Digital Info. & Tools
his screen... Flight Oper. Support & Training Flight Oper. Support & Training

FAST / NUMBER 27 15
 A world in A more
constant productive
evolution cockpit
environment

T
he amount of automation
and sophistication going The Airbus Industrie Flight
into aircraft today Operations Support Division is
requires more and more informa- bringing the benefits of this tech-
tion to be handled within the cock- nology to the cockpit, particularly
pit environment. This, added to the in the domains of performance
requirement for more precise and computation and consultation of
complex performance computa- technical information.
Imagine his flight is only forty tions have made it necessary to Based on the laptop computer
minutes ahead and he is preparing review the way to provide access to this new innovative way of work-
for it. He computes his takeoff per- information for the pilots. ing can be readily implemented in
formance after selecting the run- If the next generation of aircraft current aircraft. The LPC concept
way, entering the takeoff conditions includes a server on board with the allows the pilot to get the informa-
while the MEL Module just “acti- screen display as part of the cock- tion needed before the flight, get all
vated” the inoperative items. pit, a transition phase will be the information necessary to fulfil
required to prepare the pilots to the tasks during a flight and get the
Imagine the passengers are use a Personal Computer rather proper information at the right
boarding the aircraft and the cargo than paper. At a later stage elec- time.
is loaded. The loadmaster enters tronic management of the infor-
the cockpit to give the load details. mation through some appro-
The pilot selects the LPC Weight priate software On Ground Tools
and Balance Module to compute tools will
the takeoff CG and actual weight of probably
the aircraft. Then he reverts back to completely
the Takeoff Module to finalise the supersede
takeoff performance, which is then paper.
manually entered in the
PERF(ormance) page of the Flight Today the
Management System (FMS) in the progress made
aircraft. in the area of
the on-line
Imagine the same laptop now technologies
gives FCOM data, if required, dur- and particularly On Board Tools
ing taxi-out. Finally, the pilot just in the domain of
closes his laptop and stows it and Internet with the
the table prior to the takeoff roll. "Web
Do not imagine anymore, but Revolution" has
visit an Airbus fly-by-wire cockpit contributed to
to actually live this “Less Paper in the general use
the cockpit” experience. of the Personal
Computer to gain
access to infor-
mation. More and
more people now
use the Web
services at home to get access to
an almost unlimited amount of
information and this becomes ever
easier and faster. The Personal
Computer is an essential tool for
this environment.

16 FAST / NUMBER 27
 Architecture overview
The LPC concept has two parts. - control of integrity between the
The first part mainly concerns visu- data and the versions of the
alisation of operating manuals such software,
as the FCOM and the MEL and - management of updates,
possibly some specific airline man- - management of context.
uals. The second part provides
access to performance of the air- The various software tools, part
craft and concerns the takeoff, of the Airbus Industrie “Less Paper
landing, aircraft weight and bal- in the Cockpit” (LPC) concept are
ance and in-flight data. divided into two categories:

The various modules are linked ◗ On-ground tools enabling the

together through a common inter- airline administrator to prepare
face called F.O.V.E (Flight the set of information to be
Operations Versatile Environment). used in the cockpit by the
This interface provides some flight crew. This preparation
general services to the various phase customises the informa-
modules. These services cover the tion.
communications and the inter-oper-
ability domains. The design of this ◗ On-board tools enabling the
interface is flexible enough to flight crew to get access to the
enable airlines to develop their own information prepared by their
specific modules and to integrate administrators.
these modules in the same environ-
ment as those of Airbus Industrie. To speed-up and ease the
processing flow, the update mecha-
The list of services managed by nisms between Airbus Industrie
FOVE are: and the Airline are managed by
- inter-module communications, using electronic networks. This
- management of software ver- means that the performance data as
sions, well as the technical information
- management of software com- are electronically distributed.
patibility,

FAST / NUMBER 27 17
 Objectives
The overall objectives of the - To improve takeoff perfor-
modules part of the LPC are the mance.
electronic distribution, update, and - To optimise the loading and
consultation of Airbus Technical trimming of the aircraft.
Flight Operations information, and - To ease the updating processes
computation of performance data. and reduce the distribution
The main goals are: cycle time for revisions and
- To improve access time to the updates.
information. - To ensure technical data accura-
- To improve consultation effi- cy.
ciency through the following - To reduce costs in distribution
features: and management of operational
◗ access information for one documentation.
specific aircraft,
◗ wordsearch through an index,
◗ hyper-links within a document
or between several documents,
◗ shortcut to access to most fre-
quently used parts of the docu-
ments,
◗ bookmark management,
◗ graphics display,
◗ identification of the revised
information,
◗ list of highlights with a direct
link to the revised information,
◗ possibility to associate some
specific airline information to
Airbus information.

Scope
The various modules are or will
be made available as follows:

A300-600 A310 A319 A330 A340

A320 /A321
Weight & Balance ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
TakeOff ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
MEL consultation - - ✔ ✔ ✔
FCOM consultation - - ✔ ✔ ✔
Landing ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
In Flight ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Airline Info ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

18 FAST / NUMBER 27
 Environment
The LPC is based on the concept
that a laptop dedicated to the pilots
will hold information relative to
operations manuals and to perfor-
mance computations. The informa-
tion contained in the laptop may
cover all the aircraft types operated
by the airline. However the infor-
mation displayed is relevant to a
unique aircraft type or registration
number as selected by the pilot. It
is also displayed in a homogenous
way irrespective of the aircraft
type, size or model. Easy to use thanks to the sliding table.
As the laptop is not connected to
the aircraft systems, the product is Power supply
not certified. However, to operate already available
the LPC on board, an operational
approbation shall be obtained from
the local authorities and the appro- A storage LPC.
priate Standard Operating
Procedures be developed.
The Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft in
service today already have sliding
tables, power supply outlets and
storage areas to allow the use of
laptop computers in the cockpit.

Following a survey of airlines,

Airbus Industrie is proposing the
installation of two plugs
(115volts/60Hz) to supply pilots’
laptop computers (standard option).

Captain’s Plug First Officer’s Plug

Captain plug

FAST / NUMBER 27 19
 Component
Figure 1 Overview
Weight & Balance Module

The Weight & Balance module

enables the pilot to compute the
different weights and centre of
gravity (CG) positions of the air-
craft and to check them against
their operational limitations. This
module considers the given condi-
tions of the day so as to optimise
the loading and the trimming of the
aircraft (see figure 1 " ) .

For a given aircraft, the Weight &

Balance Module is started with the
characteristics of the selected air-
craft registration number.

Different information is entered

by the pilot. The nature and the
number of parameters to be entered
depends on the aircraft type as well
Figure 2 as on the administrators’ settings:
many parameters can be cus-
tomised or are optional. The
Module is very flexible so that it
can accept the maximum number of
parameters required to perform the
loading and trimming of an aircraft.

Firstly, the pilot selects the con-

figuration code for his flight. The
configuration code is associated
with a specific service type (see fig-
ure 2 " ) .

A service type is expressed by a

given type of:
- passengers (composition and
individual weights)
- cabin arrangement (configura-
Figure 3
tion)
- cargo (composition)
- holds (configuration) and by
associated operational limits.

With the configuration code, the

pilot can select the exact aircraft
configuration associated with the
actual conditions of the day and
operate the aircraft within the opti-
mal CG envelopes.

Then the pilot can select the crew,

the catering or any miscellaneous
items (a person on a jump seat, a
spare part in a cargo compart-
ment…) that are not included in the

20 FAST / NUMBER 27
 Figure 4
commercial payload. Finally, the
pilot recovers the dry operating
conditions of his aircraft.

In the LOADING frame, the pilot

enters the composition of the pas-
sengers on-board, the cargo and the
fuel. It is possible to have double
entry boxes to consider the payload
in transit. All the checks against the
maximum structural weights are
performed and the underload is
immediately provided: last minute
changes can be entered immediate-
ly.

The PAYLOAD DISTRIBU-

TION frame displays a schematic that the aircraft is not loaded
diagram of the aircraft showing the beyond this weight.
distribution of the passengers and
of the cargo in the aircraft (see fig- One important aspect of this
ure 3 " ) . module is that it is able to import
directly the Weight & Balance data
The FUEL DISTRIBUTION of the aircraft as well as the data
frame displays the fuel weight in linked to a given service type from
each tank according to the standard specific files produced by the Load
refuelling sequence. If this latter and Trim Sheet (LTS) software.
differs from the actual fuel quantity
in the aircraft, the pilot can directly The LTS software is the optimal
update it so that it agrees with the additional tool of the Less Paper
ECAM indications (see figure 4 #). Cockpit Weight&Balance adminis-
trator but it is not mandatory. This
The pilot gets the results numeri- programme manages the Weight &
cally and graphically. These have Balance data of the Airbus fleet.
been checked against the opera- The administrator enters his own
tional limitations. assumptions and defines the cabin
layout thanks to a graphical inter-
Interaction of the Weight & face. Then, LTS calculates the
Balance Module with other mod- operational limits and all the load-
ules will enable exchange of infor- ing and trimming
mation. For instance, the perfor- information.
mance limited maximum takeoff
weight can be automatically set so

FAST / NUMBER 27 21
 After the input parameters are
Takeoff Module set, the computation is run. Takeoff
data for the actual takeoff weight
The Takeoff Module provides will be presented to the pilot (see
the takeoff performance of the figure 6 $ ) . Customization of the
aircraft based on the actual envi- results is possible depending on the
ronmental conditions of the day choice of the airline. Either all pos-
just before the flight (see figure 5 $). sible flexible temperatures are dis-
This module provides the best take- played or just the maximum flexi-
off performance for the given con- ble temperature is displayed
ditions. together with the performance for

Figure 5
For a given aircraft, the Takeoff OAT. The selected flexible temper-
Module will start with the charac- ature and speeds can then be
teristics of the selected aircraft reg- entered on the PERF page via the
istration number. A number of take- multi-purpose control and display
off parameters will be modified unit (MCDU) of the aircraft.
within a frame. These parameters
are reduced to a minimum and con- The pilot also has the possibility
cern only those parameters that to highlight a specific result line by
vary at every takeoff. They include opening the takeoff card. He can
outside air temperature (OAT), also obtain detailed computation
wind conditions, pressure altitude outputs by pressing the appropriate
at sea level (QNH), flap settings, key. Detailed results may display
actual takeoff weight, bleeds set- actual runway lengths used, differ-
tings, runway condition, engine ent limiting weights, etc. This list is
option and CG position. An admin- customized by the airline.The air-
istrator within the airline will have line, via its administrator, is able to
already set the other parameters. fully customise the Takeoff Module
The pilot will then select the run- by the selection of the units, the V1
way from which takeoff is consid- range, defining aircraft degrada-
ered. If any specific comments are tions among other possibilities.
attached to a particular runway, One important aspect of this
Figure 6 these will be displayed to the pilots module is that the LPC Takeoff
at runway selection Module is able to share a common
on top of the display runway database with the
of the runway char- Performance Engineers Programme
acteristics. (PEP) software. Indeed, LPC uses
Inoperative items, if the same airport manager software
selected, will be dis- to manage all runway data as does
played on this take- the PEP.
off screen.

22 FAST / NUMBER 27
 Minimum Equipment List Module
Figure 7
The (Minimum Equipment List)
MEL Module provides the pilot
with a tool enabling electronic
access to the MEL information.
This set of information is being
prepared by the airline administra-
tor from the MMEL (Master
Minimum Equipment List) and
eventually completed by the AMM
(Aircraft Maintenance Manual)
digital data supplied by Airbus
(optional) (see figure 7 " ) .

The MMEL and AMM raw data

are delivered by Airbus in SGML
(Standardized Generalized Markup
Language) format. To enable the
use of the MMEL SGML data, the
MMEL Starter Pack is made avail-
able. This software tool enables the
conversion of the SGML data into
either “FrameMaker+SGML” or
RTF formats.
Once the data is converted, the
airline administrator has the possi-
bility to amend the information by
using some off-the-shelf software
such as “FrameMaker+SGML”
(Adobe) or Word (Microsoft) and
to create either a PDF or a paper an additional tool the mainte-
version of the airline MEL. By nance tasks are converted into
using the FrameMaker version of PDF format to be integrated
the MMEL Starter Pack an addi- into the MEL consultation
tional feature is offered which pro- module.
vides the possibility to export the
customized MEL data into a data- Interface based on standard Web
base. Once the database has been browser (see figures 8,9,10 " ) .
loaded with the MEL information, - Hyperlinks:
a generation tool enables the prepa- ◗ within the MEL
ration of the MEL data for the MEL ◗ between the MEL and the
Module. associated Operational
Procedures
With regards to the Maintenance ◗ between the MEL and the
Procedures the airline administra- associated Maintenance
tor has two choices: Procedures
◗ The administrator creates the ◗ between the ECAM entry list
PDF version of the concerned and the associated dispatch
tasks by using any off-the- condition in the MEL
shelf editor such as Word, - Access information from:
FrameMaker, etc… ◗ the ECAM Entry List sorted
◗ The administrator uses the by ATA or alphanumeric
AMM SGML raw data to ◗ the MEL
extract the concerned tasks and ◗ the Operational procedures
translates them into RTF for- ◗ the maintenance procedures
mat. At this stage the mainte- ◗ the airlines documents
nance tasks may be amended
to comply with some internal
procedures. Of course this
action is optional. Then with

FAST / NUMBER 27
Figures 8,9,10 23
 cation. The administrator will
FCOM - OEB mainly use this mode.
Module
A CD-ROM containing the infor-
mation related to:
- FCOM Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3, Vol 4,
- TR and OEB documents valid at
the CD-ROM publication time, and
complying with the Airline fleet is
made available with the same revi-
sion cycle as the present one relat-
ed to the paper.
In parallel, the Airbus Industrie
server is updated with the same
contents as the CD-ROM and any
authorised airline end-users have
access to this information.

Any new TR (see figure 12 $ ) or

OEB released after publication of
the CD-ROM is made available on
the Airbus server. First this infor-
mation is made available to the air-
line administrator. The duty of the
airline administrator is to ensure
that the OEB/TR is applicable to
his fleet and to authorise access to
this information for his end-users.
It should be noted that the airline
Figure 11
end-user does not have access to
The FCOM/OEB Module gives this information until the airline
electronic access to the four vol- administrator provides the autho-
umes of the Flight Crew Operating risation.
Manual (FCOM) and to the associ-
ated Operations Engineering Then the airline end-user may
Bulletins (OEB) and Temporary consult this information and down-
Revisions (TR). load it on his laptop to enable the
This module offers two modes of Module to take into account this
consultation (see figure 11 # ) : new OEBs and TRs and their links
to the FCOM.
- The Stand-alone mode enabling
the pilot to consult the
Flight Operations
information on his
laptop.
- The Connected
mode enabling the
administrator to con-
sult the Flight
Operations informa-
tion directly on the
Airbus server. In
addition to this possi-
bility of accessing a
full consultation envi-
ronment, this mode is
also used to update
the Airline environ-
ment with the latest
OEB and TR docu-
ments released after
the CD-ROM publi- Figure 12
24 FAST / NUMBER 27
 The possibility to distribute the
TRs and OEBs is also made avail-
able through E-mail mechanisms
(see figure 11 % ) . However, a piece
of software will be required on the
customer side to ensure the integri-
ty of the communications.

The CD-ROM provided by

Airbus Industrie is based on Airbus
data. However, the airline adminis-
trator may prepare a customised
package by including for example
the airline Standard Operating
Procedures (SOP) into the set of
data prepared by Airbus.
The FCOM raw data is provided
by Airbus Industrie in SGML
(Standardized Generalized Markup
Language) format. To enable the
use of the SGML data, the FCOM
Starter Pack is made available. This
software tool allows the conversion
of the SGML data into either
“FrameMaker+SGML” or RTF for- Figure 13
mats. Once the data is converted,
the airline administrator has the
possibility to amend the informa-
tion by using some off-the-shelf
software such as “FrameMaker-
+SGML” (Adobe) or Word
(Microsoft) and to create a PDF
version of the airline specific piece
of information (see figure 13 " ) .

With the "FCOM Navigation

Tree Customisation" the airline
administrator is in position to
amend the FCOM tree structure.
These changes take into account
the airline specificity (airline infor-
mation such as the SOP) and may
correspond to the setup of some
different views of the FCOM.
Based on the same source of infor-
mation, different structures of the
FCOM are presented to the end
user:

- Access by cockpit localisation

- List of valid OEB documents
- List of valid TR documents

(see figure 14,15,16 " )

Figures 14,15,16

FAST / NUMBER 27 25
 Other Modules Landing Module Conclusion
At this stage some other modules

S
This module will enable the pilot
are also foreseen. For instance, everal airlines already use
to determine the landing perfor-
Airbus is evaluating an In-Flight the Takeoff and the FCOM-
mance of the aircraft either before
Module which may provide high OEB Modules. So far
departure (flight planning) or at any
speed data, currently not available Airbus Industrie has received some
time during flight. It gives the max-
from the FMS. Details of computa- encouraging feedback. On the per-
imum weight corresponding to a
tions are not fixed for the time formance side, some simulations
given landing distance and
being and all possibilities will be have been conducted which show
accounts for the external conditions
explored. that the use of the LPC will lead to
(OAT, wind, etc) , and the technical
savings in the engine maintenance
status of the aircraft (inoperative
area. Another customer has high-
Hardware items, bleed selection, etc) and run-
lighted potential safety improve-
way conditions (runway state,
and software ments when consulting the Technical
lengths, etc). The pilot will also be
Information. This is a promising start
requirements able to retrieve operational data
which provides encouragement to
such as landing with autobrake and
continue with the development of the
The required or recommended autoland (if data permits).
use of laptop computers so as to
hardware and software are as fol- finally remove the need for paper in
lows: the cockpit.
Contact person and address
Hardware of supplier
- Laptop 400 MHz Pentium Processor Airbus Industrie
- 128 Megabytes of RAM
- 2 Giga-byte hard disk Mr. Christian MONTEIL Tel: +33 (0)5 61 93 30 85
- 1 modem at 33600 baud Deputy Vice President Training Fax: +33 (0)5 61 93 29 68
- 1 CD-ROM reader 11X speed
- 1Display unit with following characteristics: & Flight Operations Support e-mail: christian.monteil@airbus.fr
- XGA TFT active matrix AI/ST-F
- 14’’ minimum
- Resolution 1024 x 768 64K colors

Software
- Windows 95 or Windows NT (required)
- Netscape 4.7 browser or Microsoft Internet
Explorer 5.5 (required)
- “Acrobat reader”
Plug-in PDF format viewer
(required)
- Plug-in able to display
the graphics in
TIFF/CCITTG4
format like

The following sites

can be consulted for
additional information:

www.TMSequoia.com
www.visionshape.com
www.cartesianinc.com
Prizm from TMSequoia
has been adopted by
Airbus for internal use.

Network
To access AOLS
(Airbus OnLine Services)
an access to one of the following Networks is
required:
- AERONET (SITA)
- INTERNET (service provider to be selected
by the airline).

26 FAST / NUMBER 27
 FUEL LEAK
REPAIR
Quick curing
sealant device

Alain Maréchal
Wing / Pylon /
Empennage / Window
Engineering Services
Airbus Industrie

Until now, curing fuel leaks

has been a relatively difficult
and time-consuming
operation for operators and
manufacturers alike. The
methods available to speed up
the curing time of the repair
sealants have been with hot
air blowing or heating lamps,
neither method being very
efficient. This article
describes a new heating
device based on catalytic
combustion, which has been
tested and qualified on all
repair sealants recommended
by Airbus Industrie.

FAST / NUMBER 27 27
 Introduction Concerning the identification of the
fuel leak source, Airbus has already

F
uel tanks in modern com- addressed this issue with the helium
mercial airliners are princi- technique (SIL 57-091, also
pally housed in the wings, described in FAST number 22 of
and the wing structure is also the March 1998). For the curing time of
fuel tank structure; there are no the sealant, as this is directly related
rubber tanks or other forms of inner to temperature and humidity level,
walls within the wings. Wing in-service experience has shown that
Wing structures: structures are composed of large it is rarely
Rivets covered with sealant skin panels, dozens of ribs and respected. FUEL SYSTEM
to prevent fuel seepage stringers, and thousands of bolts and Detecting leaks using helium

rivets covered with sealant to Helium

prevent fuel seepage (see photo 1 ").
Alain Maréchal
Structure
Engineering Support
A300/A310/A330/A340
Airbus Industrie

technique: Alain Deninotti

Quality Assurance
Product Manager
Airbus Industrie

SIL 57-091 A
T IRB
DIGECH US
ES NIC
T

Photo 1 described in U
ntil now curing
fuel leaks has been
a relatively difficult
NU
MAR M
CH
BE
R
19 22
98

Fast 22, operation for operators

and manufacturers alike.
The methods available
to identify the leak paths

March 1998 have been air blowing

associated with soapy water
to detect bubbles (a method
as old as aviation itself),
and suction associated
with dye penetrant,
neither method being
very successful.
This article describes
a new detecting technique
using helium gas developed
by Airbus Industrie.
FAST / NUMBER 22 7

AIR
BU
S IN
DU

The innovative
ST
RIE

approach
Airbus Industrie investigated
several devices and methods to
decrease the curing time of the
repair sealant. Following a study
made by the French Air Force with
Sunkiss Aéronautique, Airbus
Industrie investigated and selected
the thermoreactor technology
which is based on catalytic com-
bustion. Therefore, new equipment
This structure is flexible, as using this technique has been
anyone who has flown in turbulent developed to offer reliability and
weather will have noticed, as they time saving. This is a great step for-
watch the wing tips moving up and ward compared to the methods
down. Eventually fuel seepage used previously.
does occur and the leaks become
evident on the outer surface of the The thermoreactor
skin.
The visible point of seepage is at technology
the end of the leak path. An Combustion means conversion
efficient repair requires the origin of the chemical energy of a
of the leak path (or paths) to be combustible substance, such as
identified. When this is achieved, gas, into heat. This is done by a
the area around the source of the complete or partial oxidation of the
leak has to be de-sealed before gas, by air, the oxidizing element.
being resealed properly. However, The catalytic combustion allows
in-service experience has shown complete combustion at a low
that when fuel leak repairs are not temperature without any mixture
successful, it is due to the two between the gas and the air. The
following major reasons: either main advantage of this type of
because the fuel leak source has combustion is that it prevents any
not been properly identified, or inflammability and is therefore
because the aircraft was refueled completely safe. The Sunkiss
before the new sealant has reached Aéronautique thermoreactor is
an adequate state of cure. made of a catalytic support, which
is composed of different materials
including mainly platinum.

28 FAST / NUMBER 27
 This support is exposed to a
flow of propane gas. Then, the The thermoreactor technology:
catalytic reaction starts and The Sunkiss Aéronautique thermoreactor made of
a catalytic support, mainly composed of platinum
develops all over the catalytic
element (see photo 2 # ).
The thermoreactor produces an
infrared radiation between 2 and 10
microns. The main advantages of
this new technique are based on the
energy transfer and on the quality of
the polymerisation. Figure 1 (")
makes a comparison between the
old technologies – warm air blower,
electrical infrared source – and the
thermoreactor. Photo 2

Warm air

Blocked solvents
ONLY one wave
= bubbling risk

= POOR transfer Superficial drying

and incomplete Figure 1
polymerization
Electrical infrared source
(lamps or quartz tubes) Old and new technology:
SEALANT comparison between the old
technologies - warm air blower,
electrical infrared source - and
Evaporated solvents
the thermoreactor
= no micro bubbling risk

Complete polymerization
at the core from the inside
to the outside
Thermoreactor SUNKISS¨
(28 VDC)

The following graph gives an 30 hours and the final hardness

example of the typical time saving after 72 hours. When, using the
for PR 1422 B2 sealant. In thermoreactor, the 35 shore A level Typical time saving for
theoretical conditions (25° C and will be obtained after 2.75 hours PR 1422 B2 sealant
50% of Relative Humidity), the 35 and the sealant will be fully cured
shore A hardness is reached after after 6 hours.

60
Shore
hardness

55 SUNKISS

50
AERONAUTIQUE

6 hours Reference hardness

45 72 hours
40
2,75 hours 30 hours Tack free time
35
30
25
20
15 Thermoreactor SUNKISS¨ Usual temperature &
(28 VDC at 45¡) hygrometry conditions
10 (25¡ C 50%)
5
0
Time (hours)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

FAST / NUMBER 27 29
 The equipment
Airbus Customer Services has re- qualified by Airbus Industrie, and
defined the equipment to answer to therefore no additional data is
its customers needs (with the inputs requested, or to introduce the spe-
from some of its major operators). cific data linked to a different
The basic equipment is today com- sealant.
posed of two boxes (see figure 2 "). These boxes have been designed
One box is dedicated to the sup- for easy transportation.
ply of gas. The other one contains In addition, other options, such
all the control equipment, which as a trolley to transport them
allows the operator either to select around the maintenance facility are
one of the sealants proposed and proposed by Sunkiss Aéronautique.

Figure 2
The Sunkiss Aéronautique
Thermoreactor:
Today, Airbus Customer Services has
redefined the equipment now composed
of two boxes, one for the supply of gas
and the other one for the control
equipment

SUNKISS
AERONAUTIQUE

SUNKISS
AERONAUTIQUE

Conclusion
Airbus Industrie

C
onventional methods for curing fuel leak repair sealants are Alain MARECHAL, AI/SE-A22
now becoming obsolete. The thermoreactor technology has Tel: +33 (0)5 61 93 47 40
been tested and qualified on different sealants. It is now the Fax: +33 (0)5 61 93 38 29
most efficient method to cure sealants used for repair of fuel leaks. It
is cost effective as it significantly reduces the aircraft downtime. E-mail: alain.marechal@airbus.fr
In addition, it has been demonstrated on several aircraft that
this technology, used in combination with the helium technique
for fuel leak source detection – SIL 57-091, can reduce a con-
ventional fuel leak repair from 5 days to 2 days. Airbus Industrie
recommends that operators use this equipment which is All the SILs are included
described in SIL 57-096 and is applicable to all Airbus aircraft in the new CD-ROM
types. ‘Fuel tank maintenance’.

30 FAST / NUMBER 27
 RCSM LOCATION COUNTRY
CUSTOMER SUPPORT ABU DHABI United Arab Emirates
LOUISVILLE
LUTON
USA (Kentucky)
England
USA / CANADA AMMAN Jordan MACAO Macao
ATHENS Greece MADRID Spain
François MOURAREAU BANGKOK Thailand MANCHESTER England
Vice President Customer Services BEIRUT Lebanon MANILA Philippines
BERLIN Germany MAURITIUS Mauritius
Tel: +1 (703) 834 3484 BRUSSELS Belgium MELBOURNE Australia
Fax:+1 (703) 834 3464 BUENOS AIRES Argentina MEMPHIS USA (Tennessee)
CAIRO Egypt MEXICO CITY Mexico
CHINA CHARLOTTE USA (North Carolina) MIAMI (AIB) USA (Florida)
Emmanuel PERAUD CHENGDU People's Republic of China MIAMI (AES) USA (Florida)
CINCINNATI USA (Ohio) MINNEAPOLIS USA (Minnesota)
Director Customer Services COLOMBO Sri Lanka MONASTIR Tunisia
Tel: +86 10 6456 7720 COPENHAGEN Denmark MONTREAL (ACA) Canada
Fax: +86 10 6456 76942 /3 /4 DAKAR Senegal MONTREAL (TSC) Canada
DHAKA Bangladesh MOSCOW Russia
REST OF THE WORLD DAMASCUS Syria MUMBAI (IAC) India
DELHI India MUMBAI (AIC) India
Mohamed EL-BORAI

WORLDWIDE
Vice President Customer
Support Services Division
Tel: +33 (0) 5 61 93 35 04 Airbus customer services
Fax:+33 (0) 5 61 93 41 01 DERBY England NAIROBI Kenya
RESIDENT CUSTOMER DETROIT
DOHA
USA (Michigan)
Qatar
NANCHANG
NANJING
People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
SUPPORT ADMINISTRATION DUBAI United Arab Emirates NEW YORK (AIB) USA (New York)
DUBLIN Ireland NEW YORK (JBU) USA (New York)
Philippe BORDES DULUTH USA (Minnesota) NOUMEA New Caledonia
Director of Resident Customer DUSSELDORF Germany NUREMBERG Germany
Representation Administration FRANKFURT (DLH) Germany PALMA DE MALLORCA Spain
FRANKFURT (AEF) Germany PARIS (CDG) France
Tel: +33 (0) 5 61 93 31 02 GUANGZHOU People's Republic of China PARIS (ORY) France
Fax:+33 (0) 5 61 93 49 64 HANGZHOU People's Republic of China PHILADELPHIA USA (Pennsylvania)
HANOI Vietnam PHOENIX USA (Arizona)
HELSINKI Finland PITTSBURGH USA (Pennsylvania)
TECHNICAL, HONG KONG People's Republic of China QINGDAO People's Republic of China
INDIANAPOLIS USA (Indiana) ROME (AZA) Italy
SPARES, TRAINING ISTANBUL Turkey ROME (G4I) Italy
JAKARTA Indonesia SAN FRANCISCO USA (California)
Airbus Industrie has its main spares JINAN People's Repuplic of China SAN JOSE Costa Rica
store in Hamburg, Germany, and JOHANNESBURG South Africa SAN SALVADOR El Salvador
subsidiary stores at Frankfurt, KARACHI Pakistan SANTIAGO Chile
KHARTOUM Sudan SAO PAULO Brazil
Germany, Washington D.C., Beijing, KINGSTON Jamaica SEOUL (KAL) South Korea
China, and Singapore. KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia SEOUL (AAR) South Korea
KUWAIT Kuwait SHANGHAI People's Republic of China
Airbus Industrie operates LAGOS Nigeria SHARJAH United Arab Emirates
24 hours a day every day. LANZHOU People's Republic of China SHENYANG People's Republic of China
AOG technical and spares calls in North LARNACA Cyprus SHENZHEN People's Republic of China
LIMA Peru SINGAPORE Singapore
America should be addressed to: LISBON Portugal TAIPEI (LAL) Taiwan
Tel: +1 (703) 729 9000 LONDON (VIR) England TAIPEI (TNA) Taiwan
Fax: +1 (703) 729 4373 LONDON (BAW) England TAMPA USA (Florida)
TASHKENT Uzbekistan
AOG technical and spares calls outside TEHRAN Iran
North America should be addressed to: TOKYO (ANA) Japan
TOKYO (JAS) Japan
Tel: +49 (40) 50 76 3001 / 3002 / 3003 TORONTO (AIB) Canada
Fax: +49 (40) 50 76 3011 / 3012 / 3013 Airbus Industrie has major training TORONTO (CMM) Canada
Airbus Industrie's main training subsidiaries located at Miami, Florida TULSA USA (Oklahoma)
centre is located at Toulouse, France: Tel:+1 (305) 871 36 55 TUNIS Tunisia
VANCOUVER Canada
Tel: +33 (0) 5 61 93 33 33 Fax: +1 (305) 871 46 49 VIENNA Austria
Fax: +33 (0) 5 61 93 46 65 and Beijing, China WINNIPEG Canada
XIAN People's Republic of China
Tel: +86 10 64 57 33 40 ZURICH Switzerland
FAST / NUMBER 27 Fax: +86 10 64 57 09 64 31
 In a nutshell...
JUST HAPPENED…
A319/A320/A321 Regional Operational Liaison
Technical Symposium, meetings and Human Factors
Sevilla, Spain, 5-8 December 2000 Symposiums in 2000
The purpose of this conference was to dis- In 2000 we continued our intensive
cuss and share views between the operators and dialogue with our customers, by having seven
Airbus Industrie about the technical status on the A320 fami- regional operational liaison meetings on different subjects as
ly in service fleet. The agenda had been prepared with a large well as two human factors symposiums.
amount of input from all operators and resulted in more than For the A300/A310 family two events took place in
40 dedicated presentations and fruitful discussions. Social Prague and Seoul. The A320 family was the subject of the
events and side discussions involving Airbus Industrie Program programs in Sevilla and Gatwick; the A330/A340
and Customer services top executives as well as major suppli- operational meeting was held in Lisbon. General topics
ers added to the overall success of this symposium. The air- related to the Fly-by-wire technology were covered at
lines’feedback was very positive and Airbus Industrie commit- conferences held in Bangkok and Phoenix. The Human
ted themselves to another symposium two years from now. Factors conferences were in Melbourne and Aspen.
Questions & answers and presentations are available on CD-ROM. The content of all the conferences is available on CD-ROM.

COMING UP…
11th Performance and A300/A310/A300-600
Operations Conference Technical Symposium,
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Munich, Germany
26 – 30 March 2001 11-15 June 2001
The preparation for the conference including More than 100 operators worldwide are
input from our customers is already in still flying over 700 aircraft from the first
progress. During three and a half days the Airbus widebody generation. As usual, all
program will cover briefings of our new products the A318, operators have been asked to provide us with topics of
A340-500/600 and the A3XX as well as an update of key specific interest in order to establish the program
operational items. Furthermore all participants will be accordingly. Issues such as the problems of aging aircraft
briefed on the latest Airbus Safety Initiatives. Separate and the goal for extended design service will be key points
sessions are organized to cover operational aspects of the in the final program. Input forms are available from your
Fly-by-wire and the A300/A310 aircraft family. Dedicated local Resident Customer Support Manager or they can be
sessions will focus on aircraft performance and flight requested from the engineering department in Toulouse.
operations documentation. Throughout the whole
conference different demonstrations will take place, such as
for the ‘Less Paper Cockpit’ (LPC) and the Line Operations
Monitoring System (LOMS).

NEW SERVICES…
Airman 2000 AOLS
Airbus Industrie has developed a new After a successful pilot phase, in July
software tool, called Airman 2000, which 2000 Airbus introduced the Airbus On-Line
will increase the efficiency of aircraft Services. 19 airlines are already
maintenance. This software package connected, within this number there are
is to be used by ground personnel, 450 certificates for different end users. Ten
permitting real time access to the on- services are presently in operation. The
board maintenance data while the range of services goes from access to the
aircraft is still in flight. All necessary maintenance actions Airbus drawings, the consultation/download capability of
can be therefore prepared before the aircraft arrives.With the Flight Crew Operations Manual, up to the quarterly in-
this new troubleshooting tool you will save time and money service data as well as supplier information and agreements.
and maximize the actual flying time of your fleet in a safe A broad range of other services, such as the AMM and
environment. IPC in PDF format are coming soon.
Please send any requests for brochure(s) and/or CD(s)
by fax (+33) (0)5 61 93 47 73

32 FAST / NUMBER 27