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Remote
Management
of Real-Time
Airplane Data
by John B. Maggiore,
Manager, Airplane Health Management,
Aviation Information Services
Operators are reducing fight delays, cancellations, air turnbacks, and
diversions through an information tool called Airplane Health Manage-
ment (AHM). Designed by Boeing and airline users, AHM collects
in-fight airplane information and relays it in real-time to maintenance
personnel on the ground via the Web portal MyBoeingFleet.com. When
an airplane arrives at the gate, maintenance crews can be ready with
the parts and information to quickly make any necessary repairs. AHM
also enables operators to identify recurring faults and trends, allowing
airlines to proactively plan future maintenance.
AHM is a key part of an aviation system in which
data, information, and knowledge can be shared
instantly across an air transport enterprise. AHM
integrates remote collection, monitoring, and
analysis of airplane data to determine the status
of an airplanes current and future serviceability.
By automating and enhancing the real-time and
long-term monitoring of airplane data, AHM
enables proactive management of maintenance.
AHM is intended to provide economic benet to
the airline operator by applying intelligent analysis
of airplane data currently generated by existing
airplane systems.
This article addresses the following:

How AHM works.

Available data.

Benets.

Recent AHM enhancements.

how ahM works
AHM collects data (e.g., maintenance messages
and ight deck effect [FDE] faults) from the air-
plane in real-time (see g. 1). The primary source
of the data is the airplanes central maintenance
computer (CMC) for the 747-400 and 777 or
airplane condition monitoring systems (ACMS) on
other models. AHM also collects electronic logbook
data from the Boeing Electronic Flight Bag. Data
is collected and downlinked via the airplane com-
munication addressing and reporting system.
The data received in real-time directly
from airplanes is hosted by Boeing within the
MyBoeingFleet.com Web portal. If an issue is
detected, alerts and notications are automati-
cally sent to a location specied by the airline via
fax, personal digital assistant, e-mail, or pager.
Maintenance personnel can then access complete
AHM information about the issue through an
application service provider tool and reports
on MyBoeingFleet.com.
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AHM LEVERAGES
BOEING KNOWLEDGE
AND FLEET DATA TO
PROVIDE ENHANCED
TROUBLESHOOTING.
AHM REAL-TIME DATA
Figure 1
AHM automatically collects
airplane data and fault
information, then prioritizes
and organizes the data
to assist operators
in formulating a plan
for repairs.
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Exactly which data will result in alerts and
notications to maintenance staffs is set by
individual operators; operators also determine
what particular data and information each of their
employees can view via AHM, and that information
is prioritized, based on its urgency. Having
information packages customized to t the role of
each user ensures that users get the particular
information they need.
For example, after encountering a ap drive
problem en route, a ight crew called in the
discrepancy. The AHM notication made it possible
for the airlines maintenance control organization
to troubleshoot the problem before the airplane
landed. Through real-time uplinks, the airline used
AHM to interrogate systems information, identify
the problem, and prepare the arrival station for
repair. The information made it possible for the
airline to avoid a ight diversion and the
subsequent repair delay was reduced from several
hours to a few minutes.
available data
AHM facilitates proactive maintenance by providing
ground crews with real-time interpretation of
airplane data while ights are in progress, and
it leverages Boeing knowledge and eet data
to provide enhanced troubleshooting. With AHM,
operators can access Boeing engineering know-
ledge, worldwide eet in-service experience, and
operator-unique knowledge. It also institutionalizes
the use of this knowledge in a repeatable manner,
allowing the operator to maintain and grow its
engineering- and maintenance-usable knowledge.
AHM is currently available for the 777,
777 freighter, 747-400, 757, 767, and Next-
Generation 737 airplanes. The type and availability
of ight data vary by model. The 747-400 and
777 have a CMC, as will the 747-8 and 787. The
CMC allows for fault collection, consolidation, and
reporting. AHM relies on other data types, such as
ACMS data, on airplanes without CMCs.
beNeFits
AHM is designed to deliver airplane data when and
where its needed, allowing operators to make
informed operational decisions quickly and
effectively. The primary benet provided by AHM is
the opportunity to substantially reduce schedule
interruption costs. Schedule interruptions consist
of delays, cancellations, air turnbacks, and
diversions. The three primary ways that AHM
reduces schedule interruptions are prognostics,
fault forwarding, and prioritization.
Prognostics. AHM helps operators forecast
and address conditions before failure, a process
referred to as prognostics. With AHM, operators
can identify precursors that are likely to progress
to FDE faults, which will affect airplane dispatch
and possibly cause schedule interruptions. AHM
provides an operators engineers with the infor-
mation they need to make sound economic
decisions regarding these precursors, so that the
operator can perform maintenance on monitored
faults on a planned basis, rather than having to
react to unexpected problems with unplanned
maintenance.
Fault forwarding. When a fault occurs in-ight,
AHM allows the operator to make operational
decisions immediately, and if maintenance is
required, to make arrangements for the people,
parts, and equipment sooner rather than later. This
enables operators to substantially reduce the
number of delays (e.g., a delay is prevented
altogether) and the length of delays (e.g., a three-
hour delay is shortened to one hour see g. 2).
AHM provides both the information and the context
to enable operators to make appropriate decisions
while the airplane is still en route.
Prioritization. Information about fuel efciency,
economic impacts, and other performance factors
is provided according to its importance to the
The primary beneft provided by AHM is the opportunity
to substantially reduce schedule interruption costs such
as delays, cancellations, air turnbacks, and diversions.
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Maintenance personnel can
get a signicant head start
in their decision making
through the proactive use
of airplane data.
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AHM ENABLES
AIRLINE CUSTOMERS
TO MINIMIZE FLIGHT
DELAYS AND
CANCELLATIONS
In one instance, a fight experienced a weather
radar condition en route. The required part was
identifed via AHM, ordered, and sent to the arrival
airport. As a result of AHMs in-fight notifcation,
the part was replaced immediately after landing,
substantially reducing the delay.
In another case, an exhaust gas temperature problem
was encountered en route. The crew began an air
turnback, but after AHM interrogated the central
maintenance computer and investigated the
airplanes history, the operator determined that
the fight could continue.
In one more example of AHM in use, an airplane
experienced an engine control fault en route. Via
AHM, which reports engine and engine accessory
fault messages, the needed part was identifed
and sent on a subsequent fight to the airplanes
destination airport. The fight departed with
minimal delay compared to what it could have been
had initial fault notifcation occurred after landing.
AHM PROACTIVE USE
OF AIRPLANE DATA
Figure 2
AHM enables operators to
report and diagnose faults
and plan for repairs before
the airplane even reaches the
gate, maximizing the ramp
maintenance opportunity.
This deals with conditions
which affect airworthiness
(i.e., affect next release), and
which typically take place in
an unscheduled manner. In
addition, condition monitoring
allows for purely economic
conditions to be considered and
resolved, thus allowing them to
be addressed in a scheduled
manner, and reducing
in-service interruptions.
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Report Diagnose Plan Fix
operator, allowing the operator to determine the
best course of action.
A number of secondary benets result from
the reduced schedule interruptions realized by
using AHM:
Reduced down-line disruptions. AHM can
be used by operators to calculate the likelihood of
down-line disruptions and estimate the cost of
such disruptions.
Reduction of missed Air Traffic Control
slots. AHM can help operators reduce missed Air
Trafc Control slots that result from technical delays.
Improved supply chain efficiencies. With
AHM prognostics, operators can better predict
line-replaceable unit failures, which means fewer
cases of unscheduled removals. That results in
fewer parts being borrowed and fewer parts being
prepositioned at remote stations.
Reduced No Fault Found (NFF). AHM
reduces the likelihood of NFF, which in turn
reduces labor and spares requirements.
receNt ahM eNhaNceMeNts
AHM has recently been enhanced to provide an
even greater amount and depth of information.
Called the parametric module, these enhance-
ments comprise four primary components.
Systems condition monitoring.
AHM uses available parametric data to assess
the condition of airplane systems. It collects
airplane system data using existing and new ACMS
reports and compares system performance against
system models.
Servicing management. By gathering data
on monitored systems including auxilliary
power unit oil, engine oil, oxygen, tire pressure,
and hydraulic uid levels AHM can provide
alerts on system conditions approaching opera-
tional limits. This data-based remote condition
monitoring identies airplanes requiring system
maintenance to enable replenishment prior to
exceeding operational limits.
Airplane performance monitoring (APM).
AHM calculates airplane performance using the
ACMS APM/engine stable reports and allows
operators to compare airplanes through a eet
summary view. It also integrates engine health
monitoring alerts, displaying engine manufacturer
(OEM) alerts of abnormal conditions and
automatically linking to the engine OEM system.
ACMS report viewer and data extractor.
AHM incorporates an enhanced means for viewing
and analyzing ACMS data.
suMMary
The vast potential of condition monitoring airplane
systems is being realized today through the
innovative use of available airplane data. These
advances have been fostered through the team
efforts of Boeing and commercial operators.
This journey continues, with ample areas for
new applications and new directions. For more
information, please contact John Maggiore at
[email protected].
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ECONOMIC AIRWORTHINESS
AHM Prognostics
AHM Fault Forwarding
Traditional
Maximized Ramp
Maintenance Opportunity
UNSCHEDULED
MAINTENANCE
SCHEDULED
MAINTENANCE
At Gate Next Flight
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