FAST magazine 31- December 2003 - Airbus · behaviour of the navigation system and the Electronic...

AI

RB

US

T

EC

HN

IC

AL

D

IG

ES

TF

AS

T

N°

31

DE

CE

MB

ER

2

00

2

This issue of FAST has been printed on paperproduced without using chlorine, to reduce

waste and help conserve natural resources.Every little helps!

Editor: Denis DempsterArt Director: Agnès Massol-Lacombe

in association with Chandler Gooding

London • Leeds • Toulouse

Customer Services Marketing Tel: +33 5 61 93 39 29Fax: +33 5 61 93 27 67

E-mail: [email protected] Escourbiac

FAST may be read on Internet http://www.airbus.comunder Customer Services/Publications

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

AI

RB

US

T

EC

HN

IC

AL

D

IG

ES

T

3

8

9

13

17

26

29

30

A340-500 Arctic flightsCapt. Michel Brandt

Just happened… Coming soon…

Potable water purityChristian Sparr

Less maintenance, less costsChristian Delmas

AirN@v: The Airbus solution for advancedconsultation of interactive E-documentationJan Renette

Index of previous articles

From the archives...Polar flying

Customer ServicesAround the clock… Around the world

P A G E

FAST 31

1

Airbus Customer Services

© AIRBUS 2002. All rights reservedThe articles herein may be reprinted without permission except

where copyright source is indicated, but with acknowledgement to Airbus. 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 are expressed in good faith.

Where the supporting grounds for these statements are not shown, the Company will be pleased to explain the basis thereof.

P A G E

FAST 31

2

P A G E

FAST 31

3

Customer Services

A340-500 Arctic flightsTwo flights exceeding 10 hours each were required forthe A340-500 fuel system certification and for theevaluation of the ADIRS performance. In addition, thebehaviour of the navigation system and the ElectronicInstrument System (EIS) had to be checked in the polararea including flying over the North Pole itself.

Both flights were planned and operated by the AirbusFlight Test Division: Toulouse-Keflavik and Keflavik-Toulouse, each time via the North Pole.

This article recalls some aspects of the polar navigationobserved during these flights.

Capt. Michel BrandtAirbus Test Pilot

Flight Operations Support

A340-500 ARCTIC FLIGHTS


P A G E

FAST 31

4

DIGRESSION ONMAGNETIC HEADING

Traditionally, the polar area was definedas an area of magnetic compassuncertainty and the limit was sometimesset where the earth magnetic field is lessthan 6 microtesla. Except for the standbycompass, modern aircraft no longer havemagnetic sensors “slaving” the gyro-compass to the magnetic north. Themagnetic variation is extracted fromtables in the Air Data/Inertial ReferenceSystem (ADIRS) and the FlightManagement System (FMS). These tablesgive an accurate magnetic variation up toa latitude of 82° N, or 73° N in functionof the longitude. Beyond this latitudeTRUE reference must be used.Consequently, the 6 microtesla limit hasno meaning for these navigation systems.We nevertheless observed during theseflights that the standby compassindication was coherent well above thecharted 6 microtesla limit.

DIGRESSION ON GRID TRACK

When flying east to west or west to east at very high latitude on anorthodromic (great circle) route, the true track changes quite rapidly due to theconvergence of the meridians. On older aircraft, the true heading was notdirectly available to the crew. “Old style” Horizontal Situation Indicators (HSI)were set in a so-called free gyro mode on the Grid North reference. Thecharacteristic of the grid track is that it remains constant on an orthodromicroute as indicated in the drawing below, right.With our modern navigation system, the grid track would not be mandatory, asthe true track is alwaysavailable and the navigationcharts indicate the outboundand inbound true tracks ateach waypoint for cross-check. But the grid trackindication on the navigationdisplay provides the crewwith at least a convenientstable indication fornavigation monitoring inthis moving displayenvironment.

On TRUE heading

(Valid for a polar stereographic projection)

GT - TT+Long. WGT - TT-Long. E

TT VariableGT Constant

GRID North Direction

GT

GT TT

TT

GeographicPole

0º

LONG

Note: Where words are spelt in capital letters it refers to their use as cockpit labels, messages and displays.

We left Toulouse on 12 September2002 with 12 people on board, maxi-mum fuel uplift and full flight-testequipment, including ballast, whichgave a take-off-weight (TOW) of325,000kg. Our flight plan led us toVigra VHF Omnidirectional Range(VOR) in Norway to intercept thePolar Track System (PTS) route“November”. This route follows themeridian 10°E to the North Pole.

Although Magnetic Heading (MH)is available until 82°N at this long-itude, we selected TRUE headingreference as soon as we were estab-lished on the PTS. With this selec-tion, the indications on navigationdisplay (ND) (Figure 1 below) andMultipurpose Control and DisplayUnit (MCDU) were in line with theTrue Tracks (TT) given on our nav-igation charts.

When passing 65°N latitude thegrid track (GT) appeared on thenavigation display.

Although the Flight Managementand Guidance System (FMGS)remained in GPS PRIMARY modeof navigation update all the time,we were able to cross-check theFMGS navigation with the Auto-matic Direction Finder (ADF)sometimes at a very great distance,up to 500 nautical miles (nm) fromthe Non-Directional Beacon (NDB).However, the wave propagationmay not be always as good, forexample, during periods of auroraborealis.

Flying in NAVigation autopilot(NAV) mode, nothing significanthappened until approaching theNorth Pole. We observed the rela-tive position of each InertialReference System (IRS) to antici-pate the system behaviour whileflying over the North Pole.

Figure 1


P A G E

FAST 31

5

HEADING BEHAVIOUR

At about 20nm before the Pole theheading discrepancies on NDbecame noticeable and finally trig-gered, as expected, the HDG DIS-CREPANCY Electronic Central-ised Aircraft Monitor (ECAM)caution (Figure 2) and CHECKHDG on the ND and Primary FlightDisplay (PFD) (Figures 3a and 3b).

The heading discrepancy is due tothe fact that each IRS has a differ-ent position relative to the Pole.

The ECAM procedure cannot befollowed, as all heading indicationsstart to move very quickly andswitching ATT HDG on IRS3would not help. The autopilotremained engaged in NAV modeand the aircraft continued nicelystraight ahead.

When flying exactly (with GPSaccuracy) over the North Pole theND display swung over by onehundred eighty degrees from aTrue Heading (TH) close to 000° toa TH close to 180° (the drift wassmall). But very quickly all head-ings were again in agreement asshown on the flight test tracesgiven in Figure 4 (below), and theECAM caution disappeared.

At 20nm outbound from the NorthPole, everything was nominal andit was time for us to turn left tointercept “another” 180° course tothe VOR of Thule (THT).

Despite the magnetic variation of66°W at Thule, the VOR THT ismagnetically oriented (some VORsin north Canada are oriented to thegeographic North). As we were fly-ing with TRUE reference, the VORneedle on ND in MAP mode orROSE NAV mode is automaticallycorrected with the magnetic varia-tion, so as to get a TRUE bearing.Otherwise the needle would notindicate the direction to THT. Thisis marked by the magenta color ofthe needle and the label CORR next

Sec

359.00

287.20

215.40

143.60

71.80

0.00

0

GMT START: 13:54:56

HDG of each IRS plotted versus time in seconds.

20 40 60 80 100 120

The red line indicates thetime of the flight over the

North Pole.Before reaching the

North Pole the headingcalculated by each IRS

was close to 360°/000°.After passing the North

Pole all headingsconverged rapidly toapproximately 180°."

Note: The TAXI CAMERA was selected “on” in flight so the flight testengineers could see the landscape from their station in the cabin.

Figure 2 Figure 3a

Figure 3b

Figure 4


P A G E

FAST 31

6

to the VOR2 display as shown inFigures 5 and 6. The indications ofthe Digital Distance and RadioMagnetic Indicator (DDRMI) andthe ND in ROSE VOR mode are notcorrected, as they would be on aconventional aircraft. When wewere at 77nm to THT, the DDRMIneedle of VOR2 (not shown here)was pointing towards 255° mag-netic instead of 184° True as shownin Figure 5.

After passing THT (Figure 6) theoutbound true track to the 7440Nwaypoint was 095°. On this leg thetrue track changed significantly,from 095° to 123° due to the con-vergence of the meridians, but thegrid track remained convenientlyconstant and equal to 163°.

Leaving the oceanic airspace wedeselected TRUE to revert to mag-netic reference and continued todestination, arriving at Keflavikafter 10 hours 45 minutes flighttime, having enough fuel to returnto Toulouse with more than therequired reserves.

The next day we left Keflavik forToulouse and headed north east tojoin and follow the PTS route“Romeo” up to ROGSO, a way-point located 230nm to the north ofThule. At this waypoint we turnedright to the North Pole. On PTS“Romeo” we selected TRUE refer-ence, as it is better for navigationmonitoring; but this time, beforecrossing 82°N, we deselectedTRUE to revert to magnetic refer-ence in order to see how the ECAMwill advise us to select the rightheading reference.

Figure 5

Figure 6

Ellesmere Island

Flight test engineers at station

FAST 31

7

With the polar navigation capability of the Airbus Long Rangefamily of aircraft using the flight management system, polar flightsare no longer different from standard navigation.

Conclusion

As shown on Figure 7, we were ona magnetic track of 090° on courseto Alert NDB (identification codeLT) corresponding to a true track of025°, giving a magnetic variationof 65°W.

When we reached 82°N, we got theamber message SELECT TRUEREF on ND (Figure 7) and onMCDU (Figure 8).

Intentionally we did not follow thisinstruction, waiting for the nextstep, the ECAM caution at 82°30’ N. At this latitude, the IRSsswitched automatically to TRUEreference, which triggered theEXTREME LATITUDE ECAMamber caution (Figure 9).

The autopilot went off as well,because each IRS crosses the lati-tude limit at slightly differenttimes. We performed the ECAMprocedure, confirming the TRUEreference selection and re-engagedthe autopilot.

For the purpose of the test, wedecided to fly nearby the NorthPole this time with autopilot inHDG mode. As the North Pole wasa turning point, to join the PTS“November” route southward wepassed abeam it by about 10nm.This distance was sufficient to limitthe heading discrepancy, so that wewere able to steer the aircraft withsufficient accuracy. The recom-mended procedure is to fly with theautopilot in NAV mode, but in a sit-uation where the BACK UP NAVwould have to be used, this testconfirmed that flying in HDG iseasy, even close to the North Pole.

We continued heading south on PTS“November” until Trondheim VORin Norway. Leaving the oceanicarea, we resumed normal navigationand landed in Toulouse after 10hours flight time.

Figure 7 Figure 8

Figure 9

The time of exotic instruments like theastrocompass illustrated here is gone.

CONTACT DETAILS

Capt. Michel BrandtAirbus Test PilotFlight Operations SupportTel: +33 561 93 35 52Fax: +33 561 93 29 [email protected]


P A G E

JUST HAPPENED… COMING SOON…

P A G E

FAST 31

8

Just happened…

I/23

4

5JUNE 02 JUL 02 AUG 02 SEP 02 OCT 02 NOV 02 DEC 02

3 45 I 2

AIRBUS TRAINING SYMPOSIUMS Seville, SpainMaintenance Training 15-17 October 2002Flight Crew Training 21-23 October 2002

The 6th Airbus Training Symposium wasorganised in two separate events for thefirst time with content specific to the areasof Maintenance Training and Flight CrewTraining. Maintenance attracted 134 atten-dees, 71 of which represented 48 airlines;Flight Crew Training attracted 242 partici-pants, of which 146 were from 70 airlines.Generally speaking, attendees were highlysatisfied and both events were perceived asbeneficial and well organised. Innovationssuch as a cyber café and a brand new audio-visual display generated positive feedback.

1ST AIRBUS WARRANTY SYMPOSIUM Barcelona, Spain2-5 December 2002

The purpose of this symposium was tolaunch a series of meetings regardingAirbus warranty processes. The aim was todevelop a frank and constructive exchangeof ideas for the benefit of all parties con-cerned, be they customers, vendors orAirbus. This symposium offered the oppor-tunity to analyse and debate the mostimportant subjects and to present theenhancements already implemented byAirbus. Each daily session contained pre-sentations, Q&A sessions and workshopson selected subjects.

1ST TECHNICAL DATA SUPPORT & SERVICES SYMPOSIUM Barcelona, Spain9-12 December 2002

Airbus has successfully added this newsymposium to its regular conference cycleas an exchange of information on technicaldata, products, services and media.

More efficient and cost effective digitaltechnical data and solutions are now rapid-ly replacing the ‘classic’ paper and micro-film used for decades. These replacementsrequire adaptations by customers, manu-facturers and service providers and, inorder to benefit from increased efficiencypotential, this may require significant mod-ification of existing processes.

With these changes in mind, customerneeds and issues are of paramount concernfor Airbus and the symposium was anexcellent opportunity to express theseissues. It provided a forum for Airbus topresent actions that addressed known air-line needs and issues, plus improvement ofAirbus data content.

Airbus’ vision of future products, servicesand improvements was also presented.Daily sessions included Airbus and airlinepresentations along with Q&A sessions.

Coming soon…

1

12TH PERFORMANCE AND OPERATIONS CONFERENCERome, Italy7-11 April 2003

JAN 03 FEB 03 MAR 03 APR 03 MAY 03

1 2

Flight crews, operations, flight operations engineering and performance specialists areinvited to attend and actively participate in the four-day conference, which will offernumerous opportunities to constructively exchange views and information, and increasemutual co-operation and communication. More than 80 subjects will be addressed,including LPC, Flight operations, Performance and New Cockpit Operation InformationManagement.

Along with the different sessions, numerous daily booths will be available in order to dis-cuss issues and view demonstrations of the newly developed Airbus Flight Operationssoftware. Our 12th Performance and Operations Conference represents a significantmilestone in Airbus’ Flight Operations Support & Line Assistance activities. This eventhas been organised every two years since 1980.

16TH HUMAN FACTORS SYMPOSIUMSingapore, 8-10 October 2002(in association with Singapore Airlines)

This 16th Human Factors Symposium was held in co-operation with Singapore Airlines, wasattended by 160 delegates from 23 airlines and covered topics ranging from A380 CockpitHuman Factors to Fatigue and Alertness Management Solutions for long-haul operations.The feedback from participants was very positive, praising the practical operational per-spective and highlighting the uniqueness of these symposiums. General Bey Soo Khiang,Executive Vice President (Technical) from Singapore Airlines said he would like to havesuch a symposium organised every two years.Preparations for the 17th Airbus Human Factors symposium in Helsinki, July 2003, arealready well under way. The event coincides withthe 80 year anniversary of the co-host, Finnair.

2

A318/A319/A319CJ/A320/A321TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUMPuerto Vallarta, Mexico11-16 May 2003

This next Technical Symposium, oneday longer than in the past, was due totake place in November 2002 but wasrescheduled due to the hurricanes inMexico. It will include actual in-serviceissues covering the A320 programmeand general interest subjects concerningthe A320 family with a dedicated sessionfor the A319 Corporate Jet customers.The main themes will be structures,engines and systems with time for Q&Asessions and general topic discussions.

P A G E

FAST 31

9

Christian SparrEngineer

Passenger and crew facilitiesSeats and emergency equipment

Engineering Services

Have you ever thought about thepurity of water coming out of thewater faucets at your home?Probably yes. “Oh, what a taste (orodour) of chlorine today!” When youtravel, have you ever thought aboutthe purity of water coming out of thewater faucets in hotels, trains, ships… and passenger aircraft?

Maybe not. If yes, you might say:“Well, I do not use that water fordrinking or brushing my teeth – I usebottled mineral water only and I donot brush my teeth on board aircraft

or other transport.” However, this isnot the end of the story. Sometimesyou wash your hands and face onboard aircraft and you expect accept-able water purity.

“Are there specific regulations toensure a certain water purity?” Yesthere are, but they vary, from countryto country. In any case: water provid-ed for use as potable water in lavato-ries and galleys of passenger aircrafthas to be treated within given limitsas per the regulations of the countrywhere the aircraft is registered.

PASSENGER AIRCRAFT POTABLE WATER PURITY Customer Services

Passenger aircraft

Potable water purity

P A G E

FAST 31

10

PASSENGER AIRCRAFT POTABLE WATER PURITY

Key questionHow can the purity of potable water, stored and supplied on board passenger aircraft be ensured and controlled?

AnswerWater purity on board passenger aircraft is ensured by following procedures to disinfect or sterilise potablewater systems at regular intervals. Water purity iscontrolled by analysis of water samples. The degree ofpurity is measured by the number of certain types of

bacteria found in the samples. Bacteria are livingorganisms. They reproduce themselves rapidly if theirliving conditions are good; they reproduce themselvesslowly if their living conditions are bad.

Bacteria live in water. Potable water to be supplied tothe airport by the local public supply system is controlledand treated as per local authorities’ rules and regulations.To protect the public health the presence of somebacteria in potable water is forbidden or strictly limited(e.g. coli and coliforme bacteria types, or pseudomonasaeruginosa). To control the presence of bacteria inpotable water, local authorities require regular orperiodic sampling and analysis of the water.

DEPOT EFFECT

Certain amounts of disinfectants (upto maximum limits given by localauthorities’ rules and regulations) areadded systematically to the potablewater supplied in the public watersupply system to avoid bacteria andreduce bacteria reproduction. Localauthorities are responsible for thepurity of the water from the publicpotable water supply system. The air-line is responsible for the purity ofthe potable water supplied on boardtheir aircraft, whenever and whereverthey fly passengers.

The chlorine level in the potablewater from the public supply or theairport ground cart is in general notsufficient to ensure the requiredwater purity on board an aircraft,because the maximum allowed levelof chlorine in this water is too low toensure the required water purity levelon board. For this reason, sterilisationor disinfection of aircraft potablewater systems using disinfectantswith higher chlorine levels or otherdisinfectants is needed.

IMPROVING WATER PURITY

The existing disinfection or sterilisa-tion procedures for potable watersystems do work, using certain chem-icals based on chlorine or hydrogenperoxide.

However, they are long, need prepa-ration and a lot of manual control.Water filters remove chlorine (taste)from the water, but the interior of thehousing for the water filter has beenidentified as a good place for bacteriato build biofilms or colonies.

Biofilms (deposits) are thin layers ofbacteria, a mix of dead and live ones.The living bacteria eat the dead onesand all of them are ‘bonded’ to theinner surface of water tanks, tubingor filter housings.

These biofilms are hard to remove asthe outer layer of dead bacteria protectsthe deeper layers of live bacteria fromthe disinfecting action. In other words:The disinfection or sterilisation proce-dures for potable water systems in service have to be improved.

CONSEQUENCES

Airlines have to ensure a certain levelof purity of the potable water onboard their aircraft, whenever andwherever they fly passengers. Thelevel of purity has to be controlledregularly, following the regulationsgiven by authorities where the air-craft is registered.

Water filter

Water filter housing plus bacteria deposit

COLI AND COLIFORME BACTERIAThey should never be present in the potable water from the public supplysystem to be used in the aircraft potable water system. They can cause ill-ness as diarrhoea or infections in human beings. Their presence has beenobserved after accidental ‘short-circuits’ between public potable waterand waste water systems (e.g. after flooding).

PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA BACTERIA This type of bacteria is always present on human skin where it can causewounded skin infections (pus in skin wounds).

P A G E

FAST 31

11

Airbus provides a procedure for disinfection and sterilisation of theonboard potable water systems, includ-ing dosing recommendations for certain Airbus-approved disinfectants.

The purity of potable water com-ing from the local airport’s aircraftwater service vehicle is often beyondthe control of the airline. For thatreason the successful disinfection orsterilisation of the aircraft’s potablewater system can take a very longtime, and it has to be repeated untilthe analyses of water samples showthat the acceptable limits for bacteriapresence are reached.

As the repetition of the disinfectionor sterilisation procedure can have asignificant effect on maintenancecosts, Airbus now provides improvedprocedures and recommendations forusing approved alternate and moreeffective disinfectants.

IMPROVING POTABLE WATER SYSTEM DESIGN

Certain features are already understudy to improve the design of theon-board potable water systems:

• To avoid concentration of bacteria,the water tubing network should notcontain water filters. The equipmentsuppliers of potable water systemequipment in any part of the aircraftshall ensure that the self-ventilatingand self-draining features meetAirbus specifications. For example,in galleys and lavatories, no air bub-bles shall remain in the system whenit is filled and no water shall remainin the system when it is drained.

• An efficient procedure with alter-nate and efficient disinfectants andsuitable dosing shall be used and atool to make the procedure moreefficient shall be developed.

WATER SERVICE GROUND EQUIPMENT WITH AIRCRAFT CONNECTIONS


DEPOSITS

Bacteria, medium deposit

Bacteria, heavy deposit

Bacteria, light deposit

Most passengers nowadaysassume that potable watersystems in aircraft are todrinking quality. To ensure theirpassengers are notdisappointed, airlines arerecommended to frequentlyflush the potable water systemby performing the potable watersystem servicing procedure as

shown in the AMM, toundertake regular watersampling to ensure that thewater quality meets theauthorised standard.

Airbus continues to search forways to make these taskseasier, more efficient and lesstime-consuming.

ConclusionCONTACT DETAILS

Christian SparrEngineerPassenger and crew facilitiesSeats and emergency equipmentEngineering ServicesTel: +33 (0)5 62 11 83 76Fax: +33 (0)5 61 93 30 [email protected]

P A G E

FAST 31

12

• An automatic on-board disinfec-tion system (to be developed andtested) would provide continuousdisinfection and reduce depositswithout adding a ‘bad (chlorine)taste’ to the water, so that water filters are not required.

AIRBUS EXPERIENCE ANDACTIONS FOR AN IMPROVED DISINFECTION PROCEDURE

Airbus experience is based on regu-lar sterilisation of the aircraft potablewater system prior to delivery of newaircraft to their customers. Furtherexperience was got, in close co-oper-ation with some airlines, during exe-cution of the disinfection procedureon in-service aircraft.

With the objective to improve theexisting disinfection procedure andqualify for use alternative disinfect-ants with higher efficiency, Airbusperformed tests with different disin-fectants in the laboratory to identifypossible effects on metals, rubberand plastic materials used in the air-craft water and waste systems.

On the A340 and A320 family air-craft efficiency tests were performedto optimise the procedure and doseswhen handling disinfectants. Exper-ience showed that coli and coliformebacteria are easier to remove fromthe aircraft potable water systemthan pseudomonas aeruginosa bacte-ria. More frequent flushing of thepotable water supply system withfresh disinfectant is more efficientthan long soaking with a high con-centration disinfectant solution.

Common cleaning equipment pro-viding pressurised and heated waterat up to 2 bars (28psi) initial waterpressure and 85° Celsius initial watertemperature was used with goodresults for cleaning and disinfection ofwater filter housings.

The water for this purpose was of thesame disinfectant solution as used forthe sterilisation of the potable watersystem.

Water supply vehicles and any equip-ment or tool used to fill the aircraftpotable water system must be disin-fected regularly.

Disinfectants based on hydrogen peroxide showed higher efficiencythan disinfectants based on calciumor sodium hypochlorite. Disinfectantsbased on chlorine dioxide are harderto handle and showed deterioratingeffects on rubber materials.

An updated Potable Water SystemSterilisation Procedure is scheduledto be implemented in the AMM withthe January 2003 Revision.

FUTURE OUTLOOK AND FOLLOW UP

The development of an on-boardwater purity control and disinfectionsystem is planned for application onthe A380 aircraft. A continuous flowof water in the system to avoid stag-nant pools and continuous productionof disinfectant will significantlyreduce the bacterial development inthe potable water system. Water sam-pling would still be recommended toverify the proper functioning of thedisinfection system and that theamount of bacteria was within theauthorised limits. However, themaintenance tasks for disinfectingand sterilising potable water systemson passenger aircraft would be verysignificantly reduced if not removed.


If analyses of potable watersamples show persisting bacteria presence in the system,special attention should be paidto the cleaning and disinfectionof water boilers and waterfilter housings or otherequipment with limited self-draining or self-ventilatingcapabilities.

P A G E

FAST 31

1322

Less maintenance, less costs

With the next issue of theA330/A340 Maintenance ReviewBoard (MRB) Report and relatedMaintenance Planning Document(MPD), the A, C and 2C checkintervals have been escalated to 600flight hours (FH) from 500FH, to 18months from 15 months, and to 36months from 30 months respectively.A simple message, which is goodnews for Airbus customers and afurther step to reduce themaintenance costs for theA330/A340 aircraft.

Many people believe that thedecision to escalate maintenancecheck intervals is taken by themanufacturer alone. This articledescribes the processes andrequirements behind the evolutionsand developments of a maintenanceprogramme.

Customer ServicesLESS MAINTENANCE, LESS COSTS

Christian DelmasDirector Maintainability & Maintenance Engineering

Customer Services

LESS MAINTENANCE, LESS COSTS

P A G E

FAST 31

14

The overall industry process for theinitial development and evolution ofmaintenance programmes, has beendefined by the Air Transport Assoc-iation (ATA) and is followed by eachaircraft manufacturer. The main bodyis the Industry Steering Board (ISC)and associated Maintenance WorkingGroups (MWG). In both are a num-ber of representatives from airlines,authorities, engine manufacturers,suppliers and aircraft manufacturermaintenance organisations.

Every airline operating Airbus aircraftis invited to become a member of theISC. They thus have an active role inthe development and evolution of amaintenance programme, and are alsoinformed in detail about the upcomingchanges. The chairman of the ISC forAirbus aircraft is from an airline, withco-chairman and an assistant from theAirbus Maintenance EngineeringDepartment. The pie chart on thispage provides a typical compositionof an ISC. ISC meetings can have upto 50 participants.

A senior engineer from the AirbusMaintenance Engineering Depart-ment chairs each MWG. The MWGsare divided by specialty (systems,structure, powerplant, zonal, avion-ics…) and develop their part of themaintenance programme using theMSG-3 analysis method. As anexample, for the recent revision ofthe A330/A340 MRB Report, includ-ing development of the maintenanceprogramme for the A340-500/600,there were seven MWGs with, intotal, about 70 participants.

The ISC consolidates and validatesthe output of the various MWGs, anda maintenance programme proposal(MPP) is then presented to the Main-tenance Review Board (composed ofrepresentatives of the AirworthinessAuthorities) for formal approval.The maintenance programme istherefore the result of the joint effortsof the airline representatives, suppli-ers, airworthiness authorities and air-craft manufacturer.

WHAT ISMSG-3?

It is the use of pre-defined decisiondiagrams for a logicalanalysis of maintenanceprogrammes. It was firstdeveloped by ATA in 1969as MSG-1, and since thenfurther refined until today’s MSG-3 revision 2002.1.The MSG-3 method wasused first during thedevelopment of the A310maintenance programme.New maintenanceregulations, newtechnologies andeconomical constraints arethe main factors thattrigger MSG-3 methodevolution.

A specific aircraftmaintenance programme isdeveloped according to aPolicy and ProcedureHandbook (PPH). PPH isdedicated to an aircrafttype, covers ATA MSG-3procedures and providesspecific informationregarding aircraft operationand ISC organisation aswell as more detailedguidelines for MSG-3analysis development.

Airbus PPHs have always been developed and updated according tothe latest MSG-3 revision.Together with additionalguidelines, this has led tooptimised and consistentmaintenance programmesin terms of integration oflatest maintenanceregulation constraints andsignificant economicaladvantages in maintenance,compared with otheraircraft for which olderversions of MSG-3 were used.

ORIGINAs per JAR/FAR 25-1529 “Instruction for Continuous Airworthiness”, manufacturers have to deliver an approved aircraft maintenance programme atentry into service at the latest. An aircraft maintenance programme is essentialto safe and economical aircraft operation, and is also part of the TypeCertificate. Any change in the manufacturer’s maintenance programmerequires the approval of the Airworthiness Authorities.

Typical Industrial Steering Board (ISC)

Industry Steering Committee chaired by an airline representative

Airbus Maintenance EngineeringDesign Office Experts

Engine Manufacturers

AirworthinessAuthorities

Airlines

Developing a maintenance programme


P A G E

FAST 31

15

A330/A340 FAMILY (LONG RANGE)

On the occasion of the revision of theA340 MRB Report to include theA340-500/600 models, Airbus decid-ed to perform at the same time a taskinterval escalation exercise based onthe in-service experience of theA340-200/-300. Due to the AirbusLong Range family concept, thisexercise also benefits the A330, aswell as the A340-500/-600 at theirentry into service.

The initial objective was an A-checkinterval of 700 flight hours and C-check interval of 18 months for theA340-500/-600. Approval of suchescalations is obtained based onsound justifications from in-serviceexperience together with engineeringjudgement. The airlines participatingin the ISC are thus providing for eachconcerned maintenance task theirtask findings – or preferably no find-ings – to the MWG for further evalu-ation. About 1100 individual mainte-nance tasks have been investigated,and the whole process, includingMSG-3 analysis was equivalent toabout 50,000 man-hours of work.

Although there were technical justifications to show that theA330/A340 could operate with an A-check interval of 700 hours, as perthe MSG-3 analysis, the ISC took thedecision to increase it to 600 hours inthe MRB Report/MPD. The objec-tive for the C-check escalation of upto 18 months, and 2C interval up to36 months has been achieved. As theA340-200/-300 entered service only10 years ago, the ISC has consideredthat such escalation cannot be justified for the 4C/8C intervalstoday. Striving for continuousimprovement and further contribu-tions to maintenance cost reductions,and once sufficient in-service experi-ence allows, the next target for theA330/A340 fleet will be to extendthe 4C/8C as well as structure inter-vals, currently at 5/10 year intervals,to 6/12 years.

MAINTENANCE PLANNING DOCUMENT

All the concerned Airworthiness Authorities approve the MRB Reports for allAirbus models. Once the MRB Report is approved, the related AirbusMaintenance Planning Document (MPD) is issued. See Revision Cycle above.Strictly speaking, the MRB Report is thus not a manufacturer’s document buta certification one, providing the initial minimum maintenance and inspectionrequirements, which are used as the basis for the operator’s initial mainte-nance programme. The MPD represents the manufacturer’s maintenanceplanning recommendation.

There are manufacturers for whom the MPD content is almost a copy of theMRB Report. This means that an airline’s maintenance planning departmentwill have to separately collect and plan other inspection requirements comingfrom Inspection Service Bulletins, Service Letters etc, in order to build theirmaintenance programme. It is the Airbus policy that the MPD not onlyreflects the content of the MRB Report, but also incorporates the maintenancerequirements from other sources, resulting in a complete list of maintenancetasks and their respective intervals. The advantage is that the Airbus MPD has,in only one document, all the information required to establish a customisedmaintenance programme.

ISC: Industrial Steering Committee: proposes maintenance programmeMRB: Maintenance Review Board: Airworthiness Authorites approve maintenance programme

ISC MRB MRBR

MRBR+ MRBREVISION

CUSTOMERS

MPD

AIRBUSMAINTENANCEENGINEERING

IN SERVICE EXPERIENCE

REPORTING FINDINGS/NO FINDINGS

Maintenance programme revision cycle


P A G E

FAST 31

16

An MRB Report is under theresponsibility of the relevant IndustrySteering Committee approved by theAirworthiness Authorities. Anyevolution or revision has to be initiatedby an ISC, illustrated through anupdated Policy and ProcedureHandbook and approved by theAirworthiness Authorities.

The MPD is a non-approveddocument under the responsibility ofthe Aircraft Manufacturer, although itincludes information in the approvedMRB Report. The Airbus MPD

provides the airlines with acomprehensive list in one documentof all maintenance tasks with theirrecommended intervals. This allows the airlines to easilyprepare their own customised taskcards should they so desire. Reducing the amount ofmaintenance on Airbus aircraft, byincreasing the periods betweenscheduled checks, is an ongoingprocess, incorporating theexperience of the Airlines,Airworthiness Authorities and Airbusengineers.

ConclusionCONTACT DETAILS

Christian DelmasDirector Maintainability &Maintenance EngineeringCustomer ServicesTel: +33 561 93 14 04Fax: +33 561 93 28 [email protected]

A300/A310/A300-600 FAMILY (WIDE BODY)

Currently most evolutions on WideBody (WB) family maintenance pro-grammes are dedicated to considera-tion of Extended Service Goals(ESG) and new maintenance regula-tions. The next WB ISC is scheduledfor last quarter 2003 and will offerthe opportunity to discuss futuremaintenance programme evolutions.

A380

The A380 maintenance programmedevelopment has already started. Atthe time this article is being written,an exhaustive preparatory meetingwith all involved MRB authorities istaking place. Thanks to early consid-eration of maintenance programmeobjectives in the aircraft’s designprocess – including associated verifi-cation and validation plans – it islikely that the A380 will have thehighest maintenance thresholds andintervals ever achieved for a new air-craft entering service.

A318/A319/A320/A321 FAMILY (SINGLE AISLE)

Improving the competitive advantage of the Airbus aircraft in terms of main-tenance costs is an ongoing process. That’s why Airbus proposed and got sup-port from the A320 ISC to embark on an escalation exercise for the single aislefleet.

The objective is set to increase:• A-interval from 500 flight hours (FH) to 600 FH• C-intervals from 15 months to 18/20 months• 4C/8C and structure intervals from 5/10 years to 6/10 years, including, of course, also other evolutions in the A320 family maintenanceprogramme.

The A320 Family maintenance programme escalation process has just startedwith approval estimated for the 4th quarter of 2003. The diagram shows theprogress achieved since Entry Into Service.

Improvements

Interval (flight hours) "A" check escalation

3001988 1993 1998 2003

1988 1994 1999 2003

1988 200310

15

20

4

8

12

400

500

600

"C" check escalation

"Heavy" check escalation

Interval (months)

Interval (years)

A320 escalation of check periods

350

15

8

45

910

12

6

18/20

400500

600

Entry intoservice

Entry intoservice

Entry intoservice

Plannedposition

Currentposition

Currentposition

Currentposition

Plannedposition

Plannedposition

Customer ServicesAIRN@V

P A G E

FAST 31

17

Jan RenetteProject Manager

Technical Data Services

AirN@vThe Airbus solution for

advanced consultation of interactive E-documentation

AIRBUS WAS ALREADY SETTING THESTANDARD IN DIGITAL DATA…

The aviation industry has only recently started to fully recog-nize the value of digital technical data, but Airbus has beenworking on the necessary foundations for today’s digital dataproducts and services since the beginning of the 1990s.

Let’s go back to the 90s. Airbus was already working hardtowards the “paperless” aircraft/hangar, not quite the “paper-less” hangar that airline maintenance executives and techni-cians dreamed about for years, but Airbus was well on theway to decrease costly and voluminous paper and microfilmdocumentation that comes with every aircraft and must beupdated.

This was being achieved by the introduction of interactiveCD-ROM (Compact Disc – Read Only memory) retrievalsystems for aircraft documentation.

P A G E

FAST 31

18

AIRN@V

ADRES, CAATS

In 1994, after several years of development and pilot testing withLufthansa (DLH) and Canadian (CDN), Airbus introduced digital dataconsultation tools using this CD-ROM technology. It was developed intwo parts: ADRES (Aircraft Documentation Retrieval System) contain-ing the Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) and Illustrated PartsCatalog (IPC), and CAATS (Computer Assisted Trouble Shooting),being a specific trouble shooting tool.

These services were designed to simplify and streamline the access toinformation for trouble shooting and consulting documentation. Today,about a decade later, ADRES and CAATS are still very popular and near-ly all Airbus customers operating fly-by-wire aircraft use these products.In the meantime Airbus has distributed already about half a millioncopies of these trend-setting products all over the world.

WHY CD-ROM APPLICATIONS?

In the mid-1990s, Airbus produceda business case in which the bene-fits of the CD-ROM technology,(like ADRES/CAATS) were obvi-ous:• Due to the replacement of paper/

microfilm by the compact CD-ROM, no more voluminouslibrary space needed.

• No more time-consumingupdating of the paper manuals.Thus, sorting and filing mistakesare eliminated.

• Due to the speed of access to thedata on CD-ROM, documentconsultation time is reduced byup to 40% compared with paper/microfilm.

WhyAirN@v?Technologies have evolved since the90s, new ATA Spec 2200 standards(functional retrieval requirementsand SGML data) have been devel-oped, and more demanding cus-tomers have convinced Airbus toreact and set the standard again forthe 21st century. The result is thebirth of AirN@v; a new-generationtool for troubleshooting and techni-cal documentation retrieval.

AirN@v facts andhighlights…

AirN@v design is based on Webtechnology which gives our cus-tomers the possibility to deploy it“stand-alone”, but also on theirIntranet, Extranet and even Internet.Furthermore, Airbus has planned todeploy it also via the Airbus On-LineServices (AOLS) starting mid-2004.AirN@v will offer, amongst others,the following advantages comparedwith the previous product:

• New value-adding functions, likehighlights and revision bars, colourschemes for Warnings/Cautions,special navigation buttons.

• In addition to AMM, IPC andTrouble Shooting Manual (TSM),extension of the document familyto include Aircraft SchematicsManual (ASM), Aircraft WiringManual (AWM), Aircraft WiringLists (AWL), and ElectricalStandard Practices Manual (ESPM)for A320 and A330/A340 aircraftprogrammes.

• Enhanced interactive aircrafttroubleshooting.

• Multi-document, multi-programmeand multi-customisation application

(switching between documents,aircraft programmes andcustomisations without leaving theapplication).

• Delivery off-line on DVD (DigitalVersatile Disk).

• Being based on ADOCN@vigator, one module of theADOC Family, easy integrationwith other modules of this family.

Implementationaspects…AirN@v Version 1.0 is (after intensivepilot testing) planned to be availablewith the A320 family February 2003revision and A330/A340 April 2003revision, and will cover the following:

• Scope of all functions available inexisting ADRES/CAATS.

• Interactive trouble shooting inautonomous mode, or inconnection with AIRMAN 2000.

• Generation of Requests ForInformation (RFI) and RequestsFor Revision (RFR).

• Extended dynamic update forAirbus Temporary Revisions,Technical Follow Ups (TFUs) andcustomer internal data.

AIRN@V

To ease introduction of AirN@v,existing ADRES/CAATS applica-tions will be supported in paralleluntil the end of 2003. One year afterAirN@v introduction, with A320family February 2004 andA330/A340 April 2004 revisions,AirN@v will become the only prod-uct available.

AirN@v future developments…Later versions planned in 2004/2005will introduce:

• Integration into AOLS

• Job Card generation

• Shopping List generation

• Extensions of document scopeStructure Repair Manual (SRM)and Non destructive Test Manual(NTM).

Information to airlinesA revision of the Digital Deliver-ables Status – SIL 00-075 andOperator Information Telex (OIT)SE 999.0100/02/MA were issued toinform airlines of the improvementfeatures, functions and supply con-ditions of AirN@v.

Hardware andsoftwarerequirementsConsidering the above, it would beadvisable for airlines to prepare forthe introduction of AirN@v in 2003by being ready to read DVDs.Therefore it is Airbus’ recommenda-tion to acquire DVD drives, whichare backward compatible with CDtechnology.

P A G E

FAST 31

19

HARDWARE/SOFTWARE RECOMMENDATIONS (STAND-ALONE)

Computer PC Pentium III based- 128 MB of RAM for Windows 98, Me- 256 MB of RAM for Windows NT4.03, 2000, XP

Environment Windows 98, Me, NT4.03, 2000, XP

Pointing Device Any MS-Windows compatible mouse

Monitor (colour) 17”: 1024x768 64K colours minimum.

Printer PostScript compliant for PDF attachments

Devices DVD Drive Compatible Pioneer 106S (-RW)

Software Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) V5.5 or 6.0 only

Plug-ins MSIE Active CGM Browser 7.1ScriptX 5.5This software is delivered and installed with AirN@v

JAVA Java Runtime Environment (JRE) V1.3This software is delivered and installed with AirN@v

Hard disk 100 MB without AirN@v database, or 2.5 GB with AirN@v database on hard disk

HARDWARE/SOFTWARE RECOMMENDATIONS (NETWORK)

Description Server Client Stations

Computer Processor: PC Pentium III PC Pentium IIMemory: 256 MB RAM 256 MB RAMDisk: 300 MB 3 MBDevices: DVD Drive Compatible

Pioneer 106S (-RW)

System Microsoft Windows Microsoft WindowsNT4.0 Server, NT4.03, 2000, 98, Windows NT4.0 Sp5, Me, XP2000, XP

Pointing device Any MS-Windows compatible mouse

Monitor (colour) 17”: 1024 x 768 with 64K colours

Printer PostScript compliant for PDF attachments

Software JRE 1.3, Apache 1.3.19 Microsoft Internet ExplorerTomcat 3.2.1. (All (MSIE) 5.5 or 6.0 onlydelivered with AirN@V)

Plug-ins MSIE Active CGM Browser7.1 and ScriptX 5.5(delivered with AirN@V)

AIRN@V

Figure 1

AirN@v functions and features

P A G E

FAST 31

20

WHY A BRAND-NEW USER INTERFACE?

You will notice that user interfaceand documentation layout differfrom ADRES/CAATS and from PDFdocumentation (Figure 1).

The main reasons for changing theapplication layout are:

• Proposing a Windows-like interfaceto minimize specific trainingrequirements (menus, toolbars, treeview for table of contents, tabs, etc.including a comprehensive on-lineHelp function).

• Giving access to all new valueadding functions of AirN@v.

• Accommodate Web Technologyconstraints as easily as possiblewhile preserving performance.One of the consequences is thattechnical manuals are divided intoa set of HTML pages.

Documentation layout has also beenadapted for electronic viewing:

• Search through forms replacessorted lists or cross-referencetables (IPC detailed Parts List andPart Number information, WiringLists),

• Links allow the user to jump easilyfrom one piece of information toanother. Information duplication isno longer required.

FUNCTIONS

Functions can be accessed throughboth Menu and Icon Bars. Users notyet familiar with AirN@v, may posi-tion the mouse pointer for a momenton the Icon and a “ToolTip” willappear with the icon’s specific mean-ing. The same will happen for the(truncated) Document Views, table ofcontents (TOC) titles and effectivities,which are displayed full-size whenholding the cursor selected on them.

Menu Bars in the top of the AirN@vapplication and their applicable sub-menus (“pull-down menus”) arealways applicable.

ACCESS TO ANY PIECE OF INFORMATION

• After first log-in, the “CATALOG”page will be displayed. Select themanual by clicking. If you havealready opened the documentduring the session, you may selectthe document by clicking thecorresponding Manual tab.

• Within the manual (AMM, IPCetc.), you may access any documentby the Document view (“tree type”Table of Contents – TOC). Click on“+” or “- ” to respectivelydeploy/collapse a given element ofthe TOC. For full-sized text of thetitle/ effectivity, leave the mouse fora moment on the title (see sample).Then, click the title of the elementyou want to view.

AIRN@V

P A G E

FAST 31

21

• Hyperlink buttons in the icon barof the frame are designed for easynavigation within and betweenmanual(s). Crossing a link isperformed by a simple click. InFigure 1 selecting the “See IPC”button leads directly from the“AMM Installation of the IDG OilFilter” to the corresponding IPCFigure, Detailed Parts List (DPL)with part number, vendor code andreplacement information, if any.Links can also be highlighted inthe text flow itself as standard weblinks (e.g. hyperlinks to figures/sheets, other tasks etc. A mechanismof off-line links is also used toaccess to attached document.

• When receiving a new revision,the engineer and mechanic arespecially interested in that piece ofinformation that has been revisedsince the last revision. To respondto this requirement, the ManualFront Matter includes Changehighlights, classified by ATAchapters, including the elementssubject to change, the reason forthe change and a link to theconsidered part of the manual. Ofcourse, modified text is clearlydisplayed with a yellowbackground for easy reference.

• If the whole element (task, pageblock, SB-List etc.) fits in a single"HTML page", it is completelyloaded and the Windows-likeslider bar may be used to scrollthrough the pages (scroll up, downetc,). However, when the elementis too large to be loaded,the beginning of theelement is displayedwith mention“Truncated page” atthe bottom. Arrows inthe Icon bar (see figure1) can be used to accessnext or previousinformation pages.

• For more advancedretrieval, “wordsearch” may be usedand search through“forms” features inAirN@v.

WORD SEARCH

A Word Search can be accomplishedthrough the “Search” menu (Figure 2)or by clicking the corresponding icon.

The panel appears, offering the pos-sibility to type in the word(s) to besearched and to select the docu-ment(s) for which the search shouldbe performed. AirN@v will search inthe AMM and IPC for the exact con-tents, for example “bleed valve”.(Word search is not case sensitive,thus typing in lower or upper case ispossible). Furthermore, also moreadvanced Word Searches are offeredby AirN@v within a page, withnumber of occurrences (hits) at alllevels in the table of contents, navi-gation through next hit and previoushit, and the possibility to filter hitsby effectivity:

• Wild cards at any location (“*” forany sequence of characters and“?” for a single character).

• Exact content search for combinedwords.

• Proximity search with Booleanoperators (connectors AND, OR,NOT).

After having opened the requireddocument, the number of hits is dis-played for each table of contentsentry. “Next hit” and “previous hit”buttons allow navigation among thehits. When an entry is selected in thetable of contents, the button “Nexthit” will display the first hit in thisselection.

Figure 2

CMS fault messages

Access to the list of records for selected entry point

TFUsAircraft Maintenance Manual

Aircraft Schematic Manual

Comlementary Information

Possible causes Trouble Shooting Manual

Selection of entry point & ATA Chapter

AIRN@V

P A G E

FAST 31

22

Figure 4

SEARCH THROUGH FORMS

Searching for technical informa-tion may be much more complexthan simply searching for words;for example, when searching inthe AWL for all Wire Numbersconnected to the Connector pin“AB” with Functional ItemNumber (FIN) “1CA1”. Toperform such queries, searchforms, accessed through themenu bar (as depicted inFigure 3) have been designed.

The list of relevant wires isthen displayed. It may be trun-cated if there are too manyresults. In this case a morespecific query is required. Toview the information on thewire, double-click on theappropriate line in the resultstable. This line can be selectedby pressing “Open”.

When entering data in thesearch form, when the exact value ofa the field is unknown, possible val-ues may be obtained through aDrop-down list, or by using (*, ?)wildcards in the text field.

Figure 3

AirN@v offers also intelligent inter-active guided trouble-shooting (aspreviously covered by CAATS) andas shown in figure 4. It guides themechanic to the right trouble-shoot-ing procedure based on the data col-

lected from the aircraft, being theLogbook and the CentralMaintenance System reports, i.e. the Post Flight Report (PFR).

From the Trouble-Shooting Manual(TSM) procedure, AirN@v givesaccess directly to any AMM proce-dure referenced in it (test,removal/installation, servicing,...)and allows also further navigationinside the AMM and ASM.

AirN@v provides also the possibili-ty to associate complementary datacoming either from the airline,“Airline comments” or from Airbus“Technical Follow-up (TFU)”, tothe Airbus documentation. Theinformation is stored on the harddisk and integrated in AirN@v.

AIRCRAFT TROUBLESHOOTING

A340-500 ARCTIC FLIGHTSAIRN@V

Figure 6

P A G E

FAST 31

23

The Trouble Shootingfunction (Figure 5) allowsselection of a primaryEntry Point. It then propos-es a sequence of possibleassociated “Warnings/mal-functions”.

The Selected Entry Pointsare displayed on the upperpart of the screen and theproposal of associated“Warning/malfunction”messages in the lower partof the screen.

Figure 5

Other AirN@v features...

An isolation procedure is displayedwhen it corresponds to a completeFault Symptom.

From the TSM, hyperlinks toAMM/ASM or other documents canbe used to perform the fault isola-tion.

EFFECTIVITY SELECTION

AirN@v supports data filtering byeffectivity. In other words, either cus-tomised fleets (Effectivity: “ALL”),or individual aircraft data – only validfor that aircraft – can be retrieved.

To activate this function, selectEffectivity in System menu or clickon the appropriate aircraft icon.

A panel appears with two columns(see Figure 6). The first column liststhe aircraft to which the documenta-tion is applicable. The second col-umn lists the selected aircraft. Bydefault, selected effectivity is“ALL”. To select a particular air-craft, first click on “<<” to empty

the list of selected aircraft, then dou-ble-click on the desired aircraftnumber. The desired aircraft numbercan also be selected by clicking on

the “>” button. When pressing“Apply” only the informationapplicable to the selected aircraftwill be displayed.


P A G E

FAST 31

24

AIRN@V

Figure 7

GO BACK, GO FORWARD AND HISTORY • Go Back function gives access to the pieceof information previously displayed.

• Go Forward can be used to undo the Backfunction.

• A History function allows viewing andaccess to information already accessedduring the session. An option inPreferences (“System” menu) allowsautomatic saving and restoring of historicalinformation.

ANNOTATIONS, BOOKMARKS AND ATTACHED DOCUMENTS

Bookmarks (markers in document for lateraccess or printing) and notes or links toexternal attached documents (PDF, TIFFetc.) may be created, at any level in the doc-ument structure. The Modifications may bedefined as Public, giving access for allAirn@v users, or Private when only for thecurrent log-on user.

GRAPHICS

The Active CGM Browser 7.1 givesadvanced graphic manipulation fea-tures, which may be accessed by click-ing the corresponding Icon shown in thetop right of the window, see figure 7: • Previous image• Next image• Synchronise with view (show

corresponding text)• Zoom in/out• Select area• Rotate• Pan• Print.

PRINT

Two print modes are proposed.

• Clicking the print icon prints out thatinformation block.

• A print icon is also included in theTOC of the document. This iconprints the complete content of theselection in the table of contentsincluding referenced graphics.

Caution: Please note that when clickinge.g. on the AMM manual in the TOC,the whole AMM will be printed, whennot out of buffer capacity.

ConclusionEndless hours have been spentby engineers and mechanicslooking for technical informationon traditional supports such aspaper, micro-film or even PDF.Huge amounts of time and energyhave been put in updating thedocumentation before it can bereleased to the end users.

In 1994, Airbus paved the way toeasy access to technical datawith its two interactive productsADRES/CAATS.With the replacement ofADRES/CAATS by AirN@v in2003, Airbus is now taking onemajor step forward in terms ofgiving end-users easy access toinformation at the right timewherever they are.

Compared to previous supportsand applications, AirN@v (basedon a fully owned Airbustechnology “ADOC N@vigator”) –significantly reduces informationlook-up time, informationdistribution and aircraft trouble-shooting time, thus generatingsignificant cost savings for Airbusoperators.

Airbus is once again setting thestandards with its modular set-up…. Airlines who want to extendthe AirN@v capabilities to other in-house manuals or to other aircrafttypes can do so by acquiring oneor several modules of the ADOCFamily.

The ADOC family is acomprehensive modular softwaresuite for multi-fleet SGMLTechnical Data handling. Various modules can be chosenindependently for airlines to builda Technical Data Managementsystem tailored to their needs.

The main modules of the ADOCFamily are (see figure below):

• ADOC Manager for Content andRevision Management

• ADOC Electronic Publisher fordata preparation andcustomisation of applications

• ADOC N@vigator for interactiveconsultation and aircrafttroubleshooting

• ADOC Job Card Publisher fordynamic production ofcustomised Job Cards triggeredfrom the Maintenance PlanningSystem.


P A G E

FAST 31

25

AIRN@V

COMMERCIALCONDITIONS FOR ORDERING ANDSUPPLY

For any commercialquestions on ordering andsupply of AirN@v, pleasecontact your regular AirbusCustomer Support Manager.

For technical questions,please contact

Jan RenetteProject ManagerTechnical Data ServicesDirectorateCustomer Support, AirbusTel: +33 (0)561 93 49 71Fax: +33 (0)561 93 59 44e-mail:[email protected]

INDEX OF PREVIOUS ARTICLES

Index of previous articlesA

BC

DE

Advanced technology and the pilot 14 Feb. 1993Aerodynamic deterioration. Getting hands-on experience 21 May 1997Ageing - The electrical connection 14 Feb. 1993Ageing - The electrical connection – Part 2 18 June 1995Ageing aircraft. Understanding… 11 Jan. 1991AIDS installed on South African Airways’ Airbus A300 2 1984AIM-FANS wins growing number of orders 22 Mar. 1998Airbus’ air-transportable hangar 15 Sep. 1993Airman – Simplifying and optimising aircraft maintenance 29 Dec. 2001Airworthiness Directives. Improving… 15 Sep. 1993Auto-flight architecture and equipment 1 1983A300-600/A310. Digital Avionics workshop - What’s new 9 July 1988A318: Enhancing the A320 family 29 Dec. 2001

Bar coding on airbus aircraft parts 29 Dec. 2001Batteries - Control and maintenance 7 Jan. 1987Braking management 2 1983Braking management. Some additional facts… 1 1984

Cabin air comfort 19 Mar. 1996Cabin air quality. Only the best 20 Dec. 1996Cabin maturity programme 30 July 2002Cabin steps for Malaysian Airlines System A300 6 Nov. 1985Carbon brakes 7 Jan. 1987Cargo door warning system. Bulk… 1 1984Cargo loading - Retrofitable semi-automatic system for A300 2 1984 Cathode ray tubes - Their effects on maintenance practices 7 Jan. 1987Central maintenance system on A330/A340 16 Apr. 1994Central maintenance system on A330/A340

Option package to simplify maintenance 21 May 1997Centre of gravity control system on A310-300. Refinement of … 12 Feb. 1991Cold weather tests 9 July 1988Commonality 14 Feb. 1993Composite materials 8 July 1987Computer software in Aircraft 11 Jan. 1991Condensation and smoke warnings. A330/A340 cargo bay 21 May 1997Conferences:

ETOPS 16 Apr. 1994A320/A321 Flight Operations 19 Mar. 19962nd A330/A340 Technical Symposium 20 Dec. 19964th Training symposium 20 Dec. 19964th Materiel Symposium 21 May 1997A320 Family Technical Symposium in SFO 22 Mar. 1998A330/A340 Technical Symposium on KUL 23 Oct. 199810th Operations and Performance Conference 23 Oct. 1998A300 /310 /300-600 Technical Symposium, Bangkok 24 May 19994th A330 /A340 Technical Symposium, Cairo 25 Dec. 19995th Training Symposium, Toulouse 25 Dec. 199911th Human Factors Symposium, Australia 26 Sep. 2000A319/A320/A321 Technical Symposium, Seville 27 Dec. 2000A300 /310 /300-600 Technical Symposium, Munich 28 Aug. 2001 11th Performance & Operations Symposium, Puerto Vallarta 28 Aug. 200113th Human Factors Symposium, Toronto 28 Aug. 2001Airbus Training & Flight Operations Conference, China 29 Dec. 20011st Flight Ops Monitoring & Safety Development Conference, Hong Kong 30 July 2002 5th A330 /A340 Technical Symposium, Montreal 30 July 2002 15th Human Factors Symposium, Dubai 30 July 2002

Containerisation on A320 and A321. Advantages of… 12 Sept. 1991Converted Airbus freighters support 24 May 1999Convertible in action 1 1983Corrosion - A natural phenomenon 2 1983

Dispatch reliability 6 Nov. 1985Part 2 7 Jan. 1987Part 3 8 July 1987

Drag reduction 13 Aug. 1992

EGT margin on A300/CF6-50C2 9 July 1988Electrical generation A330/ A340 – No Break Power Transfer (NBPT) 30 July 2002Electrical wiring installation – Working practices 15 Sep. 1993Engine bleed air system on A300-600 and A310 10 July 1990Engine maintenance - Inflatable shelter 24 May 1999Environment protection. Combining with windshield rain protection 23 Oct. 1998ETOPS conference 16 April 1994ETOPS for the A330. Accelerated… 16 April 1994

P A G E

FAST 31

26

Customer Services


F

H

JKL

M

Fatigue testing. A320 full scale… 10 July 1990FFCC retrofit ? 1 1983FFCC retrofit concept 2 1983Fire resistance. Superior… 1 1984Flap rigging on the A320 family: Making it easier with the shark fin tool 27 Dec. 2000Flap system. Developments on the A300 9 July 1988Flight control system 5 May 1985Flight control system.

Evolution of hydro-mechanical components in… 10 July 1990Flight operations monitoring program 30 July 2002Flora and fauna. Flying… 20 Dec. 1996Fly-by-Wire. Performance analysis of… 9 July 1988Fly-by-wire at a glance. A pilot’s first view 20 Dec. 1996Fog in the cabin 24 May 1999FQI probes - Reprofiled fuel quantity capacitance probes

for improved A300 FQI accuracy 2 1984FQI system installed on the A300-600 and A310 5 May 1985Freighters, Supporting Airbus converted 24 May 1999Fuel conservation:

Part 1 - Consequence of aerodynamic deterioration 1 1983Part 2 - Consequence of aerodynamic deterioration 2 1983Part 3 - Ground operations 1 1984Part 4 - Take-off and flight operations 2 1984Part 5 - Descent and landing operations 5 May 1985

Fuel leak repair – Quick curing sealant device 27 Dec. 2000Fuel system A319 Corporate Jetliner 28 Aug. 2001Fuel system A330/A340 14 Feb. 1993Fuel system A340-500 /-600 26 Sep. 2000Fuel system and centre of gravity control A310-300 7 Jan. 1987Fuel system. Detecting leaks using helium 22 Mar. 1998Fuel tank. Auxiliary… 1 1984Fumigation of aircraft with carbon dioxide (CO2) 27 Dec. 2000

Hot. Is your aircraft too… 18 June 1995Hydraulic system - Preventing leaks 22 Mar. 1998Hydraulic system - Working practices 13 Aug. 1992

Ice accretion. Understanding the process of… 16 Apr. 1994IDG servicing on A310 and A300-600. Improved… 8 July 1987Illustrated parts catalogue: New features 25 Dec. 1999Inspection. Infrared thermography for in-service… 18 June 1995Integrated drive generator servicing 29 Dec. 2001 Interferences. Electromagnetic 5 May 1985Interferences. Electromagnetic 7 Jan. 1987Iron bird 24 May 1999

JAR-OPS. Implementing with Airbus ops. Documentation 22 Mar. 1998JT9D-7R4. Lower operating costs for the thrust reverser system 11 Jan. 1991JT9D-7R4. Rigging for enhanced durability 8 July 1987

Knowledge based engineering – a prize winning team 30 July 2002

Lateral trimming 6 Nov. 1985Leased Airbus aircraft support 24 May 1999Less paper in the cockpit - The Airbus concept 27 Dec. 2000Lightening strikes and Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft 22 Mar. 1998Long range operations – A safe operating environment 28 Aug. 2001Lufthansa A300B4 1 1984

Main landing gear A320: Servicing the 2nd stage shock absorber 25 Dec. 1999Maintenance. Airman – Simplifying and optimising aircraft 29 Dec. 2001Maintenance cost analysis – IATA/Airbus activities and results 25 Dec. 1999Maintenance Planning Data Support 12 Sept. 1991Maintenance programme development 10 July 1990Maintenance and repair - Do you need help? 10 July 1990Maintenance status A380 28 Aug. 2001Maintenance. Ten years experience with Air France A300 2 1983Materiel planning - Managing uncertainties and getting the aircraft out on time 24 May 1999Material provisioning for heavy maintenance. Are you ready? 11 Jan. 1991Maturity programme A340-500 /-600 28 Aug. 2001 Maturity programme. Cabin 30 July 2002 Mercury attacks. When… 19 Mar. 1996Minimum crew cockpit certification 1 1984Mini side stick controller 2 1983Modern Technology – what has changed? 26 Sep. 2000

P A G E

FAST 31

27

I

NO

Q

P

R

S

T

UVW

New home for Airbus Product Support 16 April 1994

On-line access to Airbus engineering drawings 25 Dec.1999On-line maintenance of A320 electronic systems - A true revolution 8 July 1987Operation in areas contaminated by crude oil smoke 12 Feb. 1991Operational interruption costs: Methodology for analysis 26 Sep. 2000Operations on short runways. A300… 2 1984Operational reliability improvement programme -

Spurious smoke warnings on A300 and A310 10 July 1990Operational reliability performance 13 Aug. 1992Oxygen supply. Planning adequate… 15 Sept. 1993

Paint scheme. Choosing an external 18 June 1995Paint systems. Maintenance of aircraft… 19 Mar. 1996 Performance as planned. A340… 19 Mar. 1996Performance on wet or contaminated runways 9 July 1988Pilot guard systems 19 Mar. 1996Pitch damper improvements 1 1983PW4000 Fadec, improved operational reliability 15 Sept. 1993

Quarterly service report - A new format: QSR-WEB 25 Dec. 1999

Radio frequency identification for tracking tools 30 July 2002 Radomes: Portable equipment for testing 26 Sep. 2000Ramp handling. A330/A340… 16 April 1994Regulatory climate. The international… 22 Mar. 1998Repair fasteners 28 Aug. 2001Rigging for enhanced durability - Ring laser gyro 2 1984Rudder trim control. A310/A300-600… 15 Sept. 1993

Service Bulletin computerisation. Airbus… 13 Aug. 1992Service Bulletin reporting.

Tech. Pubs. which reflect the configuration of your aircraft 23 Oct. 1998Service Bulletins: What has changed with computerisation 29 Dec. 2001Simplified English 7 Jan. 1987Spares Center. Airbus Service Co. Inc. … 12 Sept. 1991Spares costs. The path to lower 23 Oct. 1998Spares Investment: Initial cost reduction 27 Dec. 2000Spare parts: Cost benefit management 21 May 1997Spare parts. Frankfurt store – expanding our service 21 May 1997Spare parts. Material provisioning for heavy maintenance.

Are you ready? 11 Jan. 1991Suppliers Conference 12 Sept. 1991Supporting leased Airbus aircraft 24 May 1999Sustained operations in hot weather 6 Nov. 1985Symposium. Materials… 13 Aug. 1992Symposium. A300/A310/A300-600 Technical… 13 Aug. 1992Symposium. A320 Technical… 12 Sept. 1991

TCAS II 12 Sept. 1991Technical publications combined index 18 June 1995Training. State-of-the-art 19 Mar. 1996Training philosophy for protected aircraft in emergency situations 23 Oct. 1998 Trent - Reliability by design 14 Feb 1993Trouble Shooting - The impact of modern data recording

and monitoring systems. Improved... 11 Jan. 1991Turbulence. Flight in severe… 18 June 1995 Tyre servicing with nitrogen 9 July 1988

Upgrade services 30 July 2002Upset recovery – a test pilot’s point of view 24 May 1999Upset training. Aerodynamic principles of Large airplane upsets Special June 1998

Vasp. Innovative… 6 Nov. 1985Vibration on A320 Family. Avoiding elevator… 23 Oct. 1998

Weight and balance system 6 Nov. 1985Windshear 6 Nov. 1985Wing of the A310. The modern… 5 May 1985

P A G E

FAST 31

28


A340-500 ARCTIC FLIGHTSFROM THE ARCHIVES: POLAR FLYING

The first flights over the North Pole took place in thelate 1920s. Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett in a Fokker-VII tri-motor called Josephine Ford were the first on 9thMay 1926. It took them 23 hours on a return flight fromSpitzberg (Svalbard) during which they circled the Polefor 14 minutes.

Two days later on the 11th of May at 14:00 RoaldAmundsen the well-known explorer and Umberto Nobiletook off from Spitzberg in an Italian built airship namedNorge.

They over flew the Pole 11h 30min later and continuedin a straight line towards Nome in Alaska.

They eventually moored nearby at Teller at 08:30 on the14th of May 1926. The flight, which covered 5100kilometres and took 68h 30min, was severely hamperedby a build up of ice on the nose of the airship. A ton ofice destabilised the airship and froze over the antenna,depriving the crew of vital weather information

Two years later on 15th April 1928 the Australianexplorer Wilkins and his pilot Eielson, in a LockheedVega powered by a single Wright 230hp, crossed theNorth Pole from Point Barrow to Spitzberg in 20 hours.The wooden fuselage “provided good insulation”.

Airship Norge atthe entrance to its open-roofed

hanger inSpitzberg. It was106m long and

powered by threeMaybach 230hp

engines.

The Lockheed Vega1at Spitzberg followingits flight from PointBarrow in Alaska.

P A G E

FAST 31

29

Customer support

P A G E

FAST 31

30

AROUND THE CLOCK...AROUND THE WORLD

WORLDWIDEJean-Daniel Leroy Vice President Customer SupportTel: +33 5 61 93 35 04Fax: +33 5 61 93 41 01

USA/CANADAGérard RaynaudSenior Director Customer SupportTel: +1 (703) 834 3506Fax: +1 (703) 834 3464

CHINARon BollekampDirector Customer SupportTel: +86 10 804 86161Fax: +86 10 804 86162 / 63

RESIDENT CUSTOMER SUPPORT ADMINISTRATIONPhilippe Bordes Director Resident Customer RepresentationAdministration Tel: +33 561 93 31 02 Fax: +33 561 93 49 64

TECHNICAL, SPARES, TRAININGAirbus has its main Spares centre in Hamburg, and regional warehouses in Frankfurt, Washington D.C., Beijing and Singapore.

Airbus operates 24 hours a day every day.AOG Technical and Spares calls in North America should be addressed to: Tel: +1 (703) 729 9000Fax: +1 (703) 729 4373

AOG Technical and Spares calls outside North America should be addressed to:Tel: +49 (40) 50 76 3001/3002/3003Fax: +49 (40) 50 76 3011/3012/3013

Airbus Training centre Toulouse, FranceTel: +33 561 93 33 33Fax: +33 561 93 20 94

Airbus Training subsidiariesMiami, USA - FloridaTel: +1 (305) 871 36 55Fax: +1 (305) 871 46 49Beijing, ChinaTel: +86 10 80 48 63 40 Fax: +86 10 80 48 65 76

CUSTOMER SUPPORT AROUND THE CLOCK... AROUND THE WORLD

Training centresSpares centres / Regional warehousesResident Customer Support Managers (RCSM)

RCSM LOCATION COUNTRY

Abu Dhabi United Arab EmiratesAlgiers AlgeriaAmman JordanAthens GreeceBangkok ThailandBeirut LebanonBrussels BelgiumBuenos Aires ArgentinaCairo EgyptCaracas VenezuelaCharlotte USA - North CarolinaChengdu ChinaColombo Sri LankaCopenhagen DenmarkDamascus SyriaDelhi IndiaDenver USA - ColoradoDerby United KingdomDetroit USA - MichiganDhaka BangladeshDoha QatarDubai United Arab EmiratesDublin IrelandDuluth USA - MinnesotaDusseldorf GermanyFrankfurt GermanyGuangzhou ChinaHangzhou ChinaHanoi VietnamHelsinki FinlandHong Kong S.A.R. ChinaIndianapolis USA - Indiana

CUSTOMER SUPPORT AROUND THE CLOCK... AROUND THE WORLD


Istanbul TurkeyJakarta IndonesiaJinan ChinaJohannesburg South AfricaKarachi PakistanKingston JamaicaKuala Lumpur MalaysiaKuwait city KuwaitLanzhou ChinaLarnaca CyprusLisbon PortugalLondon United KingdomLouisville USA - KentuckyLuton United KingdomMacau S.A.R. ChinaMadrid SpainManchester United KingdomManila PhilippinesMauritius MauritiusMedelin ColumbiaMemphis USA - TennesseeMexico City MexicoMilan ItalyMinneapolis USA - MinnesotaMonastir TunisiaMontreal CanadaMoscow RussiaMumbai IndiaNanchang ChinaNanjing ChinaNew York USA - New YorkNingbo China


Noumea New CaledoniaPalma de Mallorca SpainParis FrancePhiladelphia USA - PennsylvaniaPhoenix USA - ArizonaPittsburgh USA - PennsylvaniaPort of Spain Trinidad and TobagoQingdao ChinaRome ItalySan Francisco USA - CaliforniaSan Salvador El SalvadorSantiago ChileSao Paulo BrazilSeoul South KoreaShanghai ChinaShenzhen ChinaShenyang ChinaSingapore SingaporeStockholm SwedenSydney AustraliaTaipei TaiwanTampa USA - FloridaTashkent UzbekistanTehran IranTokyo JapanToronto CanadaTulsa USA - OklahomaTunis TunisiaVancouver CanadaVerona ItalyVienna AustriaXi'an ChinaZurich Switzerland

P A G E

FAST 31

31

Thanks to fly-by-wire technology, the flight deck, flight procedures and handling characteristicson Airbus planes are virtually identical. The same goes for our aircraft systems and maintenanceprograms. So everything from training pilots to managing spare parts is easier and morecost-efficient. Obviously making our planes the smart choice. Airbus. Setting the standards.

One pilot fits all.

www.airbus.com

FAST magazine 31- December 2003 - Airbus · behaviour of the navigation system and the Electronic...

Documents

Transcript of FAST magazine 31- December 2003 - Airbus · behaviour of the navigation system and the Electronic...