1. V2.1 • FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013
RFID FOR INVENTORY EVERYONE’S A WINNER
MANAGEMENT Organising and sharing data means we all gain
Delta knows where everything is INPUT ANYWHERE
FROM PAPER TO PURPOSEFUL READ EVERYWHERE
Scanning records helps match data to jobs Living in a world of information
White Paper: Aircraft Data Systems (ADS), Air Works Case Study: Delta Airlines, Jet Airways Vendor Job Card: TRAX
Column: ‘How I see IT’, what can we learn from ACG v Olympic Airlines plus… News, Webinars, MRO Software Directorys

2. 04 News
This is where you’ll find news that matters in MRO IT and who’s in the News. In a fast moving world, professionals
who need to know what is happening, check regularly on www.aircraftit.com/MRO and here in the AircraftIT MRO
Editor’s comment e-journal.
12 CASE STUDY: Leading the Way with Inventory Management
Aircraft IT MRO: Doing the things we have always Rick Lewis, Business Analyst, Delta Air Lines, Atlanta TechOps
When Delta determined to transfer inventory to RFID technology, there were two challenges: finding a suitable
done but doing them better system for a large airline and integrating legacy inventory with new RFID tagged (by OEM) items into one system.
Well, here we are: it’s 2013 and Aircraft IT MRO is onto its second volume. So let
me open by wishing all readers a prosperous and successful 2013 with, perhaps,
16 CASE STUDY: Organising data for more useful outcomes
the chance that you might corner some of those intractable problems which Amol Salaskar. Manager Engineering IT, Jet Airways
have been kicking around the hangar for the last year, and finally sort them out. When Jet Airways decided to participate in Boeing’s ISDP they were influenced by several factors including the
Because, such is the pace of change that last year’s intractable problem might, in availability of SPEC2000 to facilitate the necessary data exchange. Here is how the implementation program went.
the light of the latest technology and software developments, now look a doable
challenge.
19 COLUMN: How I see IT
That is the thing about the world we inhabit, it keeps getting better in terms ACG v Olympic Airlines – is the definition of ‘airworthy’ changing? Michael Denis
of what we can do, where and when we can do it and how we can capture and Sometimes, an external event and outsider’s eyes help clarify understanding. That, Mike Denis believes, is the case
store whatever we learn from it in order to make the next task even less work but with airworthiness where a legal case in a British court has set precedence and refined a definition for an elusive
with a better outcome. That’s the ideal: but today we have to live and work in the state of operability.
world with which we are familiar (legacy) alongside the Brave New World that
new ‘smart’ aircraft, technology and better software solutions are delivering. 20 WHITE PAPER: Technical records – making them work
In this issue, you’ll find high quality writing on all of that. Bringing technical records up to date and Julien Albrecht, General Manager, Aircraft Data Systems
integrating even the old ones into your latest systems. There’s also something on the application of RFID Good records are vital in the safe operation and maintenance of aircraft and a requirement when an aircraft has to
to dramatically improve the time and people needed for many routine tasks plus significantly improve the be returned to the lessor. Scanning is a good way to keep records but is that a job for engineers or could there be a
reliability of the maintenance schedule. You’ll also read both sides of the story with reference to fast MRO better way?
Software implementations and see how aviation can learn from others about how to harness the power of
disruption and convergence. You’ll gain insight into what makes a key software vendor tick. Plus, of course, 24 Past webinars: knowledge transfer and access for industry experts
How Michael Denis sees IT. As well as lots more news and information from your sector. View Video Recordings of our Past Live MRO Software Demonstration Webinars. See full information and view video
It’s all of a piece with the Aircraft IT MRO mission to source, commission and publish applicable knowledge recordings of past Live MRO Software Demos, including: TRAX, Lufthansa Technik, Commsoft and IFRSKEYES.
and shared experience for people whose business is keeping some of the world’s most expensive assets
flying safely and maintaining the flying public’s faith in the quality and safety of air travel. 26 WHITE PAPER: What should a CIO think about?
As well as that, the Aircraft IT live demonstration webinars allow readers to research the software package Ravinder Pal Singh, Global Chief Information and Technology Officer at Air Works
most appropriate for their needs and access past webinars while, of course, future webinars are open for There are many experiences beyond the Aviation sector from which CIOs in Aviation Businesses (Airlines and MROs)
every reader who registers. could gain real business value. The problem is, understanding them and understanding the differences they
Aircraft IT MRO: useful information and knowledge building on your experience. could achieve.
Ed Haskey 30 VENDOR JOB CARD
What makes TRAX work? Chris Reed shares the story of their success with Aircraft IT
CLICK HERE: Send your feedback and In this issue’s Q&A piece, Chris Reed, Managing Director at Trax, puts the information on a ‘Vendor Job Card’ for
suggestions to AircraftIT MRO Aircraft IT.
AircraftIT MRO is published bi-monthly and is an affiliate of Aircraft Commerce CLICK HERE: Subscribe for free 32 Upcoming live MRO software demonstration webinars
and part of the AviationNextGen Ltd group. The entire contents within this
publication © Copyright 2013 AviationNextGen Ltd an independent publication AircraftIT MRO A preview of Live MRO software demonstration webinars with Swiss-AS covering AMOS maintenance, engineering
and not affiliated with any of the IT vendors or suppliers. Content may not be Publisher/Editor: Ed Haskey and logistics software on 7th of February 2013 and AD Software demonstrating their AIRPACK maintenance software
reproduced without the strict written agreement of the publisher. E-mail: ed.haskey@aircraftit.com
Telephone: +44 1403 230 700 or +44 1273 700 555 solution on the 21st of February 2013.
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are the views of the Website: www.aircraftIT.com
authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of their companies
or of the publisher. The publisher does not guarantee the source, originality,
Copy Editor/Contributor:
E-mail:
John Hancock
john@aircraftit.com
37 MRO Software directory
accuracy, completeness or reliability of any statement, information, data, finding, Magazine Production: Dean Cook A detailed look at the world’s leading MRO IT systems.
interpretation, advice, opinion, or view presented. E-mail: deancook@magazineproduction.com

3. 12 | CASE STUDY: DELTA AIRLINES | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013
“It may not be difficult to keep track of
life limited parts on one aircraft, but for
Delta’s fleet of more than 700 aircraft, that
equates to about 140,000 life vests, over
40,000 oxygen generators and more.”
flying all over the world add further to the challenge of
tracking life limited parts.
To be safe and remain in compliance, life limited parts
are checked regularly to ensure that no items remain
in service beyond their expiration date. Depending on
the type of maintenance program, items like oxygen
generators are checked while the aircraft is in for
the equivalent of a C-Check, or about every 18-24
months. The overhead passenger service units (PSUs)
are opened so dates on the oxygen generators can be
visually checked. At that time, mechanics read the date
of manufacture, which may involve loosening a bracket,
rotating the generator so the data placard is visible,
reading the date and then reinstalling the bracket. Life
vests are managed in a similar manner, with lots of
time spent crawling around the floor looking under a
seat cushion to check a date. A calculation to determine
the remaining service life is done to make sure the item
will not expire before the next check, allowing for an
appropriate safety margin. If it is determined that the
part will still be serviceable until the next scheduled
visit date, the mechanic tightens everything up and
moves on to the next location. For comparison, there
can be approximately 60 oxygen generators on a typical
B737 to 200 or more on a B777 — depending on the
Leading the Way with
manufacturer and must be replaced after a certain configuration and there can be hundreds of life vests
amount of time — whether in service or sitting on a that require inspection. It can be very time-consuming
shelf. These are not generally tracked as well as Repairable to check each part, taking from a few hours to a whole
inventory and require time consuming inspections to shift or more.
Inventory Management
confirm serviceability. They can also be quite expensive. Not only is the inspection process tedious, but the
Knowing when to purchase or replace life limited chance of collateral damage to other parts is significant
parts to minimize under-utilization or expiration may — standing on seats to be able to read the small text
seem like a small thing, but there are several installed on data placards, pinching wires or tubes when latching
on any one aircraft and just one that is missing or the PSUs, accidentally activating the generator (which
expired can ground or delay that multi-million dollar heats to about 350F), etc. Multiply that by a fleet of
working asset. Items like passenger oxygen generators 40,000 generators or 140,000 life vests and you have a
Rick Lewis, Business Analyst, Delta Air Lines, Atlanta TechOps explains (that supply oxygen to the masks that lie above significant workload. Without the data being captured
passengers’ heads), life vests, first aid kits, protective in a record keeping system, this same cycle of work will
how RFID was implemented at Delta Air Lines. breathing equipment, specialized emergency equipment be repeated each time the inspection is due — visually
batteries, portable oxygen bottles and emergency checking each part, no matter how new, to ensure
S urprises can be commonplace for airlines
and rarely are they inexpensive. There is
tremendous cost awareness in the industry and, because
either Repairable or Expendable. Repairable components
are normally managed by time in service or cycles, so
they have a relatively predictable repair schedule managed
defibrillator devices are all considered life limited parts.
It may not be difficult to keep track of life limited
parts on one aircraft, but for Delta’s fleet of more than
serviceability until the next visit.
Cost and timing for replacement inventory adds to
the challenge. Buy too many and parts sit on the shelf
so many expenses are beyond their influence, managing by an enterprise asset tracking solution. Beyond the 700 aircraft, that equates to about 140,000 life vests, unused with the calendar running: order too few and
inventory to the right levels can be a key element in obvious throw-away stuff, the expendable category can over 40,000 oxygen generators and more when you add AOG (aircraft on ground) shipping expenses pile up for
airlines’ profitability. Inventory is usually classified as include single use items that are life limited by the in the items mentioned above. The dynamics of aircraft overnight shipping from all over the world.

4. FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CASE STUDY: DELTA AIRLINES | 13
Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo
PSIPENTA
Software for Perfection in Aerospace
Mobile Processes MRO Sequencing
Order Management Warehouse Management
Spare Parts Management Adaptive Planning
The target waves from a handheld reader can go through, over, Project Management Skill Management
A few years ago, Delta Air Lines started evaluating a under and around obstacles to provide the RFID tag
new paradigm to address these business challenges. We with RF energy. This allows the tag to answer back to Data Collection
needed something that would improve the process not the reader. If the portable reader sends out one watt
by a few percentage points, but by orders of magnitude. of power to query any RFID tags in the vicinity, each
We also wanted to minimize any business process RFID tag answers back at about one millionth of that
changes. We wanted to be able to use data to replace power to say ‘I’m over here and here’s who I am.’ PSIpenta suite supports the planning and control of main-
inventory — data is better, faster and much cheaper The reader can find hundreds of tags per second
than inventory. Our past approach was ‘we don’t know which is pretty amazing considering that the RFID tags tenance and servicing processes. The scope of PSIpenta sui-
we need it until we look’ but with data (knowledge) the have no power of their own (passive RFID) and the
future process will be ‘we don’t have to look until we RFID chip itself is no bigger than a grain of pepper. te covers the whole MRO process ranging from slot and
know we need it’. This saves in three significant ways: Delta started pursuing this technology solution
1) Avoids purchasing life limited parts before they are
needed (reducing shelf-loss);
in 2009, at about the same time the partnership of
Aerospace Software Developments (ASD, Dublin,
hangar planning to mobile processes.
2) Minimizes AOG shipping expenses related to these Ireland) and Technology Solutions (Oakland, CA)
items; began making RFID commercial off-the-shelf solutions Learn more about PSIPENTA and visit us in Bangkok on the Airline & Aerospace
3) Avoids repeated date checks on items that are still available for airlines. They are leaders in aviation MRO & Flight Operations IT Conference at space E2.
serviceable. RFID, having helped develop the ATA Spec2000 RFID
Delta was also committed to getting results quickly, no standards and demonstrated the first industry solution
airline can afford a multi-year return on investment in 2007. They also have solutions for OEM suppliers.
(ROI); we are also committed to a learn-as-you-go Their software solutions are the only ones in the
scenario. We knew we couldn’t figure out all the industry that have been certified by the GS1/EPCGlobal
benefits or all the costs, ahead of time but we were organization.
pleasantly surprised at what we found. The initial goal for Delta is to make parts visible PSIPENTA Software Systems GmbH
A fast, accurate way to collect and store data for to those who manage and replace them. With this
selected life limited parts was needed, and Delta settled visibility comes an element of predictability for Dircksenstrasse 42-44 • 10178 Berlin – Germany
on using RFID (Radio Frequency ID) technology. inventory, scheduling and workflow — helping, as sales@psipenta.com • www.psipenta.com
RFID technology is truly amazing — it’s like bar code discussed earlier, to avoid costly surprises and expensive
technology that doesn’t need line of sight. The radio AOG shipping expenses.

5. 14 | CASE STUDY: DELTA AIRLINES | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013
formats and expiration schemas (i.e. first of month, last
of month). The portable RFID scanners connect via
Wi-Fi at hangar and line station locations. Mechanic
training for the wireless handheld scanner application
was easy and only took about 30 minutes on the
aircraft.
Training for the server side application is slightly more
involved. That’s where the LOPA (LayOut of Passenger
Accommodations — essentially the floor plan of the
airplane) is created for each fleet configuration and
populated with the desired emergency equipment.
The process is assisted by a GUI (Graphic User
Interface) design tool and some basic configuration
menu selections — such as, Economy is 3x3 seating
starting at row number 11 and continuing for 28 rows;
and immediately you’ve generated a picture of the
Economy section seating. Adding lavatories, galleys,
closets, exit rows, extra aisles, etc. is easy. The locations
are click-and-drag positioned and can be named
according to the appropriate nomenclature. The layout
is easily created and looks like the actual aircraft so
all equipment will be located where it is expected on
each aircraft. The design tool accommodates single
aisle, double aisle and double decker, also allowing for
custom named classes and extra sections. The server
software also holds the software configuration options,
reference part data and reporting functions.
Once the LOPA is configured in the software, each
location (seat, PSU, closet, etc.) is populated with a life
vest, oxygen generator, etc. until there is a complete
map (and database) of every piece of equipment for
each aircraft.
The process
When the aircraft arrives for a visit, each item is
The solution inducted into the software, assigning each uniquely
The first demonstration of the RFIDAeroCheck solution identified part to its specific location. Drop down
to Delta management occurred over two years ago with
Directors and Managers in the First Class section of
“A solution was developed for tagging these legacy parts according to the ATA Spec2000 menus or 2D barcodes are used to harvest the part
number and date information. This initial induction
a Boeing 757 and more people standing in the back standard, giving each legacy part a unique number to identify it. In the future, OEMs can be done on a B757 in about 40 minutes by two
aisle. The Oxygen Generators in the PSUs had been technicians and about two hours on a B777. After the
previously tagged with RFID tags. A brief explanation will be delivering RFID tagged parts.” induction is complete, the part information exists on
of the system was provided by Dave Browne from the server and can also be checked with a 45 second
ASD in the front of the First Class section, then the Delta did not wait for OEMs to begin tagging their and legacy parts will coexist seamlessly. walk down the aisle with the handheld scanner, quickly
trigger was pulled on the handheld reader and a series oxygen generators to be able to leverage the technology. The oxygen generator RFID tags designed for this confirming the presence and expiration status of any
of beeps — too quick to count — was heard from the It didn’t make business sense to wait for existing O2 particular use work extremely well, providing 15 foot tagged items — to the specific location. Any items
reader. It had read the entire First Class section without generators to age out of the system, nor to replace all read ranges and quick read times using a portable that appear on the Exception Report, generated on the
taking a step. the generators with new ones — that would lose a RFID reader. Tags are also available for application to handheld software following the RFID scan, are visually
Dave then demonstrated how easy it was to induct significant amount of useful life on those assets and life vests, life vest boxes/pouches, passenger oxygen checked for serviceability and replaced, tagged and
the individual oxygen generators into the software. would take us in the wrong direction. A solution was masks, medical kits and many other emergency inducted back into the software if required.
The reader was handed to each person to enter the developed for tagging these legacy parts according to equipment items. All are available from William Frick This RFIDAeroCheck solution is a complete,
necessary data just like a mechanic would at each the ATA Spec2000 standard, giving each legacy part & Company and are AS5678 certified, as required by standalone solution from data collection to automated
generator location. There was initial hesitation, followed a unique number to identify it. In the future, OEMs the FAA. reporting. It can even automatically email data for
by an, ‘Is that all there is to it?’ response. will be delivering RFID tagged parts containing the The software chosen, RFIDAeroCheck, presents a notification of items that are approaching an expiration
After a brief discussion of the potential uses for RFID actual manufacturer’s CAGE Code, Serial Number, Part small footprint, is server based and web accessible. date. The database reporting function also allows
on our aircraft, we got the thumbs-up approval to Number, and Date of Manufacture. At that time, the It provides many user assignable switches to allow maintenance to plan what their life limited part
proceed with the project, and we were off and running. transition will be transparent and the mix of both new configuration for a variety of terminologies, date workload will be on any given tail number, and allows

6. FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CASE STUDY: DELTA AIRLINES | 15
Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo
Your Preferred
IT Solution & Business Process
Out-Sourcing Partner for the future
inventory analysts to better predict both short and
longer-term inventory requirements. OEMs also benefit,
minimizing last minute AOG orders and scrambling
to accommodate customers. It’s a win-win for
everyone and, when appropriate, this solution can be
integrated with existing enterprise systems for inventory
planning and scheduling of aircraft maintenance, to Hexaware is a niche, focused IT Solutions and Business
generate even greater ROI opportunities. Delta has Process Outsourcing Company providing end-to-end
not integrated the RFIDAeroCheck software with the Rick Lewis system integration and Technology services to its Travel and
enterprise systems yet. Our approach is ‘learn first, and Business Analyst, Delta Air Lines
then grow’. Rick Lewis is a 30-year veteran of Transportation customers. With annual revenues of USD
The ROI to Delta can be measured in terms of Delta Air Lines, starting his career
months, not years. Implementation is not at all with the airline in 1982 as an 230M for FY 2010, Hexaware has a global workforce of
complete and we are still exploring the scope of aircraft technician. He is currently around 8300 consultants working across disparate domain
equipment that should be tagged. We are also one of the Business Analysts that
investigating ways of performing item level security support Aircraft Maintenance and technologies. Hexaware with its strong experience in
checks using RFID solutions. And we are also working activities and is managing Delta’s various business functions in MRO and Technical
with select vendors to include RFID tags on new RFID program. Rick holds an AMT license and a
purchase inventory. This will begin the process of degree in Aviation Management. Documentation domains along with specialize services in
switching to OEM tagged inventory. Until then, we Portfolio Analysis, System Selection, Implementation,
have a solution to best manage our legacy tagged,
already paid for, flying inventory. INTERACTIVE Custom Development and Maintenance Services, Legacy
ASK THE AUTHOR A QUESTION
Delta has been studying this opportunity for many CLICK HERE to leave YOUR QUESTION Modernization, Upgrade and Migration Services, Business
years. Using aviation-specific RFID standards,
inexpensive tag options, and user accepted and Intelligence / Analytics, Infrastructure Management Services
friendly software, we are moving forward using RFID INTERACTIVE (IMS) and Quality Assurance and Testing Services.
technology to reduce our costs and explore ways to JOIN THE DEBATE www.hexaware.com
positively impact our operations as industry leaders in CLICK HERE to leave your feedback about this
article and start or join a discussion
this arena. n

7. 16 | CASE STUDY: JET AIRWAYS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013
Organising data for more useful outcomes
Amol Salaskar. Manager Engineering IT at Jet Airways describes integrating IT systems
using standard data exchange formats for technical reliability.
S PEC 2000[1] is a set of e-Business specifications, products and
services which have evolved over more than 40 years and are
designed to address challenges in the supply chain processes of the airline
maintenance, service bulletin, shop findings, piece parts, status change and
summary. From suppliers it is possible to collect data on airline returned
components, Boeing (factory and receiving) rejected components, and
Jet Airways is a member of the ISDP, and was also
sending across data. Therefore, by simplifying and
automating the process of transmitting the data
industry, incorporating the latest technological advances in information components returned for modifications [2]. in xml standardized format for data exchange, the
exchange. It aims to streamline business processes and reduce administrative Fleet data shared by airline customers is critical to Boeing’s commitment manual efforts (for both Jet Airways and Boeing) will
costs. As more trading partners embrace it, the system will become to provide cost-effective fleet support. When customers provide ongoing be reduced, and the implementation of the greater
increasingly efficient and effective. operational information, Boeing is better equipped to make cost-effective advantage from this project would allow Jet Airways
Created by the airline industry under the auspices of A4A (Airlines for safety, performance, maintenance, and modification recommendations. to perform any data analysis on the vast information
America – previously ATA), SPEC 2000 is divided into four major areas of Participants in this flexible, confidential program compile data on as many as repository held by Boeing on reliability of aircraft and
e-Business: Aviation Marketplace, e-Commerce Standards, File Standards, nine primary service reliability areas (as defined in SPEC 2000, Chapter 11) components. This would aim towards improving the
and Bar Coding Standards. These are further developed into 17 chapters for and send it to Boeing through MyBoeingFleet.com. In addition to providing technical dispatch reliability.
data exchange of which Chapter 11 deals with the collection and exchange a broad-based source of fleet data, it gives operators an opportunity to focus The opportunity to leverage technology arose with
of fleet and component reliability data [2]. attention on issues that address their individual needs [3]. the availability of the data exchange standard, SPEC
Boeing introduced the In-Service Data Program (ISDP), which created Furthermore, ISDP allows participants to view data compiled by 2000 Chapter 11, which deals with Reliability Data
a platform for airlines and suppliers to share fleet-wide reliability data. individual, participating airlines, some of which have fleets and operating Collection/Exchange specifically for airlines, and
This service allows participating airlines and Boeing to perform reliability environments comparable to their own. However, use of this data is airframe, engine and component manufacturers.
analyses on fleet performance which, in turn, supports improvements restricted to improving operating performance. Several of the data subjects were included as features
to current in-service aircraft as well as new aircraft development. The in the E&M (Engineering and Maintenance) IT system
maintenance and reliability data exchanged through ISDP has been an The motivation at Jet Airways at Jet Airways and Boeing actively wanted to support
enabler for analyses to determine whether aircraft performance problems Jet Airways Technical Services would send fleet and component reliability with SPEC 2000, that being the standard format for
are unique, assess if the mean time between failures are normal, identify the statistics to Boeing every month: Boeing would then compile and analyze data exchange. This lead to Boeing wanting to setup a
No Fault Found (NFF) rates, determine returns on modifications, develop this data received from all the operators. The airline operators would joint implementation team that would ensure that Jet
contingencies for future failures, efficiently review performance data from have to contact Boeing in order get specific information, e.g. trends or Airways is fully capable of deriving the benefits of ISDP
various entities on a common platform, and develop benchmarks [3]. industry performance of certain aircraft systems or components. The with the SPEC 2000 chapter 11 data exchange formats.
With the introduction of the SPEC 2000 data exchange formats, it is airline operators did not have ready access to all the data from which they In the original implementation efforts Jet Airways
possible to collect data from both airlines and suppliers. From airlines, could perform any customized analysis. In order to benefit from the vast planned to go live in 18-24 months, but with the active
it is possible to collect material on ten data subjects: hours and landings, repository of this data (from other airlines), an airline would have to enroll participation from Boeing, this project time-line is now
component removals, schedule interruptions, logbooks, scheduled in the ISDP (In-Service Data Program). less than 12 months.

8. FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CASE STUDY: JET AIRWAYS | 17
Level of Activities in the Project Mapping data
The project plan was drafted with the aim to have all nine data SPEC 2000 Chapter 11 consists of the following nine
subjects (see below) of SPEC 2000 Chapter 11 reported by Jet data subjects:
Airways to Boeing. The following key stages were considered • Hours/Landings;
as working towards a successful completion of the project: • Aircraft Events;
a) Identifying the project team on both sides — Boeing and Jet
Airways.
• Aircraft Logbook;
• LRU Removals;
“we requested of Volartec that the
b) Mapping data from Jet Airways’ IT system (AMOS) with the • Scheduled Maintenance; implementation project should not
SPEC 2000 xml data formats for Chap 11. • Service Bulletin;
c) Identification of hardware and implementation setup. • Shop Findings; exceed 30 days, in order not to interfere
d) Evaluation of the data quality.
e) Testing of the existing SPEC 2000 xml standards within
• Shop Findings – Piece Parts; and
• Aircraft Status Change. with our operation.”
AMOS for meeting data quality requirements. The team met on-site to perform a data sanity check
f) Changing internal processes so that they would align with consisting of two parts:
the standard processes. a) To know whether the data was available within Jet
Airways (either in the IT system or in any other
Setting up the team format).
The project team was drawn from Boeing and Jet Airways. b) If the data was available, then to develop a process
On the Boeing side there was a Business Analyst, an IT for collating and organizing it in the SPEC 2000
programmer and a SPEC 2000 specialist (on standby). format required for reporting. This consists of…
The Jet Airways team consisted of the Engineering/Reliability i. Data extracts that are available as a standard
expert, IT focal, and a data subject expert (as needed).
The working protocol consisted of an on-site meeting to
within the IT system (AMOS).
ii. Data within the IT system but that need to
“The opportunity to leverage technology arose with the availability of the
establish the project activities and timelines, and perform the be extracted and organized in the SPEC 2000 data exchange standard, SPEC 2000 Chapter 11, which deals with Reliability
data mapping. Thereafter all stakeholders were to work on format required for reporting.
individual project activities and report status in the weekly iii. Data outside of the IT system in other formats, Data Collection/Exchange specifically for airlines, and airframe, engine and
project report-out teleconference. The weekly teleconference
and the weekly status reports were released by Boeing’s
e.g. MS Excel: special software processes
needed to be developed to collect that data and
component manufacturers.”
Business Analyst. organize it in the SPEC 2000 format
Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo
AMOS
A Story of Success
“We assess AMOS as a top line product which is endeared and accepted
as a fine tool by our users,” states Air Asia
Read more about the world-class M&E software system at SWISS-AS.COM

9. 18 | CASE STUDY: JET AIRWAYS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013
Evaluation of Data Quality References
During the data mapping process, the team evaluated [1]http://www.spec2000.org/. [2] Using SPEC 2000 to
the quality of the data for each of the data subjects. The streamline your business. Jon Andresen – President
sample file from the test (sandbox) environment (IT Technology Solutions. ATA eBusiness Program. Oct
system) was setup to generate the SPEC 2000 xml files. 2008. [3]. In-Service Data Program. John Kneuer –
A sampling of some of the data points was performed Team Leader, In-Service Data Program. Boeing. Aero
to check for inconsistency or whether the reported Magazine. Q1 2008.
information was not in accordance with the definition
of the SPEC 2000 definition. These were carefully
analyzed for any repetition or duplication, and then
measures were taken to correct the data and educate
the users, who generated the data so that it would be
correct right from the start.
Procedures were designed and implemented along
with Engineering Quality so that compliances were About Jet Airways
faster. Also, training and write-ups were separately Jet Airways currently operates a fleet of 99
issued to give step-by-step instructions on how the aircraft, which include 10 Boeing 777-300 ER
information was to be input in the IT system. aircraft, 11 Airbus A330-200 aircraft, 2 Airbus
A330-300 aircraft 59 next generation Boeing
Peculiar Data Challenges 737-700/800/900 aircraft, 16 ATR 72-500 and 1
Due to a long legacy of using the IT system (AMOS), ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft. With an average
there were a few data gaps in the information captured. fleet age of 5.66 years, the airline has one of the
These were addressed by the following methods: youngest aircraft fleets in the world. Flights to 73
a) For inconsistencies, it was decided to make certain destinations span the length and breadth of India,
“The primary advantage derived from implementation of the ISDP requirements data fields mandatory so that errors are eliminated at and beyond to Asia, the Middle East, Europe and
using SPEC 2000 Chapter 11 data standards was that Jet Airways would now have source.
b) Education of the users, and preparing work-
North America.
access to the vast repository of reliability information available within Boeing.” procedures for user reference.
c) Issuing quality circulars that allowed us to enforce
certain discipline in the way information is captured. Amol Salaskar
Based on this assessment there were several actions system could be directly transmitted to the Boeing The bigger challenge arose when the process did not Manager Engineering IT, Jet Airways
initiated. The project plan was developed into three system; fully adhere to the requirements of the IT system, Amol Salaskar has been a manager
specific stages. b) A few data subjects required data cleansing before which in-turn influenced the quality of data produced Engineering IT with Jet Airways
Stage 1 was to implement the SPEC 2000 data they could be transmitted to Boeing; by the xml file. This was addressed as follows: for over seven years. In this role,
subjects that were already available from the IT System c) A few data subjects were not a standard part of the d) For data stored in the IT system but not part of he manages the administration
(AMOS). IT system, hence suitable data extracts routines were the standard SPEC 2000 out-puts, separate software and integration of solutions
Stage 2 consisted of developing the data extracts that created that would then be organized in SPEC 2000 routines were developed so that AMOS data could (technology and process) into
would support towards developing the xml outputs xml format before transmitting to Boeing. be extracted and produced into the required xml the business areas of Engineering
that are not available. This would be done using an Since b) and c) were concerns to be addressed, the formats. and Maintenance. Prior to that he worked
externally developed IT tool; in this case, MS Access. team decided to have a custom developed system as a e) For at least one data subject, the IT system was not as a Business Analyst for Fleet Management
Stage 3 was to augment use of the IT System (AMOS), staging application system. The Jet Airways IT system being fully used for managing the entire business Operations, with General Electric where he
by converting the present manual processes into an would send the data to a staging system using FTP process. Hence, software routines were developed certified as a Six Sigma Green Belt.
electronic process. It was further proposed to utilize (File Transfer Protocol); the staging system would then (application) so that the data could be drawn from He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical
the SPEC 2000 interface capability available in the IT process the data into the required format before it alternate systems (e.g. MS Excel files) and joined Engineering, a Master of Science in Industrial and
system. could be transferred using FTPS (File Transfer Protocol with data from the IT system, to prepare the Systems Engineering from Auburn University,
Secure) to the Boeing data upload service. The staging required data format. USA, and followed by a diploma in Management
Identification of hardware system was decided based on the data load and the Studies.
and software processing requirements. Advantages
In order to map the data the SPEC 2000 schemas It was agreed that the Jet Airways IT system (AMOS) The primary advantage derived from implementation
were procured from A4A. Due to various versions of would send data to the staging application (within Jet of the ISDP requirements using SPEC 2000 Chapter 11 INTERACTIVE
ASK THE AUTHOR A QUESTION
the schema being available, there was a need to agree Airways domain), that would process the information data standards was that Jet Airways would now have CLICK HERE to leave YOUR QUESTION
on the SPEC 2000 version that would be used in the and perform a data sanity check. Once the files were access to the vast repository of reliability information
implementation, and one that it is compatible with the scrutinized the data would be prepared in the SPEC available within Boeing. Also, certain processes were re-
IT systems at both Jet Airways and Boeing. 2000 xml format, and transmitted to Boeing’s data designed and re-implemented; hence business processes INTERACTIVE
During the data mapping process there were three upload service. At the check-points there were people now conformed with global standards. And, pre- JOIN THE DEBATE
observations: identified who would receive email alerts in-case there existing manual business processes would get converted CLICK HERE to leave your feedback about this
article and start or join a discussion
a) Some of the data subjects produced from the IT was a failure with the process of data transmission. into electronic form. n

10. How I see IT
ACG v Olympic Airlines – is the definition
The recent ACG v Olympic
established some importa
“Whether a particular defe
Airlines civil lawsuit in the
nt precedence.
ct renders an aircraft un
UK reviewed the definition
which was in debate and
the part in question and fit or unsafe for flight wi
of ‘airworthy’ changing? Michael Denis the severity of the defect. ll depend upon the functio
knows of the defect or no It will not depend upon n of
t. An aircraft with a defe whether the operator of the
flight is not rendered fit ctive part which renders aircraft
or safe for flight on acco the aircraft unfit or unsa
defect. Airworthiness depe unt of the operator of the fe for
nds upon the condition of aircraft being unaware of
upon whether or not a de the aircraft at the material the
fect is known to the opera time. It does not depend
of commercial aircraft int tor. I do not consider tha
ended for the carriage of t any prudent lessor or les
the aircraft carried a hid passengers would regard see
den defect which, if the an aircraft as airworthy if
corrected before the next lessor and lessee had kn
flight.” own about it, would have
to be
I conducted a survey on
several industry blog sites
an aircraft was compliant and the common definiti
to its type certificate, supp on given was, ‘airworthy
[was] safe to operate.’ lemental type certificates meant
and airworthiness directi
ves AND
While the first is easily pro
ved or disproved by accu
the second requirement, rate and precise docume
‘safe to operate’, is a bit ntation and physical inspe
determination of airworth more difficult. The ‘safe ctions,
y is enabled via a Continu to operate’ element of the
flight inspection by a pil ous Airworthiness Mainten
ot. The judge found “a po ance Program (CAMP) an
or standard of inspection d pre-
What is the definiti on of airworthy? The civil lawsuit also foun by AirAsia…”
d deficient maintenance
It seems like a silly question to Aerospace. Air Asia was in governance practices by
Air Asia and on their beha
aviation trade the process of redelivering lf by ST
be discussing in an pressure to complete the a large number of aircraf
t and “ST Aerospace were
1C check with as little de
magazine since it should be universal ‘pencil-whipping’, that is,
signing off on a job even
lay as possible”. “Referenc
e was made, i) to the pra
under
and fundamental, but it’s amazing In the end, ACG prevailed
though it was not carried
out…”
ctice of
the number of answers you get aircraft, when Olympic sig
on the technicality of esto
ppels – that regardless of
depending upon who you ask. My ned the certificate of ac the airworthiness of the
ceptance; it gave up its rig
favorite is, ‘Airworthiness is like what So what does this have to
do with an eJournal on
hts to sue.
MRO technology?
the Supreme Court once said about Standardized electronic
records and the paperless
pornography – we can’t define it but not because it makes lab aviation ecosystem is here
and is going to accelerate
n we see it.’ or more productive, not
we know it whe improves regulatory comp because it decreases exce
ss inventory, and not be
,
liance – we are going to cause it
cost of paper and non-sta change because lawyers,
ndardization. insurers and CFOs are see
INTERACTIVE: Get Involved! ing the
At least that’s how I see
Why not get involved with the debate? Send
your comments or questions to Michael by clicking here.
IT.

11. 20 | WHITE PAPER: ADS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013
W hy do we talk about technical records
scanning? Anybody can scan paperwork
today because everybody has a big photocopier that
can print, fax, copy, scan… in fact, everything but
make the coffee! However, all too often the user,
whether MRO or airline, ends up with a lot of PDF
files holding black and white images. Even with
rigorous naming of and architecture for file storage,
it will often take as long to dig into PDF files as
into paperwork, in which case it might be quicker
to refer back to the paper work in the first place.
Introducing the expense of an OCR (optical
character recognition) engine such as ADOBE
ACROBAT Pro, will at least assist in using the
windows search engine, if enabled on your
computer, or the search engine from ACROBAT,
but only on clearly printed characters. Using
ACROBAT INDEX/SEARCH engine will make it
possible to have all files combined into one, thus,
say, having a 20Gb PDF file for one year of records
on an A320.
Some MRO software allows users to link
individual PDF or TIF files to task cards or a parts
history. However, this can be time consuming,
most often the time of engineers whose job should
be more about monitoring maintenance operations
than scanning and linking files to corresponding
electronic records in the MRO system. This is still
prevalent in many airlines and sometimes when,
in these times of cost reduction, the cost of sitting
an engineer behind a scanner becomes prohibitive,
the linking of scanned records behind electronic
records is simply abandoned. So, when a lease
ends and the time for repossession arrives, large
numbers of engineers have to revert to the records
and make copies of certain documents to suit the
lessor’s redelivery conditions. Added to which, most
lessors have their own way of requiring the records.
These days, we hear increasingly about eSignatures
for maintenance operations and electronic record
keeping. Without doubt, this is the future but there
are still some issues. Firstly, aircraft compliant
Technical records – making them work
with full eMaintenance, such as the A350 or
B787, are new and currently represent less than
1% of the global fleet: against that, many aircraft
between five to 40 years old remain in service.
These old birds still have their delivery documents
and maintenance records only in paper format
or sometimes even on microfilms. Secondly, as
Julien Albrecht, General Manager, Aircraft Data Systems considers how to transform paper into useful information? no global standards have yet been established
and accepted for aircraft electronic records, local
aviation authorities will not certify an aircraft
with only scanned copies of records. Some airlines
“…aircraft compliant with full eMaintenance, such as the A350 or B787, are new and currently represent less than 1% of the global simply do not look at aircraft that don’t have full
paperwork traceability.
fleet: against that, many aircraft between five to 40 years old remain in service.” Aircraft Maintenance Records, it seems, will still
be around for at least another 30 years.