Technology has revolutionised everything, from how we learn to how we shop for groceries, communicate with our loved ones, work, and even date. But can it change the way the aviation industry operates? Why, yes! Preliminary studies and trials have shown that technology will soon be an integral part of flight operations. We dive into these exciting possibilities and what they hold for the aviation industry and its stakeholders.
What’s in the Aviation Future?
The aviation industry, in and of itself, is revolutionary. But it is not done with amazing us with its innovations. Current projections show that soon enough, the following changes will take shape in this sector:
- AI Copilots
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already making waves in several key industries, including medicine and education. So, it comes as no surprise that it will be a core element in the future of AI. But how will these AI copilots come into play? The premise here is that airlines will rely on AI systems to manage flight paths, system failures, and other operating procedures that require complex decision-making.
As a result, airlines will be able to schedule single-pilot flights, thereby operating multiple flights simultaneously and allowing their pilots more rest time between flights. There has also been talk of fully pilotless flights, but this innovation remains distant, as AI systems have not yet reached this level of efficiency.
- Digital Twins
The sensitive nature of flights means that airlines cannot take any chances when it comes to maintenance. As such, when an aircraft encounters a technical issue, airlines have no option but to ground it until the problem is resolved. Unfortunately, these unplanned maintenance phases come with additional costs and result in substantial labour and material wastage. Luckily for the airlines, digital twin technology is here to help.
With digital twins, airlines can create virtual replicas of their aircraft and their components. These replicas communicate with the actual aircraft through sensors, enabling the AI-powered systems in the replicas to predict which components are likely to fail and when these failures are likely to occur. Thanks to the high accuracy of these predictions, airlines can plan maintenance based on real-time data, unlike in the past, when they based their maintenance schedules on flight hours, which was largely ineffective.
- Smart Ground Equipment
Airlines rely on ground equipment to undertake both planned and unplanned maintenance. In the past, aircraft technicians had to manually record everything when maintaining, repairing, or overhauling aircraft engines. And as you can imagine, this was a lengthy process that was also subject to human error. But with technology, this will soon change, and this all starts with engine stands.
Engine stands are used in the storage, handling, and moving of aircraft engines. They come in different designs tailored to support different engines – you can learn more here about their specifications. These modern models are now incorporating various technologies to enable airlines to integrate maintenance data with their existing digital twins. As such, in the future, these smart stands will be able to identify engine models, display the required maintenance procedures to technicians, record all maintenance steps, and log these details in digital logbooks. In this way, they will not only reduce human error but also save the time spent working on the engines.
In addition to the engine stands, the aviation industry will also integrate technology in other ground equipment, including the automated guided vehicles, to ensure efficient data collection and analysis across its entire ecosystem.
