Optimizing Pre-Flight Checkout by Leveraging IOT enabled FTI and Augmented Reality

Abstract

Pre-flight checkout is one of the most time critical stages in any flight test program. Delays and in-efficiencies during checkout can lead to aircraft being grounded for unnecessarily long periods of time, increasing costs and program schedule slippages. With the dawn of augmented reality wearables, smart sensors, wireless sensors and next generation Flight Test Instrumentation (FTI), today’s technological advances can be leveraged to transform pre-flight checkout into an interactive, self-diagnostic and operationally efficient essential step in your flight test program. These same technologies can also be used to optimize the day to day operations of airlines, MRO’s and aircraft maintenance companies, taking advantage of the current “data rich” generation of aircraft. This paper describes how pre-flight checkout can be optimized by combining best in class Internet of Things (IOT) enabled FTI and augmented reality wearables.