September 16, 2007
Predicting The Future: E-Enabled Maintenance
By Paul Seidenman and David J. Spanovich
AviationWeek
E-enabled tools are relegating crystal balls and guesswork to the dust bin, but there still is work to do.
Knowing in advance when a system or component is going to fail, removing the offending part from an aircraft, and having a replacement positioned where and when it needs to be ready for installation, test and sign off—all with little or no human intervention—is the Holy Grail in terms of aircraft support. In such a world, there would be dramatically fewer maintenance-related flight delays and cancellations. The aviation industry has made significant progress in advancing toward this operational nirvana, particularly as it applies to powerplants, but still has a long way to go. To realize the dream of truly predictive maintenance, the MRO industry is pursuing e-enabled power tools or e-enabled maintenance.
