Search Results

Aircraft development projects at Bombardier Aerospace involve a large number of tasks executed by a network of professionals from various disciplines. As the complexity of products and the development process increases, it becomes more difficult to manage the interactions among tasks and people. In fact, it may be impossible to even predict the impact of a single design decision across the development process. At Bombardier, investigation has shown that there was a lack of communication between design processes when dealing with aeroelasticity information. This resulted in duplicated design effort, reduced quality, and increased time to complete tasks when small design changes from one task induced delays in other tasks. Processes that deal with aeroelasticity work integrate system inertial, aerodynamics and structural information to make aircraft models and perform analyses. These processes have been creating similar models to perform aeroelasticity analyses.

An aircraft is a complex operating system subject to the aging and degeneration processes. It is also maintained and repaired to keep operational condition high. Declining condition increases the chance of failures. Since repair is typically variable and incomplete, the question of the reliability of aircraft as they age is significant. In this paper the predictability of failures of aircraft as they age is considered. The methodology is to consider moderate mechanical failures which result in unscheduled landings. The records of a single aircraft model:B737 for a carrier whose fleet has large numbers of that model are analyzed. A Poisson regression model is fitted to the number of unscheduled landings over a 3 year period, with the rate depending on age and periodic maintenance. A clear age pattern emerges. Although the rate of decline depends on the model, and the rate of improvement through repair depends on the carrier, the aging is real since these factors are held constant.

This paper considers the schedule reliability of commercial aircraft and how reliability relates to aircraft maintenance. The approach uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to develop an empirical efficiency frontier for the maintenance – reliability relationship. Using data from Systems Difficulty Reports, efficiency indices are computed for aircraft maintenance for the major carriers in North America.

This paper summarizes the results of our continued testing of a radio based, non-Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation and communications system. The system has been integrated with two mobile computers, a robot and four work stations. It demonstrated crewmember interfaces for acquiring, storing and transmitting data from a space suit life support system simulation, test subject Electrocardiogram (ECG) and other biomedical data. This is an extension of the functions which were tested last year during the NASA Desert Research and Technology Studies (RATS) 2006 activities at both Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas and at Meteor Crater near Flagstaff Arizona. We added considerable complexity to the tests. The tests were conducted on an accurate series of geo-referenced paths at the El Toro Marine Air Station, a closed air field.

In future lunar and Mars exploration missions the ability to provide the crewmember navigation information will be critical. Exploration demands that Extravehicular Activity (EVA) astronauts be provided the capability to operate with greater autonomy in accomplishing complex EVA missions than has been the case previously. Robust crew information interfaces and navigation support integral to the EVA spacesuit system are expected to be minimum requirements. Navigation support must allow the EVA crew to determine their position relative to EVA target locations, satellite imagery and maps and assist them in walking or riding to the desired targets on the planetary surface. Together, these needs suggest a requirement for an integrated system that combines data and voice communications, a high performance visual display, and navigation support in a design that is compatible with spacesuit environmental and packaging restrictions and with unique EVA crew interface demands.