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The aerospace industry is beginning to grapple with the reality of certifying electric aircraft (EA), signaling the maturing of the field. Many players are ramping up their activities to respond to imminent technical, safety, and regulatory requirements. While there are gaps in EA knowledge as well as the processes for certifying them, some leading standards development organizations (SDOs) such as SAE International, ASTM International, and RTCA—ably supported by representatives from regulatory agencies—are stepping in to address many of these issues. Of special importance are the new rule changes in the normal category (14 CFR Part 23, Amendment 64) that shift from a prescriptive philosophy to “performance-based rules.” Regarding system knowledge, there has been a trend in the use electrical energy to power systems that have long employed mechanical hydraulics.

The “holy grail” for prognostics and health management (PHM) professionals in the aviation sector is to have integrated vehicle health management (IVHM) systems incorporated into standard aircraft maintenance policies. Such a change from current aerospace industry practices would lend credibility to this field by validating its claims of reducing repair and maintenance costs and, hence, the overall cost of ownership of the asset. Ultimately, more widespread use of advanced PHM techniques will have a positive impact on safety and, for some cases, might even allow aircraft designers to reduce the weight of components because the uncertainty associated with estimating their predicted useful life can be reduced. We will discuss how standard maintenance procedures are developed, who the various stakeholders are, and – based on this understanding - outline how new PHM systems can gain the required approval to be included in these standard practices.

According to some, electric propulsion is already on its way down the “trough of disillusionment.” This report argues that while there are some concerns with associated technologies, such pessimism is unwarranted. Yes, battery systems can be more energy dense; charging standards are late in being developed; it is not clear what technologies and architectures will win out for which sectors; we still have to figure out how to deal with thermal management issues at all levels in future designs; and what might be the certification standards for electric aircraft. But that does not mean that these issues will not be addressed. Yes, these unsettled questions may take a little longer to solve than originally estimated, but there is full expectation within the industry that electric propulsion for commercial aircraft will succeed. In this SAE EDGE Research Report we present points of view from leading researchers in the industry who are thinking deeply about solving these problems.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have been growing over the past few years and will continue to grow at a faster pace in future. UAS faces many challenges in certification, airspace management, operations, supply chain, and maintenance. Blockchain, defined as a distributed ledger technology for the enterprise that features immutability, traceability, automation, data privacy, and security, can help address some of these challenges. However, blockchain also has certain challenges and is still evolving. Hence it is essential to study on how blockchain can help UAS. G-31 technical committee of SAE International responsible for electronic transactions for aerospace has published AIR 7356 [1] entitled Opportunities, Challenges and Requirements for use of Blockchain in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operating below 400ft above ground level for Commercial Use. This paper is a teaser for AIR 7356 [1] document.

Fundamentals of Electric Aircraft, Revised Edition was developed to explain what the electric aircraft stands for by offering an objective view of what can be expected from the giant strides in innovative architectures and technologies enabling aircraft electrification. This edition features new illustrations and photographs throughout. Through tangible case studies, a deep insight is provided into this paradigm shift cutting across various aircraft segments – from General Aviation to Large Aircraft. Addressing design constraints and timelines foreseen to reach acceptable performance and maturity levels, Fundamentals of Electric Aircraft, Revised Edition puts forward a general view of the progress made to date and what to expect in the years to come.

Fundamentals of Electric Aircraft was developed to explain what the electric aircraft stands for by offering an objective view of what can be expected from the giant strides in innovative architectures and technologies enabling aircraft electrification. Through tangible case studies, a deep insight is provided into this paradigm shift cutting across various aircraft segments – from General Aviation to Large Aircraft. Addressing design constraints and timelines foreseen to reach acceptable performance and maturity levels, Fundamentals of Electric Aircraft puts forward a general view of the progress made to date and what to expect in the years to come. Drawing from the expertise of four industry veterans, Pascal Thalin (editor), Ravi Rajamani, Jean-Charles Mare and Sven Taubert (contributors), it addresses futuristic approaches but does not depart too far from the operational down-to-earth realities of everyday business.

The environmental impact of hydrocarbon-burning aircraft is one of the main motivations for the move to electric propulsion in aerospace. Also, cars, buses, and trucks are incorporating electric or hybrid-electric propulsion systems, reducing the pressure on hydrocarbons and lowering the costs of electrical components. The economies of scale necessitated by the automotive industry will help contain costs in the aviation sector as well. The use of electric propulsion in airplanes is not a new phenomenon. However, it is only recently that it has taken off in a concrete manner with a viable commercial future. The Electric Flight Technology: Unfolding of a New Future reviews the history of this field, discusses the key underlying technologies, and describes how the future for these technologies will likely unfold, distinguishing between all-electric (AE) and hybrid-electric (HE) architectures. Written by Dr.

The aerospace ecosystem is a complex system of systems comprising of many stakeholders in exchanging technical, design, development, certification, operational, and maintenance data across the different lifecycle stages of an aircraft from concept, engineering, manufacturing, operations, and maintenance to its disposal. Many standards have been developed to standardize and improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and security of the data transfer processes in the aerospace ecosystem. There are still challenges in data transfer due to the lack of standards in certain areas and lack of awareness and implementation of some standards. G-31 standards committee of SAE International has conducted a study on the available digital data standards in aircraft asset life cycle to understand the current and future landscapes of the needed digital data standards and identify gaps. This technical paper presents the study conducted by the G-31 technical committee.

The propulsion system is arguably the most critical part of the aircraft; it certainly is the single most expensive component of the vehicle. Ensuring that engines operate reliably without major maintenance issues is an important goal for all operators, military or commercial. Engine health management (EHM) is a critical piece of this puzzle and has been a part of the engine maintenance for more than five decades. In fact, systematic condition monitoring was introduced for engines before it was applied to other systems on the aircraft. Diagnostics and Prognostics of Aerospace Engines is a collection of technical papers from the archives of SAE International, which introduces the reader to a brief history of EHM, presents some examples of EHM functions, and outlines important future trends.

Aerospace systems today are generating a lot of data and for the most part all this data is being generated by siloed entities (by various stakeholders like components/sub-system manufacturers, OEMs, operators) and ends up living within the four walls of these individual entities. For the industry to fully benefit from this data there needs to be a transparent way to share this data while strictly controlling the proprietary nature of the data and adhering to all contracts. The SAE HM-1 technical committee is writing an aerospace information report (AIR) 6904 to describe a digital data landscape and approach that can support health management [1]. Integrated vehicle health management (IVHM) systems cut across many disciplines and boundaries and can benefit from structured landscape and well defined approach.

Condition-Based Maintenance in Aviation: The History, The Business and The Technology describes the history and practice of Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) systems by showcasing ten technical papers from the archives of SAE International, stretching from the dawn of the jet age down to the present times. By scientifically understanding how different components degrade during operations, it is possible to schedule inspections, repairs, and overhauls at appropriate intervals so that any incipient failure can be detected well in advance. Today, this includes more sensors and analytics so that periodic inspections are replaced by automated "continuous" inspections, and analytical methods that detect imminent failures and predict degradation issues more economically and efficiently. Similar concepts are also being developed for delivering prognostics functions, such as tracking of remaining useful life (RUL) of life-limited parts in aircraft engines.