WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A technology enabling drones to conduct pre-flight checks of commercial airplanes has been developed in the U.S.
Before commercial airliners are deemed safe to fly before each trip, a pre-flight inspection must be completed. This process can take up to four hours, and can involve workers climbing around the plane to check for any issues, which can sometimes result in safety mishaps as well as diagnosis errors.
Using the new technology, drones can fly around a commercial airliner and gather inspection data in less than 30 minutes. The drone can autonomously fly around an aircraft to complete the inspection by following a computer-programmed task card based on the Federal Aviation Administration's rules for commercial aircraft inspection. The card shows the flight path the drone's software needs to take, enabling aircraft workers with a new tool to increase safety and efficiency.
The photos collected from the drone are shared and analyzed remotely, that allows experts in the airline maintenance field to support repair decisions faster from any location. New images can be compared to old images to look for cracks, popped rivets, leaks, and other common issues.
The user can ask the system to create alerts if an area needs to be inspected again or fails an inspection.
The drone-enabled solution to bolster commercial readiness was developed by a small business called Near Earth Autonomy, with funding provided by NASA and The Boeing Company.
Near Earth Autonomy estimates that using drones for aircraft inspection can save the airline industry an average of $10,000 per hour of lost earnings during unplanned time on the ground.
Over the last six years, Near Earth Autonomy's business unit Proxim completed several rounds of test flights with their drone system on Boeing aircraft used by American Airlines and Emirates Airlines.
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