Business Jet Loads Data Acquisition
University of North Dakota
Proposal and Statement of Work
Operational Loads Monitoring of Business Jets
Abstract:
Due to increased popularity, advance in technology and the fallout effect of the five-year recession/depression in the airline industry, business jets are being produced, sold and operated with greater frequency. The demands for safe and economic operations have created a need to quantify the effects of aging of these aircraft by measuring the loads and comparing the data with certification criteria and the original design. This has historically been accomplished by analyzing raw data downloaded from Digital Flight Data Recorders. Latest generation affordable flight recorders, or �flight reconstruction systems,� record GPS position and utilize post-flight processing to produce airspeed, pitch and bank angle, load factor, and a number of other parameters that could prove useful in flight operations quality assurance [�FOQA�], accident investigation, maintenance monitoring, training, risk assessment and many other applications.
University of North Dakota
Proposal and Statement of Work
Operational Loads Monitoring of Business Jets
Abstract:
Due to increased popularity, advance in technology and the fallout effect of the five-year recession/depression in the airline industry, business jets are being produced, sold and operated with greater frequency. The demands for safe and economic operations have created a need to quantify the effects of aging of these aircraft by measuring the loads and comparing the data with certification criteria and the original design. This has historically been accomplished by analyzing raw data downloaded from Digital Flight Data Recorders. Latest generation affordable flight recorders, or �flight reconstruction systems,� record GPS position and utilize post-flight processing to produce airspeed, pitch and bank angle, load factor, and a number of other parameters that could prove useful in flight operations quality assurance [�FOQA�], accident investigation, maintenance monitoring, training, risk assessment and many other applications.
Introduction:
The aviation industry has long been concerned with many operational and safety variables, which can be analyzed and used to assess aircraft design and structure of airframes Usage data from typical operations can offer insights into the safety, aerodynamics, aircraft performance, and useful life spans of those platforms. For commercial airliners and military aircraft, programs such as Flight Operations Quality Assurance have been implemented to monitor many aspects of pilot and aircraft performance. Similar programs for assessing airframe lives are not widely available in the general aviation community, if they exist at all. The data provided by digital flight recorders are very useful and provide unique information on the performance of that particular aircraft. For the business jet operators, it is of even greater importance to acquire and analyze the data for a wide variety of types and models that are being introduced to the fleet already equipped with digital flight recorders. The systematic acquisition of data from these aircraft that are delivered equipped with sensors and other performance monitoring equipment, as well as aircraft that can be so equipped for purposes of this study, will enable the researchers to quantify and analyze the stresses over the lifespan of these airframes as they are flown at high altitudes, airspeeds and numbers of cycles. The collected data will be used to supplement the existing database of transport aircraft usage so as to continuously validate and update flight and landing load airworthiness certification standards on the basis of actual measured usage.
Research Design and Statement of Work:
Under the guidance of the Federal Aviation administration and with the help and cooperation of aircraft owners and operators, the statistical data characterizing the operations of business jets will be acquired by downloading and analyzing raw data from digital flight data recorders over fixed periods of time. Some newer business jet models are entering service in the U.S. equipped with DFDR�s, making them prime candidates for inclusion in the FAA�s research efforts. The flight parameters recorded are listed in CFR Part121 Appendix B or Appendix M, depending on the airplane�s date of manufacture. These business jet owners/operators will be approached to volunteer their aircraft for inclusion in this study, and appropriate nondisclosure agreements will be negotiated between the owners and the universities responsible for collecting and analyzing the data. The operator would have the right to review all results. The collected data is expected to reveal critical information about the external loads to which aircraft components are subjected during normal flight operations. The resulting data base will be utilized to analyze aircraft usage patterns and to update flight and landing load airworthiness certification standards based upon actual measured values. It is anticipated that data from a minimum of 5,000-10,000 flight hours per aircraft type will be necessary to secure meaningful results. Three different aircraft types in three size categories will be selected for study. The industry partner [owner/operator] will be one whose fleet is already equipped with DFDRs or similar devices so that there will be no necessity for installation of monitoring equipment or the cost of acquiring Supplemental Type Certificates
The University of North Dakota�s tasks will consist of the acquisition of operational usage data in a format selected by Wichita State University and assisting WSU with the statistical analysis. UND�s role will primarily be to secure access to the aircraft selected for the study and ensure the integrity of the data acquisition process [identifying and preserving the data, maintaining confidentiality, liaison with the owner/operators] and negotiating and administering any payments to the owner/operators that may become necessary to carry out the study. WSU will take the lead in the data reduction and the statistical analysis, and both universities will endeavor to utilize graduate students as much as possible to perform all of these tasks.
Expected Result:
With the assistance of the Federal Aviation Administration, this investigation will focus on providing typical usage data for use in determining the lifespan of various business/corporate jets and determine the current status of airframes in service for the past 5, 10, 15 and 20 years.
Throughout the investigation, the CGAR members will have access to the actual data and only the results of the analysis will be provided to the FAA. Confidentiality will be provided to those participants who volunteer their aircraft during the study. Additional operators/owners whose aircraft are not equipped with digital flight recorders but who agree to the use of their aircraft in this study may have the appropriate monitoring equipment installed in their aircraft on a temporary basis, with the understanding that it will be removed at the conclusion of the study. The researchers will endeavor to study aircraft already equipped with DFDRs, to minimize costs. The FAA will use these data to assess/reassess the technical basis for regulations and advisory circulars. Manufacturers may use these data to update fatigue and damage tolerance loads on the current fleet and to provide accurate fatigue and damage tolerance loads for repair of existing airframes and design of new ones. The airline industry and the corporate aviation community will also have access to the data to improve maintenance and operational procedures, as well as to provide insight into future service problems.
Lastly, the general public is benefited by enhanced levels of safety derived from increased knowledge of commercial aircraft operational service usage as measured by actual operations.
The period of performance will begin with the award of funding and will be evaluated on an annual basis. Continued research will be based on both research results and continued FAA funding availability. It is anticipated that the study can be completed in two years.