Automated Aircraft Inspections Will Soon Be Commonplace For Airlines
By Ben Baldanza
“Aircraft are regularly inspected for a lot of reasons. Pilots do a walk-around before each flight, and when the plane is having maintenance done a much more detailed inspection is often made. Inspections can discover problems on the surface of the plane, like bird damage, pits, or cracks. It can also discover issues not immediately visible with scanning. Doing a complete inspection takes many hours and can be a bit dangerous, as inspectors must use support to see on the top of the fuselage or bend over to see lower parts of the aircraft. This a labor and time intensive activity.”
“Aircraft inspections today are generally performed by trained mechanics, who know what to look for and can diagnose the severity of issues found. Because of the size of most modern commercial airplanes, usually several people work at the same time, and scaffolding or upper bridges in a hangar allow views of the top of the fuselage and wings. Sophisticated scanning techniques are used to identify cracks or fissures that aren’t visible. This is an important process that is part of an overall safety program.”
“The advantages of automating this work are obvious. First, a set of cameras can do better than human eyes to detect issues. I have a car that will parallel park itself, and the first few times using this feature makes for nervous events. But then you realize that the car’s many eyes, placed all around the vehicle, are much better the than your own two eyes and so while it looks like you may hit the car in front of you, your car is actually well positioned. In the same way, a properly programmed set of cameras can see everything inspectors need to see, and more.”
“Further, the speed with which the drone can work, and the independence with which it can fly, makes the inspection process happen much more quickly. No bridges, scaffolds, or risk of physical danger in the process. Just a complete scan that takes a lot less time and is much more accurate.”
Baldanza, B. (2023). “Automated Aircraft Inspections Will Soon Be Commonplace For Airlines”. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/benbaldanza/2023/06/12/automated-aircraft-inspections-will-soon-be-commonplace-for-airlines/?sh=79a66319f9d5