Discussing generational change between aircraft models and families is only possible with hindsight. Yet, as we sit at the end of the fourth generation of jet aircraft — the fly-by-wire generation — we can already see what will categorise the next: the connected digital aircraft will be the fifth generation of commercial jet aircraft.
An Airbus chart [PDF, p15] outlines the history of the first four generations:
- The first generation made up the early commercial jets from the 1950s to the mid-1960s: the Boeing 707, Douglas DC-8, and so on.
- The second generation added integrated auto-flight, including more elaborate auto-pilot and auto-throttle, like the Boeing 727 and pre-400 747s, the Lockheed L-1011 and Douglas DC-10, roughly between the mid-60s to 1980.
- The third generation, in the early to mid 1980s, introduced glass flight decks and flight management systems, with electronic flight deck displays, better navigation performance and terrain avoidance systems, and are the generation presently retired or on the way out: the Airbus A310, Boeing 757 and 767, and the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and MD-90.
- The fourth generation is fly-by-wire, starting in the late 1980s and including the A320, A330/340, 777, and others, which also include safety technologies like flight envelope protection.
It seems now that we can identify a fifth generation: the connected aircraft, characterised by being designed from the ground up to take advantage of the kind of inflight connectivity that began in the late 2000s, where realtime broadband communication to and from the aircraft became a reality.
“Over the history of aviation,” Inmarsat Aviation senior vice president of technology Kurt Weidemeyer tells us, “the industry has experienced unparalleled developments — from hand and light signals, to radio, to radar transmissions through satcom with GPS.”
“Each step in the journey has brought new opportunities in operations and airspace management,” Weidemeyer explains.
Indeed, that kind of operational and off-aircraft improvement is one of the main benefits of connectivity. And as a proportion of the benefits, it is growing to match the passenger experience benefits of no longer being isolated 40,000 feet up.
Explains Weidemeyer, “Broadband-enabled operations will save fuel, reduce delays and facilitate more efficient maintenance. Satcom-based safety means better communications, navigation and surveillance and ultimately enables air traffic control infrastructure to safely increase the number of planes in a given airspace to meet ever-growing demand.”
But when considering connectivity and how to implement the connected aircraft, there are several key considerations, says IATA, the International Air Transport Association. Perry Flint, its head of corporate communications, tells us that the airline trade association focusses on three sets of elements to realise the nascent benefits of connectivity:
- data access, driving safety, situational awareness and operational efficiency
- communications, including inflight weather, live electronic tech logging, and updated NOTAMs
- integration, including ensuring that disparate applications work together
“Older aircraft had few sensors and systems on board to collect data,” Flint tells us. “The development of sensor technologies and computing power have increased by orders of magnitude during the last decade for the new aircraft types: the 787, A350, A320neo, 737 MAX, and A220.”
“With these aircraft, the development of networks allowed for automated data retrieval when the aircraft is on the ground. Certain data can now be transferred during flight; however, this is still limited due to delays into implementing such technologies as funding and economies of scale are slowly developing,” Flint says.
The connected aircraft brings both passenger and operational benefits
Of course, many operational benefits — smoother flights, more on time arrivals, fewer maintenance delays, more reliable seats and cabins — also make for better passenger experience.
In terms of the benefits, says Weidemeyer, “for passenger services, inflight broadband will improve the onboard experience and unlock new ancillary revenue streams.”
As that onboard experience has evolved — in the last thirty years from looped seatback channels to on-demand and now inflight streaming video, including to passengers’ own devices — so has the range of things passengers can do with it. It’s not just about sending a quick message or streaming a movie: it’s online shopping, two-screening some entertainment, remaining in nearly constant contact with family, friends or the office, and maintaining our online lives nearly eight miles in the sky.
“Beyond passenger experience, inflight wifi also brings opportunities for airlines’ revenue generation,” Weidemeyer suggests. “Although we are seeing a growing appetite for investment in this area, over the next five to ten years more emphasis needs to be placed on ancillary revenue generation.”
Working towards more integration and interoperability will be crucial
The benefits to connected aircraft are many and diverse, with a wide spectrum of implications towards cost, service, and interoperability that depend on them making the right call. Fundamentally, these implications are a structural weakness for aviation. Aircraft capital investment timescales mean that real, functional interoperability must be a priority going forwards.
Some of this is the modern digital philosophy behind apps, SDKs and APIs, allowing the use of a variety of data in specific, targeted ways.
As one example, Flint highlights a NASA-developed app for electronic flight bags, called TASAR (Traffic Aware Strategic Requests), explaining that “the application takes in information from onboard avionics and external sources, including ADS-B In, traffic and weather from connectivity services to suggest alternative routing or altitude to reduce flight time or fuel burn. An analysis of 1,500 US airline flights conducted in 2012 indicated that the proposed route changes would save around 2.4 million gallons of fuel equivalent to US $10.3 million.”
More widely, and in a more interoperable future, we can look forward to SWIM, the System-Wide Information Management ecosystem that allows realtime information exchange from the aircraft to the ground — and to other aircraft. This makes shared, agreed information much easier to obtain, and facilitates decisions based on the most accurate, up-to-date data.
Benefits off the aircraft need to be considered too
There are, of course, challenges to all this. “Modern aircraft generate huge quantities of data second by second,” Weidemeyer explains. “For example, the Airbus A350 produces four gigabytes per flying hour. Yet, to leverage its maximum impact, it is vital to identify what data is useful, and when and where it should be delivered.”
Fundamentally, Weidemeyer says, “the full value of passenger information data, technical fault reports, engine performance reports and other similar data can’t be realised if the information isn’t conveyed in real-time as the aircraft flies. With today’s improved connectivity, aircraft can communicate what needs to happen on the ground long before the plane reaches its destination.”
And this means concrete improvement to passenger experience and to operations along the way.
“Connected aircraft will digitally transform the way airlines operate,” Weidemeyer says. “Paperless cabin crew briefings and the ability to report technical faults before the plane lands mean airport turnarounds become more efficient and more likely to stay on schedule. A connected fleet that provides constant engine and systems performance intelligence across the world enables airlines to make better-prepared, more strategic decisions about asset utilisation – and predictive maintenance can be based on more timely insight. A connected Electronic Flight Bag can give pilots detailed, visualised information about aircraft performance, avoid bad weather conditions and save fuel.”
And new technologies are on the horizon too: low earth orbit constellations of satellites are likely to transform the cost restrictions, while automated requests from the aircraft for predictive maintenance are well within the reach of today’s technology stack.
Author: John Walton
Published: 8th March 2022
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