A small company called Near Earth Autonomy has developed a time-saving solution using drones for pre-flight checks of commercial airliners as part of a NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and partnership with The Boeing Company.
Before commercial airliners are deemed safe to fly before each trip, a pre-flight inspection must be performed. This process can take up to four hours and can involve workers climbing around the plane to check for any problems, which can sometimes lead to safety issues as well as misdiagnoses.
With funding from NASA and Boeing to strengthen commercial readiness, Near Earth Autonomy has developed, as part of its Proxim business unit, a drone-based solution capable of flying over a commercial airliner and collecting data inspection in less than 30 minutes. The drone can fly autonomously around an aircraft to perform the inspection following a computer-programmed task sheet based on Federal Aviation Administration rules for inspecting commercial aircraft. The map shows the flight path that the drone software should follow, giving aviation workers a new tool to increase safety and efficiency.
“NASA has worked with Near Earth Autonomy on autonomous inspection challenges in several areas,” says Danette Allen, senior manager for autonomous systems at NASA.
“We are excited to see this technology expand into the industry to increase the efficiency, safety and accuracy of the aircraft inspection process for the greater public benefit.” »
Photos collected by the drone are shared and analyzed remotely, allowing airline maintenance experts to make repair decisions faster from any location. New images can be compared to old images to look for cracks, burst rivets, leaks and other common problems.
The user can instruct the system to create alerts if an area needs to be re-inspected or if an inspection fails. Near Earth Autonomy estimates that using drones for aircraft inspection can save the airline industry an average of $10,000 per hour of lost revenue during unscheduled periods on the ground.
Over the past six years, Near Earth Autonomy has conducted several rounds of test flights with its drone system on Boeing aircraft used by American Airlines and Emirates Airlines.
from NASA Small Business Innovation Research/Technology Transfer for Small Businesses The program, managed by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, aims to strengthen American ingenuity by supporting innovative ideas proposed by small businesses to meet the needs of NASA and industry. These research needs are outlined in the annual SBIR solicitations and target technologies that have significant potential for successful commercialization.
Small businesses with 500 or fewer employees, or small businesses partnering with a nonprofit research institution such as a university or research laboratory, may apply to participate in the NASA SBIR/STTR program.