Planes are one of the most complex inventions in the history of mankind. They are massive, weigh thousands of tons, and can take hundreds of people worldwide in a single flight. To do this safely and effectively, however, countless systems are set up to support aircraft. The electronic systems inside the planes, which are there to help with communication, navigation, taking off, landing, etc., are integral, and they’ve been given the name of avionics, which stands for aviation electronics.
It’s equally as important to test these tools before takeoff. The test equipment used for avionics has made great advancements in the last few years. Let’s read on and find out more about testing equipment in avionics.
Integrated test platforms
The way avionics test equipment works is that it runs some scenarios for the aircraft being tested. This way, the plane’s response to things like bad weather or low visibility can be tested. In the past, this kind of testing could only be used for a few components, making testing inefficient and resource intensive. However, now that you can integrate test platforms, operators can fold several simulations and scenarios into one, testing every component that they need at one time, reducing energy and resource use, and increasing efficiency massively. This greatly reduces downtime and prepares planes’ flights as soon as possible.
Increased automation
A bottleneck is an industrial term and refers to a single component or step in a process that is so slow that it slows the overall timetable down. In avionics testing, the bottleneck is usually the manual input, as operators are much slower at operating than software. With the help of improved software and computer technology, increased automation has allowed testing equipment to run many simulations at once or back-to-back to test every component that needs testing as soon as possible. The reduction in downtime is especially useful in busy airports that need their plane’s flights ready as soon as possible.
BIST testing
BIST, or built-in self-test, is another recent invention that has massively increased efficiency and reduced the maintenance period of aircraft. Some manufacturers are offering built-in testing and diagnostic software in their avionics equipment, and this is what BIST refers to. Operators will get notified automatically if a component is damaged or functional, as long as it has BIST baked in. This extra information means that no resources get wasted on the components that are operating at full health.
Stress tests are possible
As previously mentioned, one of the main ways operators test planes is by running simulations, in which the plane will experience physical things similar to what it would face in a real flight scenario. However, this always had some limitations as, in the past, technology could never completely mimic real-world scenarios and difficulties. With modern technology, operators have been able to produce better stress tests. Stress tests are tests in which a lot of energy is used to create an adverse situation for the plane, including extremely raised temperatures and pressures in the cabin and the engine. This way, companies can finally see how well their planes will perform in crises and, most importantly, whether or not the black box inside will survive.
Standalone testing equipment
Testing is one of the most time and resource-intensive parts of owning and maintaining a plane. In the past, most testing equipment has not allowed operators to test one component. Instead, they test an entire system or group of components. With the invention of standalone testing equipment, operators can ignore the equipment that they know is fully functional and instead single out and test only the malfunctioning equipment, which saves a lot of time and resources.
Conclusion
Planes should be one of the most terrifying forms of transport invented. Passengers travel hundreds of meters up in the air, above the clouds, and the only thing separating them from gravity is a few layers of steel.
However, aviation has been one of the safest, most trusted, and most reliable forms of transport for one reason: testing. Every single facet of the plane has to be tested to ensure that it’s flight ready, especially the avionics. Due to this strictness, if you’re in the business of maintaining aircraft, it may be in your best interests to get newer testing equipment for avionics.
