Aircraft IT Operations V1.7 by The Magazine Production Company

V1.7 • AUTUMN 2012

FUEL MANAGEMENT

Technology makes in-flight control feasible

SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

Which way works best?

HELLO, HELLO!

Better communications support better business

The move to iPad Making the change; making it work

White Papers: Lufthansa Consulting, Aviation42 Case Studies: Aerologic, Air Canada. Vendor Flight Log: Arconics. PLUS: The World according to IT & Me, News, Webinars, Operations Software Directory, Vacancies, Upload Tender and Dictionary of Acronyms…

TopWings. Scalable networked solutions to help make the right decisions. Maximum IT security? Turnkey EFB solution?

An ultra-secure Electronic Flight Bag solution based on Thales’ expertise in protected networks

Customised full integration of hardware, software, communication and third party applications

Improved flight safety? Real-time information reducing errors and enhancing crew awareness

Greener airlines?

Optimised operations, paperless cockpit and reduced CO2 emissions

Running an airline successfully demands a very high level of operational efficiency. TopWings® by Thales, is a brand new Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) solution which integrates hardware and software seamlessly, streamlines operational efficiency and significantly reduces operational costs. It is a global solution that delivers the right information to the right people at the right time, transforming the aircraft into a communication node of the airline’s information system. Thales takes on the overall responsibility of implementing the EFB programme too – making it hassle-free for airlines and allowing a fast return on their investment. Best in class, TopWings is a customisable, modular solution that helps key decision makers master complexity and make timely decisions for better outcomes. To learn more about our Electronic Flight Bag solution, scan the QR code or email topwings@thalesgroup.com or visit thalesgroup.com

Operational cost savings? Significant savings on time, fuel and maintenance

04 Latest News and Technology updates

The world never stands still; and those working in Aircraft Operations IT know that more than most. The trick is to keep up to date which is easy if you check regularly on www.aircraftit.com/operations and here in the AircraftIT Operations e-journal.

Editor’s comment

10 WHITE PAPER: Fuel management: a piece of cake or an art?

Aircraft IT Operations: keeping the world turning; doing a more effective job by deploying the best IT systems and solutions. Presidents and prime ministers come and go; stock markets rise and fall; currencies weaken and strengthen; and people are happy or unhappy. Whether the news is good, bad or indifferent, one place that always seems busy is the airport. We live in a global economy where businesses stretch across and between continents and where the largest commercial and manufacturing programs increasingly have to involve more than one business. Where emerging economies don’t simply wish to buy but to be involved in the making of what they buy and where established economies seek the investment and fresh ideas that newcomers can bring to the table. None of this would be possible without commercial aviation. The operations side of commercial aviation is one of the most complex businesses. Logistics, regulations, crew training and rostering, matching aircraft to the task, fuel management and route planning, contingency planning, weight and balance, catering, security, passenger entertainment and welfare … like you, I could fill a book on what has to be done. Which is why Aircraft Operations IT is so important; could you imagine the amount of paper needed to fly one aircraft on one sector, let alone thousands of aircraft on tens of thousands of sectors every day? One effect of this is that Operations IT systems are also complex in more ways than one. First of all, there are different systems to support various parts of the Aircraft Operations process and then, with several generations of software already installed, information might need to be sourced not from the system using it today but from the legacy system that first generated and recorded it. To help you see through the complexity, this issue includes our usual comprehensive round-up of the latest news: it also includes articles on upgrading capability and using the opportunity to move to the latest generation of equipment. We look at how better technology and systems have made in-flight fuel management viable and the best way to integrate multiple systems. You’ll also enjoy your regular view of the world according to IT and Paul Saunders. And, of course, information about the Aircraft IT live demonstration webinars; allowing readers to research the software package most appropriate for their needs and access past webinars while, of course, future webinars are open for every reader who registers. Aircraft IT Operations: a world of information for the people who’ll use it best. Ed Haskey Editor

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of their companies or of the publisher. The publisher does not guarantee the source, originality, accuracy, completeness or reliability of any statement, information, data, finding, interpretation, advice, opinion, or view presented.

COVER IMAGE: ©AIRBUS SAS 2012, photo by exm Company P. Masclet

15 COLUMN: The World according to IT & Me!

The Consumerisation of Software with Paul Saunders Popular software packages, such those that as the social media use, work because they achieve what they want to achieve in a fashion that users find accessible – it’s called the consumerisation of software and program designers should take more note of it.

16 Upcoming webinar: Your chance to attend a convenient and free live Operations software demonstration webinar.

Previews of live software demonstration Webinars for Smart4Aviation’s iPad EFB solution on 25th October and Fuel Plus’ fuel efficiency solution on 8th November.

18 CASE STUDY: Much more than a new EFB

Wolfgang Sperber, Administrator EFB and Operations, AeroLogic and Jürgen Gläser, Product Manager, T&A Systeme When Aerologic decided to upgrade the IT capacity and capability of its crews, rather than simply renew a previously used Laptop based system, the airline decided to take the plunge and switch to an iPad based solution.

20 Past webinars: knowledge transfer and access for industry experts

See full information and view video recordings of past Live Operations Software Demonstrations, including: AvioVision, SDS, BYTRON and Navtech.

24 Upload Tender

Whatever software solution you are looking for, this Tender upload feature will allow you to reach out to all the major Vendors at once.

26 WHITE PAPER: Integrated systems or integrate your systems

Ingunn Ingimars, IT Consultant at Aviation42 Operating an aviation business requires dozens, if not hundreds, of IT systems that, while their functions differ, will use the same data; so data consistency is important; but how can it best be achieved?

28 VENDOR FLIGHT LOG: Niall O’Sullivan shares with us what has made and continues to make Arconics work CLICK HERE: Send your feedback and suggestions to AircraftIT OPS

AircraftIT OPS is published bi-monthly and is an affiliate of Aircraft Commerce and part of the AviationNextGen Ltd group. The entire contents within this publication © Copyright 2012 AviationNextGen Ltd an independent publication and not affiliated with any of the IT vendors or suppliers. Content may not be reproduced without the strict written agreement of the publisher.

Gesine Varfis, Managing Consultant at Lufthansa Consulting Whereas in-flight fuel management was once considered too much to do, the combination of more sophisticated Cost Index calculations, better technology and better systems now makes it feasible.

CLICK HERE: Subscribe for free

AircraftIT Operations

Publisher/Editor: E-mail: Telephone: Website: Copy Editor/Contributor: Magazine Production: E-mail:

Ed Haskey ed.haskey@aircraft-commerce.com +44 1403 230 700 or +44 1273 700 555 www.aircraftIT.com John Hancock Dean Cook deancook@magazineproduction.com

In the latest of our Q&A pieces, we ask Niall O’Sullivan, CEO at Arconics, to let Aircraft IT readers leaf through his ‘Vendor Flight Log’.

32 CASE STUDY: Speaking a common language

Douglas Bernie, Manager, Airline Operations IT, Air Canada Air Canada had to update Operations communications capability to match an evolving business environment; this is what they did, how they did it and how it worked.

35 Your next career step

Find out about current and future vacancies for people like you in the sector where your experience and skills are valued most.

36 Operations Software directory

A detailed look at the world’s leading Operations IT systems.

4 | NEWS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2012

Two new software solutions providers Flybe’s training records streamlined with EFOS join Aircraft IT Operations vendor group AircraftIT is very pleased to announce the inclusion of two new solution providers to the publication’s growing panel of vendors. NVable (pronounced ‘enviable’) was founded as a specialist software development consultancy creating bespoke solutions that allow customers to exploit the full value of their operational data. The firm now also offers its own software products, including the recently launched NVable Electronic Technical Log (ETL), Appixo™ – a platform that combines large scale data handling with a framework to support multiple mobile data acquisition applications. ACFT PERFO. With years of experience in support of the aviation industry, ACFT PERFO has acquired a solid know-how in the implementation and management of electronic flight bags and related datas and softwares. Tools designed and developed by ACFT PERFO are amongst the best solutions on the market to reduce costs and improve operation processes. Aircraft IT editor and publisher, Ed Haskey, welcomed the new vendors to the panel, saying that, “It is our close associations with great vendors such as these two that ensure our readers always have access to excellent and pertinent information.”

At the beginning of October 2012, Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, selected EFOS from Evoke Systems to provide electronic crew training records in a strategic move away from paper based records. Maintaining paper training records for 700 pilots and 900 cabin crew geographically dispersed over the UK had become manually intensive, cumbersome and a potentially error prone process for Flybe. Confirmation of training and check statuses under a complex regulatory regime was a continuous challenge. It was clear that the adoption of electronic training records was essential to Flybe’s growth plans. The selection and introduction of EFOS has delivered not only an immediate and huge potential cost saving but also a significant improvement in the efficiency of the training process. Steve Deverall, Training Standards Manager at Flybe comments that, “EFOS has significantly reduced the burden of paper while speeding up and improving our training processes. Also, by blending training feedback, actual experience and regulatory compliance, EFOS has certainly met the needs of our ATQP [Alternative Training and Qualification Programme] for

iPads serving the needs of flight safety Air France announced in late September 2012 that it is the first major European airline to equip its 4,100 pilots with an iPad digital tablet. Boeing 777- qualified pilots have been using it on a daily basis since June, and all the Company’s pilots will be equipped by summer 2013. To explain more about the program, here is an interview with Sébastien VEIGNEAU, First Officer on B777 and iPad project pilot correspondent.

What are the advantages of using this tablet? The Flight Operations Division and the Air France IT Systems Division have been working together with Apple to personalize this tool and adapt it especially for our pilots. It will simplify access to information, notably for consulting regulatory documentation, and facilitate our communication channels within the Company. Starting in 2013, iPad will offer training and refresher e-learning modules, i.e., aircraft system revision, selfservice briefings, flight path and airfield recognition. With this tool, Air France has chosen to promote use of new technologies and is the first European airline to equip its pilots. Why equip Air France pilots with an iPad in a time of economic crisis? In its transformation plan, Air France has systematically asserted that investments in flight safety would be preserved. With this iPad, which we call the ‘Pilot Pad’, we are favoring innovation and simplicity in reaching the highest possible standards in flight safety.

flexibility in pilots’ simulator training.” The installation of EFOS, starting in May 2012, has already delivered positive returns. With the continued and planned expansion at Flybe the training administration task can now be fulfilled without the need for additional headcount. Flybe has also enjoyed very positive feedback from users; Steve Deverall again; “People don’t usually like change but EFOS has been very well received from the start.”

How can its roll-out contribute to improving flight safety? This new tool is exclusively reserved for personal use on the ground and replaces the laptop PC used by Air France pilots over the past four years. Its main assets are the simplicity, rapidity and easier access to documentation it provides and which make a significant contribution to strengthening flight safety. The Company, which had been using in-house documentation up to date, has, like most other airlines, opted to use the documentation provided by manufacturers Airbus and Boeing, benefiting from other operators’ feedback. By replacing the paper documentation distributed to each pilot, the iPad allows pilots to consult and update all the operational documentation they need in electronic format. Pilots can download the manuals of their choice by accessing an online library and store them in electronic libraries. The pilots are automatically informed whenever information is modified in a manual: they simply have to carry out the update by Wi-Fi wherever they are in the world. A mapping function allowing the pilots to consult airfield information sheets is also available. A Pilot Store has also been created offering specific applications designed for pilots, most of which have been developed by Air France. You are constantly on the move. How will this tool improve communication with the company? Yes, this is another advantage of the iPad, to facilitate communication processes by writing, typing and sending reports (Air Safety Report, Captain’s Report, Security Report) at the end of flight in the form of ‘e-forms’, providing instant feedback which is essential to improve flight safety. The user can also access the company intranet, offering specific online sites and services for pilots, as well as send and receive emails via the company email. Will Air France be putting iPads to any other kind of use? Yes of course! The Company is currently testing the use of digital tablets for some ground staff to improve the quality of information provided to customers, especially at peak periods. Initial feedback is encouraging. At the same time, Air France is also working to replace paper documentation on board with an electronic format thanks to another adapted tool (the Electronic Flight Bag) which will ultimately save weight and therefore fuel and CO2 emissions.

AUTUMN 2012 | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | NEWS | 5

PPS8 is here

AIR SUPPORT A/S announce at the beginning of October 2012 the release of PPS8 – the successor to the established PPS Flight Planning software. PPS8 Flight Planning System is rolling out and features a ground breaking new user interface. This new interface is designed with the user in mind pushing the limits of flight planning. PPS8 effectively delivers efficiency by putting information where customers need it – when it’s needed. • On-the-fly background recalculation – see results instantly. • Detachable information panels – customize the overview. • Can be viewed on dual-screens or even triple monitors. • Open as many flight plans you want – simultaneously. … and much more. Building on the well-known precision of the PPS Flight Planning calculation engine, PPS8 delivers the same exact detailed operational flight logs and does it with much higher ease of use. PPS8 features an innovative approach to the interface, providing results as soon as you type. And by letting the user choose where and what information to show, PPS8 lets users focus on the planning process – putting the workload on the machine and the overview on the screen. AIR SUPPORT A/S is offering customers to migrate from PPS7 to the new PPS8 Flight Panning System. The software is delivered to existing customers free of charge.

New appointment to AvioVision’s commercial team

In mid-August 2012, AvioVision announces the appointment of Knut Aabö as Commercial Director as of August 6, 2012. Aabö was previously Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing at Navaero. “The expansion of our commercial team further strengthens our ability to meet the needs of our customers,” said Kris Van den Bergh, CEO of AvioVision. “Knut brings more than 20 years of professional Aviation experience into the company. If anybody understands this complex and highly competitive industry we’re in, it’s him. I believe that both AvioVision as well as our customers will greatly benefit from this new addition to our team.” At AvioVision Knut Aabö will be responsible for all commercial activities relating to AvioVision’s EFB solution, the AVIOBOOK®. “I am delighted to join AvioVision. At a time when EFB solutions are gaining noticeably more awareness, I could not be more pleased than to be representing [their] EFB solution... “ noted Knut Aabö.

Conduce etechlog reaches 10,000 sector milestone

In the first week of September 2012, the Conduce etechlog reached the milestone of successfully transmitting and receiving the 10,000th sector since go-live at Thomas Cook Airlines in June 2012. That’s around 1000 sectors per week. Thomas Cook use the etechlog on Panasonic Toughbook laptop computers on board all of their aircraft to capture and transmit essential flight operations and engineering data after every flight. After a successful migration of the service from the previous supplier the Conduce etechlog solution is proving to be a reliable and robust service. Work has commenced to re-platform the software onto alternative operating systems such as Android and Windows 8 as well as integration with additional engineering and flight operations systems. Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

6 | NEWS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2012

ETS Aviation puts CO2 and Carbon Trading on a firm footing easyJet selects Aviation FootprinterTM

easyJet announced in mid-September 2012 that it has selected ETS Aviation’s Aviation Footprinter™ emissions data management system to support its Environmental Responsibility Programme and CO2 emissions reporting requirements Taylor Bradbury, easyJets’s Aircraft Operations Support Manager, explained: “Having completed two years of reporting and verification of carbon emissions, we spent considerable time evaluating various options to replace our internal Excel based system. We selected Aviation Footprinter™ because it is a well-designed and cost effective solution, which maximises the efficiency and accuracy of data capture whilst reporting our CO2 emissions. With over 1200 departures per day from 135 airports across Europe, the key

advantages are the ease of error checking, identification of data gaps and the auto reporting functionality, plus we can import emissions directly into the UK Environmental Agency’s portal. This will result in a significant saving in man hours and provides us with a scalable solution for the future.”

ETS Aviation links clients to new Carbon Trading Service

ETS Aviation announced at the outset of October 2012 that it has formed a strategic carbon trading partnership with CF Partners (UK) LLP, the London commodities trading house that specialises in the trading of carbon emissions credits. ETS Aviation’s ‘Carbon ExchangerTM’ will provide airlines and aviation operators with access to the carbon market, irrespective of their size and the volume of credits they are

looking to trade. “We have long held concerns about how some operators would be able to access the carbon market,” said Godfrey Haslehurst, who heads the Marketing for ETS Aviation. “This service, in partnership with CF Partners, will enable all operators of whatever size to buy or sell credits at the click of a button. Alongside our Aviation FuelSaver™ software system that identifies, calculates and monitors fuel saving opportunities and our ETS Aviation Footprinter™ software system that helps clients to monitor, report and verify their carbon emissions, we have the ideal EU ETS solution.” Jonathon Navon, Founding Partner at CF Partners, added: “We are seeing growing demand for EU aviation allowances from airlines and are committed to supporting all operators looking to trade for compliance purposes. CF Partners is working hard alongside our partners ETS Aviation to help develop an efficient and liquid market for aviation allowances, which is essential if airlines are to successfully risk manage their carbon exposure.”

Expanded capability for Flygprestanda’s rebuilt Performance Guru. Now on iPad for EFB!

Flygprestanda announced in early October 2012 that they were releasing a first version of their iPad Performance Guru. This application which has been used by operators on Windows since 2004 is completely rebuilt with a new user interface and adopted for EFB use. It’s a native application which means that it will host performance server and airport data on the iPad without the need for an internet connection to do the calculations. The application may also be provided with an optional Weight and Balance module.

OSyS signs Fuel Management contract renewal with easyJet

easyJet, the UK-based airline, renewed its contract for the OSyS Fuel Management Solution (FMS) in mid-September 2012 for another three years. easyJet was a launch customer for the OSyS (Optimized Systems and Solutions) FMS, which has been instrumental in reporting, measuring and evaluating the fuel savings of the airline’s flight efficiency initiatives. The OSyS FMS continues to evolve to meet the needs of airline operators, offering a better vision of fuel cost controls within the context of their individual operations. Along with the OSyS emissions verification and reporting service, the company’s expertise serves the airlines’ goals of achieving a more sustainable business.

Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

Navtech Electronic Flight Bag Products Nearly 700 aircraft are flying with Navtech software products in their EFBs using components like Navtech Aircraft Performance and Navtech Charts. euroAtlantic airways is the most recent customer to adopt this technology. Visit www.navtech.aero for more product information.

AUTUMN 2012 | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | NEWS | 7

InfoTrust Group launches easy-to-use, structured XML editor

InfoTrust Group announced in early September 2012 the launch of its new, easy-to-use, structured XML editor. Traditional XML editors require users to understand XML coding as well as significant training. Because of this, the benefits of high-quality structured XML have been limited to users willing to make the time and financial commitment required to use these tools. InfoTrust Group aims to provide powerful XML authoring capabilities through a friendly user experience that minimizes the complexities of XML, a simple and intuitive interface, and an editor that is available across multiple platforms, such as Microsoft® Windows®, Mac OS®, and Linux. By providing an

easy-to-use XML authoring environment – and by making it available at a price point lower than other options available today – InfoTrust Group makes XML authoring accessible to a wider user community in line with the needs for broader adoption of XML across multiple industries. InfoTrust Group has acquired Serna Enterprise XML Editor from Syntext, Inc., as its XML tool of choice. Serna challenges traditional XML editing models by letting anyone author valid XML content in a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) environment. It also provides advanced functionality with an easy-to-use tool, is fully based on open standards, and can be easily enhanced and augmented.

Navtech gains a client and AS9100 certification

Navtech and eTripTrader’s automated crew scheduling at Penair

In early September 2012 Navtech and eTripTrader, Inc., announced a multi-year contract with Peninsula Airways, Inc. (PenAir) for a comprehensive and innovative crew management system, SkedFlex. While effectively providing the airline with a customizable and automated crew scheduling solution, SkedFlex will aid PenAir in maintaining compliance with federal rules and company guidelines. SkedFlex is a fully automated and customizable employee management system. Its abilities such as verification of contractual agreements, configuration to manage crew members and trading rules globally, logging in real time, automating shift trading, allow organizations to effectively

utilize the latest technology and compete in the global economy. In addition to streamlining their processes, by utilizing SkedFlex, organizations enjoy substantial savings and provide their employees with a better work-life balance.

2nd Navtech facility earns AS9100 certification

First aviation information technology firm to reach essential quality milestone. In late September 2012 Navtech, Inc was certified to an AS9100 standard by the Canadian official certifying body BSI Group, marking another milestone in the company’s quest for quality excellence. Navtech is the first major aviation information technology provider to earn AS9100 certification, the cornerstone of the aerospace

industry’s initiatives to maintain continually higher standards of safety and reliability. AS9100 was established by SAE International in cooperation with a variety of major aerospace organizations in 1999. Inspired by the well-known ISO9000 quality requirements, it translates these important standards for the aviation industry. It is being quickly embraced industry-wide for its ability to ensure consistently high-quality products and services while keeping manufacturing costs to a minimum. To earn certification, all systems and processes at Navtech’s Waterloo location were subject to intensive third-party audits. Navtech earned the AS9100 certification for its Hersham, United Kingdom office in October 2010 and will continue the certification process for their third production office in Kista, Sweden.

Smart4Aviation Technologies B.V. announces Smart4Aviation Technologies Americas Inc. At the beginning of November 2012, Smart4Aviation Technologies B.V announced the formation of its first U.S. office headquartered in New York City, New York. Commenting on the announcement, Dirk Jan Baas CEO of Smart4Aviation Technologies B.V. stated:

“We are very pleased to be establishing a physical presence in the Americas. It has been a long time coming and we are proud that we are now able to do this with the intent of even higher service levels for our existing and future customers.”

Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

specIaL

OFFER

aIrpOrt dataBase 3 mOnths Free access On a 36 mOnths cOntract sIgned In 2012.

aIrpOrt dataBase

Other prOducts

Worldwide airport database compliant with all EU OPS and FAA regulations.

» YOunOtam

The database, under permanent notam watch-out is made available 24/7 via our secured and user friendly website.

» eFB dashBOard

The database is compliant with all existing formats and our engineers are able to respond to any specific demand in airport study.

» rttO perFOrmance sOFtware

Online Notam Service that fits to your needs One of the most complete and powerful in industry Real time and powerful performance computation tool

For more information, contact

info@acftperfo.com or visit www.acftperfo.com

ACFT_annonce_web.indd 1

10/10/12 10:02

8 | NEWS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2012

BA CityFlyer deploy NVable’s Appixo™ ETL across its fleet

In mid-September 2012, NVable was delighted to announce the deployment of the Appixo™ Electronic Technical Log (ETL) across the entire fleet of aircraft operated by wholly owned British Airways subsidiary BA CityFlyer. The rollout took place earlier in the year and from the first day the ETL was in use on all routes and at all destinations served by the BA CityFlyer fleet. BA CityFlyer makes full use of the Appixo™ hosted platform for data acquisition and analysis to manage and view the real time data gathered from the ETL. In accordance with the regulations governing aviation safety, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reviewed the Appixo™ ETL and approved it for use after confirming that it satisfied the regulatory requirements of the CAA and EASA.

Who’s in the news: Airlines, Aircraft, Operators, OEMs and infrastructure managers

Departamento de Controle do Espaço Aéreo (DECEA)

DECEA is a Brazilian governmental organization to establish security and safe passage of air traffic in its sovereign airspace and, at the same time, ensure its defense with cooperation and sharing arrangements.

easyJet

Who’s in the news: Vendors AIR SUPPORT A/S

Evoke Systems has clients in both the commercial and business aviation sectors operating from the UK, Europe and the Middle East. EFO™ is a web-based crew portal and flight operations management system which can be installed on Portable Electronic Devices (or Electronic Flight Bags).

AvioVision N.V.

Flygprestanda

AvioVision N.V. aims to bring innovative solutions to common problems identified in missioncritical industries (such as aviation), by facilitating integration of technologies in its products, combining them with operational excellence into smart solutions for front line and back-office staff.

The Conduce Group

The Conduce Group is an IT and business services organization providing professional services through IT Services, Consulting and Software divisions. The recent acquisition of Dreamscape Design has further extended the service.

eTripTrader, Inc

Air France

Air France is the French flag carrier, one of the world’s largest airlines and a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group. It operates a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-bodied jets on long-haul routes, and uses Airbus A320 family aircraft on short-haul routes.

BA CityFlyer

BA CityFlyer is a wholly owned subsidiary of British Airways operating a network of UK domestic and European services to twenty destinations from London City airport with a fleet of fourteen aircraft: six 76-seat Embraer 170s and eight 98-seat Embraer 190SR’

CF Partners

CF Partners is a specialised advisory, trading and investments firm active in the renewables, commodities and energy markets with a strategic focus on carbon and clean energy technology, authorized and regulated by the UK FSA.

easyJet flies on more than 600 routes between more than 133 airports in over 30 countries. The airline takes sustainability seriously, and invests in the latest technology, operates efficiently and fills most of its seats.

Flybe

Europe’s largest regional airline, Flybe currently operates a fleet of 57 Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft and 14 Embraer 195 jets with an average age of under three years, making it one of the youngest and most fuel efficient in the world.

Peninsula Airways (PenAir)

Anchorage, Alaska based PenAir operates a 44 strong mixed fleet of Saab 340, Cessna Caravan 208, Piper Saratoga PA32 and PA32R, and Grumman Goose G21-A aircraft to destinations in Alaska and the East Coast.

Evoke Systems

AIR SUPPORT A/S supplies computer based flight planning software systems with integrated web-based CrewBriefing services worldwide to private and commercial business aircraft operators, including regional, charter, cargo, national airlines as well as military/utility operators.

eTripTrader provides automated, customizable, shift trading and employee/crew management systems. eTripTrader’s products allow the company’s clients to employ workplace flexibility as a business strategy rather than an employee perk.

ETS Aviation

ETS Aviation has specialized in fuel‐efficiency programs and emissions data management since 2009. The firm created Aviation FuelSaver™ software and consultancy program having launched a software and consultancy solution, Aviation Footprinter™, for managing EU ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme) requirements.

Flygprestanda supplies services for flight preparation, customizing services and offering complete solutions taking into account the complexity of each client’s operations. Services are based on airport data gathered and maintained over several decades as the basis to improve operational efficiency for all sizes of operations.

InfoTrust group

InfoTrust Group delivers solutions to hundreds of companies, in the aerospace, defense, manufacturing, automotive, hightech, publishing and health care industries for their information processing, conversion, authoring, content and change management, publishing, and distribution objectives.

Navtech, Inc.

Navtech, Inc. provides flight operations solutions including aeronautical charts, navigation data solutions, flight planning, aircraft performance software (take-off/landing, weight and balance), and crew planning solutions with many products that can be configured as part of an EFB solution, including take-off data calculation, weight and balance, and aeronautical charts.

NVable

NVable is a specialist software development consultancy creating bespoke solutions for customers to exploit the full value of their operational data. The firm also offers its own software products, including the NVable Electronic Technical Log (ETL), Appixo™.

Optimized Systems and Solutions (OSyS)

OSyS) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rolls-Royce Group plc serving a customer base that includes Fortune 100 companies in more than 100 countries. For over a decade, OSyS has been delivering expert insight around the globe to operators of high value assets, to OEMs and to companies that provide asset services.

SITA

SITA’s broad range of IT applications and services accommodate airlines’ evolving IT and communications needs - from logistics, reservations, passenger check-in and flight planning systems, to on-board telephony and multimedia facilities or secure Internet solutions including e-commerce and e-business, and more.

Smart4Aviation Smart4Aviation combines over ten years of aviation and aeronautical expertise with the knowledge and skills of AzimuthIT specialists with experience and knowledge in both the aeronautical domain and software development. The company develops and delivers solutions for airlines and associated companies.

AUTUMN 2012| AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | NEWS | 9 Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

What’s in your next issue of Aircraft IT Operations? Look out for your next issue of Aircraft IT eJournal with more great articles on topics you won’t want to miss contributed by people who know your world.

Aircraft IT Operations Volume 2 Issue 1 Due out: January 2013 The latest IT Operations News iPads Using iPads as Pilots’ personal devices.

Choosing and Using Fuel Management Software

Why new fuel management software? The selection process and criteria applied; accomplishing the installation/change-over; the Go-Live and the new system in operation – including changes to procedures.

Process Automation

When to automate and when not to automate; the criteria applied to support a decision with examples, including retro-fitting NG Technology.

Aircraft Performance

Aircraft performance can be affected by a number of factors both on and outside of the aircraft. What are these factors and how can they be measured, understood and applied to ensure optimum performance?

Performance Guru™ EFB for iPad Performance Guru, the well renowned performance calculation tool within the aviation industry is now available on the iPad. Fast and reliable calculations, completely offline.

The World according to IT & Me!

Paul Saunders’ column: taking a different view of your world

Webinars

Links to past webinars and guides to upcoming webinars Look out in early January for your next Aircraft IT Operations – bringing knowledge to your desktop.

Subscribe here for free… it takes a few moments.

` ` ` `

Aircraft Performance Mass & Balance Proven reliability Native iOS app

Flygprestanda AB | sales@flygp.se | (+46) 40 6420010

www.flygp.se

10 | WHITE PAPER: LUFTHANSA | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | AUTUMN 2012

Fuel management: a piece of cake or an art? Gesine Varfis, Managing Consultant at Lufthansa Consulting explains the current status of cost Index Operations and tactical in-flight fuel management tools

here is a straight forward answer to the question posed in the title above: while Cost Index (CI) setting is a piece of cake the determination of CI as well as tactical in-flight fuel management is an art. By definition artists are ‘able by virtue of imagination and talent or skill to create works of aesthetic value’ the only difference with CI setting is the definition of what value is created. However, as with works of art, the monetary

value of CI Operations is hard to predict, difficult to manage and not easy to measure and benchmark. Although in-flight mission support as well as pre- and after-flight fuel management tools are available on the market and, although the predicted cost savings are in the millions, airlines have not joined the CI cost saving mania to realize these savings. Why not, at a time when one cost saving initiative and fuel burn reduction program follows

closely on the next? Currently, after the flight plan has been issued and until the aircraft lands, airlines fly relatively ‘blind’ as far as decision support tools are concerned. Compared to the capabilities of today’s analytical tools and what data could be made available, tactical fuel management is very much hands on, like APU versus GPU, single engine taxi, engine wash, etc. At the same time, the tools available on the ground for strategic schedule planning, flight planning, the evaluation of aircraft and engine performance, etc. are very sophisticated. The Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) is always mentioned in association with fuel management and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), but this might be misleading. Airlines mostly apply EFB solutions to provide the crew with a paperless cockpit. In most cases EFB solutions are not used for tactical flight planning, but have replaced the tons of paper in the cockpit (aircraft library, route manuals, flight folder, tech log, journey log, etc.) with the exception that weight and balance calculations are still performed on paper. In respect to analytics there are airlines which do not even allow the analysis of flight profiles with the related fuel burn, while other airlines analyze FODA (Flight Operations Data Analysis) data and rank, even paying their crews according to fuel savings. On the other side, the analysis of fuel-burn per route is not trivial, due to the different influencing factors like weather, payload, aircraft, engines, routing, flight levels (climb, cruise and descent), in-flight routing changes, etc. A holistic Key Performance Indicator (KPI) which covers the evaluation of cost and fuel burn in one single figure has not been identified, so benchmarks per route have their limits. Therefore the majority of airlines focus on the capabilities and commitment of their crews (the artists in our scenario) in addition to IATA’s (International Air Transport Association’s) published

“…after the flight plan has been issued and until the aircraft lands, airlines fly relatively ‘blind’ as far as decision support tools are concerned. Compared to the capabilities of today’s analytical tools and what data could be made available, tactical fuel management is very much hands on…” fuel saving action items. At present there are quite powerful pre-flight load and flight planning tools on the market. In comparison tactical in-flight fuel management as well as fuel burn analytic tools are still in their infancy and need to be developed further. However, many airlines face the fact that the generation of massive fuel savings has been covered by the implementation of IATA recommendations and guidelines for fuel savings. The more or less unexplored field in the generation of fuel savings is the blank spot of CI related in-flight fuel management, which is now being explored by entrepreneurs from both the vendor and airline sides. In recent years CI has made it back to the top of the agenda in conjunction with in-flight mission support. Although there are no standards defined nor in-depth statistical evaluations or studies at hand, individual airlines have shown significant savings in relation to CI in-flight fuel management. The potential for savings with CI fuel burn are relatively vague: some studies mention 4–5 million USD, others indicate multiple millions of dollars each year or suggest percentages from 1% up to 10% per case. Case studies have shown that tactical CI management tools based on an EFB solution have saved up to 4% on average for regional operators and indicated possible savings of up to 2% for long-haul flights. There are airlines which have admitted that they have lost millions in wrong CI setting and others declare sophisticated savings only by setting a different CI standard, e.g. an A320 operator has saved 3.5 million EUR by changing the CI standard from 30 to 20. This translated into 33 kg fuel savings per flight in combination with an increase of 1.5 minutes per flight. In-flight CI Operations have the potential to support the art of tactical in-flight fuel management. However, there are challenges which need to be tackled to generate these savings.

AUTUMN 2012 | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS |WHITE PAPER: LUFTHANSA | 11 Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

Figure 1: In-Flight Tactical Fuel Management is like a black box

The piece of cake in CI Operations

Over the last decade, flight crews have entered the CI index into the Flight Management Systems (FMS) before a flight, based on manufacturer recommendation or individual company standards. The CI formula is straightforward: it has existed unchanged for years. Moreover, there is a common agreement that today the CI is the most important, key value, for advanced flight path optimization based on the following formula: CI = Time cost ~ $/min Fuel cost ~ $/kg By entering the CI into the FMS the CI index determines the fuel consumption relationship used during the flight; the trade-off between fuel burn cost against cost of time (cost of delay). It’s as easy as that: a high CI entered into the FMS determines faster flying with commensurately higher fuel consumption whereas operating with a lower CI the aircraft would take more time to arrive at the destination, but would burn less fuel. For index setting, a scalar from CI0 to CI max. is applied, representing maximum fuel conservation (CI0) and maximum delay recovery (CI max). Different FMS suppliers offer ranges from 0 to 99 or 999 (max).

Where the art starts

In 1998 Airbus referred to CI management as a concept that is often not taken into account: ‘CI itself is largely an unknown concept’ and ‘a large variation exists in how airlines actually use the cost index.’ This statement is as current today as it was in 1998 and, in 2007, when EuroControl performed its Innovation Research Workshop on dynamic cost index setting. The acceptance of CI setting as an industry standard to allow in-flight fuel savings as well as delay recovery has never been questioned; however, where the art starts is not in the cockpit but with financial accounting. Currently there are no defined standards for cost of time and cost of fuel determination, nor are the traditional financial accounting tools which are available sophisticated enough to allow an easy cost analysis of time and fuel for an individual flight. Due to the current cost element, accounting route, aircraft based cost of time and cost of fuel calculations are quite a complex effort. This translates into the fact that many airlines apply cost assumptions, or historic averages instead of actual data. Especially in relation to the volatility of fuel price, budgeted fuel cost data or average data from last

A ground-breaking software and consultancy service designed to maximise fuel efficiencies and save operators $$$ millions. Aviation FuelSaverTM integrates seamlessly with existing flight data systems and identifies every fuel-saving opportunity by analysing over 100 ground and flight operating parameters. Aviation FuelSaverTM delivers all the software functionality and consultative support that any airline, whatever their size, requires to power a potent Fuel Saving Programme efficiently, quickly and at low cost. AND it allows you to accurately track your savings.

www.etsaviation.com

12 | WHITE PAPER: LUFTHANSA | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | AUTUMN 2012 Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

OSyS Fuel Management Providing the window of truth into your operation

Classic Fixed Cost Index CI

Dynamic Cost Index dCI

Dynamic Delay and Connex Cost Index d2C2I

- Maintenance cost (time related); - Crew cost (cockpit and cabin).

- Variable maintenance cost; - Variable crew cost (cockpit and cabin).

The dynamic delay and connection cost index standard is split into the application of two calculation standards: - One for on-time departure (dCI); - The other for delayed departures (d2C2I).

Other classic CI variants include additional cost such as: - Passenger service; - Lease charges; - Navigation charges; - Fuel and oil.

The difference is that the fuel cost is differentiated further to keep the volatile kerosene price as current as possible: - for every month; - for every destination.

NO FIXED COST.

CI calculation per… - Sub fleet; - Destination / route.

Mainly applied as a fixed company standard with planned or average standard figures per annum.

Mainly applied as a continuously pre-calculated value stated in the original flight plan (OFP). Here many flight planning tools offer additional applications.

Pure FMS CI setting applied.

Only with dynamic CI will the implementation of in-flight performance calculation tools starts to make sense.

For delayed flights the cost of delay are calculated by taking the following delay costs into account: - Misconnection cost (vary between 100 – 140 EUR / PAX); - Passenger value index for connecting PAX and customer value (class, status); - Delay cost, e.g. additional slot cost, parking, ground handling, etc. This translates into individual CI setting according to individually calculated delay cost. The sequence of cost data updating is defined as follows: - Fuel prices updated daily; - Staff cost including; overtime hours (updated daily); - Technical cost and others updated annually. In any case, the d2C2I setting is complemented by a prioritization of flights, consulting with cockpit crew and cost of delay investigation (connex PAX, aircraft rotation, crew rotation) to allow a tailored CI setting for a delayed flight.

TABLE 1.

OSyS Fuel Management Solution provides the information to truly understand your fleet’s operational performance, enabling you to: • Improve the effectiveness of fuel conservation initiatives • Identify new opportunities for improvement across your operation • Sustain the efficiency gains and cost reduction benefits over the long term • Accurately measure emissions and understand liabilities • Standardize reporting across your fleet

Gain the insight needed from the world’s most experienced Fuel Management Solution

For further information contact us: +44 (0) 1332 777 400

optimizefuel@o-sys.com

www.o-sys.com

year will not determine an accurate CI index for a flight. In general airlines have kept it simple by setting a company fixed CI based on maintenance and crew cost whereas direct operating airline cost should be differentiated into the following categories: • Fixed; • Cycle related; • Time-related; • Fuel. The fixed and cycle related costs are usually not included in the CI calculation. However, with today’s cost accounting and controlling applications the tricky part is not the determination of fuel cost per leg, it is how to determine the time cost. It should be discussed whether crew and maintenance costs are good enough factors to determine cost of time. Today, airlines spend a lot of effort on delay cost management and passenger connection management. Therefore lost slot cost, new en-route charges, cost of delay and passenger missedconnection cost should be taken into account to determine a more accurate ratio of cost of time and fuel.

There is not one single best practice to follow for CI setting, nor has there been enough research to determine the right way of setting CI. What has been identified is that airlines have lost millions over the years by setting the wrong CI. However, the following CI determination is applied: • Fixed CI; • Dynamic CI. The CI setting applied is further differentiated by the following company setting rules: • CI over all fleets (narrow body – wide body aircraft); • CI for long haul and short haul flights; • CI for different aircraft types; • CI for delayed short haul and long haul flights; • CI for flight levels; • CI according to hour limits (e.g. 4 or 6 hours and above); • CI for climb, cruise and decent. The vagueness in the index determination explains why many airlines have not taken the initiative in implementing in-flight tactical management tools. The

AUTUMN 2012 | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS |WHITE PAPER: LUFTHANSA | 13

Classic Fixed Cost Index CI

Dynamic Cost Index dCI

Dynamic Delay and Connex Cost Index d2C2I Mission Support

Pre-Flight Application: - Standard Flight Planning Tool; - Average cost accounting figures.

Pre-Flight Application: - Sophisticated flight planning tool which allows the calculation of different flight plan options with an integrated CI calculation; - Detailed cost accounting figures based on a sophisticated costing solution.

Pre-Flight Application: - See dCI

In-Flight Tools and Equipment: - For classic CI setting the FMS is sufficient. After-Flight Tools and Equipment: - Fuel accounting tool.

In-Flight Tools and Equipment: - EFB class 2; - Communication of flight updates; - In-flight fuel management solution; - FMS.

In-Flight Mission Support (ground and/or): - Real-time updates of OFPs; - NOTAMs, Weather, ATC restrictions, etc.; - Inflight route optimization - Connection information and free text updates; - Improved calculated on block / arrival times.

After-Flight Tools and Equipment: - Fuel accounting tool; - Fuel reporting and analytics tool; - Block time analysis tool; - Fuel accounting tool.

TABLE 2.

imprecision of the CI cost determination translates into the fact that what cannot be measured cannot be managed, nor can it be benchmarked or analyzed in a sophisticated manner. Up until now, CI operations have not been based on an industry standard in terms of calculation and quantification. However there have been airlines which have taken initiatives to allow more sophisticated CI determination to be developed in order to further allow CI in-flight mission support. Based on these efforts the following CI categories have been defined to classify possible CI evolutionary steps in relation to in-flight fuel management tools (see table 1).

What do in-flight fuel management tools offer?

The tools currently on the market supplement the FMS with more powerful calculation and scenario options. The FMS has never been designed to perform scenario calculations and it is certified with the introduction of the aircraft and unlikely to change before the end of the aircraft’s life. The performance calculation potentials are very limited. Scenario calculations for different trajectories, flight levels, weather and wind conditions are not supported. Moreover the FMS is limited in relation to the number of flights and routes to be stored

In-Flight Tools and Equipment: - EFB class 2 which allows powerful analytics of the current flight situation automatically fed with flight update scenarios; - In-flight fuel management solution; - FMS.

The communication infrastructure needs to cover full gate-to-gate communication and information exchange infrastructure via ACARS, data-link, SATCOM, GPS, gatelink, etc. After-Flight Tools and Equipment: - See dCI

Figure 2: Today’s time stamps need to be related to fuel burn and in-flight time stamps need to be addressed

“…the industry needs an ATC infrastructure environment which supports in-flight tactical route, speed and flight level changes. This means that, even if highly sophisticated mission support and in-flight calculation tools are installed, the scenario calculation of other more economic options is irrelevant if these options are not available.” and, amongst other limitations, it cannot take the latest wind information into account. Therefore the only option to enhance tactical in-flight planning today is the introduction of mission support and/or in-flight performance calculation applications as part of the EFB to allow the re-calculation of routes, speeds, flight levels (in relation to the key fuel burn drivers like weather), Air Traffic Control (ATC) and delay causes without limitations. Today’s tools allow the in-flight calculation of the most cost-efficient flight trajectory complemented by a re-calculated CI for the FMS.

Where the art needs to provide the artist with an environment which fosters creativity

Today the tools related to CI are mainly located in the area of pre-flight planning. However, there are airlines which still prepare their flight plans hours before briefing some up to six hours before, others apply fixed routes and most of today’s airlines do not relate any connection, delay cost or missed-connection cost as mentioned above, although CI is also about delay recovery. It is strange to see that, on the ground, large network carriers invest in highly sophisticated Hub Control Center (HCC) tools where every passenger connection is evaluated in terms of passenger worthiness and missed connection cost versus connection saving action costs. The tools applied recalculate the different options based on estimates and calculated on block times to save passenger

connections either via ramp transfers or approach and taxi prioritization amongst other things, and yet, in the cockpit, time stands still. To be fair, improved CI determination complemented by an in-flight fuel management application is a more complex undertaking than expected. For each of the CI categories defined above certain IT and communication infrastructure needs to be established to generate the full benefit. (See table 2). Last but not least, to permit artistic creativity (to generate the calculated fuel savings) the industry needs an ATC infrastructure environment which supports inflight tactical route, speed and flight level changes. This means that, even if highly sophisticated mission support and in-flight calculation tools are installed, the scenario calculation of other more economic options is irrelevant if these options are not available. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that there is up to 12% inefficiency in the infrastructure, including Air Traffic Management (ATM). These limitations affect the industry massively: - The fragmented European airspace still prevents direct routings; - Available airspace is not used to its full extent due to lack of transparency and poor communication;

14 | WHITE PAPER: LUFTHANSA | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | AUTUMN 2012 Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

FUEL Reduce your fuel costs

Analyze fuel consumption Discover fuel savings

The fuel conservation solution from Aviaso provides a full range of data analysis, reporting, and monitoring tools to help airlines save fuel and reduce emissions. It contains more than 100 ready-made reports, which allow an airline to thoroughly understand the fuel

Monitor progress of initiatives

consumption and to identify potential fuel savings. The Aviaso software also helps to really achieve these savings by rigorously monitoring the various fuel saving initiatives for each and every flight.

Aviaso

connecting aviation and software

Communicate results

CLICK HERE for more information

www.aviaso.com

Aviaso Inc. · Huobstrasse 10 · CH-8808 Pfaeffikon · Switzerland · Phone: +41 55 422 0000 · www.aviaso.com · info@aviaso.com

- Terminal airspace redesign, P-RNAV (Precision Area Navigation), CDA (Constant Descent Approach), RNAV (Area Navigation) approaches, etc. are overdue; - Every day more than 20,000 flights need to be coordinated by more than 60 different ACCs (Airport Control Centers); - Non-adherence to initial flight plans leads to ‘overdeliveries’ which result in wasted capacities in some sectors. Flights are not flying at the initial requested flight level (35% in 2008). The first steps in evaluating routes and better time stamps are taken especially at departure; many new times are taken into account (see figure 2). However airlines need to improve in time accuracy calculations also for arrival management and to fill the blanks for the in-flight time stamps. The main issue to make CI and in-flight mission support more attractive will be ATC. SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) and IATA have introduced initiatives to pursue flexible airspace tracks with a focus on airports and terminal maneuvering areas (TMAs), plus the development of new procedures based on global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology. At the same time airlines have started to tackle CI complexity together with mission support. With a holistic approach from different stakeholders in fuel saving, the black box of in-flight tactical fuel management will be opened and the innovation leaders will not only harvest but will lead in the generation of cost savings. However, due to the constraints in CI Operations an intelligent investment into tactical inflight support tools will pay off. n

ABOUT LUFTHANSA CONSULTING

Lufthansa Consulting is an aviation and management consulting company which is dedicated to globally assist clients from the aviation industry and related industries to successfully meet the challenges of the future. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Aviation Group we are in the unique position of developing and offering customized management consulting services and comprehensive business solutions for all participants of the aviation industry such as air carriers, airports and airport authorities, governments, investors, financial institutions, manufacturers and other industries as well as services related entities. As a management consultancy with confirmed aviation background we are able to offer a combination of proven industry expertise and skilled professional staff from 17 countries to support clients proactively.

Gesine Varfis

Gesine Varfis, Managing Consultant, Lufthansa Consulting

Gesine Varfis is Managing Consultant at Lufthansa Consulting with a focus on performance improvement, cost reduction, profitability management and business intelligence solutions plus expertise in Ground Handling, Operations Control and Management Accounting. Also, based on her long experience in management accounting, budgeting, performance and cost management, she was responsible for route analyses, route profitability, market potential analyses and business plans. She specializes in activity based costing; reporting (MIS) and balanced score card issues. Ms Varfis was involved in several controlling projects, re-designing controlling concepts and defining cost cutting potentials for clients. As a project manager, she was responsible for restructuring projects, activity based cost cutting, designing a cost and revenue simulation tool, planning and implementation of Operations Control Centers and on time performance projects. Her broad aviation process and product background in operations, IT applications, CRM, traffic forecasting, market potential analysis and business planning supports a comprehensive analytical approach. Gaining her Master of Business Administration from the Free University Berlin, she also completed a BA in North American Studies. She holds a Commercial Air Transport Certificate focusing on marketing, management and operations.

INTERACTIVE

ASK THE AUTHOR A QUESTION

CLICK HERE to leave YOUR QUESTION

INTERACTIVE

JOIN THE DEBATE

CLICK HERE to leave your feedback about this article and start or join a discussion

AUTUMN 2012| AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | VENDOR FLIGHT LOG | 15

The World according to IT

The Consumerisation of Software Words: Paul Saunders

...and me!

“… a poorly designed form is going to be just as frustrating for a user to fill in on an iPad as on a clipboard. The same goes for any app. If your software or business process sucks as-is, what makes you think putting it on to an iPad is going to make it suck any less?”

ake some time to think about why you and your colleagues spend so much time on Skype, Facebook, Pinterest or whatever consumer application floats your boat. Don’t you think that it would great if software and procedures you used at work were this good? Don’t you think you and your colleagues would be more productive if this were the case? Now ask yourself why you’ve been putting up with such rubbish for so long? Don’t you deserve better? Software designers and project sponsors all too often forget what I call the Magic Triangle. Really great software and business processes balance three goals: • The Technical goals such as the functional aim of the software – capture data, display a manual or a chart; • The Business goals such as reasons for developing the software – improved productivity, efficiency or lower costs; and finally; • The User goals such as a better user experience or quite simply a better way of working. All too often the technical and business goals are met, but the user goals are forgotten. Now think about our examples of consumer software again. The reason why we choose to use one rival application

over another is because one satisfies our own user goals better than another does. A fax machine is capable of delivering similar technical goals as Facebook, Twitter or iMessage, but you wouldn’t expect your crew to communicate with their friends and colleagues with a fax machine would you? This is a call to action for software designers and project leaders to aim for the sweet spot and make consumerized software for the work place.

What Happened Next? In the Spring 2012 issue I mentioned the possible dilemma facing airlines that the iPad’s batteries may not conform to the testing standards as stipulated by FAA Advisory Circular AC 120-76B. These fears were allayed on the 24th August when Apple confirmed that the iPad’s batteries do in fact conform. See here for details http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5423

INTERACTIVE: Your Aircraft IT – Get Involved!

Why not get involved with the debate? Send your comments or questions to Paul by clicking here. The most interesting comments will be published in the next eJournal.

16 | WEBINARS | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | SUMMER 2012

Upcoming Live Software Demonstration Webinar at www.aircraftit.com this October and November Sign up to free live online software demonstrations for a perfect introduction to the world’s leading Flight Operations Software vendors and to learn how they can assist and add value to your operations

Live software demonstration of Smart4Aviation’s iPad EFB Flight Operations Information Portal Software Solution n Session 1: 25th October 2012 - 06:30 AM GMT/UTC n Session 2: 25th October 2012 - 15:00 PM GMT/UTC n Duration: 1 hour plus Q&A. Session Agenda Company overview Smart BRIEF CABIN a one-stop-shop for cabin crew; Smart COMM as central communication part of Smart PORTAL - live demo; n Smart LOAD as exception-driven weight and balance system.

n n n n

Sign up for this Webinar on the 25th October and see an as live demonstration of Smart4Aviation’s sophisticated Smart PORTAL software designed to provide airlines with one central location to access key, real-time Flight Operations information; including: documents, crew info, scheduling, reporting, rostering, NOTAM, weight & balance, Fuel reporting, plus more. You will see that this sophisticated IT solution is accessible via mobile devices such as smartphones and iPads and in the cockpit via an EFB interface, and is used by airlines such as Air France, Air Canada and Emirates but is suitable for airlines of all sizes. The live demonstration will show you three key elements of the Smart PORTAL: Communications, cabin crew briefing and weight & balance.

How to sign up for the Webinar:

Simply click on ‘Register for Webinar’ opposite; fill in your details and then select your preferred Webinar session. Full instructions on how to access the Webinar will be emailed to you. Opposite: screenshots you will see during the Webinar.

INTERACTIVE

JOIN THE WEBINAR

CLICK HERE to VIEW FULL DETAILS AND SIGN UP FOR THIS FREE WEBINAR

AUTUMN 2012| AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | WEBINARS | 17

October and November will bring great opportunities for readers to attend programs covering leading iPad/EFB solutions and Fuel Management software solutions available on the market today. If you need to know more about either topic, you’ll save a great deal of time and gain a lot of what you’ll need to know to inform a good decision by simply attending these informative webinars.

Live software demonstration of FuelPlus’ Fuel Management Software Solution n Session 1: 8th November 2012 - 07:00 AM GMT/UTC n Session 2: 8th November 2012 - 15:30 PM GMT/UTC n Duration: 1 hour plus Q&A. n n n n n

Session Agenda Introduction to FuelPlus and the subject area; Description of the fuel management process cycle; FuelPlus’ fuel management products; Live product demo: Volume and budget planning; Tender management; Contract management; Monitoring flight and fuel operations; Tankering; Invoice checking and accrual management; Fuel intelligence.

Sign up to view this Webinar on the 8th November and take advantage of the chance to view a live demonstration of a sophisticated, modern, modular fuel management system and learn how it can benefit an airline’s/operator’s entire operations and allow them to master the challenges of fuel management, in turn saving huge costs.. You will learn how to establish a successful fuel management process or complement your own program and to understand and control the cost of fuel. Then, via a live demonstration of the industry leading FuelPlus software solution, you will see how to monitor the following key areas: Volume and budget planning; tender management; contract management; Flight and Fuel Operations; Tankering; Invoice checking and Accrual Management; and Fuel Intelligence.

How to sign up for the Webinar:

INTERACTIVE

JOIN THE WEBINAR

CLICK HERE to VIEW FULL DETAILS AND SIGN UP FOR THIS FREE WEBINAR

And remember that if you miss a webinar or are reading this after the live webinar has run, you can still access all of the benefits through a recording of the event – go to www.aircraftit.com/Operations/Webinars/Past.aspx for how to do that.

18 | CASE STUDY: AERO LOGIC| AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2012

Much more than a new EFB Wolfgang Sperber, Administrator EFB and Operations, AeroLogic and Jürgen Gläser, Product Manager, T&A Systeme report on the implementation of iPads as supportive devices for Pilots at AeroLogic

The status quo anti

s a new startup cargo airline, Aerologic decided, at an early stage during the build-up phase, to implement a class1 EFB in 2008 prior to its first commercial flight. A 15” HP Windows Laptop based solution was selected using the T&A designed Logipad authoring and management system that had already been in use for some years with a number of German airlines. This Laptop device was intended to serve not only as a classic EFB but also it had to support a number of additional tasks: • Paperless Document Management; • Learning and Training supplement; • Communication device (e-mail); • Performance calculation; • Reporting System; • Personal Computer. This is why Laptops were distributed to each individual pilot as a personally dedicated device rather than using aircraft based computers. This ‘AeroBook’, as it was called, had been in operation for three years, when ageing hardware started to require increasing maintenance efforts and a growing number of failures could no longer be ignored. Additionally, the older CPU processor speed and hard disks no longer met the performance required for the growing data volume and application complexity that had been developed in the meantime. The same problem applied to the server architecture supporting the system, which was also ageing with gradually declining performance. The computers were perceived to be slow and uncomfortable to handle. Finally they were considered too heavy and large to be carried around. The conclusion was that it had to be accepted that a replacement would need to be distributed during the fourth year of operation.

Replacement Options

One possible replacement option was another Laptop Computer, slightly smaller (14”) and lighter in weight, and estimated to cost about €1200-1400 euros per unit including the license cost for standard Microsoft software. Against this, the initial purchase cost for an iPad including all the required apps was calculated at about €800. Furthermore, the expected maintenance cost is expected to be be much less than Windows based hardware would require. And, very importantly, the iPad is significantly lighter, smaller and slimmer, much more ergonomic to handle and lightning-fast, featuring a better display resolution and a longer battery runtime. Aerologic made the decision to opt for the iPad at a very early stage (during the first half of 2011) when most suppliers were still investigating and developing options for iPads. Not all potentials and abilities were clear to the airlines at that time. But seeing the

AUTUMN 2012 | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | CASE STUDY: AERO LOGIC | 19 potential of the iPad-device, Aerologic were soon able to envisage it as their future EFB. The ease of handling, speed of accessing information and, ultimately, the overall usability compared to any Windows based device was far better than previously experienced. Therefore Aerologic decided, even while it was still unclear how many things would work in the new technology, to select and implement an iPad based EFB. The goal from the beginning was to provide a full EFB on the iPad as it was intended to replace the Windows based Class-I EFB laptop. Therefore it was not an option to simply concentrate on documentation or Charts: the iPad EFB for Aerologic had to deliver documentation, charting, reporting, training, briefing and performance calculations, just as the previous device had done, making it a complex and time consuming project.

The iPad development process

During the feasibility study, all aspects relating to the intended purpose were evaluated and solutions had to be found by either having a suitable IOs compatible App or by providing some alternate means. Many of the Apps available today, were still under development and most providers were not in a position to commit to a delivery date. Aerologic finally summarized the following situation:

“‘AeroBook’, as it was called, had been in operation for three years, when ageing hardware started to require increasing maintenance efforts and a growing number of failures could no longer be ignored…”

Figure 1

Figure 2

Based on good experiences with all suppliers of the Windows based environment, discussions and evaluations to move everything to the iPad were started with the same suppliers, to ask them to provide that service on iPad.

The key requirements in Aerologic’s selection process were the ability to provide one overall framework to manage all devices, from EFB content to device management. Logipad was able to achieve this; plus, no additional mobile device management (MDM) solution had to be selected. Every type of content, even from third parties, can easily be distributed via standardized ground procedures, which gives us full control on testing, releasing and tracking updated revisions via compliance reports. Some of the important achievements of the new system included enhancements to the previous laptop based environment such as… document confirmation, tracking pilots’ confirmations regarding revisions via the Compliance report, and the ability for overall role-based distribution of information. This gives Aerologic a lot of flexibility, to dynamically deliver information to just a small group of users, without creating any additional complex procedures to setup.

Development of the new EFB management Logipad App

Once the feasibility and business case was confirmed, positive, suitable arrangements were made with the established service provider T&A SYSTEME to develop a new authoring and management App for the iPad. As a launch customer, particularly close coordination had to be maintained between Aerologic and T&A throughout the development process. Those discussions had already started in the early stages of the project, to technically evaluate and define the solution components to be provided. It was the goal that Logipad should retain the overall framework, to provide and handle the management and data of all devices. The new system had to be hardware independent, since it had to support both, the data on iPads and the Aircraft Books, especially to provide a backup, offline ability for performance calculation. It also had to be very flexible and configurable to meet various requirements, and to cover the areas of documentation, eReporting, application and device management as well as overall synchronization of content. Different user groups are authorized to receive different information (e.g. TRE need training and examination information not accessible to line pilots) therefore the entire system had to support role-based distribution of information. The topic of eReporting was particularly important to Aerologic as, with the Laptop based solution, for the past three years, dedicated procedures had already been established for occurrence reporting. Those procedures had to be carried over to the iPad. Therefore it was vital to keep the existing ground process unchanged and only to change the front-end of reporting on the iPad. After a period of technical evaluation, T&A came back with an overall proposal for the management solution, and a detailed demonstration of the features and functionality to be provided.

Challenges

Charting: The LIDO approach charting software had been available for months and could be tested in advance by using the privately owned iPads of interested pilots participating in the tests. The LIDO I-enroute App is expected to be delivered as a beta test version by October 2012. It will then be tested based on an existing enterprise agreement, before it can be implemented for operational use by approximately February2013. Training: The computer based training (CBT) learning management system (LMS) required massive development by Pelesys to get the solution to operate with iPad. Delivering training onto the iPad, was another key element and requirement, to be able to displace the current laptop based solution. Therefore Pelesys was also involved by Aerologic in the overall project in a very early stage. All CBTs originally are based on Flash, which is not supported on the iPad. Pelesys had to find a solution for that. There are generally Apps available on the

20 | CASE STUDY: AERO LOGIC | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2012

“Knowing we wanted to replace the existing Class-I based laptop device, preparation and planning were far more important, because the iPad had to work as a full business tool from day one of the roll-out. Therefore Aerologic had an extensive user acceptance testing (UAT) period…” market to get Flash streamed on the iPad, but those kind of solutions were unsuitable for Aerologic, especially as they require permanent online connectivity But after several months of development Pelesys was able to provide their LMS solution onto the iPad, which was another important milestone for the overall Aerologic project. It gave Aerologic the opportunity to provide all existing Windows based CBT courses onto the iPad as well, which was the last missing piece at the end, to get everything prepared for Roll-out and distribution. Aircraft Performance Calculation: The EFRAS performance tool is based on the Boeing Security Certification and Authorization Package (SCAP) calculation module that was developed using an ancient coding language and is currently not available in an IOs compatible version. It is rumored that a re-engineered core calculation engine will be available by end of 2012, when reprogramming of the surrounding graphic user interface (GUI) and user customized gadgets can commence. It is likely that we will not have an iPad App for performance calculation ready for implementation before March 2013 or even later. The workaround consists of two components: one is an online remote desktop protocol (RDP) software connecting the iPad through a virtual private network (VPN) to the in-house server, where the Performance software is accessible. The other is an aircraft based, backup Laptop (referred to as the AircraftBook), featuring the EFRAS software. The first one requires internet connectivity for the iPad, which is not guaranteed worldwide, as a result of inhibited international Universal Mobile Telephone System (UMTS) roaming, for cost reasons. The second requires increased administrative efforts for regular data updates and battery recharging.

Remote Access to data

Alteon CBTs often use flash animation, that doesn’t run on an apple. Similar to the Performance Software it was installed on an in-house windows server, accessible by the iPad through a VPN and the RDP software. Access to the Netline Crew Link, for Duty rosters and other crew services must also be granted using RDP. The current problem is that the Roster-pdf-file cannot be stored on the iPad, nor can it be printed. A possibility is still under development to have the duty roster sent to each individual crew member by email at the click of a mouse. Just recently, a suitable App was published, that might solve the problem

Implementation

Implementation of the overall solutions commenced at the beginning of 2012 based on the development and implementation of Logipad as management solution. That core setup was finalized by T&A in April, so that Aerologic was able to concentrate and focus on providing and structuring the information and preparing everything for the operational usage. The first core challenge was to establish and structure the document library in the most optimized and natural way for the Pilots. Knowing we

AUTUMN 2012 | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | CASE STUDY: AERO LOGIC | 21 wanted to replace the existing Class-I based laptop device, preparation and planning were far more important, because the iPad had to work as a full business tool from day one of the roll-out. Therefore Aerologic had an extensive user acceptance testing (UAT) period of about 12 weeks involving 15 Pilots from all levels of technical knowledge. We were greatly surprised with the enthusiasm and excitement of all test pilots from the very beginning. All the pilots involved performed active tests, gave valuable feedback on usability and generated ideas on how to optimize the overall system. We’ve never received such positive and frequent feedback on any user acceptance test before, an early indication of the kind of success that such a project, based on iPad, could generate. After that UAT period, getting all training prepared for the iPad was the last step required, before the final roll-out could start.

Conclusion

Crew members benefit from the lower weight, faster and very comfortable use, less failures and, last but not least, from the smart positive image of the iPads. In order to extend the use of iPads as far as possible it was decided to wait for the most recent iPad 3 to be available. Pilots are allowed to use their iPad and internet access for private purposes, although use of the iCloud had to be inhibited for data security reasons. Unfortunately the iPad does not constitute a full surrogate for the previous personal computer. Many users had to purchase a private Laptop to handle their files and private affairs. Some few dedicated pilots holding an administrative function in the company (management pilots, safety pilots, technical pilot etc.) now have to hold two separate devices, the iPad and a corporate laptop to do their duties. The development and optimization of the iPad solution is an ongoing process, to further provide access to briefing information, connect it with in-house warehouse systems and, once performance apps are available, to remove the aircraft laptop. The company benefits from the advantage of less hardware and maintenance costs, better e-mail connection to crew members, use of the push message function, less weight on the aircraft and better motivation for crews feeling appreciated by management and well perceived in society. We are very confident that we will be able to overcome the minor shortcomings within a very short period of time as new app developments for more and more windows files quickly become available in the app store. The iPad is becoming increasingly common for business applications, not only in the aviation sector, and a comfortable solution for the ppt. or the flash animation problem may be available by ‘tomorrow’. n

Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

Wolfgang Sperber

Administrator EFB and Operations, AeroLogic

Wolfgang Sperber started his career as a Flight Operations Officer in the German Air Force in 1982. Following that he studied in Aeronautical Engineering and took up a position as an Air Traffic Control Officer in 1985. In 1990 Wolfgang joined LTU-Süd Munich as Navigation and Flight Planning Officer. Then in 1993 he moved to LTU Düsseldorf heading Navigation and Performance, later – Dispatch and Documentation Departments. In 2009 he joined the Flugwerkzeuge Aviation Software (Flight Planning Software) team in Vienna as a Head of Aeronautical Data Services. Finally, in 2008 he joined the Startup Airline, AeroLogic, in Leipzig as the Administrator of Flight Operations. His present responsibilities in the company include authorization issues, EFB, NAV-Data, etc.

Jürgen Gläser

Product Manager, T&A Systeme

Jürgen Gläser started his career in 1999 as IT networking and Systems Engineer for the German IT company Bechtle IT. In 2001 he became Systems Engineer at another German IT company, before joining T&A Systeme in 2003, initially as an IT Consultant realizing medium to large sized IT projects primarily in server-client based communication, groupware and desktop management tools. In 2006 he became IT Project Manager for implementation and setup of Class-I based EFB at an airline from UAE based on the Logipad solution. In the following years he was responsible for the EFB implementation at five different airlines, in addition to standardizing and optimizing the overall solution. He became Product Manager for Logipad in 2009, responsible for defining product lifecycle, development roadmap, conference participations, sales and EFB workshops.

INTERACTIVE

ASK THE AUTHOR A QUESTION

CLICK HERE to leave YOUR QUESTION

INTERACTIVE

EFB Management MANAGEMENT PLATFORM

SOLUTION FEATURES

• Administration • Release Management • Compliance Reporting

• Document Management • Device Management • eReporting • EFB Appstore • Briefing

DEVICE OPTIONS

USAGE OPTIONS

• Class-I Laptop Devices Tablet Devices iPad • Class-II

• Pilots • Cabin • Maintenance

Database

JOIN THE DEBATE

CLICK HERE to leave your feedback about this article and start or join a discussion

Am Walzwerk 1 • 45527 Hattingen • phone +49 2324 9258 0 • fax +49 2324 9258 433 • info@logipad.aero • www.logipad.aero

22 | WEBINARS | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | SUMMER 2012

Past Webinars: View Video Recordings of our Live Software Demonstration Webinars at Aircraft IT

Build your own Flight Operations Software Demo Webinar Library. Search through and sign up to view the convenient video recordings of all previous Live Flight Operations Software Demonstration & Masterclass Webinars at the following link: www.aircraftit.com/Operations/Webinars/Past.aspx This exceptional video library contains recordings of Live Software Demonstrations and Masterclasses from the following major IT Vendors: Arconics, Flightman, AIR SUPPORT, ETS Aviation, BYTRON, Smart4Aviation, Flight Focus, OSyS, FuelPlus, Flygprestanda, Evoke Systems, T&A Systeme, SITA, AvioVision, FLYHT, plus more. An outline of four of the recent Webinar Recordings can be seen below.

Live EFB Software Demonstration Webinar of AVIOBOOK

Live Integrated MRO and Flight Ops Software Demo Webinar

31st May 2012

5th July 2012

n Session OVERVIEW

Sign up for this Webinar recording and Join AvioVision for a demonstration Webinar of their Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) software solution – AVIOBOOK. AVIOBOOK is designed for a variety of platforms, online and offline, including iPad, desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and cockpitinstalled units. During the Webinar you will be taken on a tour of the system and see a live demo of the extensive functionality including: Briefing, Weight & Balance, charts, performance, documentation library, pilot portal, reports and lots more. This Webinar therefore provides you with the perfect platform to view a live demo of a leading, multi-functioning EFB software solution and see how a paperless cockpit can become a reality. If you already operate EFBs you can see how AVIOBOOK compares to your current software or if you are new to EFB technology you can attend simply to learn more about EFBs and the operational and company-wide benefits they can provide.

Sign up for this Webinar recording for a live demonstration and masterclass of a fully integrated Maintenance Repair & Overhaul (MRO) and Flight Operations IT software solution. Via a live demonstration of Sheorey Digital Systems’ (SDS) popular and powerful end-to-end ARMS software solution, you will see how by using one integrated IT software solution, it is possible to drive the seamless sharing of critical data company-wide to deliver huge increases in efficiency with significantly lower IT costs.

INTERACTIVE

VIEW WEBINAR DETAILS

The Webinar will take you on a live tour of the following key modules: Commercial Planning, Flight Operations, Crew Management, Flight Planning & Dispatch, FDM, Fuel Consumption, Engineering & Maintenance, Logistics & Documentation Management.

INTERACTIVE

VIEW WEBINAR DETAILS

AUTUMN 2012| AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | WEBINARS | 23

About the Live Software Demonstration Webinar Recordings

How it works.

Whether you missed them the first time around, need to refresh your understanding of available systems before making a key decision or if you are building a reference portfolio of relevant knowledge, these past webinar recordings will add vital market intelligence to your established professional skills. They’ll improve and sharpen your awareness of available solutions and add to your knowledge store. You’ll gain an overview of the major Flight Operations software systems on the market today, from the world’s leading IT Vendors, and all at a time and a place compatible with your busy schedule. Each demonstration lasts 1 hour, providing airlines and aircraft operators with the perfect introduction to each Flight Operations software solution demonstrated.

• Visit: http://www.aircraftit.com/Operations/Webinars/Past.aspx • Use the scroll option or view the details of the latest recorded sessions on the right and select a Webinar recording you would like to view. • Next click ‘Register for Recording’ and enter your details. • Once approved the video file will appear in your Member’s Area at the Aircraft IT website. • You can then view the Webinar recording as many times as you wish, share it with your colleagues and retain it as part of your own market intelligence reference library.

Crew Planning Software Demonstration Webinar

Live Fuel Efficiency Software Demonstration & Masterclass Webinar

16th August 2012

27th September 2012

Aviaso connecting aviation and software www.aviaso.com

n Session OVERVIEW

Sign up to view this Webinar recording and view a live demonstration of Navtech’s industry leading Crew Planning software solution. The Webinar takes you on a live tour of the Navtech Pairing Optimizer product and highlights how this customizable solution can benefit an airlines’/operator’s bottom line and create the best scenario for crew and their desire for work-life balance.

Sign up to view this Webinar recording and learn how to manage fuel costs, one of the largest cost factors in airline operations, and how to leverage the data collected in the process to help other stakeholders generate further operational efficiency. The Webinar will show you how to discover fuel savings and how to monitor your fuel efficiency improvement program via a full demonstration of the powerful Aviaso/Fuel Efficiency software solution.

You will also see how Navtech partner solutions complement their Pairing Optimizer software to create the ultimate Crew Planning solution. These include IBS’ industry leading Fatigue Risk Management Solution (SAFTE-FAST FRMS) and eTripTrader’s trip trade/drop/ swap and trade board system.

INTERACTIVE

VIEW WEBINAR DETAILS

INTERACTIVE

VIEW WEBINAR DETAILS

24 | TENDERS | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | AUTUMN 2012 Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

Operations Software Tender Upload

S SATELLITE SECONDARY S FORMS: ED IN VARIOU : CAN BE US options are ncy are Transp • Normal • Multiply • Soft Light

ELLITES: PRIMARY SAT

S: SATELLITE SECONDARY

Aircraft IT website Operations Software Tender Upload function puts your requirements in front of all the leading Flight Operations IT Vendors.

PRIMARY SATE

LLITES:

SECONDAR

Y SATE

LLITES:

Adopt fast, adapt faster

Is your airline equipped for today’s fast-changing world? Can you switch services and applications on and off instantly? Are smartphones all your passengers need to book, check in and board? Can you communicate and exchange operational information with your pilots around the globe? And can you seamlessly share realtime information and help people collaborate, wherever they are? Working together with SITA, you can say “yes” every time.

Discover SITA’s intelligent airline vision at www.sita.aero/airlines

heAircraft IT Tender Upload function allows Airlines and Aircraft Operators the opportunity to send their software requirements to 30+ of the world’s leading Flight Operations IT Vendors at the click of a mouse. It’s all of a piece with Aircraft IT’s mission to put readers in front of as many opportunities as possible to maximise their professional effectiveness; this time by linking to other professionals with a proven track record of matching complex requirements with effective solutions. Whether you are looking for EFB software and hardware (Class I, II, III), iPad Solutions for the Flight Deck, Flight Planning Software, Fuel Saving Solutions, Crew Scheduling Software, this Tender upload feature will allow you to send your requirements to all the major IT Vendors at the same time... and it’s not rocket science! In fact, it couldn’t be easier.

Here’s how it works:

• Visit the Tender Upload page at the Aircraft IT Operations Website by clicking here. • Login below with your Aircraft IT Membership details. If you are not a member click on sign up and enter your details - it is free to join. If you are already logged in click on ‘Upload Tender’ below. • Fill in the Tender Upload form and upload a PDF document of your requirements. Under the ‘Software Type’ section, which ever box you tick sends your Tender to all the IT Vendors in that section of the Aircraft IT website. • Click ‘Upload Tender’ and your information will be sent to the key contacts at the IT Vendors. Once the Tender has been uploaded the IT Vendors will very soon send you details about their software and product solutions that would be suitable to address your requirements.

Send your OPERATIONS software requirements to the following IT Vendors:

Aircraft IT Operations eJournal: Subscribe for FREE Two simple ways to guarantee you receive all future editions of Aircraft IT Operations 1. Fill in our online subscription form – it only takes a few moments. By filling in the subscription form you will also receive alerts regarding the latest live Operation Software Demonstration Webinars and you can also take part in all the interactive features at the Aircraft IT website. 2. Download the free Aircraft IT App – Search ‘Aircraft IT’ in the App store or click here for full information.

www.aircraftIT.com

26 | WHITE PAPER: AVIATION42 | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | AUTUMN 2012

Integrated systems or integrate your systems They sound similar, says Ingunn Ingimars, IT Consultant at Aviation42, but which you choose will have significant consequences for IT management and users

What‘s in a word?

e all know that no one in their right mind would market a product as a fragmented, isolated software system. ‘Integration’ is the key word but what does integration tell you and is your interpretation of the term the same as the vendor‘s understanding? Integration means uniting and bringing together, creating a whole from two or more separate entities. In IT terms this means sharing and making information in one system accessible to other systems. The more you integrate the less risk you should run of duplicating the same piece of information across your systems, which can make updates or corrections quite a challenge. Carefully planned integration may also be time saving as users are not shuffling information back and forth between systems and data quality and integrity is strengthened. Aviation requires quite a number of specialised, sophisticated software systems to run a smooth, safe and reliable operation. It is possible to start out small,

buying a few software systems, none of which is too sophisticated nor too expensive. You then couple your systems with manual processes and employees who can still maintain a good overview of your operation. However, as the organisation grows larger, levels of complexity also grow; soon there are increasing numbers of employees who need to maintain the same overview and you probably find yourself in a dilemma.

How do we interpret the word ‘integrated‘?

The first interpretation is of a software system with one database and multiple sub-systems or modules which all read and write from the same database. This is also referred to as a software suite. This way, the modules for, say, maintenance planning, crew planning and yield management all refer to the same instances of sectors as does the flight scheduling module. If a sector is delayed or cancelled, all modules involved are notified because they all work from the exact same data.

“The more you integrate the less risk you should run of duplicating the same piece of information across your systems, which can make updates or corrections quite a challenge. Carefully planned integration may also be time saving…”

AUTUMN 2012 | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | WHITE PAPER: AVIATION42 | 27 Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

“Your flight scheduling system gets updated with accurate take-off and landing times, delay codes and other bits of information. You also have your reservations system, where you want the exact same flights to reside and which also stores information on passenger loads. You then have your flight planning system, in which you also want information on flights and passenger loads.”

E BY A GREAT SOFTWARE MAD ELOPERS TEAM OF GREAT DEV

A42 AVIATION

STS SOFTWARE SPECIALI

Maintenance planning

Flight scheduling

Crew planning

Integrated system

Yield management

Figure 1

Inside the integrated system

The second interpretation is of a collection of software systems, each with their own database, and where the information is replicated (see paragraph below, ‘Replicate vs. duplicate‘) across the databases. If the flight scheduling system delays or cancels a sector, that information is sent out via an integration platform to all the other software systems.

Maintenance planning Flight scheduling

Integration platform

Replicate vs. duplicate

At first glance, there is not too much difference between the words replicate and duplicate. However, in IT terms it is good to think of replicating as something you do intentionally – e.g. you set up a link that replicates flight information from one system to the next, and not only once as you also replicate all subsequent changes and updates to those flights. When you duplicate, you are copying information from one system to the next, perhaps unaware of what happens to data integrity when/if the information in the first system changes.

Crew planning

We know aviation software! Software

Data

Reporting

Consultancy

We help you design your solution we implement it and help you install it.

Data integration and migration – we do know aviation data!

We have years of experience working with data, turning it into easy to understand information.

Look deeper into your organisation, unclutter your IT world and allow us to help.

Figure 2

The domain you work in

Consider the systems you have within your company. You might aim for an integrated system, a suite of modules covering many aspects of your business, but you also fetch and receive information from systems on the outside (e.g. Type B messages, currency exchange rates and fuel prices to name but a few). The IT domain in which you work is therefore greater than your in-house IT setup and ultimately there comes a time when you may want to think about integrating those systems with your own. By systems in general we are not only referring to an application installed on

Aviation 42 0812 HP.indd 1

13/08/2012 10:55

28 | WHITE PAPER: AVIATION42 | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | AUTUMN 2012 a PC in the classical sense but web pages, web services, RSS feeds and any piece of software that contains data in which you are interested and of which you can make use. It is not uncommon to see an IT environment with 80-100 different systems and it is the role of your IT department to get all the pieces of the puzzle together.

Methods of integration

Let us first look at what you actually do when you integrate something, i.e. when you are sharing information. Take a look at a very basic example: Your flight scheduling system gets updated with accurate take-off and landing times, delay codes and other bits of information. You also have your reservations system, where you want the exact same flights to reside and which also stores information on passenger loads. You then have your flight planning system, in which you also want information on flights and passenger loads. In figures 3 and 4, the purple arrows indicate integration where you are transferring data between systems. Flight sector information goes to the reservation system and the flight planning system and information on numbers of passengers on each flight goes to the flight planning system for accurate fuel, load and balance calculations.

Flight scheduling

sector data

Reservations

pax load

Reservations

Flight planning

Figure 3

There are a number of possibilities when it comes to transferring information from one system to the next; so let us start with the most correct, by the book, way of doing it. API – Application Programming Interface This method requires the most time and effort but it is by far the most sophisticated one. You get access to information in system X by ‘talking to‘ its interface and you take that information and move it to system Y by passing it through its interface as well. Think of these interfaces as self-service kiosks where you walk up to the counter and do your business when it suits you. Changes to the databases in either system do not affect you because the interfaces remain the same.

pax load

interface

Flight Planning

interface

Figure 4 When using APIs, you create small applications, often referred to as agents, which are programmed specifically to carry out a task such as ‘every 5 minutes, check for changes in system X to a running three day period (from yesterday to two days ahead) and, if changes are found, to send those changes to system Y‘.

Other methods include… Push / pull using files System X pushes information out and system Y pulls the information in. This can be done by saving files in a shared and accessible location such as a folder on a hard disk/server or an FTP folder. As with the API method this would generally involve a piece of middleware or agent to automate the process and present the data from system X to system Y in the correct format.

Import/export using files A user using system X generates a file with information and exports it. A user using system Y imports the file. Again, a piece of middleware may be required to transform the data from system X to system Y in the correct format. Accessing the database This is never a recommended way of transferring data between systems as you access the data for system X in the database and transfer it to system Y. By writing to or amending a database directly, there is a very high risk of corrupting the data (and the vendor, in all likelihood, releases himself from liability for keeping your data stable). An integration platform An integration platform is a software system in its own right. It is a tool for integrating applications and business processes alike. InfoSphere Information Server by IBM, MuleSoft by MuleSoft and webMethods by Software AG, to name a few, are all integration platforms. Some integration platforms offer visual representation of the agents which are running, alerting you if an agent between two systems fails, thus jeopardizing data integrity. You also use the platform to schedule when these agents should run and what should happen in case of failures (e.g. e-mail sent to IT administrators).

AUTUMN 2012 | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | WHITE PAPER: AVIATION42 | 29

“Reports filled in by your airline crews may also benefit from this technology as you can have them fill in reports on tablet computers while on-board the aircraft and then upload the information once they get connected.” Please bear in mind that you may not always need a special integration platform in order to get some integration under way but as you grow and expand it is a good idea to have a platform that manages all your agents.

Assessing the API

When choosing a software system, you should not only look at the functionality of the system itself and what it can do for your users. You should also place great emphasis on what the system can do for your other systems, i.e. through its interface. The functions in the interface most often have quite descriptive names such as getAircraftInfo, getFlight which you can call with or without search criteria and they return the information requested by reading from the database and passing the data over to you. The interface should also have set functions such as setPaxLoad which allow you to pass information through the interface and which gets written to the database. You should study the interface documentation carefully and possibly bring in an expert if needed. Think to yourself what kind of data you would like to be able to retrieve from the system, e.g. you need to be able to send delay information from operations control to maintenance as well as flight planning and you would like to send passenger loads from reservations to flight planning.

The mobile office and business intelligence

Today‘s mobile office places a greater demand on your IT strategy. Employees are on the go and use tablet computers and phones to a greater degree than before. They prefer clear and concise information in dashboards and reports, built on data which you may need to pull in from various systems, preferably through APIs. A solid integration platform enables you to cater to these needs.

The upside and downside of integrated systems

As your company grows and expands the integrated system needs to grow with you. The more carefully you select the integrated system, the longer it benefits you. This includes making sure the system is geared towards the kind of operation you are running (cargo, charter, scheduled or VIP flights), what areas you operate into and what regulatory framework you need to fulfil. A few upsides are: • When starting up the company you have one system that covers many areas of operations; • A consistent user interface eases training especially where cross departmental use is concerned; • The system may be modular so starting with key modules and adding further modules later can ease implementation and initial cost; • It is a one stop shop regarding contracts, support and upgrades; • You have single sign on and centralised user management. The downsides are: • An integrated system may not be ‘best of breed’ in some areas. Perhaps it has a strong engineering module but the crewing does not meet an organisation’s requirements;

• You are locked into one vendor whose system runs your entire business; • If you decide to break away from one of the modules in the integrated system, e.g. crew planning, it may prove to be difficult and expensive to integrate the new crew planning system into the integrated system, if at all possible and feasible; • The integrated system may not grow with your company and the vendor’s development roadmap may differ substantially from what you need in some of the modules; • The vendor may not place great emphasis on creating and maintaining a good API for you for external use as so much of the information flow takes place within the system itself.

The upside and downside of integrating your systems

On the upside you: • Have the freedom to choose whatever software system that fits your business needs the best; • Can introduce new systems when you need them and thus control the speed and cost of implementation; • You will be able to connect most of your systems together in any way you like, provided they offer good APIs; • Have a better chance of creating reports, dashboards and working with business intelligence. There are a few downsides, including: • More difficult and volatile user rights as you need to manage multiple access controls; • Possibly higher database licensing fees as you have more types and instances of databases; • You need a stronger and more capable IT department to manage different systems, interfaces and the integration; • In addition to software licensing you need a budget for interface and integration development; • You may have to bring in third party developers and manage the communication between the software providers and the developers. It is important to keep in mind that the cost of integration is sometimes much higher than having well-defined processes that require some manual work. This applies in particular to processes that are executed infrequently. What this all boils down to is that careful, long-term planning will reap the greatest benefits.

Conclusion

A single database system, an integrated system, that covers all areas of aviation doesn‘t exist although you will find a few that tackle a fairly big part of your operation. You should be prepared for eventually finding yourself with a mixture of systems and databases which you may want to integrate. Therefore, laying out the long term strategy and choosing an integration platform is a wise move. Moreover, managing your software systems is a marathon and not a sprint as integration is a complex undertaking that can, and should be, carried out in small steps. n

FURTHER LINKS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integration_platform http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_programming_interface

aBOUT AVIATION 42

Aviation42 is a branch of software house Output42 and specialises in software solutions for aviation. They create bespoke systems, work on data integration and migration, build data warehouses for business intelligence, create special reports and undertake consultancy. Our long term employees all have a minimum of 5 years’ experience designing, developing and working with complex aviation software and data. We are well versed in numerous programming languages, different databases and always keep abreast of technology. At Aviation42 you get a one stop solution in which we help you translate your business requirements into zeros and ones, help you install and configure our solutions and provide the necessary training.

Ingunn Ingimars

IT Consultant at Aviation42

Ingunn Ingimars joined Aviation42 as an IT consultant specialising in IT architecture. Her consultancy work includes both organising and setting up IT departments from the ground up as well as helping airlines in identifying key problems areas. Her systems reviews cover software systems and their interfaces, cross-department communication and how business processes can be mapped to software processes. Her focus is to help choose the right software systems and to maximise the return on IT investment by sharing data between systems and turning raw data into meaningful information; thereby increasing operational efficiency. With a degree in software engineering from Reykjavik University and a degree in English Literature from the University of Iceland, Ingunn worked as a software developer for six years and as a software project manager for three years prior to her career in IT architecture. She entered the world of aviation in 2003 when she co-founded the Icelandic airline JetX, later rebranded Primera Air.

INTERACTIVE

ASK THE AUTHOR A QUESTION

CLICK HERE to leave YOUR QUESTION

INTERACTIVE

JOIN THE DEBATE

CLICK HERE to leave your feedback about this article and start or join a discussion

Vendor Flight Log

30 | VENDOR FLIGHT LOG | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | AUTUMN 2012

Niall O’Sullivan, CEO, Arconics.

of Limerick, Niall worked After qualifying in Industrial Design in 1990 from the University Dublin, Ireland to work in in an architectural practice in San Francisco before returning to 1993 which, by 1996, had product design. He set up his own design consultancy business in s to large publishers. In evolved into an Internet business offering Content Management service airlines and Arconics‘ first 2001, he set up Arconics offering Content Management services to customer, Ryanair, is still among the firm’s many airline clients.

What makes Arconics work

AircraftIT: Your name, your job title and the name of the business? Niall O’Sullivan: Niall O’Sullivan, CEO, Arconics. AircraftIT: How did Arconics get started? NO’S: Arconics was founded in 2001 with the aim to provide a world class content management system. One of our first customers was Ryanair and following the success of that installation we decided to focus exclusively on providing solutions to the aviation industry. Eleven years on and we are still focused on Aviation while Ryanair and many other customers continue to gain benefits from the system. AircraftIT: What is the attraction of aircraft operations related Software & Hardware? NO’S: Airline staff are on the move every day and rarely in the office so airline personnel are, by nature, mobile workers. The latest mobile technology of smartphones and tablets will fundamentally change the ways in which staff interact with the airline. To manage this interaction efficiently is where Arconics comes in, providing a platform that can map the current process into a more efficient digital one. AircraftIT: What is the guiding business principle that drives Arconics? NO’S: Partnership and collaboration are among our guiding principles. We see our customers as partners and together we create innovative solutions that solve real day-to-day problems in flight operations. As we solve an issue for one customer it is made available to all customers. In effect we have a large collaborative team that consists of leading edge technologists with the best Flight Operations domain experts in the world. Now that is a recipe for success.

NO’S: The biggest disappointment has been the slow rate of EFB adoption. We have created innovative technology but customer adoption has been slow. This has all changed now with new devices such as iPad and smartphones.

As we solve an issue for one customer it is made available to all customers. In effect we have a large collaborative team that consists of leading edge technologists with the best Flight Operations domain experts in the world AircraftIT: What has been Arconics’ greatest business achievement to date, and why? NO’S: Getting the AeroDocs solution approved for inclusion on the Apple app store was a breakthrough moment for Arconics as Apple demand high software standards. iPad is such a disruptive technology and has fundamentally changed how our business works. AircraftIT: What have been Arconics’ disappointments and what have you learned from them?

AircraftIT: In a sentence, how would you summarize what Arconics does for aircraft operations customers? NO’S: We create operational efficiency by transferring cumbersome paper based processes to efficient digital based processes while underpinning safety and compliance adherence. AircraftIT: What is new on Arconics’ development horizon? NO’S: We are working on integration with a leading flight planning system. When complete this will enable pilots to receive their Flight briefing pack to mobile and iPad devices. AircraftIT: What will be the next big thing in Operations software and hardware? NO’S: Mobile computing. All staff have smart devices, flight operations can take advantage of this fundamental change in computing to operate more efficiently. AircraftIT: What do you want your customers to say about Arconics? NO’S: ‘Quality software that saves time and money; it is exceptionally intuitive and easy to use’: ‘a flexible system that can easily be adapted to current business process’ and, finally, ‘Arconics delivers the right information to the right person at the right time’. AircraftIT: Niall O’Sullivan, thank you for your time.

What’s in the MRO? Click here to read AircraftIT MRO eJournal. CASE STUDIES INCLUDE:

Human interaction with modern IT systems in aircraft maintenance

Sander de Bree, founder and general manager of ExSyn Aviation Solutions

Networked MRO

Orkun Hasekioglu, Projects Manager at Turkish Airlines Technic

Plus…

New feature It’s personal: Plan the work or work the plan?

V1.7 • AUTUMN 2012

D SYSTEMS PEOPLE ANimp rove performance

Tim Alden, Commercial Director, Rusada

Working together to

How I see IT: Control of information and knowledge points the way to the future

READING FROM THE SAME PAGEdoes the job An integrated MRO network

VENDOR JOB CARD

TOGETHER WORKING Grouping tasks for better plans WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MRO

How does Swiss-AS do it?

Ronald Schaeuffele explains ‘how’ to Aircraft IT

doing Who’s in the News and what they’re

Software ic Vendor Job Card: Swiss Aviation ns, Rusada Case Study: Turkish Techn Acronyms of nary White Paper: ExSyn Aviation Solutio Dictio and ory Direct re Upcoming Webinars, MRO Softwa Column: ‘How I see IT’, News, Past and

Aircraft IT MRO V1.7 Autumn 2012.indd

12/11/2012 09:35

Click here to subscribe for free now to order your copy Contact us for further details visit: www.aircraftIT.com, email: ed.haskey@aircraftit.com or call +44 1273 648317

32 | CASE STUDY: AIR CANADA | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2012

Speaking a common language Douglas Bernie, Manager of Airline Operations IT at Air Canada overviews the project to achieve better communications: its specification, outcome and the benefits achieved.

AUTUMN 2012| AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | CASE CASE STUDY: AIR CANADA | 33

ir Canada is Canada’s largest full-service airline and the largest provider of scheduled passenger services on the Canadian market, the Canada-U.S. trans-border market and in the international market to and from Canada. The carrier is a founding member of Star Alliance™ and, together with its regional partner, Air Canada Express, serves in excess of 32 million customers annually with direct passenger services delivered through more than 1200 daily flights to over 170 destinations on five continents. Fleet size exceeds 200 airplanes, consisting of mixed Boeing and Airbus wide body aircraft, and mixed Airbus/Embraer narrow body jets, while Air Canada Express operates CRJ and DH-8 regional airliners.

Motivation for changes

Due to the decommissioning of the legacy Operations System, Air Canada was seeking a new solution for alerting and communications. Modern software that could provide a one-stop-shop for the widest possible group of users seemed to be the desired solution. It was also hoped that a high-tech, maintenance-free, web-based solution would be much more cost effective than the legacy mainframe system being replaced. In addition, there was the need for a system that would inform about certain alerts or NOTAMs (notices to airmen) and perform the function of a communicator.

Project summary

Air Canada has achieved a major step towards easing the workload and increasing the efficiency of all divisions in the airline by delivering a complete airline communication solution using Smart COMM from Smart4Aviation. There can be alerts for NOTAMs, weather, operational data, MELs (minimum equipment lists), etc. It is also capable of being developed as the organization evolves. Departments, roles and alerting

“Due to the decommissioning of the legacy Ops System, Air Canada was seeking a new solution for alerting and communications. Modern software that could provide a one-stop-shop for the widest possible group of users” rules are all fully configurable and can be changed in minutes within the application, providing the flexibility necessary for today’s rapidly changing airline landscape.

The project

After many meetings, both parties (Air Canada and solution provider, Smart4Aviation) presented their requirements and shared ideas of how they would like the system to function, look and feel. The meeting resulted in many valuable ideas for solutions that came out in brainstorming sessions. Afterwards, the analysis and user interface design phase began. The requirements have been gathered, summed up and documented in a series of precise Use Case scenarios. A mock-up user interface was prepared and made available on Smart4Aviation company servers so that Air Canada’s representatives could make final remarks and the solution’s look and feel could be tuned to the standards desired within the airline. Immediately after the authorities on the customer side had accepted the mock-up version of the Smart COMM and the Use-Case scenarios had been reviewed and approved, development of the

solution commenced. The core message passing, routing and communication parts were the first to be coded and tested by the most experienced software engineers. In the meantime the user interface was developed and put into a working state. The functional side of the project was divided into phases. Phase one was delivery of the functionality to Flight Dispatch department and for the communication with aircraft to be operational. Next step was the introduction of the solution to Load Agents and other operation-critical officers. Then, at the beginning of 2008, Air Canada identified a further need: a tool to maintain the assignments and roles by themselves, so that internal company users could extend the functionality of the product. This resulted in a major extension of Smart COMM by adding a powerful, yet intuitive Assignment Builder to manage and maintain the system functions, access rights, and message routing capabilities. With implementation of the Assignment Builder, Air Canada could offer its other users the possibility of using the new tool. Airport, Maintenance and Departure Control, as well as System/Station Operations Control users were now able to fully take advantage of the new system’s power. One of the major milestones was not necessarily the day the new system went into production, but the date when the legacy Operations system was decommissioned.

The challenges

Air Canada required a communications solution that would fulfil a number of high-level functional requirements. A peer-to-peer internal communication tool was required with the ability for message prioritizing communication between departments using either the new system’s internal message capability or external SITA, AFTN, email: the airline also wanted to be able to utilize multicast messaging to specific user roles. Other requirements Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

34 | CASE STUDY: AIR CANADA | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2012

“Communications have been improved with the right information being delivered to the right people at the right time and there is also improved flight watch; alerting for en route conditions such as turbulence and altitude variance with shorter response and reactions times in crisis situations.” included auto response transaction messages, alerting and intuitive flight information display as well as allowing users to quickly reply to every message (excluding Alerts), forward it or copy its content plus the ability to provide an ACARS or SITA virtual reply-to addresses. Also important was to be able to present actual weather and NOTAM information based on user and to be able to make Responsibility selections.

• Archiving of all important communication events and operational messages; • Detailed history of events; • Customizable alerting rules and workloads; • Secure internet access; • ACARS initialization; • Fuel monitoring.

Key features in the final solution

Communications have been improved with the right information being delivered to the right people at the right time and there is also improved flight watch; alerting for en route conditions such as turbulence and altitude variance with shorter response and reactions times in crisis situations. There is now configurable alerting for the operational conditionals that users choose to monitor and the system has flexibility in that all rules and alerts are fully customizable. Information is filtered according to staff responsibilities and duties and the system facilitates improved collaboration on operational problems. Overall, there is increased security of flight operations combined with the efficiency of dealing with difficult or unexpected events by reduction of human workflow. n

• Real-time on-screen messaging and alerting; • Peer to Peer communication; • Two-way ACARS messaging; • Automatic ACARS uplink and downlink transactions; • Rule-based alerting (weather, NOTAM, ACARS, load, fuel, operational events, MELs and much more); • Fuzzy logic message addressing; • Real time flight monitoring of turbulence, winds, and altitude variance; • Tight integration with Smart MET, Smart NOTAM MANAGER, Smart BRIEF, Smart FUELING and other Smart4Aviation products;

Benefits achieved with the new communications solution

Product overview Smart COMM application represents a major advance in streamlining and improving airline communication processes. Efficient communication ensures efficient operations. Flight Dispatch, Operations Control, Weight and Balance, Maintenance, Pilots, Aircraft Routing and Crew Scheduling can now collaborate on operational problems and situations, using a common platform. Users have a common view of the airline’s operation with critical information alerted in real time as changes occur. Communication between ground staff and aircraft via ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) is available with a single mouse click; Smart COMM treats an aircraft as just another user of the system, handling all complex ACARS coded message formatting behind the scenes. Furthermore, the System can respond to ACARS transaction requests issued by aircraft, as well as automatically alerting pilots to any relevant operational information, ensuring regulatory compliance for flight watch. The status of all flights can be monitored by an incorporated realtime Smart OPS module, which may serve as a one-stop-shop for numerous workflows involving communication, alerting and emergency response.

Douglas Bernie

Manager, Airline Operations IT, Air Canada

Doug has worked for Air Canada since 2000 in various Operational and IT positions. He started his career as a station attendant in Calgary, soon moved to Weight and Balance in Montreal, then to Management of Weight and Balance in Toronto. For the last six years he has been Managing Operations IT in terms of the strategic direction as well as the day to day activities that he and his team take care of for System Operations Control, Flight Operations, and Corporate Safety.

INTERACTIVE

ASK THE AUTHOR A QUESTION

CLICK HERE to leave YOUR QUESTION

INTERACTIVE

JOIN THE DEBATE

CLICK HERE to leave your feedback about this article and start or join a discussion

AUTUMN 2012| AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | VACANCIES | 35

Targeted opportunities

If you’re seeking out your next career move, then Aircraft IT Operations ‘Vacancies’ is the place to find great opportunities in the sector where your experience and skills are valued. Or simply use us for an overview of the market while deciding whether to move. Aircraft IT Operations is the specialist website and publication for your sector so you won’t have to trawl through a host of general vacancies to find the aviation IT ones that need your skills and will advance your career.

Aviaso

Job Alerts for first sight

As well as listing current career opportunities, Aircraft IT Operations ‘Vacancies’ also lets you sign up for ‘Job Alerts’, to receive email alerts and be among the first to learn about the latest opportunities and in pole position to put yourself forward. Career opportunities currently on the website include the folliowing.

Navtech

connecting aviation and software

…you won’t have to trawl through a host of general vacancies to find the aviation Operations IT ones that need your skills and will advance your career.

Your next career step Aircraft IT website ‘Vacancies’ page puts great opportunities with the best businesses in front of professionals in their field

Quality Assurance Engineer If you... … have solid experience in software testing and automation... … are passionate about quality... … have high standard for your work and the work of others... ... are interested how an airline operates and would like to understand complex business processes like crew planning, flight scheduling, crew communication, airline documents management... ... like challenging projects and learning new things... ... last, but not least – would like to work in a peopleoriented environment, where you can see the impact of your work, and where your achievements are also recognized and rewarded by the company... ... then we are looking forward to hearing from you! CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Senior Software Engineer (Java) If you... ... are passionate about aviation and you want to contribute to innovative products for fuel efficiency and emissions management... ... are interested to help improving the global environment by reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions produced by the airline industry... ... would like to work with top-of-the-line Java technologies like GWT, Eclipse RCP, OSGi, Hibernate rather than being locked in some old/ proprietary technology... ... like challenging projects and learning new things... ... are looking for a people-oriented environment, where you can see the impact of your work, and where your achievements are recognized and rewarded by the company... ... then we are looking forward to hearing from you! CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Performance Engineer – Airport Analysis The principal work for the Airport Analysis Department consists of calculating maximum takeoff/landing weights and to secure safe procedures in case of an engine failure at airports. This is primarily performed using our in-house developed production tools, but a great deal of manual work is also part of the daily production. The daily work and responsibilities for this role consist of management and interpretation of authority data, updating our customized airport runway and obstacle databases, calculating safe procedures in case of engine failure and calculating maximum performance limitations for the aircrafts. The majority of the work is performed in close co-operation with our customers. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

For career opportunities as professional as you and with you in mind, go to Aircraft IT Operations ‘Vacancies’ website and eJournal.

36 | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | AUTUMN 2012

Operations Software Directory Key ‘at-a-glance’ information from the world’s leading Operations software providers. From Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) to Fuel Management Systems; From Flight Planning Solutions to Operations Cost Management — the leading IT vendors below can cater for all requirements.

ACFT PERFO

W: www.actperfo.com T: +352 26 12 94 E: info@ actperfo.com Company formed: 1999. Office Location: Steinfort, Luxembourg Number of Modules................10 Five Key Business/Software Areas • WORLD AIRPORT DATABASE Compatible for ALL TO Performance soft • All A/C Types TO. & LAND. Performance soft • EFB SOFTWARE SUITE • Operational support in Performance and Operations • EFLS Electronic loading system ground operations ACFTPERFO has acquired a solid experience in the development of electronic flight bags tools and related support since start up in 1999. Our products are in continuous evolution in order to adapt to new regulations or practices in this rapidly changing business. We use our expertise to help the customers and our commitment is to find the best solution for any challenge an airline could face. Safety is a major concern of our ACFTPERFO team and our airport database has been developed to be the best on the market. It is maintained up to date using extremely efficient tools which guarantee the highest level of accuracy and follow up.

Click Here for Software/Product Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Aircraft Management Technologies

W: www.flightman.com T: +353 1 8061000 E: info@flightman.com

Company formed: 2000; Office Location: Dublin, Ireland (HQ) Name of Product Marketed • Flightman™ Electronic Flight Folder Number of Modules................11 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Flightman™ connects aircraft to airlines’ backend systems via onboard EFB software applications and provides airlines with significant costs savings in both Flight Operations and Maintenance • Flightman™ runs on all classes of hardware (FAA EFB Class 1, 2, or 3) • Is independent of hardware vendor • Supports all aircraft types • Is able to host third party applications and is independent of operating system AMT (Aircraft Management Technologies) was founded to address the need in the market for an electronic means of capturing and reporting data between aircraft and central back office systems. Flightman™ represents a common sense application of emerging technologies that can automate existing processes in the cockpit, cabin and on the ramp, in turn reducing costs. AMT’s Flightman™ product is a complete Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) software solution. Flightman™ enables airlines to be compliant in all aspects of onboard flight operations in a cost effective manner and provides a platform for future revenue generation applications in the cabin. AMT’s patented, award-winning Flightman™ software comprises three main elements: 1) a set of onboard software applications, 2) a ground server for the management of EFBs, and 3) capabilities for optimized communications between the onboard software and ground systems.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

AIR SUPPORT A/S

W: www.airsupport.dk T: 0045 7533 8889 E: pps@airsupport.dk Company formed:1988; Office Location: Billund, Denmark Name of Product Marketed • PPS - Preflight Planning Solutions, CrewBriefing Five Key Business/Software Areas • Flight Planning • CrewBriefing facilities AIR SUPPORT specializes in the provision of pc-based flight planning software systems with integrated web-based CrewBriefing — PPS and CrewBriefing - services to private and commercial business aircraft operators, regional/charter/cargo/national airlines, military/utility operators and flight service providers. Today, PPS is used by aircraft operators throughout 32 countries operating more than 3000 turboprop and jet aircraft daily consisting of more than 350 different aircraft types and versions. PPS is powered by LUFTHANSA Systems FlightNav worldwide navigation data including all global route restrictions, worldwide updated NOTAMs, Surface Weather data and Wind and Significant Weather charts based on original source data.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Arconics

W: www.arconics.com T: (00353) 1611 4625 E: info@arconics.com

Company formed: 2001; Office Location: Dublin, Ireland Name of Product Marketed • Manual Manager, AirPortal, EFB Viewer Number of Modules..................5 Five Key Business/Software Areas • EFB Document Management • Airline content management • Flight crew notices management • Mobile document viewer apps • EFB document viewer Arconics is a leader in content management software and services for airline operators. Our team has over 10 years of world-class expertise in airline operations and document standards, web and mobile applications and XML data processing. Arconics provides EFB Document Management for Notices, Manuals and Forms on EFB Class 1, 2 & 3, Web and Mobile. Arconics products reduce costs, improve efficiency, and ensure regulatory compliance. Thousands of flight and ground operations staff, pilots and cabin crew depend on Arconics products to help safely and efficiently operate their fleets every day.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Aviaso Inc.

W: www.aviaso.com T: +41 55 422 0000 E: info@aviaso.com

Aviaso connecting aviation and software www.aviaso.com

Company formed: 2003; Office Location: Pfaeffikon, Switzerland Name of Product Marketed • Fuel Efficiency, EU-ETS, Airline Portal, ART - Aviation Reporting Tool, CCP - Crew Capacity Planning Number of Modules.............. n/a Five Key Business/Software Areas • Fuel Efficieny • EU-ETS • Airline Portal / Intranet • ART - Aviation Reporting Tool • CCP - Crew Capacity Planning Aviaso is an international software company developing products exclusively for the aviation industry. The first product — the Airline Portal — has been deployed at Belair Airlines in 2003. Since then, the product-portfolio has been continuously extended into various areas of the aviation industry. Besides developing its own products, Aviaso is also developing custom-specific software and realizes system integration projects for aviation companies. Furthermore, Aviaso maintains datacenters in Switzerland and Sofia and provides customized hosting-solutions for aviation companies. Aviaso has its head office in Switzerland and software development centers in Sofia/Bulgaria and Kharkiv/ Ukraine. Please, visit our website www.aviaso.com for more information about the Aviaso products and services.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

AUTUMN 2012| AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | 37

AVIATION 42

W: www.aviation42.com T: +48 71 7230109 E: steve.crabb@aviation42.com Company formed: 2009; Office Location: Poland, UK, Denmark, Switzerland Name of Product Marketed • Sabre Reporting - Data Migration - Software Development - System Integration Middleware - Check Optimiser - RADIXX Interfaces - FAST Fatigue Data Extracts Number of Modules.............. n/a Five Key Business/Software Areas • Sabre Reporting & Integration • Data Migration • Software Development • System Integration • Middleware Aviation42 is a software company focused on providing Airlines with highly skilled, cost effective solutions in: Sabre Reporting and Integration; Custom software development; Data Migration; System Integration; Middleware; RADIXX Interfaces; and Fatigue Data Extracts

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Aviovision NV

W: www.aviobook.aero T: + 32 16 29 89 80 E: info@aviovision.aero

AviIT Ltd

W: www.aviit.com T: +44 (0)1383 620922 E: info@aviit.com

Company formed: 2010; Office Location: Leuven, Belgium Name of Product Marketed • AVIOBOOK / EFB for Airlines & Business Aviation Number of Modules................10 Key Business/Software Areas • Main • Operational Flight Plan • Briefing • Weight & Balance • Charts • Performance • Reports • Library • Tools • EFB Ground Administration Tool

Company formed: 2004; Office Location: Fife, Scotland. Name of Product Marketed • Archimedes & eMan Number of Modules..................2 Key Business/Software Areas • ACARS data management - Archimedes • ACARS Technical Consultancy • Technical publications Distribution - eMan • Document Acknowledment - eMan Read & Sign • IT systems management & support AviiT is exclusively focused on the provision of software solutions to the aviation sector. Drawing upon data sources such as ACARS, Archimedes provides a powerful capability to capture, analyse and present valuable, real time data in a clear and flexible format to Operation and Engineering teams.

AvioVision N.V. is a young Belgian company that is offering an innovative and comprehensive EFB solution, by facilitating integration of technologies in its EFB products, combining them with operational excellence into smart solutions for front line and back-office staff.

eMan provides an efficient capability for the distribution of technical publications across the maintenance and repair estate. Used by aircraft operators and 3rd party MROs alike, eMan unlocks the benefits of smooth and efficient distribution of engineering and process documentation. eMan is available as an on-premise or hosted offering for complete deployment flexibility.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

Why ARMS®: Aviation Resource Management System?

ARMS® Sub-Systems include

Low IT Investment Footprint

Commercial Planning

Low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Flight Operations

Speed of Implementation

Flight Planning & Dispatch

Ready Out-of-the-Box; yet all Modules are fully Customizable

Crew Management & Web Portal [for Aircrew & Cabin Crew]

Freedom of Mobility

Flight Data Monitoring & Analysis

Flexible Ownership/ Usage Plans: Pay-per-Use or Pay-per-Month

Engineering & Maintenance

Fully Scalable; from large intercontinental Fleets to small Charter Operations

Logistics & Inventory Management

Seamlessly Integrated Ops Crew M&E MRO, etc.

Integrated Document Management System - InfoPrompt®

Deployed as a Turnkey Solution: Aviation IT Products + Services + Support

www.sds.co.in

ARMS® and InfoPrompt® are Registered Trademarks of Sheorey Digital Systems Ltd. Mumbai, India.

38 | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | AUTUMN 2012

BYTRON

W: www.bytron.com T: +44 (0)1652 688626 E: info@bytron.aero

Company formed: 1984; Office Location: Kirmington, North Lincolnshire, UK Name of Product Marketed • skybook®eFB, skybook.aero, skylightES, Slot Management, Fuel Monitoring, AIS Notam Management Number of Modules..................6 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Electronic Flight Bag • Pre-flight Briefing • Airport CDM • Flight Data Management Systems • Air Traffic Control & Operational Management Systems BYTRON is a UK based company specialising in aviation data systems that provides totally integrated flight data management solutions, delivering operational data reliably to aircraft operators, airports and air traffic control. We provide a wide range of products and solutions, including EFB (Class I & II) solutions, Airport CDM, and much more. The company’s design philosophy is, and has always been, to provide highly flexible, technically innovative, and compliant user-oriented solutions. With over 25 years of experience supplying aviation systems, we are experts at getting the right data, to the right place, at the right time.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

ETS Aviation Ltd.

W: www.etsaviation.com T: +351 91 580 1007 E: dscarlisle@etsaviation.com Company formed: 2009; Office Location: Gibraltar, UK Name of Product Marketed • Aviation FuelSaver™, Aviation Footprinter™, ETS Support Service Number of Modules..................2 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Fuel-efficiency Software Solutions • EU ETS Data Management and Reporting Verificiation Software • Fuel Saving Consultancy • ETS Data management consultancy ETS Aviation Ltd. are specialists in fuel-efficiency programmes and emissions data management. Since early 2009 our team of aviation specialists and software designers has helped hundreds of aviation operators all over the world. We work with airlines, business aviation operators and trip support companies. And we make their life easier. We created the ground breaking Aviation FuelSaver™, software and consultancy programme - the easiest to use and lowest cost fuel efficiency system on the market - having already launched a software and consultancy solution called Aviation Footprinter™, for managing EU ETS (Emissions Trading Scheme) requirements..

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Evoke Systems

Flygprestanda AB

W: www.evoke-systems.com T: +44 (3)456 521240 E: info@evoke-systems.com

W: www.flygp.se T: +46 40 642 00 10 E: sales@flygp.se

Company formed: 2001; Office Location: Norwich, England Number of Modules.............. n/a Five Key Business/Software Areas • Training Records and Expiry Management • Cabin Crew Flight Reports • Journey Log and Fuel Analysis • EU-ETS Management • Document Library and Notices

Company formed: 1969; Office Location: Malmö/Sweden, Connecticut/USA Name of Product Marketed • Airport Analysis, Performance GURU, FOCS Number of Modules.............. n/a Five Key Business/Software Areas • Aircraft Performance Services • Flight Planning Software • Performance Engineering • Special Performance Calculations • Engine Failure Procedures

Evoke Systems is a British software company founded in 2001 to provide innovative, cost effective solutions to the airline industry. EFOS (Electronic Flight Operations System) is a web-based crew portal and flight operations management system with supporting mobile device software for use as part of an EFB solution. Evoke Systems has clients in both the commercial and business aviation sectors operating from the UK, Europe and the Middle East. They include start-ups and established airlines looking to streamline their processes. Our customers tell us that we provide exceptional levels of support and provide creative solutions to their problems.

Click Here for Software/Product Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Flight Focus

W: www.flightfocus.net T: +65 6419 5299 E: sales@flightfocus.net Company formed: 2007; Office Location: Singapore (HQ), Jakarta and Bandung, Kuala Lumpur Name of Product Marketed • The Flight Focus PLATFORM™ Number of Modules.............. n/a Five Key Business/Software Areas • Electronic Flight Bag • Avionics Systems Integration • Flight Operations Support Services • Applications Services Provider (ASP) • Flight Operations Consultancy Flight Focus has been a supplier of innovative, leading edge Avionics and Electronic Flight Bag solutions and associated Flight Operations Support Services to the global aviation industry since 2007. Flight Focus employs over 130 staff who are engaged in a wide range of activities directly related to the design, development and delivery of its avionics solutions; this includes hardware and software design & development, manufacturing and maintenance, Flight Dispatch services & support, and global Sales & Marketing teams. Headquartered in Singapore, Flight Focus has further office locations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Indonesia (Jakarta and Bandung) dedicated to research and development, software and hardware design, and technical support.

Click Here for Software/Product Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Flygprestanda AB, a pioneer in aircraft performance calculations, was founded 1969. For over 40 years Flygprestanda has been in the forefront of providing aircraft operators of all kind with high quality services. Today Flygprestanda is serving around 200 customers worldwide from the head office in Malmö, Sweden and continues to lead innovation in this part of the aviation industry with its well known Airport Analyses, Performance GURU and Flight Operations Control System (FOCS). High quality performance calculations for take off and landing are essential for safe flight operations and a modern flight planning solution is the key to achieve the most cost efficient operations possible.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

FLYHT - AeroMechanical Services

W: www.flyht.com T: + 1-403-250-9956 E: sales@flyht.com

Company formed: 1998; Office Location: Calgary, Alberta Canada Name of Product Marketed • AFIRS 220, AFFIRS 228, FLYHTStream, FIRST Number of Modules.............. n/a Five Key Business/Software Areas • ACARS over Iridium • Global Communications and Flight Following • Accurate and automated OOOIs • Real-time FDM for FOQA • Real-time Fuel Management System FLYHT’s AFIRS™ 228 is the only system to bridge gaps in ACARS coverage using the Iridium® global satellite system while also being Future Ready™. AFIRS goes beyond ACARS data with Configurable Intelligence on Demand™. No longer is your investment in ACARS connectivity restricted to accessing only ACARS data. Your aircraft is rich in non-ACARS data that if accessed can significantly improve operational efficiency and profitability. Through our on-demand capability we ensure that additional connectivity and functionality is available at your fingertips - enabling your ACARS over Iridium investment to do more than just offer global coverage.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

AUTUMN 2012| AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | 39

FuelPlus Software GmbH

W: www.fuelplus.com T: +49 (511) 496050 E: info@fuelplus.com

Company formed: 2000; Office Location: Hannover (Germany), Brasov (Romania), Johannesburg (South Africa), Boston (USA) Name of Product Marketed • FuelPlus Number of Modules................15 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Fuel and Operational Analysis • Emission Monitoring & Reporting • Fuel Supply Management • Fuel Operations Support • Fuel Accounting FuelPlus, a leading provider of fuel management IT solutions for the global aviation industry, enables airlines to implement and operate sophisticated fuel management processes which improve internal efficiencies, and achieve substantial savings. FuelPlus consists of a set of modules to handle fuel planning, tendering, contract management, inventory and supply chain management, operations, tankering, EU ETS emissions monitoring and reporting, prepayment, and accounting.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

G-AERO division of GrandTrust InfoTech Pvt Ltd

W: www.g-aero.com T: +91 9995801266 E: raju.v@grandtrustinfo.com

Company formed: 2008; Office Location: Cochin, India Name of Product Marketed • G-COMS Airline Cost & Contract Management System • G-RPS Airline Route Profitability System • G-ARMS Airport Revenue & Contract Management System • G-GRMS Ground Handling Services Revenue & Contracts Management System Number of Modules.............. n/a Five Key Business/Software Areas • Airline Contract Management • Airline Cost Management, Budgeting and MIS/Dashboard Reporting • Airline Route Profitability • Airports / GHA Contracts Management • Airports / GHA Revenue Management G-AERO offers a suite of innovative software products for Airline, Airports and Ground Handling Agents for their Contracts, Cost and Revenue Management. G-AERO product suite not only helps to implement proven industry best practices but also assures direct financial benefits. G-AERO uses latest, secure Microsoft .Net technology in developing its solutions. G-AERO believes in providing best value for money for their customers and there by ensures quick ROI.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

IDMR Solutions

W: www.IDMR-Solutions.com T: 347-565-4367(IDMR) E: irevivo@IDMR-Solutions.com Company formed: 2008; Office Location: Cochin, India Name of Product Marketed • InForm Number of Modules.............20+ Five Key Business/Software Areas • Technical Manuals • Ground Ops • Audits • Distribution IDMR is a global provider of easy to use and all encompassing Technical Documentation Management Solutions which have been designed exclusively for Fleet operators, MRO providers and OEM organizations. IDMR’s Technical Documentation Management Solutions have proven success in increasing operational performance and decreasing operational cost while insuring airworthiness, safety and regulatory compliance.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

Wireless In-Flight Entertainment

Electronic Flight Bag

Global Satellite Connectivity Flight Planning

Flight Data Management

Central Dispatch Ground Connectivity

For More Information On Our Solutions:

w w w. f l i g h t f o c u s . n e t

sales@flightfocus.net

Flight Following

40 | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | AUTUMN 2012

IFR FrancE

W: www.ifrfrance.com T: +33 562 74 75 00 E: commercial@ifrfrance.com Company formed: 1987; Office Location: Colomiers, Toulouse, France Name of Product Marketed • AMASIS & KEOPS Number of Modules 7 and 10 add ons Five Key Business/Software Areas • Flight scheduling • Crew rostering & Crew management • Flight Operations • Direct Operating Costs & Budget • Operations & Financial reporting KEOPS is a reliable solution for airlines and operators to manage airlines operations, crew management and costing, Our experts propose high level services to assit users during the implementation phase and the day to day operations (customizations,training and consulting).

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

InfoTrust Group, Inc.

W: www.infotrustgroup.com T: 949-732-7532 E: loster@infotrustgroup.com

Company formed: 1994; Office Location: Irvine, CA, Boulder, CO, Phoenix, AZ, Austin, TX, Shanghai, China, Paris France Name of Product Marketed • TechSight/X S1000D, TechSight/X ATA Number of Modules.............10+ Five Key Business/Software Areas • Content Management System (CMS) • Interactive Electronic Technical Publisher (IETP) • Technical Operations Edition • Technical Publications Edition • Flight Operations Edition InfoTrust Group is a recognized leader in the aerospace industry for more than 25 years. InfoTrust delivers solution to hundreds of companies for their information processing, conversion, authoring, content and change management, publishing and distribution objectives. InfoTrust’s wide range of end-to-end solutions that increase productivity by taking advantage of XML capabilities and content reuse, and that produce more accurate and reliabile information for compliancy. Its solution support all flight ops, engineering, maintenance, engine, component and training manuals. InfoTrust currently services major airlines, OEMs, suppliers and MRO s worldwide. To learn more about TechSight/X and InfoTrust Group’s full range of products, services and solutions, please visit www.infotrustgroup.com.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Navtech, Inc.

W: www.navtech.aero T: +1 519 747 1170 E: info@navtech.aero

Company formed: 2002; Office Location: Waterloo, Canada; Surrey, UK; Kista, Sweden Name of Product Marketed • Aircraft Performance Family: ToDc, Weight & Balance, Airport Obstacle Database, Driftdown Data, WiFly. • Charts Family: Aerocharts, Enroute Charts, eCharts, iCharts• Crew Family: Navtech PBS, Navtech Optimizer + partner offerings from IBS, IBR and eTripTrader • Electronic Flight Bag - solutions for viewing Navtech eCharts, Aircraft Performance products, and Navtech Flight Plan via EFB • Flight Planning Family: Navtech Flight Plan + weather services • Navigation Data: data from suppliers such as: GE, Honeywell, ARINC, Universal etc. Number of Modules..................6 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Aircraft Performance • Flight Planning • Flight Dispatch and Weather & NOTAM • Crew Scheduling/Planning • EFB Software Solutions • Weight & Balance Navtech, Inc. is a leading global provider of flight operations solutions, serving more than 350 airlines and aviation services customers. Navtech’s product suite includes aeronautical charts, navigation data solutions, flight planning, aircraft performance software (take-off/landing, weight and balance), and crew planning solutions. Many of Navtech’s products can be configured as part of an EFB solution, including take-off data calculation, weight and balance, and aeronautical charts. These products, supported by Navtech’s AS9100 and ISO:9001 certification, directly support millions of flights each year and help Navtech customers maximize efficiency, reduce costs, ensure compliance with complex national and international safety regulations, and effectively deliver their services.

Click Here for Product Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Optimized Systems and Solutions (OSyS)

NVable Ltd

W: www.nvable.com T: +44 141 280 0050 E: contact@nvable.com Company formed: 2005. Office Location: Glasgow, UK Name of Product Marketed • Appixo, Appixo ETL Number of Modules..................4 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Electronic Technical Log • Alternative Training & Qualification Programme (ATQP) • Station Operational Compliance (SOC) • Management Dashboards & Analysis NVable (pronounced “enviable”) was founded as a specialist software development consultancy creating bespoke solutions that allow customers to exploit the full value of their operational data. NVable now also offers its own software products. NVable recently launched Appixo – a platform that combines large scale data handling with a framework to support multiple mobile data acquisition applications. The Appixo ETL is one such application, first launched in May 2012 with BA CityFlyer. NVable is now expanding its suite of aviation focussed applications. The growing list now includes ATQP and SOC Management. The data gathered from each application is fed into the Appixo analysis platform to feed the Management Dashboard & Analytics. This allows for real-time analysis of aircraft status, fuel burn/ uplift, defects, Out of Phase Maintenance etc.

Click Here for Software/Product Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

PACE GmbH

W: www.o-sys.com T: +1 703 889 1300 E: osysaviation@o-sys.com

W: www.pace.de T: +4930293620 E: info@pace.de

With a heritage of providing IT value-added services for the Rolls-Royce aftermarket, and delivering services commercially since 1999, Optimized Systems and Solutions (OSyS) has proven solutions for commercial aviation and defense. OSyS provides a complete range of best-in-class aviation services to enhance fleet performance and business operations. OSyS monitors more than 9,000 engines belonging to hundreds of civil aviation customers, helps meet compliance requirements with our products and services. Customers are able to increase availability of their critical assets, minimize risk and operational disruption, simplify data management to gain more value from IT investments, and improve operational efficiency.

Working with leading OEMs, engine manufacturers and airlines for more than 15 years has enabled PACE to develop a range of innovative products that directly respond to the trends and challenges of the international aviation community. PACE closely collaborates with performance engineers, senior training captains, fuel conservation and operational efficiency managers and consultants to deliver real solutions for real people. PACE’s portfolio of flight operations solutions is designed to support airlines’ universal efforts to improve their daily operations, strategic planning and operational efficiency and to offset high fuel prices and environmental demands with a more effective fuel management.

Company formed: 1999; Office Location: HQ Reston, VA; Houston, TX; San Diego, CA; Indianapolis, IN; Derby, UK; Bristol, UK; Gateshead, UK; Singapore; Qatar Name of Product Marketed • Fuel Management and Optimization; Emissions Trading Scheme MRV; Electronic Flight Bag (EFB); Asset and Equipment Health Monitoring; MRO Business and Parts Management; JetSCAN® Engine Health Monitoring Number of Modules.............. n/a Five Key Business/Software Areas • Fuel Management/Optimization • Emissions MRV • Electronic Flight Bag/EFB • Equipment Health Monitoring • MRO Business and Parts Management

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Company formed: 1995; Office Location: Berlin (Germany), Seattle (USA) Name of Product Marketed • Pacelab CI OPS, Live View, Trajectory Designer, EFB Data Recorder, Post Flight Server Number of Modules..................3 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Cost Index Operations • Fuel Efficiency Monitoring • Electronic Flight Bag • Takeoff and Landing Performance • Cabin Configuration

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

AUTUMN 2012| AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | 41

Sheorey Digital Systems Ltd.

W: www.sds.co.in T: (+91-22) 2281 9198/ 2281 1086 E: rohit.jha@sds.co.in; vicky.sheorey@sds.co.in

Company formed: 1993; Office Location: Mumbai, Bangalore, Singapore Name of Product Marketed • ARMS®: Airline Resource Management System; ARMS® Lite: Aviation Resource Management System-Lite; InfoPrompt®: Integrated Document Management System Number of Modules..................8 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Commercial Planning Sub-System (ARMS® - CPSS) / Flight Operations Sub-System (ARMS® - FOSS) • Flight Planning & Dispatch Sub-System (ARMS® - FPDS) / Crew Management Sub-System (ARMS® - CMSS) • Digital Flight Data Recorder Analysis Suite (ARMS® - DFDR-AS) / Charter Sales Manageent Sub-System (ARMS® Lite - CSMS)* • Computerized Reservation & Requisitioning Sub-System (ARMS® Lite CRRS) • Departure/ Boarding Control Sub-System (ARMS® Lite DCSS) Sheorey Digital Systems Ltd., (SDS), is an established, fast growing, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Software Company, focused on providing Software Solutions to the Aviation Industry. ARMS® is an internet rich, current-generation, state-of-the-art Information Technology System that effectively addresses the extremely critical and cost sensitive nature of Commercial Airlines/ Air Transport operations. It is a unique combination of (a) an Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) (b) Decision Support System (DSS) (c) Workflow Automation Solution (WFA) (d) Executive Management Information System (EMIS) (e) Integrated Document Management System (IDMS) viz., InfoPrompt®. These cutting-edge information technologies are seamlessly interwoven to provide the civil aviation industry with a cost-effective integrated solution, which is modular, scalable & highly user-customizable. ARMS® is a robust and well-proven system.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

SITA

W: www.SITA.aero E: info@SITA.aero

Company formed: 1949; Office Location: Head Office: Geneva, Switzerland. Main Regional Offices in: Rio De Janiero, Brazil; Beirut, Lebanon; Atlanta, USA; Singapore; Rome, Italy .

Name of Product Marketed • e-Aircraft Application Services, e-Aircraft AirportLink WiFi Service, Messaging Services Number of Modules................21 Five Key Business/Software Areas • e-Aircraft Application Services (for EFB) • e-Aircraft Connectivity Services • AIRCOM ACARS Services • AIRCOM Datalink Applications • AIRCOM Cockpit Voice SITA is the world’s leading specialist in air transport communications and IT solutions. We deliver and manage business solutions for airline, airport, GDS, government and other customers over the world’s most extensive network, which forms the communications backbone of the global air transport industry. We innovate collaboratively with the air transport industry, and the industry itself drives the company’s portfolio and strategic direction. We are the only IT and communications company to run annual, industry-renowned IT surveys for airlines, airports and passenger self-service. Our portfolio includes managed global communications, infrastructure and outsourcing services, as well as services for airline commercial management, passenger operations, flight operations, aircraft operations, air-to-ground communications, airport management and operations, baggage operations, transportation security and border management, cargo operations and more. In addition, we sponsor .aero, the top-level internet domain reserved exclusively for aviation. We are one of world’s most international companies. Our global reach is based on local presence, with services for over 550 air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200 countries and territories. Set up in 1949 with 11 member airlines, today we employ people of more than 140 nationalities, speaking over 70 different languages. SITA had consolidated revenues of US $1.49 billion in 2010.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Smart4Aviation

W: www.smart4aviation.aero T: +31 20 654 1824 E: info@smart4aviation.aero

Company formed: 2009; Office Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Kraków and Gdansk, Poland; New Delhi, India

Name of Product Marketed • Smart BRIEF, Smart BRIEF CABIN, Smart NOTAM MANAGER, Smart FUELING, Smart VIEW, Smart MET, Smart OPS, Smart DOC, Smart EFF, Smart EFB, Smart eFORMS, Smart PERFORMANCE, Smart ALERT, Smart COMM, Smart VIEW+, Smart ULD MANAGER, Smart LOAD, Smart HUB, Smart ONTIME, Smart FUEL MANAGER, Smart MISSION MANAGER Number of Modules................21 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Smart BRIEF • Smart COMM • Smart FUEL MANAGER • Smart EFB • Smart PERFORMANCE Smart4Aviation was founded to provide web based products and services to optimize, simplify and improve airline operations. The Smart4Aviation’s goal is high quality, cost-effective solutions backed up with 24/365 support service. It offers 21 modules which are interoperable, compatible and can be freely composed into the one system as well as software developed on demand, which are used with success by pilots, crew, dispatchers, ground ops and many different departments. The modules work as basic building blocks that can be used to build the system that will meet exactly customer’s requirements, that are tailored to the customer’s needs.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

T&A Systeme GmbH

W: www.logipad.aero T: +49 23 24 92580 E: info@logipad.aero

THALES

W: www.thalesgroup.com/aerospace T: +33 (0)5 6119 65 00 E: topwings@thalesgroup.com Company formed: 1968; Office Location: Toulouse, France Name of Product Marketed • TopWings Number of Modules..................1 Key Business/Software Areas • EFB hardware • EFB software solution • Ground Operations • EFB Project guidance • Scalable end-to-end solution An integrator to design, customize and support your EFB solution. TopWings® is an innovative and unique solution that provides a tailored answer to your needs for Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) implementation. Thales’s one-stop solution is a global EFB offering for operators, comprising Hardware and Applications for cockpit and cabin. It also provides Data Management and Ground Applications with a wide range of services. With TopWings, operators obtain significant operational savings and quick return on investment. Best in class, TopWings is a customisable, modular solution that helps key decision makers master complexity and make timely decisions for better outcomes.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Want to keep up with IT developments?

Company formed: 1994; Office Location: Hattingen, Germany

Name of Product Marketed • Logipad Number of Modules..................6 Five Key Business/Software Areas • iPad EFB Management • Class-I EFB • Class-II EFB • Logipad for Cabin • Logipad for Maintenance T&A SYSTEME GmbH is an IT-Service & solution provider, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Hattingen, Germany. The company has around 60 employees and focuses on national and international customers that reach up to 10000 devices. We have solid international experiences with customers of global reputation. In addition to consulting services, we are a strategic partner for development of scalable future proven IT-solutions. With Logipad T&A provides a global EFB Management solution, to handle and support any data on Class-I, Class-II and iPad Devices with one standardized ground process.

Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo

Subscribe for FREE to AircraftIT eJournal Operations today to receive all future eJournals! For case studies, keynote white papers, latest news & technology; all the knowledge you need.

Subscribe here for free – it takes a few moments. AircraftIT: All about Solutions for Airlines and Aircraft