Digital Data Products and Services for Commercial Airplanes

Boeing continues to expand upon technology-based solutions to support commercial airplane operators with maintenance management. One such solution is to provide operators with digital information through a secure on-line delivery system for hangar maintenance and through portable maintenance computers for time-critical problem-solving at the gate. These digital data products and services help operators improve productivity, reduce technical operational costs, and increase revenue by making additional flying time available.
he digital data products and services offered by Boeing are designed to provide operators with the ability to efficiently search and retrieve maintenance and operations information. The chief benefits operators can realize by using these products include the ability to

ccess technical documents through a single point of entry. !treamline engineering and maintenance operations. "inimize technical interruptions such as delays and cancellations. Boeing has been providing technical information in digital format since #$$% with the creation of the &eference 'ngineering (ata utomated &etrieval !ystem )&'( &!* )see pril-+une #$$, Airliner magazine*. Operators- engineering and maintenance personnel now use high-speed systems with search-and-retrieval capabilities instead of flipping through paper and microfilm documents. The effort re.uired to maintain current and accurate technical libraries is significantly reduced. The time savings allows for more engineering research )for example, developing repair procedures* and more time for mechanics to spend in productive labor. /ith simplified, rapid access to the most current data available, operators can reduce costs and ultimately increase revenues by returning airplanes to the revenue fleet sooner. Boeing is partnering with its customers and suppliers to assess the longterm value of leading-edge digital information technologies. The goal in this effort is to provide a unified set of applications based on ir Transport ssociation ) T * specification %#00. ccording to "oore-s 1aw,

technology doubles every #2 months and product concepts currently considered feasible may .uickly become obsolete. The Boeing approach in recognizing "oore-s 1aw is to create digital products that will easily evolve into more powerful business applications as technology advances. This process includes transitioning operators )when re.uested* to costeffective and more productive versions. The use of both existing and evolving T specifications is a key to maintaining the re.uired stability. The company-s long-term strategy is to provide both digital data and systems throughout engineering operations. This includes materiel provisioning management, maintenance training, engineering, planning, heavy maintenance, line maintenance, dispatch, and flight operations. The delivery and use of data across different computing systems form the foundation for the growing Boeing family of digital data products and services. 3roviding end-to-end support with a single point of contact for all aspects of systems management is the cornerstone of the Boeing philosophy on digital products. The four primary products in the family are #. %. 4. 6. Boeing On-1ine (ata )BO1(*. 3ortable "aintenance id )3" * 3ortable (ocument 5uery !ystem )3(5!*. !tandard 7eneralized "arkup 1anguage )!7"1*.

Boeing On-Line Data (BOLD) The digital data product Boeing On-1ine (ata )BO1(* is a secure global on-line delivery system that provides the aviation industry with the most accurate, current information available to operate and maintain the worldwide Boeing fleet. Through a single secure login, users have access to a complete digital reference library of information previously available only in an operator-s central technical library of paper, microfilm, and aperture cards. BO1( makes access to information as close as the nearest networked /indows, "acintosh, or 89:; workstation )fig. #*. s a result, the most current data is available at engineers- and planners- desks as well as on the shop floor for mechanics performing an overnight or heavy maintenance check. Operators and maintenance repair organizations around the world have used BO1( since its introduction in "arch #$$,. !ince then, system usage has increased to more than < million re.uests per week from both operators and Boeing users, as roughly 2,000 users at over <0 installations in sia, 'urope, and 9orth merica have moved away from outdated and hard-to-maintain paper processes. The operators included in this group fly more than =0 percent of the airplanes in the Boeing fleet. !witching to digital on-line data has enabled customers to reduce costs and increase revenue. 5uick, easy access to the re.uired data reduces

research time during heavy maintenance, allowing airplanes to return to revenue service sooner. 8sers of BO1( have access to information created by Boeing and its component suppliers. To provide an integrated solution to all the data needed to operate and maintain a fleet, engine manufacturer >?": has contracted with Boeing to provide select engine maintenance data over BO1(. (iscussions and negotiations with other ma@or engine manufacturers are underway. (ata currently available on BO1( include A 'ngineering and tooling drawings for all Boeing-designed commercial airplanes, from the =0= to the ===. /ork is underway to scan the approximately #., million aperture cards that represent drawings for all (ouglas-designed commercial airplanes. >ompletion is scheduled for mid-#$$$. A part-number index that correlates and links airplane parts and their associated installation drawings. A irplane service bulletins issued since ugust #$$4 for Boeingdesigned commercial airplanes and those issued since 9ovember #$$6 for (ouglas-designed commercial airplanes. A irplane service bulletin index for all bulletins issued for the combined Boeing and (ouglas fleet, with a link to the loaded bulletins. A irplane service bulletin index for all bulletins issued for the combined Boeing and (ouglas fleet, with a link to the loaded bulletins. A >omponent maintenance and overhaul manuals for all Boeing and (ouglas components. A >omponent maintenance and overhaul manuals for more than %40 suppliers. A Boeing part, materiel, and process standards. A :nformation that correlates airplane effectivity for an operator-s Boeing fleet, allowing the user to .uery information applicable to a particular airplane. Boeing has involved operators in the evolution of BO1( since its introduction. (irect feedback has resulted in additional content and enhanced functionality. !ome of the following have been implemented and others are under developmentB A 1ower network costs. A :mproved system performance. A "ore technical data.

Lower network costs Operators told Boeing that network costs to reach the database in !eattle, /ashington, were too high. :n response, Boeing worked with !:T to reduce costs for customers who use eronet, the private !:T network. Boeing established regional hubs around the world to support users of the distributed client-server BO1( application. s a result, these users need only ac.uire a connection to the hub site nearest their location, and Boeing purchases the network connection back to !eattle. This high-bandwidth connection is monitored and ad@usted to grow with the operator-s usage. >urrent hub sites include Cong Dong, 1ondon, !ingapore, and Tokyo. s new BO1( installations dictate, new hubs will be created. 3lanned sites include Bahrain, "oscow, !Eo 3aulo, and !ydney. Operators are not limited solely to !:T for network connectionF BO1( supports standard T>3G:3 access from any network provider, including the public :nternet. !mproved s"stem performance One solution to improve system performance is to implement a local BO1( server at the operator-s site. The commands that create the images on the screen originate from the local server and are transmitted across the operator-s local area network to the user-s display. 3rinting can also be served locally, further reducing dependence on external communication with the Boeing servers in !eattle or the nearest regional hub, thus allowing for .uicker system response. nother significant improvement is local data caching. /hen a user first re.uests to view a document in BO1(, the document is retrieved from the central repository in !eattle, sent across the network, and loaded into a local cache on the operator-s server. 9avigation within the document is served from the local copy. /hen the document is re.uested again, the system will perform a .uick currency check with the repository in !eattle to ensure that the local copy is the most recent. :f not, the local copy is replaced with the newer version. Two types of caching, dynamic and static, are used. s documents fill the dynamic cache, the least accessed document is pushed out. (ocuments loaded to the static cache are not pushed out unless deleted or replaced with a newer version. The static cache is configurable and expandable to whatever size hard disk an operator-s system can support )typically # terabyte*. The dynamic cache is limited to % gigabytes. companion to local caching is a function called Hpublish and subscribe.H 8sers can be notified of new or updated documents and re.uest these to be automatically cached in their local server. ?or

instance, an operator-s service bulletin engineer can choose to be notified whenever bulletin activity occurs. ctivity can be as broad as all Boeing bulletins or as narrow as bulletins applicable to a particular T chapter for a particular airplane model. /hen a new or revised bulletin is released, the system issues an e-mail notification and automatically downloads the bulletin to the local cache. The operator may designate the time that file transfers should occur to take advantage of off-peak hours, when rates are lowest. #ore tec$nical data The greatest value of BO1( as a global on-line delivery solution, however, lies in the technical data offered. s part of an integrated Boeing digital data solution, BO1( will serve as the on-line delivery mechanism for other Boeing products. 'xamples include the 3ortable "aintenance id )3" * and 3ortable (ocument 5uery !ystem )3(5!* discussed later in this article. Both will be delivered by BO1( with their associated documents and functionality. This added functionality addresses operators- re.uests to Boeing for the additional data they need to support their business processes. This will include the following Hbig sevenH documentsB A A A A A A A ircraft maintenance manual. ?ault isolation manual. ?ault reporting manual. :llustrated parts catalog. /iring diagram manual. !ystem schematic manual. !tructural repair manual.

BO1( will also contain engine manufacturer maintenance data. >?": has contracted to deliver its service bulletins, engine manual, and illustrated parts catalog ):3>* for the >?",<-=--the sole engine for =4=-<00G -=00G-200--through BO1(. 9egotiations with other ma@or engine manu-facturers are underway to include additional models and documents. Boeing is currently developing functionality that will enable operators to manage their own data through BO1(. ?or operators who maintain storage of their own engineering drawings on aperture cards, Boeing can digitally convert these and manage them in the BO1( data repository. This allows the user, from a single system, to view Boeing drawings as well as his or her own. lso planned for future enhancement is the ability for an airline to add its own authored pages to the component maintenance and overhaul manuals loaded in BO1(.

1astly, BO1( is migrating to an ob@ect-oriented architecture. This will allow Boeing to offer a common ob@ect re.uest broker architecture application programming interface to customers who would like to bypass the BO1( interface and access the data directly. s part of this technical migration, BO1( will move from its current ;-/indowG "otif interface to a +ava application incorporating /eb technologies. BO1( is scheduled to become available on the /eb in mid-#$$$. The drawings for heritage (ouglas products and the traditional Boeing engineering and tooling drawings will become available on-line at that time, as will service bulletins and the Hbig sevenH documents described in this article. 1ater, component maintenance and overhaul manuals, engine manufacturers- data, and Boeing part, materiel, and process standards will also become available through BO1( on the /eb. Porta%le #aintenance Aid (P#A) Boeing has developed the 3ortable "aintenance id )3" * to streamline the often time-consuming process of troubleshooting modern, complex airplanes. The 3" provides all the necessary line maintenance documentation in digital format along with a powerful search capability. The application includes specialized process-oriented features tailored to how each document is used. &eferences within and between documents are hyperlinked to further minimize cross-referencing time. /ith an off-the-shelf notebook personal computer )3>* and the 3" , troubleshooting information is now at the mechanic-s fingertips )fig. %*. The 3" interface )fig. 4* is intuitive and re.uires minimal training, even for users with no computer experience. The 3" currently contains customized versions of the following documentsB A ?ault isolation manual. A ircraft maintenance manual. A :llustrated parts catalog. A /iring diagram manual--e.uipment list. :t also includes the following supporting documentsB A >ombined index. A "aintenance tips, service letters, and in-service activity reports. A (ispatch deviation procedures guide for the =4=-<00G-=00G200G-$00 and ===.

?uture 3" expansion plans include addition of other manuals, such as the structural repair manual, wiring diagram manual, and system schematics manual, and integration with other Boeing digital products. Boeing will also continue to tailor the 3" to provide more efficient troubleshooting by using state-of-the-art diagnostic tools such as intelligent decision aids and intelligent graphics. :ntelligent decision aids combine engineering design, mechanic knowledge, and in-service data to help diagnose problems on complex airplane systems. :ntelligent graphics technologies provide improved navigation and text searching on illustrations. The 3" is currently available for the =4=-400G-600G -,00G-<00G=00G-200G-$00, =6=-600, =,=, =<=, and ===. :t is planned to be available to support introduction of the =#= in #$$$ and other (ouglas-designed airplanes at a later date. "ore than 4< customers have ordered or received the 3" for one or more of their Boeing models. The primary re.uirement behind development of the 3" was the need to incorporate all technical documentation necessary for line maintenance in one application that can be carried to the airplane. Operators can also add to the 3" in-house information that they author. This popular feature allows operators to view their own minimum e.uipment list and other documents on the 3" . The Iear %000 )I%D*-compliant 3" version 4.0 will be introduced in third .uarter #$$$. Porta%le Document &uer" S"stem (PD&S) Boeing is conducting a pilot program of the 3ortable (ocument 5uery !ystem )3(5!*. This system provides an excellent transition to digital technology for operators who wish to implement digital maintenance processes gradually. 3(5! maintains the familiar look and feel of paper documents )fig. 6* but eliminates the space and time re.uired to store and update paper documents. The 3(5! pilot program began in late #$$= and will be complete by the end of first .uarter #$$$. "ore than a dozen customers are participating in the program worldwide and represent a crosssection of small, medium, and large operators. !ome operators have networked 3>s, while others use standalone 3>s. The purpose of the pilot is to collect candid feedback from operators about their re.uirements, based on fleet type, so Boeing can provide them with the right data at the right place, at the right time.

3(5! complements processes and procedures that are optimized for conventional documentation and is the ideal solution for standalone 3>s. 3(5! takes advantage of the industry-standard dobeJ crobatJ portable document format )3(?* to provide the convenience of digital information storage. 3(5! offers many document navigation and information retrieval features, including A A A A A A A KiewGzoom. !earch. 3rint. >opyGpaste. Bookmarks. Thumbnails. Temporary revisions.

3(5! is a >(-&O"-based product compatible with /indowsJ $, and is I%D compliant. :t re.uires a 62<G44 or faster processor with #<-"B & " or higher, a 4.,-in floppy drive, a %; >(-&O" drive or faster, and a 3ost!criptJ-compatible printer. The 3(5! pilot includes in-production and legacy data for the following modelsB =%=, =4=-#00G-%00G-400G -600G-,00G-<00G-=00G200G -$00, =6=-#00G-%00G-400G -600, ===, and "(-20. Other models have not yet been included in the pilot program. The following documents will be availableB A ircraft maintenance manual. A :llustrated parts catalog. A !tructural repair manual. !tructural repair manuals for the =,=, =<=, ===, "(-##, and "(-20 are also available. Boeing is currently working to make all models available in 3(5! format. Boeing created the 3(5! pilot program in response to the customer re.uirement to provide legacy data online and in a single format that is applicable to all Boeing models. Standard 'enerali(ed #arkup Language (S'#L) Boeing also offers maintenance and repair documents in digital format for operators who choose to create their own systems for using the data. The data is offered in !tandard 7eneralized "arkup 1anguage )!7"1* format for the text and computer graphics metafile or consultative committee international telegraph and telephone )>>:TT* group :K tag image file format )T:??* image for the graphics, in conformance with T specification %#00 for digital data interchange.

Summar" s modern commercial airplanes grow increasingly complex, operators will need faster, more efficient ways to access maintenance and operations information about them. :n response, Boeing will continue to refine and enhance its line of existing digital products--including BO1(, 3" , 3(5!, and !7"1--and develop new products to meet emerging needs. By offering digital technologies that provide long-term value, Boeing can help operators achieve the followingB A &educed overhead costs associated with managing technical information. A :mproved line maintenance and technical operations. A &educed parts inventory and associated management costs. A :ncreased airplane availability. (etails on Boeing digital data products and services are available from (igital (ata >ustomer !upport by 3honeB %0<-,,6-$$$0 'mailB digitalLboeing.com /ebB httpBGGwww.boeing.comGdigitaldata

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)icardo Benavides !ystems nalyst 3ortable (ocument 5uery !ystem (evelopment *ec$nical Data

Products and Services Boeing >ommercial irplanes )o" Bruno "anager :nformation !trategy *ec$nical Data Products and Services Boeing >ommercial irplanes Denice Carna$an "anager *ec$nical Data Products and Services Boeing >ommercial irplanes Sam #allos 3roduct "anager Boeing On-1ine (ata *ec$nical Data Products and Services Boeing >ommercial irplanes #ic$ael #aple !enior "anger #arketing Boeing >ommercial irplanes Steve #iller 3roduct "anager 3ortable "aintenance id *ec$nical Data Products and Services Boeing >ommercial irplanes