Gulfstream Aerospace reports that PlaneConnect, the maintenance datalink introduced last September, has just passed the milestone of 10,000 downlinks to its technical operations centre.
PlaneConnect automatically relays messages generated by the aircraft’s crew alerting system (CAS) and central maintenance computer (CMC) to operations centres on the ground and then via email to operators’ flight departments. Technicians use the information to assess the aircraft’s maintenance status, allowing them to arrange for parts and personnel to be ready to carry out corrective work as soon as the aircraft lands.
About 135 operators of large-cabin Gulfstream aircraft use PlaneConnect. Of those, about 90 per cent choose to have the information sent not only to their own flight departments but also to Gulfstream’s technical operations centre. There the messages are analysed and prioritised. Any that could result in an aircraft-on-ground (AOG) situation automatically trigger warning emails to Gulfstream field service representatives and technical operations staff.
Source: Flight International
