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EasyJet Turning To Drones For Aircraft Inspections

Posted by samzenpus on from the checking-out-the-machine dept.

itwbennett writes: Would you trust your aircraft inspection to a drone? Budget airline easyJet is testing just such a system, aimed at reducing the amount of time an aircraft is out of service. Instead of having humans perform on-site visual inspections, the drone will "fly around an aircraft snapping images, which will then be fed to engineers for analysis."

4 of 60 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting idea with potential by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    With sufficient resolution (as TFA points out) and the ability to finely control the drones this could be a good thing since you could hover near and area and get a closer look; and then do a normal inspection if you still have questions.

    --
    I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
  2. Re:Take pictures and look at them later by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This could be done with a handheld camera as well.

    No. It could be done with a handheld camera, plus some platforms and safety harnesses, and plenty of extra hours of work. Inspecting the tail fins, and the top of the fuselage is far easier, quicker, and cheaper with a drone.

  3. Re:Saves having to climb a ladder by RogueyWon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't work for easyJet. However, I do work in the aviation sector. EasyJet have a phenomenal safety culture and are among the safest airlines in the world. I see this article as evidence that they are investing money in improving their safety practices.

    Almost every first-world airline knows that safety is an area where you don't cut corners. If you're not a state-owned flag-carrier, then a single crash can (and probably will) wipe out your whole business. This goes for the low cost carriers as much as for the legacy airlines.

    Your prediction is bollocks, pure and simple.

  4. Re:Not really what you should be worried about by jabuzz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Even better than that you could have the drone fly a preplanned route around the plane capturing every square centimetre and then have a computer compare the imagery with the results from last week/month/year and flag up any differences for the engineer to actually look at.

    Add in some imaging in wavelengths other than visible light, not only could this be quicker and cheaper than a manual human inspection it could also be better.