airsightNextGen Airfield Inspections

NextGen Airfield Inspections

Background

The paved surfaces of the aerodrome movement areas are subject to significant levels of distress from aircraft operations and changing environmental conditions. The results are distresses in the form of cracks, breaks, open joints, etc. These can lead to fundamental damage to the structural condition if detected too late. This, in turn, leads to cost-intensive corrective maintenance of the affected areas.The most effective means of preserving the condition of the paved areas is to conduct periodic inspections, as required by ICAO and EASA.

Regulations

„The surfaces of all movement areas including pavements shall be inspected and their conditions monitored regularly as part of an aerodrome preventive and corrective maintenance programme.“

ICAO Annex 14 [Vol I, Chap. 10]EASA regultations [ADR.OPS.C]

Current inspection methods

Inspections are often very time consuming, and require a temporary closure of aprons, taxiways and runways: inspectors walk on the paved surfaces in order to identify and document visible signs of deterioration, and consolidate the collected information in different software applications (PMS, CAD) for further evaluation and record keeping purposes.

airsight takes airfield inspection services to the next level with the utilisation of light Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).

airsight UAVs, equipped with a GPS and high-resolution photography equipment fly over the airfield to inspect and acquire hundreds of high-resolution images in a minimum time. These photos are post-processed to produce a single and complete orthoimage, which is used off-site to identify and categorise all pa-vement distress types.The inspection results contains a complete and structured record of all findings, which can then be used to develop recommendations on the preventive or corrective maintenance measures to be under-taken.The achieved level of detail is unmatched and offers a full-range of field of applications at a minimum cost.

NextGen Airfield Inspections

Benefits for aerodrome operatorsUAV inspections are the most effective means to inspect the surfaces of all movement areas. It brings numerous quanti-fiable benefits to aerodrome operators and its users!

Short closure of the movement areaConventional inspections strongly impact aerodrome operations, as they often requires a closure of runways and taxiways in coordination with ATC. UAV inspections are fast (e.g. 30 minutes for a runway, divided in three runs of 10 minutes each)!

Several pavement inspections „at once“ Conventional inspections are often spread during short periods of low traffic: it is a long process, very complex to manage (coordination with ATC, weather limitations etc.). With UAVs, movement areas can be inspected entirely in only one or two single days!

Offsite analysis capability UAV inspections are documented „on-the-fly“! The results can be accessed and analysed remotely at any time, without being on-site on the movement area. The paved surfaces remain at your fingertips!

Broad field of applicationThe resulting orthoimages can be reused at any time for maintenance activities, quantity surveying, CAD planning or compliance inspections!

Full reproducibility and traceabilityThe results and their analyses are centralised, ensuring the reproducibility of the evaluation of the damage, as well as the traceability of the damages and their evolution.

Directly quantifiable time and cost savingsBased on a case study, an international aerodrome with a single runway can achieve a significant reduction of the efforts required for the inspections by using UAVs.

CONVENTIONAL NEXTGEN

Runway inspection time 6-8 hours

vs

0.5 hours

Taxiway inspection time 30 hours 2 hoursNumber of inspections 17 inspections 2 inspectionsPersonnel for inspections 136 man-hours 32 man-hoursData post-processing 15 man-days 15 man-daysReproducibility of results × +Potential for post-analysis × +Traceability × +

NextGen Airfield Inspections

How does it work?UAV inspections are very efficient, but require a precise planning and scheduling of each step. airsight developed a time and cost efficient methodology for planning and conducting airfield inspections.

Step 1: Definition of the area to be inspectedContact airsight to discuss the segments of the manoeuvring area to be inspected. On this basis, a commercial proposal as well as an initial plan for the inspections can be prepared. Once the proposal is accepted by the aerodrome operator, airsight will make the necessary arrangements with the authorities to obtain a special approval for the UAV operations.

Step 2: On-site UAV inspectionsairsight UAVs, equipped with GPS and high-resolution photography equipment and remotely controlled by trained operators, fly over the relevant segments of the airfield to inspect and acquire hundreds of high-resolution images in a minimum time.

Step 3: Image post-processingThe photos are post-processed to produce a single and complete orthoimage, which can be geo-referenced and delivered in several digital formats (usable in e.g. Google Earth, CAD, GIS, or Pavement Management System – PMS, etc.). Optionally, it can be provided as an online-service via airsight‘s secure web-servers.

Step 4: Analysis and documentationAfter the inspections, off-site, airsight identifies and documents all deteriorations (or abnormalities), based on the reconstructed aerial image of the airfield in CAD and using predefined categories (e.g. map crackings, single crackings, potholes, corner breaks, joint sealing damage). In addition to the image, the inspection results contain, a complete and structured record of all findings.

NextGen Airfield Inspections

What you can expectThe approach developed by airsight is unique. Every aspect is taylored to match the high standards required in aviation and to achieve the level of accuracy and quality expected by aerodrome operators.

Well-trained inspectors / UAV pilots ■ dedicated to safety critical missions at aerodromes and pavement inspections ■ knowledgeable of aerodrome and ATC Operations as well as licensing issues ■ proficient in radio telephony and phraseology for communication with air traffic control

State of the art UAV systems ■ Engineered and manufactured in Germany ■ Field-tested and tailored to specific needs of airfield inspection services ■ Providing a very high level of reliability and quality

Professional Approach & Comprehensive Support Services ■ Well-organized project coordination and management ■ Efficient post-processing of the collected data with cutting-edge hardware and software ■ Experienced inspectors and engineers for off-site analysis of the collected data

Unmatched level of detail

airsight uses very high resolution photographic equipment as well as dedicated hardware and software, delivering an unpreceden-ted level of detail and accuracy.The resulting orthoimages can be visualised at any zoom-level, and enable a precise visual assessment of the deteriorations or other abnormalities of the aerodrome pavement, as well as other areas if required (e.g. security fences, strips etc.).

Example zoom of a crack1 pixel = 5 millimeter

NextGen Airfield Inspections

Practical example – flexible pavements

Pavement at you fingertipsTaking advantage of a resolution of up to 3mm per pixel, each small distress can be identified and documented!

Flexible pavements (i.e. asphalt) are subject to a series of distresses, such as alligator or block cracking, bleeding, jet blast erosion, joint-reflection cracks, ravelling and weathering. UAV inspections enable aerodrome operators to identify and classify these damages with a great level of precision and traceability.

Selected Experience

■ Stadtlohn: 15 WEA, 200 Meter über Grund, ca. 3,5 km Airbus, Hamburg Finkenwerder Aerodrome (2015) ■ Inspected object: 1.6 km taxiway (incl. TWY shoulders) ■ Scope: Pavement Inspection (Warranty claims) ■ Area: 72 000 square meters of concrete and asphalt ■ UAV Operations within Berlin CTR ■ Flight Height: 25 m ■ Distance to active Runway: ca. 1 300 m ■ Flight time (net): 1.25 hours ■ Image resolution: 1 pixel = 2.8 millimetres

Berlin Brandenburg Airport (2015) ■ Inspected object: Main apron ■ Scope: Pavement Inspection (Distress detection) ■ Area: 130 000 square meters of concrete pavement ■ UAV Operations within Hamburg CTR ■ Flight Height: 20 m ■ Separation to parked aircraft: ca. 20 m ■ Flight time (net): 2 x 2.5 hours ■ Image resolution: 1 pixel = 2.4 millimetres

References

https://demo.airsight.de/uavYou can access a free sample of high resolution orthoimage of one of airsight’s UAV inspection surveys. For info: For web-based demo-purposes, the resolution has been slightly reduced.

Online Demo

NextGen Airfield Inspections

UAV operations at aerodromes

airsight GmbHGustav-Meyer-Allee 2513355 BerlinGermanyPhone: +49 30 45 80 31 77Fax: +49 30 45 80 31 88Email: info@airsight.deWeb: www.airsight.de

Managing Directors:

Headquarter:

Experience:

Employees:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger SchulzDr.-Ing. René Dörries

Berlin, Germany

Since 1999

> 25

airsight is an experienced and well-established company providing airports, air navigation service providers as well as civil aviation authorities and organisations with consulting and engineering services, software and training.

The airsight portfolio includes topics such as aerodrome design and operations, airport capacity and simulation, flight procedure design and obstacles assessment, aircraft noise, safety regulations and oversight, safety assessment and safety management systems supported by airsight’s A-SMS software.

Practical example – rigid pavementsCommon distresses in rigid airfield pavements (i.e. concrete) are blow-up, corner break, joint seal damage, patches, popouts, corner or joint spalling etc. Similar to the analysis of flexible pavements, UAV inspections enables an accurate visual analysis of the pavement conditions.

UAV operations shall not interfere with aerodrome safety.airsight has extensive knowledge of airport operations and conducting inspections on movement areas, and is therefore able to carefully prepare the flights in coordination with air traffic services, the aerodrome operator, and possibly with the responsible authorities.airsight also uses a premium UAV system with a complete set of fall back functionalities, such as position hold in case of radio loss, redundant drive concept or flight track monitoring as well as technical features aiming to achieve the highest possible safety level (e. g. anti collision lights, “line-of-sight” operations, automated flight height limitations).

airsight GmbHGustav-Meyer-Allee 2513355 BerlinGermanyTel +49 30 45 80 31 77Fax +49 30 45 80 31 88info@airsight.dewww.airsight.de

2015

-03-

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