This issue of IFExpress always always raises a few feathers so let’s get started with some IFExpress predictions, then we will present the inputs from folks who were willing to provide their names, and finally, those who wish to remain anonymous will contribute as well. We should probably note that not all predictions landed in the IFEC category and thus it looks to be an interesting year – and things just might change anywhere!

IFExpress 2017 Predictions

1. Narrower aircraft seats are coming in 2017, especially in newer low class offerings where only certain sized carry-on baggage will be permitted – smaller and surely less comfortable as well. We already know United Airlines has a new low cost Basic Economy package that will be copied by others. The rub will be what limitations will be placed on passengers who do not have the airline reward travel card! Hey, many folks can travel short flights and put up with almost anything. It is all a function of what they have to take with them. And yes, it will be in the back of the plane.
2. More colored cabin environments will be here in 2017, but also as a result of new LED lighting in the plane – probably more blue! [We note: A recent Boeing study concluded that passengers will perceive that the airplane is cleaner, more comfortable, newer, and with better air and more room, all with the correct lighting. Even one German university test proved while flying with light that contains increased red, (not blue) light components, is more calming and cause less passenger stress.]
3. We cannot say this enough but Data will be the big deal in 2017, whether it is an airline examining their routes with a goal for less fuel, to using social media to communicate directly with passengers or even potential travelers, to connection with the aircraft for more inflight system information for operation or security. OK, this is not much of a surprise!
4. Some folks predict that light will be used to deliver connectivity. However, with all the issues involved with outside solar, safety lighting, and other sources of interference (Hasn’t this been tried earlier?), we think otherwise. Anyway, Bluetooth as a connectivity radio frequency has slipped under the radar and since most connectivity devices have the capability and the corporate jet world has adopted it, we expect an inflight commercial airline installation this year. With Bluetooth 5.0 alive there may be even more interest in a Bt connectivity solution. Hey, 4X range, 2X speed, and 8X capacity, and no power increase, what’s not to like?”
5. Watch for an airline to test ground-based, high bandwidth 2.4 GHz, directed connectivity service like those proposed for SmartSky and Gogo. This is more of a 2017 sure thing than a prediction.
6. We fear aviation manufacturing layoffs, let’s see what happens there but don’t look for that job just yet. The layoff scenario has already started at Boeing, who is downsizing to the tune of some 8,000 employees, and could reach 10% there. Airbus is next after production continues for a bit.
7. Maintenance of aircraft will see more outsourcing, new technology products like AI and voice technology used in maintenance products, and more consolidation in the MRO world (Maintenance Repair Overhaul).
8. While we hope it does not happen, but be very concerned that a hacker doesn’t get aboard a plane this year, transmit a fake Wi-Fi service and install a lot of ransomware (like doxware) on folks trying to get Wi-Fi service. In 2017 it is a possibility and be sure you know how to get online when onboard!
9. What’s next for future SATCOM? How about Q/V bands: 33 – 75 GHz?  If the FCC auctions get it together, perhaps even 14 GHz has a chance?
10. We shy away from talking about aircraft control hacking, but have you thought about hackers using a DDoS attach or ransomware on an airline reservation system – might happen?
11. The Boeing 787 will finally get the proper acclaim that it is the only commercial jet airplane where cabin/crew air is taken directly from the atmosphere with electrically powered compressors and not from engine ‘bleed air’! The health guru’s will help.
12. Cybercrime damages will continue to grow (costing the world $6 trillion annually by 2021), up from $3 trillion last year; ransomware will be the fastest growing threat in terms of new attacks and costs. Global spending on cybersecurity products and services will exceed $1 trillion cumulatively over the next 5 years from 2017 to 2021. Easy procurement of cheap IoT devices or Wi-Fi enabled products introduces a serious level of risk — of which many people are unaware. As one expert noted: “Transportation systems may be immobilized.” Or, as another one said: “My second prediction for 2017 is that cyber personnel will become a rare commodity like we have never seen before. Organizations have received the message, and are staffing and investing, but that demand generates a supply that is not available.” Don’t you think there will be plenty of openings in aviation security in 2017? We do!
13. Lastly, as strange as it seems, “a self-driving” aircraft concept for passenger planes will be talked about this year – perhaps just for parcel delivery but projects like ALIAS are just the beginning.

Named 2017 Reader Predictions

Here are our reader IFEC predictions and we start of with those from APEX CEO, Joe Leader:

1. Connectivity announcements and deployment will hit a new high for the industry.
2. In-flight entertainment continues its expansion with more global IFE system installations and upgrades.
3. Airline passenger experience will become less siloed inside of airlines as carriers look for greater market differentiation.
4. On flights without built-in IFE or connectivity, “Near-FI” solutions offering, entertainment will become much more common. This will escalate in particular on low-cost carriers looking to differentiate their products.
5. In-flight advertising will see the beginning of a new age of renaissance.
6. The Internet of Things (IoT) will broaden from case-studies on aircraft to first tangible implementations.
7. With the Bluetooth 5.0 specification released, we will see first announcements about Bluetooth connectivity to IFE in future products.
8. Long-haul business class will enter a new era just as British Airways introduced the first lie-flat for business class in 1999.  We could call it the suite era or the privacy era.  This period will begin this year marked by increasing level of suite-like privacy on long-haul business class products.  It will be initiated by visionary airlines in different manners and progress to a new bar for long-haul business class passenger experience over the next two decades.

Next, from Henry Chen Weinstein at Cockpit Innovations we have:

“I think 2017 in Tech will be about the upcoming implications of new technology on our current way of work. The [changing] place of startups in our space as more players understand the value of innovation on a global scale. Establishing new ways to take our aviation business forward.”

Here is the prediction note from John Courtright at SIE:

“I predict that the Modular Cabin Concept will generate a lot more attention from airline operators.  The ability to transform a commercial aircraft from a “domestic” (2-Class) configuration to an “international” configuration (3-Class) on an overnight or less using palletized modules to swap out interiors will generate great interest from operators.  Aside from the aircraft utilization flexibility, the Modular Cabin Concept will generate increased operational revenue (ROI) from a given aircraft asset by allowing the operator to customize their service level to different markets at a relatively low cost.”

Rich Salter, now with FTS chimed in with:

“All the talk about the death (or not) of seatback IFE is not the relevant question: the real interesting question is where will displays be located next – on the wrist, on entire seatbacks, baggage bins, sidewall of fuselage, VR or immersive glasses, etc., not to mention non-cabin locations like cockpit, baggage, lounges, etc.  They could be thin as paper, and could be foldable/rollable (as are OLEDs).  They will consume extremely low power and be fed data via wireless (WiFi). Smartwatches are only the beginning. In summary, advances in wireless streaming and display tech will lead to some fascinating implementations of IFE displays in unconventional places!”

Todd Hamblin at Global (GADC) told IFExpress in 2017:

1. The Wireless IFE market will continue to grow, with Portable Wireless IFE being a subset for those ultra-low cost carriers.
2. Companies based in China will become a larger part of the IFE and Connectivity landscape.
3. An airline will attempt to install a Portable Wireless IFE system on their aircraft without permission from the FAA or EASA even though the server contains Lithium Ion batteries and might interfere with existing aircraft systems.
4. The FAA will be impacted and safety compromised by the changing political climate.

“I predict that the first elastic virtual servers will creep into the cabin on airliners and it just might be Bluetooth that drives it. Elastic devices are the latest generation of server that expands and contracts based on demand. It’s a floating platform that can replicate itself in virtual space.”

Kelvin Boyette CEO of Latitude Aero observes:

1.  Mergers will dominate 2017, allowing the larger multi-national companies to offer a menu of turnkey services to both airlines and aircraft OEMs.
2. 2017 will be the year that seat refurbishment emerges from its “niche” status. New products, such as IFE and ISPS, are emerging faster than new seat OEMs can get them into the seat, so the refurbishment centers are where the airlines will turn to offer the most up to date, modern, passenger experience to their clientele.
3. Both BYOD and embedded IFE will flourish. I do not believe only one will succeed. Both will explode this year.

Michael Reilly, VP Entertainment Services, Arconics – A ViaSat Company notes:

1. My key prediction for the year is that those airlines who don’t take the step into connectivity in 2017 will certainly take steps on the ‘path to connectivity’ – and there’s a couple of different ways to define that… I think a lot of airlines apart from the obvious cost barrier to entry to connectivity are waiting for other developments – competitive and even marketplace ie: changes to the vendor side of the industry – be that product, pricing etc.
2. Naturally as we get more airlines closer to connectivity, security is becoming a hot topic, as is bigger and better use of data.
3. Another prediction is that effective use of data will help break down the traditional siloing that has always gone on in the airline business and that’s exciting.
4. I’d sum up my prediction by saying that 2017 is ‘finally’ the year where. Connectivity, Wireless and Mobile finally made the strides forward that moved the needle on the bottom line for airlines.

Craig Foster of Valour Consultancy said:

1. We will see one of the in-flight connectivity service providers acquired by a much larger company. Additionally, we’ll also see at least one wireless in-flight entertainment vendor snapped up by someone with much more clout.
2. The number of aircraft with in-flight connectivity systems installed and activated will surpass 7,000 by the end of the year. Regions aside from North America will continue to witness strong growth and we will likely see another carrier based in Latin America announce connectivity plans before long (in addition to Avianca Brasil and GOL).
3. More and more airlines will announce plans to deploy IFE systems that allow passengers to pay their personal electronic devices to the main screen in an effort to match expectations around second screening and to better personalise the experience.

Unnamed 2017 Reader Predictions

We start off with predictions from a “Cabin Solution Provider”:

1. The exponential growth of cabin Wi-Fi usage within the confines of the same aircraft will lead to more congestion in the cabin. One prediction says that passenger data to and from aircraft will more than quadruple in 2017. We knew that something like this was coming. However, what’s new is the speed at which this is happening.
2. In 2017 the speed of the PED-pull in terms of passenger experience, apps etc. will increase even further. It certainly will be very much faster than the gentle ambling in which many of the aircraft hardware-push industry players are used to operate.

Another few from another Unnamed Predictor:

1. Low cost carrier mergers and acquisitions will accelerate globally.
2. With airline capacity surpassing global market demand, this will be a year including news of airline deferments and reductions.  The exception to this rule will be in next-generation aircraft connecting previously unconnected city pairs.  For the industry, this will be a relatively landing.
3. Airlines in a more challenging global environment that raise their passenger experience will outperform carriers that focus on reducing passenger experience to reduce costs.

And lastly, still another Unnamed Predictor told IFExpress:

1. Hacking the Baggage Systems at major hubs will occur to misdirect luggage?
2. Hacking will occur to shut down refueling facilities at major airports.
3. Hackers will find a way to infect the IFE system to download passenger data and airline sales information direct from the aircraft, putting at liability Airlines and IFE suppliers.  Class Action suit to follow.  Revenue streams will be jeopardized for both airlines, IFE suppliers and product/service providers accordingly.
4. All economy seats on American / Domestic airlines will follow the pay as you go scheme:  everything short of the toilets will be ‘pay to play’:  boarding sequence; stowable baggage; check-in bags; food; drink; entertainment; EVERYTHING.
5. Donald Trump’s administration will make significant progress to privatize government agencies and systems – a la Russian Model – Air Traffic Control will be privatized and sold off; FAA will be privatized; and the Space Programs under NASA will also be spun off.  If not in this coming year, the effort may take at least part of his first term. (Editor’s Note: IFExpress apologizes to this predictor as we just did not have the space (nerve?) to post all the input – Sorry!).

Thank you to everybody who contributed and we close with the words of Arthur C. Clarke: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

As the weeks pass after a show like the recent APEX in Singapore, it is easy to start thinking about the next one; however, IFExpress will try to continue to cover some of the more important show participants and their new products, accomplishments, and sales. Importantly, a post show head cold and a recent election has caused focus issues in the past few weeks, but we are now in better control and we will start off with one show item that keeps coming back to haunt us – the concept of aircraft and Big Data. While IFEC is not the whole story, it is part of the issue, and over the last few weeks we have been doing our homework a bit on the subject. The folks at companies like Panasonic, SITA, Thales and many others have been chanting the “data” subject into our ears at each meeting – we really have been trying to understand the problems and potential solutions – and believe us, it is no easy subject, with few easy answers. A number of years back, Mark Thompson of Thompson Aerospace warned us of the impending data monster we were about to see but we had little idea at the time of its value and challenges. This data thing is not new but it is getting bigger!

Looking back to the late eighties, we saw a document developed about the importance of airplane data, in general, and how McDonnell Douglas was looking at the future of its importance in tying an airline together by connecting the “movable asset” back to the airline itself with the one connectivity-based solution available at the time – live, real-time data. Back in the day, the connectivity links were minimal but the requirement was still there.

Today, it is a cry that still is the important connecting piece of the airline business, but it is getting louder. However, we note, now it entails better connectivity, more information, passenger involvement, better worldwide connections, and generally more need for planning and action throughout the airline and passenger environment. Perhaps a computer programmer said it better than we could: “You can have data without information, but you cannot have information without data.” – Daniel Keys Moran, an American computer programmer. Further, when you have 30 $250 million dollar assets buzzing around the world, data is the only way to see at any point in time, how your assets are delivering profits or losses. Further, it is a way to see what your customers are needing, in real-time.

We understand that we will not cover the issue in one IFExpress, and to that end, we have a few future interviews planned with IFEC companies and you will have the opportunity to see a bigger picture from them in the coming months. And speaking of ‘seeing the data’ issue, we really owe the folks at SITA a pat on the back for they have been trying to educate us on the value and need of standardized data.

Furthermore, not only satcom companies are part of the data solutions, as an example, the folks at SmartSky are developing a ground-to-air solution that may deliver the cheapest, and possibly the fastest over tera firma, data solution when it is up and running in the US. The point here is that data will be the driving factor when an airline executive or inflight passenger, or flight crew person, or a box on the plane needs to connect to a listener or data taker from the ground, and thus, it will be one of the next big things in our industry. Check out this Next Gen aviation connected electronic flight bag story;

With the growth of passenger data needs, the subject of data will become even a more important technology as time goes on. In SITAONAIR’s white paper published during the show, they noted that passenger connectivity is still the key motivating factor with airlines for adopting the service. Some 48% of their list of airlines in their study see it as the main passenger experience benefit. However, now some 20% of the airlines involved saw connectivity as a pilot and cabin crew enhancement driver, with some 15% seeing value in maintenance and ops monitoring. While a low number of planes today are outfitted with connectivity solutions, SITA expects three quarters will have some connectivity by 2017, and the big solution will happen by 2020 and some 12,500 planes will be so modified.

One big issue, notes SITA, is the lack of commonality or common standards in the aircraft data itself. Why is this important? We see it as a way to allow more entrants in the IFEC industry, more participants in the data business, more uses of the data itself, and a solution that becomes a standard where and when more people use it. Lest we forget, big data probably also means big bucks! If you want to see an example the application of common airport standards you might want to check out SITA’s AirportConnect Open.

Another area is the type of data from the various sources and its utility and application. The folks at Panasonic can see the data future and they call it “Big Data”. They envision the application of ground and inflight data as well as a lot more data applications from many sources – but we will have more on this subject in the future. We should also note that Thales has their version of big data and they are using their InFlyt Cloud for similar data solution for airplane data, metadata and big analytics. However, the message to folks in this business is perhaps, just perhaps, that the IFEC world might just be a smaller part of a bigger aviation world that uses data. It is a solution for bigger problems and future analysis – all way beyond IFE companies just selling hardware. Just possibly it may be the next generation of understanding about airplanes and passengers and the world of flying assets that are moving thousands of miles away from the home offices with hundreds of passengers all going to different places for many different reasons. Big Data has a future value that we don’t even understand today!

To make our point about where this is all heading, here is a very recent news release from Panasonic Avionics about their next generation of data connectivity solutions and it points out the widening of the acquisition of data sources sets the wider data picture being viewed by IFEC vendors. Said the release: ”The technology will enable the next generation of connectivity services to the aviation industry and multiple other markets.” The release went on: “Panasonic Avionics will implement Ericsson’s 5G-ready core solution through its subsidiary AeroMobile, a global inflight connectivity provider and registered mobile network operator. The contract is the first step of a long-term strategic collaboration between the two companies, which will focus on areas like 5G and the Internet of Things.” It went on: ”Panasonic Avionics can apply the 5G-ready core across a wide and ever-expanding range of markets, enabling connectivity for users not only onboard aircraft and ships, but also for the huge Internet of Things communication.” IFExpress notes the 5G is touted as the next generation of mobile technology because it “has the capability to radically lessen latency, accelerate download and upload speeds, enhance network reliability and spectral efficiency.” With this data, they also have the potential to support IoT development, by considerably escalating the number of devices that can connect to the network simultaneously.” Get the data picture? Stay Tuned on this one, soon we will talk more about data standardization and future data applications.

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digEcor & IFPL

We like it when two companies in our industry combine their thoughts to develop a better product offering. We saw this during APEX Singapore this year when digEcor, in conjunction with partner IFPL, unveiled their GLIDE inseat power solution on AirAsia’s A320neos. The development effort was a collaborative one between digEcor, IFPL and Miras Aircraft Seating. The deal with AirAsia totals 55K seats and because AirAsia is a low-cost carrier they required a low-cost solution. This makes sense since inseat power is more and more significant as passengers are bringing their own devices onboard and the system is Wi-Fi driven by the onboard inflight connectivity. In fact, many LCCs are now looking to Wi-Fi for their IFE solution. From a hardware perspective, IFPL’s USB outlet is backlit and we understand that when power is available the unit is lit, making it easier for the passenger to find on the seat arm. If you are interested, we’ve attached images of the seat arm with the IFPL USB outlet and digEcor’s SEB!

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NEWS

ViaSat/Arconics
Qatar Airways has implemented AeroDocs software from Arconics, a ViaSat company, to provide a single centralized repository to revise and track all operational and non-operational company manuals and documentation for operational readiness. The ability to create, author, edit and mark all changes in a visible manner over the web enables team members to easily keep abreast of, and be alerted to, relevant procedural modifications as and when they happen.

Boeing
The Seattle Times wrote: “In a surprise move, Boeing announced Monday that Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Ray Conner will step down from that position and be replaced by General Electric senior executive Kevin McAllister. In 2015, the Boeing board granted Conner a special award of 50,000 shares ‘to encourage him to forgo an opportunity to retire in the near future.’ With that award vesting on Dec. 1, 2017 provided he stayed at Boeing, it was expected that he would retire about then. Those shares are worth $7.35 million.” (Editor’s Note: Not a bad deal – $7 million & change for staying at Boeing for 2 years!)

Media Box
Heard about Media Box? The Media Box, which Media Carrier offers as an exclusive service to tourism companies in particular, operates as a web-based service and can be easily and conveniently used with any web-enabled device. To download their preferred business magazine or their usual morning paper, guests connect to the Media Box of the airline or hotel and gain access to their own personal reading material. Newspapers and magazines are presented unabridged and in the same layout used in the print versions, and can be browsed through easily and intuitively – check out this image. Even after downloading, the downloaded publications remain available to the reader for an unlimited time.  Established in 2011, the company is a subsidiary of the Munich-based MELO Group, whose central divisions are built on the two pillars: media and logistics. Media Carrier specializes in marketing and distributing digital content. It supplies the travel industry with e-papers through the Media Box. The digital media library is now successfully deployed with e.g. Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings as well as in more than 1,000 luxury and five-star hotels worldwide.

· ViaSat Gains Connected Aircraft Software, Wireless In-flight Entertainment, Mobile Applications and Airline Document Management Expertise
· Arconics Brings A Complementary Set of Existing Commercial Airline Customers, Including Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Among Others
Carlsbad, CA and Dublin, Ireland | November 14, 2016– ViaSat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global broadband services and technology company, today announced it acquired Arconics, an innovative provider of software solutions to the aviation industry. Through this acquisition ViaSat gains broader expertise, aviation-grade software and mobile applications to make flying safer and more efficient for pilots, cabin crews and flight operations teams as well as applications that make entertaining passengers and opening new service and revenue opportunities for airlines possible.

The Arconics connected aircraft software platform enables the Arconics App Suite, which spans wireless In-flight Entertainment (IFE), Electronic Flight Bag (EFB), Airline Document Management and Cabin Management solutions, to communicate and share data with the aircraft and, using available connectivity, to connect with ground systems across mobile or avionics platforms. Today, tens of thousands of pilots, ground staff and cabin crew members across five continents depend on Arconics software to safely and efficiently operate their fleets. Airline customers include: Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Philippine Airlines, Tigerair Australia, SpiceJet and others.

“By acquiring Arconics, we are bolstering our ability to serve the global aviation market,” said Don Buchman, vice president and general manager, Commercial Mobility business, ViaSat. “We believe combining our strengths with Arconics will position ViaSat to be the market leader for connectivity, passenger services and flight deck applications and operations.”

Prior to the acquisition, Arconics had a partnership with ViaSat, primarily focused on serving the wireless IFE needs of multiple airline customers. Post-acquisition, ViaSat expects to also offer airlines real-time insight, control and agility of aircraft and flight data with highly-integrated, highly-customizable aircraft operations tools that tap into the power of ViaSat’s advanced high capacity Ka-band satellite network, which has more capacity in orbit than any other in-flight WiFi provider.

“ViaSat offers Arconics a strategic match – both culturally and technologically,” said Arconics Chief Executive Officer Niall O’Sullivan. “We know ViaSat well, having partnered with them on a number of opportunities to deliver our world-class CloudStore wireless IFE product. Together, we believe the complementary nature of the technologies and products of Arconics and ViaSat will enhance the combined company’s ability to deliver exceptional end-to-end experiences across the entire aircraft value-chain.”

In connection with the acquisition, ViaSat establishes a presence in Dublin, Ireland, and will continue to build its operations in Sydney, Australia. More than 30 Arconics team members with both technical and business expertise will join ViaSat, including Niall O’Sullivan. IBI Corporate Finance advised Arconics on the transaction. The transaction is not expected to materially affect ViaSat non-GAAP (pro forma) earnings for fiscal year 2017. However, ViaSat has not completed its valuation analysis and, accordingly, has not determined the impact to GAAP earnings.

• Arconics now offers its market-leading aviation document software as a quick-to-deploy, tiered solution for airlines of every fleet size, any aircraft mix

Dublin, Ireland | July 19, 2016– Arconics is on a mission: to make nextgen safety and compliance software available to air carriers of every size, while helping airline pilots perform more effectively. Our business strategy is to make our software even more affordable, so we have developed a tiered offering around AeroDocs. AeroDocs is the market leading, aviation grade, safety and compliance software for the controlled distribution and viewing of airline documents and manuals.

AeroDocs is available in three solutions, each designed to meet different needs. The upgrade path is easy and the software is scalable to any fleet size.

AeroDocs CONTROL – The fast track to the paperless cockpit

Incorporates the document distribution and viewing modules and is designed to appeal to airlines that want to adopt the paperless cockpit and also airlines that are currently using weak solutions, often from more than one supplier. AeroDocs ensures complete control over an airline’s processes and documentation. Boasts the world’s best pilot EFB viewer. SaaS.

AeroDocs COMPLIANCE – Adds nextgen XML functionality for pilots and compliance

Adds XML editing module to distribution and viewing functionality. Enables easy XML editing of Airbus and Boeing manuals, as well as general ops manuals in one seamless system. Advanced regulation tagging helps ensure regulatory compliance. SaaS.

AeroDocs ENTERPRISE – Delivers efficiencies from the cockpit to the boardroom

Full product functionality suite, fully customised to handle an airline’s ops and corporate document needs. The ultimate document safety and compliance solution for aviation. Installed on airline’s own servers, enterprise license.

In announcing the AeroDocs tiered offering, Arconics CEO, Niall O’Sullivan, said:

“With this exciting development, Arconics is committed to offering the best possible solutions at the best possible value to airlines, during deployment, in operation effectively from day one, and for many years into the future. AeroDocs is currently deployed at some of the world’s leading airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Philippine Airlines and Aer Lingus, and we look forward to delivering document safety and compliance solutions to many more airlines, any fleet size, every aircraft mix.”

Airlines that plan to deploy the paperless cockpit, are gearing up for an IOSA audit, or need to ensure risk mitigation in their document and information availability, can request an online demo of AeroDocs at www.arconics.com

• Arconics to Unveil AeroDocs, Nextgen Airline Document and Compliance Management Software at WASS 2016

Dublin, Ireland | April 21, 2016– Aviation software company Arconics announces that it will display its nextgen digital document control software, AeroDocs, at the World Aviation Safety Summit, to be held in Dubai, UAE, on April 25-26, 2016.

AeroDocs is reliable, trusted airline document control software. AeroDocs software is currently being deployed by Qatar Airways, to help ensure continuing compliance across the airline’s mixed fleet. Our software can be quickly deployed to solve immediate problems, and can scale up as needs grow. Digital document control and regulatory compliance come easy with AeroDocs Document Management System.

Nancy Derby, IOSA-certified Document Control and Compliance Team Leader at Arconics (pictured left), said:

“An effective management system should be underpinned by the principals of compliance, quality and safety assurance. Document management plays a significant role as part of this system, aimed at achieving the highest global aviation compliance standards. Regulators provide an oversight to ensure that compliance is maintained by service providers. This is achieved with planned and unplanned audits and inspections.

“The AeroDocs software approach makes it easier to keep track of document revisions, ownership, approvals, change requests and acknowledgements (of who has read the documents). One of the key elements of controlled documents is accessibility: for staff to have access to the relevant document, the latest version and, most importantly, access to the correct information where needed. Which brings us to the challenge that most operators face: preventing the use of incorrect documentation/revisions and for documents to be securely managed in order to avoid uncontrolled modifications, drafts or copies.

“In order to achieve compliance standards set by aviation regulators, for starters an operator must provide the infrastructure to make the correct information available where needed to facilitate collective ownership of the management systems within the organisation. AeroDocs delivers that infrastructure.”

Niall O’Sullivan, CEO at Arconics (pictured right), said:

“Our vision of the connected aircraft software ecosystem unites all the participants in the journey, from airline management to regulators, from Ops Control to the flightcrew, from cabin crew to the passengers. We need to ensure that the right data is always available to the right people at the right time.

“AeroDocs Airline Document Management System gives operators complete control over their digital documents. Control is a critical factor in a successful safety policy, and maintaining up-to-date records. This contributes greatly to successful safety audit outcomes.”

AeroDocs document control software is loaded with features and benefits, to meet the needs of every airline type:

1. The creation of complex XML documents is simplified in an intuitive web editor that enables policy makers and subject matter experts to easily edit, review and approve documents.
2. Collaboration among teams helps to boost productivity.
   Automated creation of indexes, tables and front-matter speed up complex document creation and prevents errors in the revision cycle.
3. Standardisation can be enforced across all documents with policy controls
4. Document readers get the best user experience with enhanced search and annotation capability.
5. Tracked digital distribution enables the transition to paperless cockpit and operations.
6. Effectivity management allows the easy creation and maintenance of aircraft-specific manuals.
7. Pilots get fast document access, with lightning-fast scope search, across the digital library.
8. Pilot experience is central to the AeroDocs Viewer – annotations and highlights are stored.
9. Up to 40kg less weight per flight (Vs paper EFB), delivering significant fuel savings across the airline.
10. Greater fuel economies bring environmental benefits.
11. Regulatory compliance and audits are made easier, with records of all controlled document distribution.
12. Can be delivered as a fully hosted solution or installed on premise.

 

Arconics Unveils AeroDocs Enterprise, Nextgen Airline Document and Compliance Management Software

Hamburg, Germany | April 6, 2016– Aviation software company Arconics today reveals its nextgen document and compliance management software at AIX 2016.

AeroDocs Enterprise – Collaborative XML authoring, controlled digital document distribution, compliance management, enterprise security. A module of our Connected Aircraft Platform, the hardware-agnostic software solution for airlines that delivers the best user experience in the cockpit (EFB and document viewing), in the cabin (wireless IFE) and in Ops Control (document and manual authoring distribution).

The ultimate nextgen document creation and management solution is the leading choice for airlines that demand the the highest standards of consistency and compliance across the enterprise, and into the paperless cockpit. AeroDocs has been specifically developed for airlines that want to implement a controlled document authoring distribution system across the organisation, with complex workflow, user management and security needs. AeroDocs Enterprise harnesses the power of the nextgen digital document format, XML. The advanced Author module enables the fast creation of complex documents in XML format. Collaboration and consistency are integral and everything is so easy to control. The AeroDocs Distributor module delivers XML manuals and documents, and also distributes PDFs generated from any source. Regulatory compliance is made easy by nextgen AeroDocs, which has advanced regulation-tracking functionality as well as detailed workflow records and audit trails. AeroDocs manages the controlled distribution of documents to the correct people and groups. All distribution actions are stored for audit purposes. Integral to this solution is the world-leading AeroDocs Viewer, which enables fast viewing of controlled documents on iPad and Windows Surface tablet (web viewer also available).

Benefits delivered:

1. The creation of complex XML documents is simplified in an intuitive web editor that enables policy makers and subject matter experts to easily edit, review and approve documents.
2. Collaboration among teams helps to boost productivity.
3. Automated creation of indexes, tables and front-matter speed up complex document creation and prevents errors in the revision cycle.
4. Standardisation can be enforced across all documents with policy controls
5. Document readers get the best user experience with enhanced search and annotation capability.
6. Tracked digital distribution enables the transition to the paperless cockpit and operations.
7. Effectivity management allows the easy creation and maintenance of aircraft-specific manuals.
8. Pilots get fast document access, with lightning-fast scope search, across the digital library.
9. Pilot experience is central to the AeroDocs Viewer – annotations and highlights are stored.
10. Up to 40kg less weight per flight (Vs paper EFB), delivering significant fuel savings across the airline.
11. Greater fuel economies bring environmental benefits.
12. Regulatory compliance and audits are made easier, with records of all controlled document distribution.
13. Can be delivered as a fully hosted solution or installed on premise.

• Airline software ecosystem for any hardware setup leads the conversation in Hamburg

Hamburg, Germany | April 7, 2016– Data management. Airline software. Wireless IFE. Innovation. Connectivity. BYOD. Virtual reality. Satellites. Smart aviation. Social. Connected aircraft. Passenger experience. Cabin health. Terabits.

This was AIX 2016. The Arconics airline software ecosystem has been very well received by airlines across the world at AIX. Our focus on delivering the best possible user experience, backed up by a robust backend and a scalable infrastructure, means that our software can run on any certified hardware. Connectivity flexibility is also integral.

We look forward to bringing you many more exciting news stories during 2016 and maintaining our position at the leading edge of software innovation. We enclose an infographic depicting our phenomenal statistics for 2015 and look forward to some major increases in our numbers for 2016.

A series of in-depth reports from AIX 2016 will be distributed by Arconics in the coming weeks.

Infographic