Avionics Digital Edition

How Industry Disruptors Are Improving Aviation Test Equipment

No matter the decade or aircraft type, test equipment is a constant in the world of aviation. Test equipment assesses systems and components of aircrafts to make sure they meet safety and operation standards. These technologies can be used at any step of the process, from production to troubleshooting to repair, though certain equipment is used for each stage and for different parts of aircraft.

For decades, these devices maintained a similar standard of functionality and usability while other industries generated substantial advances in software, user interfaces, and cloud-based storage. By the 2010s, the test equipment industry had fallen behind in terms of usability, simplicity, and efficiency. Widely used test equipment was clunky with hard to interpret data and only one use per device. Maintenance and operation teams had to use many pieces of test equipment and shift through pages of data after running aviation tests.

CCX Technologies

Luckily, some companies questioned the status quo—they wondered why testing equipment hadn’t adapted to the wireless, digital world the same way other industries had. Many companies emerged with more innovative test equipment, including CCX Technologies with the T-RX Avionics Radio + Pulse Tester, Lufthansa Tecnik with the AVIATAR platform, and VIAVI Solutions with the AVX-10K. The three devices serve different purposes, but all led to increased innovation and productivity for aircraft operators. The T-RX Avionics Radio + Pulse Tester examines radio strength and communication capabilities. The AVIATAR platform is a cloud-based security solution to ensure aircraft meet EU data security regulations. The AVX-10K verifies that critical systems are working in the aircraft.

Like most test equipment, these three technologies can be used during production, for troubleshooting, and for repairs. In fact, all three—as well as all test equipment from these companies—have the same history of successfully meeting and exceeding industry regulations.

For CCX Technologies, innovation has always been the name of the game. Five years ago, the CCX team noticed that the test equipment world wasn’t using the same standard user interfaces and softwares as other industries. In an interview, Chris Bartlett, the president of CCX Technologies, explained to Avionics International, “When we decided to design the T-RX, all the other testing equipment was decades old and didn’t have proper updates. They were big and heavy and hadn’t kept up with the pace of technology. It was ridiculous not to have test equipment designed in the last decade. We looked at what people were expecting these days—software updates, tablets, ease with technology—and launched a product that met these expectations in 2019.”

The CCX Technologies T-RX Avionics Radio and Pulse Tester conducts more than 100 tests on over 16 systems.CCX Technologies

The current T-RX Avionics Radio + Pulse Tester includes hardware and software that was innovative to the industry, but pulled from recent updates in other industries. These additions included sunlight readable displays, touchscreens, and a software-defined radio. A software-defined radio was particularly innovative because it allowed aircraft operators to complete many tests from one device instead of having to carry multiple radio test equipment technologies on board.

An important part of CCX Technologies’ design process was incorporating user feedback. During production, the team considered what users needed and how to simplify the experience of using their test equipment. Today, CCX Technologies is constantly interviewing customers to see what features work, which need improvement, and what new innovations could make equipment more useful to their customers.

Another company focused on designing with the user in mind is Lufthansa Technik. Michael Lagemann, a spokesperson for Lufthansa Technik, explained how they digitized their suite of test equipment to make testing easier for their customers. “Lufthansa Technik has a long tradition in developing and improving testing procedures and equipment for all kinds of MRO segments. An aspect that more and more distinguishes us is our early-adopter advantage concerning digitalization,” said Lagemann. “The introduction of digital and highly data-driven TechOps platforms such as our AVIATAR offers us many new connecting points and use cases for digitalized testing equipment.”

AVIATAR detects the best time for this maintenance to avoid costly in-flight failures.Lufthansa Technik

With the AVIATAR, data is generated during each stage of the testing process, allowing customers to better predict when preventative maintenance will be needed. AVIATAR detects the best time for this maintenance to avoid costly in-flight failures and enable the timely replacement of different operating systems in aircraft.

Lufthansa Technik has digitized their suite of test equipment to make testing easier for their customers.Lufthansa Technik

Test equipment is also being revolutionized by the switch from wired and cabled solutions to wireless technologies. VIAVI Solutions has used wireless technology to simplify report generation. Combined with a navigable user interface, wireless technology has improved the productivity of VIAVI’s test equipment. When asked about the company’s newest test equipment updates, Jeff Paulic, the Program Manager for VIAVI Avionics Test, said, “We have simplified the operation with an intuitive user interface that any user can pick up and quickly learn with little to no instructions. We also increased productivity utilizing wireless operation using any remote device and simplified report generation and transfer to your network for printing.” These changes have made their products more user-friendly and provided their customers with accurate, easy-to-understand test results.

The AVX-10K, a comprehensive flight line test solutionVIAVI Solutions

VIAVI has also added user-friendly features to make the testing process more accurate. Their Mobile Tech App allows customers to control the AVX-10K from their iPhone or Android devices. They also have a series of bite-sized tutorials in the app which technicians can pull up while working on aircraft.

The ALT-9000 universal radio altimeter (RADALT) flight line test setVIAVI Solutions

Another innovation being explored by VIAVI, CCX Technologies, and Lufthansa Technik is combining multiple test sets into one device. Thanks to recent updates, such as software-defined radio systems and cloud-based data storage, one piece of test equipment can now run more tests than ever before. The elimination of carrying multiple test sets improves the calibration and cuts service costs for many carriers. It is especially important for smaller vehicles, such as helicopters, where space is limited.

Looking ahead, all three companies are currently working on projects to further simplify the testing process and to make testing more productive and cost-efficient. Lufthansa Technik began testing the use of robotics in test equipment with RoCCET in 2019. While the project was put on hold during the pandemic, the development of RoCCET is now underway again. When asked about the significance, Lagemann stated, “RoCCET is part of a more comprehensive test bench development approach that aims at combining the test procedures for the electronic input/output signals testing of cockpit panels with the testing of switches and LED lights/displays [RoCCET`s task].” The company expects RoCCET testing to be completed and the product brought to market within the next two years.

Lufthansa Technik

VIAVI is utilizing GPS to simulate actual flight conditions. This allows their test equipment to assess certain systems which need to be put into actual flight conditions during testing. Paulic said, “a GPS simulator will simulate actual static or dynamic flying conditions to spoof the aircraft into thinking it’s flying. This simulation allows for more robust testing of airborne systems requiring a GPS input such as ADS-B, TAWS, LPV Approach, TCAS.” They’re also working on integrating new technologies into their test equipment to stay in sync with what customers want and with DO-260 and DO-181 RTCA standards.

When reacting to customers’ needs, CCX Technologies recently innovated their radio testing equipment to be more adaptable to the size of the aircraft. Bartlett explained, “Larger customers can now customize to certain requirements and sequences of events so all inputs are addressed before running a test, avoiding errors in the testing.” Moving forward, the company will continue to adapt their products based on customer feedback and user-centered design tests.

Lufthansa Tecnik, VIAVI Solutions, and CCX Technologies are three leading innovators in the test equipment space because they listen to customer feedback and consider how technologies from other fields can improve their own industry. The future of test equipment isn’t found in what’s currently on the market. It’s discovered by listening to customers’ needs and asking the right questions about how technology from other fields can improve test equipment.