SAE Previews, Reviews Past and Upcoming Aviation Engineering Conferences

Hello Farnborough Airshow attendees! Please visit the SAE Booth number 3019 in Hall 3. This article provides a recap and update on recent and upcoming ARINC Industry Activities' (ARINC IA) premier conferences and user forums that are airline agenda directed:

• Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC) General Session

• Aviation Maintenance Conference (AMC)

• Electronic Flight Bag Users Forum (EFB UF).

• Data Link Users Forum (DLUF)

• Flight Simulator Engineering and Maintenance Conference (FSEMC)

ARINC IA’s committees are global technical groups comprised of airlines and other Member Organizations with additional support provided by Associate Member Organizations. With over seven decades of experience developing standards and solving problems primarily for the air transport industry, it has over 2500 engineers from around the world participating in its 30+ subcommittees. ARINC IA is a program of SAE Industry Technologies Consortia (SAE ITC®), a 501(c)(6) affiliate of SAE International®.

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The Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC) General Session and Aviation Maintenance Conference (AMC) were back in action holding very successful meetings at the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee May 10-12, 2022. Here is a quick recap of the week.

During the joint AEEC and AMC opening session, Keynote Speaker Mr. Scot Struminger, Executive Vice President and CEO of Aviation for FedEx Express, gave a speech on “Cybersecurity for Legacy Aircraft and Our Industry” and Keynote speaker Mr. Pat Markham HEICO, VP of Technical Operations for HEICO, presented “Insights into the MRO Rebound” and how industry’s adaptability to overcome supply chain challenges, sharing of information, planning and re-planning for the future is going to be vitally important.

The AEEC and AMC held joint symposiums on Cyber Security for Legacy Aircraft, 5G/Radio Altimeter, Future Communications, and Spectrum Management. The Executive Committees approved six project proposals and adopted seven documents that will be published as ARINC Standards.

Additionally, at the AMC, airlines raised 148 new discussion items and 19 carry over items regarding aircraft system reliability, maintenance, or supply issues. Through discussion and responses with airframers and suppliers, all the discussion items were closed except 2 carried forward to 2023.

Many thanks to FedEx and HEICO for being the Marquee Host and Co-Host respectively. Additional thanks to the organizations that provided 14 hospitality suites, 30 exhibits, and many other sponsorships of the conference, welcome reception, lunch, and coffee breaks. The total number of attendees was 466 people representing 117 companies from 15 countries including 4 airframers, 17 airlines, 1 regulatory agency, and 95 suppliers and others.

For more information on this event, download our mobile app – AEEC | AMC - for Android/Apple. Search for keywords AEEC or AMC. Also, look for the AEEC and AMC reports on the www.aviation-ia.com web site in the following weeks.

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The Joint AEEC/IATA Electronic Flight Bag Users Forum (EFB UF) convened June 1-3, 2022, at Westin Hotel in Annapolis, MD. This event marked the return of in-person conferences and was a great success, with participants attending from around the globe.

Mr. Peter Conrardy, Executive Director, Data & Digital Solutions for Collins Aerospace opened the conference with a presentation on the great gains now being realized through the collection, analysis, application of data.

Thirty-seven exhibitors participated in the EXPO, showcasing the latest products and services available over the course of three-day conference. This included airframers, suppliers, and service providers, and was well attended throughout the event.

The four presentation sessions encompassing Regulatory, Security & Connectivity, Integrated EFB, and Operator Experiences included 25 speakers representing regulatory authorities, service providers, suppliers, and selected airlines. Highlights from the various sessions included:

1.) Regulatory

• Harmonization of regulations, single pilot Part 121 operations, 5G issues, AC 120-76 planned updates, 4D trajectory, and DFR (Digital Flight Rules)- a potential new set of flight rules to complement existing VFR and IFR.

2.) Security and Connectivity

• EFB Standards, satcom evolution and improved capabilities, tablet development, data separation and cybersecurity, VPN (Virtual Private Network), and battery life.

3.) Integrated EFB

• Data sources, collection, and applications, digitized NOTAMs (Notices to Airmen), new globally available satellite weather, and turbulence reporting and predictions.

4.) Operator Experiences

• Cabin EFB and hardware selections, weather lessons learned, turbulence prediction and pilot notification, human factors and user experience, tail specific flight improvement, and climate action.

The presentations are available at the ARINC Store: https://www.aviation-ia.com/product-categories and can be downloaded free of charge for ARINC Members and Associate Members. The next EFB Users Forum is being planned for later this year at a European venue, dates to be announced.

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The next Data Link Users Forum (DLUF) is scheduled for September 19-20, 2022, at EUROCONTROL Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. An airline only roundtable meeting is scheduled for the morning of September 21, 2022.

The primary focus will be the status of the European Data Link Services (DLS), Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC) operations in Europe, and ANSP implementations in Europe. Briefings are expected on the Single European Sky DLS, the FAA NextGen’s DATA COMM Programs, and other Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP), as well as Datalink Service Providers (DSP) SITA and Collins Aerospace IMS. Operators/Airlines exchange information on their DLK operational issues and solutions. DLK communication issues and solutions are highlighted. Information on L-band satellite safety services are provided by Inmarsat and Iridium.

The Datalink Users Forum (DLUF) facilitates discussions and recommendations that provide continuous improvements to data link system performance to maximize the operational benefit to the user community. The DLUF is a coordinating activity among airlines and cargo carriers, aircraft manufacturers, aviation regulators, avionics manufacturers, and data link service providers. Economic benefits are obtained through the exchange of technical information and through the resolution of common problems. The DLUF offers an opportunity for airlines to provide input to Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) and Air Traffic Service (ATS) providers. It also provides operators with briefing on the direction and schedule of new ATS data link programs and mandates.

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The next Flight Simulator Engineering and Maintenance Conference (FSEMC) will convene in Las Colinas, Texas, September 26-29, 2022. Held virtually the past 2 years, we are looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones in-person with the flight simulation industry’s aviation professionals.

The FSEMC Conference will hold 7 presentations from industry experts, bring regulatory agencies from around the world for a panel discussion, convene the ever-popular Technology Workshop, and work to resolve the industry’s toughest technical and process discussion items from the past year.

The FSEMC holds an exhibit showcase reception for simulation organizations to demonstrate their latest products and services. In the evenings, several opportunities will be available for networking, with refreshments and entertainment.

For more information on this event, please navigate to the FSEMC Webpage. The FSEMC Conference Program will be available mid-August of this year.

We hope to see you at the upcoming FSEMC (Sep 26-29, 2022), European EFB Users Forum this fall, and of course, next year’s AEEC General Session and AMC! Please see our website for more information on all events, exhibit and sponsorship opportunities, standards, newsletters, and activities at https://www.aviation-ia.com/.

Editorial Note: ARINC Industry Activities Lead Principal Engineers Sam Buckwalter, Peter Grau, Jose Godoy, and Scott Smith; as well as Director, IT Operations and Digital Product Development Vanessa Mastro all collaborated with Executive Director Mike Rockwell in writing this article.