Your iAeroNEWSn°13 I February 2024 |
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| What if the shortage of aircraft mechanics could be solved with the help of APIBOX? | A fascinating question, you might ask? Perhaps not so much... French General Aviation is currently facing a shortage of mechanics. Without going back to the origins of the problem, we are all aware of the recruitment difficulties faced by our maintenance workshops throughout the country: the profession is not very attractive, salaries are low and the locations are often in the middle of the countryside... especially in the face of fierce competition from aircraft manufacturers and airlines. The resources they devote to attracting and recruiting are disproportionate to the capacity of our small structures. As a member of the Strategic Committee of GIPAG (Groupement des Industries et Professionnels de l'Aviation Générale), I am aware of this problem and am actively involved, along with its president Françoise Horiot and the other members, in finding solutions. One logical response would be to increase mechanics' salaries. This would de facto increase the cost of maintenance, to the detriment of the customer. But what if the bill could stay the same? Over many years, our APIBOX parameter recorder has demonstrated its contribution to reducing maintenance costs, optimising the scheduling of interventions, preventing the mechanical safety of aircraft and facilitating the work of mechanics. In the long term, these are undeniable productivity and financial gains that could be used to pay mechanics. A win-win quintet between workshop, mechanic, owner, operator and pilot. Without any injunction, of course, I leave it to aircraft maintenance entrepreneurs to think about it and make the calculations. But if I mention it here, it's because I've often seen the benefits of breaking away from the obvious to find more agile answers... (and that's the whole iAero philosophy). Our work at GIPAG will continue throughout 2024 to build pragmatic and efficient solutions for the players in general aviation. These are my wishes for the new year, a year that I hope will be safe and cavok 😉. Gérald Ducoin iAero Managing Director and Test Pilot |
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| APIBOX on Robinson 44: experience feedback | After six months in operation, Mont Blanc Helicopters’' FHATO flight school shares its feedback on the APIBOX installed on one of its Robinson 44 helicopters dedicated to training in Grenoble. Instructor Matthieu Zimmermann gives us his impressions: Very positive operating results: - Very discreet installation: the box is not visible, so it doesn't interfere with the pre-flight check;
- Easy use of the data: access to the flight trajectories and all their parameters at the time of the debriefing with the student;
- Highly accurate and realistic 3D images, with high-quality rendering;
- Opportunity to replay the flight in its various phases, speeding up or slowing down the sequence;
- Interactivity between the instructor, the student and the flight to deepen the learning process.
Matthieu insists on the enriched feedback offered by the APIBOX. It is both useful and complementary to his instruction, and adds a playful dimension to the debriefing exercise. With the profusion of 3D images now invading our screens, a tool like this brings a whole new dimension to flight training. After 150 hours of flying with the APIBOX, its benefits have been widely confirmed, including by the ten or so students who have used it: there's no feeling of being tracked, but on the contrary, it's a real added value to the learning process. Let's hope that other light helicopters will soon be fitted with such equipment, for the benefit of the students and their instructors, and for the safety of everyone! |
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| With APIBOX, complete confidentiality! | Our flight data recorder detects, stores, preserves and delivers the data, but not to just anyone! Unlike the Garmin, which delivers unfiltered data on its SD card, our APIBOX requires an access code to view the data it has recorded. This access code is personal. It is allocated before the data is used, thus limiting access and protecting confidentiality. Let's take an example: Marc is a student at the Zoulou flying school. He comes back from a flight with his instructor and consults with him the parameters recorded on the APIBOX during training. Marc can see and review this flight and earlier ones, solo and at any time, to improve his flying and prepare for his next navigation. Marc will only have access to his own flights. He won't be able to see those of his colleagues training on the same aircraft. Now let's imagine Bob, the mechanic at the Zulu school, maintaining the same APIBOX-equipped aircraft. Bob will have access to all the engine parameters, instruments and controls for all the flights recorded. But not the data relating to the trajectories flown. Bob will not know where the aircraft went and the trajectories will remain confidential. The APIBOX is a guardian angel, honest, loyal and respectful of pilots and all its other users. So when will you get yours? |
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APIBOX: HOW DOES IT WORK? |
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| A new option to stop taxiing with your feet on the brakes | The APIBOX already records over 100 parameters, regardless of the aircraft on which our flight data recorder is installed. Here's a new one, requested by our customers: the pressure exerted on the brakes. But what is it actually used for?
Aeroplane pilots know it well: in training, who hasn't put their feet on the top of the pedals while putting power to the taxi? At the beginning, it's always difficult to know where to place your feet, how to measure your force and how not to tense your leg muscles...
And we all know the damage that can be But without going that far, overheated brakes can lead to a net loss of efficiency.
Here's a summary of the consequences of riding on the brakes : - premature wear of the brake pads ;
- a risk of no longer being able to brake ;
- a fire in the wheel arches...
Installing new sensors and recording the pressure on the brakes in the APIBOX will make the pilot more aware of this fault and enable him to limit and eliminate this bad posture, which is disabling both for his safety and for the preservation of the aircraft. Hence the justified demand from our customers...
A well-thought-out new option for increasing flight safety and keeping our aircraft in good health! |
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BEHIND THE SCENES OF IAERO... |
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Immersion in the heart of iAero's production |
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For once, we'd like to let you step inside iAero's workshop in Darois (near Dijon in France), where wiring, electronic cards, casings, composite materials, paint, soldering and other components are all assembled in hushed tones. Welcome to the heart of iAero's production! No fewer than 5,000 parts and 200 part numbers are identified, referenced and stored in our production workshop. Two areas house production on one side and maintenance on the other. And for the score to be played without a false note, you need a conductor: Jérôme Thulliez, Head of Production for all iAero systems. This is his world. He manages the stocks with method and anticipation. Once he has received the specifications from the design office, Jérôme programmes, assembles, tests and dispatches all the systems that will later be installed in the aircraft. Nothing escapes his attention to detail and dexterity. All the more so as his daily work, although highly varied, is carried out within a framework of rigorous procedures. Each day brings its own batch of sensors to be fitted, flight recorders to be manufactured, etc., in other words around thirty different pieces of equipment, depending on the customer's requirements. His passion for model making is no stranger to his passion for production at iAero. It's an activity that also takes him on the road, with systems shipped both within France and to the other side of the world. Because at iAero, all our products are developed and produced in-house. A real team effort! So the next time you receive your APIBOX or any other iAero-branded system, you'll be able to recognise the expertise and quality of the work done behind the scenes... |
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| Anthony MARTIN, Systems Manager at HELICOPTERES GUIMBAL | Here we are at the Guimbal helicopter factory on the Aix-en-Provence airfield in the south of France. We meet Anthony MARTIN, Systems Manager, whose role extends from design to certification of equipment and installation of avionics. Does this mean that the Cabri G2 will soon be fitted with iAero's parameter recorder? "We've been working with iAero on our future APIBOX-derived data logger since spring 2023," explains Anthony. "For several years we have been adding secondary recording functions to our equipment. Given the increase in demand and the expansion of our fleet - our leading machine has just clocked up 10,000 flight hours - we decided to take the plunge and call in a recognised expert in this field. iAero helped us to obtain a product that was perfectly suited to our needs. Guimbal's specifications were very precise, which made it easy for the iAero teams to get to grips with the system. "I was convinced by the architecture proposed by iAero, and it was quick to adapt it to our specific requirements," Anthony tells us. In fact, two prototypes are currently being tested. Around fifty parameters are recorded: engine, machine, position of controls, navigation, etc. Anthony is confident about the future. "According to our schedule, we should be installing the iAero recorder as standard on all our machines leaving the factory from spring 2024. That's just a short year from the time we made contact with iAero to the production of the recorder on the helicopter. François Vignon, Chairman of iAero, confides his satisfaction. "You have to stay focused right to the end, but we're confident that our solution will be deployed on the Cabri G2 in the next few months. It's a team effort between Guimbal and ourselves, which makes us proud to be on board one of the highest-performing helicopters in its category. The Cabri is used on all five continents, where it has earned a remarkable reputation with flight schools and for light aerial work missions. Between 40 and 50 Cabri G2s leave the Aix-en-Provence factory every year. Enough to popularise the usefulness and use of our parameter recorder in flying schools and among rotary wing enthusiasts! |
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| New mega-order for the Flight Test team in Asia! | This order follows a series of certification flights for an H175 helicopter developed in partnership with Airbus Helicopters and Safran Helicopter Engines. | |
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| | Installation modification approved on the CAP10C | This modification request was required for the installation of the Apibox on the Cap10Cs ordered by the French Navy from Robin (CEAPR). The new EASA approval also incorporates the latest APIBOX features: In-flight audio warning of vigilance on parameters and recording of brake pressure | |
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| | iAero at Friedriechshafen | Visit us at the Friedrichshafen Air Show from 17 to 20 April for the 30th edition! Come and see us on stand A4-201. |
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iAero 12B route de Troyes 21121 Darois Phone: +33 (0)3 80 73 60 26 info@iaero.fr www.iaero.fr |
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