Airbus Employs Drones For Quality Assurance

At the 2016 Farnborough Airshow, Airbus utilized the A350 XWB on static display area to demonstrate its process for inspecting aircraft by drone – which is planned to be used on completed production aircraft prior to customer delivery. (Image courtesy of Airbus.)

There are so many tasks that can be accomplished with the help of drones which includes repairing, fight fires, spraying over crops, taking down other drones, and surveying the construction sites. Cherry on the top, you can control one of these devices even with your mind. However, Airbus is currently engaged in sorting out much bigger utilities of these air bound devices. The company recently showcased how to utilize UAVs to do visual inspections of under-production aircrafts. These drones were equipped with high definition cameras that flew in sky with the help of an automatic flight control system administered by a human pilot. The inspection time was reduced up to a considerable extent with the help of these drones.

As per Airbus, data collection with the help of these drones needs just 10-15 minutes as compared to other traditional methods. Usage of these drones also reduces the life risk for quality inspectors. These people need to climb quite high under very risky weather conditions sometimes. The drone simplifies the task significantly by taking the pictures during the flight. These pictures then help in formation of a 3D digital model of the plane and then included in a database. This data can be used in improving traceability of the aircrafts and preventing any further damage. Data analysis can be done any time they wish post inspection. The quality head of Airbus, Nathalie Ducombeau, explains, “The use of this technology offers better working conditions including improving the safety and comfort for the quality inspectors.”

Airbus is presently testing these drones on a full industrial scale on its A330 aircraft. The company is working up on implementation of drone-based inspection in several other programs. The 2016 Farnborough International Airshow recently witnessed a superb showcase of abilities of these drones.