F A S T N ° 3 1 A I R B U S T E C H N I C A L D I G E S T D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 2

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A340-500 Arctic flights 3
D Capt. Michel Brandt

Just happened… Coming soon… 8

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Potable water purity 9

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Christian Sparr
S

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Less maintenance, less costs

Christian Delmas
P A G E

AirN@v: The Airbus solution for advanced 17

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consultation of interactive E-documentation

FAST 31
Jan Renette

Index of previous articles 26

From the archives... 29

Polar flying

Editor: Denis Dempster Customer Services 30

Art Director: Agnès Massol-Lacombe Around the clock… Around the world
in association with
Chandler Gooding
London • Leeds • Toulouse

Customer Services Marketing

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Fax: +33 5 61 93 27 67
E-mail: fast.digest@airbus.com
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under Customer Services/Publications

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© AIRBUS 2002. All rights reserved
The articles herein may be reprinted without permission except
where copyright source is indicated, but with acknowledgement to
Airbus. Articles which may be subject to ongoing review must have their accuracy
verified prior to reprint. The statements made herein do not constitute an offer. This issue of FAST has been printed on paper
They are based on the assumptions shown and are expressed in good faith. produced without using chlorine, to reduce
Where the supporting grounds for these statements are not shown, waste and help conserve natural resources.
the Company will be pleased to explain the basis thereof. Every little helps!
P A G E
2
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 A340-500 ARCTIC FLIGHTS Customer Services

A340-500 Arctic flights

Two flights exceeding 10 hours each were required for
the A340-500 fuel system certification and for the
evaluation of the ADIRS performance. In addition, the
behaviour of the navigation system and the Electronic
Instrument System (EIS) had to be checked in the polar
area including flying over the North Pole itself.
Both flights were planned and operated by the Airbus
Flight Test Division: Toulouse-Keflavik and Keflavik-
Toulouse, each time via the North Pole.
This article recalls some aspects of the polar navigation
observed during these flights.

P A G E
3

FAST 31

Capt. Michel Brandt

Airbus Test Pilot
Flight Operations Support
 A340-500 ARCTIC FLIGHTS

On TRUE heading DIGRESSION ON

We left Toulouse on 12 September
2002 with 12 people on board, maxi-
mum fuel uplift and full flight-test
equipment, including ballast, which
gave a take-off-weight (TOW) of
325,000kg. Our flight plan led us to
Vigra VHF Omnidirectional Range
(VOR) in Norway to intercept the
Polar Track System (PTS) route
“November”. This route follows the
meridian 10°E to the North Pole.
Although Magnetic Heading (MH)
is available until 82°N at this long-
itude, we selected TRUE heading
reference as soon as we were estab-
lished on the PTS. With this selec-
tion, the indications on navigation
display (ND) (Figure 1 below) and
Multipurpose Control and Display
Unit (MCDU) were in line with the
True Tracks (TT) given on our nav-
igation charts.
P A G E
4 When passing 65°N latitude the
grid track (GT) appeared on the
FAST 31
Although the Flight Management
and Guidance System (FMGS)
remained in GPS PRIMARY mode
of navigation update all the time,
we were able to cross-check the
FMGS navigation with the Auto-
matic Direction Finder (ADF)
sometimes at a very great distance,
up to 500 nautical miles (nm) from
the Non-Directional Beacon (NDB).
However, the wave propagation
may not be always as good, for
example, during periods of aurora
borealis.
Flying in NAVigation autopilot
(NAV) mode, nothing significant
happened until approaching the
North Pole. We observed the rela-
tive position of each Inertial
Reference System (IRS) to antici-
pate the system behaviour while
flying over the North Pole.
DIGRESSION ON GRID TRACK
MAGNETIC HEADING
Traditionally, the polar area was defined
as an area of magnetic compass
uncertainty and the limit was sometimes
set where the earth magnetic field is less
than 6 microtesla. Except for the standby
compass, modern aircraft no longer have
magnetic sensors “slaving” the gyro-
compass to the magnetic north. The
magnetic variation is extracted from
tables in the Air Data/Inertial Reference
System (ADIRS) and the Flight
Management System (FMS). These tables
give an accurate magnetic variation up to
a latitude of 82° N, or 73° N in function
of the longitude. Beyond this latitude
TRUE reference must be used.
Consequently, the 6 microtesla limit has
no meaning for these navigation systems.
We nevertheless observed during these
flights that the standby compass
indication was coherent well above the
charted 6 microtesla limit.

navigation display. When flying east to west or west to east at very high latitude on an
orthodromic (great circle) route, the true track changes quite rapidly due to the
convergence of the meridians. On older aircraft, the true heading was not
directly available to the crew. “Old style” Horizontal Situation Indicators (HSI)
were set in a so-called free gyro mode on the Grid North reference. The
characteristic of the grid track is that it remains constant on an orthodromic
route as indicated in the drawing below, right.
With our modern navigation system, the grid track would not be mandatory, as
the true track is always
available and the navigation
GRID North Direction
charts indicate the outbound
and inbound true tracks at
each waypoint for cross- Geographic
Pole
check. But the grid track
indication on the navigation
display provides the crew
with at least a convenient
GT
Figure 1
stable indication for
navigation monitoring in
this moving display TT
environment.
GT
0º TT
L
O
N
G

GT - TT+Long. W TT Variable
GT - TT-Long. E GT Constant
Note: Where words are spelt in capital letters it refers (Valid for a polar stereographic projection)
to their use as cockpit labels, messages and displays.

Figure 2
Note: The TAXI CAMERA was selected “on” in flight so the flight test
engineers could see the landscape from their station in the cabin.
HEADING BEHAVIOUR
At about 20nm before the Pole the
heading discrepancies on ND
became noticeable and finally trig-
gered, as expected, the HDG DIS-
CREPANCY Electronic Central-
ised Aircraft Monitor (ECAM)
caution (Figure 2) and CHECK
HDG on the ND and Primary Flight
Display (PFD) (Figures 3a and 3b).
The heading discrepancy is due to
the fact that each IRS has a differ-
ent position relative to the Pole.
HDG of each IRS plotted versus time in seconds.
359.00
287.20
215.40
143.60
71.80
0.00
0 20
GMT START: 13:54:56
The ECAM procedure cannot be
followed, as all heading indications
start to move very quickly and
switching ATT HDG on IRS3
would not help. The autopilot
remained engaged in NAV mode
and the aircraft continued nicely
straight ahead.
When flying exactly (with GPS
accuracy) over the North Pole the
ND display swung over by one
hundred eighty degrees from a
True Heading (TH) close to 000° to
a TH close to 180° (the drift was
small). But very quickly all head-
ings were again in agreement as
shown on the flight test traces
given in Figure 4 (below), and the
ECAM caution disappeared.
Figure 4
40 60 80
A340-500 ARCTIC FLIGHTS
Figure 3a
Figure 3b
At 20nm outbound from the North
Pole, everything was nominal and
it was time for us to turn left to
intercept “another” 180° course to
the VOR of Thule (THT).
Despite the magnetic variation of P A G E
66°W at Thule, the VOR THT is 5
magnetically oriented (some VORs
FAST 31
in north Canada are oriented to the
geographic North). As we were fly-
ing with TRUE reference, the VOR
needle on ND in MAP mode or
ROSE NAV mode is automatically
corrected with the magnetic varia-
tion, so as to get a TRUE bearing.
Otherwise the needle would not
indicate the direction to THT. This
is marked by the magenta color of
the needle and the label CORR next
The red line indicates the
time of the flight over the
North Pole.
Before reaching the
North Pole the heading
calculated by each IRS
was close to 360°/000°.
After passing the North
Pole all headings
converged rapidly to
approximately 180°."
100 120 Sec
 A340-500 ARCTIC FLIGHTS
Figure 5
P A G E
6
FAST 31
Figure 6
to the VOR2 display as shown in
Figures 5 and 6. The indications of
the Digital Distance and Radio
Magnetic Indicator (DDRMI) and
the ND in ROSE VOR mode are not
corrected, as they would be on a
conventional aircraft. When we
were at 77nm to THT, the DDRMI
needle of VOR2 (not shown here)
was pointing towards 255° mag-
netic instead of 184° True as shown
in Figure 5.
Leaving the oceanic airspace we
deselected TRUE to revert to mag-
netic reference and continued to
destination, arriving at Keflavik
after 10 hours 45 minutes flight
time, having enough fuel to return
to Toulouse with more than the
required reserves.
The next day we left Keflavik for
Toulouse and headed north east to
join and follow the PTS route
“Romeo” up to ROGSO, a way-
point located 230nm to the north of
Thule. At this waypoint we turned
right to the North Pole. On PTS
“Romeo” we selected TRUE refer-
ence, as it is better for navigation
monitoring; but this time, before
crossing 82°N, we deselected
TRUE to revert to magnetic refer-
ence in order to see how the ECAM
will advise us to select the right
heading reference.
Ellesmere Island
Flight test engineers at station
After passing THT (Figure 6) the
outbound true track to the 7440N
waypoint was 095°. On this leg the
true track changed significantly,
from 095° to 123° due to the con-
vergence of the meridians, but the
grid track remained conveniently
constant and equal to 163°.

Figure 7
As shown on Figure 7, we were on
a magnetic track of 090° on course
to Alert NDB (identification code
LT) corresponding to a true track of
025°, giving a magnetic variation
of 65°W.
When we reached 82°N, we got the
amber message SELECT TRUE
REF on ND (Figure 7) and on
MCDU (Figure 8).
Intentionally we did not follow this
instruction, waiting for the next
step, the ECAM caution at
82°30’ N. At this latitude, the IRSs
switched automatically to TRUE
reference, which triggered the
EXTREME LATITUDE ECAM
amber caution (Figure 9).
The autopilot went off as well,
because each IRS crosses the lati-
tude limit at slightly different
times. We performed the ECAM
procedure, confirming the TRUE
reference selection and re-engaged
the autopilot.
CONTACT DETAILS
Capt. Michel Brandt
Airbus Test Pilot
Flight Operations Support
Tel: +33 561 93 35 52
Fax: +33 561 93 29 68
michel.brandt@airbus.com
A340-500 ARCTIC FLIGHTS
Figure 8
Figure 9
For the purpose of the test, we
decided to fly nearby the North
Pole this time with autopilot in P A G E
HDG mode. As the North Pole was 7
a turning point, to join the PTS
FAST 31
“November” route southward we
passed abeam it by about 10nm.
This distance was sufficient to limit
the heading discrepancy, so that we
were able to steer the aircraft with
sufficient accuracy. The recom-
mended procedure is to fly with the
autopilot in NAV mode, but in a sit-
uation where the BACK UP NAV
would have to be used, this test
confirmed that flying in HDG is
easy, even close to the North Pole.
We continued heading south on PTS
“November” until Trondheim VOR
in Norway. Leaving the oceanic
The time of exotic instruments like the
area, we resumed normal navigation astrocompass illustrated here is gone.
and landed in Toulouse after 10
hours flight time.
Conclusion
With the polar navigation capability of the Airbus Long Range
family of aircraft using the flight management system, polar flights
are no longer different from standard navigation.
 JUST HAPPENED… COMING SOON…

Just happened…
AIRBUS TRAINING SYMPOSIUMS 1ST AIRBUS WARRANTY 1ST TECHNICAL DATA SUPPORT
Seville, Spain SYMPOSIUM & SERVICES SYMPOSIUM
Maintenance Training 15-17 October 2002 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain

I/2 4
Flight Crew Training 21-23 October 2002 2-5 December 2002 9-12 December 2002
The 6th Airbus Training Symposium was The purpose of this symposium was to Airbus has successfully added this new
organised in two separate events for the launch a series of meetings regarding symposium to its regular conference cycle

first time with content specific to the areas
of Maintenance Training and Flight Crew
Training. Maintenance attracted 134 atten-
dees, 71 of which represented 48 airlines;
Flight Crew Training attracted 242 partici-
pants, of which 146 were from 70 airlines.
Generally speaking, attendees were highly
satisfied and both events were perceived as
beneficial and well organised. Innovations
such as a cyber café and a brand new audio-
visual display generated positive feedback.
16TH HUMAN FACTORS SYMPOSIUM
Singapore, 8-10 October 2002
(in association with Singapore Airlines)
This 16th Human Factors Symposium was held in co-operation with Singapore Airlines, was
3
Airbus warranty processes. The aim was to
develop a frank and constructive exchange
of ideas for the benefit of all parties con-
cerned, be they customers, vendors or
Airbus. This symposium offered the oppor-
tunity to analyse and debate the most
important subjects and to present the
enhancements already implemented by
Airbus. Each daily session contained pre-
sentations, Q&A sessions and workshops
on selected subjects.
as an exchange of information on technical
data, products, services and media.
More efficient and cost effective digital
technical data and solutions are now rapid-
ly replacing the ‘classic’ paper and micro-
film used for decades. These replacements
require adaptations by customers, manu-
facturers and service providers and, in
order to benefit from increased efficiency
potential, this may require significant mod-
ification of existing processes.
With these changes in mind, customer
needs and issues are of paramount concern
for Airbus and the symposium was an
excellent opportunity to express these

5
attended by 160 delegates from 23 airlines and covered topics ranging from A380 Cockpit issues. It provided a forum for Airbus to
P A G E
Human Factors to Fatigue and Alertness Management Solutions for long-haul operations. present actions that addressed known air-
8 line needs and issues, plus improvement of
The feedback from participants was very positive, praising the practical operational per-
spective and highlighting the uniqueness of these symposiums. General Bey Soo Khiang, Airbus data content.
FAST 31

Executive Vice President (Technical) from Singapore Airlines said he would like to have
such a symposium organised every two years. Airbus’ vision of future products, services
Preparations for the 17th Airbus Human Factors symposium in Helsinki, July 2003, are and improvements was also presented.
already well under way. The event coincides with Daily sessions included Airbus and airline
the 80 year anniversary of the co-host, Finnair. presentations along with Q&A sessions.

JUNE 02 JUL 02 AUG 02 SEP 02 OCT 02 NOV 02 DEC 02

5 I 2 34

Coming soon… JAN 03 FEB 03 MAR 03

1
APR 03
2
MAY 03

12TH PERFORMANCE AND A318/A319/A319CJ/A320/A321

OPERATIONS CONFERENCE TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM
Rome, Italy Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
7-11 April 2003 11-16 May 2003

Flight crews, operations, flight operations engineering and performance specialists are This next Technical Symposium, one
invited to attend and actively participate in the four-day conference, which will offer day longer than in the past, was due to

2
numerous opportunities to constructively exchange views and information, and increase take place in November 2002 but was
mutual co-operation and communication. More than 80 subjects will be addressed, rescheduled due to the hurricanes in

1
including LPC, Flight operations, Performance and New Cockpit Operation Information Mexico. It will include actual in-service
Management. issues covering the A320 programme
and general interest subjects concerning
Along with the different sessions, numerous daily booths will be available in order to dis- the A320 family with a dedicated session
cuss issues and view demonstrations of the newly developed Airbus Flight Operations for the A319 Corporate Jet customers.
software. Our 12th Performance and Operations Conference represents a significant The main themes will be structures,
milestone in Airbus’ Flight Operations Support & Line Assistance activities. This event engines and systems with time for Q&A
has been organised every two years since 1980. sessions and general topic discussions.
 PASSENGER AIRCRAFT POTABLE WATER PURITY Customer Services

Passenger aircraft
Potable water purity
P A G E
9

Have you ever thought about the
purity of water coming out of the
water faucets at your home?
Probably yes. “Oh, what a taste (or
odour) of chlorine today!” When you
travel, have you ever thought about
the purity of water coming out of the
water faucets in hotels, trains, ships
… and passenger aircraft?
Maybe not. If yes, you might say:
“Well, I do not use that water for
drinking or brushing my teeth – I use
bottled mineral water only and I do
not brush my teeth on board aircraft
FAST 31
or other transport.” However, this is
not the end of the story. Sometimes
you wash your hands and face on
board aircraft and you expect accept-
able water purity.
“Are there specific regulations to
ensure a certain water purity?” Yes
there are, but they vary, from country
to country. In any case: water provid-
ed for use as potable water in lavato-
ries and galleys of passenger aircraft
has to be treated within given limits
as per the regulations of the country
where the aircraft is registered.

Christian Sparr
Engineer
Passenger and crew facilities
Seats and emergency equipment
Engineering Services
 PASSENGER AIRCRAFT POTABLE WATER PURITY

bacteria found in the samples. Bacteria are living

Key question
How can the purity of potable water, stored and supplied
on board passenger aircraft be ensured and controlled?
organisms. They reproduce themselves rapidly if their
living conditions are good; they reproduce themselves
slowly if their living conditions are bad.
Bacteria live in water. Potable water to be supplied to
the airport by the local public supply system is controlled

Answer and treated as per local authorities’ rules and regulations.

Water purity on board passenger aircraft is ensured
by following procedures to disinfect or sterilise potable
water systems at regular intervals. Water purity is
controlled by analysis of water samples. The degree of
purity is measured by the number of certain types of
To protect the public health the presence of some
bacteria in potable water is forbidden or strictly limited
(e.g. coli and coliforme bacteria types, or pseudomonas
aeruginosa). To control the presence of bacteria in
potable water, local authorities require regular or
periodic sampling and analysis of the water.

DEPOT EFFECT IMPROVING WATER PURITY

Certain amounts of disinfectants (up The existing disinfection or sterilisa-

to maximum limits given by local
authorities’ rules and regulations) are
added systematically to the potable
water supplied in the public water
supply system to avoid bacteria and
reduce bacteria reproduction. Local
P A G E authorities are responsible for the
10 purity of the water from the public
potable water supply system. The air-
FAST 31
tion procedures for potable water
systems do work, using certain chem-
icals based on chlorine or hydrogen
peroxide.
However, they are long, need prepa-
ration and a lot of manual control.
Water filters remove chlorine (taste)
from the water, but the interior of the

line is responsible for the purity of
the potable water supplied on board
their aircraft, whenever and wherever
they fly passengers.
The chlorine level in the potable
water from the public supply or the
airport ground cart is in general not
sufficient to ensure the required
water purity on board an aircraft,
because the maximum allowed level
of chlorine in this water is too low to
ensure the required water purity level
on board. For this reason, sterilisation
or disinfection of aircraft potable
water systems using disinfectants
with higher chlorine levels or other
disinfectants is needed.
housing for the water filter has been
identified as a good place for bacteria Water filter
to build biofilms or colonies.
Biofilms (deposits) are thin layers of
bacteria, a mix of dead and live ones.
The living bacteria eat the dead ones
and all of them are ‘bonded’ to the
inner surface of water tanks, tubing
or filter housings.
These biofilms are hard to remove as
the outer layer of dead bacteria protects
the deeper layers of live bacteria from
the disinfecting action. In other words:
The disinfection or sterilisation proce-
dures for potable water systems in
service have to be improved. Water filter housing plus bacteria deposit

COLI AND COLIFORME BACTERIA CONSEQUENCES

They should never be present in the potable water from the public supply
system to be used in the aircraft potable water system. They can cause ill- Airlines have to ensure a certain level
ness as diarrhoea or infections in human beings. Their presence has been of purity of the potable water on
observed after accidental ‘short-circuits’ between public potable water board their aircraft, whenever and
and waste water systems (e.g. after flooding). wherever they fly passengers. The
level of purity has to be controlled
PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA BACTERIA regularly, following the regulations
This type of bacteria is always present on human skin where it can cause given by authorities where the air-
wounded skin infections (pus in skin wounds). craft is registered.

WATER SERVICE GROUND EQUIPMENT WITH AIRCRAFT CONNECTIONS
Airbus provides a procedure for
disinfection and sterilisation of the
onboard potable water systems, includ-
ing dosing recommendations for
certain Airbus-approved disinfectants.
The purity of potable water com-
ing from the local airport’s aircraft
water service vehicle is often beyond
the control of the airline. For that
reason the successful disinfection or
sterilisation of the aircraft’s potable
water system can take a very long
time, and it has to be repeated until
the analyses of water samples show
that the acceptable limits for bacteria
presence are reached.
As the repetition of the disinfection
or sterilisation procedure can have a
significant effect on maintenance
costs, Airbus now provides improved
procedures and recommendations for
using approved alternate and more
effective disinfectants.
PASSENGER AIRCRAFT POTABLE WATER PURITY
DEPOSITS
Bacteria, light deposit
Bacteria, medium deposit
Bacteria, heavy deposit
P A G E
11
FAST 31
IMPROVING POTABLE
WATER SYSTEM DESIGN
Certain features are already under
study to improve the design of the
on-board potable water systems:
• To avoid concentration of bacteria,
the water tubing network should not
contain water filters. The equipment
suppliers of potable water system
equipment in any part of the aircraft
shall ensure that the self-ventilating
and self-draining features meet
Airbus specifications. For example,
in galleys and lavatories, no air bub-
bles shall remain in the system when
it is filled and no water shall remain
in the system when it is drained.
• An efficient procedure with alter-
nate and efficient disinfectants and
suitable dosing shall be used and a
tool to make the procedure more
efficient shall be developed.
 PASSENGER AIRCRAFT POTABLE WATER PURITY
• An automatic on-board disinfec-
tion system (to be developed and
tested) would provide continuous
disinfection and reduce deposits
without adding a ‘bad (chlorine)
taste’ to the water, so that water
filters are not required.
AIRBUS EXPERIENCE AND
ACTIONS FOR AN IMPROVED
DISINFECTION PROCEDURE
Airbus experience is based on regu-
lar sterilisation of the aircraft potable
water system prior to delivery of new
aircraft to their customers. Further
experience was got, in close co-oper-
ation with some airlines, during exe-
cution of the disinfection procedure
on in-service aircraft.
With the objective to improve the
existing disinfection procedure and
qualify for use alternative disinfect-
ants with higher efficiency, Airbus
performed tests with different disin-
P A G E fectants in the laboratory to identify
12 possible effects on metals, rubber
and plastic materials used in the air-
FAST 31
craft water and waste systems.
On the A340 and A320 family air-
craft efficiency tests were performed
to optimise the procedure and doses
when handling disinfectants. Exper-
ience showed that coli and coliforme
bacteria are easier to remove from
the aircraft potable water system
than pseudomonas aeruginosa bacte-
ria. More frequent flushing of the
potable water supply system with
fresh disinfectant is more efficient
than long soaking with a high con-
centration disinfectant solution.
CONTACT DETAILS
Conclusion
Christian Sparr
Engineer
Passenger and crew facilities
Seats and emergency equipment
Engineering Services
Tel: +33 (0)5 62 11 83 76
Fax: +33 (0)5 61 93 30 82
christian.sparr@airbus.com
If analyses of potable water
samples show persisting
bacteria presence in the system,
special attention should be paid
to the cleaning and disinfection
of water boilers and water
filter housings or other
equipment with limited
self-draining or self-ventilating
capabilities.
Common cleaning equipment pro-
viding pressurised and heated water
at up to 2 bars (28psi) initial water
pressure and 85° Celsius initial water
temperature was used with good
results for cleaning and disinfection of
water filter housings.
The water for this purpose was of the
same disinfectant solution as used for
the sterilisation of the potable water
system.
Most passengers nowadays
assume that potable water
systems in aircraft are to
drinking quality. To ensure their
passengers are not
disappointed, airlines are
recommended to frequently
flush the potable water system
by performing the potable water
system servicing procedure as
Water supply vehicles and any equip-
ment or tool used to fill the aircraft
potable water system must be disin-
fected regularly.
Disinfectants based on hydrogen
peroxide showed higher efficiency
than disinfectants based on calcium
or sodium hypochlorite. Disinfectants
based on chlorine dioxide are harder
to handle and showed deteriorating
effects on rubber materials.
An updated Potable Water System
Sterilisation Procedure is scheduled
to be implemented in the AMM with
the January 2003 Revision.
FUTURE OUTLOOK
AND FOLLOW UP
The development of an on-board
water purity control and disinfection
system is planned for application on
the A380 aircraft. A continuous flow
of water in the system to avoid stag-
nant pools and continuous production
of disinfectant will significantly
reduce the bacterial development in
the potable water system. Water sam-
pling would still be recommended to
verify the proper functioning of the
disinfection system and that the
amount of bacteria was within the
authorised limits. However, the
maintenance tasks for disinfecting
and sterilising potable water systems
on passenger aircraft would be very
significantly reduced if not removed.
shown in the AMM, to
undertake regular water
sampling to ensure that the
water quality meets the
authorised standard.
Airbus continues to search for
ways to make these tasks
easier, more efficient and less
time-consuming.
 LESS MAINTENANCE, LESS COSTS Customer Services

Less maintenance,
less costs
With the next issue of the
A330/A340 Maintenance Review
Board (MRB) Report and related
Maintenance Planning Document
(MPD), the A, C and 2C check
intervals have been escalated to 600
P A G E
flight hours (FH) from 500FH, to 18
22 months from 15 months, and to 36
13
months from 30 months respectively.

FAST 31
A simple message, which is good
news for Airbus customers and a
further step to reduce the
maintenance costs for the
A330/A340 aircraft.

Many people believe that the

decision to escalate maintenance
check intervals is taken by the
manufacturer alone. This article
describes the processes and
requirements behind the evolutions
and developments of a maintenance
programme.

Christian Delmas
Director Maintainability & Maintenance Engineering
Customer Services
 LESS MAINTENANCE, LESS COSTS

WHAT IS
MSG-3?
It is the use of
pre-defined decision
diagrams for a logical
analysis of maintenance
programmes. It was first
developed by ATA in 1969
as MSG-1, and since then
further refined until today’s
MSG-3 revision 2002.1.
The MSG-3 method was
used first during the
development of the A310
maintenance programme.
New maintenance
regulations, new
technologies and
economical constraints are
ORIGIN
As per JAR/FAR 25-1529 “Instruction for Continuous Airworthiness”,
manufacturers have to deliver an approved aircraft maintenance programme at
entry into service at the latest. An aircraft maintenance programme is essential
to safe and economical aircraft operation, and is also part of the Type
Certificate. Any change in the manufacturer’s maintenance programme
requires the approval of the Airworthiness Authorities.
Typical Industrial Steering Board (ISC)
Airbus Maintenance Engineering
Design Office Experts
Engine Manufacturers
Airlines
Airworthiness
Authorities

the main factors that

trigger MSG-3 method
evolution.

A specific aircraft
P A G E maintenance programme is Industry Steering Committee chaired by an airline representative
14 developed according to a
Policy and Procedure
Developing a maintenance programme
FAST 31

Handbook (PPH). PPH is

dedicated to an aircraft
The overall industry process for the A senior engineer from the Airbus
type, covers ATA MSG-3
initial development and evolution of Maintenance Engineering Depart-
procedures and provides
maintenance programmes, has been ment chairs each MWG. The MWGs
specific information
defined by the Air Transport Assoc- are divided by specialty (systems,
regarding aircraft operation
iation (ATA) and is followed by each structure, powerplant, zonal, avion-
and ISC organisation as
aircraft manufacturer. The main body ics…) and develop their part of the
well as more detailed
is the Industry Steering Board (ISC) maintenance programme using the
guidelines for MSG-3
and associated Maintenance Working MSG-3 analysis method. As an
analysis development.
Groups (MWG). In both are a num- example, for the recent revision of
ber of representatives from airlines, the A330/A340 MRB Report, includ-
Airbus PPHs have
authorities, engine manufacturers, ing development of the maintenance
always been developed
suppliers and aircraft manufacturer programme for the A340-500/600,
and updated according to
maintenance organisations. there were seven MWGs with, in
the latest MSG-3 revision.
total, about 70 participants.
Together with additional
Every airline operating Airbus aircraft
guidelines, this has led to
is invited to become a member of the The ISC consolidates and validates
optimised and consistent
ISC. They thus have an active role in the output of the various MWGs, and
maintenance programmes
the development and evolution of a a maintenance programme proposal
in terms of integration of
maintenance programme, and are also (MPP) is then presented to the Main-
latest maintenance
informed in detail about the upcoming tenance Review Board (composed of
regulation constraints and
changes. The chairman of the ISC for representatives of the Airworthiness
significant economical
Airbus aircraft is from an airline, with Authorities) for formal approval.
advantages in maintenance,
co-chairman and an assistant from the The maintenance programme is
compared with other
Airbus Maintenance Engineering therefore the result of the joint efforts
aircraft for which older
Department. The pie chart on this of the airline representatives, suppli-
versions of MSG-3
page provides a typical composition ers, airworthiness authorities and air-
were used.
of an ISC. ISC meetings can have up craft manufacturer.
to 50 participants.
 LESS MAINTENANCE, LESS COSTS

Maintenance programme revision cycle

AIRBUS A330/A340 FAMILY (LONG RANGE)

MAINTENANCE
ENGINEERING
On the occasion of the revision of the
A340 MRB Report to include the
A340-500/600 models, Airbus decid-
ed to perform at the same time a task
ISC MRB MRBR MPD interval escalation exercise based on
the in-service experience of the
A340-200/-300. Due to the Airbus
Long Range family concept, this
exercise also benefits the A330, as
CUSTOMERS
well as the A340-500/-600 at their
MRBR+ MRB
REVISION
entry into service.

The initial objective was an A-check

IN SERVICE
EXPERIENCE
interval of 700 flight hours and
REPORTING FINDINGS/ C-check interval of 18 months for the
NO FINDINGS
A340-500/-600. Approval of such
ISC: Industrial Steering Committee: proposes maintenance programme
MRB: Maintenance Review Board: Airworthiness Authorites approve maintenance programme escalations is obtained based on
sound justifications from in-service
MAINTENANCE PLANNING DOCUMENT experience together with engineering
judgement. The airlines participating
All the concerned Airworthiness Authorities approve the MRB Reports for all in the ISC are thus providing for each
Airbus models. Once the MRB Report is approved, the related Airbus concerned maintenance task their
Maintenance Planning Document (MPD) is issued. See Revision Cycle above. task findings – or preferably no find-
Strictly speaking, the MRB Report is thus not a manufacturer’s document but ings – to the MWG for further evalu-
a certification one, providing the initial minimum maintenance and inspection ation. About 1100 individual mainte- P A G E

requirements, which are used as the basis for the operator’s initial mainte- nance tasks have been investigated, 15
nance programme. The MPD represents the manufacturer’s maintenance and the whole process, including

FAST 31
planning recommendation. MSG-3 analysis was equivalent to
about 50,000 man-hours of work.
There are manufacturers for whom the MPD content is almost a copy of the
MRB Report. This means that an airline’s maintenance planning department Although there were technical
will have to separately collect and plan other inspection requirements coming justifications to show that the
from Inspection Service Bulletins, Service Letters etc, in order to build their A330/A340 could operate with an
maintenance programme. It is the Airbus policy that the MPD not only A-check interval of 700 hours, as per
reflects the content of the MRB Report, but also incorporates the maintenance the MSG-3 analysis, the ISC took the
requirements from other sources, resulting in a complete list of maintenance decision to increase it to 600 hours in
tasks and their respective intervals. The advantage is that the Airbus MPD has, the MRB Report/MPD. The objec-
in only one document, all the information required to establish a customised tive for the C-check escalation of up
maintenance programme. to 18 months, and 2C interval up to
36 months has been achieved. As the
A340-200/-300 entered service only
10 years ago, the ISC has considered
that such escalation cannot be
justified for the 4C/8C intervals
today. Striving for continuous
improvement and further contribu-
tions to maintenance cost reductions,
and once sufficient in-service experi-
ence allows, the next target for the
A330/A340 fleet will be to extend
the 4C/8C as well as structure inter-
vals, currently at 5/10 year intervals,
to 6/12 years.
 LESS MAINTENANCE, LESS COSTS

A318/A319/A320/A321 FAMILY (SINGLE AISLE) A300/A310/A300-600

FAMILY (WIDE BODY)
Improving the competitive advantage of the Airbus aircraft in terms of main-
tenance costs is an ongoing process. That’s why Airbus proposed and got sup- Currently most evolutions on Wide
port from the A320 ISC to embark on an escalation exercise for the single aisle Body (WB) family maintenance pro-
fleet. grammes are dedicated to considera-
The objective is set to increase: tion of Extended Service Goals
• A-interval from 500 flight hours (FH) to 600 FH (ESG) and new maintenance regula-
• C-intervals from 15 months to 18/20 months tions. The next WB ISC is scheduled
• 4C/8C and structure intervals from 5/10 years to 6/10 years, for last quarter 2003 and will offer
including, of course, also other evolutions in the A320 family maintenance the opportunity to discuss future
programme. maintenance programme evolutions.

Improvements
A320 escalation of check periods
Interval (flight hours) "A" check escalation 600 Planned
position
600 500
500 400
350 Entry into
service Current
400 position

300
1988 1993 1998 2003

Interval (months) 18/20 Planned A380

"C" check escalation position
20 Entry into
15 service
The A380 maintenance programme
15 Current
P A G E position development has already started. At
16 10 the time this article is being written,
1988 2003
an exhaustive preparatory meeting
FAST 31

Interval (years) "Heavy" check escalation Planned

with all involved MRB authorities is
12
12 9
10 position taking place. Thanks to early consid-
Entry into
8 service eration of maintenance programme
6
8
4
5 Current objectives in the aircraft’s design
position

4 process – including associated verifi-

1988 1994 1999 2003 cation and validation plans – it is
likely that the A380 will have the
The A320 Family maintenance programme escalation process has just started highest maintenance thresholds and
with approval estimated for the 4th quarter of 2003. The diagram shows the intervals ever achieved for a new air-
progress achieved since Entry Into Service. craft entering service.

Conclusion
An MRB Report is under the provides the airlines with a
CONTACT DETAILS responsibility of the relevant Industry comprehensive list in one document
Steering Committee approved by the of all maintenance tasks with their
Christian Delmas Airworthiness Authorities. Any recommended intervals.
Director evolution or revision has to be initiated This allows the airlines to easily
Maintainability & by an ISC, illustrated through an prepare their own customised task
Maintenance Engineering
Customer Services updated Policy and Procedure cards should they so desire.
Tel: +33 561 93 14 04 Handbook and approved by the Reducing the amount of
Fax: +33 561 93 28 72 Airworthiness Authorities. maintenance on Airbus aircraft, by
christian.delmas@airbus.com increasing the periods between
The MPD is a non-approved scheduled checks, is an ongoing
document under the responsibility of process, incorporating the
the Aircraft Manufacturer, although it experience of the Airlines,
includes information in the approved Airworthiness Authorities and Airbus
MRB Report. The Airbus MPD engineers.
 AIRN@V Customer Services

AirN@v
The Airbus solution for
advanced consultation of P A G E

interactive E-documentation 17

FAST 31
AIRBUS WAS ALREADY SETTING THE
STANDARD IN DIGITAL DATA…
The aviation industry has only recently started to fully recog-
nize the value of digital technical data, but Airbus has been
working on the necessary foundations for today’s digital data
products and services since the beginning of the 1990s.

Let’s go back to the 90s. Airbus was already working hard

towards the “paperless” aircraft/hangar, not quite the “paper-
less” hangar that airline maintenance executives and techni-
cians dreamed about for years, but Airbus was well on the
way to decrease costly and voluminous paper and microfilm
documentation that comes with every aircraft and must be
updated.

This was being achieved by the introduction of interactive

CD-ROM (Compact Disc – Read Only memory) retrieval
systems for aircraft documentation.

Jan Renette
Project Manager
Technical Data Services
 AIRN@V

ADRES, CAATS WHY CD-ROM APPLICATIONS?

In 1994, after several years of development and pilot testing with In the mid-1990s, Airbus produced
Lufthansa (DLH) and Canadian (CDN), Airbus introduced digital data a business case in which the bene-
consultation tools using this CD-ROM technology. It was developed in fits of the CD-ROM technology,
two parts: ADRES (Aircraft Documentation Retrieval System) contain- (like ADRES/CAATS) were obvi-
ing the Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) and Illustrated Parts ous:
Catalog (IPC), and CAATS (Computer Assisted Trouble Shooting), • Due to the replacement of paper/
being a specific trouble shooting tool. microfilm by the compact CD-
ROM, no more voluminous
These services were designed to simplify and streamline the access to library space needed.
information for trouble shooting and consulting documentation. Today, • No more time-consuming
about a decade later, ADRES and CAATS are still very popular and near- updating of the paper manuals.
ly all Airbus customers operating fly-by-wire aircraft use these products. Thus, sorting and filing mistakes
In the meantime Airbus has distributed already about half a million are eliminated.
copies of these trend-setting products all over the world. • Due to the speed of access to the
data on CD-ROM, document
consultation time is reduced by
up to 40% compared with paper/
microfilm.

(switching between documents,

Why AirN@v facts and
highlights…
aircraft programmes and
customisations without leaving the

P A G E
AirN@v? AirN@v design is based on Web
application).

• Delivery off-line on DVD (Digital

18 Technologies have evolved since the technology which gives our cus- Versatile Disk).
90s, new ATA Spec 2200 standards tomers the possibility to deploy it
FAST 31

(functional retrieval requirements
and SGML data) have been devel-
oped, and more demanding cus-
tomers have convinced Airbus to
react and set the standard again for
the 21st century. The result is the
birth of AirN@v; a new-generation
tool for troubleshooting and techni-
cal documentation retrieval.
“stand-alone”, but also on their
Intranet, Extranet and even Internet.
Furthermore, Airbus has planned to
deploy it also via the Airbus On-Line
Services (AOLS) starting mid-2004.
AirN@v will offer, amongst others,
the following advantages compared
with the previous product:
• New value-adding functions, like
highlights and revision bars, colour
schemes for Warnings/Cautions,
special navigation buttons.
• In addition to AMM, IPC and
Trouble Shooting Manual (TSM),
extension of the document family
to include Aircraft Schematics
Manual (ASM), Aircraft Wiring
Manual (AWM), Aircraft Wiring
Lists (AWL), and Electrical
Standard Practices Manual (ESPM)
for A320 and A330/A340 aircraft
programmes.
• Enhanced interactive aircraft
troubleshooting.
• Multi-document, multi-programme
and multi-customisation application
• Being based on ADOC
N@vigator, one module of the
ADOC Family, easy integration
with other modules of this family.
Implementation
aspects…
AirN@v Version 1.0 is (after intensive
pilot testing) planned to be available
with the A320 family February 2003
revision and A330/A340 April 2003
revision, and will cover the following:
• Scope of all functions available in
existing ADRES/CAATS.
• Interactive trouble shooting in
autonomous mode, or in
connection with AIRMAN 2000.
• Generation of Requests For
Information (RFI) and Requests
For Revision (RFR).
• Extended dynamic update for
Airbus Temporary Revisions,
Technical Follow Ups (TFUs) and
customer internal data.
 AIRN@V

To ease introduction of AirN@v,

existing ADRES/CAATS applica-
tions will be supported in parallel
until the end of 2003. One year after
AirN@v introduction, with A320
family February 2004 and
A330/A340 April 2004 revisions,
AirN@v will become the only prod-
uct available.
AirN@v future
developments…
Later versions planned in 2004/2005
will introduce:
HARDWARE/SOFTWARE RECOMMENDATIONS (STAND-ALONE)
Computer PC Pentium III based
- 128 MB of RAM for Windows 98, Me
- 256 MB of RAM for Windows NT4.03, 2000, XP
Environment Windows 98, Me, NT4.03, 2000, XP
Pointing Device Any MS-Windows compatible mouse
Monitor (colour) 17”: 1024x768 64K colours minimum.
Printer PostScript compliant for PDF attachments
Devices DVD Drive Compatible Pioneer 106S (-RW)

• Integration into AOLS Software Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) V5.5 or 6.0 only

• Job Card generation Plug-ins MSIE Active CGM Browser 7.1

ScriptX 5.5
• Shopping List generation This software is delivered and installed with AirN@v

• Extensions of document scope JAVA Java Runtime Environment (JRE) V1.3

Structure Repair Manual (SRM) This software is delivered and installed with AirN@v
and Non destructive Test Manual
(NTM). Hard disk 100 MB without AirN@v database, or 2.5 GB with P A G E

AirN@v database on hard disk 19

FAST 31
Information
to airlines HARDWARE/SOFTWARE RECOMMENDATIONS (NETWORK)

A revision of the Digital Deliver- Description Server Client Stations

ables Status – SIL 00-075 and
Operator Information Telex (OIT) Computer Processor: PC Pentium III PC Pentium II
SE 999.0100/02/MA were issued to Memory: 256 MB RAM 256 MB RAM
inform airlines of the improvement Disk: 300 MB 3 MB
features, functions and supply con- Devices: DVD Drive Compatible
ditions of AirN@v. Pioneer 106S (-RW)

System Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows

Hardware and NT4.0 Server, NT4.03, 2000, 98,
software Windows NT4.0 Sp5, Me, XP
2000, XP
requirements
Pointing device Any MS-Windows compatible mouse
Considering the above, it would be
advisable for airlines to prepare for Monitor (colour) 17”: 1024 x 768 with 64K colours
the introduction of AirN@v in 2003
by being ready to read DVDs. Printer PostScript compliant for PDF attachments
Therefore it is Airbus’ recommenda-
tion to acquire DVD drives, which Software JRE 1.3, Apache 1.3.19 Microsoft Internet Explorer
are backward compatible with CD Tomcat 3.2.1. (All (MSIE) 5.5 or 6.0 only
technology. delivered with AirN@V)

Plug-ins MSIE Active CGM Browser

7.1 and ScriptX 5.5
(delivered with AirN@V)
 AIRN@V
AirN@v functions and features
WHY A BRAND-NEW
USER INTERFACE?
You will notice that user interface
and documentation layout differ
from ADRES/CAATS and from PDF
documentation (Figure 1).
The main reasons for changing the
application layout are:
• Proposing a Windows-like interface
to minimize specific training
requirements (menus, toolbars, tree
view for table of contents, tabs, etc.
including a comprehensive on-line
Help function).
• Giving access to all new value
adding functions of AirN@v.
• Accommodate Web Technology
P A G E
constraints as easily as possible
20 while preserving performance.
One of the consequences is that
FAST 31
technical manuals are divided into
a set of HTML pages.
Documentation layout has also been
adapted for electronic viewing:
• Search through forms replaces
sorted lists or cross-reference
tables (IPC detailed Parts List and
Part Number information, Wiring
Lists),
• Links allow the user to jump easily
from one piece of information to
another. Information duplication is
no longer required.
FUNCTIONS
Functions can be accessed through
both Menu and Icon Bars. Users not
yet familiar with AirN@v, may posi-
tion the mouse pointer for a moment
on the Icon and a “ToolTip” will
appear with the icon’s specific mean-
ing. The same will happen for the
(truncated) Document Views, table of
contents (TOC) titles and effectivities,
which are displayed full-size when
holding the cursor selected on them.
Figure 1
Menu Bars in the top of the AirN@v
application and their applicable sub-
menus (“pull-down menus”) are
always applicable.
ACCESS TO ANY
PIECE OF INFORMATION
• After first log-in, the “CATALOG”
page will be displayed. Select the
manual by clicking. If you have
already opened the document
during the session, you may select
the document by clicking the
corresponding Manual tab.
• Within the manual (AMM, IPC
etc.), you may access any document
by the Document view (“tree type”
Table of Contents – TOC). Click on
“+” or “- ” to respectively
deploy/collapse a given element of
the TOC. For full-sized text of the
title/ effectivity, leave the mouse for
a moment on the title (see sample).
Then, click the title of the element
you want to view.
 AIRN@V

• Hyperlink buttons in the icon bar

of the frame are designed for easy
navigation within and between
manual(s). Crossing a link is
performed by a simple click. In
Figure 1 selecting the “See IPC”
button leads directly from the
“AMM Installation of the IDG Oil
Filter” to the corresponding IPC
Figure, Detailed Parts List (DPL)
with part number, vendor code and
replacement information, if any.
Links can also be highlighted in
the text flow itself as standard web
links (e.g. hyperlinks to figures/
sheets, other tasks etc. A mechanism
of off-line links is also used to
access to attached document.
WORD SEARCH
• When receiving a new revision,
the engineer and mechanic are A Word Search can be accomplished • Wild cards at any location (“*” for
specially interested in that piece of through the “Search” menu (Figure 2) any sequence of characters and
information that has been revised or by clicking the corresponding icon. “?” for a single character).
since the last revision. To respond
to this requirement, the Manual The panel appears, offering the pos- • Exact content search for combined
Front Matter includes Change sibility to type in the word(s) to be words.
highlights, classified by ATA searched and to select the docu- P A G E

chapters, including the elements ment(s) for which the search should • Proximity search with Boolean 21
subject to change, the reason for be performed. AirN@v will search in operators (connectors AND, OR,

FAST 31
the change and a link to the the AMM and IPC for the exact con- NOT).
considered part of the manual. Of tents, for example “bleed valve”.
course, modified text is clearly (Word search is not case sensitive, After having opened the required
displayed with a yellow thus typing in lower or upper case is document, the number of hits is dis-
background for easy reference. possible). Furthermore, also more played for each table of contents
advanced Word Searches are offered entry. “Next hit” and “previous hit”
• If the whole element (task, page by AirN@v within a page, with buttons allow navigation among the
block, SB-List etc.) fits in a single number of occurrences (hits) at all hits. When an entry is selected in the
"HTML page", it is completely levels in the table of contents, navi- table of contents, the button “Next
loaded and the Windows-like gation through next hit and previous hit” will display the first hit in this
slider bar may be used to scroll hit, and the possibility to filter hits selection.
through the pages (scroll up, down by effectivity:
etc,). However, when the element
is too large to be loaded,
the beginning of the Figure 2
element is displayed
with mention
“Truncated page” at
the bottom. Arrows in
the Icon bar (see figure
1) can be used to access
next or previous
information pages.

• For more advanced

retrieval, “word
search” may be used
and search through
“forms” features in
AirN@v.
 AIRN@V

Figure 3
SEARCH
THROUGH FORMS

Searching for technical informa-

tion may be much more complex
than simply searching for words;
for example, when searching in
the AWL for all Wire Numbers
connected to the Connector pin
“AB” with Functional Item
Number (FIN) “1CA1”. To
perform such queries, search
forms, accessed through the
menu bar (as depicted in
Figure 3) have been designed.

The list of relevant wires is

then displayed. It may be trun-
cated if there are too many
results. In this case a more
specific query is required. To
view the information on the
wire, double-click on the
appropriate line in the results
table. This line can be selected
by pressing “Open”.
P A G E
22 When entering data in the
search form, when the exact value of
FAST 31

a the field is unknown, possible val-

ues may be obtained through a
Drop-down list, or by using (*, ?)
wildcards in the text field.

AIRCRAFT TROUBLESHOOTING
AirN@v offers also intelligent inter-
active guided trouble-shooting (as
previously covered by CAATS) and
as shown in figure 4. It guides the
mechanic to the right trouble-shoot-
ing procedure based on the data col-
Figure 4
Selection of entry point & ATA Chapter
Access to the list of records for selected entry point
lected from the aircraft, being the
Logbook and the Central
Maintenance System reports,
i.e. the Post Flight Report (PFR).
From the Trouble-Shooting Manual
(TSM) procedure, AirN@v gives
access directly to any AMM proce-
dure referenced in it (test,
removal/installation, servicing,...)
and allows also further navigation
inside the AMM and ASM.

AirN@v provides also the possibili-

Possible causes Trouble Shooting Manual
Comlementary Information Aircraft Maintenance Manual
Aircraft Schematic Manual
ty to associate complementary data
CMS fault messages
coming either from the airline,
“Airline comments” or from Airbus
“Technical Follow-up (TFU)”, to
TFUs the Airbus documentation. The
information is stored on the hard
disk and integrated in AirN@v.

Other AirN@v features...
EFFECTIVITY SELECTION
AirN@v supports data filtering by
effectivity. In other words, either cus-
tomised fleets (Effectivity: “ALL”),
or individual aircraft data – only valid
for that aircraft – can be retrieved.
To activate this function, select
Effectivity in System menu or click
on the appropriate aircraft icon.
A panel appears with two columns
(see Figure 6). The first column lists
the aircraft to which the documenta-
tion is applicable. The second col-
umn lists the selected aircraft. By
default, selected effectivity is
“ALL”. To select a particular air-
craft, first click on “<<” to empty
Figure 5
the list of selected aircraft, then dou-
ble-click on the desired aircraft
number. The desired aircraft number
can also be selected by clicking on
A340-500 ARCTIC FLIGHTS
AIRN@V
The Trouble Shooting
function (Figure 5) allows
selection of a primary
Entry Point. It then propos-
es a sequence of possible
associated “Warnings/mal-
functions”.
The Selected Entry Points
are displayed on the upper
part of the screen and the
proposal of associated
“Warning/malfunction”
messages in the lower part
of the screen.
An isolation procedure is displayed
when it corresponds to a complete
Fault Symptom.
From the TSM, hyperlinks to P A G E
AMM/ASM or other documents can 23
be used to perform the fault isola-
FAST 31
tion.
the “>” button. When pressing
“Apply” only the information
applicable to the selected aircraft
will be displayed.
Figure 6
 A340-500 ARCTIC FLIGHTS
AIRN@V

GO BACK, GO FORWARD AND HISTORY
• Go Back function gives access to the piece
of information previously displayed.
• Go Forward can be used to undo the Back
function.
• A History function allows viewing and
access to information already accessed
during the session. An option in
Preferences (“System” menu) allows
automatic saving and restoring of historical
information.

ANNOTATIONS, BOOKMARKS AND ATTACHED DOCUMENTS

Bookmarks (markers in document for later

access or printing) and notes or links to
external attached documents (PDF, TIFF
etc.) may be created, at any level in the doc-
ument structure. The Modifications may be
defined as Public, giving access for all
Airn@v users, or Private when only for the
current log-on user.

Figure 7
GRAPHICS
P A G E
The Active CGM Browser 7.1 gives
24 advanced graphic manipulation fea-
tures, which may be accessed by click-
FAST 31

ing the corresponding Icon shown in the

top right of the window, see figure 7:
• Previous image
• Next image
• Synchronise with view (show
corresponding text)
• Zoom in/out
• Select area
• Rotate
• Pan
• Print.

PRINT

Two print modes are proposed.

• Clicking the print icon prints out that

information block.

• A print icon is also included in the

TOC of the document. This icon
prints the complete content of the
selection in the table of contents
including referenced graphics.

Caution: Please note that when clicking

e.g. on the AMM manual in the TOC,
the whole AMM will be printed, when
not out of buffer capacity.
 A340-500 ARCTIC FLIGHTS
AIRN@V

Conclusion
Endless hours have been spent
by engineers and mechanics
looking for technical information
on traditional supports such as
paper, micro-film or even PDF.
Huge amounts of time and energy
have been put in updating the
documentation before it can be
released to the end users.
In 1994, Airbus paved the way to
easy access to technical data
with its two interactive products
ADRES/CAATS.
With the replacement of
ADRES/CAATS by AirN@v in
2003, Airbus is now taking one
major step forward in terms of
giving end-users easy access to
information at the right time
wherever they are.
Compared to previous supports
and applications, AirN@v (based
on a fully owned Airbus
Airbus is once again setting the
standards with its modular set-
up…. Airlines who want to extend
the AirN@v capabilities to other in-
house manuals or to other aircraft
types can do so by acquiring one
or several modules of the ADOC
Family.
The ADOC family is a
comprehensive modular software
suite for multi-fleet SGML
Technical Data handling.
Various modules can be chosen
independently for airlines to build
a Technical Data Management
system tailored to their needs.
The main modules of the ADOC
Family are (see figure below):
• ADOC Manager for Content and
Revision Management
• ADOC Electronic Publisher for P A G E

technology “ADOC N@vigator”) – data preparation and 25

significantly reduces information customisation of applications

FAST 31
look-up time, information
distribution and aircraft trouble- • ADOC N@vigator for interactive
shooting time, thus generating consultation and aircraft
significant cost savings for Airbus troubleshooting
operators.
• ADOC Job Card Publisher for
dynamic production of
COMMERCIAL customised Job Cards triggered
CONDITIONS from the Maintenance Planning
FOR ORDERING AND System.
SUPPLY
For any commercial
questions on ordering and
supply of AirN@v, please
contact your regular Airbus
Customer Support Manager.

For technical questions,

please contact

Jan Renette
Project Manager
Technical Data Services
Directorate
Customer Support, Airbus
Tel: +33 (0)561 93 49 71
Fax: +33 (0)561 93 59 44
e-mail:
jan.renette@airbus.com
 Customer Services INDEX OF PREVIOUS ARTICLES

Index of previous articles

A Advanced technology and the pilot
Aerodynamic deterioration. Getting hands-on experience
Ageing - The electrical connection
Ageing - The electrical connection – Part 2
14
21
14
18
Feb. 1993
May 1997
Feb. 1993
June 1995
Ageing aircraft. Understanding… 11 Jan. 1991
AIDS installed on South African Airways’ Airbus A300 2 1984
AIM-FANS wins growing number of orders 22 Mar. 1998
Airbus’ air-transportable hangar 15 Sep. 1993
Airman – Simplifying and optimising aircraft maintenance 29 Dec. 2001
Airworthiness Directives. Improving… 15 Sep. 1993
Auto-flight architecture and equipment 1 1983
A300-600/A310. Digital Avionics workshop - What’s new 9 July 1988
A318: Enhancing the A320 family 29 Dec. 2001

B Bar coding on airbus aircraft parts

Batteries - Control and maintenance
Braking management
Braking management. Some additional facts…
29
7
2
1
Dec. 2001
Jan. 1987
1983
1984

C Cabin air comfort

Cabin air quality. Only the best
Cabin maturity programme
Cabin steps for Malaysian Airlines System A300
19
20
30
6
Mar. 1996
Dec. 1996
July 2002
Nov. 1985
Carbon brakes 7 Jan. 1987
Cargo door warning system. Bulk… 1 1984
Cargo loading - Retrofitable semi-automatic system for A300 2 1984
Cathode ray tubes - Their effects on maintenance practices 7 Jan. 1987
Central maintenance system on A330/A340 16 Apr. 1994
Central maintenance system on A330/A340
Option package to simplify maintenance 21 May 1997
Centre of gravity control system on A310-300. Refinement of … 12 Feb. 1991
Cold weather tests 9 July 1988
P A G E Commonality 14 Feb. 1993
26 Composite materials 8 July 1987
Computer software in Aircraft 11 Jan. 1991
Condensation and smoke warnings. A330/A340 cargo bay 21 May 1997
FAST 31

Conferences:
ETOPS 16 Apr. 1994
A320/A321 Flight Operations 19 Mar. 1996
2nd A330/A340 Technical Symposium 20 Dec. 1996
4th Training symposium 20 Dec. 1996
4th Materiel Symposium 21 May 1997
A320 Family Technical Symposium in SFO 22 Mar. 1998
A330/A340 Technical Symposium on KUL 23 Oct. 1998
10th Operations and Performance Conference 23 Oct. 1998
A300 /310 /300-600 Technical Symposium, Bangkok 24 May 1999
4th A330 /A340 Technical Symposium, Cairo 25 Dec. 1999
5th Training Symposium, Toulouse 25 Dec. 1999
11th Human Factors Symposium, Australia 26 Sep. 2000
A319/A320/A321 Technical Symposium, Seville 27 Dec. 2000
A300 /310 /300-600 Technical Symposium, Munich 28 Aug. 2001
11th Performance & Operations Symposium, Puerto Vallarta 28 Aug. 2001
13th Human Factors Symposium, Toronto 28 Aug. 2001
Airbus Training & Flight Operations Conference, China 29 Dec. 2001
1st Flight Ops Monitoring & Safety Development Conference, Hong Kong 30 July 2002
5th A330 /A340 Technical Symposium, Montreal 30 July 2002
15th Human Factors Symposium, Dubai 30 July 2002
Containerisation on A320 and A321. Advantages of… 12 Sept. 1991
Converted Airbus freighters support 24 May 1999
Convertible in action 1 1983
Corrosion - A natural phenomenon 2 1983

D Dispatch reliability
Part 2
Part 3
Drag reduction
6
7
8
13
Nov. 1985
Jan. 1987
July 1987
Aug. 1992

E EGT margin on A300/CF6-50C2

Electrical generation A330/ A340 – No Break Power Transfer (NBPT)
Electrical wiring installation – Working practices
Engine bleed air system on A300-600 and A310
9
30
15
10
July 1988
July 2002
Sep. 1993
July 1990
Engine maintenance - Inflatable shelter 24 May 1999
Environment protection. Combining with windshield rain protection 23 Oct. 1998
ETOPS conference 16 April 1994
ETOPS for the A330. Accelerated… 16 April 1994
 INDEX OF PREVIOUS ARTICLES

F
Fatigue testing. A320 full scale…
FFCC retrofit ?
FFCC retrofit concept
Fire resistance. Superior…
10
1
2
1
July 1990
1983
1983
1984
Flap rigging on the A320 family: Making it easier with the shark fin tool 27 Dec. 2000
Flap system. Developments on the A300 9 July 1988
Flight control system 5 May 1985
Flight control system.
Evolution of hydro-mechanical components in… 10 July 1990
Flight operations monitoring program 30 July 2002
Flora and fauna. Flying… 20 Dec. 1996
Fly-by-Wire. Performance analysis of… 9 July 1988
Fly-by-wire at a glance. A pilot’s first view 20 Dec. 1996
Fog in the cabin 24 May 1999
FQI probes - Reprofiled fuel quantity capacitance probes
for improved A300 FQI accuracy 2 1984
FQI system installed on the A300-600 and A310 5 May 1985
Freighters, Supporting Airbus converted 24 May 1999
Fuel conservation:
Part 1 - Consequence of aerodynamic deterioration 1 1983
Part 2 - Consequence of aerodynamic deterioration 2 1983
Part 3 - Ground operations 1 1984
Part 4 - Take-off and flight operations 2 1984
Part 5 - Descent and landing operations 5 May 1985
Fuel leak repair – Quick curing sealant device 27 Dec. 2000
Fuel system A319 Corporate Jetliner 28 Aug. 2001
Fuel system A330/A340 14 Feb. 1993
Fuel system A340-500 /-600 26 Sep. 2000
Fuel system and centre of gravity control A310-300 7 Jan. 1987
Fuel system. Detecting leaks using helium 22 Mar. 1998
Fuel tank. Auxiliary… 1 1984
Fumigation of aircraft with carbon dioxide (CO2) 27 Dec. 2000

H
Hot. Is your aircraft too…
Hydraulic system - Preventing leaks
Hydraulic system - Working practices
18
22
13
June 1995
Mar. 1998
Aug. 1992
P A G E
27

FAST 31
I
Ice accretion. Understanding the process of…
IDG servicing on A310 and A300-600. Improved…
Illustrated parts catalogue: New features
Inspection. Infrared thermography for in-service…
16
8
25
18
Apr. 1994
July 1987
Dec. 1999
June 1995
Integrated drive generator servicing 29 Dec. 2001
Interferences. Electromagnetic 5 May 1985
Interferences. Electromagnetic 7 Jan. 1987
Iron bird 24 May 1999

J
JAR-OPS. Implementing with Airbus ops. Documentation
JT9D-7R4. Lower operating costs for the thrust reverser system
JT9D-7R4. Rigging for enhanced durability
22
11
8
Mar. 1998
Jan. 1991
July 1987

K
Knowledge based engineering – a prize winning team 30 July 2002

L
Lateral trimming
Leased Airbus aircraft support
Less paper in the cockpit - The Airbus concept
Lightening strikes and Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft
6
24
27
22
Nov. 1985
May 1999
Dec. 2000
Mar. 1998
Long range operations – A safe operating environment 28 Aug. 2001
Lufthansa A300B4 1 1984

M
Main landing gear A320: Servicing the 2nd stage shock absorber
Maintenance. Airman – Simplifying and optimising aircraft
Maintenance cost analysis – IATA/Airbus activities and results
Maintenance Planning Data Support
25
29
25
12
Dec. 1999
Dec. 2001
Dec. 1999
Sept. 1991
Maintenance programme development 10 July 1990
Maintenance and repair - Do you need help? 10 July 1990
Maintenance status A380 28 Aug. 2001
Maintenance. Ten years experience with Air France A300 2 1983
Materiel planning - Managing uncertainties and getting the aircraft out on time 24 May 1999
Material provisioning for heavy maintenance. Are you ready? 11 Jan. 1991
Maturity programme A340-500 /-600 28 Aug. 2001
Maturity programme. Cabin 30 July 2002
Mercury attacks. When… 19 Mar. 1996
Minimum crew cockpit certification 1 1984
Mini side stick controller 2 1983
Modern Technology – what has changed? 26 Sep. 2000
 INDEX OF PREVIOUS ARTICLES

N New home for Airbus Product Support 16 April 1994

O On-line access to Airbus engineering drawings

On-line maintenance of A320 electronic systems - A true revolution
Operation in areas contaminated by crude oil smoke
Operational interruption costs: Methodology for analysis
25
8
12
26
Dec.1999
July 1987
Feb. 1991
Sep. 2000
Operations on short runways. A300… 2 1984
Operational reliability improvement programme -
Spurious smoke warnings on A300 and A310 10 July 1990
Operational reliability performance 13 Aug. 1992
Oxygen supply. Planning adequate… 15 Sept. 1993

P Paint scheme. Choosing an external

Paint systems. Maintenance of aircraft…
Performance as planned. A340…
Performance on wet or contaminated runways
18
19
19
9
June 1995
Mar. 1996
Mar. 1996
July 1988
Pilot guard systems 19 Mar. 1996
Pitch damper improvements 1 1983
PW4000 Fadec, improved operational reliability 15 Sept. 1993

Q Quarterly service report - A new format: QSR-WEB 25 Dec. 1999

R Radio frequency identification for tracking tools

Radomes: Portable equipment for testing
Ramp handling. A330/A340…
Regulatory climate. The international…
30
26
16
22
July 2002
Sep. 2000
April 1994
Mar. 1998
Repair fasteners 28 Aug. 2001
Rigging for enhanced durability - Ring laser gyro 2 1984
Rudder trim control. A310/A300-600… 15 Sept. 1993

S
P A G E
Service Bulletin computerisation. Airbus… 13 Aug. 1992
28 Service Bulletin reporting.
Tech. Pubs. which reflect the configuration of your aircraft 23 Oct. 1998
FAST 31

Service Bulletins: What has changed with computerisation 29 Dec. 2001

Simplified English 7 Jan. 1987
Spares Center. Airbus Service Co. Inc. … 12 Sept. 1991
Spares costs. The path to lower 23 Oct. 1998
Spares Investment: Initial cost reduction 27 Dec. 2000
Spare parts: Cost benefit management 21 May 1997
Spare parts. Frankfurt store – expanding our service 21 May 1997
Spare parts. Material provisioning for heavy maintenance.
Are you ready? 11 Jan. 1991
Suppliers Conference 12 Sept. 1991
Supporting leased Airbus aircraft 24 May 1999
Sustained operations in hot weather 6 Nov. 1985
Symposium. Materials… 13 Aug. 1992
Symposium. A300/A310/A300-600 Technical… 13 Aug. 1992
Symposium. A320 Technical… 12 Sept. 1991

T TCAS II
Technical publications combined index
Training. State-of-the-art
Training philosophy for protected aircraft in emergency situations
12
18
19
23
Sept. 1991
June 1995
Mar. 1996
Oct. 1998
Trent - Reliability by design 14 Feb 1993
Trouble Shooting - The impact of modern data recording
and monitoring systems. Improved... 11 Jan. 1991
Turbulence. Flight in severe… 18 June 1995
Tyre servicing with nitrogen 9 July 1988

U Upgrade services
Upset recovery – a test pilot’s point of view
Upset training. Aerodynamic principles of Large airplane upsets
30
24
Special
July 2002
May 1999
June 1998

V Vasp. Innovative…
Vibration on A320 Family. Avoiding elevator…
6
23
Nov. 1985
Oct. 1998

W Weight and balance system

Windshear
Wing of the A310. The modern…
6
6
5
Nov. 1985
Nov. 1985
May 1985
 FROM THE ARCHIVES:
A340-500 POLAR
ARCTICFLYING
FLIGHTS

The first flights over the North Pole took place in the
late 1920s. Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett in a Fokker-
VII tri-motor called Josephine Ford were the first on 9th
May 1926. It took them 23 hours on a return flight from
Spitzberg (Svalbard) during which they circled the Pole
for 14 minutes.
Two days later on the 11th of May at 14:00 Roald
Amundsen the well-known explorer and Umberto Nobile
took off from Spitzberg in an Italian built airship named
Norge.
They over flew the Pole 11h 30min later and continued
in a straight line towards Nome in Alaska.
They eventually moored nearby at Teller at 08:30 on the
14th of May 1926. The flight, which covered 5100
kilometres and took 68h 30min, was severely hampered
by a build up of ice on the nose of the airship. A ton of
ice destabilised the airship and froze over the antenna,
depriving the crew of vital weather information
Two years later on 15th April 1928 the Australian
explorer Wilkins and his pilot Eielson, in a Lockheed
Vega powered by a single Wright 230hp, crossed the
North Pole from Point Barrow to Spitzberg in 20 hours.
P A G E
The wooden fuselage “provided good insulation”.
29

FAST 31
Airship Norge at
the entrance to
its open-roofed
hanger in
Spitzberg. It was
106m long and
powered by three
Maybach 230hp
engines.

The Lockheed Vega1

at Spitzberg following
its flight from Point
Barrow in Alaska.
 CUSTOMER SUPPORT AROUND THE CLOCK... AROUND THE WORLD

Customer support
AROUND THE CLOCK...AROUND THE WORLD

WORLDWIDE
Jean-Daniel Leroy
Vice President Customer Support
Tel: +33 5 61 93 35 04
Fax: +33 5 61 93 41 01

USA/CANADA
Gérard Raynaud
Senior Director Customer Support
Tel: +1 (703) 834 3506
Fax: +1 (703) 834 3464

CHINA
Ron Bollekamp
Director Customer Support
Tel: +86 10 804 86161
Fax: +86 10 804 86162 / 63

RESIDENT CUSTOMER SUPPORT

ADMINISTRATION
Philippe Bordes Training centres
Director Resident Customer Representation Spares centres / Regional warehouses
P A G E
Resident Customer Support Managers (RCSM)
30 Administration
Tel: +33 561 93 31 02
FAST 31

Fax: +33 561 93 49 64

RCSM LOCATION COUNTRY
TECHNICAL, SPARES, TRAINING
Airbus has its main Spares centre in Hamburg, Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
and regional warehouses in Frankfurt, Algiers Algeria
Amman Jordan
Washington D.C., Beijing and Singapore.
Athens Greece
Bangkok Thailand
Airbus operates 24 hours a day every day. Beirut Lebanon
AOG Technical and Spares calls Brussels Belgium
in North America should be addressed to: Buenos Aires Argentina
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Tel: +1 (703) 729 9000
Caracas Venezuela
Fax: +1 (703) 729 4373 Charlotte USA - North Carolina
Chengdu China
AOG Technical and Spares calls outside Colombo Sri Lanka
North America should be addressed to: Copenhagen Denmark
Damascus Syria
Tel: +49 (40) 50 76 3001/3002/3003
Delhi India
Fax: +49 (40) 50 76 3011/3012/3013 Denver USA - Colorado
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Airbus Training centre Detroit USA - Michigan
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Tel: +33 561 93 33 33
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Fax: +33 561 93 20 94 Dublin Ireland
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Airbus Training subsidiaries Dusseldorf Germany
Miami, USA - Florida Frankfurt Germany
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Tel: +1 (305) 871 36 55
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Fax: +1 (305) 871 46 49 Hanoi Vietnam
Beijing, China Helsinki Finland
Tel: +86 10 80 48 63 40 Hong Kong S.A.R. China
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 CUSTOMER SUPPORT AROUND THE CLOCK... AROUND THE WORLD

P A G E
31

FAST 31
RCSM LOCATION COUNTRY RCSM LOCATION COUNTRY

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 www.airbus.com

One pilot fits all.

Thanks to fly-by-wire technology, the flight deck, flight procedures and handling characteristics
on Airbus planes are virtually identical. The same goes for our aircraft systems and maintenance
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