Thermal imaging of aircraft

A computer-implemented method to analyze aircraft, comprising:

• receiving an aircraft identifier associated with an aerial vehicle received proximate to one or more thermal imaging devices of a thermal imaging system, the aircraft identifier indicating equipment onboard the aerial vehicle and a model or configuration of the aerial vehicle;
• obtaining one or more vehicle parameters associated with the aerial vehicle;
• obtaining, from the one or more thermal imaging devices mounted offboard to the aerial vehicle, one or more thermal images associated with the aerial vehicle;
• processing the one or more thermal images based on the one or more vehicle parameters to detect anomalies associated with an event associated with the aerial vehicle;
• generating, in response to detecting one or more anomalies, one or more signals indicative of the one or more anomalies;
• and
• issuing, based on the one or more signals, one or more warning messages based on the one or more signals.

A thermal imaging system to analyze aircraft, comprising:

• one or more thermal imaging devices;
• and
• a turn event controller in operative communication with the one or more thermal imaging devices, the turn event controller configured to:
• receive identifying information associated with an aerial vehicle to be analyzed by the thermal imaging system, the identifying information indicating equipment onboard the aerial vehicle;
• obtain one or more thermal images that capture portions of the aerial vehicle associated with the equipment onboard the aerial vehicle during at least one phase of a turn of the aerial vehicle at an airport;
• receive, from a data store communicatively coupled with the turn event controller, expected thermal signature information associated with the equipment identified onboard the aerial vehicle;
• detect one or more anomalies associated with the turn of the aerial vehicle based on the obtained one or more thermal images and the expected thermal signature information;
• and
• generate, in response to detecting the one or more anomalies, one or more signals indicative of the one or more anomalies.