Robust systems and methods for improving passenger jet aircraft fuel economy
AssigneeAlaska Airlines, Inc.
InventorsShawn Shelley, Kevin Collins, George A. Molnar, Steve Lovas, Joseph E. Gockowski, III
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for improving fuel economy on a passenger jet aircraft comprises automatically receiving a communication from the aircraft to a ground station comprising at least one subsystem operating parameter measured during the current flight, detecting whether the operating parameter meets predetermined criteria and, if the criteria are met, automatically sending a communication to indicate the aircraft's status for a next flight. If the criteria are not met, a status of the aircraft is automatically changed and a communication is sent. Other methods and systems are also described.
Claims17
A method for improving fuel economy on a passenger jet aircraft implemented on one or more processors of one or more networked computers, comprising:
- receiving a communication at a networked computer comprising at least an exhaust gas temperature value for an auxiliary power unit measured while the auxiliary power unit is operating during a current flight of the aircraft and previously communicated via an aircraft to ground station communications link transmission;
- automatically detecting, using a networked computer, whether the exhaust gas temperature value exceeds at least one threshold temperature;
- wherein, if the exhaust gas temperature does not exceed at least one threshold temperature, then using a networked computer to automatically set the aircraft's future flight status to operating the auxiliary power unit on demand and to automatically send a communication to indicate the aircraft's future flight status, and
- wherein, if the exhaust gas temperature exceeds at least one threshold temperature, then using a networked computer to automatically set the aircraft's future flight status to operating the auxiliary power unit continuously and to automatically send a communication to indicate the aircraft's future flight status;
- and
- automatically updating a database, using a networked computer, to reflect the aircraft's future flight status.
A computer-implemented aircraft maintenance management system for a fleet of aircraft, comprising:
- one or more processors associated with a plurality of networked computers;
- memory linked to the one or more processors, at least one memory location having stored aircraft status information for multiple extended operations aircraft;
- and
- at least one display linked to at least one of the controllers processors and at least one of the memory elements;
- wherein the memory has stored instructions to cause the one or more processors to receive a predetermined subset of routine data transmitted via a communications link from an aircraft in current operation to a ground station, to control setting an extended flight eligibility status for a future flight of the aircraft in current operation based on comparing a current exhaust gas temperature value of the aircraft's auxiliary power unit as received in the routine data to predetermined criteria, to control sending communications to multiple recipients, to update records stored in the memory elements, and to display messages regarding at least the status of the aircraft in operation, the status of other aircraft in the fleet or the status of the communications link.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.