Through the NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and a partnership with Boeing, a small company called Near Earth Autonomy has developed a time-saving solution using drones for pre-flight checks on commercial airliners.
A pre-flight inspection must be completed before each trip before a commercial airliner is deemed safe to fly. This process can take up to four hours and requires workers to climb around the plane to check for problems, potentially leading to safety incidents and diagnostic errors.
With funding from NASA and Boeing to strengthen commercial readiness, Near Earth Autonomy, under its business unit Proxim, is developing a drone-enabled solution that can fly around commercial airliners and collect inspection data within 30 minutes. has been developed. The drone can fly autonomously around the aircraft and complete inspections according to computer-programmed task cards based on the Federal Aviation Administration’s Civil Aircraft Inspection Regulations. The card shows the flight path that the drone’s software must follow, allowing aircraft workers to use new tools to improve safety and efficiency.
“NASA has been working with Near Earth Autonomy to address autonomous inspection challenges in multiple areas,” said Danette Allen, NASA’s senior leader for autonomous systems.
“We are excited to see this technology deployed in the industry to improve the efficiency, safety and accuracy of the aircraft inspection process for the overall public benefit.”
Photos collected from drones are shared and analyzed remotely, allowing aviation maintenance experts to support repair decisions faster from anywhere. You can compare new images to old images to look for cracks, popped rivets, leaks, and other common problems.
Users can ask the system to create an alert if an area needs to be checked again or if the check fails. Near Earth Autonomy estimates that by using drones for aircraft inspections, the airline industry can save an average of $10,000 per hour in lost profits during unscheduled time on the ground.
Over the past six years, Near Earth Autonomy has completed several test flights using its drone systems on Boeing aircraft used by American Airlines and Emirates.
NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Program is managed by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and is designed to support innovative ideas submitted by small businesses to meet the needs of NASA and industry. It aims to strengthen American ingenuity. These research needs are listed in the annual SBIR call and target technologies with great potential for successful commercialization.
Small businesses with 500 or fewer employees, or those affiliated with non-profit research institutions such as universities or research institutes, can apply to participate in the NASA SBIR/STTR program.
