Thomas Meyer from AlarisPro shares insights on selecting an effective UAS fleet management solution, emphasizing how AlarisPro can alleviate the challenges of daily data collection while enhancing analysis and forecasting for UAS fleets.
In the swiftly evolving unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) sector, both manufacturers and operators are quickly realizing that robust UAS Fleet Management is essential for enduring business growth. Without a centralized fleet management system, tracking daily operations, maintenance schedules, aircraft configurations, and pilot certifications becomes a daunting and inefficient task. An effective fleet management solution shoudl streamline data collection and offer insightful analysis and forecasting capabilities for all fleet-related activities. By implementing the right system, organizations can allocate resources more effectively, prioritizing safety, reliability, and return on investment (ROI). This guide aims to assist those transitioning from customary paper logs and spreadsheets to a more integrated approach.
Firstly,it’s important to note that a global solution for every operational scenario does not exist. each operator faces unique challenges. If you are seeking expanded operational approvals or managing a rapidly growing fleet with multiple teams across various locations, a specialized solution that integrates operations, maintenance, and system health monitoring is essential.
for manufacturers, adopting a cohesive fleet management system that can share data with the software used by thier clients offers important advantages. Thes include the ability to document and analyze testing data, track configuration changes, and generate reliability metrics for UAS and components, which can inform design improvements. A collaborative solution between manufacturers and operators ensures a continuous flow of data from development and production to customer delivery and field operations.
A unified System for Data Management and UAS Fleet Reporting
An effective Fleet Management solution is a fully integrated and secure records management system that enables users to confidently expand their fleet. Key features should include tracking capabilities for UAS, pilots, flight logs, certifications, and maintenance activities. Given that leadership time is limited, it’s crucial to consolidate essential fleet information into a user-amiable dashboard that provides a complete overview of operations.
The reporting functionalities should allow users to delve into their data and cross-reference inputs from various sources, both automated and manual. Additional reports should cater to different stakeholders, showcasing efficiencies, economic outcomes, and upcoming actions.This capability surpasses the basic mission management solutions offered by some providers, which typically only extract essential flight data to report on flights and pilot activity. Many of these solutions fail to monitor system health, maintenance events, or component and payload data.
Integrated Maintenance Tracking vs. Simple Note-Taking
Even the simplest quadcopter comprises numerous single-point failures that necessitate tracking through an integrated maintenance solution. While many mission management systems allow for the annotation of maintenance events,these are often just notes that lack preventive maintenance alerts,required actions,or upcoming inspections.Such notes are isolated events that cannot be cross-referenced with operational data for deeper insights. Even if basic note-taking solutions currently suffice, it’s advisable to consider a comprehensive solution sooner rather than later. Many leaders design their companies for growth into more complex,higher-risk operations to enhance profit margins. Implementing an integrated solution early on allows for data expansion as the company grows, avoiding the need to switch systems later. For routine high-risk operations and those involving larger, more complex systems, a thorough fleet management system is essential.
A Systems-of-Systems Approach to Reliability
For large-scale or intricate operations with stringent safety reporting requirements,a comprehensive system that employs a systems-of-systems (SoS) approach is more effective for assessing reliability and managing operations and maintenance. This engineering methodology evaluates the contribution of each subsystem (e.g., individual components) and its impact on the overall reliability of the UAS. Expanded operational approvals (such as BVLOS and flight over peopel) and Type Certified (TC) UAS necessitate a higher level of reporting than traditional Part 107 operations. These requirements include UAS and operational data for waivers, as well as detailed tracking of components, serialization, and reliability data for TC applications.
The alignment between operators and manufacturers yields significant benefits. The FAA’s streamlined TC process mandates that manufacturers document the reliability of each flight-critical component, including serial numbers, as part of the Durability and reliability (D&R) testing to ensure system safety.This level of documentation far exceeds the capabilities of basic note-taking mission management solutions. A comprehensive system is required to correlate and reference D&R data across various production and test flight elements to generate performance data for FAA approval.
Essential ROI Metrics and Actionable Insights
Tracking the usage, performance, and reliability of a fleet is crucial for assessing its Return on Investment (ROI). Key data must be readily available to stakeholders and easy to interpret. While the full range of key metrics is extensive, here are a few critical examples:
- aircraft utilization metrics, including mission types, hours flown, and encountered issues
- Configuration management, including serial numbers for applicable components
- Continued Airworthiness tracking (operational status, grounded status, required flight checks)
- Reliability metrics, including component hours, replacement rates, and failure rates
- Monitoring of payload and battery performance and related issues
- Predictive maintenance schedules, including preventive maintenance needs and quality inspections
- Documentation of completed maintenance events, labor, and service frequency for each system
- Tracking crew and system hours related to specific projects for performance and cost analysis
Ultimately, spreadsheets and basic mission management software provide only fragmented information rather than a holistic view. While these simplified tools may work for some operations, they are inadequate for more complex scenarios and for manufacturers needing to make informed decisions regarding airworthiness and design improvements.
Looking forward, once you have gathered all necessary data on your UAS fleet, the next step is determining how to utilize it. Data becomes most valuable when it leads to actionable insights or solutions. Presenting, filtering, and organizing data in a manner that encourages action is crucial.
While the list of actionable items is extensive, here are a few key examples:
- Clear access to data necessary for making real-time operational decisions
- Fleet readiness metrics, similar to those used by military and airline operations to assess mission capability
- Flexibility to customize tracked data and alerts, allowing for scalability as operations or manufacturing capabilities grow
- Unrestricted access to data at all times; you should never lose access to your data or face restrictions on exporting it
- Preventive maintenance and component replacement schedules with reminders for required actions
- Streamlined project and asset management to help stakeholders balance fleet capacity with operational needs
The AlarisPro mobile submission offers field crews visibility into fleet operations, allowing UAS operators to log flights even in areas with limited cellular service.
UAS companies need detailed Fleet Management solutions to alleviate the challenges of daily data collection. While fleet management needs vary by organization, leadership should consider adopting a scalable solution that can grow alongside their operations.A well-implemented system enables effective analysis and forecasting of all fleet aspects, including operations, maintenance, and predictive analytics. Integrating connectivity with the OEM enhances safety and reporting capabilities. Comprehensive Fleet Management allows leaders to focus on what truly matters: safety, reliability, and maximizing ROI.
Explore the alarispro Fleet Management SaaS Platform
Are you struggling to find the right UAS fleet management platform? Often, the issue lies in confusing mission management platforms with comprehensive solutions. The key distinction between fleet management and mission management is the ability to maintain and assess system readiness in real-time while correlating data from all facets of fleet operations, maintenance, and manufacturing.
AlarisPro is a unified cloud-based solution that documents all operational and maintenance aspects of a UAS fleet, regardless of its size or complexity. AlarisPro equips our Operator and Manufacturing clients with extensive fleet data in a straightforward, accessible format. Clients can visualize their fleet’s readiness using the same systems-of-systems engineering approach employed by large manned operations. This encompasses everything from pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight activities to maintenance tasks, ensuring reliability and informing go/no-go decisions. AlarisPro delivers an unparalleled level of fleet detail to both large and small companies in the industry.
clients of alarispro benefit from a comprehensive Fleet Management SaaS product that transcends basic mission management solutions. Committing to the AlarisPro fleet management system, specifically designed for unmanned systems, leads to a transformative shift in how a company perceives its operations.
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