click to expand
Nine commercial aircraft flying regular routes are on the
frontier of aviation safety, carrying sensors that monitor their structural health
along with their routine maintenance. These flight tests are part of a Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) certification process that will make the sensors
widely available to U.S. airlines.
“The flight test program is underway,” said Dennis Roach, a
senior scientist in Sandia National Laboratories’ Transportation, Safeguards
& Surety Program who has worked in aviation safety for 25 years. “We have
moved past laboratory research and are looking for certification for actual
on-board usage. Our activities are proving that the sensors work on particular
applications and that it is safe and reliable to use these sensor systems for
routine aircraft maintenance.”