The services offered on the AVIATAR platform range from predictive maintenance to fulfilment and automated solutions. The 5G-assisted VTI and virtual borescope are a part of AVIATAR`s MRO Management solution.
High-resolution video streams in the visual inspection of engine parts in combination with the new 5G network technology worked wonders during the pandemic for Lufthansa Technik says Mr. Michael Kirstein, Vice President Operations Engine Services. He also speaks about the journey and challenges in setting up the campus network based on 5G, expansion in a second overhaul shop and importance of hybrid inspection in an exclusive interview with Swati.k
Q – More than two years ago, Lufthansa Technik was one of the first industrial companies in Germany to start setting up so-called campus networks based on the latest mobile communications standard 5G. Now you have extended to a second overhaul shop. How would you describe this experience? Were there any challenges that you faced during this expansion?
Ans – When we set up our campus network in early 2020, the idea to explore the brand new 5G mobile networking standard in an industrial context was relatively new, and there was almost no existing experience to build on. Nevertheless, we did not start completely from scratch, as we could rely on the enormous network expertise of our sister company Lufthansa Industry Solutions (LHIND) that closely supported us from the get-go. Moreover, we were excited to put this publicly hyped technology into practice and collect our own experience with it. Not because we wanted to be part of the hype, but because we wanted to gain first-hand knowledge and experience how 5G can really improve specific use cases in the MRO Industry. Nevertheless, of course, it was quite fascinating to be among the first industry (and not just aviation industry) players in Germany to have our own dedicated mobile campus networks operational. And the interest from politics, media and public was huge.
At that point in time, February 2020, we considered our 5G networks and the respective applications mere test cases for potential future applications. Thus, it was natural that we had to face some challenges, one of them, for example, being the poor choice of 5G-capable user devices that could at all be used in a private campus network. For LHIND and us, it was true pioneering work to achieve initial operational readiness of the first test use case, the so-called “Virtual Table Inspection” (VTI). Who could have thought that only a few weeks later the pandemic would plunge the entire aviation industry into an unprecedented crisis? And who could have thought that this very crisis would also help the new networks to quickly evolve from the planned test cases to some sort of a lifeline in those serious times. I wouldn´t venture as far as saying that we have to be thankful for the crisis, but in regard to industrial 5G it was indeed a door-opener for remote, or as we often call them “virtual”, inspections of engines and their respective parts. It was amazing to see how quickly our customers became familiar with these kinds of solutions, and how quickly they started to appreciate and embrace them. Literally from day one, our customer`s feedback was just amazing. Thus, it was a real no-brainer to make virtual solutions a standard offering in our Engine Services product segment.
Q – Can you explain the working of the AVIATAR platform? Can you give us an example of the practical application of this platform?
Ans – AVIATAR was introduced in 2017 as our independent, modular platform for digital products and services. It combines fleet management solutions, data science and engineering expertise to provide a comprehensive range of integrated digital services and products for airlines, MRO companies, OEMs and lessors that integrate seamlessly with physical engineering implementation and beyond.
The services offered on the AVIATAR platform range from predictive maintenance to fulfilment and automated solutions. The 5G-assisted VTI and virtual borescope use cases I talk about here are a part of AVIATAR`s MRO Management solution that, among other features such as asset sourcing, enables our customers a permanent monitoring of the progress of their current MRO events. This solution unites all standardized engine event communication between our customers and our engineers or mechanics in one platform. For example, right next to the high-resolution video stream, MRO Management for example offers a convenient user interface that allows customers to discuss, evaluate, approve and document all due repair decisions for their remotely inspected engine parts.
Q – Can you explain the different types of services that are offered, using the 5G infrastructure?
And – Sure! The first service offering powered by the 5G network in our engine overhaul workshops in Hamburg is what we call “Virtual Table Inspection”, or VTI for short. Therein, we now offer our customers to skip the classic in-person “Table Inspection” of dismantled engine parts (a standard process during engine maintenance), and use a remote live-video-based solution instead. The latter is delivering a high-resolution video stream directly to our customers, who in turn do no longer have to travel to Hamburg to personally inspect their engine parts in order to make their repair decisions based on the proposals and substantiations by our engineers and mechanics. The video in up to 4K resolution, streamed by a qualified mechanic or engineer with a gymbal-mounted mobile video device, uncovers even the smallest details of the various engine parts spread across the eponymous inspection table. Thus, our remote customers can rely on crystal-clear images for the important repair decisions, which they finally take based on our inspection criteria and comprehensive repair suggestions. The video stream is directly embedded into our AVIATAR digital operations tool suite [LM1] [SK2] [SK3] that provides a seamless and easy user experience. Our customers simply log into the respective AVIATAR module, where they can directly see and interact with our experts, watch the high- resolution live-video, raise questions and, thus, direct the entire inspection process. And all this at their convenience, in time and from their home base.
Based on the outstanding customer feedback regarding the VTI, we soon decided to also introduce virtual borescopic inspections as the second use case. These take place, for example, during the important incoming inspection of engines, but they are not limited to this step. Here, the same strengths come to play. The high-resolution video stream of the “keyhole camera” provides our customers with high-quality insights into even the most remote cavities and other hard-to-reach areas of their engines, in which the conventional VTI equipment (usually a 5G cell phone or a tablet) would never fit in. Here, too, the high video resolution made possible by 5G plays to its strengths, especially since digital measurements are also possible within the live-streamed borescopy. My favourite story here is how colleagues once proudly reported how a remote customer immediately confirmed a scratch mark that was just 0.3 millimetres in length. The high-resolution video stream really leaves nothing undetected. Any ambiguities are usually gone in a second.
Q – High-resolution video streams in the visual inspection of engine parts, sound extremely appealing from an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer`s point of view. Also, this application must be used extensively during the pandemic lockdown. Your views on this?
Ans – Indeed, as mentioned above, the VTI started to unfold its full potential during the crisis, especially in combination with the new 5G network technology. Interestingly, we had already trialled something similar a few years before, but the Wi-Fi technology used back then posed a number of drawbacks. The Wi-Fi`s relatively low-bandwidth impaired the video quality and the camera´s movement from one Wi-Fi cell to another regularly prompted losses of connection … an absolute no-go for our customers who during the Table Inspection of their engine parts have to make repair decisions that can easily exceed 100,000 dollars for a single part.
We thus were lucky that in early 2020, only a few weeks before the pandemic hit the aviation industry, we had just inaugurated our first dedicated 5G campus networks, one of which was exclusively used for the VTI. The new standalone mobile network technology and our own independent frequency enabled us to perfectly tailor the 5G network to the VTI use case. The resulting high upload ratio and the seamless roaming between various network cells overcame all problems from the Wi-Fi days and immediately promoted the VTI to a suitable solution. When only a few weeks later the pandemic struck with full force and the first travel restrictions prohibited our customers from travelling to Hamburg, the VTI quickly evolved from a test case to nothing less than a business-critical service that kept both us and our customers going.
Q – You say, this offering became an indispensable part of the engine overhaul process as it saved the operators a lot of time and money as the operators can now also interact remotely with the mechanics on-site in Hamburg. Initially, how did you convince the operators to interact remotely? Were there any clients that insisted on an on-site visit for inspection? Is that option still available?
Ans – As mentioned in the answers above, VTI basically saw the light of day in times of strict travel restrictions. In these times, we did not really have to convince our customers, simply due to the fact that it was the only remaining option on how to perform a joint table inspection. For the large majority of our customers, it was simply not possible to travel to Hamburg any more. Hence, back then it was rather a question of “inspect your parts virtually or don´t inspect them at all”. Nevertheless, from the very beginning the experience with the remote solution was so good that it automatically convinced the large majority of our customers to stay with the VTI, even after the travel restrictions were lifted again. Nevertheless, there still are a few clients that have returned to performing the classic in-person table inspection, as it is still part of our service offerings. Another development we see are so-called “hybrid” inspections, with some customer representatives being present at the shop floor in Hamburg, and further expertise / back-up staff called-in via the remote solutions. That happens quite regularly now.
Q – Of Lately, the interference of 5G technology with flight operations was a subject of controversy, and Hamburg base is directly adjacent to the Hanseatic city’s international airport, how did you solve this problem?
Ans – Indeed, our engine shops are located only a stone´s throw away from Hamburg Airport. As an aviation company, we are used to the maxim that safety always enjoys the highest priority. Thus, we put special emphasis on operational aspects such as interference, already long before the recent controversy regarding public 5G networks surfaced in the US and other countries.
Building on our decades-long experience with aircraft technology, we already knew that the frequency band we use (3.7 and 3.8 GHz) would not pose much reason for concern. Compared with the public 5G band (3.7 to 3.98 GHz) in the United States, its safety margin to the frequency band used by radar altimeters on commercial aircraft (4.2 to 4.4 GHz) is almost twice as large. Moreover, we so far use our 5G technology exclusively inside of industrial buildings. Their high steel and concrete content massively shield all wireless networks from the outside world, and thus, also from the airport.
That already minimizes the risk of interference with the surrounding infrastructure. However, as we usually apply safety standards that go beyond the general regulations, we asked the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) to document the clearance of our 5G network with a so-called site certificate. We did this although it is not actually mandatory given the performance of the 5G antennas we use here.
To play it extra safe, we moreover employed the technology company Rohde & Schwarz to take measurements at the Hamburg base in February 2022. The company’s world-renowned experts in mobile network quality measurements were unable to detect any 5G signals outside the areas designated for our use cases, despite the network scanner used being significantly more sensitive than a cell phone and registering even the weakest signals.
Our safety considerations also strongly benefited from the close collaboration with Lufthansa Industry Solutions who brought a wealth of experience into the joint project.
Q – Can you tell us the role of Lufthansa Industry Solutions in the successful implementation of 5G?
Ans – Lufthansa Industry Solutions (LHIND) played a crucial role in the conception and setup of our 5G campus networks. They accompanied the entire process in an advisory capacity from the very beginning, bringing an enormous wealth of expertise into the project, from regulatory guidance and technology scouting to detailed performance measurements and safety considerations, to name just a few. It was a win-win situation for both our “sister” companies: On the one hand, due to LHIND’s outstanding support, we became a renowned pioneer for industrial 5G in Germany. On the other hand, due to the experience gained in the setup of our 5G networks, LHIND is now very successful in supporting companies around the world in rolling out their own industrial 5G networks.
Q – Congratulations on the Ten-year license from the German Federal Network Agency, which has paved the way for further expansion. Can you tell us about your expansion plans going ahead?
Ans – Based on the so far extraordinary positive experience with our first 5G networks, we are indeed considering various other ideas to where else and how else this technology could be used in the future, not just here in the Engine Services segment, but in the entire MRO environment. However, I would like to make one thing very clear: Our idea is NOT to cover all workshops and buildings quickly and comprehensively with 5G networks. In our considerations, there is no “5G for the sake of 5G”. New networks will only be created where they represent an immediate, measurable and value-generating benefit for our employees and for existing or even completely new use cases and services. With this in mind, there are a few application areas that I can well imagine being evaluated regarding 5G in the not-too-distant future. These areas, for example, cover the localization of tools and components, the development of new on-board sensors for aircraft and engines, and future forms of wireless machine connectivity. However, these are just a few examples.
