FDR Data Analysis
FDES offers a reasonability assessment of the FDR system, which is the off-wing periodic review of FDR data. Regulatory agencies require that commercial aircraft maintenance plans include a periodic review of aircraft digital flight data recorder (DFDR) data to ensure that the DFDR system continues to function correctly in revenue service. This requirement is listed in each aircraft model Maintenance Planning Data Document.
As aforementioned, the reasonableness and quality check of the recorded flight data is an off-aircraft review of recorded data to assess the overall health of the recording system parameter. The reasonableness check may identify gross parameter anomalies, such as static parameters, missing parameters, random movement in parameters, parameters not in agreement with related parameters in a given operational range or mode, etc.
The FDES data readout and analysis service provides a Pass/Fail reasonability assessment of FDR parameters through the review of data downloaded from the aircraft. The data review results are provided to the customer in a Report, which supplies Engineering Data in graphical and tabular formats.
The Report is developed using FDES's best engineering judgment regarding an FDR parameter's health, be it acceptable or discrepant, based on regulatory requirements. The report can be tailored to meet Customer requirements; all parameters or just the regulatory parameters can be checked.
FAA recommends that this check occurs during an interval not to exceed 18 months, and operator must accomplish it to ascertain that the data is being recorded correctly and that noise and data dropouts do not interfere with the ability to interpret the recorded data.
Flight data recorder service offers this valuable analysis at a competitive price, comparable to what you would expect to pay for a reasonability check alone.
CVR Audio Analysis
FDES offers a assessment of the CVR system performance that is part of a scheduled task. The data review results are provided to the Customer in a Report, that addresses the audio quality of all required input channels, and verifies if the CVR recording duration meets the intended recording duration.
FDES's CVR Readout Report supplies Customer a judgment for quality rating scale based on the intelligibility of crew conversations, checking it could be accurately and easily understood, and also based on spectrogram analyses of the audio data, thus complementing the system functional check for continued airworthiness requirements of a CVR system, ensuring retention of intelligible recordings.
Download Services
FDES offers an in-house download service, whereby the SSFDR or SSCVR recorded data are retrieved when the unit is sent to our facility. The FDES's Engineer will download the recorder by means of a data downloader suitable and compatible with recorder model.
Note: For in-house download service, please note that the recorder will not be tested. Customer removal tag and work order must state that the recorder is sent to FDES for readout purposes only and that it should not be repaired. It should be made clear that the recorder is to be returned after readout without testing or repair. The recorder will be returned to Customer without a serviceable parts tag. The recorder can be returned to Customer in 24 hours or same day.
For best results, include a copy of the acknowledgment message that is received upon completion of the Download Service request. The message will include the pertinent statements.
FDES also offers an on-site data retrieval service whereby one of our technicians will carry out the download from the SSFDR or SSCVR installed on the aircraft and return the data to our facility for transcription and analysis.
