Aircraft and engine lifecycle management provider TARMAC Aerosave and Donecle, a manufacturer of drones specifically for aviation maintenance purposes, have signed an agreement to develop automated aircraft inspections.
Donecle, based in Toulouse, France, develops a range of automated solutions to optimise visual aircraft inspections. The Donecle system consists of a fully automatic flight — without a pilot or GPS — coupled to image analysis software and a secure platform for digital inspection monitoring.
As part of its innovating and permanent client satisfaction strategy, TARMAC Aerosave considered the Donecle solution with great interest.
Without being a substitute for maintenance procedures or mechanics, drones make it possible to carry out inspections in less than two hours — such as general visual inspections (GVI), lightning strike inspections, paintwork and regulatory marking inspections — thus making faster aircraft delivery to clients possible – whether on exit from storage or from maintenance. It is a valuable decision aid tool.
A successful test campaign was conducted by the two partners on the TARMAC Aerosave site in Toulouse-Francazal. The solution is currently fully operational for narrow-body aircraft in hangars. Developments are now focusing on the capacity to carry out inspections outside and on wide-body aircraft.
The large number of aircraft accommodated by TARMAC Aerosave, the varied types, the regular flow of arrivals and departures and the three Tarbes, Teruel and Toulouse sites, allow Donecle to develop its products for every environment.