Aviation Maintenance’s parent company, Aerospace & Security Media holds an annual conference and exhibition and it is growing. This event started out as The Avionics Show covering all the latest avionics developments in the industry.
As connectivity in aviation became paramount to customer satisfaction and on time efficiency in the airline industry, this track was added to the event and the name changed to Aviation Electronics Europe. Last year, we added a track on aerospace testing, and again, wanting to reflect the larger areas of focus for the event and hint at more to come, we changed the name again to Aerospace Tech Week.
In 2020 we will double the conference to a total of six tracks. In addition to the already successful avionics, connectivity and testing, the three new tracks will include MRO IT, flight operations IT and Future Airborne Capabilities Environment, also known as FACE. We are very excited about these sectors of aviation and are reviewing abstracts submitted by subject matter experts from across the globe to determine our speaker line up and topics now.
To support these ideas and stay up to date on developments in these areas, in conjunction with the conference, we are launching a new, quarterly publication, Aerospace Tech Review. We will cover these six topics, Avionics, Connectivity, MRO IT, Flight Operations IT, Aerospace Testing and FACE (and more) to help you stay in the know about these rapidly advancing technologies and areas. Our first issue will be in the fall. If you or your company does work in any of these areas, please send press releases, story ideas and interview opportunities to me at jfinnegan@avm-mag.com. I would love to hear more about your company and consider including them in the inaugural issue.
When first looking at these six subjects, they may seem diverse. But the truth is, nothing stands alone in our aviation world. Everything is interconnected. Think of String Theory in aviation! Silos in business are not good. And through the years, airlines, operators and flight departments have seen how one siloed area can wreak havoc on another when one doesn’t know or understand what the other is doing. Lack of communication and synergy can lead to melt downs of phenomenal proportions. I’m sure you have seen this in your career at some point.
What Aerospace & Security Media hopes to do at Aerospace Tech Week, and within the pages of Aerospace Tech Review, is bring these interconnected areas together to bust down those silos. The event and publication will create a learning environment for all in aircraft operations to understand how the technological, IT, operations, avionics and connectivity of today can help create a more efficient, and therefore profitable, business environment.
With this in mind, Aerospace Tech Week aims to bring these areas together to help give a holistic view of the operation and maintenance of aircraft. Different departments that work together on projects can benefit from sharing information and asking questions and we are giving them a venue and opportunity to do so. The takeaways will be streamlining workflow and complementing each area of an operation rather than duplicating efforts.
For example, two of new areas we will be focusing on at the conference this year will be MRO IT and flight operations IT. In the past, these two areas might not have thought a lot about what the other was doing or why (siloed). But today, these two areas must work hand in glove, side-by-side to accomplish their shared goal of an on time and profitable airline. Connectivity is creating the environment to allow both areas to communicate and cooperate. Where is the connectivity operating through – the latest avionics on board the aircraft. What is coming next? Future Airborne Capability Environment…I think you can see where we are heading. All of these things working together in harmony to achieve the best possible result.
Airlines can’t afford to spend their days putting out proverbial fires. Gone are the days of after action reports. In today’s market, we must be prepared for what is coming before it happens. Say hello to predictive analytics. This tool is being enabled and brought into greater functionality daily. We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg with the incredible amounts of data that a current generation aircraft can produce.
I can’t wait to see the developments of big data and predictive analytics ahead. It’s a sea change and we are in the middle of it. Think of the days (not that long ago) before smart phones. Now, we can’t imagine ourselves without them and the convenience, connectivity and efficiency they bring to our lives. That’s where we are with aviation technology and aircraft operations right now. Please join us in Toulouse, France on March 18 and 19, 2020. Together, let’s break down those silos and build a new way of thinking for the future of aerospace technology. For more information go to www.aerospacetechweek.com.