Drones tested by Air NZ to check condition of planes on the tarmac

Tuesday, 18 June 2019

Air NZ to use drones to inspect aircraft.

Forecasts that drones would be delivering pizzas have so far come to nought, but Air New Zealand has come up with a practical use for them.

It believes drones could help it get aircraft back in the air faster after lightning strikes and maintenance checks.

The airline has been testing whether it can use drones to inspect the the condition of aircraft when they are on the tarmac undergoing heavy maintenance.

Chief ground operations officer Carrie Hurihanganui said aircraft inspections could be completed in 'an hour or two' using a drone, saving up to five hours, depending on the type of aircraft.

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'Using a drone to inspect our aircraft will save time, which means repairs can start sooner if needed, and our aircraft will be able to get back in the air more quickly.'

The trials have been taking place at Changi in Singapore in partnership with ST Engineering, which has developed a drone system called DroScan to inspect the surface of aircraft and produce high-definition images.

The images are processed using software with 'smart algorithms' to detect and classify defects which can then be manually inspected.

'We've trialled using DroScan on a number of our aircraft undergoing maintenance inspections in Singapore now and believe using a drone will also help improve inspection quality.

'In future, there may be an opportunity to use the device in New Zealand, for example to conduct ad hoc inspections after lightning strikes,' Hurihanganui said.

Many of the more promising commercial uses of drones have turned out to be in specialised rather than mainstream applications.

A plan by Domino's to start regular drone-deliveries of pizzas from an Auckland store by the end of 2017 did not eventuate and a trial subsequently slated for last year has also not yet kicked-off.

But a spokeswoman said it had signed an agreement with drone company Flirtey that outlined 'a progressive plan to roll out drone delivery across New Zealand and Domino's is looking forward to delivering pizzas to even more homes in New Zealand with drone delivery in the near future'.

No long-distance drone flights were approved in a 874 kilometre test zone in Northland's Hokianga region that was designated for long distance drone trials by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in 2017.

CAA spokesman Blake Crayton-Brown said the licence for the test site had now lapsed.

A new application had been lodged to allow for drone trials in the region but the CAA had yet to make a decision on whether that would be approved, he said.