Future FADEC

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rwtucker
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Future FADEC

Post by rwtucker »

Even though systems for monitoring and adjusting aircraft engine parameters have reduced the cockpit workload, reading between the lines of this article points to how FADEC extensions might increase safety by "listening" to the engine compartment in order to detect and alert the pilot to potential problems before they become mission critical failures.

https://www.fastcompany.com/3067534/rob ... ical-break

Most of us pay attention to the sounds coming from the engine compartment, especially when we are flying where a safe emergency landing is unlikely. This said, our ability to hear is limited by our headsets, prop noise, passengers, and ATC. (I remove my headset briefly to listen to the engine before flying over the Grand Canyon or extended over-water flight. It may not add much value but it makes me feel better.)

It is not difficult to imagine a FADEC extension that establishes baseline sounds and then listens for abnormal sounds ranging from failing alternator bearings, slipping belts, unexpected mechanical fuel pump sounds, combustion abnormalities, and even valve guide wear. Such a system would consist of strategically placed microphones and transducers coupled to an ES algorithm initially trained on specific aircraft configurations. Future versions could learn adaptively and improve detection algorithms through a process by which individual aircraft algorithms are shared for analysis by a master ES. Such a system could be isolated from direct engine control systems, thereby removing sensible FAA objections and facilitating an uncomplicated certification.

A counterargument is that engine failures represent a very small proportion of aviation incidents and accidents. True enough but the cost/benefit ratio could be good. Deep learning neural-net algorithms that could handle this task easily are already in existence and many are open-source, and there is nothing particularly complicated about the sensor farm or interface. In addition, we already require or certify options that address risks less likely than failures in the engine compartment. Even if an indication of potential failure does not materialize during the flight, knowing about it increases situational awareness. "Alert . . . abnormal noise detected in area of alternator bearings."
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CFIDave
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Re: Future FADEC

Post by CFIDave »

Maybe this could get to the bottom of the issue of engine "auto-rough mode:" i.e., why engines always make funny noises when they detect that the plane is flying over large bodies of water. ;)
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ihfanjv
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Re: Future FADEC

Post by ihfanjv »

CFIDave wrote:Maybe this could get to the bottom of the issue of engine "auto-rough mode:" i.e., why engines always make funny noises when they detect that the plane is flying over large bodies of water. ;)
Yes!

The worst case of automatic rough I had in a DA40 was when I was over the Bahamas 150 miles off the coast of Florida and a random and loud knocking/slapping sound started emanating from the cowling area. When I landed I found a 15 inch black tube hanging from the bottom of the cowling.

If I remember correctly it was a battery vent or breather tube.

Pretty unsettling.

Automatic rough is real.
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Colin
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Re: Future FADEC

Post by Colin »

Ray Sagui, who was active on the old site, flew for the National Guard. He said that crossing the Atlantic in the F-16 the jet engine always sounded a little funny. So automatic rough scales up. (Personally, I would be imagining all the things the could go wrong with the refueling probe.)
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