Flight Data Monitoring (FDM)
Flight Data Monitoring FDM is a process which routinely captures and analyses recorder data in order to improve the safety of flight operations. This process is part of ICAO Annex 6 – Operation of aircraft. Regularly analysed data in the Flight Data Monitoring program have the objective to improve safety in a pro-active manner.
With the data collected in Flight Data Monitoring, statistics will be generated with the aim to support the analysis process resulting in leading and lagging safety indicators. These indicators may also be used for various safety purposes as training, airworthiness and maintenance purposes and accident prevention.
The Flight Data Monitoring FDM programme will allow to identify areas of operational risk and quantify current safety margins by highlighting occurrences of non-standard, unusual or unsafe circumstances.
Flight Data Monitoring FDM information are used on the frequency of such occurrences, combined with an estimation of the level of severity, to assess the safety risks and to determine which may become unacceptable.
Based on Flight Data Monitoring results, appropriate procedures for remedial action once an unacceptable risk, either actually present or predicted by trending shall be corrected. FDM also be used to confirm the effectiveness of any remedial action by continued monitoring of flight activities.
With FDM analysis not only exceedance will be detected but also identifying deviations from aircraft flight manual limits and standard operating procedures. The event detection limits in Flight Data Monitoring are defined according to normal practice by the operator’s SOP’s and the aircraft manufacturer flight envelope and limitations.
Flight Data Monitoring FDM covers a set of core events established in the main areas of interest for the different flight phases (Taxi, Take-off, Cruise, Descent, Approach and Landing) Triggers set in Flight Data Monitoring FDM may range in their severity from simple information to low (green), medium (amber) and high (red) and are based on a certain flight mode, aircraft configuration or payload-related condition. Flight Data Monitoring FDM data shall be retained from all flights, not just the ones producing significant events.
Flight Data Monitoring FDM allows to set different rules, for example for noise sensitive airports, steep approach for individual airports etc.
Flight Data Monitoring FDM contributes to increase flight safety by:
Flight Data Monitoring FDM programmes generate large amounts of data requiring specialised analysis software.
AviSwiss is offering Flight Data Monitoring service tailored to the operators need to handle the downloaded data, validate, display the data in easy-to-understand reports and prepare the details for the evaluation by the operator.
AviSwiss is also offering on-line access to the software, installed on our server used individually for Flight Data Monitoring FDM for our clients.
Please contact us for more details and to support you setting-up your Flight Data Monitoring program.
Flight Data Monitoring FDM in North America has become known as Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA).
3.3.5 An operator of an aeroplane of a maximum certificated take-off mass in excess of 27 000 kg shall establish and maintain a flight data analysis programme as part of its safety management system.
Note – An operator may contract the operation of a flight data analysis programme to another party while retaining overall responsibility for the maintenance of such a programme.
3.3.6 A flight data analysis programme shall be non-punitive and contain adequate safeguards to protect the source(s) of the data.
Note 1.- Guidance on flight data analysis programmes is contained in the Safety Management Manual (SMM) (Doc 9859).
Note 2.- Legal guidance for the protection of information from safety data collection and processing systems is contained in Annex 13, Attachment E.
1.3.5 ‚Recommendation‘ – An operator of a helicopter of a certified take-off mass in excess of 7 000 kg or having a passenger seating configuration of more than 9 and fitted with a flight data recorder should establish and maintain a flight data analysis programme as part of its safety management system.
EASA
FAA
UK CAA
