Although the use of in-cabin wireless networking has grown rapidly since the 1999 release of the IEEE 802.11b Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) standard, wireless networking in the hangar to support maintenance functions has been slow to catch on, mainly for cultural and regulatory reasons. However, emerging technologies that increase technician productivity and FAA acceptance of electronic maintenance systems may begin driving maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) suppliers toward paperless environments within the next few years.
“We’re in a paper-intensive business,” said Matt Tobin, vice president of Canadian software vendor Mxi Technologies, during the Aviation Maintenance Software Technology and Resource Symposium held in Phoenix late last year. “There are a lot of inefficiencies, wasted time and data accuracy problems as a consequence of the extensive use of paper in aviation. A paperless environment offers huge potential for gains in productivity and data accuracy.”
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