Air travel is considered to be one of the safe modes of transport. And, we owe this safety to the aircraft engine monitoring system that is constantly keeping tabs on the functioning of the aircraft’s engines. Even a small anomaly is displayed on the monitors so that the pilots or the engineers may take corrective action before the problem gets out of hand.

A Mini Computer by Itself

An aircraft engine monitoring system consists of sensors linked to various strategic parts of the aircraft like the engine, landing gear, flaps, etc. Sensors also monitor the oil pressure, fuel pressure, engine temperature and so on. These sensors are then linked to display monitors in the cockpit. Each aircraft engine monitor is a mini-computer by itself, which reads the data and displays the information to the engineer or pilot. These monitors can be programmed to accept upper limits for triggering alarms. If any reading is higher than or lower than the preset limits, audio or visual (or both) alarms are triggered.

How the system actually works

The cockpit display units are connected to the sensors which are strategically placed through out the aircraft. Incoming data is compare to the upper and lower limits programmed for a particular type of information. If there is an abnormality in the readings, pilots observing the displays can then take appropriate action so that the issues are resolved before things get out of control.

Take for example an overheating aircraft engine – this could be a sign that the plane requires maintenance earlier than its usual schedule. The aircraft engine monitoring system brings such problems to the notice of the pilots and engineers so that they are attended to quickly before any mishap takes place.

Engine monitoring systems on the modern day aircraft are technically much more advanced than the older systems. These specialised computers can store data which can be retrieved and copied on to hard disks or pen drives for analysis later on. In fact, the newer aircraft engine monitoring systems even have the capability to transmit this data in mid-flight to the ground monitoring stations.

Engineers and Aircraft Flight Instruments crews situated at the ground stations analyse the data and decide on the course of action, thus improving the safety aspects of air travel. Early resolution of nagging engine problems also prevents emergency repairs which can cost the aircraft owners heavy expenses leading to a loss of revenues and profits.

Aircraft Electronic Data Management Systems are vital to the safety of the passengers, not only that, they help improve the aircraft’s lifespan ensuring economic viability and profitability for the airline owners.