Flight data analysis, monitoring of engines, risk management control; on the occasion of the HAI, Sagem presented the C-FOQA which is a new Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) system, designed to be an important tool intended to be used by safety managers and head pilots. Already mandatory on aircraft exceeding 5.7 tons and used for public transport, the regulations will soon expand the use of C-FOQA to lighter helicopters with the goal of increasing the level of security especially in the EMS and offshore transport sectors. Multifunctional, it has been imagined as a black box. It classes all of the information recorded during flight (depending on the number of parameters that can be retrieved via the CVR/FDR) from takeoff to landing. To provide the most accurate record possible, everything can be conceptualized entirely in 3D; from the airframe to the exterior elements and even the weather. The pilot can replay all or part of the flight depending on what is necessary. This tool has been designed to be compatible with other systems such as Jeppesen maps on the iPad. This new tool helps to manage distant risks thanks to the display on the tablet PC. It can also transcribe all of the aircraft information obtained from the avionics systems. While this first version is dedicated to helping flight operations, the next version will be completed with the help of a module for ground operations (maintenance). Operators, through information provided on the engine, can do « predictive maintenance » in order to improve aircraft availability, confirm fuel consumption or optimize piloting. Defined as a a real service package, the C-FOQA gives operators the flight analysis and flight safety studies that are essential to Safety Management Systems (SMS). To implement the concept, Safran provided €15 million through the structure, Saffron Global Data Services, which is part of Sagem. Currently there are already more than 158 airlines using this new system including Air France, Japan Airlines and FedEx to name a few. On the helicopter side, two launch customers were announced during the HAI. They are a European operator and an American leader in the EMS sector. This market is expected to widen in the years to come. The helicopter industry, in the light of regulatory changes, should be between 20 and 30% of the C-FOQA market. Sagem expects to reach a turnover of $30-50 million over the next 5 years. In May, the application will be demonstrated at EBACE and in June, will again be presented at a special event organized by the Safran group at the Paris Airshow.




