DECEMBER 2024AEROSPACEDEFENSEREVIEW.COM19FLIGHT TRAININGBy Mike Byham, Director Operations Engineering, American AirlinesTHE FUTURE OF AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE ENGINEERING INCLUDES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEAs an aircraft performance engineer that started the career journey forty years ago, I've seen a few changes. From the slide rule to punch cards to spreadsheets ­ technology keeps advancing and changing how aircraft performance data is developed, presented, and used. What hasn't changed in response to new technology, however, are the rules used to certify the performance data and consequently, the differences between certified aircraft performance and actual aircraft performance. Change is inevitable. Although I can't claim to be prescient or have insider knowledge to what regulators may be thinking, it is easy to imagine a scenario descriptive of where we may be heading.When a new airplane type is certified, performance data are generated using a series of flight tests designed to describe fundamental aerodynamic and operational information such as lift, drag, thrust, stall speeds, minimum unstick speeds, buffet margins, etc. These data are then used in basic aero and performance equations to develop the aircraft performance information necessary for operations. The data elements are collected during CXO Insights
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