Appendix A Equipment Upgrade, Modification, or Replacement
The equipment used initially in the FOQA program, including airborne and ground systems, may be upgraded, modified, or replaced with equipment from the same or a different vendor that will provide comparable or superior functionality to the equipment described in this section.
Documentation of such changes in airborne or ground systems will be maintained in the FOQA office and will be made available to the FAA on request. This I&O plan will be revised and submitted to the FAA whenever changes to airborne or ground-based systems are made.
7. FOQA ORGANIZATION
Organizational Structure
The [Airline Name] FOQA organization structure is illustrated in Figure 2:
Personnel The FOQA Program will consist of the following personnel:
1. FOQA Steering Committee The FOQA Steering Committee is chaired by the Director of Flight Safety and serves as the advisory group for the FOQA program. Members of this committee include the Vice President of Flight Operations, the Pilot Association Air Safety Chairman, Director of Maintenance, and the Director of Flight Training.
2. FOQA Program Manager The FOQA Program Manager is responsible for the overall management, administration, security, and maintenance of the FOQA program. These duties include interfacing with the FAA, vendors, and other entities. The program manager’s primary duties include addressing the FOQA data needs and reporting requirements of Flight Operations, Training, and Safety departments (and any other stakeholders).
3. FMT The FMT is chaired by the FOQA Program Manager. The FMT meets once per month to conduct reviews of aggregate trend data to identify recommendations to stakeholders.
4. FOQA Gatekeeper (s) [or Pilot Association Gatekeeper(s), if applicable] The FOQA Gatekeeper(s) [or Pilot Association Gatekeeper(s), if applicable] will have access to identifying data, [in accordance with the Pilot Association agreement, if applicable]. The gatekeeper will manage password selection and maintenance, control access to identifying data, and perform any necessary crew contacts.
Appendix A
FIGURE 2. FOQA ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
FOQA Steering Committee FOQA Program Manager Pilot Association Gatekeeper FOQA Monitoring Team FOQA Analyst Flight Training Flight Standards Flight Safety Maintenance Engineering Flight Operations
Appendix A
5. FOQA Analyst The FOQA analyst will assist the FOQA Manager and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the FOQA GDRAS, generating GDRAS-related reports, and assisting the FMT in reviewing and analyzing data.
8. FOQA PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
Program Startup Criteria
The startup criteria for the program will be defined by the FMT and will include, but not be limited to:
• Completion of installation and testing of airborne equipment and GDRAS
• Successful testing of the complete data analysis system
• Validation of flight parameters
• Validation of data collection system from the recording media to the GDRAS
• Implementation of all data de-identification, protection, security, and retention procedures
• Education of pilots and stakeholders
• Training for FOQA team members
• Specification and validation of event and definitions and operational measurements
• Implementation of procedures to detect and analyze triggered events and operational measurements
• Implementation of procedures to identify and track corrective actions
The FMT will make the decision regarding when the established criteria are met. Once the FMT determines a formal start date, any data collected before the formal start date must be reanalyzed prior to retention in the FOQA database in order to assure that all reported events are valid.
FOQA Implementation Schedule
Table 1 below identifies the FOQA implementation schedule, timelines, and milestones.
TABLE 1. FOQA TIMELINE Month Task Month 1 1. Coordinate airborne technology requirements, particularly data maps and LFLs, with maintenance/engineering.
2. Acquire airborne data acquisition/recording equipment for aircraft.
3. Coordinate with maintenance/engineering for installation of equipment in aircraft.
4. Evaluate GDRAS products, including on-site system trials.
5. Coordinate with corporate information technology personnel for integration Page 9
Appendix A TABLE 1. FOQA TIMELINE Month Task with or installation of any communication networks, compliance with computer-related standards, review of vendor maintenance contracts, and any other assistance required.
6. Begin education program for company officers and management personnel regarding FOQA benefits.
7. Begin periodic FMT meetings to assist in GDRAS evaluation.
8. Meet with stakeholders to review current requirements and to define any additional requirements.
9. Generate pilot education materials in conjunction with the pilot association.
10. Refine program start-up criteria.
Month 2 11. Convene FMT to review and refine event definitions.
12. Continue development of pilot educational materials.
13. Develop equipment acceptance criteria with FMT, FOQA Analyst, and associated vendor(s).
14. Select and acquire GDRAS hardware, software, and peripherals and coordinate product support and any integration with corporate communications infrastructure.
15. Coordinate with vendors and maintenance/engineering to determine procedures and resources required for retrieving airborne data and transferring to FOQA facility.
16. Establish interface with maintenance/engineering for addressing FOQA issues.
17. Coordinate with GDRAS vendor to define periodic reporting capabilities and formats.
18. Refine methods for retrieving data collected on aircraft.
19. Refine I&O Plan and submit to AFS-230 and POI for approval.
20. Develop and issue maintenance work cards/bulletins for data retrieval procedures.
21. Develop methods for tracking receipt and auditing quality of aircraftrecorded data.
22. Define data backup, retention, and archiving policies.
23. Develop guidelines for crew contact.
Month 3 24. Acquire/install computer, communications infrastructure, and operating system for GDRAS and other ground and communication equipment.
25. Integrate GDRAS with corporate communications infrastructure as appropriate.
26. Obtain and attend GDRAS vendor training for FOQA team members.
27. Develop and implement security policy and procedures.
28. Continue pilot education process.
Appendix A TABLE 1. FOQA TIMELINE Month Task
29. Evaluate GDRAS reporting capabilities using initial data and coordinate with GDRAS vendor to obtain modifications, if required.
30. Implement maintenance procedures for routine retrieval of data from aircraft.
31. Analyze and validate initial data to confirm proper operation of airborne equipment and GDRAS.
32. Establish vendor problem reporting and tracking system for FOQA equipment and software.
Month 4 33. Formalize and document procedures for event review, evaluation, and follow-up.
34. Generate stakeholder education materials.
35. Educate POI regarding the specifics of the FOQA program.
36. Continue pilot education process.
37. Refine and test parameter conversions.
38. Refine and test event definitions.
39. Review equipment acceptance criteria and resolve outstanding issues with vendors.
40. Verify GDRAS and system components compliance with data security and de-identification procedures.
Month 5 41. Continue development of parameter specifications.
42. Continue development of event definitions.
43. Define and document procedures for transferring to maintenance/engineering any maintenance-related events captured by FOQA data.
44. Continue pilot education process.
45. Modify the I&O Plan as appropriate and submit revisions to the FAA.
46. Determine and review format for trend and summary reports.
47. Establish procedures to validate data and events and in the review and evaluation of trend and summary reports.
48. Establish procedures for defining and implementing corrective actions, and tracking their efficacy.
Month 6 49. Test all aspects of the data collection, transmittal, and analysis system.
50. Continue data validation.
51. Implement data retention policies.
52. Review start-up criteria.
53. Implement procedures for system and data back-up and archiving.
54. Finalize trend analysis procedures.
55. Define schedule and milestones for formal start-up and entry into continuing operations.
56. Develop procedures for maintaining I&O plan revisions.
57. Implement stakeholder feedback mechanisms.
Appendix A TABLE 1. FOQA TIMELINE Month Task
58. Review FOQA data gathered prior to program’s official launch and determine how the data will be used based on the [Airline Name’s] data retention policy.
59. Continue pilot education process.
9. EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Pilot education about the [Airline Name] FOQA Program will be accomplished through quarterly Flight Operations publications, the Pilot Association publications, and a secure bulletin board at each crew base. These bulletin boards will highlight FOQA issues, including featured events or issues.
Each of the FOQA stakeholders will be provided with information about the FOQA program through reports generated from periodic FOQA meetings, bulletin boards, and an initial FOQA overview report that will be developed and distributed during the initial implementation of the FOQA program.
All FOQA personnel will receive training on the GDRAS software. Additionally, FOQA stakeholders will visit other operators with established FOQA programs. Other training will be provided as new hardware and/or software is added to the program.
10. DATA ANALYSIS PROCEDURES
Data Usage and Management
All processed FOQA data will be maintained by the GDRAS subject to periodic deletion as determined by the FOQA Steering Committee and in accordance with the [Airline Name] record retention policies.
The FMT will be responsible for developing reports summarizing the information obtained through the FOQA Program. The reports will include summaries of the most recent information obtained through the FOQA Program as well as trend information to demonstrate the effectiveness of prior corrective actions. These reports will be distributed to Flight Operations, Flight Training, Flight Safety, Maintenance Engineering, and other involved stakeholders on a regular basis. The FMT will solicit recommendations from the recipients of the reports in order to improve their usefulness as the program proceeds.
Flight Data Collection and Analysis
The manner in which FOQA data is processed is illustrated in Figure 3. Maintenance Engineering retrieves data from the aircraft and forwards it to the FOQA office. The ground Page 12
Appendix A analysis station will process the recorded flight data. Provisions for security and tracking of the media will be established through coordination between the FOQA Program Manager and the Maintenance Engineering.
Flight data will be processed by the FOQA Analyst to determine what occurred and whether the recorded information was legitimate. A preliminary analysis will use the GDRAS to interpret identified events or trends and determine whether the information was valid or invalid because of bad data, a faulty sensor, or some other invalidating factor. In the event that the data reveal a situation of immediate concern to Maintenance Engineering, the FOQA Program Manager will notify that department.
NOTE: Preliminary review of the data to assess validity must be completed within 7 business days from the time the data is received at the FOQA office. After 7 days, the data is permanently de-identified per FMT procedures and the Pilot Association agreement preventing the ability to contact flight crewmembers, if needed. Further analysis of the data received is accomplished in relation to existing aggregate information within the FOQA Program. Program trend reports of the aggregate data are developed by the FMT on a regular basis for presentation to stakeholders for use in developing corrective actions or for monitoring of operational issues.
Appendix A
FIGURE 3. FOQA DATA PROCESSING
Airborne Data Valid Data?
FOQA Monitoring Team Action/Feedback Crew Contact?
Gatekeeper/ Designated FOQA Team Member Stop Flight Crew Maintenance and Engineering FOQA Manager Safety, Operations, and Training Remove from FOQA Database No Yes NoYes De-identified Flight Data FOQA Database Secured Raw Data GDRAS
Appendix A Data Classifications and Definitions
Parameters and measurements used in the [Airline Name] FOQA program are contained in Appendix II of this I&O Plan. The definitions will be programmed into the GDRAS to measure events and/or monitor trends. The performance limits that define these definitions will be continually reviewed by the FMT to determine they are consistent with the FOQA program goals, applicable publications, and guidance materials, which may include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Flight Operations Manual (FOM)
• Quick Reference Handbook (QRH)
• [Airline Name] flight training materials
• Approved Flight Manual (AFM)
• Manufacturer Maintenance Manuals
The event set for the [Airline Name] FOQA Program is contained in Appendix II. This event set will be modified as deemed appropriate by the FMT and additional event sets will be defined as needed. The FOQA Program Manager will be responsible for maintaining the event sets and coordinating with the FMT.
Data Definition Maintenance
The procedures for validating, reviewing, and defining event and trend definitions will be established by the FMT and they will determine whether the information is valid and reflects [Airline Name’s] qualification and performance standards, training practices, and aircraft performance limits. All changes in the event and trend definitions will be logged and the FOQA Program Manager will maintain the records.
Data Review and Evaluation
All data recorded by the [Airline Name] FOQA Program will be evaluated by the FMT on a periodic basis as determined by the FOQA Program Manager. FOQA data should be evaluated to determine if the program is accurately monitoring collected information for events and trends.
The review and evaluation of the measurements, profiles, events, and trends used in the [Airline Name] FOQA Program should reflect changes, updates, or enhancements to policy and procedures within all stakeholders’ departments. Consideration should also be given to any changes, updates, or enhancements to policies and procedures within the FAA and industry.
Data Trending and Record Retention
De-identified flight data stored in the GDRAS will be periodically deleted as determined by the FOQA Steering Committee. Trend data will be maintained for a period of time as specified by the FMT in consultation with the FOQA Steering Committee. Maintenance Engineering shall retain the data as long as necessary to satisfy manufacture’s warranties.
Appendix A
11. PROGRAM AND DATA DOCUMENTATION
Operational Development
The FOQA Program Manager will develop appropriate documentation for support of the FOQA operation. This documentation will be used to provide routine support for the process and facilitate any personnel transitions that may occur during the program.
Information and Data Control
The FOQA Program Manager will maintain a history of the information used in the FOQA program. When a FOQA or safety issue is identified, a log will be maintained to provide a reference document. This document will provide a way to track how [Airline Name] addresses trends revealed by analysis of the FOQA data. This will include:
• A description of the identified issue
• Analysis that was accomplished
• Specific corrective actions or recommendations taken or made
• Personnel who were notified (e.g., flightcrews [de-identified], Engineering Maintenance, Flight Operations, Flight Training, Flight Safety)
• Resolution of actions or recommendations
The log will be used to generate a summary report for presentation to the FOQA Steering Committee and senior management. This log will be maintained in the FOQA office in a secure place. The FOQA Steering Committee will establish the retention period for this log.
I&O Plan Revision Control
Standard revision control methodology and a distribution list will be established for this I&O Plan. A revision control page that identifies the pages to be added, removed, and/or replaced, will be submitted with any revisions. Each revised page will indicate the page number and date.
Revisions to the I&O plan will be provided as necessary and appropriate. All revisions to the I&O plan, including event definitions, will be submitted to the [Airline Name] FAA POI and to FAA AFS-230.
12. FAA ACCESS
The [Airline Name] FAA POI (and/or Aircrew Program Managers [APMs]) and PMI (and/or Partial Program Managers [PPMs]) shall be permitted free and open access to de-identified aggregate FOQA data, including fleet-specific trend analysis information. This review will include a quarterly update of FOQA trend information to [Airline Name]’s FAA personnel. Any FOQA data or information shared with the FAA shall be protected from use by the FAA for enforcement purposes in accordance with14 C.F.R. section 13.401 and shall be protected from public disclosure in accordance with part 193 and FAA Order 8000.81. Any de-identified FOQA data or aggregate FOQA data that leaves [Airline Name]’s property will be clearly labeled as follows: “WARNING: This FOQA information is protected from disclosure under 49 Page 16
Appendix A U.S.C. 40123 and 14 CFR part 193. This information may be released only with the written permission of the Federal Aviation Administration Associate Administrator for Regulation and Certification.” Airline identity and other information that could be employed to derive airline identity will be removed from any FOQA aggregate data submissions which [Airline Name] provides to the FAA in compliance with section 13.401, unless [Airline Name] elects to include that information. In the event that [Airline Name] chooses to allow FOQA data or aggregate FOQA data that includes airline identity information to be removed from [Airline Name]’s property, all such data will be labeled as the confidential and proprietary property of [Airline Name], in addition to the preceding warning.
In accordance with the FOQA Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) recommendations that have been accepted by the FAA, [Airline Name] will participate in industry information sharing activities for FAA-approved FOQA programs. All information included in any industry sharing activity or any request for information will be reviewed and approved by [Airline Name] before release by [Airline Name]. The information released will be considered [Airline Name] proprietary information and will be de-identified so that specific flight information is not included. To the extent possible, the information released will be de-identified to limit the references that identify it as [Airline Name] information. In addition, at such time as the FAA provides guidance regarding future requirements for compliance with part 13, section 13.401(d), [Airline Name] will review those requirements to determine whether to continue its voluntary participation in an approved FOQA program. If the decision is made to continue with the program, this I&O Plan will be revised accordingly.
APPENDICES
APPENDIX I. PILOT ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT
Insert Pilot Association Agreement (if applicable).
Appendix A
APPENDIX II. EVENT PARAMETERS AND DEFINITIONS
Event Name Event Description Parameters and Basic Event Definition Notes
Excessive Power on the Ground An event designed to measure high power settings on the ground that could result in injury to personnel or damage to equipment.
Air/Ground Switch, Ground Speed, N1 Air/Ground = Ground, Ground Speed < x knots, N1 > x% for x seconds This event would also be used in the After Landing phase.
Excessive EGT – Start An event designed to detect EGT in excess of flight manual limits during engine start.
Air/Ground Switch, EGT Air/Ground = Ground, EGT > x degrees for x seconds This event could be included in other flight phases, if desired, although EGT exceedances other than on engine start are extremely rare.
Engine Overtemp An event to detect engine EGT in excess of in-flight limits.
EGT EGT > x degree for x seconds
Takeoff Warning An event that would trigger on the same conditions that set off the takeoff warning horn.
Air/Ground Switch, Flap Position, Speed Brake Position, Throttle Position (or possibly N1) Air/Ground = Ground, Flaps < approved takeoff flaps, Flaps > approved takeoff flaps, Speed Brake > 0, Throttle Position > x On some newer aircraft, Takeoff Warning is a discrete parameter.
Trim Setting is normally a component that triggers Takeoff Warning, but it is sometimes not a recorded parameter.