Insights from Europe: The More Electric Aircraft (MEA) Conference

February 18, 2015 Michael Traskos

Recognizing the tremendous interest in making a transition to electrical components, Lectromec attended the More Electrical Aircraft conference held in Toulouse, France, on February 3rd – 5th. This article summarizes some of the key points discussed during the conference. Read more

Principles of aircraft wiring system safety

February 11, 2015 Carina Cannon

Principles of Aircraft Wiring System Safety System safety supports risk management with the ultimate goal of optimizing safety on aircraft systems. Risk management is a vital aspect of system development that takes effect during the design phase; however it also remains important during the implementation and sustainment phases of an aircraft lifecycle. Optimizing safety is […] Read more

Electrical tests for aircraft wires and cables

January 26, 2015 Michael Traskos

Equipment installed onto aircraft goes through a range of tests designed to verify that the component meets the operational needs and environmental factors. For wires and cables, these tests include chemical exposure, thermal, mechanical, and electrical testing. We have already covered mechanical tests in our Assessment of Mechanical Stress on Wire Insulation article, as well […] Read more

Commercial airliner EWIS life extension

January 19, 2015 Michael Traskos

This article is the first in a series aimed to inform how to safely extend the life of commercial aircraft from the electrical wire interconnection system (EWIS) perspective, or what some would call EWIS Life Extension. The article gives an overview of the 2008 Federal Aviation Administration’s guidelines for EWIS. Read more

5 lessons learned from NASA on electrical wiring interconnection systems (EWIS)

January 9, 2015 Omid Orfany

This is the second article on Lessons Learned from NASA. The documentation is based on NASA’s years of EWIS design and fabrication experience. Several of these EWIS-related recommendations are discussed. Read more

What’s next for aircraft EWIS: Carbon nanotubes

December 17, 2014 Emma Schwoerer

This article describes findings from a Rice University study showing the potential for creating new products based on carbon nanotube (CNT) technology. According to the research, CNT fibers have incredible properties that make them ideal for aerospace. For example, they are much stronger and have a greater capacity for carrying current than copper cables of the same mass. Read more

EWIS SLEP: 5 days in the desert

December 5, 2014 Michael Traskos

As part of a project with the US Navy, Lectromec staff was in Tucson for one week supporting a service life extension program (SLEP). We all know that aircraft are designed for a given number of flight hours. One question that an asset manager may ask is if the aircraft has reached this threshold, is it still able to accomplish its mission? In the terms of commercial aircraft, can the asset deliver passengers safely and reliably? It is only reasonable that an assessment should be performed to determine what changes might be necessary to accomplish this. Read more

Partial analysis of 2014 aircraft EWIS failure rates

November 24, 2014 Michael Traskos

Periodically, Lectromec reviews the state of the industry and EWIS failure rates. In this article, Lectromec reviews the January – November data in the FAA’s service difficulty report (SDR) database as of November 16, 2014 for incidents reported to have occurred during 2014. Read more

MIL-HDBK-454 handbook guidelines for EWIS components

November 14, 2014 Carina Cannon

This article covers eight out of the 78 military guidelines from the General Guidelines for Electronic Equipment handbook (MIL-HDBK-454) applicable to wire system component testing, EWIS component selection, and good wiring practices. The handbook covers guidelines for the selection, handling, and application of electronic equipment on aircraft. Read more

Dealing with EMI and EMV on radio frequency (RF) cables for aerospace applications

November 5, 2014 Omid Orfany

The aerospace industry has been dealing with Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and Electromagnetic Vulnerability (EMV) since the early 1900s. EMI can cause interruptions ranging from poor signal quality to an overall system malfunction, which can result in devastating outcomes for any type of plane. EMI is generated by natural phenomena like lightning and static electricity (called […] Read more

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