Pioneering a Different Operating Environment
AALTO has selected the REDiFly eTechlog to support the technical record for Zephyr, its solar-powered Stratocraft, marking the start of a new implementation project with REDiFly.
The partnership brings REDiFly into a diverse aviation environment. Zephyr is a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) designed for long-duration operations in the stratosphere, with missions measured in days and weeks rather than the short sectors and frequent turnarounds associated with conventional airline operations.
AALTO designs, manufactures and operates Zephyr, which has demonstrated more than 67 days of continuous flight in the stratosphere.
Zephyr’s long-duration missions create very different requirements for how technical events are recorded, stratocraft status is monitored, and information is handed between the teams responsible for different stages of the mission.
The underlying requirement remains familiar. Technical information needs to be captured accurately, the stratocraft status needs to remain clear, and the teams responsible for the operation need access to the information required to make decisions.
Configured Around AALTO's Operation
The REDiFly eTechlog captures the stratocraft’s technical record in a structured digital format, giving relevant teams clear access to current technical information while connecting that record with the wider systems that depend on it.
Unlike a conventional aircraft operation, where a technical log is typically structured around individual flight sectors, Zephyr can remain airborne for extended periods while operational control and crew responsibility change throughout the mission. The REDiFly eTechlog is therefore being configured around a continuous flight-campaign model, allowing technical events, defects, maintenance activity and formal handovers to be recorded while the stratocraft remains in operation.
The implementation also reflects AALTO’s wider ground-system environment, linking the stratocraft record with the Mobile Ground Terminal, Ground Control Station and Stratospheric Operations Centre used at different phases of the mission. This allows the technical record to remain continuous while operational control moves between teams and locations.
REDiFly will also operate alongside AircraftCloud as part of AALTO’s wider technology environment. REDiFly provides the operational technical record across the stratocraft and supporting ground assets, while AircraftCloud supports the wider maintenance and continuing-airworthiness environment.
The two platforms are being configured to work together, with the teams defining how relevant technical, maintenance and configuration information will move between them. This allows each system to stay focused on the workflows it is designed to support while reducing unnecessary data duplication.
What the teams say
AALTO’s focus is on supporting the specific requirements of Zephyr’s long-duration operating model while keeping the technical record connected to its wider maintenance and continuing-airworthiness environment.
“As we continue to develop Zephyr operations, we need systems that can support the specific requirements of long-duration flight while fitting into our wider maintenance and continuing-airworthiness environment. REDiFly gives us a structured approach to the Stratocraft technical record with the flexibility and integration capability needed to support that model.”
Jafar Tall
Senior Director – Product Support, AALTO
From REDiFly’s perspective, the project demonstrates how an eTechlog can be configured around a very different operating model rather than forcing that operation into a conventional sector-based workflow.
“AALTO is pushing the boundaries of what an aviation operation can look like, which makes this a particularly exciting project for REDiFly. Zephyr presents a very different set of workflows from a conventional fleet, and this implementation shows the value of an eTechlog that can be configured around the operation while remaining connected to the wider technology environment.”
Patrick Clancy
CEO, REDiFly
The AALTO implementation is in its early stages, with planning and configuration underway. REDiFly and AALTO will continue working together through the implementation, with further updates to follow as the project develops.
About AALTO
AALTO HAPS Ltd is an Airbus subsidiary pioneering the commercialisation of Stratospace through Zephyr, its solar-powered High Altitude Platform Station.
Designed, manufactured and operated by AALTO, Zephyr is being developed to deliver services including connectivity and Earth observation for commercial and government customers.
For more information, visit AALTO HAPS.
About REDiFly
REDiFly develops user-focused aviation software for frontline operational and technical workflows.
The REDiFly eTechlog is an independent electronic technical logbook that captures structured technical information at the stratocraft and connects it with the teams and systems that depend on it, giving operators a clear, current picture of the status while working alongside existing maintenance, CAMO and operational systems.
For more information, visit REDiFly.
