Here are some examples of actual incidents in which Boeing's Aircraft Health Management (AHM) service played a role in keeping 'em flying: A flight en route lost its weather radar, an MEL item that would have grounded the aircraft after arrival at its destination. The fault had been reported to the operator's central maintenance facility via ACARS, analyzed and the necessary part identified, ordered, and transported to the arrival airport. The aircraft landed, the part was installed, and the flight continued after a brief delay.
The concept of Required Navigation Performance (RNP) isn't new, GE Aviation PBN Services technical fellow Steve Fulton points out. “The Boeing 737 was certified in December 1994 with that capability,” he noted. “It's encouraging to see things moving the way they are [with the FAA's RNP-dependent NextGen program]. It's taken us a long time to get there, though.”
