ACARS Data Identification and Application in Aircraft Maintenance

Useful methods of Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) downlink message identification and relevant application software are presented in this paper. Two methods are introduced for identification of different parts of the downlink message, one is fixed format method for the common parts and the other is modular format method for text field identification. Using these message identification methods, the airline maintenance base can get real time information of the aircraft and know its status in time, maintenance technicians monitor the engine and onboard avionics with the help of the fault detection software modules, find the fault components even when the aircraft still in air. This can reduce stopping time of maintenance and improve maintenance efficiency.