METHOD FOR MAINTAINING A SUPPLY OF AVAILABLE AIRCRAFT EQUIPPED WITH NON-ENGINE DRIVE MEANS FOR USE BY AIRLINES

• US 20150232202A1
• Filed: 07/26/2014
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Borealis Technical Limited (Borealis Exploration Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Borealis Technical Limited (Borealis Exploration Ltd.)
• Inventors: Cox, Joseph J., Cox, Rodney T., Cox, Isaiah W.
• Granted Patent: US 11,030,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 25/405 Powered wheels, e.g. for taxing
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/40 Maintaining or repairing aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/80 Energy efficient operational measures, e.g. ground operations or mission management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49718 Repairing

Abstract

A method for maintaining a supply of available aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means for autonomous ground movement is provided that enables an air carrier, particularly a low cost carrier, to operate reliably, efficiently, and economically to provide substantially uninterrupted air transport service. The present method is designed to enable airlines with fleets of older aircraft retrofitted with non-engine drive means for autonomous ground movement to operate economically and efficiently through a cooperative arrangement with a maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider that maintains and ensures an available supply network of spare and backup aircraft. The supply network may be global in geographic scope and may provide spare or backup aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means to one or more airlines.

Claims

1. A method for ensuring availability of aircraft when needed by an airline, comprising maintaining a supply of efficiently operating aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means for autonomous ground movement at selected geographic locations in a condition available for immediate use by at least one airline when a spare or replacement aircraft is required to enable said at least one airline to continue service without interruption.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a supply of aircraft comprising older aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means, wherein said at least one airline comprises a low cost carrier.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a supply of said efficiently operating aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means for more than one airline carrier.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider (MRO) to maintain said supply of aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said MRO maintains a supply of aircraft for more than one airline.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said supply of aircraft comprises older aircraft and said more than one airline comprises more than one low cost carrier.

7. A method for ensuring an available supply of aircraft for a number of airlines, comprising providing and maintaining a pool of spare aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means for autonomous ground movement available for use by a plurality of air carriers;

providing a maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider equipped to provide, maintain, pre-position in selected geographic locations, and operate a fleet of said aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means for autonomous ground movement so that said aircraft are available for service when needed by one or more of the plurality of air carriers.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said pool of spare aircraft comprises one or more of said plurality of air carrier'"'"'s entire fleet of aircraft and said maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider leases said pool of aircraft to said one or more air carriers.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein aircraft from said pool of spare aircraft are supplied to said one or more of said plurality of air carriers as needed to continue service without interruption.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing software and a processor accessible by each of said plurality of air carriers and by said maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider designed to store and process information relating to providing, servicing, maintaining, and pre-positioning said pool of spare aircraft to enable said maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider to supply aircraft automatically to any of said plurality of air carriers so that said air carriers can provide service cost effectively without interruption.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said plurality of air carriers comprises low cost carriers and said pool of spare aircraft comprises older aircraft.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said plurality of carriers comprises low cost carriers and said pool of spare aircraft comprises older aircraft.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein said plurality of air carriers comprises at least two low cost carriers and said pool of spare aircraft comprise older aircraft.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of said plurality of air carriers comprises a low cost airline carrier, and further comprising operating said low cost airline carrier so that said low cost carrier is responsible for and performs marketing, sales, and ticket operations, and operating said maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider to provide a readily available reliable supply of aircraft equipped with non-engine drive means and pilots capable of operating said aircraft for use by said low cost carrier.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising equipping all aircraft used by each of said plurality of airline carriers with non-engine electric drive means for autonomous ground movement and automatically tracking locations and availability status of all said aircraft by said airline carriers and said maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider, wherein aircraft transferred from an airline carrier to said maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider are automatically identified as belonging to a pool of unavailable aircraft awaiting service and aircraft serviced by said maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider are automatically identified as belonging to a pool of aircraft available for service.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising locating said pool of aircraft available for service in a geographic location that enables efficient transfer of available aircraft to said plurality of airline carriers when a spare or replacement aircraft is needed by one of said plurality of airline carriers.