RWS is helping the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) to preserve the heritage of its iconic Second World War aircraft by digitizing its original paper-based technical documentation.
Based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight maintains a fleet of iconic piston-engined aircraft to commemorate those who have fallen in the service of Great Britain, and to promote the RAF and inspire future generations of Service members. This fleet comprises six Spitfires, two Hurricanes, a Lancaster, a Douglas Dakota and two Chipmunk training aircraft.
Keeping these aircraft airworthy has become increasingly difficult with technicians retiring and the younger generation being only taught to use digital technical information, alongside the challenge of managing the original paper-based maintenance and support documentation.
“Our Second World War aircraft belong to the memory of all those who served for their country,” explains Wing Commander Andy March, Deputy Chief Engineer for the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Project Team. “Our role is to ensure that we maintain the integrity of these priceless artefacts to commemorate our fallen heroes, and inspire the next generation of Service members.”
The Defence Equipment and Support team (which equips and supports the UK’s armed forces) took the decision in 2019 to digitally transform all maintenance manual and illustrated Parts Catalogue data into the ASD S1000D specification, providing technicians and engineers with a new Interactive Electronic Technical Publication Viewing (IETP) solution. This will ensure that future generations of technicians will continue to sustain and maintain the aircraft’s suitability for safe flight.
LiveContent S1000D will be help to reduce mean time to repair, facilitate the delivery of maintenance knowledge to the maintainer and keep these invaluable aircraft up-to-date and available.
“The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is taking an innovative approach to protecting and future-proofing its second world war aircraft,” explains Thomas Labarthe, president of RWS’s Language Services and Technology division. “We’re extremely proud to be involved in this project and look forward to working closely with the organization to ensure we’re supporting its digital future.”