12 AERO No. 20, October 2002

AIRPLANE

CONFIGURATION

DATA

RESTRUCTURING

M A I N T E N A N C E

BARRIE WALL

SENIOR BUSINESS ANALYST

MAINTENANCE ENGINEERING AND SUPPORT

BOEING COMMERCIAL AIRPLANES

13AERONo. 20, October 2002

Boeing is restruc-turing the airplaneconfiguration dataused by airplaneoperators andmaintenance, repair,and overhaul shops. The data are beingstructured aroundparts rather thanengineering draw-ings, thereby allow-ing users to identify and locate the specific data theyneed more quickly.

14 AERO No. 20, October 2002

A comprehensive businessprocess improvement, known as Define and Control AirplaneConfiguration/ManufacturingResource Management(DCAC/MRM), has been under way at Boeing. (See “New-Airplane Configuration DefinitionSoftware,” Aero no. 4, October1998.) DCAC/MRM, which is inthe final stages of implementation,affects part-tracking and airplane-configuration processes. Airplaneparts replace Boeing engineeringdrawings as the engineering designreference (i.e., the configurationdesign authority) for each airplane.

Airplane operators; maintenance,repair, and overhaul (MRO)shops; and others who work with Boeing airplane data arefamiliar with the data structure in which parts lists are correlatedwith drawings and drawings arecorrelated with airplanes. Thenew structure, which correlatespart information directly with airplanes, was effective in third-quarter 2002 for in-production757s and will be effective for in-production 737, 747, 767, and777 airplanes later in 2002 and 2003. Boeing offers users ofthe restructured data training on

how to navigate and best apply the data.

Configuration data are not being restructured for the 717 and airplanes already in service,including out-of-production models. The restructuring of con-figuration data does not change the physical configuration of the airplanes.

This article discusses the following:

1. Data structured around engineering drawings.

2. Data structured around parts.

3. Implementation and training.

15AERONo. 20, October 2002

consuming for airline customers to findthe applicable drawings for particular airplanes during maintenance planningand repair work.

DATA STRUCTURED AROUND PARTS

Under DCAC/MRM, maintenance andengineering data for an airplane modelare structured around airplane parts (fig. 2). For each airplane model, partsare grouped into modules based on their location within the airplane. Each module includes all of the informationnecessary to install a group of parts (i.e., part numbers, location on the airplane, installation requirements,and geometry references).

The options chosen by the customerdetermine which modules are installedon a particular airplane. Each airplane,with its unique set of modules, is identi-fied with a single airplane identificationnumber. In addition, each customer is

DATA STRUCTURED AROUND ENGINEERING DRAWINGS

Since the 1940s, Boeing CommercialAirplanes has used a drawing-basedconfiguration system to identify andtrack parts for each airplane it built(fig. 1). Parts for each airplane weretracked by manually adding customer-specific identification numbers to eachengineering drawing. Each drawingalso was marked, or tagged, with abasic number, a variable number, and a propulsion number based on thedrawing subject. The basic numberidentified the standard design for anairplane model. The variable numberidentified the customer changes to thestandard design. The propulsion num-ber identified the drawings related tothe engines on the airplane.

Under this drawing-based system,it was time consuming for Boeingemployees to track the parts throughthe build process and equally time

1

2

given a customer variable number,which is a unique number that isassigned to each airplane of similarconfiguration in the customer’s fleet.

Using the airplane identification or customer variable number, a customer can find part information for any or all of its airplanes onMyBoeingFleet.com, the Boeing business-to-business web site offered to airplane owners and operators as well as MROs. (See“MyBoeingFleet.com: For IncreasedEfficiency and Productivity,” Aerono. 18, April 2002.)

On MyBoeingFleet, modules for a particular airplane are identified bymaintenance zones so that users canretrieve data for specific maintenanceactivities or identify installations by knowing part locations on the airplane. Maintenance zones, whichare specified in Boeing maintenanceplanning data documents, divide the

Part

Part

Part

PartDrawing

Effectivity PT201-203

Part

Part

Part

PartDrawing

Effectivity PT201-203

Part

Part

PartDrawing

Part

Part

Part

PartDrawing

Effectivity PT201-203

Part

Part

Part

PartDrawing

Effectivity PT201-203

DRAWINGS DEFINE AIRPLANE CONFIGURATION

FIGURE

1

16 AERO No. 20, October 2002

ModuleModule

Module

Option

PartPart Part Part

PartPartPart Part Part

modate the modules. The processesfor ordering spare parts by telephoneor fax or through the PARTS Page onMyBoeingFleet are not affected.

IMPLEMENTATION AND TRAINING

Implementation of the new configu-ration data structure was effective for in-production 757 airplanes in third-quarter 2002. For all other in-production models, except the 717, the new structure will be imple-mented later in fourth-quarter 2002and in 2003.

Boeing Digital Data CustomerSupport will notify customers of the

airplane into areas for maintenance purposes (fig. 3).

The most efficient way to search the restructured data is throughMyBoeingFleet. Maintenance documentation is unaffected by therestructuring, with the exception ofminor changes to the AirplaneIllustrated Parts Catalog to accom-

PARTS DEFINE AIRPLANE CONFIGURATION

FIGURE

2

specific implementation date for an in-production airplane model through the usual communication channels (e.g., letter, BOECOM message, fax,or e-mail). Training will be offered tothe airlines and MROs that are directlyaffected. The training will be designedaccording to the preferences and needsof the airplane operators.

Editor’s note: To gain access toMyBoeingFleet.com, contact Boeing DigitalData Customer Support by e-mail atDDCS@boeing.com or call 206-544-9990Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (U.S. Pacific time).

3

17AERONo. 20, October 2002

Major Zone 100 —

Lower half of fuselage

Major Zone 200 —

Upper half of fuselage

Major Zone 300 —

Body section 48 and empennage

Major Zone 400 —

Power plant

Major Zone 500 —

Wing, left

Major Zone 600 —

Wing, right

Major Zone 700 —

Landing gear and doors

Major Zone 800 —

Doors

700 300

700

500

600

300400

300

400200

200

100700

700700 700

200

100

700 400

800

800

500300

400400

500600

757 MAJOR MAINTENANCE ZONES

FIGURE

3

18 AERO No. 20, October 2002

SUMMARYBoeing is changing its system for managing engineering design configuration datafor in-production airplanes, except the 717. The configuration design authority is theparts, with engineering pictures available for reference only.

Each airplane is defined by a group of part modules. All modules are associatedwith one or more maintenance zones, giving users a simple way to find part data on MyBoeingFleet. The search functions on MyBoeingFleet are the primary navigationtool for determining the applicable parts for each airplane.

These changes are scheduled for completion in 2003 for all Boeing in-productionairplanes, except the 717. Configuration data for the 717 and in-service airplanes,including out-of-production models, remain unchanged.

19AERONo. 20, October 2002

The first DCAC-configured airplane was a 757 delivered in April 2002.