eWAS, an app that wants to change the way of flying

Florent Birling is in charge of the application eWAS (Enhanced Weather Awareness Solution), which allows the pilots to visualize weather development in real time and anticipate turbulence and storms. The application, entirely developed in Barcelona and available free of charge for iOS, revolutionizes flight planning based on weather information. A big technological leap for the aviation sector, both private and commercial.Although a great deal of cutting-edge technology is being used in airline operations, there are parts of the flight that still depend on the old analogical resources, i.e. paper-based data. One of them is, for example, the flight planning based on meteorological information. In Barcelona, the new application eWAS has been developed in order to change this. Developed by the engineering company GTD, eWAS stands for Enhanced Weather Awareness Solution. Florent Birling, Airline Business Director at GTD and in charge of the application, explains that this app, which is much more than just an application, is getting a very positive reaction from both commercial and private airline pilots from all over the world. A cooperation agreement has already been signed with Air France. What is eWAS, exactly?It’s an application for pilots, mainly airline pilots, for preparing their flight plan and having updated meteorological data. How did the idea of an application for pilots emerge?In 2004 we started a project financed by the European Union in order to design the aircraft cockpit of the future. We wanted to integrate the meteorological data into all the control panels, but this requires a certification. The airline Air France liked what we were doing, but they preferred using a tablet which didn’t need certification. Has it been entirely developed in Barcelona?Yes, we have a team of more than twenty people and more than ten years of experience in aeronautics research projects. For a project of this magnitude you need to have an in-depth knowledge of meteorology, be immersed in the aviation sector and be able to merge these two fields. eWAS has been tested by more than a thousand pilots. What differentiates the eWAS app from other similar products?It’s the first multi-weather-providing product. Usually, an application uses one meteorological source. We integrate several of them, which makes the tool more reliable and accurate. How can pilots benefit from using the app?The main benefit is the they’re able to prepare their flight plans with more updated information than the one that they receive now. Currently, as regulated, the pilots prepare a flight dossier twelve hours before take-off. With eWAS they can observe how a meteorological situation evolves in real time. It also helps them avoid turbulence, which is very uncomfortable for the passengers. And the airlines?An airline can save costs if they avoid absence among the cabin crew due to injury caused by turbulence. Furthermore, they can avoid storms. Lots of times, the pilots visualize the storms when they’re only fifteen minutes away, and frequently they have to turn around in order to avoid them. With eWAS, the pilot visualizes what’s coming a lot sooner, and can therefore make a short detour in order to save fuel and arrive on time. What’s the nature of the agreement that you have signed with Air France?
Their 3.700 pilots will start using our app at the beginning of 2017. It’s currently being tested. We can adapt the application to every airline’s specific needs as well as their systems. Who else is testing the product?Right now there are more than forty airline companies who are testing eWAS, for example Air China, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines. We’re also conducting tests with two aircraft manufacturers in order to integrate our tool into their flight cockpits. In which way have you used the experience of your company, GTD, for the development of eWAS?
It’s undeniable that we have benefited greatly from GTD’s experience of more than thirty years in the aerospace sector, where everything has to operate without errors and with an extraordinary precision since dealing with critical projects. That’s why eWAS is a unique and very comprehensive tool, marked by the knowledge, the talent and the quality processes of our company. How and where can you download eWAS? Commercial airline pilots, as well as private and recreational pilots, can download our eWAS application for free during a limited time through our website www.ewas.aero or download it directly from the App Store. The application for Windows is available on demand. International forum in Barcelona for pilots and airlines from around the worldFlorent Birling and the rest of the eWAS team will present their application next month at an aeronautics forum. November 17-18 more than ten airlines and professionals from Spain, France, Switzerland, Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, among other countries, will meet in GTD’s Barcelona office. The forum will create the opportunity to introduce the product to the airlines and learn the details about how Air France will deploy the product among their 3.700 pilots. There will also be two pilots present to share their experience using the application, a regional flight pilot and a long-haul flight pilot.This week, eWAS will also be present at the EFB users Forum in Bangkok (Thailand) 26-27 October, and after that in Honolulu (Hawaii, USA) at the Aircraft Commerce (1-3 November). Source: La Vanguardia