Mainblades has been featured in “Dutch Pioneers in AI“, a video series by Zuid Holland AI, official partner of The Netherlands AI Coalition (NL AIC). In this series startups are introduced that are leading the way in the development and use of Artificial Intelligence across a variety of industries. Interviewed by Tim Franken from the…
We currently take final Part 145 certification steps for paint and high-speed tape inspections with drones. Soon, this technology is fully operational in the facilities of KLM E&M and beyond. Are you in London next week? Meet our team at MRO Europe 2022 and learn how we can make it work for your MRO organization…
Build it or buy it. Certainly, a debate that applies to data labeling. One of the first and most crucial steps in the machine learning development cycle and probably constantly on the mind of any data scientist. In this blog, Julian von der Goltz, Head of Machine Learning at Mainblades discusses the considerations we made to…
A very special year for us. We turn five! Five wild years to say the least with uncertainty, changes and major milestones all around. From the first proof of concept to flying in operational hangars every day. This is our story. Read on to get a glimpse into our past, present and future. Before you…
Have you seen Aviation Week Network’s latest article about how we tackle challenges with paint chipping on Boeing 787 aircraft? A hot topic in aviation right now! The software developed in cooperation with KLM Engineering & Maintenance automatically identifies and labels both paint damage as well as high-speed tape using high-resolution images and measurements. This way it can predict where damage…
Robots that operate in particularly challenging environments such as aircraft hangars, require fast and accurate state estimation. With poor lighting and no GPS that can be a challenge. That is why the Mainblades development teams are proud to release a new, in-house developed lidar odometry algorithm that has been in daily operation in the maintenance…
AI and drones. This unique combination can make big waves in your hangar, through which you can work even more efficiently. That’s not the future, but the practice Mainblades is currently working towards. No idea how to imagine that? Let us explain it to you.
Despite many turbulences in the aviation industry, Mainblades can look back on a year full of achievements and key milestones. We signed two partnership contracts, gave demonstrations across two continents, flew over 200 automated inspections, participated in several international conferences and managed to secure approval for outdoor flights at active airports in Europe.
It’s official! Mainblades has extended its partnership with KLM Engineering & Maintenance (KLM E&M) to perform automated aircraft drone inspections. The two companies have an extensive history together and came a long way to introduce drone innovation in the aircraft MRO industry. Through a renewed multi-year agreement, the partners are now setting the foundation to…
Safety is one of the top priorities in aviation. That also includes the operation of drones. However, being, and more specifically staying compliant is an underestimated part of drone operations. Mainblades recently achieved a major milestone on this topic: the companies’ application to perform outdoor aircraft drone inspections at airports has been approved by the…
Are you attending Slush 2021? The world’s leading startup event returns to Helsinki in person on December 1–2. Slush is a student-driven, not-for-profit movement on a mission to help founders change the world. Since the event got going in Helsinki in 2008, it has thrown events in every corner of the globe and built digital initiatives…
Most people don’t think about it when they switch on their light in the morning, but the electrons that light up the lamp on their bedside table have already traveled hundreds of kilometers through high-voltage lines via countless electricity pylons. Crucial infrastructure, which must be inspected regularly and thoroughly. Currently, a time and cost consuming…
Maintenance of aircraft. Much has been said about the tremendous potential that digitalisation holds for this industry. However, it often describes a glossy vision of the future , one that appears to be detached from the complex realities of daily maintenance operations. What are the biggest obstacles today and where are we heading?
Mainblades achieved a major milestone. For the first time in Europe, a fully automated outdoor airport drone inspection was performed.
Mainblades will be exhibiting at this years’ MRO Europe 2021 event. With Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) forecasting the European MRO market will be the largest in the world in the next 10 years and global vaccination roll outs ramping up; excitement continues to build up for a return of in-person events. As such, the MRO Europe…
Aircraft maintenance technicians conduct regular, and sometimes unplanned, visual inspections on aircraft. This is a time-and cost consuming, yet fundamental aspect of maintenance operations. What if this process could be made more efficient? It can! Namely with the help of drones. Here are the 7 most important reasons why in just a couple of years,…
For years, high demand for travel, aided by easy access to credit, has enabled airlines to work extensively on new innovations. However, now that budgets are being cut on all ends, innovation, which was once seen as the “fun” playground part of the business to run experiments and find new, better ways to operate has…
We are convinced: an aircraft drone inspection should be fast, safe and easy. Our software and development teams have worked hard in the past months to create an interface that facilitates exactly that. Today, we launch a big release that features a variety of updates to all three components of our inspection ecosystem: the iOS…
Some people might call it a computer. We call it “the brain”. Meet our navigation module Intelligent Sensing And Automated Control, or short: ISAAC. It is the module that makes our drone capable of precision navigation and mapping around aircraft. Our software and engineering teams have been working hard in the past months creating a complete overhaul including…
Lidar has become one of the most important tools in the commercial drone industry. We are happy to announce that we recently established a new partnership with Ouster, one of the leading providers of digital lidar technology. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company designs and manufactures high-performance lidar sensors used in industrial automation applications across…
We have a winner! Congratulations Melanie Richards! Melanie is the winner of our recent drone competition and now proud owner of a DJI Mavic Mini. The aviation industry is still rather conservative. However, the world is changing fast, requiring the sector to deliberately disrupt itself and make a conscious effort to do business differently. This…
4 min. read “With airlines expected to bleed cash at least until the fourth quarter of 2021, there is no time to lose.” Alexandre de Juniac, CEO at IATA The good news right upfront: aviation seems to make a strong return in 2021. Despite a nightmare 2020 with massive fluxes in passenger volumes, countless aircraft…
4 min. read. Believe it or not. Drone-powered aircraft inspections are about to become mainstream. Why? Because our team has made groundbreaking progress and achieved a major milestone: conducting aircraft drone inspections in outdoor airport environments. No need anymore for unscheduled maintenance to be time-and cost-intensive because the hangar is occupied. We are convinced: with…
All leaders want to be successful, but not everyone knows how. Peter Hartman certainly does. He was CEO of KLM between 2007 and 2013. Since 2007 he has also been a continuous member of the Board of Directors of the holding Air France-KLM. In April 2017, Hartman was awarded the General Snijders medal for his…
The aviation world has been heavily impacted by COVID-19. An unprecedented number of aircraft have been grounded and need to be stored long term. This situation causes severe financial pressure on air operators, as well as on their service providers and the whole supply chain. With most of the world’s aircraft fleet currently in storage…
We have a winner! Congratulations to Pieter Vonk for winning a brand new DJI Mavic Mini. Vonk participated in our “win-a-drone” competition in October and guessed the correct weight of the Mainblades drone solution: 6.14 kg. “I am fascinated how Mainblades dares to disrupt a very conventional industry. As Managing Director of a Marketing and…
Are you ready to discover the power of automation? From the 27th – 29th October, Mainblades – Aircraft Drone Inspections will be present at the first-ever MRO TransAtlantic. We are happy to launch our latest feature at MRO TransAtlantic: fully automated dent-and-buckle chart. Sign up for the event online and make an appointment with us…
Mainblades is currently on the brink of introducing its revolutionary aircraft inspection technology, using fully automated drones to the aviation sector and its maintenance, repair & overhaul (MRO) industry. That is why we are happy that our drone was spotted recently in hangar 32 at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol! We were very excited to show how…
There was a time when the term artificial intelligence (AI) invoked the images of an apocalyptic uprising. Let’s face it: it’s far from being the scenery depicted in Hollywood movies. In the last few years, AI has gained ground in numerous industries, offering a future full of possibilities. The aviation industry is no stranger to…
Aircraft inspections are the most recurrent procedure to assess the condition of the aircraft and its parts. Did you know that over 80 percent of inspections on large transport aircraft are visual? Here is an overview of aircraft visual inspections in aviation maintenance, repair & overhaul (MRO).
Aircraft visual inspections are the fastest method of assessing the overall condition of an aircraft and its components. Over 80 percent of inspections on large transport aircraft are visual. As the most recurrent procedure in aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), it can range from a casual walk around to a detailed visual inspection. Here…
Lightning strikes are a daily occurrence on planet Earth and aircraft are not immune to it. Over the last months, how many times have you heard about aircraft that have experienced lightning strikes? Despite making to the news, none of these events usually lead to major accidents. However, aircraft may still sustain lightning strike damage,…
Believe it or not, the lightning frequency is such that every commercial aircraft is struck once or twice a year. While modern aircraft are protected from the occurrence, the post lightning strike inspection can still cause costly delays and service interruptions. With that in mind, areas of the aircraft more susceptible to a lightning strike…
On average, every commercial aircraft is struck by lightning once or twice a year. Did you know that, in most of the cases, lightning strikes are triggered by the aircraft itself? If not, the statistics about aircraft and lightning strikes we are about to present are definitely for you.
Mainblades has been featured in Commercial UAV News, a leading source of news and updates on the commercial drone market.
Lightning strikes are an everyday occurrence on planet Earth: on average, lightning strikes occur 100 times every second throughout the whole world. Boeing 787s, for instance, are impacted up to 4 times by lightning strikes every year. However, due to the Boeing 787 lightning protection, most of the strikes do little-to-no-damage, and most of the time,…
Did you know that every commercial aircraft is struck by lightning more than once a year? According to ONERA, the French aerospace research center, an aircraft is struck by lightning every 1,000 flight hours. In most of the cases, lightning strikes are triggered by the aircraft itself. That is why lightning protection of aircraft is critical…
Lightning strikes are an everyday occurrence on planet Earth: on average, lightning strikes occur 100 times every second throughout the whole world. Even though approximately 80% of those strikes are intra-cloud or cloud-to-cloud, i.e. lightning within the same cloud or between different clouds, they can still pose a risk to airborne objects, such as aircraft.…
Innovation, as a state of mind, has always propelled Paul Riemens’ career, first in aviation and now in the drone industry. He is a visionary leader whose ability to connect people and ideas influenced the success of the organizations he has been involved in. Paul possesses a solid knowledge of the aviation rules, mostly from…
We see the world through a different lens. One of the perks is the chance to meet other individuals with the kind of spirit Mainblades embodies. In the next few weeks, we will be catching up with inspiring leaders on their approach to innovation in the aviation industry. Let their insights be your guide! Patrick…
Passionate about drones his whole life, Tobias Wentzler has always played a key role in driving the industry forward. Now, he urges the aviation industry to embrace innovation to rise above the unprecedented crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Tobias, if companies don’t innovate, “they will be overrun by those that are more…
When EasyJet first conducted a trial drone inspection of an aircraft, it was paving the way for innovation in the aviation industry. In 2015, the British low-cost airline caught the attention of everyone by completing an inspection of its Airbus A320 using a drone.
Aviation is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. Despite currently going through challenging times that will define its future direction, it has already been facing paradigm shifts on many levels.
Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly becoming part of the aviation industry, making underlying algorithms and technologies ever smarter and more robust. Still, AI would not be developing at the same pace if it weren’t for the people behind it.
As any other industry that relies heavily on the latest, most efficient and secure technology, aviation, too, is looking to innovate on a constant pace. Big and small companies alike are working on technologies and solutions that pushes one step forward. Mainblades is one of those companies. Our team recently attended this year’s edition of…
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), better known as drones, hold a lot of commercial potential. In the aviation industry, in particular, drone solutions, whether manual or automated, are becoming increasingly sought-after in performing visual aircraft inspections, which – unlike inspections performed by personnel – are easier, faster and more cost-efficient. As beneficial as that may be…
While not too long ago, drones were mostly associated with either military technology – on one end of the spectrum – or a toy that people can fly around in their free time, on the other, nowadays, drones are ever-so-popular among commercial users. Companies in different industries are embracing drones as a means to provide…
Mainblades has been featured in the TU Delta – the alumni magazine for the Delft University of Technology. Check out the interview and our company story under the section ‘The Firm’: https://delta.tudelft.nl/article/firm-mainblades
Mainblades has exhibited it’s progress and technology at the KLM Innovation Fair this October 16th, 2018!
Check the article (in Dutch) regarding aircraft inspections with drones by Mainblades Inspections in the autumn 2017 edition of Technisch Weekblad here.
Mainblades Inspections has been featured in an summer of 2017 edition of Op De Bok, the magazine of the Dutch Airline Pilots Association (Vereniging Nederlandse Verkeersvliegers).
Mainblades Inspections is excited to announce it has joined the YES!Delft Incubator, the leading high tech incubator in europe. YES!Delft is the high tech entrepreneurs center where startups work hard to become tomorrow’s leading firms.
KLM Engineering & Maintenance conducted a drone inspection in hangar 10 in collaboration with the company Mainblades. The Boeing 737-800 with registration PH-BXY was inspected by the drone for lightning damage. The first results of the test are positive. During operation, small damage may occur, for example, by lightning or hailing. The high safety standard…