StorkJet’s CEO, Renata Niedziela, had the opportunity to give a short interview in the newest release of the Aircraft IT Magazine – the leading industry magazine.
Please read the text below to learn about the history of StorkJet, the immediate company’s plans, and some details about our AdvancedAPM.
Link to the full release of Aircraft IT Magazine
Renata Niedziela, Managing Director, StorkJet, Shares the story behind the most precise Aircraft Performance Monitoring based on QAR data and machine learning
Renata Niedziela is the Managing Director at StorkJet. She is leading a team implementing the new approach to Aircraft Performance Monitoring. Her adventure in aviation started by programming her own QAR raw data reader and associated analytics tools. Renata holds a master’s degree from AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow in software engineering and an MBA at the Cracow University of Economics.
Aircraft IT: Your name, your job title, and the name of the business?
RN: Renata Niedziela, Managing Director, StorkJet
Aircraft IT: How did StorkJet get started?
RN: During studies, I received a request to develop a QAR raw data reader and group of tools enabling analytics of retrieved data. I already saw huge potential in those data. After gaining commercial experience, I finally established StorkJet. It was exactly 5 years ago. Our goal is to help airlines reduce fuel consumption and carbon footprint. Year by year, we have been expanding our team with new members: performance engineers, pilots, and data scientists whose knowledge and passion allowed us to spread wings. In order to develop such comprehensive software, capable of recreating tail-specific aircraft performance model, a lot of R&D had to be done. Thankfully our potential was recognized by European Union who awarded us with research grants and enabled mastering of this technology.
Aircraft IT: What is the attraction of aircraft-related software?
RN: The ability to analyze real data, making conclusions and optimizing future operations. Every aircraft and flight is unique and there is so much you can achieve with tail-specific analysis .. The amount of information stored in the data and possibilities of how to utilize them seem endless.
Aircraft IT: What is the guiding business principle that drives StorkJet?
RN: Our principle is to deliver the most precise, data-driven solutions. Precision is crucial to reach maximum efficiency. That is why we re-invest most of our income back into R&D. We believe that by connecting aircraft performance engineering with data science we can make airline operations more efficient than ever before.
Aircraft IT: What has been StorkJet’s greatest technical achievement to date, and why?
RN: We developed tail-specific performance models based on flight mechanics and machinery learning that can calculate fuel consumption at any atmospheric conditions and flight phases. To achieve that we analyzed over 1.5 million of flights from various aircraft types starting from turboprops and ending at big jets, short-haul and long-haul. In the end we reached very high precision: only a few kilograms of fuel burn error per flight hour. This makes our performance models the most precise on the market what has been confirmed by our customers. This technology is now used in all StorkJet’s products.
Aircraft IT: What has been StorkJet’s greatest business achievement to date, and why?
RN: Revolution in Aircraft Performance Monitoring process. In the standard approach to APM, data processing is a nightmare. Performance engineers had to use various, complex tools for each aircraft type and run APM in semi-manual mode. Thanks to StorkJet APM airlines can use one, fully automatic solution for the entire fleet. As an example, LOT Polish Airlines could fully unify APM for 10 different aircraft types, including medium and long-range Boeing, Embraer and Bombardier aircraft.
Aircraft IT: What have been StorkJet’s disappointments and what have you learned from them?
RN: What we often see is that that maximum potential lying in the data cannot be reached, even if the airline really wants to. Reasons vary: third-party dependence, legacy technology not able to support new features or procedural aspects. As we are passionate about efficiency, it was really challenging for us to accept that. What we have learned is that we shall optimize as much as we can in our field and to be really flexible and find alternative solutions for problems outside our circle of influence.
Aircraft IT: In a sentence, how would you summarize what StorkJet does for aviation customers?
RN: Deliver precise aircraft performance for each tail, so that airlines can use them to plan and execute flights in an optimum way and as a result, reduce the fuel burn.
Aircraft IT: What is new on StorkJet’s development horizon?
RN: Full integration of APM performance models with fuel efficiency solutions – both for in-flight and post-flight applications. Also we want to expand the scope of fuel efficiency benchmarking services between different aircraft and engine types. As we are able to recreate any flight scenario, we can perform apple-to-apple comparison of aircraft operating in conditions specific by given airline. We take into account, eg Cost Index used, distances flew, average temperatures, payloads, etc. On top of fuel burn, we also compare flight time and total costs for airline’s Cost Index.
Aircraft IT: What will be the next big thing in Aviation IT?
RN: Aviation IT has changed a lot in the past years. Now it’s time to put all the concepts of „big data” into production. I believe that as a next step, IT vendors should talk more with each other and integrate their solutions in order to deliver more value to the airlines. StorkJet eg integrates with FLIGHTKYES 5D flight planning software.
Aircraft IT: What do you want your customers to say about StorkJet?
RN: That we are the leader in aircraft performance and that it is really easy to work with us. We always focus on finding solutions rather than elaborate on the challenges. Customers’ re-purchase rate proves that such an approach works. So far only one of our customer did not express the interest to expand the scope of our partnership. Yet! 🙂
