Aircraft undergo extensive testing during their development, but it’s not impossible that a previously unforeseen problem will develop following production. The systems installed on aircraft are primarily there to help fly the aircraft and not to gather data in a manner conducive to identifying aircraft issues or performance.
The solution is to install systems similar to what was used during the flight test campaign, right? Unfortunately, this can be an expensive prospect as it usually requires installing a large amount of additional cabling and avionics. This makes sense during a flight test campaign when you need to spend a protracted period of time gathering extensive data, but not when you just need to troubleshoot a specific problem. Installing such a system also takes a lot of time and can be costly due to the delays introduced before data can be gathered.
PTIE should be able to gather data from different systems and sensors, and store such in one location
The ideal solution is a compact box that can plug into existing aircraft wiring and collect the required data without impacting the airframe. Ideal solutions rarely exist in reality, but Permanent Test Instrumentation Equipment (PTIE) from Curtiss-Wright attempts to make this vision a reality.
Read the 'Acquiring Test Data from Production Aircraft' white paper to find out how a PTIE can be installed on an aircraft at production, or rapidly during post production as the need arises, to gather data in a minimally intrusive manner.