SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers

Every month, Joe Godfrey, Savvy’s chief data analyst, presents captivating aviation “puzzlers” derived from real-life engine monitor data on the SavvyAnalysis platform, guiding pilots in identifying anomalies for real-time safety decisions and assisting owners in informed maintenance choices.

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SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers
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Fueling Speculation

by | February 15, 2016 |

I saw the phrase “fueling speculation” in a political context this week and wondered how those two words became attached in our lexicon. Why didn’t “provoking” or “prompting” or “eliciting” catch on the way “fueling” did? Then I opened my...

Occam’s Razor

by | January 15, 2016 |

The 14th century friar William of Ockham would probably cringe to know that his lofty and articulate principle “Non sunt multiplicanda entia sine necessitate” has been boiled down to “Keep it Simple.” The Latin translates to “Entities should not be multiplied...

The Force Awakens

by | December 15, 2015 |

First some old business. In the November Puzzler I used data that depicted intermittent and unusual patterns in EGT and CHT 5. I was happy to be able to include two pictures provided by our client — one showing the rocker arm...

The Unusual Suspects

by | November 15, 2015 |

One of the classic lines in Casablanca comes from Claude Rains playing Captain Renault: “Round up the usual suspects.” In engine monitor analysis, when we see an EGT or CHT diverge from normalcy, it’s often the result of a clogged injector, a rogue spark plug...

Ghosts in the Machine

by | October 15, 2015 |

For this Halloween Puzzler I chose three charts. The first was trick-y, and finding the source of the problem was a treat. The next one is a little scary, and the last one is downright spooky. Let’s get started. First up is...

The Paper Chase

by | September 15, 2015 |

For this back-to-school Puzzler I chose two very different scenarios. Let’s apply our analytical skills and see if we can solve them. First up is a normally aspirated SR-22 with a Continental IO-550-N. This is a test profile flight, with...

Jumping to Conclusions

by | August 15, 2015 |

While channel surfing recently I tuned into the opening scene of 12 Angry Men. It had been years since I had seen it, so I decided to give it a go. It’s not a flashy movie, it’s in black-and-white, and except...

Big Data

by | July 15, 2015 |

The web says that big data is a catch-all phrase for data sets that are so large that traditional processing applications are inadequate. Even though Savvy Analysis is just approaching its 3rd birthday, let’s call it a traditional processing application....

Timing

by | June 15, 2015 |

The comedians are fond of saying “timing is everything”. I think the quality of the material is pretty important, too, but I guess their point is that bad timing can ruin good material, and that comedy is a performance art....

The Bag Game

by | May 15, 2015 |

It’s wedding season. When my wife hosts a wedding shower, she organizes a game. She puts small kitchen items into brown paper lunch bags – one per bag – and ties a ribbon around each one. Each guest ties the...

Analyzing the Risks

by | April 15, 2015 |

Last week I heard an oldie but goodie. A couple of veteran pilots were talking to a new pilot about flying single engine planes over rough terrain at night. One of the high-timers said “If the engine quits, you pick...

Baseball Season

by | March 15, 2015 |

Spring training is about to wrap up, and opening day is almost here. Last week a friend and I made our annual pilgrimage to Glendale, AZ to immerse ourselves in baseball. Four games in 45 hours. At least in Arizona,...

GAMI, GIGO and FOD

by | February 15, 2015 |

Flying is full of acronyms. GUMP, ADS-B, BFR, NTSB, ASRS, AOPA, EAA, NBAA, GA, WOXOF, NORDO, GPS, ILS, VOR, FARs, the 6 T’s – the list goes on. Add online chatting and texting and it’s almost TMI. In engine data...

Patterns

by | January 15, 2015 |

 I’ve been looking at stock charts for a long time. I mean a REALLY long time – like before the Internet when they came in big bound books. I’ve also been reading music for a long time. So when the...

Trust but Verify

by | December 15, 2014 |

Ronald Reagan used to say “Trust but Verify”. He was talking about Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, but the philosophy works for data from engine data monitors, too. While we sit comfortably in the cockpit scanning the gauges, our data-gathering probes and...
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