Database management

Effectivity: All Challenger, Global, and Learjet aircraft                                 

ATA 34-00, 46-00

The avionics technologies installed in airplanes have evolved over the years and today many of the systems (Flight Management System (FMS), Integrated Flight Information System (IFIS), Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS)/Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS) installed are using different type of databases (DBs). These can be generic, or may require periodic or ad hoc updates (navigation, charts, terrain) to provide relevant information to flight crew. Even though these DBs are installed on the aircraft systems using Bombardier procedures/manuals, most of them are provided directly by third-party suppliers via subscriptions independent to Bombardiers processes. Consequently, these DBs and any communications are not hosted on the Bombardier Customer portal.

Bombardier would like to highlight that it is the operator’s responsibility to ensure all these subscriptions with the different suppliers (Honeywell, Collins Aerospace, Garmin, Universal, Jeppesen) are kept up to date to make sure the latest DBs are available from their respective portal and that communications/alerts with regards to any changes to the DBs are timely received.

As an example, Bombardier was recently made aware of a Honeywell obstacle alert, where the supplier reports missing obstacles in the Honeywell EGPWS Terrain DB Release 623. Honeywell have sent a communication on Nov. 3, 2021 requesting customer using this DB to revert to Release 622 until all obstacles are restored in the Release 624 made available on Nov. 18, 2021. This points to the importance of maintaining your subscription with the supplier up to date to get the latest information available.