Engineering Commons^™

Late Morning Concurrent Sessions: Emergency Response: Presentation, Robert Sumwalt

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Late Morning Concurrent Sessions: Innovations In Aviation Technologies: Presentation: Relative Material Loss: A Methodology For Assessing Island Airport Steel Marine Bulkheads, Robert Ernsting, Constantine M. Koursaris

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

A July 2015 report from the Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) states “U.S. airports are long overdue for [a] major structural improvement projects. Most U.S. airports are aging, … and because of budgetary restrictions, they’re not aging well.”(Garcia and Clampet, 2015). The average US age is 40 years old with the youngest (Denver International) recently turning 20 years old. As airports continue to age, airport commissioners will struggle to find creative ways to either fund airport replacements or extend the service life of existing airport facilities (commonly referred to as service life extension projects or SLEP). Due to …

Early Morning Concurrent Session: Aviation Management And Operations: Presentation: The Results Of Non-Compliance With Checklist Use And Control Checks In The Bed Runway Overrun Crash, Robert Sumwalt

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Early Afternoon Concurrent Panel Sessions: Commercial Space Industry Snapshot: Presentation: Small Catapult-Assisted Horizontal-Launch Reusable Rbcc Ssto Spaceplane For Economical Short-Duration Leo Access, Nihad E. Daidzic,

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

This article discusses the conceptual design, flight trajectory calculations, and utilization of the possible future horizontally-launched reusable Single-Stage-to-Orbit (SSTO) spaceplane for small payload short-duration manned/unmanned access to Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO). The 10,000 lb spaceplane would use 5,000 ft catapult-assist horizontal-launch facility and conduct powered approach and landing on conventional horizontal paved runways following the gliding atmospheric re-entry. To increase the economy of operation, the launch facility located at high elevations (4,000+ ft) equatorial region is required, such as, the plateaus in Kenya and Tanzania in Africa and/or Ecuador in South America. A 500-lb payload, including pilot-commander, is envisioned. The propulsion cycle …

Atmospheric Weather Balloon For Near Space Research, Francisco F. Pastrana, Devonte Grantham, Shane M. Williams, Jessy Law, Jennifer Nason, Janet Marrnane

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Atmospheric Weather Balloon for Near Space Research

The Society for S.P.A.C.E. has been working on the development of a weather balloon that will reach a height of 80 to 100 thousand feet and will collect data from the atmosphere. The weather balloon is attached to a Styrofoam box that contains an Arduino board controlling a set of sensors that will measure: temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction.

The data will be collected and transmitted through an Xbee antenna that will provide us with remote monitoring capabilities. The data and images gathered will aid understanding of the characteristics and …

Nasa Human Exploration Rover Challenge, Gabriella E. Fortes, Zach Henney, Mo Sabliny, Johnnie Perry, Jessica Chow, Jessica Turcios, Aaron Taylor, Brenda Haven

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

NASA's Human Exploration Rover Challenge, held annually in at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is an engineering design challenge that asks teams of student engineers to design a human-powered vehicle capable of traversing a simulated lunar surface. The rover must be able to be transported in a 5x5x5 foot cube, echoing the design constraint faced by the engineers who built the Lunar Roving Vehicles used by the astronauts of the later Apollo missions.

Suborbital Spaceflight: A Student Team’S Plan To Send A Rocket To Space, Bryce Chanes, William Carpenter, Julio Benavides, Matthew Haslam, Brenda Haven

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

The Eagle Space Flight Team was created with the goal of becoming the first undergraduate team to design, build, and launch a rocket capable of suborbital spaceflight. In order to achieve this goal, the team will have to design a rocket capable of atmospheric flight at speeds over Mach 5 and launch it on one of the largest amateur rocket motors ever made. Over the next three years, the team will progress towards accomplishing this feat through a series of incremental test flights. Before the space flight, the team will build three sub-scale rockets designed to reach altitudes of 30,000’, …

Autonomous Satellite Recovery Vehicle, William Lewis, Devonte Grantham, Francisco Pastrana, Shane Williams, Joshua Moffett, Jessy Law, Kyle Ouellette, Janet Marnane

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

In collaboration with ERFSEDS, we would like to send a small satellite attached to a quad-copter as the payload for ERFSEDS rocket which will reach an altitude of 10,000 feet. The quad-copters objective will be to collect atmospheric data as it descends. Our plan is to 3-D print a new chassis for the quad-copters electronic components and arms that will allow the quad-copter to fold its arms inwards to meet the required space constraints. After launching the rocket, the satellite will be deployed at the target altitude and begin collecting data once jettisoned from the rocket. Once reaching 2,000 feet …

Aviation Security Impacts Of Meteorological And Climatic Disruption, Melanie Wetzel

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Commercial and military flight operations are frequently imperiled or disrupted by meteorological conditions. Severe weather events and climate-related factors create aviation security impacts on airport siting and reliability, human safety, economic stability, military defense strategy, aircraft routing and computer systems vulnerability. Climate trends have been associated with increased frequency of storm surge incursions at coastal airports, intense snowfall accumulations, runway closures due to rainstorm runoff, extended periods of fog/stratus restrictions and severe-weather related risk from lightning, hail and icing. The economic and safety impacts of these events are being incorporated into long-term planning by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), …

The Value Of Professional Security Industry Certifications, Daniel Benny Ph.D

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

In the security and aviation community there are many professional security certifications that can be achieved in all disciplines of security. Those pertinent to aviation will be explored.

Unlocking The Mysteries Of Flight: From The Top Down, Juan Merkt

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Traditionally, principles of flight are taught from the bottom-up. That is, we start by examining underlying causes (properties of air) and later move up to top consequences (aircraft performance). This traditional approach is analogous to that used by airplane designers and is most obvious in theory of flight textbooks for pilots. The problem with a bottom-up approach is that it introduces basic concepts as isolated “parts” without providing a “big picture” context. This can lead to poor understanding among student pilots. I suggest an opposite approach. Rather than starting with the underlying causes of flight, we can unravel basic principles …

Assessing The Commercial Aviation Impact Of The Year 2000 Open Skies Agreements Between The United States And African Countries With Longstanding Flights, Tyler B. Spence, Micah Walala, Richard O. Fanjoy

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

The U.S. started a comprehensive campaign towards Open Skies agreement in 1992. The major benefits of Open sky agreement are reported to include increase of passenger and cargo volume between partners. This study analyzes passenger traffic and cargo volume between six African countries that have had commercial aviation with the U.S. since 1990 to 2014, and with direct flights between them. Two of the countries have had no Open Skies agreement with the U.S., while four have had Open Skies agreement beginning in 2000. A multi linear modeling process was applied on the two categories to determine whether there is …

Microcontrollers In The Aviation Classroom, Padraig Houlahan

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Modern commercial aircraft are increasingly dependent on digital technologies that detect sensor data and pilot control movements, interpret them, and then issue appropriate control signals to remote motors that move control surfaces. Because such technologies are innately complex, it would appear there is an unacceptably large academic burden on introducing them into the undergraduate pilot's curriculum .

However, in recent years there has been an explosion of interest in using micro-controllers in academic teaching (high-school and undergraduate levels) and in hobby applications, resulting in a large, online, freely available knowledgebase of techniques and solutions. Here, I demonstrate how easy it …

Low Fidelity Flight Simulation In Collegiate Aviation, Vladimir N. Risukhin

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Aviation college pilot training programs, lessons and exercises contain portions that do not require training in sophisticated and highly expensive full flight simulators and flight training devices (FTD) with high fidelity of simulation, or in real aircraft flights. Relatively inexpensive personal-computer-based flight simulation facilities named low fidelity simulators (LFS) can boost development of aircraft pilots’ cognitive and behavioral skills. The paper attempts to reveal how the LFS can support aviation college flight training and research activities. In the Western Michigan University College of Aviation, peer mentoring technique proven to be helpful in higher education institutions has been applied to flight …

Thinking Rather Than Panicking About The Current Drone Threat, Tom Foley, Tyrone Groh

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Originally titled "UAS Threats in Sport Venues," the authors opted to expand their focus to better to all threats from UASs, and to encourage better preparation for and responses to such threats. Foley and Groh discuss different strategies.

The Implementation Of Safety Management Systems In Maintenance Operations, Daniel H. Siao

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Literature for Safety Management Systems (SMS) that apply to flight operations is abundant, but there is a limited supply of SMS-related literature for maintenance operations. The FAA emphatically states on its website that safety is the “foundation of everything we do,” and this is reflected in the FAA Flight Plan, where the general tenor of this document is increasing safety. However, while there is ample mention of flight safety, there is no mention of maintenance-related safety in the FAA Flight Plan.

Even though the benefits of SMS are well established, it is difficult for maintenance facilities—especially small repair stations—to justify …

Aerospace Renaissance – Ripe For Research To Impact The Industry, Constantine M. Koursaris, Brig. Gen. Robert E. Mansfield Jr. (Ret.)

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

The Center for Aviation and Aerospace Leadership (CAAL) was founded in 2008 to capture, create, and share relevant information on leadership in the aviation and aerospace industry.

The AIR is developed and published in collaboration with the Aerospace Industries Association and includes:

• Information on the status of aerospace manufacturing in the United States and state of the economy

• An in-depth review of sales across the various sectors of the industry, employment trends, key international trade statistics, financial information on the industry & major aerospace firms, trends to watch, and a forecast for the future based on a review …

Airport Sms Software Analysis, Steven Goetz, Matt Romero, Yamini Gowda, Alyssa Manning

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Historically, high risk industries such as aviation have attempted to respond to accidents by fixing what they find after the investigation is complete and therefore represents a reactive approach to an accident event. For many years, the industry has tried to become more proactive to these events by seeking out problems and correcting them before an accident occurs. A Safety Management System is a detailed and regimented process by which any high risk industry can try to become proactive in accident prevention. There are many tools that can be utilized to help develop this framework and accomplish this preventative goal. …

Developing A Robust Balance For Wingsuit Aerodynamic Research, Timothy A. Sestak

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Research on wingsuit aerodynamics requires specialized wind tunnel equipment. There is the potential for the relatively large ram-air inflated fabric airfoils being examined to flap and oscillate uncontrolled in the wind tunnel airflow. This chaotic combination of motion and forces could damage the fragile precision balances currently used. Due to the relatively recent development of wingsuit flight as an active sport, there is very little background literature on wingsuit aerodynamics, wingsuit testing, and the equipment and sensors required. A new balance design, able to accurately measure and record basic lift and drag forces while also being able to withstand the …

Use Of Virtual Environments For Simulation Of Accident Investigation, Scott Burgess, Katherine Moran

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Aircraft accident investigation requires extensive theoretical and methodological knowledge as well as hands-on application. While there are a handful of training centers that offer crash site reconstructions as training aids, these facilities offer limited static tools that can only be accessed by a minimal number of trainees who have flexible work schedules and access to available budgetary resources for travel, lodging and tuition to attend what is generally not-for-credit hands-on training. The use of a virtual interactive aircraft crash training environment can deliver a virtual crash laboratory to an infinite number of trainees, worldwide, provided computer technology is present. The …

Solving An Age-Old Debate: What Really Controls Altitude And Airspeed?, Juan Merkt

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Mismanagement of altitude and/or airspeed is linked to the top three causes of fatal aviation accidents: loss of control inflight (LOCI), controlled flight into terrain (CFIT), and runway excursions during approach and landing (RE). Clearly, the ability to control altitude and airspeed is a critical skill that all pilots must learn. Yet, differing opinions of how the throttle and elevator work to control altitude and speed can lead to confusion in the cockpit. Energy management is an effective approach to learn how the controls work. Unfortunately energy principles have not found their way into primary flight training. To help bridge …

Insights Into Uas Accidents And Incidents, Robert Joslin

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

The proliferation and extension of unmanned aircraft systems from military to civil and public use applications has rapidly outpaced the safety analysis that is normally associated with the introduction of a new and novel aircraft. Insights into the types of anomalous events associated with accidents and incidents involving civil and public use unmanned aircraft systems operating in the National Airspace System were derived from an information synthesis of archival publically available reports from the FAA Preliminary Reports of Unmanned Aircraft System Accidents and Incidents database, as recorded in the Aviation Safety Information and Analysis Sharing system. The vast majority of …

Unmanned Aerial Systems In The Fire Service: Concepts And Issues, John C. Griffith, Ronald T. Wakeham

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

The presentation will summarize current thinking on the application of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) in the Fire Service. Potential use of UASs to save lives, provide safety and save property has generated preliminary research in three major areas of the fire service to include aviation, structure and wildland scenarios. Roadblocks to the effective use of this technology will also be discussed to include possible command and control issues and governmental actions to limit the use of UASs due to aviation safety concerns. The presenters will recommend areas of future research and steps to implement this technology in the fire service. …

Third Party Airport Crash Risk Model For Non-Towered Airports, Christian Salmon

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

This research leverages the objective accident data record towards an individual and societal 3^rd party “external” airport risk model for aircraft operations that crash while operating at non-towered airports.

Small aircraft, specifically Part 91, operating at non-towered airports have a crash rate estimated at 10-fold that of commercial operations. Given the nature of the typically non-towered airport, situated in close physical proximity with residential structures, this exposes residents to substantive risk of injury and death due to aircraft crashing.

A 3^rd party risk model that maps risk of injury, death and percent structural damage will enable informed decisions …

Human Factors Considerations In Autonomous Lethal Unmanned Aerial Systems, Kristine Kiernan

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

The United States military is committed to the development of complete autonomy in unmanned vehicles, including armed unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The design and deployment of autonomous lethal UAS raises ethical issues that have implications for human factors. System design, procedures, and training will be impacted by the advent of autonomous lethal UAS. This paper will define relevant vocabulary, review the literature on robot ethics as it applies to the military setting, discuss various perspectives in the research community, address levels of UAS autonomy, and discuss implications for operator training, responsibility, and human-machine interaction. Familiarity with these ethical issues and …

Unmanned Aerial Systems And Airport Master Plans, David S. Worrells, David C. Ison, Ken Witcher, D. Terwilliger

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Investigative research study to establish best practices that may lead to a model for integrating UAS operations into airport master plans.

Qualitative, observational, and case analysis to determine best ways to incorporate UAS integration into the airport planning process, specifically airport master plans.

Danger In The Training Gap, William Korner

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Loss of Control in flight has accounted for the largest share of worldwide passenger deaths over the past ten years. Not Controlled Flight into Terrain, not equipment failure or malfunction, not even weather – but Loss of Control, in flight.

And there is a disturbing caveat to this fact: In every one of those accidents over the past ten years where there was a large loss of life – highly trained and legally qualified pilots were at the controls of the aircraft involved. Meaning these accidents should have been preventable – yet they were not, because the pilots in command …

Unmanned Insecurity: The Safety And Privacy Issues Of Unmanned Aircraft Information Assurance, Donna A. Dulo Ph.D.

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Information assurance and computer security are foundational paradigms in ground based information systems. However, in the aerial realm of unmanned systems, information security often takes the proverbial back seat to high visibility issues such as safety and privacy. Yet, a secure unmanned aircraft is a basic tenant of safety and privacy in the operational arena. Information assurance and security that are enveloped into an unmanned aircraft protect the systems data, communications, as well as internal operations and permeates not only the aircraft’s systems, but also the system’s interactions with satellites, ground stations, and other aerial entities that share data and …

Applications Of Long-Wave Thermal Infrared Imagers On Unmanned Aerial Systems For First Responders, Nick Harris, Lorenzo Coykendall

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

The Embry-Riddle Prescott UAS Team will design, build, and test three Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for competing in the student UAS Competition June 18 - 22 in Patuxent River, MD hosted by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).

The team will design and build these unmanned aircraft to carry a five-pound payload, sustain flight for at least forty minutes, and be hand-launchable and rugged; they will be constructed from composite materials and will be fully autonomous through the use of open-source autopilots.

Angle Of Attack Equipment In General Aviation Operations, Marshall Pomeroy, Justin Abrams, Shawn Pruchnicki, Seth Young

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in conjunction with the general aviation (GA) industry formed the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC) with the goal to improve overall general aviation safety.

• The GAJSC tasked their technical division, the Safety Analysis Team (SAT), with identifying safety issues present within GA. Upon review of fatal GA accidents between 2001 and 2010, it was concluded that over half of the fatal accidents were a result of loss of control inflight, or LOC-I.

• A Loss of Control Working Group (LOCWG) was formed between the FAA and the GA industry to research and recommend safety improvements. …