Aviation Commons^™

Beyond The Blue Skies: A Comprehensive Guide For Risk Assessment In Aviation, Leila Halawi, Mark Miller, Sam Holley

Publications

Risk assessment in aviation is a critical process that safeguards the safety and reliability of operations. Aviation operations encompass inherent risks, from mechanical failures to human errors and environmental factors. The significance of these risks may be severe, leading to accidents, injuries, and loss of life. Recognizing and mitigating risks is supreme in this dynamic environment, where emerging technologies and innovation constantly reshape this industry. This chapter includes an in-depth explanation of risk management and analysis, leading to the core elements of risk assessment specifically for aviation operations. We will describe the process and explore some of the applications and …

Introduction To Drones, Shawn Barstow, Justin Wyatt Clawson, Shalyn Drake, Eric Galloway, Michael Pate

All Current Publications

Unmanned aircraft have advanced so much that they are completing tasks and integrating into all aspects of our lives. They deliver, survey, collect data, and complete assigned tasks with more efficiency and lower cost than many currently used techniques. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completely supports UAS in the National Airspace System (NAS) and continually updates information in this new and exciting field. This fact sheet will help you identify how you can legally fly drones and become an integral part of aviation’s vast and ever-progressing world.

The Case Of The Unexpected Attorney, Sarah Nilsson

Publications

Associate Professor of Applied Aviation Science Sarah Nilsson shares her professional experiences and insights in the areas of aviation and aviation law.

Designing An Interactive Application To Prevent Runway Incursion: A Systems Engineering Approach, Yixuan Cheng, Dahai Liu, Dennis Vincenzi, Donald S. Metscher

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Runway incursion is a leading cause of serious incidents and accidents at airports. A common cause of runway incursions is unfamiliarity with the airport layout. To address this, we designed an electronically interactive application intended as a practice tool for pilots during flight preparation. The aim of this application is to improve pilots’ familiarity with airports, ultimately helping to reduce runway incursions, with the goals of being interactive, affordable, easily accessible, and designed for use on mobile devices. We applied a systems engineering approach that adheres to human factors engineering principles to ensure user-friendly design and optimization of the interaction …

The Future Of Aviation: Becoming An Evtol Pilot – Faa’S New Regulations Open Up Career Opportunities, Sarah Nilsson

Publications

As the aviation industry stands on the brink of a revolutionary change, aspiring pilots are increasingly drawn to the exciting prospect of flying electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The allure of this cutting-edge technology has many asking: “How does one become an eVTOL pilot in the United States?” This question opens up a cascade of inquiries about the future of flight training, the certification process and the transition for existing pilots into this new realm of aviation like:

• What will the flight training curriculum look like for eVTOL aircraft?

• Who will be the pioneering Certified Flight …

Trends In Wildlife Strikes To Aircraft In Brazil: Implications For Airport Operators, Flavio A. C. Mendonca, Chenyu Huang, Julius Keller, Carolina Anderson

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Purpose. Brazilian airport operators face persistent challenges from wildlife hazards to aircraft operations, necessitating the development and implementation or review of existing wildlife hazard management plans. Enhancing airport operators’ ability to allocate resources effectively requires a deeper understanding of past wildlife strikes. This study aimed to provide empirical insights derived from the analyses of wildlife strike and aircraft operations data in Brazil to support accident prevention endeavors.

Design/methodology. The researchers utilized two main datasets: the Brazilian National Wildlife Strike Database and the annual reports on aircraft traffic operations published by the Brazilian Department of Airspace Control. For this study, wildlife …

Pestle Analysis Of A Seaplane Transport Network In Greece, Dimitrios V. Siskos, Alexander Maravas, Jordan Karatzas

Publications

Seaplane operations connect remote areas, promote tourism, and provide unique transportation solutions. After many years of preparations, commercial seaplane operations on a network of 100 water airports and 200 waterways in Greece are about to commence. The network can serve the needs of 1.6 million permanent residents of the Greek islands, the inhabitants of the mainland, and over 35 million annual tourists. This paper aims to conduct a PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental) analysis to identify the factors that have delayed operations and those that will affect the success of future operations. As such, 26 factors are …

Complex Skill Learning And Atc: Examining Stress Response And Distress Mitigation With Eeg And Ecg, Sophia J. Fischer, James C. Lue, Dana Mahmoud, Joshua Rice, Piper Winsett, Eric Anthony Day, Michael J. Wenger, Dingjing Shi, Julia Beckel, Jamie Barrett, Tammy Ho

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2025

Air Traffic Control (ATC) trainees at the FAA Academy and developmentalcontrollers in the field often face dynamic and unexpected events in training,which may impact safe and effective human performance if certain vulnerabilitiesare not properly managed or mitigated. We integrate theory on self-regulatedworkplace training with a cognitive neuroscience perspective on attention touniquely examine the effects of surprise and stress on performance. Our near-termgoal is to demonstrate the viability of using physiological measures to predictperformance changes in a laboratory study of young adults learning a complexvideogame. We use a novel, event-marked and person-centric longitudinalapproach to the analysis of physiological variables to distinguish …

Review Of Fatigue Micro-Mitigations For Application In Air Traffic Control: Benefits, Challenges, And Feasibility, John Kang, Ruth E. Propper, Michael Sawyer

International Symposium on Aviation Psychology - 2025

Air traffic controllers (ATCs) are one of the primary drivers of safe and resilient operations in the National Airspace System. The FAA has implemented manylarge-scale fatigue mitigation strategies (e.g., scheduling policies, break time requirements, and time-on-position limits) to combat fatigue. Given the performance benefits related to managing fatigue, ATCs may also benefit from simple, practical fatigue interventions and that could improve job performance.This review targets ‘micro-mitigations,’ which we define as mitigations that maybe unobtrusive, can be quickly implemented, have a rapid impact, and are easy to engage. We explore the possible utility of five micro-mitigations to help minimize fatigue/improve alertness: …

Material Vulnerabilities In Aviation: A Comparative Study Of Hiduminium Rr58 In The Concorde, Siddhant Singh, Kuldeep Agarwal

Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering Technology Department Publications

The catastrophic crash of Air France Flight 4590 in the year 2000 disclosed huge flaws in the material used to manufacture the Concorde fuel tanks, Hiduminium RR58 (Aluminum 2618A). Although this alloy was selected due to its resistance to high-temperature, this research examines its thermal and mechanical vulnerabilities, especially in relation to Aluminum 7075-T3, a large-scale application of which in the Boeing 747 was widespread. By comparing tensile strength, thermal conductivity, fatigue life, and creep life, this research determines how Hiduminium RR58's over-aging susceptibility, thermal cycling degradation, and rupture due to impact were contributory causes to the disaster. The study …

Mapping Pilot Stress And Fatigue During Flight Sessions, Atandrila Chowdhury, Sudip Vhaduri, Julius Keller, Mark Wilson, Debra Henneberry

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

This study examined physiological and self-reported indicators of stress and fatigue in four student pilots during training flights at Purdue University. Each pilot wore a wrist sensor that recorded heart rate, electrodermal activity, temperature, and acceleration, and completed pre and post-flight ratings of stress, fatigue, and sleep questionnaire. The pilots flew different types of training sessions, providing variation in environmental and flight conditions. All physiological data were cleaned and standardized before analysis. Across pilots, temperature and electrodermal activity generally increased during flight, showing a gradual rise in arousal that can come from several factors, including heat, physical effort, and normal …

Charting A Path For Writing In Aviation: The Intersection Of Wac And Collegiate Flight Training, Kayla D. Taylor, Lindsey Ives

Graduate Student Works

Understanding how genre conventions shape written communication within collegiate flight programs is an emerging area of WAC research. Collegiate flight students, who will enter the aviation industry in a variety of roles, must be able to write in various genres, including incident and accident reports, in ways that allow a range of readers to partake in a proactive safety culture. This study explored how supplemental discipline-specific guidance affected the writing quality of incident report narratives composed by students at a flight school within an accredited university in the United States. Participants were either given no guidance, bullet-point guidelines, or examples …

Understanding Human-Agent Teaming: A Mixed-Methods Examination Of Perceptions And Interactions, Valerie Robbins-Roth, Kendall Carmody, Bella Deloach, Meredith Carroll, Amanda Thayer, Jessica Wildman

Aeronautics Faculty Publications

While quantitative research on trust in HATs is well-established, there is a significant gap in understanding individuals’ subjective experiences during trust violations and repair. This study explores how people perceive and respond to these events, guided by three key questions: (1) How do participants describe emotional and behavioral responses to trust violations and repair? (2) How do personality traits influence reactions? (3) What qualitative themes emerge in the dissolution of trust? Using a mixed-methods approach, participants engaged in a 1-hour simulated search-and-rescue mission with four autonomous agents. During the task, one agent committed two trust violations, followed by repair attempts …

Consumer Preferences And Willingness To Pay For Vertiport Design, Amenities, And Services, David C. Ison

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The rise of urban air mobility (UAM) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft necessitates the development of well-designed vertiports that align with consumer expectations. This study examines consumer preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for vertiport design, amenities, and services to inform infrastructure planning and investment strategies. Using a survey-based quantitative research design, data were collected from 500 participants to assess key factors influencing WTP, including convenience, security measures, service efficiency, and premium offerings. Findings indicate that location accessibility, affordability, and streamlined security procedures are primary determinants of vertiport adoption. While aesthetic and retail enhancements contribute to passenger …

Assessing The English Language Needs Of Student Pilots: A Comprehensive Analysis For Effective Aviation English Training, Triyani Rps Dewi, Lilis Kurnianingsih

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

This research aims to identify the English language material needs for pilot students at the Indonesian Civil Aviation Polytechnic in order to improve communication skills that are essential for flight safety and operational effectiveness. In data collection, the researcher distributed questionnaires to students and conducted a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) involving students, flight instructors, English lecturers, and experienced pilots. The research results show that pilot students need two main skills in English learning. First, listening skills, especially in understanding instructions from ATC. Second, speaking skills used to respond to ATC instructions and to make requests or ask for information from …

The Space Rescue Professional: Operationalizing Guardians For The Future, Benjamin Johnis, Robert Bettinger, James Dean

Faculty Publications

The escalating competition in space exploration demands a dedicated space rescue capability. This article argues for the establishment of a space rescue professional (SRP) career field within the Department of Defense and the US Space Force. By harnessing existing US Air Force combat rescue expertise and partnering with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Space Force can rapidly develop a robust SRP program with the warrant officer corps as its backbone. This article addresses a critical gap in national space policy to outline a cost-effective dual-service training pipeline and SRP operational roles. Such an investment safeguards astronauts, bolsters US …

Bird Strikes During Climb And Approach: A Need For Innovative Management Strategies, Richard A. Dolbeer, Michael J. Begier

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wildlife Hazard Management Plans at civil airports in the United States cannot directly address threats posed by birds moving through aircraft climb and approach paths unrelated to nearby bird-attractant habitats such as landfills. As an iconic example, an Airbus 320 departing LaGuardia Airport (New York, USA) on January 15, 2009, struck a flock of migratory Canada geese (Branta canadensis) 8 km out at 884 m above ground level (AGL) that resulted in a water landing now known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.” We documented 1,841 and 458 strikes from 2009 to 2023 involving large (≥1.8 kg) and …

Whipped Into Shape: Infrastructure As Punishment For The Unruly Citizen, Eliza Mortimer

Anthós

This article interrogates how inflexible designs and policies of airline seating, as well as critical socio-political rhetoric, discipline and marginalize bodies that do not conform to normative standards. Situating airline seating within fat and disability studies models, Mortimer argues that these punitive measures are not neutral, but rather reflective of cultural narratives of productivity, morality, and bodily discipline. Mortimer draws from ethnographic analyses of first-person accounts and policy reviews to demonstrate how shrinking seats, rigid policies, and moralized discourse construct a “space of calculability” that pressures fat individuals to monitor and minimize their bodies to justify their presence in public …

Quantifying The Transfer Effectiveness Of An Artificial Intelligence-Based Simulator Pre-Training Program For Student Pilots, Ryan Guthridge

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Since the airline pilot shortage was initially studied in 2016, the pilot hiring model has been significantly impacted, with airlines hiring qualified pilots at unprecedented rates. The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed this hiring rate, however it is expected that airline hiring will soon increase to a rate higher than initially expected (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2022). With this dynamic, certified flight instructors are often the most qualified recruits for airlines, due to the number of hours and experience they have gained in the flight training organization. In turn, certified flight instructors are in short supply for flight training organizations worldwide. …

Analysis Of Public Acceptance Of Urban Air Mobility (Uam) Based On Air Travel Frequency, Seuggyun Jin, Kim O. Chambers

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is an innovative air transportation system designed for efficient travel in urban and suburban areas, offering significant time saving compared to traditional ground transportation. However, concerns about UAM services, such as safety and noise, remain prominent. Understanding public acceptance of UAM is crucial to identifying potential customers and ensuring the sustainability of commercial UAM operations. This study utilizes an online survey from a total of 254 consumer attitudes on the scales of reliability, usefulness, behavioral intention, safety, and concerns to examine public acceptance of UAM based on people's air travel frequencies. Using a one-way ANOVA, the …