Aviation Commons^™

Empowering Precision Forecasting: Self-Supervised Lstm For Hourly Pressure And Temperature Prediction, Anand Shankar, Deepak K. Singh, Mantosh Kumar, Pankaj Kumar, Pradhan Parth Sarthi

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

The most important parts of any flight are landing and takeoff, and an aircraft's takeoff configuration must balance the regulated takeoff weight, runway length, and weather conditions to ensure a safe departure and arrival. In addition to runway length, wind, temperature, pressure, and visibility determine the total allowed takeoff weight and the economic viability of any trip. Thus, any meteorological office involved in flight planning and operation at any airport must accurately assess these factors, known as takeoff data. This research paper suggests multivariate self-supervised LSTM-based models to accurately predict the temperature and pressure (MSLP) of the takeoff data. The …

The State Of Uas Operations At Airports, A Perspective From Airport Managers, Damon Lercel, Sarah M. Hubbard

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

As the number of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) operating in our National Airspace System (NAS) increases, so do UAS operations near or at an airport. The accelerating technology in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and related business opportunities will only further increase UAS operations at airports. This continued growth in new UAS technologies and applications introduces new hazards and risks to the airport environment. This proliferation of UAS highlights the importance of airports developing a robust Safety Management System (SMS) that includes specific UAS risk mitigations. There is currently little empirical data regarding UAS traffic around airports and there is no …

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 …

Bio-Inspired Airfoil Design Based On The Aerodynamic Analysis Of A Bird Feather Microstructure, Jack C. Ihm

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates the aerodynamic effects of a bio-inspired airfoil design based on the microstructure of a secondary feather from a female wood duck. The research hypothesized that incorporating barbs and barbules into an airfoil design would modify boundary layer behavior by introducing localized flow disturbances. To test this, a bio-inspired airfoil was developed by integrating the microstructure into a NACA 0012 airfoil and analyzed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations at angles of attack of 0°, 5°, 10°, and 15°. The results showed that the bio-inspired airfoil influenced boundary layer behavior, producing localized flow disturbances near x/c = 0.7 …

An Operational Field Study: A Comparison Of Piloting Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles And Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, David Thirtyacre, Joseph Cerreta, Pete Miller, Kimberly Luthi, Jolee Thirtyacre

Publications

and operations, the ability to cross-train personnel in both Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles and Small Uncrewed Aircraft System operations has become a focal point for efficiency and workforce optimization. This study presents a comparative analysis of the operational and human factor considerations involved in piloting mini UUV and sUASs, highlighting the key similarities and differences in control methods, environmental influences, navigation, emergency procedures, and situational awareness. A qualitative experimental field study was conducted between July 2024 and October 2024, involving real-world deployments of both systems in maritime and aerial environments. Findings indicated that while UUV and sUAS operators relied on remote …

Suas Agricultural Aerial Application Operational Field Test, David Thirtyacre, Joseph Cerreta, Scott S. Burgess

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

One of the most promising uses of aerial applications by a sUAS is on small farms where traditional crewed aerial applicators were not practical due to the limited size of the operations. This controlled field test aimed to assess the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of using a sUAS spreading system compared to the traditional manual application of weed killer and fertilizer on cranberry bogs in Western Washington that were less than 10 acres. The aerial application took place over two separate days as scheduled by the farmer for maximum product efficiency. A total of sixty-three flights were necessary to apply the …

Bibliometric Analysis With R Biblioshiny On Safety Behavior In Aviation, Büşra Yıldırım, İnan Eryılmaz, Ahmet Karacan, Nusret Erceylan

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Safety behaviors in aviation are not limited to technical knowledge and skills in ensuring the safety of flight operations, but also include the attitudes, decision-making processes and collaborations of individuals and teams. In this context, in this study, a bibliometric analysis of publication and citation trends, key concepts and interactions of studies in the field was conducted to identify current and potential trends in aviation and safety behavior-based research, and to explore the intersections between safety behavior and aviation studies and the areas waiting to be explored. The bibliometric analysis using the RStudio-based Biblioshiny program was conducted on 1065 articles …

Innovative Bird Strike Mitigation Strategies: Integrating Drones And Cutting-Edge Technologies To Enhance Airport Safety, Abdellah Hanine, Abdellah Elbarkany

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Notwithstanding significant efforts to reduce the risk of bird strikes at and around airports, as well as advancements in technology, aviation safety continues to be threatened by this hazard. Our study of recent data shows a clear historical increase in accidents, therefore underscoring the flaws in present technologies. Although among the technologies in common use are radar, drones, cameras, and acoustic approaches, they are not always able to completely meet the challenging needs of bird strike risk mitigation. This approach creatively blends these four fundamental technologies by means of enhanced real-time data processing and targeted drone deployment. While providing more …

Design, Implementation, And Testing Of Spatial Disorientation Scenarios In A Modified Hexapod Motion Simulator, Jarod Hinckley, Ryan Paul, Logan Rock, Joe Conner, Jon M. Loffi

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Abstract

Investigations into aviation accidents aim to identify root causes and enhance safety. Despite advancements in safety measures, technology, and education, general aviation accident rates remain stable, with loss of control identified as the leading cause. Spatial disorientation is a significant contributing factor in these incidents, accounting for approximately 10% of general aviation accidents—90% of which are fatal. Addressing spatial disorientation is increasingly critical with the emergence of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles, a sector projected to reach a $30 billion market by 2030. While AAM is expected to transition toward full autonomy, human pilots will operate these vehicles during …

Generalizing Classification Of Pilot Workload: Transfer Learning Versus A Jepa-Inspired Transformer Architecture, Naim Barnett, Shivani Nagrecha, Morgan Glover, Clayton Harper, Justin Wilson, James Maher, Eric C. Larson

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Within the context of learning, there poses difficulty when objectively measuring human performance. In this work, we investigate the evaluation of human performance via its relation to the individual's mental capacity by classification of cognitive load within the domain of aviation. By utilizing a mixed virtual and physical flight simulation environment in conjunction with biometric sensing, we create and evaluate the predictive capabilities of a Joint-Embedding Predictive Architecture (JEPA) and compare the architecture and results to traditional methods for transfer learning and domain adaptation. We find that our JEPA inspired architecture can achieve more than 70% accuracy of cognitive workload, …

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 …

The Coalition Development Of Allied Close Air Support Doctrine During World War Ii, David S. Stieghan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research aims to discover how the American and British air forces worked collaboratively to provide ground support to their armies in Europe during World War II. While the official histories and scholars of the two countries concentrate on their unique national efforts, they analyze little of their cooperative efforts. By examining primary and secondary research sources to discover the experiments, doctrine development, and combat experience of both air forces, an understanding emerges that both nations combined their efforts in World War II in separate directions until beginning to work together on planning for the D-Day invasion.

By discovering the …

Navigating The Safety-Regulation Gap: Unraveling Systemic Challenges In Aviation Through Historical Accidents Analysis, Joshua Jackson

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Predictive Maintenance Analysis Of Turbofan Engine Sensor Data, Stanley A. Melkumian

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Predictive maintenance in aviation and aerospace applications is among the most explored problems in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), and datasets such as NASA’s C-MAPPS turbofan engine degradation simulation data have proven invaluable, helping researchers explore numerous questions on engine performance, maintenance, and failure. The purpose of this study was to extend the current research on predicting the remaining useful life (RUL) of engines and their risk classification. Starting with simple yet under-investigated nonlinear survival and random forest models, the analysis implemented eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and long short-term memory (LSTM) from TensorFlow’s Keras library. For both regression …

Air Supremacy, The Enabler Of Close Air Support Operations – An Evaluation Of Past, Present, And Future Air Campaigns., Owen Topolnicki

Senior Honors Theses

The achievement of gaining aerial supremacy, or lack thereof, is the hinge upon which Close Air Support (CAS) swings. The attainment of it enables CAS specialist aircraft, not unlike the Ju-87 Stuka or A-10 Thunderbolt II, to be exceptionally effective in their operating environment. While the lack of it, forces aircrews to pioneer new solutions either in the form of multi-role aircraft (capable of self-defense), or other innovative solutions similar to unmanned aerial systems (UAS’s), as aptly seen in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Thus, the ability of an air force to gain air supremacy and to do so quickly, …

Ai, American Politics, And Modern Warfare, Madisen Campbell

Space and Defense

As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms modern warfare, it will pose profound ethical challenges for America’s constitutional democracy.

Technological advancements in the world today, particularly the field of artificial intelligence (AI), impact the current political system in the United States. The importance of understanding and addressing the complex challenges and opportunities of incorporating AI into American politics is key to developing a profound understanding of AI in modern warfare and the implications it has for policy making in America. The need for policy makers and military leaders to receive insight on the development of AI and to develop strategic approaches for …

U.S. 5g Technology Policy: Competition Or Boycott?, Wes Ferguson, Kyle Vargus

Space and Defense

Rather than corral allies and partners across the globe into boycotting Chinese 5G telecommunication systems, U.S. officials should embrace free-and-fair trade competition against China, even in products and services where China may enjoy a technological lead.

The race for technological supremacy has emerged as a defining characteristic of the newest era of great power competition. China and the United States compete to become the dominant world power. Each side is racing to create the latest and most elite technologies to catapult themselves into the lead and give them the edge over their adversary. The fifth generation of wireless technology, called …

Atomic Assurance: Funding A Modern U.S. Test Readiness Program, Mark Tang

Space and Defense

To address intensified strategic competition with Russia and China, the United States should reinstate funding for a modern nuclear Test Readiness Program.

The U.S. has never faced the threat of two adversarial powers with nuclear arsenals that equal our own. With the emphasis on great power competition and mounting aggression by both China and Russia, the risk of conflict with either or both powers is growing. Currently, the U.S. is ill prepared for the possible existential challenge that is deterring conflict with two major nuclear peer adversaries. America’s defense strategy and approach towards the international order must change to protect …

Earth To Orbit: Three Models For Strengthening Space Deterrence, Anton Dahm

Space and Defense

Nuclear, cyber, and integrated deterrence models hold lessons for space deterrence strategy, including declared thresholds, resilient space architecture, and the embrace of international competition in technological innovation.

The United States depends heavily on space capabilities, significantly more than any other country. Not only does space enable navigation, communications, environmental monitoring, and other vital capabilities, but space has also been described as the most essential warfighting domain. However, the U.S. space architecture mirrors its early days: relying on important, expensive payloads on a limited number of satellites. While providing important capabilities to U.S. decision-makers, kinetic and non-kinetic weapons can easily target …

The German Zeitenwende: Turning Point Or Blind Alley?, Savannah Hollen

Space and Defense

The Zeitenwende, or turning point, announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, may end up leaving Germany with few good defense policy options.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Germany vowed to change course, to expand and modernize its military, which for decades has been weak relative to the size of Europe’s leading economy. As bold as Germany’s declarations have been, German leaders may well have walked into a blind alley, unsure of exactly how Zeitenwende will happen, what the final results will be, or the consequences if they never come close to …