Aviation Commons^™

The Past And The Promised Future Of Supersonic Flight, Rowan Seskin

Emerging Writers

The commercial aviation industry is extremely competitive, and constant innovation is an essential part of its success. In 1976, the Concorde raised the stakes by more than doubling the cruising speed of existing airliners. However, a handful of issues plagued the aircraft until its eventual retirement in November of 2003. Since then, no airliner has successfully taken its place, but the tides are turning. In my research, I investigated the factors that led to the Concorde's demise and examined the steps currently being taken to overcome those challenges.

Cooperative Pursuit Nonlinear Guidance And Control Laws To Surround Intruder Swarms, Rishab Rijal

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

In this thesis, an integrated guidance and control architecture to enable a group of n quadcopters, which are connected to each other by a rope line, to perform cooperative pursuit with the objective to surround a swarm of intruder UAVs (possibly flying in restricted airspaces) is presented. The UAVs in the intruder swarm may maneuver and sometimes get closer to each other, and sometimes further apart, and the pursuing UAVs need to adjust their formation appropriately to achieve the surround objective. A nonlinear controller is developed for the quadcopters so as to effectively execute the guidance laws, thereby ensuring precise …

Fostering Trust In Artificial Intelligence In Commercial Aviation: An Exploratory Study, Leila Halawi, Mark Miller, Sam Holley

Publications

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a transformative force, compelling industries to adapt their operations, management systems, and workforce capabilities. The aviation sector finds itself at the forefront of this transformation, confronted with the imperative to navigate the complex dynamics of trust amidst AI's integration. Through a comprehensive survey involving 310 professionals from across the US commercial aviation sector, the research aims to shed light on the trust construct. The exploratory study provides critical insights for strategic AI adoption within the industry. A crosstabulation explored how employee trust in AI for decision-making differed across various demographic groups. In addition, a onesample T-test …

Electronic On Planes: Security Measures And Avionics Disruption, Martin Jasek, Ivana Olivková

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Airlines have implemented various security measures to address the use of electronics on aircraft, focusing on telecommunication services, Bluetooth technology, and personal electronic devices (PEDs). This study evaluates 50 airlines using data from websites and safety videos to assess these technologies. While the integration of new technologies like in-flight Wi-Fi and Bluetooth offers passenger benefits, concerns persist about the potential electromagnetic interference with aircraft avionics. Early research by NASA and the FCC highlighted the risks, finding that devices like mobile phones could disrupt GPS signals during critical flight phases. Despite conflicting studies, ongoing monitoring is essential to balance passenger connectivity …

The Intellectual Structure And The Future Of Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems (Uas) Research: A Bibliometric And A Scoping Review, Chuyang Yang, Chenyu Huang, Yanhui Zhao

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

With advancements in remote sensing technology and affordable design, uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, have become prevalent in civil and military applications, such as agriculture, public safety, and aerial imaging. However, the rise in unlawful UAS activities, such as non-compliance with legal standards and potential terrorist attacks, has raised significant public concern, necessitating effective detection and mitigation solutions. Despite the growing importance of this issue, comprehensive and detailed examinations of existing counter-UAS solutions are lacking. To address this gap, this study conducts a bibliometric analysis and scoping review of the current literature to identify key topics and …

Increasing Initial Cfi Capacity Within Collegiate Flight Programs, Andrew Leonard, Cody Christensen

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

According to the Government Accountability Office (2018), collegiate aviation schools face two primary challenges: flight instructor retention and the high cost of pilot training. In a study of collegiate aviation programs, 16 of the 18 schools reported difficulty in recruiting and retaining certified flight instructors (CFI), leading to the inability to accept all students who applied to the programs. Furthermore, these programs attributed the high instructor turnover to the increased demand for commercial pilots at the airlines, a challenge that is not expected to decrease in the near future (Boeing, 2023). While the lack of flight instructor retention impacts flight …

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence To Improve Data Configuration & Accuracy In Modern Flight Management Systems, Sreeram Chittayil

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

AI (Artificial intelligence) can automate the process of generating optimized flight routes using real-time data, such as AIRAC (Aeronautical Information Regulation and Control), significantly reducing the time needed for flight management tasks. While AIRAC data typically takes up to 28 days to refresh, AI could condense this process to just minutes, enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring pilots have timely and accurate flight information. The research includes practical experiments, prototype code, and visual case studies to demonstrate AI's role in optimizing FMS functions while addressing issues related to data input errors and human intervention. Key findings from trials show the algorithm's …

Performance Prism: A Comprehensive Framework For Performance Measurement In Aircraft Maintenance, Mohammed Timjerdine, Saoudi Taibi, Younes Moubachir

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Aircraft maintenance is governed by rigorous safety requirements and high operational complexity, demanding robust performance measurement frameworks to ensure optimal maintenance practices. This paper investigates existing performance measurement methodologies within the sector, highlighting their limitations and the need for a more structured evaluation system. Through this critical analysis of current literature, the paper proposes the Performance Prism (PP) framework as a novel and potentially robust solution for assessing and enhancing aircraft maintenance performance. Because the PP framework integrates multiple dimensions of evaluation, it provides a holistic assessment of aircraft maintenance performance, thereby enhancing reliability, efficiency, and overall effectiveness. Using examples …

Prioritization Of Voluntary Silence Criteria In Military Aviation For The Sustainability Or Safety Superiority, Vildan Durmaz, Cüneyt Ceyran, Ebru Yazgan

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Since aviation is one of the sectors involving high levels of risk in today’s world, the presence of a safe working environment is crucial for both flight operations and aircraft maintenance services. Thus, it is vital for aviation workers to be aware of unsafe situations as well as dangers and potential risks in order to create a safe environment and establish an organizational safety culture. One of the fundamental components of such awareness is information, and voluntary reporting of this information as well as unsafe situations by aviation employees is one of the most important ways for managers to access …

Airspace Saturation And Midair Collision Risk: A Case Study At A Class D Airport, Luigi Raphael I. Dy, John H. Mott

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Near midair collisions are precursor events to actual collisions and may be an indicator of risk. While previous studies have used reports of near midair collisions to relate factors such as airspace saturation to near midair collisions, the reports relied upon were generally subjective in nature. With the adoption of automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), the approximate position of every equipped aircraft can be recorded. A six-month case study was performed at the Purdue University airport to relate the number of 1000-foot proximity events to airspace saturation, and whether the Class D airspace affected this relationship. Through a logistic regression analysis, …

Railroad Condition Monitoring Using Distributed Acoustic Sensing And Deep Learning Techniques, Md Arifur Rahman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Proper condition monitoring has been a major issue among railroad administrations since it might cause catastrophic dilemmas that lead to fatalities or damage to the infrastructure. Although various aspects of train safety have been conducted by scholars, in-motion monitoring detection of defect occurrence, cause, and severity is still a big concern. Hence extensive studies are still required to enhance the accuracy of inspection methods for railroad condition monitoring (CM). Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) has been recognized as a promising method because of its sensing capabilities over long distances and for massive structures. As DAS produces large datasets, algorithms for precise …

Fundamentals Of Sustainability, Eva Maleviti

Publications

Fundamentals of Sustainable Aviation is the frst textbook to survey the critical feld of sustainability within the aviation industry. Taking a systems thinking approach, it presents the foundational principles of sustainability and methodically applies them to diferent aviation sectors. Opening with the basics of sustainability, emphasising the Sustainable Development Goals, the book then considers the environmental, economic and social dimensions of aviation. The following chapters apply these insights to aviation design, supply chains, operations, maintenance and facilities. The fnal chapter examines the concept of resilience in sustainable aviation. Overall, the textbook shows how future sustainability can be achieved by making …

Functional Monitoring For Run-Time Assurance Of A Real-Time Cyber Physical System, Matthew W. Gelber

Theses and Dissertations

As cyber-physical systems (CPS) become more integrated into everyday life, the security of these systems must also be considered during their development due to their ever-increasing importance. With the growth of physical components in the system, more autonomous control requirements, and increased dependence on proper functionality, verifying system safety and correct operation becomes increasingly difficult. CPS have become more complex through the combination of additional hardware and the resulting interconnected software in many layers, each requiring unique security solutions. One example of such a safety-critical CPS embedded system is the Flight Control System (FCS) of an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). …

Short-Term Forecasting Airport Passenger Flow During Periods Of Volatility: Comparative Investigation Of Time Series Vs. Neural Network Models, David H. Hopfe, Kiljae Lee, Chunyan Yu

Publications

Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), known for handling complex data tasks like language translation and speech recognition, are seldom employed in airport management practice for daily and weekly passenger flow forecasting tasks. In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness and adaptability of various neural network models (RNN, LSTM, GRU, Deep LSTM, Bidirectional LSTM, multivariate RNN, and multivariate LSTM) against standard time series models (ARIMA, SARIMA, and SARIMAX) for a short-term forecasting airport security checkpoint passenger flows at five major U.S. airports during the pandemic.

At Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL), the RNN notably surpasses SARIMA's forecasting accuracy by 34% (DM= 3.44, p …

Visual Acquisition And Detection Of Manned Fixed-Wing Aircraft And Rotorcraft: An Analysis Of Pilots' Perception And Performance, Rania Bassou

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the rapid advancement of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) has led to an increasingly complex National Airspace System (NAS), necessitating a comprehensive understanding of factors that impact pilot visual acquisition and detection of other aircraft (including manned fixed-wing, rotorcraft, and UAS). The objective of this study is to investigate factors that affect pilot performance in visually acquiring and detecting other manned-fixed wing aircraft and manned rotorcraft using a multi-method approach, incorporating qualitative and quantitative data analysis. A diverse sample of pilots with varying flight experience participated in the study. Participants were exposed to a series of flight test …

Analyzing Flight Delays: Legacy And Low-Cost Carriers In The U.S., Kwangyeol Yang, Dae Keun Jeon, Nawaf Nasser M. Alsubaie, Vivek Sharma, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

This study analyzed flight delays between legacy and low-cost carriers in the U.S. from 2013 to 2022. The study found a higher average percentage of flights delayed among low-cost carriers than legacy carriers and identified a significant difference in the percentage of total flights delayed by airline type.

Artificial Intelligence & Aviation: A Content Analysis, Victor E. Morales, Jonathan Escalera, Jose Sanchez, Brooke Wheeler, Vivek Sharma

Aeronautics Student Publications

The aviation industry has explored the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into its unique aspects. This study aimed to identify the trends in publications that discuss AI and aviation within 2013-2023. A content analysis is used to identify any regressions in the trends of publication counts discussing AI and aviation. The study collected publication data from the Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Database (ATAD) using specific search terms, “AI and aviation,” “artificial intelligence and aviation,” “AI and aircraft,” and “AI and aircraft safety,” to accurately obtain publications. The collected data is then categorized by publications per year and is represented in …

Change In Air Cargo Revenue Before Vs During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ali Abushal, Timothy R. Buchal, Ethan Noto, Brooke Wheeler, Vivek Sharma

Aeronautics Student Publications

This study aimed to investigate the changes in revenue experienced by cargo airlines before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. To gather the necessary data, information was sourced from the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) databases and the websites of the specific airlines. The findings of this study revealed significant shifts in revenue for cargo airlines during the pandemic. Some airlines experienced an unexpected rise in revenue, challenging our previous understanding of the industry dynamics. These findings highlighted the importance of conducting a comprehensive analysis that includes a larger view of the aviation sector.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact …

Wildlife Strikes By Damage Category In The U.S. From 2013-2022, Malek Alharbi, Catherine Meechan, Brooke Wheeler, Vivek Sharma

Aeronautics Student Publications

The FAA provides the public with a database containing reports of wildlife strikes. We gathered data on the reported types of damage and concluded there was a difference in the annual strike rate by damage category with no damage as the most reported damage category.

The Influence Of Aviation Technology On Human Complacency, Aurora Burton

Honors Theses

The thesis covers automation complacency in the aviation industry. The purpose being to provide a foundation of complacency-related accidents to support or dismiss the Federal Aviation Administration’s claim to automation-induced inattention. Complacency factors are outlined in a multitude of fields, creating a background for aviation discussion. To outline the parameters of literature review, behaviors associated with complacency are addressed. Next, a compilation of accident reports is examined and categorized. Specific, impactful accidents relating to complacency are detailed and explained. Summarily, three solutions to human-driven complacency are proposed, evaluated, and analyzed. Including the following: proficiency advancement, technology improvement, and change in …