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Virtual Reality & Pilot Training: Existing Technologies, Challenges & Opportunities, Tim Marron M.S., Niall Dungan Bsc, Captain, Brian Mac Namee Phd, Anna Donnla O'Hagan Phd

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

The introduction of virtual reality (VR) to flying training has recently gained much attention, with numerous VR companies, such as Loft Dynamics and VRpilot, looking to enhance the training process. Such a considerable change to how pilots are trained is a subject that warrants careful consideration. Examining the effect that VR has on learning in other areas gives us an idea of how VR can be suitably applied to flying training. Some of the benefits offered by VR include increased safety, decreased costs, and increased environmental sustainability. Nevertheless, some challenges ahead for developers to consider are negative transfer of learning, …

Interpersonal Skills In A Sociotechnical System: A Training Gap In Flight Decks, Kimberly Perkins Atp, Fraes, Sourojit Ghosh, Crystal Hall Phd

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

This research analyzed the perceptions of interpersonal skills on established aviation safety models, Crew Resource Management (CRM), and Threat and Error Management (TEM) using feedback from industry pilots. The flight deck is a sociotechnical system where much research has focused on the technical aspect, whereas we spotlight its socio aspect. The aviation industry must invest in training pilots on interpersonal skills to enhance safety through increased efficacy of safety models integrated throughout existing training programs. A 34-question survey was disseminated across both commercial and business aviation pilots (N=822). We explored three research questions regarding pilots’ perceived training on interpersonal skills …

History’S Slowest Digital Transformation: The Long Road To Flight Data Monitoring, Michael Ott Msaam, Fraes, Atp

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Flight data monitoring (FDM) began in the flight test community in 1939 and entered the airline industry in 1974. In the 48 years since, however, very few operators have chosen to adopt this practice, which has shown clear safety benefits where it has found acceptance. While technical issues have created some obstacles, cultural issues have proven the greatest hindrance to wider FDM adoption. These cultural issues originated in the traits associated with pilots’ personalities, especially distrust of the regulators and operators who would administer flight data analysis programs (FDAP) that used FDM information. U.S. regulators have relied on voluntary adoption, …

'I’M A Pilot First, Female Second': Why Flight Deck Gender Imbalance Persists And The Case For Allyship, Kimberly Perkins Atp, Fraes, Rachael H. Merola Phd, Sourojit Ghosh, Cecilia Aragon Phd, Atp

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Why is there greater gender parity for long-haul truck drivers, astronauts, and paleontologists than for women airline captains? This study uses a mixed-methods approach to examine the underlying causes of the gender imbalance in the United States aviation industry, in which only 3.6% of airline captains are women. Two polls and one survey gather data from professional pilots (N=1093) on their experience with stereotyping, gender bias, and allyship. Direct comments were analyzed to shed light on the results of the survey. Results suggest that, contrary to prevailing perceptions, the persistent gender imbalance in the flight deck can largely be attributed …

A Quantitative Analysis Of Seaplane Accidents From 1982-2021, David C. Ison

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

This study aimed to assess and analyze all historical National Transportation Safety Board accident reports since 1982. For analysis, reports were bisected into seaplane (float, amphibian, and hull) and non-seaplane groups. Findings showed that there is a deficiency in the level of available detail on the seaplane fleet and cadre of seaplane pilots in the U.S. During the most recent ten years of complete data (2012-2021) showed a negative trend in all accidents and fatal accidents, although only the latter being statistically convincing. During this timeframe, seaplane accident pilots had significantly higher total time and age than other groups (non-seaplane …

Evaluating The Effects Of Safety Management Systems (Sms) On Safety Culture Factors In Collegiate Aviation Operations: A Structural Equation Modeling (Sem) Approach, Robert A. Foster, Daniel Kwasi Adjekum

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Implementing Safety Management Systems (SMS) is currently voluntary for collegiate aviation operations in the U.S. Some extant studies have advocated using Safety Management Systems (SMS) as a proactive tool to continuously improve collegiate aviation safety culture. Using a structural equation modeling/path analysis (SEM/PA) approach, the effect of SMS on factors of safety culture in multiple collegiate aviation programs in the U.S. was evaluated using a hypothesized model that measures the relationships between scales of SMS, safety motivation (mediator), and safety culture factors (safety compliance, safety reporting, and safety participation). Demographic differences in safety culture were also evaluated. Findings suggest significant …

Experience Levels Forcing A Change In Aviation Planning, Jason A. Powell Mas, Atp, Cfmei, Elizabeth Crockett Ms, Aas, A&P,

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

This theoretical article evaluates the changing dynamics caused by high turnover in aviation and how the lower level of experience impacts aeronautical companies' organizational planning and partnerships. The aviation organization must adapt managerial practices and alter training capability and procedures to ensure appropriate skill levels. Without proper planning, the company will have an imbalance of skills and accept more risk to operations. The aviation organization may be unable to adapt current scheduling practices to properly prepare the aircrew for challenging situations or sufficiently train maintenance personnel. The result is a need to leverage strategic partnerships, alter management practices toward personnel …

Cabin Crew Members’ Silence: A Qualitative Study With Cabin Attendants, Seda Ceken, Pinar Unsal

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Silence among flight crews has been one of the significant causes of aviation incidents and/or accidents. This study aims to explore why flight attendants remain silent during flights and/or do not report errors after the end of the flight. For this purpose, semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 21 flight attendants. The data were analyzed through content analysis using the MAXQDA 22 Qualitative Analysis Program. Themes and coding related to the research question were obtained by analyzing the scripts with creative coding techniques. Nine themes were identified by the content analysis, namely "poor relationship with cabin supervisors/pilots", "the lack of …

“You’Ll Never Really Be One Of Us”: Women’S Underrepresentation In The Aviation Workforce, Rebecca K. Lutte Ph.D., Shannon M. Morrison Ph.D.

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Women are underrepresented in many aviation occupations despite outreach and recruitment efforts from multiple organizations. Attracting women into aviation is a necessity not only to address workforce demand but also to achieve the benefits of a more diverse workforce to include enhanced profitability, safety, and innovation. To address the gender gap, the research presented here attempts to inform recruitment/retention strategies by identifying both the positive and negative factors that influence a woman’s decision to pursue a career in aviation and the decision to persist. Additionally, factors such as participation in youth outreach programs, role of mentors, influencers who support or …

An Analysis Of The Effect Of Self-Efficacy Of Female Students In Collegiate Flight Programs, Stefanie Horton M.S., Mallory K. Casebolt Ed.D.

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

The purpose of this research was to examine the effect of self-efficacy of male and female students in collegiate flight programs to identify if a relationship exists between self-efficacy responses and gender representation in aviation. Self-efficacy, an element of social cognitive career theory’s (SCCT) behavioral factors, deals with an individual’s belief in his/her capacity to address a certain set of circumstances. No studies have been found addressing self-efficacy of students enrolled in collegiate aviation programs, specifically addressing differences between male and female students. The population for this study consisted of students enrolled in four-year collegiate aviation programs, as found through …

Uas For Public Safety: Active Threat Recognition, Joseph Cerreta, Tray Denney, Scott S. Burgess, Anthony Galante, David Thirtyacre, Gloria A. Wilson, Patrick Sherman

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The Center for Homeland Defense and Security identified an increase of active threat events, such as mass shootings, annually since 1999. Literature suggests that 90% of shootings were over before law enforcement arrived at the scene and the first responder response was limited to “surround and contain” until Special Weapons and Tactics Teams (SWAT) arrived on the scene. Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to detect which individual was the threat and type of weapon used can provide useful information to increase the speed of the response for first-on-scene rather than waiting for SWAT if the type of weapon was known. …

The Persistence Of Safety Silence: How Flight Deck Microcultures Influence The Efficacy Of Crew Resource Management, Kimberly Perkins, Sourojit Ghosh, Julie Vera, Cecilia Aragon, Adam Hyland

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The majority of First Officers and Captains feel that Captains establish the tone of the flight deck microculture. However, the majority of these pilots also report that as First Officers, they have hesitated to share safety-pertinent data and/or experience being silenced after sharing safety data due to a psychologically unsafe flight deck. Utilizing direct feedback from industry pilots, we explore ways that Captains can create a more inclusive microculture that elicits safety voice. The safety system designed to enhance crew collaboration, Crew Resource Management, fails to adequately establish tools for designing a psychologically safe flight deck. We conclude that Crew …

Emergency Preparedness And Response Education In Aviation Management Programs In The United States, Heather L. Servaty-Seib, Andrew Brown

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Aviation disasters are decreasing in number but remain impactful and require competent management. Aviation Management program department heads (N = 26) in the United States were surveyed regarding the extent of curricular inclusion of emergency preparedness and response in aviation management programs. The findings indicated that few aviation management programs offer elective or required courses solely focused on emergency preparedness and response (EPR) whereas just over one third of programs offer an elective or required course within which EPR is a planned topic. Department heads recognized the importance of additional coverage because a) students need the practical information and b) …

Leadership Style And Communication Style Of Airline Pilots: Perceived Associations With Crew Members’ Satisfaction And Effort, Carlos Rouco, Maria Eduarda Soares, Eliana Mendes, Soraia Jamal

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Leadership and communication have been identified as paramount factors for flight safety and efficiency but research on the effects of these factors is scarce. This study analyzes which leadership styles and which communication styles are perceived by airline pilots to be associated with their teams’ satisfaction and extra effort. A survey was conducted with a total of 105 airline pilots, and a research model was tested with structural equation modeling. Results indicated that participative leadership is the only leadership style retained by the model explaining satisfaction and extra effort of crew members. Participative leadership is positively related to assertive communication …

Prediction Models For Willingness To Support Private And Government Space Ventures: A Regression Study, Danita Baghdasarin, Sheri Hashemi, Scott Winter, Stephen Rice

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Public opinion is critical to the future of United States (US) space ventures as it can affect factors such as funding and legislation. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that influence the American public’s willingness to support both private and government space ventures. A set of 15 possible predictors were identified via a review of similar articles and surveys, including demographic information, social media and news consumption behaviors, offline activity, and opinions about space ventures. A total of 638 adults from the US participated in this study via Amazon ® Mechanical Turk ®. A multiple regression analysis …

China’S “Three Warfares”: People’S Liberation Army Influence Operations, Edwin S. Cochran, U.S. Department Of Defense, Retired

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The following article—whose author is both a retired US Army officer and retired Department of Defense civilian employee with multiple publications—focuses on Chinese information operations. Readers might wish to speculate on matters such as why the Chinese have organized the way they have, whether the organization leads to optimal integration of tools of national security/political power, and how vulnerable specific populations and even intelligence cultures are to specific types of information operations. One might even conclude that the only thing that has not changed in thousands of years has been the technology available to influence others.

This article examines the …

Trump’S False ‘Realism’, Muhammad Ali Baig, Syed Sabir Muhammad

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

Comment from IBPP Editor: One key challenge implicit in this article compromises interactions among formal political science definitions of realism and psychological constructions of realism, materialism, objectivism/subjectivism, empiricism, and idealism.

Authors' Abstract: Foreign policy pivoted upon realist principles has have remained a vital instrument to pursue, achieve, secure and sustain the policy objectives of a state. America being the liberal hegemonic state maintained ‘liberal hegemony’ since the end of the Second World War. Realists intended to adopt a realist foreign policy; however, ideologies like ‘American Exceptionalism’ dominated over the former. President Donald Trump opted for protectionism with the objective of …

Espionage: Why Did Hanssen Do It?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes speculative elements of a post-dictive profile on Robert P. Hanssen’s convictions for espionage and conspiracy.

“I’Ll Be Your Mirror”, The Soul, And Intelligence And Counterintelligence Applications, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes how the psychological trope of mirroring can explicate mass leadership and betrayals of trust.

The Us Government Shutdown: When Is Personality Shut Out?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article identifies factors influencing how significant a leader’s personality affects political decision making and behavior.

Mindspace And Development Of Organizational Culture In Aviation Safety Management, Wilson Gilliam Jr

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Abstract

The organization’s role in establishing a culture fertile for safety development, risk management and mitigation is paramount. Barriers to the effectiveness of aviation safety systems may emerge when human biases interfere with the basic processes of safety management systems. Biases come in many forms and can serve as unconscious discriminatory behaviors against a person’s race, gender, sexual orientation, profession, skill level or other characteristic. Biases can also result from instinctive reactions and habitual patterns serving to protect one’s status, sense of belonging, desire to be viewed as normal and other characteristics. Minimizing biases within an organization is a key …

A Tale Of Two Airlines: A Comparative Case Study Of High-Road Versus Low-Road Strategies In Customer Service And Reputation Management, Donna Roberts, John C. Griffith

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Does customer service - good or bad - really matter? Customer surveys from Ryanair and Southwest Airline passengers were examined to determine their perceptions regarding customer service for the period of 2012-2013. Southwest Airlines (n=149) was rated significantly higher than Ryanair (n=165) in overall rating (p=.0228), seat comfort (p

Global Aviation System: Towards Sustainable Development, Marina P. Bonser Dr.

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Aviation around the world has integrated into a global system. As the integration process continues, more aspects and levels of it need to be lead towards the sustainable development of the whole system via advancing strategic management, global communication proficiency, and technological expertise. It becomes essential to enrich global language (English) proficiency with cross-cultural communication competence not only for communication in the air but also for airport security, passenger and cargo services, aircraft and equipage engineering, building, and maintenance. Nowadays lower levels of management need more advanced strategic thinking and problem solving skills, and higher levels of management need global …

Difference In Attitudes Toward Crew Resource Management Based On Nationality, Christoph Zurman, Herbert O. Hoffmann, Hans-Joachim K. Ruff-Stahl

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The E-3A Airborne Early Warning and Control System aircraft operates with multinational crewmembers from 15 different nations on 12 different aircrew positions. Given this non-standard cultural environment, the authors explored the differences in the attitude toward Crew Resource Management (CRM), based on nationality, and how these differences could be used as a predictor for other nationalities attitudes. The potential benefit of this study may be, that CRM methods could be developed further to either work universally, independent to national or cultural backgrounds, or be adjusted for different cultural contexts in order to be even more effective. Primary data was gathered …

Fatigue In Collegiate Aviation, Erik Levin, Flavio Coimbra Mendonca Mr, Julius Keller, Aaron Teo

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Flight training has received little attention in fatigue research. Only transfers of knowledge gained in commercial and military aviation have been applied to general aviation without bridging the gap to the training environment. The purpose of this study was to assess collegiate aviation students’ perceptions of lifestyle and mitigation strategies related to fatigue. Participants were recruited from a Midwestern university’s accredited Part 141 flight school and a partner fixed base operator (FBO). The researchers of this study used a survey questionnaire to gather quantitative and qualitative responses. The majority of participants (68%) had logged less than 250 flight hours and …

Personality Profiling And Narratology: Implications For Why People Go Bad, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article suggests the utility of narratology in the post-dictive profiling of political leaders.

Psychological Profiling Of Political Leaders: Searching For Three White Whales, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes three types of information crucial to psychological profiling of political leaders.

A Bit Like Cash: Understanding Cash-For-Bitcoin Transactions Through Individual Vendors, Stephanie J. Robberson, Mark R. Mccoy

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

As technology improves and economies become more globalized, the concept of currency has evolved. Bitcoin, a cryptographic digital currency, has been embraced as a secure and convenient type of money. Due to its security and privacy for the user, Bitcoin is a good tool for conducting criminal trades. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has regulations in place to make identification information of Bitcoin purchasers accessible to law enforcement, but enforcing these rules with cash-for-Bitcoin traders is difficult. This study surveyed cash-for-Bitcoin vendors in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico to determine personal demographic information, knowledge of …

Organizational Psychology: The Entrance To, Residing In, And Exit From Sensitive Positions, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article identifies psychological problems and promise in identifying those in sensitive positions within organizations who may betray, are betraying, and have betrayed trust.

Psychologies Of The Immigration Wars: Can We And Should We Support Diversity?, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

As with the global war on terror, there are the immigration wars. What are some psychological foundations?