Engineering Commons^™

A Comparison Of General Aviation Accidents Involving Airline Pilots And Instrument-Rated Private Pilots, Douglas D. Boyd, Mark Scharf Ph.D., David S. Cross

Publications

Introduction: The extremely low accident rate for U.S air carriers relative to that of general aviation (~1 and ~60/million flight hours respectively) partly reflects advanced airman certification, more demanding recurrency training, and stringent operational regulations. However, whether such skillset/training/regulations translate into improved safety for airline pilots operating in the general aviation environment is unknown, and the aim of this study. Methods: Accidents (1998-2017) involving airline pilots and instrument-rated private pilots (PPL-IFR) operating non-revenue light aircraft were identified from the NTSB accident database. An online survey informed general aviation flight exposure for both pilot cohorts. Statistics used proportion testing and Mann-Whitney …

The Impact Of Automation On Student's Career Decision, Muhammad Hizkil Imran, Arshveen Ramesh, T Rudran

Introduction to Research Methods RSCH 202

We study the impact of automation on employment and students’ career paths, by obtaining credible datasets from the Government of Singapore. The manufacturing and construction sectors were the most affected industries over the last 15 years. Along with the limited studies, we propose a survey to quantify and analyse students’ views on automation. The shift in employment rate in various sectors due to automation was found to be a contributing factor for students’ career decisions. Based on our findings, we observed that more students are acknowledging the impact of automation and finding the need for job securities and opportunities by …

An Analysis Of Wildlife Strikes To Aircraft In Brazil: 2011-2018, Flavio A. C. Mendonca, Julius Keller, Chenyu Huang Ph.D.

Publications

Purpose: Aircraft accidents due to wildlife hazards have become a growing safety and economic problem to the Brazilian and international aviation industries. These safety occurrences have resulted in significant direct and indirect economic losses as well injuries and fatalities worldwide. The purpose of this study was to develop empirical information obtained from the analysis of wildlife strike and aircraft operations data in Brazil that could be used for accident prevention efforts.

Design/methodology: The research team collected and analyzed aircraft operations as well as wildlife strike data from the 32 busiest commercial airports in Brazil, from 2011 through 2018. …

Racial Diversity In Aviation, Lindsay Stevenson, Haydee M. Cuevas, Katie S. Kirkpatrick

Student Works

Commercial aviation has grown rapidly since the 1950s yet racial diversity in the aviation workforce has showed little progress. To explore this issue, this archival study was conducted to examine the representation of Black individuals in aviation occupations and other specialized professions from 2009 to 2018. Data were obtained from the American Community Survey using Public Use Microdata Sample from the United States Census Bureau. The frequency count and percent were calculated each year for each occupation by race (White or Black). Five aviation occupations were selected for comparison: aircraft pilot and flight engineer; air traffic controller and airfield operations …

Digital Fabrication Of A Small Diameter Polymer Optical Waveguide, Venkat Rama Bhethanabotla, Thomas M. Weller, Roger Brandon Tipton, John Townsend Bentley, Eduardo Antonio Rojas

Publications

A novel polymer optical waveguide and method of manu­facturing is presented herein. A digitally manufactured pro­cess is described which utilizes a micro-dispensed UV optical adhesive as the contour guiding cladding, a fused deposition modeling technology for creating a core, addi­tional optical adhesive to complete the cladding and a subtractive laser process to finish the two ends of the optical interconnect.

Uas Detection And Negation, Houbing Song, Yongxin Liu, Jian Wang

Publications

Unauthorized operation of a UAV may present privacy or security risks. A software-defined radio (SDR) or other receiver can be used to monitor a specified range of frequencies to provide detection of wireless communication signals suspected of relating to UAV operation. A protocol detector corresponding to a trained classifier can be applied to data packets demodulated by the SDR. A transmitter can then be triggered to provide warnings by injecting warning data into a video channel in response to the detected protocol. Control of the UAV can be established by transmitting simulated control commands that overwhelm the signals received from …

Methodologies And Techniques For Determining The Value Of An Aircraft, Bijan Vasigh, Farshid Azadian, Kamran Moghaddam

Publications

Aircraft valuation and the estimation of an accurate aircraft price is undoubtedly a challenging task that has significant consequences for airlines. This paper presents an asset valuation model to show how a series of endogenous as well as exogenous factors can influence the value of an aircraft. Specifically, a discounted cash flow methodology is used to forecast the valuation of an old or new generation aircraft. Both total operating revenue and aircraft operating costs are taken into account to devise a reliable pre-tax profit measurement that is used as the basis of the discounted cash flow analysis. A sensitivity analysis …

Women In Aviation: A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Needs And Wants Necessary For Graduation, Eugene Kim, Jorge L. D. Albelo

Student Works

Despite the increased awareness of gender and race equality movements, today's population of minority women in aviation is still underrepresented. This research focused on underrepresented minority women who want to pursue a career in the aviation field and what factors affect their level of success in a specialized aviation higher education institution. There is not enough data and research surrounding the topic of minority women in aviation and their paths to success in these institutions. This qualitative research aimed to bridge the existing gap in the literature related to minority women in aviation and their needs and wants to complete …

Brazilian Regulation Aspects And Their Impact On Costs, Alexandre Berbel, Frederico Zaccaro, Philippe Dos Santos, Rogerio Maldonado

Graduate Student Works

This project analyzes the Brazilian regulation for the airline and the current public data provided by the stakeholders. It intends to scientifically support a possible change in Brazil's existing regulation related to airline responsibilities on passenger accommodation for different types of situations, including ANAC 400 and other ramifications. This project aims to compare the Brazilian law with various regulations adopted in other markets where the rules are created considering different circumstances to define responsibilities for the passenger accommodations. This study will analyze the differences, measuring the impacts that changes could bring in terms of costs for the Airlines. It will …

A Ranking Method To Prioritize Vfr Airports To Be Provided With Instrument Approach Procedures, Marcelo Soares Leao, Gustavo A.M. Ortegal Leal, Fabio Rodrigues Paukoski Fernandes

Graduate Student Works

The primary purpose of this work is to investigate the necessity of a more comprehensive and systematic method to prioritize airports to be provided with instrument approach and landing procedures in the Brazilian air transportation landscape. An overview of the main contributors to risks associated with the approach and landing phases is provided, covering the most important aspects of unstable approaches and CFIT events. Considering the emergence of Terrain Awareness and Alerting Systems (TAWS), the role of its contribution to safety is discussed, as well as the certification context related to the design, installation, and operation of those systems. A …

Decision-Making Matrix To Enable Shorter Connections, Fernanda Torezan Godoy, Sergio Abrao Retes Jr., Talita Zucchini Rabelo

Graduate Student Works

MCT is known as Minimum Connection Time. It refers to the time needed for a passenger to connect from a flight to another in a specific airport, varying according to the connection type. MCT is an essential tool for airlines. It is used as an input in constructing their network and daily, specifically by operational teams, to connect or disconnect a passenger from a flight, for example, during an IROPS scenario. However, the MCT is considered the worst scenario of the variables that composes it, which means that there are opportunities for airlines to reduce the connection time in daily …

Covid 19 Impact On Aircraft Ground Time At Congonhas Airport (Cgh), Fabio Pereira Teixeira, Felipe Massao Higa, Ricardo Matsumoto Jakabi, Rodrigo Moreira Riberiro

Graduate Student Works

This project aims to research and analyze the impact of the increase of ground time at Congonhas Airport caused by the new safety procedures in aviation to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Aviation is a highly regulated industry, with the high cost and tiny margins. It focuses on optimizing one of the most expensive assets, the aircraft. To keep aircraft flying is one of the airline's primary goals as aircraft on the ground means no revenue generation and cost increase.

Congonhas Airport is one of the busiest airports in Brazil and already operated on its limited capacity before …

Parking Effects On Aircraft Reliability And Flight Performance, Danilo Scolfaro Fava, Fabio Renato Rossi Do Nascimento, Lucas Serrano Rodrigues, Rafael Gustavo Shoiti Yamashiro

Graduate Student Works

During the pandemic period caused by Coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2020, the airlines have parked or stored their fleets partially or wholly worldwide. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated a major downsize in approximately 65% of the worldwide airline fleet's airline operational activity at the end of April 2020. With that said, mechanical and electrical systems, when stopped during long periods, can deteriorate by corrosion, contamination, discharge, and oxidation (Boeing, 1998). During the aircraft parking or storage process, it is not different (Airbus, 2020). This study aims to understand how much the aircraft performance and reliability are affected by parking …

In-Flight Fuel Management Committing To The Destination, Aldo Bien, Daniel Araguaia Galli Ribas, Paulo Cesar Serafim Pacheco, Rodrigo Garcia De Freitas Cardoso

Graduate Student Works

This project intends to clarify the Brazilian Civil Aviation Regulation RBAC 121 on its topic relating to the current ICAO recommendation from Doc. 9976 (Flight Planning and Fuel Management Manual), which regards the committing to the destination policy.

The present Brazilian regulation is not precise whether the alternate fuel could or could not be used to proceed to the original destination without compromising the emergency fuel, once exact specific requirements are met. As a result of unclear directrices, each major airline in Brazil comprehends and applies the ICAO recommendation in its way. Such a non-standardized interpretation of the current …

Training Synergy, Andre Vieira Caputo, Everton Amieiroe, Lucio De Araujo Alves, Renan Dapena Roveran, Leila Halawi

Publications

Brazil is facing a growth in the airline industry where all the major airlines are currently hiring pilots, flight attendants, and mechanics. One of the challenges of those airlines is to provide training for all these professionals. Many times they do not have instructors or classrooms available. It is crucial for the airlines to promote faster and better training, to reduce cost, save time and resources to prepare a better professional. In this paper, we are showing the possibility of increasing the cost performance of airline training by providing alternatives to airlines. The idea is to promote synergy between the …

Enterprise Architecture Transformation Process From A Federal Government Perspective, Tonia Canada, Leila Halawi

Publications

The need for information technology organizations to transform enterprise architecture is driven by federal government mandates and information technology budget constraints. This qualitative case study aimed to identify factors that hinder federal government agencies from driving enterprise architecture transformation processes from a compliancy to a flexible process. Common themes in interviewee responses were identified, coded, and summarized. Critical recommendations for future best practices, including further research, were also presented.

Engine Light Repair Shop Evaluation For A Brazilian Airline, Gustavo Henrique Melhado Trevilatto, Marcelo Miranda, Leila Halawi

Publications

The maintenance cost of a commercial aircraft comprises airframe, components, and engines. The most expensive of them are engines, which may represent up to 60% of an aircraft cost, and therefore will have a significant impact on any airline finance. As a result, engine fleet maintenance management is crucial for any airline sustainability. Apart from heavy maintenance where life-limited parts are replaced and its performance restored, aircraft engines are often required to come off wing for light repair due to operational issues like foreign object damage, high oil consumption, and vibration issues. In other cases, even though being operational, engines …

From Classroom To Industry: Human Factors In Aviation Maintenance Decision-Making, Bettina Mrusek, Stephanie Douglas

Publications

The presence of human factors in aviation remains a critical area of research given the safety implications of human error. Understanding what specific factors contribute to human error allows managers and operators to take steps to mitigate these hazards. Several methods have been tested in the cockpit and cabin crew environments, but less attention has been given to the aviation maintenance sector, despite the prevalence of accidents resulting from human error. With the introduction of AC-172A, the FAA validated the need for additional research and training on the role of human factors in aviation maintenance errors. However, a key component …

Finite-Time State Estimation For An Inverted Pendulum Under Input-Multiplicative Uncertainty, Sergey V. Drakunov, William Mackunis, Anu Kossery Jayaprakash, Krishna Bhavithavya Kidambi, Mahmut Reyhanoglu

Publications

A sliding mode observer is presented, which is rigorously proven to achieve finite-time state estimation of a dual-parallel underactuated (i.e., single-input multi-output) cart inverted pendulum system in the presence of parametric uncertainty. A salient feature of the proposed sliding mode observer design is that a rigorous analysis is provided, which proves finite-time estimation of the complete system state in the presence of input-multiplicative parametric uncertainty. The performance of the proposed observer design is demonstrated through numerical case studies using both sliding mode control (SMC)- and linear quadratic regulator (LQR)-based closed-loop control systems. The main contribution presented here is the rigorous …

Finite-Time State Estimation For An Inverted Pendulum Under Input-Multiplicative Uncertainty, William Mackunis, Sergey V. Drakunov, Anu Kossery Jayaprakash, Krishna Bhavithavya Kidambi, Mahmut Reyhanoglu

Publications

A sliding mode observer is presented, which is rigorously proven to achieve finite-time state estimation of a dual-parallel underactuated (i.e., single-input multi-output) cart inverted pendulum system in the presence of parametric uncertainty. A salient feature of the proposed sliding mode observer design is that a rigorous analysis is provided, which proves finite-time estimation of the complete system state in the presence of input-multiplicative parametric uncertainty. The performance of the proposed observer design is demonstrated through numerical case studies using both sliding mode control (SMC)- and linear quadratic regulator (LQR)-based closed-loop control systems. The main contribution presented here is the rigorous …

Case Study: Unsaturated Embankment Failure On Soft Soils, Ghada Ellithy, Timothy D. Stark

Publications

This paper describes the application of unsaturated soil mechanics to an interstate connecting-ramp embankment that failed during construction. Specifically, matric suction is incorporated into the calculation of the tension crack (TC) depth induced by desiccation and strain incompatibility and the contribution of matric suction to embankment shear strength. The results are compared with field observations to assess the viability of unsaturated soil mechanics in modeling compacted embankments in stability analyses. Results from this study suggest that using unsaturated shear strength parameters while introducing a TC in the compacted fill yields a reasonable inverse analysis of this interstate embankment. This may …

Zero-Bias Deep Learning For Accurate Identification Of Internet Of Things (Iot) Devices, Yongxin Liu, Houbing Song, Thomas Yang, Jian Wang, Jianqiang Li, Shuteng Niu, Zhong Ming

Publications

The Internet of Things (IoT) provides applications and services that would otherwise not be possible. However, the open nature of IoT makes it vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. Especially, identity spoofing attacks, where an adversary passively listens to the existing radio communications and then mimic the identity of legitimate devices to conduct malicious activities. Existing solutions employ cryptographic signatures to verify the trustworthiness of received information. In prevalent IoT, secret keys for cryptography can potentially be disclosed and disable the verification mechanism. Noncryptographic device verification is needed to ensure trustworthy IoT. In this article, we propose an enhanced deep learning framework …

Face Mask Effects Of Co2, Heart Rate, Respiration Rate, And Oxygen Saturation On Instructor Pilots, Andrew R. Dattel, Nicola M. O'Toole, Guillermina Lopez, Kenneth P. Byrnes

Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has required people to take new measures to mitigate the spread of the communicable virus. Guidelines from health organizations, government offices, and universities have been disseminated. Adherence to these guidelines cannot be more critical for flight training. This study explored the effects face masks had on CO2, heart rate, respiration rate, and oxygen saturation while wearing a face mask at an oxygen level simulated to 5,000 feet. Thirty-two instructor pilots (IP) volunteered to participate in the study. IPs spent 90 minutes in a normobaric chamber while wearing a cloth face mask or a paper face mask. Participants …

Gender Differences And Cockpit Design, Susan Archer, Heidi Brewer, Stacie Fain, Stephanie Smith

Student Works

The design project reported in this paper examined female pilots’ experiences with how well or poorly cockpit design allowed them to safely accomplish their flying missions. The general aviation aircraft cockpit is not designed for female pilots, often causing them to find ways to adapt to the cockpit in order to operate the aircraft safely. Two primary focal areas for adaptations address issues with accessibility of controls and “viewability” inside and outside the cockpit. The design team used a Situation Awareness-Oriented Interface Design (SAOD) approach in preparing cockpit design recommendations for general aviation aircraft that would accommodate female pilots.

Dynamics Of Discontinuities In Elastic Solids, Arkadi Berezovski, Mihhail Berezovski

Publications

The paper is devoted to evolving discontinuities in elastic solids. A discontinuity is represented as a singular set of material points. Evolution of a discontinuity is driven by the configurational force acting at such a set. The main attention is paid to the determination of the velocity of a propagating discontinuity. Martensitic phase transition fronts and brittle cracks are considered as representative examples.

Filament Winding Composite Airframes For Sounding Rockets, Eric Ford

Student Works

This study’s objective was to determine the feasibility of manufacturing carbon fiber cylinders using an X-Winder filament winder for a structural airframe in sounding rockets. Multiple carbon fiber tubes were manufactured using the X-Winder and tested. The results of this testing successfully demonstrated that tubes manufactured with the X-Winder are capable of performing as an airframe for small sounding rockets. Five tube samples were destructively tested in compression, and the average maximum compressive strength of the tubes was 9,854 lbf. One of the tubes was used as the airframe in a small sounding rocket which flew to 4,042 feet above …

Performance Testing Of Aero-Naut Camfolding Propellers, Or D. Dantsker, Robert W. Deters, Marco Caccamo, Michael S. Selig

Publications

The increase in popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been driven by their use in civilian, education, government, and military applications. However, limited on-board energy storage significantly limits flight time and ultimately usability. The propulsion system plays a critical part in the overall energy consumption of the UAV; therefore, it is necessary to determine the most optimal combination of possible propulsion system components for a given mission profile, i.e. propellers, motors, and electronic speed controllers (ESC). Hundreds of options are available for the different components with little performance specifications available for most of them. By examining a variety of …

Aerodynamic And Aeroacoustic Performance Of Small Uav Propellers In Static Conditions, William Jordan, Robert W. Deters, Shreyas Narsipur

Publications

The proliferation of small multi-rotor UAVs in commercial, recreational, and surveillance spheres has garnered significant interest in the noise produced by these vehicles. The current research aims to study the relationship between the aerodynamic performance and acoustic characteristics of small-scale UAV propellers. Three commercially available propellers for the DJI Phantom 2/3 UAV were selected for preliminary development and validation of an aeroacoustic experimental test setup and associated data reduction methods. Propeller thrust, torque, and power measurements were recorded at static conditions. Upon successful validation of the test bench, acoustic measurements were taken at the propeller disk’s upstream and in-plane locations. …

Safety Management System Implementation Planning, David Thirtyacre

Publications

No abstract provided.

Application Of Mounting Personal Pid Voc Sensors To Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems To Aid First Responders, Cheri Marcham

Publications

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems in Emergency Response

• Current sUAS Uses
• Search and rescue
• Thermal imaging
• Evaluating structural stability
• Spread of wildfires
• Storm damage