Other Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Tactile Cueing Embedded In An Aviation Headset On Pilot Altitude Control, Nicholas D. Wilson, Jessica Van Bree, Matthew Cleveland, Sunny Charakuru, Thomas Petros, Richard Ferraro, Kouhyar Tavakolian

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

This study evaluated the effectiveness of tactile cueing integrated into a pilot’s headset on pilot altitude control during simulated instrument conditions. Pilots typically rely on visual and auditory inputs to maintain situational awareness, but in high-workload or instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), these channels can become overloaded. One underutilized alternative for alerting is a tactile cueing apparatus. Using an X-Plane simulation of a Piper Archer equipped with a G-1000 avionics suite, 39 FAA-certified pilots flew two precision approaches. The experimental group (n = 20) received haptic cues via ear seal-embedded tactors when deviating from assigned altitude or glideslope. The control group …

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, …

Physics-Informed Deep Learning For Pilot Parameter Estimation And Pilot-Induced Oscillation Characterization, Stephen A. Brutch

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the issue of loss-of-control in flight which is a driving contributor to fatal aviation accidents. The two main contributors tackled in this research are human pilot error and categories of pilot-induced-oscillations. The primary objective is to develop models that can capture the mathematical parameters that relate to human pilot control under the widely used McRuer Mathematical pilot model. The goal is that if the mathematical parameters that relate to human pilot control can be monitored during flight then the pilot’s input to the control system and pilot-induced-oscillations (PIO) can be monitored during flight to avoid loss-of-control. This …

An Investigation Into In-Flight Loss Of Control Accidents Due To Horizontal Stabilizer Changes On The Piper Cherokee, Connor John Geran

Theses and Dissertations

Loss of Control (LOC) while in-flight in General Aviation (GA) has been the subject of intense research by academic institutions and regulatory agencies in recent years [4] [9] [11] [19] [20] [21]. This interest is primarily due to a disproportionate number of all aircraft accidents occurring within the GA category of flight, with 94% of accidents in 2022 occurring within GA, caused primarily by pilot LOC, with 42% of accidents having LOC as the listed cause. Research into this subject at FIT yielded the results that many common GA aircraft tend to experience a strong pitch up response after undergoing …

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

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 …

Utilizing The System Engineering Trade Study Analysis Method To Analyze Patient Aeromedical Evacuation, Sara Shaghaghi, Jeremy M. Slagley, Michael E. Miller, Gaiven Varshney

Faculty Publications

The US Air Force has gone through many aeromedical patient isolation transport system designs. The first designs were developed in response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014 and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. The trade study analysis part of the system engineering design method was used to analyze the historic and current aeromedical patient contamination control transport systems. A trade study is a process that evaluates alternatives based upon various “-ilities”, such as reconfigurability, flexibility, durability, cost, and more, and performs a systematic analysis to aid designers in producing a ‘good’ design alternative given the large set of possible solutions. …

The Impacts Of Advanced Avionics On Degraded Visual Environments, Sultan Naseeb Harib Fairouz Mubarak, Anju Anna Jacob Dr

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Degraded visual environments (DVE) such as brownout, sand storms, and night conditions are responsible for accidents and hence losses in the aviation industry. There is a need to develop avionic systems to support pilots when they encounter environmental conditions that compromise their visual capacity. This report discusses the effects of DVEs on aviation, expounds on the advanced avionic systems available and further elaborates how these systems are implemented in countering DVE conditions. The report recommends on how advanced avionics systems have been and are being implemented in aircrafts to support decisions made by pilots flying under degraded visual environments.

Soarnet, Deep Learning Thermal Detection For Free Flight, Jake T. Tallman

Master's Theses

Thermals are regions of rising hot air formed on the ground through the warming of the surface by the sun. Thermals are commonly used by birds and glider pilots to extend flight duration, increase cross-country distance, and conserve energy. This kind of powerless flight using natural sources of lift is called soaring. Once a thermal is encountered, the pilot flies in circles to keep within the thermal, so gaining altitude before flying off to the next thermal and towards the destination. A single thermal can net a pilot thousands of feet of elevation gain, however estimating thermal locations is not …

Remote Pilot Situational Awareness With Augmented Reality Glasses: An Observational Field Study, Jeffery Coleman, David Thirtyacre

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

With the use of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) proliferating throughout industry and public safety, it is imperative to ensure safety of flight. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published regulations for commercial use of sUAS in 2016 and included the requirement to maintain visual line-of-sight with the aircraft at all times. However, due to the nature of the sUAS ground control stations (GCS), remote pilots time-share between observing the aircraft and interacting with the display on the GCS. Time-sharing between the aircraft and GCS can be seen as similar to the cross-check a pilot uses when flying a manned aircraft. …

Urban Flow And Small Unmanned Aerial System Operations In The Built Environment, Kevin A. Adkins

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has put forth a set of regulations (Part 107) that govern small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) operations. These regulations restrict unmanned aircraft (UA) from flying over people and their operation to within visual line of sight (VLOS). However, as new applications for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are discovered, their capabilities improve, and regulations evolve, there is an increasing desire to undertake urban operations, such as urban air mobility, package delivery, infrastructure inspection, and surveillance. This built environment poses new weather hazards that include enhanced wind shear and turbulence. The smaller physical dimensions, lower mass and …

Book Review: Fundamentals Of International Aviation, Alan Bender

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Not applicable.

Real Time And High Fidelity Quadcopter Tracking System, Tyler Mckay Hall

Computer Engineering

This project was conceived as a desired to have an affordable, flexible and physically compact tracking system for high accuracy spatial and orientation tracking. Specifically, this implementation is focused on providing a low cost motion capture system for future research. It is a tool to enable the further creation of systems that would require the use of accurate placement of landing pads, payload acquires and delivery. This system will provide the quadcopter platform a coordinate system that can be used in addition to GPS.

Field research with quadcopter manufacturers, photographers, agriculture and research organizations were contact and interviewed for information …

Fdm Machine Learning: An Investigation Into The Utility Of Neural Networks As A Predictive Analytic Tool For Go Around Decision Making, John Bro

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

FDM MACHINE LEARNING: An investigation into the utility of neural networks as a predictive analytic tool for go around decision making.

Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Operations Into The National Airspace System, Benjamin Cook, Holly Hughes, Kyle Wilkerson, Allison Little

Discovery Day - Prescott

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) are expected to dominate the National Airspace System (NAS) in the near future. One particular barrier preventing the integration of unmanned aircraft into the NAS is the lack of standardized procedures for distinguishing and communicating with remote UAS operators. In preparation for adopting unmanned flight operations into a complex control system, it is important to identify solutions to effectively control UAS in the NAS. To achieve simultaneous safe manned and unmanned aircraft operations in the NAS, the Joint UAS and ATC Team (JUAT) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) are developing a system that could be used …

Expedient Airfield Runway Repair Using Folded Fiberglass Mat, Christopher Y. Tuan, Willaim C. Dass

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

For expedient airfield runway repair, the US Air Force has developed a folded fiberglass mat to cover craters repaired with a well-compacted granular base material. The objective of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of using polymer plugs to anchor the mat to a repaired asphalt pavement for heavy aircraft operations. The effort consisted of materials testing, field experiments and analytical modeling. An 89,800-kg (198,000-pound) load cart having the footprint of a single C-5 main gear was pulled on a mat with wheels locked to simulate full braking forces. Anchor bushings were instrumented to measure anchor loads. A simplified …

Hot Surface Ignition, Yerbatyr Tursyn, Vikrant Goyal, Alicia Benhidjeb-Carayon, Richard Simmons, Scott Meyer, Jay P. Gore

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Undesirable hot surface ignition of flammable liquids is one of the hazards in ground and air transportation vehicles, which primarily occurs in the engine compartment. In order to evaluate the safety and sustainability of candidate replacement fuels with respect to hot surface ignition, a baseline low lead fuel (Avgas 100 LL) and four experimental unleaded aviation fuels recommended for reciprocating aviation engines were considered. In addition, hot surface ignition properties of the gas turbine fuels Jet-A, JP-8, and JP-5 were measured. A test apparatus capable of providing reproducible data was designed and fabricated to experimentally investigate the hot surface ignition …

Thinking Rather Than Panicking About The Current Drone Threat, Tom Foley, Tyrone Groh

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

Originally titled "UAS Threats in Sport Venues," the authors opted to expand their focus to better to all threats from UASs, and to encourage better preparation for and responses to such threats. Foley and Groh discuss different strategies.

Special Article. Space Security In A World Of Security And Insecurity, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article provides a theoretical analysis from which a space security expert could appreciate the complexity and richness of the space security challenge.