Aviation Commons^™

Development Of A Master Of Software Assurance Reference Curriculum, Andrew J. Kornecki, James Mcdonald, Julia H. Allen, Mark Ardis, Nancy Mead, Richard Linger, Thomas B. Hilburn

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - Daytona Beach

The Next Generation Air Traffic Management system (NextGen) is a blueprint of the future National Airspace System. Supporting NextGen is a nation-wide Aviation Simulation Network (ASN), which allows integration of a variety of real-time simulations to facilitate development and validation of the NextGen software by simulating a wide range of operational scenarios. The ASN system is an environment, including both simulated and human-in-the-loop real-life components (pilots and air traffic controllers).Real Time Distributed Simulation (RTDS) developed at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a suite of applications providing low and medium fidelity en-route simulation capabilities, is one of the simulations contributing to the ASN. …

Fault Tree Analysis For Safety/Security Verification In Aviation Software, Andrew J. Kornecki, Mingye Liu

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - Daytona Beach

The Next Generation Air Traffic Management system (NextGen) is a blueprint of the future National Airspace System. Supporting NextGen is a nation-wide Aviation Simulation Network (ASN), which allows integration of a variety of real-time simulations to facilitate development and validation of the NextGen software by simulating a wide range of operational scenarios. The ASN system is an environment, including both simulated and human-in-the-loop real-life components (pilots and air traffic controllers).Real Time Distributed Simulation (RTDS) developed at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a suite of applications providing low and medium fidelity en-route simulation capabilities, is one of the simulations contributing to the ASN. …

Implementing Jet Aircraft Training In A University Setting: Instructor Perceptions And Lessons Learned, Scott R. Winter, Jennifer E. Kirschner, Steven M. Leib, Richard O. Fanjoy

Publications

This paper presents the findings of a phenomenological study of instructor pilot first-hand experiences when conducting training for collegiate flight students in a jet aircraft. While jet training has been conducted in simulators in the past, this was one of the first instances of training in an actual aircraft. A total of 22 students completed training in a very light jet aircraft during the spring semester of their junior year at the subject university. A group of four instructors conducted both simulator and flight training with the students. Surveys were used to collect data from instructors longitudinally throughout the length …

E-Learning In Multi-Cultural Environments: An Analysis Of Online Cabin Crew Training, Jose Felix De Brito Neto

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Throughout the first decade of this century, the airline industry struggled with many challenges stemming from unstable oil prices and natural disasters. Attention was given to people as tools for competitive advantage. The airline industry focused on Human Resource Management and, as a result, e-learning gained increasing attention as it imparted knowledge on an asynchronous and global basis with substantially reduced costs. However, while focusing on learning technologies, organizations failed to acknowledge learners needs and cultural backgrounds by creating neutral e-learning environments, which resulted in ineffective training and reduced performance improvement. This thesis aimed to study the perceptions of a …

2012 Manufacturers Safety Management System Pilot Project Report Design And Manufacturing Organizations, Jeff Duven, Linda Navarro, David Hempe, Alan J. Stolzer

Publications

In October, 2009, the Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) chartered a team to conduct the Manufacturers' Safety Management Systems (MSMS) pilot project. The pilot project began in January, 2011, and encourages voluntary implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS) among aviation Design and Manufacturing (D&M) organizations in order to allow the FAA to assess how to provide oversight of these systems. Eleven companies representing the breadth of organizations that AIR oversees participated.

The MSMS pilot project culminated in December, 2012. Information, results, and lessons learned from the pilot project were captured via the MSMS Teams' final deliverable to AIR-150. The report was …

The Effects Of Energy Beverages In Counteracting The Symptoms Of Mild Hypoxia At Legal General Aviation Altitudes, Daniel Mark Bull

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to conduct preliminary research, in the form of a pilot study, concerning the natural effects of hypoxia compared to the effects of hypoxia experienced after the consumption of an energy beverage. The study evaluated the effects of hypoxia on FAA certificated pilots at a simulated legal general aviation altitude, utilizing the normobaric High Altitude Lab (HAL) located at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida. The researcher tested 11 subjects, who completed three simulated flight tasks within the HAL using the Frasca International Mentor Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD). The flight tasks were …

We Did Our Part: The Story Of A World War Ii Aaf Air Transport C-47 Pilot In The South West Pacific, Kay Nehring

ERAU Prescott Aviation History Program

Hear the story of Lt Charles J. Nehring, as told by his daughter, who went from selling shoes in N. Dakota to dropping paratroopers on Corregidor. He served with the 39th SQ of the 317th TCG from ‘42 to ‘45 and shot rare 16mm color film of his daily activities and flights. Kay narrates the film and reads from his letters home, as well as brings a collection of his WW II things for viewing. A unique and personal look at the war.

Evaluating Dynamic ‘Landing Gear Unsafe’ Auditory Alerts As A Defense Against Habituation, Vincenzo Fasano

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Auditory alerts are widely used in today's daily routine. Unlike their visual counterparts, auditory alerts can be used to capture someone's attention, even though the user is not within visual range. As beneficial as auditory alerts can be, it is possible to become habituated to alerts. Habituation is the elimination of a response as a result of continuous exposure to a stimulus. In this small-scale study, methods to reduce pilot habituation to the 'landing gear unsafe' auditory alert were investigated. Ten subjects executed eight non-precision instrument approaches that exposed the subjects to the 'landing gear unsafe' auditory alert for a …

A Gap Analysis Of Meteorological Requirements For Commercial Space Operators, Nicholas J. Stapleton

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Commercial space companies will soon be the primary method of launching people and supplies into orbit. Among the critical aspects of space launches are the meteorological concerns. Laws and regulations pertaining to meteorological considerations have been created to ensure the safety of the space industry and those living around spaceports; but, are they adequate? Perhaps the commercial space industry can turn to the commercial aviation industry to help answer that question. Throughout its history, the aviation industry has dealt with lessons learned from mishaps due to failures in understanding the significance of weather impacts on operations. Using lessons from the …

Acoustic Emission Signal Classification For Gearbox Failure Detection, Jun Shishino

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this research is to develop a methodology and technique to determine the optimal number of clusters in acoustic emission (AE) data obtained from a ground test stand of a rotating H-60 helicopter tail gearbox by using mathematical algorithms and visual inspection. Signs of fatigue crack growth were observed from the AE signals acquired from the result of the optimal number of clusters in a data set. Previous researches have determined the number of clusters by visually inspecting the AE plots from number of iterations. This research is focused on finding the optimal number of clusters in the …

A (Declassified) History Of Military Drones, Stephen Rayleigh

ERAU Prescott Aviation History Program

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or drones, are said to be the newest technology of contemporary warfare, but the military's use of drones spans the last 100 years. Hear the riveting story of the numerous secret UAV programs around the world, starting with the Sperry Aerial Torpedo Project in 1918 (consulted by Orville Wright), the German cruise missile program, American remote controlled bombers in WWII, the Firebee recon drone used in Vietnam, Israel's highly successful UAV program, and finally the coming of age of UAV's in Operation Desert Storm.

General Aviation Weather Encounter Case Studies, John M. Lanicci, Massoud Bazargan, Daniel Halperin, Scott Shappell, Jaclyn Baron, Rebecca Iden, Carla Hackworth, Kali Holcomb

School of Graduate Studies - Daytona Beach

This study presents a compilation of 24 cases involving general aviation (GA) pilots’ weather encounters over the continental U.S. The project team interviewed pilots who had experienced a weather encounter, and we examined their backgrounds, flight experience, and weather encounter details. Results from meteorological data analysis for each weather encounter were consistent with findings of larger GA weather accident studies in terms of the types of hazards encountered and flight phase during which the encounters occurred. Investigation of pilot weather products and the sources from which they were obtained revealed a lack of uniformity of pre-flight data sources and underutilization …

Effects Of Oxygen Deprivation On Pilot Performance And Cognitive Processing Skills: A Pilot Study, David Francis Shideler

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, pilots flying above 14,000 ft. are required to use supplemental oxygen. The purpose of this study was to examine how oxygen deprivation below 14,000 ft. affects pilot performance using the Frasca Mentor Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD), and cognitive processing skills using the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM(TM)) cognitive test. The study was conducted in a Normobaric High Altitude Laboratory at simulated altitudes of 5,000 ft. and 14,000 ft. In this pilot study, only five participants were tested; non-significant results of the analysis were anticipated; however, as oxygen levels decreased and time of …

The Influence Of Automation On Aviation Accident And Fatality Rates: 2000-2010, Nicholas A. Koeppen

Publications

The purpose of this project is to evaluate if technological advances and implementation of automation have produced a decrease in the number and severity of accidents in commercial aviation over the last decade. To accomplish this evaluation historical commercial aviation accident data from 2000 to 2010 will be examined. Commercial fixed wing and rotary wing data will be evaluated. No aviation incident data will be collected; the project will be limited in scope to commercial aviation accidents. Accidents highlighting major deficiencies involving automation will be discussed in detail. To further support the projects purpose, emphasis will be given to evaluate …

The Effect Of Control And Display Lag On Uas Internal Pilot Manual Landing Performance, Marshall Everett Lloyd

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

An important characteristic of UASs is lag because it can become a considerable challenge to successful human-in-the-loop control. As such, UASs are designed and configured to minimize system lag, though this can increase acquisition and operation costs considerably. In an effort to cut costs, an organization may choose to accept greater risk and deploy a UAS with high system lag. Before this risk can be responsibly accepted, it must be quantified.

While many studies have examined system lag, very few have been able to quantify the risk that various levels of lag pose to an internally piloted, manually landed UAS. …

The Effects Of Expertise And Information Location On Change Blindness Detection Within An Aviation Domain, Dinorah Zárate

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Change blindness is a phenomenon where the viewer fails to detect change in an object or scene during a visual disturbance. During a flight, a pilot samples multiple displays for information about the task at hand. It is imperative that the changes in the displays are being correctly viewed by pilots to ensure a safe flight. However, it is unknown how much change blindness affects pilots or if pilot expertise plays a role in change detection.

A change blindness experiment was performed with twenty four participants divided into two groups based on expertise. Expert pilots were defined as instructor pilots …

Analysis Of The Impact Of Scenario-Based Training On The Aeronautical Decision Making Of Collegiate Flight Students, Mariko Genevieve Doskow

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The persistence of faulty decision making as a primary cause of accidents indicates a need to train pilots to make better decisions. The purpose of this study was to analyze scenario-based training's effectiveness at improving the aeronautical decision making of collegiate flight students. The researcher scored each participant's aeronautical decision making as they completed simulated flights in an advanced aviation training device. The scores quantified the participants' aeronautical decision making on seven decision-making variables and served as the basis for generating an overall decision making score for each participant. The experimental group completed a scenario-based aeronautical decision making treatment between …

The Effect On Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Reporting Culture From Implementing An Aviation Safety Action Program, Robert Blake Kelly

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The Flight Training Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, has been contemplating implementing an Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) in order to help protect students and instructors from certificate action. This feasibility study analyzed what motivated instructor pilots to submit safety reports, and if an ASAP would increase reporting from instructor pilots. It also identified what concerns existed among instructors and managers regarding an ASAP. A survey was given to instructors and managers; also instructors in leadership roles were interviewed. It was found that the benefit to the organization and peers was the highest motivation factor to submit safety …

The Effect Of Cockpit Noise On The Temporary Threshold Shift Of Cessna 172sp Flight Instructors, Andrew Robert Bellini

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to study the temporary threshold shift of general aviation flight instructors resulting from their working environment. Exposure to noise before a temporary threshold shift completely recovers can cause a permanent threshold shift with no possibility of recovery, resulting in permanent hearing loss. A result showing minimal to no temporary threshold shift would indicate that hearing personal protective equipment is working properly. This study used sound-level measurements, and audiometric testing, together with survey data to determine whether or not flight instructors were at risk for potential hearing impairment due to temporary threshold shift. Independent t …

Spacecraft And Propulsion Technician Error, Daniel Clyde Schultz

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Commercial aviation and commercial space similarly launch, fly, and land passenger vehicles. Unlike aviation, the U.S. government has not established maintenance policies for commercial space. This study conducted a mixed methods review of 610 U.S. space launches from 1984 through 2011, which included 31 failures. An analysis of the failure causal factors showed that human error accounted for 76% of those failures, which included workmanship error accounting for 29% of the failures. With the imminent future of commercial space travel, the increased potential for the loss of human life demands that changes be made to the standardized procedures, training, and …

The History Of Air Traffic Control, Rose Marie Kern

ERAU Prescott Aviation History Program

Did you know that the United States Aviation program began as a subdivision of the Federal Bureau of Lighthouses? Hear the fascinating story of the steps taken to bring organization to to the wild, new and exciting world of aviation at the beginning of the 20th Century. Kern will also discuss how various branches of the ATC came into being as well as some future plans of the FAA.

Low-Cost Flight Test Telemetry Systems, Mario Noriega Fogliani

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

A traditional Flight Test Telemetry system is based on a peer-to-peer architecture where a system of antennae enables a signal to be transmitted between an aircraft and a receiving ground station. Said system generally requires costly infrastructures on the ground and complex antennae components to be installed on the aircraft. Newer approaches may use satellite communications, but the available spectrum is being encroached by commercial wireless networks such as mobile broadband. Given the very fast growth that the mobile broadband technology is experiencing, it might be feasible to utilize this ever-expanding new infrastructure as a low-cost alternative to conventional flight …

Analysis Of The Effects Of Hypoxia On Cognitive Processing Ability, Meaghan Catherine Hart

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This one way repeated measures analysis with five levels of oxygen saturation used the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Normobaric High Altitude Lab (HAL) to determine the cognitive reduction in spatial orientation and mental math ability experienced by individuals at progressively increasing levels of hypoxia, measured in blood oxygen saturation, when exposed to the FAA legal altitude of 15,000 feet. Each of the eleven participants in the study ( N = 11) were exposed to both a normoxic normobaric (nominal PO2 = 21%) environment in a conference room and hypoxic normobaric environment (PO2 = 12.21%) in the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University …

Naturalistic Study Examining The Data/Frame Model Of Sensemaking By Assessing Experts In Complex, Time-Pressured Aviation Domains, Katherine P. Kaste

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Research on expert chess players, radiologists and landmine detection personnel suggests a use of cognitive frameworks, alternatively referred to as schemas, templates, scripts, frames and models, to effectively perceive, interpret, understand, recall, and anticipate information. These experts may use cognitive frameworks to capture past experience in ways that support rapid pattern recognition, adaptive responses and proactivity. The proposed research approach assumes that experienced pilots will similarly rely on cognitive frameworks to handle information and make sense of complex, fast-moving situations experienced in their information-dense environments. Predictions from Klein et al.'s (2006) Data/Frame Model of Sensemaking were used to evaluate event-based …

Assessing Color Discrimination, Joshua R. Maxwell

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate human color vision discriminability within individuals that have color normal vision and those that have color deficient vision. Combinations of 15 colors were used from a list of colors recommended for computer displays in Air Traffic Control settings, a population with some mildly color vision deficient individuals. After a match to sample test was designed to assess the limits of human color vision discrimination based on color saturation and hue, standard color diagnostic tests were used to categorize college students as having normal or deficient color vision. The results argue that color …

An Evaluation Of Rta Symbols To Improve Pilot Situation Awareness, Erik D. Schmidt

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate different types of temporal guidance symbol sets in 4]Dimensional displays. Different displays were evaluated using situation awareness (SA) as a dependent measure. Participants were a mixture of non]pilots and pilots with an average flight time of 155 hours. All 24 participants were randomly assigned to their experimental condition. Objective SA data was collected during the experiment. After the experiment, each participant completed a subjective questionnaire. No significance was found between the pilots and non-pilots. No significance was found between types of displays. And, no interaction was found between groups.

Regional Jet Aircraft Competitiveness: Challenges And Opportunities, Tamilla Curtis, Dawna L. Rhoades

Publications

The Purpose of the Study is to investigate the current trends in the aviation industry in regards to regional jets and to examine country-level factors that can potentially explain the number of Embraer and Bombardier regional jet deliveries. Possible factors include GDP, price of crude oil, prior aircraft deliveries and the land area of receiving RJ countries.

Building A Wright Flyer - By Committee, Fred E.C. Culick

ERAU Prescott Aviation History Program

Hear the story of the earliest aircraft from 1895 to 1908 and how the Wright Brothers successfully built the first airplane but couldn’t build the second one!

Zeppelins Over London, Ron Anderson

ERAU Prescott Aviation History Program

Hear the story of the first strategic bombing campaign in history. The target was the civilian populated areas of London in World War I. Come on board a giant Zeppelin of the Imperial German Navy Air Service and learn what these raids did, or did not accomplish, from Ron Anderson, local zeppelin historian.

Disparities In Weather Education Across Professional Flight Baccalaureate Degree Programs, Thomas A. Guinn, Krista M. Rader, Thomas A. Guinn

Publications

The required meteorology coursework for 22 accredited professional flight baccalaureate degree programs was examined and compared. Significant differences were noted in both the number of required meteorology courses as well as the number of required meteorology credit hours. While all programs required at least one three-credit meteorology course, not all programs required an aviation-specific meteorology course. In addition to the required number of meteorology courses and credit hours, topics within the aviation-specific meteorology courses were also examined. The study showed the topics of “flight hazards” and “aviation weather reports and charts” were identified most frequently in course descriptions, followed third …