Aviation Commons^™

Evaluating The Influence Of Evtol Pilot Interface Visual Density And Information Density On Pilot Situation Awareness, Workload, And Search Performance, Bhoomin Bhupendrabhai Chauhan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the influence of levels of visual density (VD) and information density (ID) of an electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft pilot interface on pilot situation awareness (SA), workload, and search performance. An eVTOL aircraft is a novel aircraft design that is able to perform vertical take-off and landing similar to a rotorcraft and transition to a forward flight, similar to a fixed-wing aircraft. These aircraft are envisioned to operate in urban environments at lower altitudes, necessitating efficient, clear, and concise pilot interfaces to ensure safety and operational effectiveness. The study …

The Effect Of Weather On Atc Complexity And Traffic Volume In Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (Zdc) High Sectors, Amber Mccraw

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of weather on ATC complexity and traffic volume in ZDC high sectors in clear vs. convective weather using the AS&T Complexity Tool. This relationship was examined from a combined sector and individual sector perspective using both raw data and daily means for ATC complexity and traffic volume. This study employed an ex post facto effects-type design that used flight trajectory data from the FAA’s System-Wide Information Management (SWIM) Flight Data Publication Service (SFDPS) and weather data from NOAA spanning the year of 2019.

The primary analysis involved raw ATC complexity …

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 …

Representation Learning For Generative Models With Applications To Healthcare, Astronautics, And Aviation, Van Minh Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores applications of representation learning and generative models to challenges in healthcare, astronautics, and aviation.

The first part investigates the use of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to synthesize realistic electronic health record (EHR) data. An initial attempt at training a GAN on the MIMIC-IV dataset encountered stability and convergence issues, motivating a deeper study of 1-Lipschitz regularization techniques for Auxiliary Classifier GANs (AC-GANs). An extensive ablation study on the CIFAR-10 dataset found that Spectral Normalization is key for AC-GAN stability and performance, while Weight Clipping fails to converge without Spectral Normalization. Analysis of the training dynamics provided further …

Stress And Exercise In Part 141 Flight Students, Reece Curcio, Thomas Vincent Hayes, Reon Porter, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

This study explores how stress levels relate to exercise habits among aviation students in a Part 141 collegiate flight program. There was no correlation between stress and exercise. This outcome was unexpected as the hypothesis was an inverse relationship between perceived stress and exercise.

Passenger Insight On Sustainable Flight: Exploring The Relationships Between Attitudes And Risk Propensity On Willingness To Fly, Kayla Hylan, Carl A. Thomas Jr., Vivek Sharma, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

Passengers were generally accepting of sustainable aircraft, but compared to jet fuel, higher general risk propensity (GRiP) was more predictive of willingness to fly (WF) in sustainable aircraft. Sustainable attitudes strongly related to WF in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) but had a weaker relationship on WF in electric and hydrogen aircraft, compared to jet fuel.

Behave Yourself! Behavioral Indicators Of Trust In Human-Agent Teams, Kendall Carmody, Vivek Sharm, Arianna Addis, Daniel Nguyen, Cherrise Ficke, Amanda Thayer, Jessica Wildman, Meredith Carroll

Aeronautics Faculty Publications

As advancements in artificial intelligence accelerate, there is a rise in the complexity and number of autonomous agents placed in human-agent teams (HATs). With this expansion, it is important to understand how trust in agent teammates evolves and is influenced by contextual events. In support of this, significant research has focused on the factors that influence human trust in an agent and elements that negatively impact this trust. In this research, human trust in agent teammates is typically measured via self-report surveys. Although a reliable format, surveys are not without limitations, as they can be disruptive and lack the temporal …

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 …

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.

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 Private Pilot Check Ride: Applying The Spacing Effect Theory To Predict Time To Proficiency For The Practical Test, Michael Scott Harwin

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between a set of targeted factors and the total flight time students needed to become ready to take the private pilot check ride. The study was grounded in Ebbinghaus’s (1885/1913/2013) forgetting curve theory and spacing effect, and Ausubel’s (1963) theory of meaningful learning. The research factors included (a) training time to proficiency, which represented the number of training days needed to become check-ride ready; (b) flight training program (Part 61 vs. Part 141); (c) organization offering the training program (2- or 4-year college/university vs. FBO); (d) scheduling policy (mandated vs. student-driven); and demographical variables, which …

How Students Learn: Examining The Differences In Learning Strategies Between Flight And Nonflight Students, Jennifer A. Torres

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any differences in learning strategies between undergraduate flight and nonflight students attending a 4-year university that offered a Part 141 flight training program. Learning strategies were measured using Panadero et al.’s (2021) 30-item Deep Learning Strategies Questionnaire and its four subscales—Basic Learning Self-Regulation Strategies, Visual Elaboration and Summarizing Strategies, Deep Information Processing Strategies, and Social Learning Self-Regulation Strategies—all of which were the dependent variables. The primary independent variable was group membership, but the study also incorporated two covariates—self-efficacy and intrinsic value—which were measured using the respective subscales of Pintrich …

Safety Culture Surveys: Towards A Unified Method, Brandon Judy

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the relationship between two aviation safety culture scales: the Airline Safety Culture Index (ASCI; Flight Safety Foundation, 2001) and the Organizational Safety Culture Questionnaire (OSCQ; Patankar, 2003). This study compared two safety culture instruments using a correlational methodology. The two scales were combined into a questionnaire distributed to hundreds of aviation students and professionals. The students were sampled using a stratified cluster sample method, and the professionals were sampled using a snowball method. There were 259 initial usable responses; after outliers were removed, the sample size was 244. A Pearson’s product-moment correlation found that the ASCI and …

The Examination Of Factors That Influence Trust In A Multi-Agent Team Context, Cherrise Ficke

Theses and Dissertations

Current dyadic teams in the human-agent teams literature demonstrates that Propensity to Trust in Technology (PTT), previous experience with an agent, levels of autonomy (LOA), workload, and mission performance affect trust and mission performance to some capacity. However, the purpose of this study was to expand this line of research by examining how these factors influence trust and mission performance in a multi unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) context. To investigate the relationship between these factors and trust, an archival study was conducted using data from a previously-conducted, multi-UAV study. The previous study utilized a within-subjects repeated measures design in which …

Disaster Resilience In Air Traffic Control: Recovery Of Airspace Activity At U.S. Primary Airports That Experience A Catastrophic Hurricane, Victoria Thorpe

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between U.S. airport characteristics, hurricane strength, and hurricane proximity and the time it takes airspace activity to recover to normal after experiencing a catastrophic hurricane. It determined the relative influence of five airport characteristics and two hurricane characteristics as predictors of time for airspace activity to recover to normal. The result is a predictive airport disaster resilience equation to estimate the expected airport recovery rate for a forecasted catastrophic hurricane. This supports expectation management for aviation practitioners. This is significant for air traffic controllers because post-hurricane airspace is unpredictable, demanding, …

Cfis’ Safety Behaviors At Flight Training Schools: Understanding The Effects Of Personality Traits, Self-Efficacy, Risk Perception, And Safety Climate, Vivek Sharma

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between personality traits, affective domain variables, safety climate, and safety behaviors of certified flight instructors (CFIs). Personality traits consisted of the five dimensions of the Big Five personality model, including Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Openness, and Conscientiousness. Affective domain variables included self-efficacy and risk perception. The study used an explanatory correlational design to determine the relationship between the targeted factors and safety behaviors. The dependent variable was CFIs’ safety behaviors. The sample consisted of 134 CFIs who completed all of the study’s protocols. Participants were obtained from a professional flight …

Empirical Evaluation Of A Novel Spatial Disorientation Induction Strategy, Michaela Cathlin Satter

Theses and Dissertations

It is estimated that spatial disorientation-related accidents account for roughly 33% of all aviation mishaps with a 90% fatality rate (Gibb et al., 2011). Research meant to establish common practices and standardization of spatial disorientation (SD) training is needed to work toward decreasing this staggering statistic. The current study investigated the viability of a novel SD Induction Strategy that combined rotation about the vertical axis, visual cue input from a wireless virtual reality (VR) head mounted display (HMD) flight environment, and tactile input from a wireless joystick controller. To assess this combination’s effectiveness, Bank situation awareness (SA) and Pitch SA, …

Willingness To Fly Based On First Officer Experience, Madison Larkin, Christopher Hudak, Ashley Babiarz, Vivek Sharma, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

This study examined passengers’ willingness to fly with a first officer whose experience is 500, 1000, or 1500 total flight hours and concluded that there is no difference in passengers’ willingness to fly between first officer experience levels.

Unruly Passenger Reports During And After The Mask Mandate, Jacob Coutant, Travis Richards, Nicholas Brunetti, Vivek Sharma, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

This study found a significant difference in weekly reported unruly passenger incidents per 10,000 operations during and after the federal COVID-19 mask mandate.

Measuring Willingness To Fly Onboard Aircraft Equipped With Two Pilots, A Single Pilot, And A Single Pilot With Artificial Intelligence, Dillon J. Hanrahan, Andrew C. Angelo, Jeremy S. Mcfarland, Vivek Sharma, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

There is no statistically significant difference between consumers’ willingness to fly on aircraft with two pilots and traditional automation, a single pilot with traditional automation, and a single pilot with artificial intelligence (AI).

Willingness To Pilot With Vertical Take-Off And Landing Aircraft , Geovany A. Rodriguez, Rayan Khayyat, Jenna M. Elwood, Vivek Sharma, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

Part 141 collegiate flight students’ willingness to pilot (WTP; Rice et al., 2020) was significantly different in airspace with, above, or without an operating vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. The scenario without an active VTOL had significantly higher willingness to fly.

Willingness To Fly On Supersonic & Non-Supersonic Aircraft, Jacob Filer, Nicholas Paul Digrazia, Jae Won Yoon, Vivek Sharma, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

A survey conducted on Amazon MTurk found that there is no statistically significant difference between the willingness to fly on a supersonic or non-supersonic aircraft.

Academic Workload, Willingness To Pilot, And Perceived Stress, Derek M. Dolnik, Carlie Swords, Shahd Abualhamayl, Vivek Sharma, Brooke Wheeler

Aeronautics Student Publications

This study found no relationship between perceived stress and number of credits. However, willingness to pilot (WTP) for flight students in a Part 141 flight training program was significantly lower with three or more exams than with one or two exams.

Letting Go Of Pilot Stigma: A Commentary On Hubbard (2016), Timothy G. Rosser

International Journal of Aviation Sciences (IJAS)

No abstract provided.

Icao Commentary On Hubbard (2016): Stigma And Pilots With Mental Health Issues, Ansa Jordaan

International Journal of Aviation Sciences (IJAS)

No abstract provided.

Stigma And Pilots With Mental Health Issues, Todd P. Hubbard

International Journal of Aviation Sciences (IJAS)

What makes the stigma surrounding pilots with mental health issues an important issue? Until recently, stigma was of minor concern. There were plenty of pilots without issues. Pilots with weaknesses had their careers cut short, if they let it be known that they had a psychological condition. So the numbers of pilots reporting psychological conditions were few. It was simple. Refrain from telling on yourself and you are allowed to fly. Tell on yourself and you suffer the consequences of stigma and maybe a shortened career. Stigma is similar to bullying. It creates a hostile work environment for those affected. …

Training For Warfighter Decision Making: A Survey Of Simulation-Based Training Technologies, Nina Rothstein

International Journal of Aviation Sciences (IJAS)

Training warfighters requires the establishment, enhancement, and assessment of decision making (DM) skills at various levels. This review seeks to identify DM training technologies at the tactical and operational levels of war. Simulation based training (SBT) provides learning experiences for improved cognitive abilities and retention of complex skills. Here, seven SBTs will be evaluated for their situational awareness (SA) training abilities for decision making. Valuation of the included SBTs examine the modifiability (scenario customization), data availability (physiological and behavioral), assessment methods (feedback and after action reviews), validity (team training), and fidelity (2D or 3D environments) for tactical and operational warfighter …

Integration Of Unmanned Aircraft Systems In Public Higher Education, John Mott, Ardyth M. Williams, Darcy M. Bullock

International Journal of Aviation Sciences (IJAS)

It is estimated that there are over one million unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that, if operated incorrectly, can pose a significant threat to individuals, property, and other aircraft. Many of these systems are now finding their ways into universities, where they are operated by nonaviation professionals with an overall objective of exploring new research opportunities. While these initiatives hold significant promise for technical advancements, some employ relatively primitive operational and safety protocols. This article reviews FAA rules and reports on a university effort that has developed a formal partnership between an established aviation center utilizing licensed pilots and an engineering …

Comparison Of Three Angle Of Attack (Aoa) Indicators: A Usability Study, Camilo Jimenez, Claas Tido Boesser, Florian Jentsch

International Journal of Aviation Sciences (IJAS)

Angle of Attack is an important aeronautical concept used to understand the aerodynamic performance of an aircraft during different flight stages. The Federal Aviation Administration has indicated the importance of developing and encouraging the use of AOA based systems to increase flight safety. This study examined the usability of three different AOA indicators. The goal was to identify which of these indicators is better suited for student pilot training. Instructor pilots were recruited for a series of flights, in which they were asked to perform different maneuvers while using AOA indicators. The data show significant differences between the indicators with …