Aviation Commons^™

Human Factors Contributing To Unstabilized Approaches And Landings In Commercial Aviation Incidents: An Analysis Of Asrs Reports, Garrin E. Ross

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the human factors reported as contributing to operational incidents of unstabilized approaches and landings in United States-based commercial aviation. While previous aviation safety studies have analyzed aviation incident data when investigating the human factor influences during commercial aviation operations and incidents, unstabilized approaches and landings have not been explicitly examined using similar methods. Informed by the findings and recommendations of the Flight Safety Foundation’s Approach and Landing Accident Reduction Task Force, this study examined and analyzed the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) incident report data from unstabilized approach and landing events. The …

Effect Of Active Learning On Instrument Rated Pilots’ Knowledge And Self-Efficacy, Robert Leroy Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The study examined the effect of active scenario-based training on the knowledge and self-efficacy of instrument rated pilots who were not instrument current. Additionally, this study addressed an issue that was not present in the existing literature by validating the potential of using at-home personal computer scenario-based simulation for instrument currency. The current method of maintaining instrument currency does not require any context or scenario-based training. At a minimum, a pilot must perform a specific number of instrument approaches and holds in an airplane, approved simulator, or training device.

Sixty-two non-current instrument rated pilots who represented the U.S. general aviation …

Low-Cost Wearable Head-Up Display For Flight General Aviation, Pavan K. Chinta

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

A low-cost wearable Commercial-off-The-Shelf (COTS) Augmented Reality (AR) Head-Up Display (HUD) system is designed, successfully reduced to practice, and flight tested. The system is developed based on the need for a technology that improves loss-of-control (LOC) safety in the General Aviation (GA) sector. The accuracy of the flight-path based system is determined to be within a degree of the truth source. The repeatability of the data from the COTS system is excellent. A complementary filter is proposed for air data flow angles and successfully flight tested for straight and level flight, dynamic maneuvering, and atmospheric turbulence, provided that a reasonably …

Modeling The Use Of An Airborne Platform For Cellular Communications Following Disruptions, Stephen John Curran

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In the wake of a disaster, infrastructure can be severely damaged, hampering telecommunications. An Airborne Communications Network (ACN) allows for rapid and accurate information exchange that is essential for the disaster response period. Access to information for survivors is the start of returning to self-sufficiency, regaining dignity, and maintaining hope. Real-world testing has proven that such a system can be built, leading to possible future expansion of features and functionality of an emergency communications system.

Currently, there are no airborne civilian communications systems designed to meet the demands of the public following a natural disaster. A system allowing even a …

Visual Detection Of Small Unmanned Aircraft: Modeling The Limits Of Human Pilots, Gregory Stephen Woo

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the key physical variables for visual detection of small, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and to learn how these variables influence the ability of human pilots, in manned-aircraft operating between 60-knots to 160-knots in the airport terminal area, to see these small, unmanned aircraft in time to avoid a collision. The study also produced a set of probability curves for various operating scenarios, depicting the likelihood of visually detecting a small, unmanned aircraft in time to avoid colliding with it. The study used the known limits of human visual acuity, based on the …

Comparative Analysis Of Conventional Electronic And Oz Concept Displays For Aircraft Energy Management, Erik Reese Baker

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

A repeated-measures, within-subjects design was conducted on 58 participant pilots to assess mean differences on energy management situation awareness response time and response accuracy between a conventional electronic aircraft display, a primary flight display (PFD), and an ecological interface design aircraft display, the OZ concept display. Participants were associated with a small Midwestern aviation university, including student pilots, flight instructors, and faculty with piloting experience. Testing consisted of observing 15 static screenshots of each cockpit display type and then selecting applicable responses from 27 standardized responses for each screen.

A paired samples t-test was computed comparing accuracy and response time …

A Replication Study Of Personality Types Of Students In A Professional Pilot Baccalaureate Degree Program, Stephanie Gill Fussell

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The personality types and learning styles of students have been studied in several populations, yet the research analyzing aviation students is lacking. A replication study assessed the distribution of personality types of students enrolled in the aeronautical science baccalaureate degree program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). In addition, this study assessed aviation student learning styles. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Form M and the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (KLSI) were used to analyze the personality types and learning styles, respectively. Selection ratio type tables compared the distribution of personality types of aviation students to the traditional college student sample and …

Investigation Of Passengers’ Intentions To Use High-Speed Rail And Low-Cost Carriers In China, Jing Yu Pan

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

With a large population, China is an ideal market for high-speed rail (HSR) and low-cost carrier (LCC) services. While HSR has gained substantial market share in China over the past decade, LCCs have achieved only limited market penetration. The potential growth of LCCs in China, however, is promising given the growing travel demand and government policy support. As LCCs expand their service in the domestic market, they are likely to become a strong competitor of HSR. The potential competition between LCCs and HSR justifies the research of passengers’ behavioral intentions to use HSR and LCCs in China.

This research focused …

Applications Of The Technology Acceptance Model To Integration Of The Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System In Fighter Aircraft Operations, Casey Richardson

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The leading cause of F-16 fighter aircraft and fighter pilot losses is ground collisions. In an effort to curb this hazard, an automatic ground collision avoidance system (AGCAS) was formally fielded for use in routine U.S. Air Force active-duty F-16 operations in 2014. AGCAS uses a high-level automation design capable of altering the aircraft’s flight control system independent of pilot action.

This study explored an application of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to integration of the AGCAS in fighter aircraft operations. Using data from a survey of active-duty U.S. Air Force F-16 operational fighter pilots (n=142), collected shortly after initial …

The Effect Of Surface Materials And Morphology On Wingsuit Aerodynamics, Timothy Allen Sestak

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This study examines the aerodynamic effects of the materials, textiles, and morphologies currently used in wingsuit design and construction. The experiment was a low-speed wind tunnel investigation using a rigid wing with an aspect ratio of 2, a NACA 4418 airfoil cross section and a smooth, polished painted surface as a baseline. The baseline wing was modified by covering the upper and lower surfaces with various textiles currently used in wingsuit construction. This study is the first step in continued research to design and build a wingsuit with superior glide performance compared to current designs. Surface textures and features on …

The Extent Of Distraction Of Cell Phone Conversations For Passengers In Simulated Flight, Tianhua Li

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Currently, passengers are forbidden from making cell phone calls during flights in the United States due to cellular electronic interference. However, some related research has demonstrated that the use of cell phones has little interference with avionics. Furthermore, any potential electronic interference can be eliminated by using new technology. Although talking on the cell phone does not cause electronic interference, the distraction of a passenger caused by a cell phone may negatively impact safety. The cell phone calls have been found to affect people’s attention and performance. In-flight announcements are popular methods to inform commercial airliner passengers of their situation …

Effects Of Graphical Weather Information Versus Textual Weather Information On Situation Awareness In Meteorology, Stefan Melendez

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Prior to a flight, pilots gather meteorological information to assess the weather conditions pertaining to their flight and to make decisions based on it. This information can come in various formats, such as text and graphical weather information. Research has shown that people have varying learning preferences and that most people prefer visual learning to verbal learning (i.e., graphical over text). It is hypothesized that this difference in learning preference can affect the way pilots interpret and apply the information they obtain prior to their flight. The researcher hypothesizes that graphical weather information has a greater, more positive impact on …

An Archival Analysis Of Stall Warning System Effectiveness During Airborne Icing Encounters, John Michael Maris

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

An archival study was conducted to determine the influence of stall warning system performance on aircrew decision-making outcomes during airborne icing encounters. A Conservative Icing Response Bias (CIRB) model was developed to explain the historical variability in aircrew performance in the face of airframe icing. The model combined Bayes’ Theorem with Signal Detection Theory (SDT) concepts to yield testable predictions that were evaluated using a Binary Logistic Regression (BLR) multivariate technique applied to two archives: the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) incident database, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident databases, both covering the period January 1, 1988 …

More Electric Systems Architecture Effect On Business Jet Performance, Kelsey M. Mazur

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

A more-electric systems architecture, using current state of the art components, is proposed for the business jet Dassault Falcon 2000. A model of the existing aircraft, both of its overall flying characteristics and performance and of its detail systems layout, is created using Pacelab APDc and SysArcc programs. The model is validated with respect to the aircraft published data. Then, another model of the same aircraft is created but, this time, it is for the aircraft with the new architecture and their respective performance is compared. In particular, this results in changes in mission range and the overall system's weight. …

Automotive-Inspired Inceptors And Control Laws Designed For Simplified Piloted Flight, Kashif Ali

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis details the development of a simulator-based experiment in automotive- inspired controls for aircraft. The goal is to fuse the ease of drivability of a car with the flight of an aircraft. A standard automotive control hardware setup coupled with fly-by-wire control laws will allow non-pilots to fly a plane using their familiarity with driving a car. A mathematical description of the control law logic and controller implementation is presented and the human subjects' performance is measured from data collected during experimental testing of the simulator. Preliminary results indicate that non-pilots improve their path-tracking performance and reduce control activity …

Safety Assurance Of Non-Deterministic Flight Controllers In Aircraft Applications, Alfonso Noriega

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Loss of control is a serious problem in aviation that primarily affects General Aviation. Technological advancements can help mitigate the problem, but the FAA certification process makes certain solutions economically unfeasible. This investigation presents the design of a generic adaptive autopilot that could potentially lead to a single certification for use in several makes and models of aircraft. The autopilot consists of a conventional controller connected in series with a robust direct adaptive model reference controller. In this architecture, the conventional controller is tuned once to provide outer-loop guidance and navigation to a reference model. The adaptive controller makes unknown …

The Effects Of Is-Bao Implementation And Leadership Performance On Safety Culture In Business Aviation Flight Operations, Christopher Mark Broyhill

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The International Standard, Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO), with a Safety Management System (SMS) as its core element, has been widely accepted by both the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the business aviation industry as the mechanism to create a healthy safety culture among the business aviation operators who have implemented the standard. Scholarly literature, however, has presented leadership as the most important factor in the creation and management of a healthy safety culture in organizations in general and aviation organizations in particular. This study examined and compared the effects of IS-BAO progression and leadership performance on the perceptions of …

The Effects Of Safety Culture And Ethical Leadership On Safety Performance, Kevin O’Leary

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This dissertation investigated the effects of safety culture and ethical leadership on safety performance in Fractional jet pilots in the United States. The primary objective was to develop a well-fitted model linking these constructs. A composite survey instrument was developed from instruments previously validated in the literature.

There were 305 complete and valid responses from Fractional pilots. The hypothesized factor structure consisted of seven factors. The exogenous factor of safety culture was made up of four sub-factors. The endogenous factors included ethical leadership, pilot commitment, and safety performance. Safety performance was a second order factor consisting of errors and attitudes …

Predicting General Aviation Pilots’ Weather-Related Performance Through A Scenario-Based Written Assessment, Jessica Cruit

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Weather-related accidents continue to challenge the general aviation community and with the development of advanced weather technology, GA pilots need additional education and training on how to effectively use these weather products to ensure flight safety. Currently, the literature on aviation weather suggests that there is a gap in both training and assessment strategy for GA pilots. Furthermore, several studies suggest that there needs to be more assessment of weather-related scenario/application questions for the private pilot’s written knowledge exam in order to assess a deeper level of knowledge for weather-related material. The purpose of this study is to design a …

Psychological Health Outcomes Within Usaf Remotely Piloted Aircraft Support Career Fields, Kris Anthony Ostrowski

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Remotely piloted aircraft are now commonplace in modern warfare. Enlisted intelligence personnel in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) who support these activities have reported personal accounts of posttraumatic stress and fatigue, possibly due to viewing high-definition, full-motion-video, remote warfare. Rates of mental health diagnoses and counseling are unknown in this population. Incidence rates of 12 specific mental health outcomes were calculated for all enlisted active duty USAF Intelligence Specialists in the 1N1 and 1N0 career fields from 1 January 2006 through 31 December 2010, while considering various demographic and military variables. The incidence rates were compared to RPA sensor operators …

Predicting The Market Share Of A New Airport In Multi-Airport Cities: The Case Of Lagos, Samson Oladele Fatokun

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The primary objective of the study was to develop an empirical model that combines the contingent valuation method (CVM) with the isochrone analysis to predict the market shares of new airports in multi-airport cities and to apply the model to the case of Lekki International Airport (LIA), the proposed second airport in Lagos, Nigeria. In addition to predicting the market share that LIA could attain, the study also identified and analyzed the catchment areas as well as the willingness to pay (WTP) of would-be LIA passengers. Furthermore, the research identified the determinants of airport choice in the Nigerian market. The …

Safte-Vat Functionality Effects On Flight Instructors' Situation Awareness And Instrument Student Pilots' Performance During Ftd Training, Rafael E. Abreu Vega

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

SAFTE-VAT is a virtual air traffic control systems that adds the capability to integrate automated air traffic control functionality and generate semiautonomous and autonomous air traffic to the Frasca 172S level 6 plus FTD to improve behavioral fidelity and to facilitate flight instructors the capacity to focus more on instructing student pilots instead of role-playing ATC duties. While SAFTE-VAT may offer a more realistic ATC interaction experience onboard the FTD that may result in a positive transfer of training increase, the effects on flight instructors’ situation awareness and overall student pilot performance are uncertain. In this small study, flight instructors …

Forecast Verification Of The Current Icing Potential (Cip) To Predict Lightning Hazards At U.S. Spaceports, Robert Edward Haley

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Government spaceports employ extensive lightning detection networks that may not be available at commercial spaceports. Therefore, the Federal Aviation Administration identified the need for diagnosing the threat of triggered lightning without in-situ measurements. Anecdotal observations of the Aviation Weather Center’s Current Icing Potential (CIP) diagnostic model indicated a potentially high correlation between lightning activity and icing potential. A forecast verification study and supporting representative case studies were conducted to quantify the CIP’s ability to diagnose existing lightning hazards. The study showed that high positive statistical correlations between the CIP and lightning activity do exist, but so do negative correlations. During …

Behavioral Traps In Flight Crew-Related 14 Cfr Part 121 Airline Accidents, Jonathan Velázquez

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This dissertation examined pilot behavioral traps in the multi-crew Part 121 air carrier environment. Behavioral traps are accident-inducing operational pitfalls aviators may encounter as a result of poor decision making. The traps studied were: Loss of Situational Awareness; Neglect of Flight Planning, Preflight Inspections and Checklists; Peer Pressure; Get-There-Itis; and Unauthorized Descent Below an Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) Altitude. The purpose of this dissertation was to study the nature of their occurrence in the airline domain. Another key component was to explore the relationships between the behavioral traps and factors such as pilot age, pilot flight experience, weather, flight conditions, …

An Aircraft Evacuation Simulation Baseline Using Des For Passenger Path Planning, Xiaoqing Deng

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This paper introduced a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) model that simulates passengers’ evacuation paths and decision-making processes during aircraft certification. The model was built using ARENA® 14, which is a DES simulation tool. This model used A380 cabin configuration with capacity of 538 passengers. Each passenger was considered as an independent human being with variations in walking speed, decision-making processes, and evacuation path. This model generated total evacuation time and presented total congestion conditions of each gate. Federal Regulation has suggested that all passengers in the airplane should finish the evacuation within 90 seconds. The model was validated with the …

Identifying Secondary Crashes By Using Geographic Information System (Gis) And Determining The Secondary Crashes Characteristics, Yuan Tian

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

As the nation’s transportation infrastructure expands, traffic incidents led to more than 25% of traffic congestion in the United States (FHWA, 2014). The risk of the occurrence of secondary crashes can be six times higher in the presence of a primary crash than that at a normal traffic condition (Yang et al., 2013 and Tedesco, 1994). The purpose of this study is 1) to develop a method to identify the secondary crashes with the primary incidents in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) under different spatial-temporal criteria, and 2) to determine the impacts of spatial-temporal criteria on the secondary crash characteristics in …

Determination Of Factors That Influence Passengers’ Airline Selection: A Study Of Low Cost Carriers In Thailand, Thapanat Buaphiban

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This research examined the factors that influenced the airline selection of Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) in Thailand. The research was justified based on the rapid growth of LCC travel in Thailand, particularly in domestic and regional travel. There is a relative lack of successful explanation of the choice of LCCs in Thailand, with only a few studies addressing topics like passenger satisfaction and perceptions of service quality. Following an extensive literature review, the author used a theoretical framework based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) in order to explain passenger behavioral intentions. This framework was supplemented by …

Economic Interrelationships And Impacts Of The Aviation/Aerospace Industry In The State Of Florida Using Input-Output Analysis, Kelly A. Whealan-George

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The study provided a detailed description of the interrelatedness of the aviation and aerospace industry with principal industries in Florida and Volusia County (VC) using Input-Output (IO) analysis. Additionally, this research provided an economic impact analysis of the creation of a university research park in Daytona Beach (DB). The economic impact measures included not only direct economic output and industry employment descriptions but also described the multiplier effects in the form of indirect and induced impacts using data for 2012.

This research concluded the average labor income of the aviation and aerospace industry was higher than average labor income in …

Human Behavior During Spaceflight: Evidence From An Analog Environment, Kenny Mikael Arnaldi

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Spaceflight offers a multitude of stressors to humans living and working in space, originating from the external space environment and the life-support system. Future space participants may be ordinary people with different medical and psychosocial backgrounds who may not receive the intense spaceflight preparation of astronauts. Consequently, during a mission, a space participant’s mood and behavior could differ from a trained astronaut. This study was an exploratory research project that used an artificial habitat to replicate an orbital environment and the activities performed by humans in space. The study evaluated whether the type of environment affects mood and temperament. Two …

Modeling Hydrodynamic Stability Of Incline-Liquid Airblast Nozzle For Gas Turbine Combustion, Kevin Matiko

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Fuel is a major cost item for civil transport airplanes. Minimizing fuel consumption of these crafts is a stream of economic opportunity and a stage for innovation, competition and exploration. Regardless of the fuel type, bio or crude oil based, the civil transport stakeholders would like to minimize fuel consumption of their airplanes. The mixing of fuel and air is a critical process for optimum combustion in gas turbine engines due to its high influence on the downstream combustion process. The need for minimizing fuel consumption coupled with the requirement for combustion systems to perform well at all flight conditions …