Aviation Commons^™

Color-Coding: An Aid Or Hindrance In A Multi-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Supervisory Control Task, Austin Daniel Wood

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of coding types (i.e., alphanumeric coding, color-coding, and redundant color + alphanumeric coding) for vehicle identification and status information on pilots’ recognition performance, situational awareness (SA), and workload for a multi-vehicle operations ground control station (GCS) supervisory control task. With the aviation industry's push towards operators supervising and controlling multiple vehicles, it is pertinent to identify design features that support the capabilities and limitations of human operators. The current study employed a within-subjects, repeated-measures experimental design, in which a sample of 33 students with aviation experience performed three trials, …

Helicopter Pilots’ Safety Behaviors: Identifying Factors That Affect Risk Perception Among Helicopter Pilots, Khaled J. Alzaabi

Theses and Dissertations

Helicopter operations frequently take place in complex, high-risk environments, where pilots continuously assess hazards and make critical decisions under pressure. Despite standardized procedures, regulations, and training designed to enhance safe operations, helicopter pilots may perceive risk differently when encountering similar flight situations. Understanding the factors that influence helicopter pilots’ perception of risk is essential for improving helicopter operation safety.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of various factors on risk perception among helicopter pilots. Using an explanatory correlational design, the study assessed whether helicopter pilots’ demographics, flight experience, and affective domain factors explain differences in their …

Assessing Computer Vision Based Conflict Detection In Uas Traffic Monitoring Under Secure Communication Constraints, Fadjimata Issoufou Anaroua

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The rapid growth of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is creating a new low-altitude airspace ecosystem where drones, air taxis, service suppliers, communication networks, sensors, and ground-based monitoring systems must work together safely. Within this ecosystem, UAS Traffic Management (UTM) is expected to provide a digital framework for coordinating operations beyond traditional air traffic control. However, reliable integration also requires resilient monitoring methods that can detect non-cooperative aircraft, protect communication links, and maintain timely situational awareness under real-world constraints.

This dissertation examines how computer vision can support cooperative monitoring systems such as Remote ID and ADS-B …

Classification Of Aircraft Checklist Usability Problems Using Natural Language Processing, Borvorn Kasemtanakul

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The use of checklists has been identified as a recurring issue in aviation accident investigations, highlighting the need for continued improvement in aircraft checklist design. However, existing aviation safety taxonomies do not systematically address checklist usability problems. Therefore, a systematic classification of these problems is needed to support the extension of existing aviation safety taxonomies and to facilitate safety data analysis for checklist design improvements. Furthermore, applications of Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques in aircraft checklist research remain underexplored, despite their potential to identify meaningful patterns in textual safety data.

This exploratory research aimed to develop a data-driven classification of …

Enhancing Virtual Reality Cockpit Procedure Training With Haptic Feedback, Christian K. Jaedicke

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Pilot training is time-consuming and costly, and not all phases require full-flight simulators or actual aircraft. Virtual reality (VR) offers a potential means to reduce cost and duration while supporting practical cockpit procedure training. While prior research in the VR domain suggests that providing haptic feedback can support training of muscular control and increase perceived immersion, it remains unclear whether haptic feedback improves spatial cognition in an unfamiliar VR environment. This study examined whether haptic feedback and cockpit complexity affected response time and position error under limited-visibility, time-constrained conditions in a VR cockpit environment (i.e., a quasi-blindfold cockpit check).

Grounded …

Evaluating The Safety Efficiency Of U.S. Air Traffic Control Tower Operations Using Data Envelopment Analysis, Kenneth James Gilbert Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Air traffic control (ATC) tower safety efficiency remains inadequately measured despite critical workforce challenges, including staffing shortages, training pipeline constraints, and geographic retention difficulties. This mixed-methods study developed and validated a comprehensive framework for measuring tower safety efficiency by integrating subject-matter expert insights with multi-model data envelopment analysis (DEA) across 66 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tower facilities from 2016 to 2024. Six focus group interviews with experienced professionals (100% with > 20 years of experience), averaging 96.4 minutes, identified critical efficiency factors through systematic coding, achieving substantial inter-rater reliability (Cohen's kappa 𝜅 = .68). Qualitative findings showed that staffing shortages don't …

Comprehensive Analysis Of Spray Development And Low Temperature Combustion Characteristics In A Cvcc With Nvh Of Renewable Aerospace Fuels: Hefa & Ft Synthetic Kerosene (S8) Compared To Jet-A & Ulsd, Coleman Norton

Honors College Theses

A comprehensive analysis was conducted to research the viability of Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) and S8 Synthetic Kerosene fuels as a drop-in replacement for conventional petroleum-based fuels, Jet-A and ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel). Global transportation remains heavily dependent on liquid fossil fuels, while renewable aerospace fuels offer a promising pathway to reducing life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. However, the combustion performance and long-term feasibility of these fuels remain insufficiently characterized. This study performed a thorough assessment of each fuel's thermophysical and combustion properties. Thermophysical characterization encompassed viscosity, freezing point, energy density, spray atomization, and volatility. …

Uav-Based Sensor Integration For In-Situ Lake Water Quality Monitoring, Alec R. Campbell

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Surface water monitoring is often constrained by limited spatial and temporal coverage due to the labor-intensive nature of traditional sampling methods, particularly in environments that are difficult to access or pose safety risks. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer a promising solution by enabling more frequent, spatially distributed, and cost-effective data collection. This study presented the design, development, and field evaluation of a UAV-based system for real-time, in-situ water quality monitoring. The system integrated multiple sensors, including oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), RGB spectrometry, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), and a multispectral spectrometer within a UAV platform.

Field testing was conducted …

Passenger Autonomy In Airport Systems: Integrating Accessibility, Spatial Design, And Technology To Improve Operational Efficiency, John Michael Schmitz

Honors Projects

Airports are among the most complex operational environments in modern transportation, requiring the coordination of passenger movement, security processes, and infrastructure under significant time constraints. Although there have been many advancements in aviation, most passengers continue to experience high levels of stress and confusion while trying to navigate airport terminals. This paper argues that operational efficiency in airport systems is achieved by increasing  passenger autonomy through the utilization of accessible design, spatial legibility, and new emerging technologies. This paper takes note of some foundational theories that drove urban design and cognitive psychology, including Lynch’s concept of imageability, Passini’s theory of …

Analyzing Proposed Unmanned Aerial System Regulations And Their Impact On Manned Aircraft Operations, Kordell Irish

Honors Theses

The purpose of the thesis is to investigate the current state of the proposed Part 108 regulations and to find possible solutions to the problems faced by Part 108 implementation, with a focus on the interactions between manned and unmanned aircraft. The thesis covers upcoming changes to federal aviation regulations by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding unmanned aircraft systems and their integration into the national airspace system. Currently, most unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are regulated under Part 107 of the federal aviation regulation. A brief literature review will provide a background and timeline in the lead-up to the Part …

Safety-Aware Trajectory Generation For Increased Autonomy In Advanced Air Mobility, Edison Alberto Martinez Samaniego

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) envisions highly automated aircraft that will enable short and medium range transportation. Unlike conventional aviation, these vehicles are expected to operate closer to populated areas and with increased levels of autonomy, making safe operation under abnormal or degraded conditions a critical requirement. Failures or performance degradation can reduce the maneuvering capability of an aircraft, causing trajectories planned under nominal conditions to become dynamically unfeasible.

This thesis presents a trajectory generation and replanning framework designed to maintain safe and feasible flight under reduced flight envelope conditions for a lift+cruise eVTOL aircraft. A unified control architecture based on …

Evaluating Uav Visual-Inertial Odometry Trajectory Error And Feature-Level Metrics Over Repetitive Floor Patterns, Anass El Mekkoussi

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) is a widely used state estimation technique for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) navigation in environments where Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are unavailable. VIO systems that rely on visual feature tracking are susceptible to performance degradation when operating over surfaces containing repetitive visual textures, where visually similar features can produce ambiguous correspondences that introduce errors into the trajectory estimate. Despite the prevalence of repetitive textures in indoor UAV operating environments such as warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and infrastructure corridors, the specific impact of different repetitive pattern geometries on per-surface VIO accuracy has received limited systematic study, and …

Navigating The Intersection Of Faa Grant Assurances And Environmental Regulations: Assessing Impacts On Airport Sustainability Efforts, Chad D. Richards

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

Airports in the United States operate within a very complicated regulatory environment that is shaped by federal aviation policy, environmental and state laws, and promises made to the federal government through sponsor assurances, also known as grant assurances. As environmental concerns surrounding aviation continuously grow, airports have been increasingly implementing sustainability initiatives aimed at reducing emissions and improving energy efficiency. Implementing these initiatives is often influenced by regulatory frameworks governing airport operations and infrastructure development. The goal is to examine how federal regulatory structures influence sustainability initiatives at U.S. airports by using a qualitative case study approach to examine sustainability …

Uncertainty Quantification, Propagation & Conjunction Assessment In Orbital Mechanics Using Generalized Polynomial Chaos Expansion & 2-Dimensional Conjunction Plane Analysis Techniques, Monalisa Karim

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses

Uncertainties, that are inherent to dynamic models, can be associated with state initial conditions, force modelling errors, navigation and actuation errors. In system modelling stochastic differential equations are used to represent dynamic phenomena with uncertainties, for which the solutions are probability density functions of quantities of interest characterizing the realization of the stochastic processes. In Polynomial Chaos Expansion (PCE) propagation, these solutions are represented as weighted sums of multivariate spectral polynomials that are functions of the input random variables. Generalized polynomial chaos expansion (gPC) is an extension to the original homogenous PCE which projects the random solution onto a basis …

Network-Aware Airline-Specific Flight Delay Prediction Using Tree-Based Ensemble Models, Mary Dufie Afrane

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Flight delays pose persistent challenges to the efficiency and reliability of air transportation systems, affecting airlines, airports, regulators, and passengers alike. As traffic demand grows and operational environments become increasingly interconnected, accurately predicting both departure and arrival delays has become crucial for effective planning and mitigation. This study presents a network-aware, airline-specific framework for predicting flight delays in U.S. domestic air transportation systems using tree-based ensemble machine learning models. A large-scale dataset of 1.98 million flights, enriched with weather information, is used to develop predictive models for both departure and arrival delays. To capture the structural and operational complexity of …

Orbital Reliable Printed Circuit Boards, Thomas Maxwell Starnes, Keegan Blake Jordan, Ian Griffith, Grant Monroe Pesqueira, Vishal Navin Patel

Senior Design Project For Engineers

Deep Interstellar Solutions is proposing a device to produce custom, serviceable printed circuit boards (PCBs) in low Earth orbit. This technology uses blank PCBs that are laser-etched and prepared for electrical components, then stored in the module. This method of PCB production allows for rapid repairs or prototyping without the need for subsequent resupply missions. By implementing this technique, future missions will achieve greater autonomy, sustainability, and resource efficiency. The goal of this development is to pioneer the creation of custom circuitry for use in deep-space missions where resupply is neither cost-effective nor timely.

Smart Pireps: Leveraging Technology To Simplify Pilot Weather Reporting In General Aviation, Emma Hellwege

Honors Projects

This honors project examines how emerging aviation technologies can support or automate components of Pilot Weather Reports (PIREPs) to improve reporting accuracy, reduce pilot workload, and increase participation within the general aviation (GA) community. PIREPs provide essential real-time weather observations—such as turbulence, icing, and visibility—that supplement automated systems and enhance situational awareness for pilots, air traffic control, and meteorologists. However, reports are vastly underutilized due to workload constraints, inconsistent training, voice-only submission methods, and technological disparities across the GA fleet.

Through a structured analysis of federal aviation documentation, sensor capabilities, human factors research, and recent advancements in automation, this study …

From 2d To 3d: Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning For Spectrum-Constrained Urban Air Mobility., Qingyang Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) are accelerating a transformation of air transportation but face acute spectrum congestion in dense urban environments. Reliable Control and Non-Payload Communications (CNPC) must be maintained at all times to ensure safe operations, even as fleets of aerial vehicles (AVs) transport passengers and cargo between distributed vertiports. We first develop a 2D formulation that jointly optimizes discrete headings, velocities, and spectrum allocation to minimize total mission time while satisfying quality of service (QoS) and collision-avoidance constraints, and we demonstrate significant gains over non-learning and learning baselines. Building on this 2D framework, we …

Barriers To Modernizing Aviation Maintenance Technician Education To Meet Emerging Industry Needs, Durwa Chavan

All Theses

Modernizing aviation maintenance education is essential to keep pace with emerging technologies, including electric propulsion systems and advanced avionics. As aircraft systems become more digitized and interconnected, there is a growing demand for qualified technicians who can conduct advanced diagnostics and maintenance. However, training programs have not kept pace with these technological shifts, creating a gap between workforce preparation and industry needs.

Using a qualitative research approach, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with industry professionals, educators, and regulatory personnel to identify gaps in existing training programs and Airman Certification Standards (ACS). This study addresses the disconnect between current aviation maintenance …

Examining The Relationship Between Title 14 Code Of Federal Regulations (Cfr) Part 147 Maintenance School Aviation Maintenance Technician (Amt) Instructor Experience And Instructor Pass Rates For Airmen Certification Standards (Acs) Element Subject Areas, Richard Lyman Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative, correlational study examined the relationship between Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) instructor experience and student pass rates in 14 CFR Part 147 maintenance schools. Data were collected from February to August 2025 using purposive and snowball sampling, which yielded 67 complete responses. Instructor experience, measured in months of A&P-rated maintenance work prior to teaching, ranged from 1 to 684 months (M = 253.54, SD = 197.97). Student pass rates, defined as the proportion of students passing ACS element subject area courses, ranged from .52 to 1.00 (M = .95, SD = .07). Most instructors were male, White, over 50 …

A Study Of The Maritime Safety Framework For Seaplane Operations, Sourabh Yadav

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Aligning Aviation Safety Reporting System Anomaly Codes For Crew Communication And Coordination With Human Factors Taxonomies, Jennifer Rose Herr

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This study addresses the lack of theoretical grounding and definitions for the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) anomaly codes, particularly those related to pilot communication and coordination errors. To improve the conceptual consistency and analytical usability of ASRS data, the research developed a framework that maps ASRS codes to three established theory-based human factors taxonomies: the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), Threat and Error Management (TEM), and Aviation Causal Contributors for Error Reporting Systems (ACCERS). The study used qualitative text mining to systematically code communication and coordination errors submitted by Part 121 pilots for a stratified sample of …

Monte Carlo Simulation Models To Enhance Air Cargo Network Resilience And Sustainability, Shereen Marie Hashemi

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This dissertation focuses on developing and validating an empirical set of simulation models for an air cargo network under large-scale disruption to test recovery strategies that improve resilience. Understanding and quantifying network resilience and recovery strategies is critical for ensuring sustainable operations. These operations become essential during disruptive events as air cargo is used to transport time-sensitive and critical goods. The collective research steps result in a Monte Carlo simulation framework to evaluate air cargo network resilience and identify strategies that enhance performance during disruptions.

The modeled system is a hub-and-spoke network centered on Memphis (MEM) with 23 domestic airports …

Impacts Of Climate Disruption On Mobility Aircraft Performance In The Pacaf Region, Hannah M. Dauterman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the projected impacts of climate disruption on the performance and fuel management of the C-17 Globemaster III, a critical mobility aircraft in the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) region. As rising global temperatures reduce air density, the performance of aircraft is compromised, resulting in increased fuel consumption, as well as the potential for extended runway requirements and diminished cargo capacity. Using climate projection data from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6), this research analyzes future air temperature trends and their implications for C-17 fuel consumption. Results suggest that by 2049, the U.S. Air Force may incur an …

Designing The Protocol For An Experimental Flight Simulation Study Encouraging Fuel Efficient Behavior, Thomas S. Reardon

Theses and Dissertations

This study designed and tested an experimental instrument to examine how pilots respond to fuel efficiency feedback in a flight simulator. A standardized flight plan, script, and hardware setup were created using X-Plane 12 software and physical flight simulator hardware. The chosen sortie guided participants from Monterey Regional Airport to Moffett Federal Airfield using instrument flight rules (IFR). The flight script provided step-by-step guidance to ensure consistent behavior across participants. The simulator was mapped to match real cockpit controls and allowed for precise data collection including flight time, altitude, heading, and fuel use. The goal was to support a larger …

Designing An Experiment To Create And Evaluate Behavioral Changes In Air Force Pilots' Fuel Efficiency, Jackson Macias

Theses and Dissertations

Fuel represents over 70% of the logistical resupply demand within the Department of Defense, with the United States Air Force accounting for most of that consumption. While prior fuel efficiency efforts have primarily focused on technical upgrades, this research explores how behavioral interventions can influence pilot decision-making and operational energy outcomes. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a guiding framework, this study investigates the effects of targeted behavioral strategies on pilots’ attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, intentions, and actual fuel-efficient behaviors. A quasi-experimental design was applied through a controlled pilot study using simulator flights. Six participants were …

Köppen-Geiger Climate Effects On F-15 Readiness Spares Package Parts, Maximus A. Fan

Theses and Dissertations

Readiness Spares Packages (RSP) are critical to deployed operations. Future demands of the Air Force require squadrons to operate in different climate environments from home stations. RSPs can sustain aircraft maintenance operations for up to 30 days. Currently, failure rates of parts within the RSP are assumed to be constant. This research aims to explore whether there is a difference in F-15 RSP failure rates when Koeppen climate classifications are taken into effect. The Koeppen-Geiger system classifies area climates based on the geography, elevation, and location. The history of operations and diversity of F-15 locations make the aircraft an ideal …

Aircraft Bird Strike Risk Prediction Using Machine Learning And Analytic Hierarchy Process, Jason Anthony Powell

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

To address the limitations of Next Generation Radar-based bird strike forecasting, this study modeled 12 spatiotemporal weather features from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration alongside bird strike risk using Long Short-Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network (LSTM-RNN), XGBoost regression tree, and Bayesian network algorithms. Five years of bird strike data from four geographically diverse airfields served as the target risk variable, categorized as low, moderate, or severe based on Department of the Air Force risk models. The ensemble model, which combines the LSTM-RNN and XGBoost regression algorithms, yielded the most accurate forecasts, achieving 80% to 93% accuracy across all airfields, …

Getting An Airman Medical Certificate With Cerebral Palsy, Stefan Crisp

Honors Theses

This paper aims to document the personal experience of Stefan Crisp attempting to gain an airman medical certificate. It also aims to expose the airman medical certificate process for people with cerebral palsy in the United States. Stefan Crisp, who has cerebral palsy, attempted to gain an airman medical certificate through three attempts across multiple years. Research was done to compare the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the United Kingdom's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to reveal similarities and differences between accessibility and requirements. Despite successfully navigating through Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 67, Stefan was unable …

The Dpe Shortage And How To Fix It, Paul Dye

Honors Theses

The following content delves into the current issues surrounding the FAA’s designated pilot examiner (DPE) system, which, while functional, is increasingly strained by growing demand and outdated policies. Through firsthand experience, survey data, and analysis of current practices, the paper emphasizes some of the most pressing problems, including scheduling inefficiencies, inconsistent examiner expectations, manual eligibility checks despite the widespread use of digital logbooks, and a lack of meaningful oversight or feedback mechanisms for both DPEs and CFIs.

A major focus is the outdated scheduling process, which remains largely decentralized and prone to double-booking, cancellations, and long wait times, especially for …