Aviation Commons^™

Incidence Of An Astronaut Not Sealing The Pressure Garment Visor On Reentry, Cameron M. Smith, Trent Tresch

Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

Audiovisual records of a Project Mercury pilot’s activities during an orbital flight indicate that his visor was left open during reentry and descent to the sea surface, phases of flight during which cabin pressure loss was to be mitigated by suit pressurization; however, the suit could not have been pressurized with the visor open. Thus, for a presently unknown reason, a critical safety step—sealing the visor and making a pressure suit integrity test before reentry—was overlooked in this flight. Later, Space Shuttle flights were carried out with visors unsealed for much of the launch and landing phases, with the false …

Safety Culture, Training, Understanding, Aviation Passion: The Impact On Manual Flight And Operational Performance, Karlene Kassner Petitt

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The objective of this study was to understand pilots’ proclivity toward automation usage by identifying the relationship among pilot training, aircraft and systems understanding, safety culture, manual flight behavior, and aviation passion. A survey instrument titled Manual Flight Inventory (MFI) was designed to gather and assess self-reported variables of manual flight behavior, aviation passion, safety culture perception, pilot training, and pilot understanding. Demographic data and automation opinion-based questions were also asked to fully understand pilots’ thoughts on automation, safety culture, policies, procedures, training methodologies and assessment measures, levels of understanding, and study techniques. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was utilized to …

Fatigue Identification And Management In Flight Training: An Investigation Of Collegiate Aviation Pilots, Flavio A. Coimbra Mendonca Mr, Julius Keller, Chientsung Lu

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate collegiate aviation students’ self-awareness of their fatigue issues; to investigate possible causes of fatigue afflicting collegiate aviation students; and to investigate the collegiate aviation students’ lifestyle and perceptions of personal solutions to fatigue.

Background: Pilot fatigue is a significant safety hazard in aviation operations. Several factors can contribute to fatigue, including inadequate sleep, long work hours, and inadequate nutritional habits. Some factors, such as social and academic activities, could be unique for Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 141 collegiate aviation pilots. Previous studies have addressed fatigue in …

Fatigue Identification And Management In Flight Training: An Investigation Of Collegiate Aviation Pilots, Flavio A. C. Mendonca Ph.D.

Publications

Pilot fatigue is a significant hazard affecting flight operations;

• Generally the product of one or more factors: Disrupted or lack of sleep;
• Inadequate food and or fluid intake;
• Mental;
• and Physical fatigue.

Previous studies have focused on military and commercial flight operations;

• Little to nothing has been done to investigate fatigue identification & management by general aviation pilots!

Transforming The Professional Flight Program Curriculum: Justification, Process, And Future Development, Julius Keller, Flavio A. C. Mendonca, Brian G. Dillman, Michael Suckow

Publications

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), by 2036 the aviation sector will need 620,000 new pilots, 125,000 new air traffic controllers, and 1.3 million aircraft maintenance personnel (ICAO, 2018);

Pilots seeking a first officer position (a common entry-level position at Part 121 air carriers) are required to possess an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate and 1,500 hours of total flight time;

There are some exceptions!

Support from administration

Quantity vs Quality;

How can flight faculty improve student learning and job readiness?

Advanced Uas Training; Integration Of Remote Live Aircraft Crash Investigation With Uas, Scott S. Burgess

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Current Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) flight training generally operates at the ab-initio level. As UAS flight and academic programs evolve, so also must UAS training advance, specifically regarding new and evolving uses of UAS. This task must present a quality delivery in a distributed modality. As an example, integration of UAS into missions such as aircraft crash investigation are occurring or in development with safety investigators globally. Bringing this type of specialization (theory and practice) to academia must follow, but currently can only be done well in a face-to-face setting. Near term technology for UAS will allow distribution of a …

Necessary, But Not Sufficient: What Flight Training Organisations Teach Is No Longer Adequate For A Demanding Market That Needs ‘Captains Out-Of-The-Box', Michael J. Mylan

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Early 2017 one of the fastest growing low-cost Asian airlines posed a problem to the Aerudite™ consultancy.

“We are expanding faster than we can mature our first officers to command. We have no choice but to distil the command knowledge and maturity, traditionally attained through ten years of right-seat osmosis, into three years flat! We don’t plan to recruit MPL first officers. We plan to recruit CIWs - Captains-In-Waiting. And we want you to devise a training course - right now.”

To enjoy (or to suffer) such a rate of expansion, this airline ‘sticks to its knitting’ and outsources …

Pilot Training Metrics At A Part 141 University Training Program, Steven Hampton, Dothag Truong, Ken Byrnes, Troy Techau

Publications

The study evaluates training at a collegiate flight training program providing metrics for time and costs from zero time to a Private Pilot. Training times for flights and activities are pulled from a sophisticated database used at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) and matched with flight and ground school lessons and then further subdivided to determine the amount of time spent training in areas of operation that are prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration in the published Practical Test Standards and Airman Certification Standards for those seeking pilot licenses and ratings. Provided are mean times and costs for a prospective pilot …

Accident Rates, Phase Of Operations, And Injury Severity For Solo Students In Pursuit Of Private Pilot Certification (1994–2013), Douglas Boyd, Peter Dittmer

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Flight training accidents constitute 14% of general aviation accidents. Herein we determined the rates, injury severity, and phase of flight for primary student solo accidents/incidents (mishaps) in Cessna 172 aircraft.

Mishaps over the period spanning 1994–2013 were identified from the NTSB database. Student population data were from the FAA. Statistics employed proportion tests, Poisson distribution, and Mann-Whitney tests.

Across the study period, 598 mishaps were identified. While the mishap rate increased nearly two-fold between 1994/1997 and 2002/ 2005, a 35% decline was evident thereafter. Nevertheless, no statistical difference in mishap rates was evident between the initial and current periods. Over …

Accident Rates, Phase Of Operations, And Injury Severity For Solo Students In Pursuit Of Private Pilot Certification (1994–2013), Douglas Boyd, Peter Dittmer

Publications

Flight training accidents constitute 14% of general aviation accidents. Herein we determined the rates, injury severity, and phase of flight for primary student solo accidents/incidents (mishaps) in Cessna 172 aircraft. Mishaps over the period spanning 1994–2013 were identified from the NTSB database. Student population data were from the FAA. Statistics employed proportion tests, Poisson distribution, and Mann-Whitney tests. Across the study period, 598 mishaps were identified. While the mishap rate increased nearly two-fold between 1994/1997 and 2002/ 2005, a 35% decline was evident thereafter. Nevertheless, no statistical difference in mishap rates was evident between the initial and current periods. Over …

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 …

Evaluation Of Control Inputs On The Spin Recovery Of The 8kcab Super Decathlon, Courtney Allen

Theses and Dissertations

The current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) response to stall/spin related accidents is prevention through pilot awareness training and encouraging stall proof aircraft design features. Aircraft have an inherent capability to spin. The controls that influence spin recovery have yet to be quantitatively analyzed in a regression analysis. This thesis presents the regression modeling and validation process for the evaluation of control inputs on the spin recovery of the 8KCAB Super Decathlon. The regression models in this thesis explore the control inputs for factors of: rudder, elevator, and aileron. Additionally, this thesis explores the timing of the control inputs factors for …

The Impact On Educational Technology Of A Fatal Airline Accident: A Case Study, Tim Brady

Publications

The name of the company should read Colgan Air not Cogan Airlines.

"This is a study of how a virtual technology burden was created that impacted the professional pilot college student and various colleges/universities that offer professional pilot degree programs. A cascading set of events began as a result of U.S. congressional reaction to a tragic airline accident. The resulting legislation forced the Federal Aviation Administration to publish new rules for first officer qualifications that were unmindful of the recommendations of professional pilot groups for simulation-based training. Ultimately, this placed a financial burden on both the college/university training curriculum and …

Collaborative Audio Transcription And Repair As A Method For Novice Pilots To Learn Approach Briefing Crew Resource Management (Crm) Skills, William A. Tuccio

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The growth of aviation in scope, scale, and complexity increases the demands for student learning, including crew resource management (CRM) skills. Instructor facilitated methods have proven effective for CRM skill learning. This study investigated a method of collaborative audio transcription and repair based learning (CTRBL) offering the potential for reduced demand upon instructor resources for CRM learning. The theory-based CTRBL method was used in this study as a way for novice pilots to learn the CRM skill of conducting a crew approach briefing with a focus on risk mitigation. Learning methods used to develop the CTRBL method were drawn from …

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 …

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 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 …

Background Factors That Affect Pilot Success In Regional Airline Training, Derek Alan Herchko

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Following the Colgan Air accident in February 2009, the U.S. Congress and the traveling public called for increased flight experience requirements for pilots of regional airlines. In response, Congress enacted the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Act of 2010 . This legislation required that regional airline pilots, inclusive of first officers, have an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and a minimum of 1,500 total flight hours. This legislation had a provision that allowed the Federal Aviation Administration to create credit toward flight hours for pilots who had specific academic training courses above normal pilot certification. The Pilot Source Study was …

The Development And Deployment Of A Nexrad Education / Training Module For Use By General Aviation Pilots, Erin Anne Roberts

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was to investigate whether an education/ training module on NEXRAD and its products developed using Instructional Systems design criteria would be effective for General aviation pilots. Numerous studies have documented that General Aviation pilots are in need of additional education and training on weather concepts. A thorough needs analysis and literature review determined that training was the best way to address this problem. An education/training module and assessments were developed from scratch using strict instructional design criteria. Sixty students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University participated in live testing of the module. Participants were separated into control …

A Sensitivity Analysis Of Scheduling Changes On Flight Training Resource Utilization Using Discrete Event Simulation, Melissa A. Findlay

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This study presented a scheduling model of the Flight Training Department at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University's Daytona Beach Campus built using ARENA 12.0. The purpose of the study was to determine if the Flight Training Department system was sensitive to changes in the resources available to students in Flight Training Device (FTD) course modules. Historical data from the Flight Training Department was used to build the model. As no significant difference was found between the actual real world system and the model for the number of active students and for the time it took students to complete the program, the …

The Effect Of Whole And Part-Task Training And Feedback During Simulated Instrument Flight Training, Christian Jon Rossi

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The most cost effective method for training novice pilot’s instrument flight procedures has not been well investigated. Part-task scenarios condition and a whole task scenarios condition, both with different levels of feedback were compared in a between group study of novice pilots learning a 737 instrument approach with Microsoft ESP flight simulator. The two different types of training methods were evaluated after a series of training exposures by comparing the ability to pass a series of training scenarios along with a final test. This standard was created by 737 pilots, FAA regulations, and 737 instructors. These training methods were also …

An Airline Ab Initio Flight Training Program In The United Arab Emirates (Uae): An Analytical Approach Toward Emiratization, Shareef A. K. Al-Romaithi

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The continuous establishment and expansion of UAE airlines has led to a demand for qualified pilots in the region of the Persian Gulf. The shortage of UAE national pilots has compelled the local airlines to employ pilots with foreign nationalities. Though the UAE government has implemented a program within the Emirates to increase the number of nationals in the work force (referred to as Emiratization), there has been little headway within the aviation sector. As a result, this thesis was undertaken to develop an ab initio training program that would increase the percentage of UAE nationals among the UAE airline …

Student Pilot Situational Awareness: The Effects Of Trust In Technology, Yoko Kunii

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the general level of trust in technology in student pilots and then to determine the relationship between pilots' trust and their situational awareness during simulated flight. A literature review revealed that the Jian Trust Scale was based on empirical observations and had precedence in the literature so it was selected. Since excessive reliance on technology can make the operator passive and unquestioning, ultimately loss of situational awareness may result. The main hypothesis tested was to establish the relationship between measurements of trust on the ground and situational awareness in simulated flight; pilots …

The Sensitivity To Motion Sickness Induced By Aircraft And Flight Training Devices And The Role Of Experience During Flight Training, Angela M. Baskin

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The incidence and severity of motion sickness, which can be incapacitating and can prevent training, is ill-established in career paths where motion or simulated motion is commonplace. To assess different aspects of this problem, each of 175 Embry-Riddle student pilots early in their training and 43 Embry-Riddle student non-pilots participated in one of four parts of this study. The Motion History Questionnaire was utilized to compare pilot and non-pilot groups on reported motion sickness sensitivity; non-pilots reported significantly more sensitivity than did pilots for 3 out of 7 items included in the composite score, suggesting possible career self-selection (though composite …

A Study In Drag Reduction Of Close Formation Flight Accounting For Flight Control Trim Positions And Dissimilar Formations, Michael T. Morgan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis further defines the position of greatest fuel savings benefit for the trail aircraft flying in a two-ship formation. The HASC95 vortex lattice code was used for the examination. Investigations of a similar formation of F-16 aircraft and a dissimilar formation of a lead KC-135 aircraft and a trail F-16 aircraft were conducted. The analyses determined the effects of varying airspeed on the optimal position. In addition, flight control surface deflections were taken into account during the analyses. Both investigations trimmed the aircraft in the yaw and roll axes to determine the optimal savings. The similar analysis was conducted …

Instrument Pilot Skill Acquisition In The Early Phases Of Flight Training Using An Advanced Cockpit Display System, Erin E. Accettullo

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the learning curve associated with complex flight behavior for both conventional and synthetic vision systems (SVS). The objective was to assess potential differences in learning curves and subjective workload. Workload data across trials indicated a negative linear trend, with a significantly lower level of workload on the synthetic vision display compared to conventional instruments. Levels of performance were significantly higher in the SVS condition, and revealed a quadratic trend, supporting the hypothesis that skill acquisition occurs faster while training with the SVS. These differences in learning and workload curves have implications for …

Utilizing A Product Rejuvenation Framework To Investigate University Aviation Association Members' Perceptions Of The Cessna 172 As A Single Engine Trainer, George A. Wrigley Iii

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this research was to utilize a product rejuvenation framework to investigate if sufficient market demand exists for Cessna in relaunching the 172 in the collegiate trainer market. The Collegiate Aviation Guide, a publication of the University Aviation Association listing UAA members and their respective aviation offerings, was used to establish the initial population for the research. The UAA members located within the 50 United States which 1) had a flight training program, and 2) owned and operated their own fleet of aircraft, represented the survey population. A total of 64 schools met the established criteria, with 55 …

Satellite Data Communications Link Requirements For A Proposed Flight Simulation System, Gerald M. Kowalski

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this study was to investigate the requirements necessary for data and voice communication via satellite, linking Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) and other flight training facilities. The proposed research was conducted following a descriptive method of collecting information, generating and analyzing data, and listing the results for the proposed link requirements. The current fiber-optic communications link at ERAU in Daytona Beach was presented to establish a general foundation of communications. Research was done into methods used by satellite common carriers for realistic data and calculations. A proposed data link to connect flight simulators at the ERAU Prescott campus …

Effect Of Joystick Versus Control Yoke Use On Personal Computer (Pc) Flight Training: A Comparative Analysis, Gregory Alan Fontaine

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this study was to provide a comparative performance analysis of a generic control yoke device and a generic joystick device. The comparison provided data needed for further evaluation of personal computer (PC) aircrew training device (ATD) potential. Both devices were used in support of the same PC flight simulation software program, and were evaluated using the experimental research method. Objective and subjective data were obtained during controlled testing, and subsequently analyzed using basic summation and t-test methods. The results tested the research hypothesis that there is no significant difference in personal computer ATD operator performance using a …

A Feasibility Study Of Aircraft Mechanics Program And Flight Training At Spokane Community College, Kenneth Gaylord Brown

All Master's Theses

This paper was designed to study the flight-training program of the aviation department at Spokane Community College and its relationship to mechanics employability. Questionnaires were designed to sample the mechanic-employer relationship in regard to mechanics with flight experience to determine whether this experience was an advantage or detriment to the aircraft mechanic seeking employment.

Recommendations proposed were expansion of the existing flight program at Spokane Community College and the practicality of adoption of flight training by similar schools.