Aviation Commons^™

Value Of Increased Use Of Scheduled Maintenance On Aircraft Availability And Maintenance Cost Of The C-5, William T. Webb

Theses and Dissertations

The C-5 consistently performs below its established mission capable rate of 75 percent. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not mission capable rates and maintenance costs can be improved by increased use of scheduled maintenance. Nine C-5 components were studied. Availability and cost were compared when scheduled replacement occurred at ten, twenty, and thirty percent before their respective mean time between failure and actual failure times. Actual failure times were not available so they were generated using simulation. The trade-off of using preventive maintenance is the decreased cost of sending fewer maintenance repair teams and increased …

Effects Of Shiftwork On Air Force Aircraft Maintenance Personnel, Craig A. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of converting a large aircraft maintenance squadron from 8-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts. The squadron studied converted its 24- hour maintenance work force from three 8-hour work shifts to two 12-hour work shifts incrementally, with one section converting to 12-hour shifts in January, 1996, and the remaining section converting in July, 1996. Both sections remained on 12-hour shifts until September, 1997, when both sections converted back to a three shift 8-hour operation. Health and well being, on- and off-duty accident rates, day shift vs. night shift accident rates, and the effects of stress and fatigue …

In-Flight Fatigue Crack Monitoring Of An Aircraft Engine Cowling, Samuel Gordon Vaughn Iii

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This research investigates the feasibility of implementing an in-flight fatigue crack monitoring system in an airplane to identify fatigue crack growth. An acoustic emission data acquisition system coupled with a Kohonen self organizing map neural network were used to perform the analysis.

Fatigue cracking was responsible for ripping the top of a fuselage off an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737-200 as it carried passengers over the Pacific Ocean, killing some aboard. This tragedy is perhaps a precursor of problems to come, as our nation’s aircraft age. These planes experience fatigue as they perform their daily routine of ferrying passengers from location …

Fatigue: Investigation Of A Human Factor For Regional Airline Pilots, Doug Mikkelsen

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This study analyzed the causes of regional airline pilot fatigue and the impact on pilot performance. An instrument was developed and refined through a field study validation by a panel of experts. The final instrument was distributed to three groups of regional airline pilots. The data supported the literature review, which revealed many causes of pilot fatigue, including flight crew schedules that are not compatible with human limitations; Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) that have not evolved with the advancement of aircraft performance and the public demand for 24 hour availability of flights; and poor personal habits. An analysis of the …

Flight Physician - June, 1998, Civil Aviation Medical Association

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A twelve page newsletter of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. The newsletter provided news about civil aviation medicine and information related to the organization.

A Quasi-Experimental Approach For Assessing Air Traffic Controller Workload, Ana Theresa Borja

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The objective of this thesis was to evaluate and determine the operational impacts to the Oceanic Air Traffic Controller (controller) from deficiencies of an Oceanic Data Link system. These deficiencies in the Oceanic Data Link system are in regards to the Computer Human Interface (CHI) and its effect on the cognitive effort and physical task requirements imposed on the controller. The various workload methodologies and techniques were reviewed for specific workload techniques applicable to the operational environment when resources, such as time and funding, are lacking for a laboratory design. Data was collected from a live oceanic control facility where …

The T-27 "Tucano" Engine Pipeline Of The Brazilian Air Force: A Managerial Approach, Jorge Barros Santos

Theses and Dissertations

The T-27 is a Brazilian-made aircraft, manufactured by "Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica - EMBRAER". The purpose of this study is to describe the processes that take place in the logistic pipeline of the T-27 Engine. With the objective of identifying any existent bottlenecks and suggests managerial approaches to improve the overall system performance.

The Scheduling Process In A Depot From The Brazilian Air Force, Fabricio J. Saito

Theses and Dissertations

The Brazilian Air Force (BAF) in its logistic structure contains 5 Air Logistic Centers (depots). This thesis concentrates its analysis on one of the most important BAF depots located at Sao Paulo (PAMASP). This thesis explores the scheduling process currently used in PAMASP. This thesis adopted a managerial approach in a sense that it looked to take a big picture of the current process. The researcher performed field interviews with the goal of describing the process. During the visit to PAMASP, the researcher also gathered problems related to the process. The recommendations stated on this study were based on the …

Three-Bladed Propeller Design For The Reduction Of General Aviation Radiated Noise Characteristics, Ronald W. Finn

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this study was to design a quiet 3-Bladed propeller for general aviation aircraft. A combination of design technique and analytical predictions using the NASA Aircraft Noise Prediction Program - Propeller Analysis System (ANOPP-PAS) was used to achieve this goal. The propellers were designed for an engine power of 200 hp, a rotational speed of 2,400 RPM and a free-stream speed of 160 kts. A straight 76 in. diameter 2-bladed propeller was designed as a reference for the 64 in. diameter 3-bladed propeller. The ANOPP-PAS computer code was used for predicting the aerodynamic performance and radiated noise characteristics …

The Political Psychology Of Air Shows: Strata Of Mass Rally, Pageantry, And Spectacle, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes the psychology of air shows' attractiveness and suggests the congruence of this psychology with the attractiveness of mass political rally, pageantry, and spectacle.

The Effect Of Automation On Helicopter Crew Communication: A Low-Fidelity Investigation, Margaret A. Maclsaac

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

Increasing levels of technology have changed the task of flying modern helicopter cockpits by allowing many crew functions to be performed automatically. This study attempted to understand the relation between automation and helicopter crew coordination. Twenty-eight helicopter pilots were assigned to two-person crews and asked to fly a simulated mission in either automated or manual conditions using a low-fidelity helicopter simulator. Communication was transcribed and coded into a nine-category content classification system by two trained raters. The inter-rater reliability was +.84. Results indicated that a higher frequency of total communications was demonstrated during manual flights.

Evaluation Of Airport Operating Efficiencies Using Data Envelopment Analysis, Scott Andrew Cummings

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Airport congestion represents a serious obstacle to the future growth of the air transportation industry in the United States. Future development of new airports, and expansion of existing ones is required to meet the growing demands in domestic and commercial air travel. Globalization of economies and international travel has placed additional burdens on airports nationwide. This growth is requiring airports to operate at peak efficiencies. Economic growth of surrounding industries is dependent on the airport that services that geographical region. The variations in functions that airports offer, and therefore the differences in operations, do not lend themselves to traditional efficiency …

Touch The Wind, Tim Brady

Publications

Historical background on the development of flight navigational instruments based on discoveries made by Lt. James H. Doolittle.

The Future Interface Of Political And Industrial/Organizational Psychologies: The Case Of Air Traffic Controllers, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article presents a brief overview of future psychological challenges bearing on the improving the performance of air traffic controllers. The most significant challenges appear to be philosophical, political, social, and cultural.

Flight Physician - March, 1998, Civil Aviation Medical Association

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A sixteen page newsletter of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. The newsletter provided news about civil aviation medicine and information related to the organization.

Sensitivity Analysis Of Brawler Pilot Skill Levels, Daniel C. Buschor

Theses and Dissertations

BRAWLER is a high resolution air to air combat simulation model used for engagement level analyses of few on few air combat. It uses a value driven decision logic to help simulate pilot behavior. In order to account for varied pilot skill levels, BRAWLER has defined three skill levels; Rookie, Pilot, and Ace. A Rookie can track up to three aircraft in its mental model, the Pilot, up to five aircraft, while an Ace has no limit. Further, each skill level varies the amount of time before a known aircraft, which has not been recently observed, is purged from the …

An Airlift Hub-And-Spoke Location-Routing Model With Time Windows: Case Study Of The Conus-To-Korea Airlift Problem, David W. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

Traditionally, the United States Air Force's Air Mobility Command (AMC) has used the concept of direct delivery to airlift cargo and passengers from a point of embarkation to a point of debarkation. This study develops an alternative hub-and-spoke combined location-routing integer linear programming prototype model, and uses this model to determine what advantages a hub-and-spoke system offers, and in which scenarios it is better-suited than the direct delivery method. Additionally, the analysis suggests that the C-17 may be better-suited, in certain airlift situations, for theater airlift versus strategic (direct delivery) airlift. The model features the following elements: time windows, cargo …

Optimum Preventive Maintenance Policies For The Amraam Missile, Scott J. Ruflin

Theses and Dissertations

The overall objective of this research effort was to formulate a preventive maintenance strategy for AMRAAM missiles subject to extended captive carry flight time. A preventive maintenance policy is only applicable if the item in question is aging, or deteriorating with time. Therefore, a supporting objective of this research is to characterize the aging process of the missile system through a non-parametric analysis of its Mean Residual Life (MRL) function. Three non-parametric, censored-data MRL function estimation techniques discussed in the literature are examined via a numerical example. All three estimation techniques provide MRL functions that exhibit greatly exaggerated decreasing trends …

Critiquing Critiques Of Profiling In Aviation Security Screening Programs: Why The Aclu Has It Wrong, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article provides commentary on the American Civil Liberty Union's (ACLU) criticisms of the Computer Assisted Passenger Screening System (CAPS) that was developed under the auspices of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to support aviation security.

The Cost Effective Quality Maintenance Of Ship Containers : Management And Technical Practices Which Reflect High Standards Of Containers In The Ceylon Shipping Corporation, H.M. Ajith Dehipola

World Maritime University Dissertations

This dissertation seems to highlight the need of have a quality repair standards to develop, implement and oversee the container repairs in the Ceylon shipping corporation. The mechanism and process through which this can be achieved is examined and explained by the author in a manner which can be understood by the readers in the late chapters. It is also emphasised, in this work that the need exist for properly and highly trained personal to fulfil the required standards in container repairs. It is fairly clear that, the life of a container is depend from many factors. Some of the …

Architecture, Design, And Implementation Of A Rapidly Prototyped Virtual Environment For A Military Spaceplane, Scott A. Rothermel

Theses and Dissertations

The new Global Engagement vision places increased emphasis on the Air Force's ability to control and exploit space. A military spaceplane combining reliable access to space, high operational tempos, and multi-mission capabilities is in conceptual stages of development. Virtual environment technology provides an opportunity to investigate system requirements and unconventional interface paradigms for this unique vehicle. A virtual environment architecture and design based on support for a rapid prototyping development process, separation of concerns, and user interface development is presented. The rapid prototyping process allowed management of changing requirements via an evolutionary approach to implementation. Separation of the activities performed …

Flight Physician - December, 1997, Civil Aviation Medical Association

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A fourteen page newsletter of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. The newsletter provided news about civil aviation medicine and information related to the organization.

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 …

Reducing Cannon Plug Connector Pin Selection Time And Errors Through Enhanced Data Presentation Methods, Robert R. Webb

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of data presentation methods on technician performance when the procedures are presented on a monocular, head mounted display (HMD) in a static maintenance environment. This research used two different methods to present the maintenance task data to the technicians. The first method showed the task as it is typically described in standard technical manuals. It described the task to perform and provided a basic picture of the cannon plug to be tested (unenhanced). The second method provided the same information as the first, but it also modified the information by …

Economic Analysis For An F-22 Organic Vs. Contractor Aircraft Battle Damage Repair Ownership Decision, John A. Kitchens

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) is a viable alternative to Combat Logistics Support Squadrons (CLSSs) for providing F-22 Aircraft Battle Damage Repair (ABDR). Legalities, practicalities, and cost-effectiveness were key ownership concerns. United States Code, Office of Management and Budget, Department of Defense (DoD), and United States Air Force (USAF) requirements were reviewed to address legal and policy issues and whether F-22 ABDR is military essential. The Army's Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOCCAP) award fee history was used to assess the potential performance of F-22 ABDR CLS personnel. F-117 ABDR team requirements and …

Cost Per Flying Hour Analysis Of The C-141, Christopher J. Omlor

Theses and Dissertations

This paper sought to examine if DoD's current transfer pricing method places AMC in a price competitive position with the government commercial rates and promotes managers to make the best decisions. Attention was paid to the stated customer concerns that current transfer pricing methods incorporate overhead and sunk costs that are not attributable to routine movement of peacetime cargo and could make AMC non price competitive with commercial vendors. The findings are that AMC currently uses full cost transfer pricing, as required by DoD policy, that includes significant overhead and sunk costs associated with its wartime responsibilities. The full cost …

Aerial Port Location Study, Levenchi L. Dingle

Theses and Dissertations

This study performed an investigation on determining the appropriate number and locations of continental United States aerial ports. To accomplish this a linear programming formulation was adapted with the optimizing function based on trading off the cost of shipping cargo against port operating costs. Cargo would travel from CONUS origin, through aerial port of embarkation (APOE), to aerial port of debarkation (APOD) at minimum cost to the DoD. The need for the study was precipitated by continued reductions in the military budget, consolidation of defense depots, and the reduction in the number of personnel stationed overseas. Cargo movement data was …

Identification And Reduction Of Bottlenecks Concerning Micap Re-Supply Of F-16 Weapons System Avionics Line Replaceable Units, Karl N. Muno, Patrick K. Pezoulas

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis evaluates selected F-16 avionics Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) transiting the logistics pipeline in order to examine the existence of bottlenecks and explore potential solutions within the current Department of Defense (DoD) logistics reparable pipeline. A previous study reported that a reduction in the overall pipeline resupply time of at least one day equates to a savings of approximately $25.45 million (Hill et al, 1990:iii). Bottlenecks cause movement delays to the entities moving through the logistics reparable pipeline. The pipeline segments are: AO (requisition), AE (item availability), AS (shipment status), and D6 (receipt). The bottlenecks of concern are those …

Aerospace Ground Equipment's Impact On Aircraft Availability And Deployment, Jeffrey D. Havlicek

Theses and Dissertations

The first purpose of this thesis was to study the effects of four factors on aircraft availability: the aerospace ground equipment (AGE) design configuration, the mean time between failure (MTBF) of AGE, the mean time to repair (MTTR) AGE, and the travel time to transport the AGE around the flightline. A simulation developed by Carrico (1996) that has its foundation based on the Logistics Composite Model (LCOM) was used. ANOVA results indicated that the present estimates of these factors are too broad for trade studies that include an estimate of aircraft availability to begin. The time it takes AGE to …

Comparison Of Effects Of Change From 8 To 12 Hour Shifts On Air Force Aircraft Maintenance Workers, Daniel W. Overland

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of converting from an 8 hour shift system to a 12 hour system on aircraft maintenance personnel. The squadron had converted its 24 hour operations from an 8 hour shift schedule to a 12 hour shift schedule in stages, changing one group first and then another. A smaller third group of workers remained on 8 hour shifts. Individual differences in job related outcomes and situational constraints were measured for all three groups. Results showed that changing from 8 to 12 hour shifts affected worker well-being and morale, as indicated by an increase in hospital visits …