Maintenance Technology Commons^™

Advancing Vtol Tail-Sitter Stability Through Modern Flight Control And System Identification, Tobey Cram, Jacob House, Alexander Theophanis

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Title: Advancing VTOL Tail-Sitter Stability Through Modern Flight Control and System Identification   The concept of tail-sitter aircraft can be traced back to Nikola Tesla nearly 100 years ago; however, no aircraft with this novel design materialized until nearly 20 years later during World War II, when efforts were made to reduce reliance on runways. One notable design that emerged during the Cold War was the Convair XFY-1 Pogo. This design failed for reasons common to many others of the time: pilots had extreme difficulty landing while looking over their shoulders, and the technology of the era could not reliably maintain …

Advancing Aircraft Maintenance - Smart Mechanic Glasses Proposal, Diego Cordero-Rios, Ilan Soler, Ryan Mercer, Addison Groce, Ruipeng Zhao, Zimo Yang

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Commercial aircraft maintenance is increasingly challenged by aging fleets, expanding use of composite materials, labor shortages, and rising expectations for reliability, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Modern aircraft systems demand that maintenance technicians interpret large amounts of technical data to detect complex and hidden defects while navigating limited visibility, distractions, outdated manuals, and inconsistent flows between teams. Traditionally, technicians rely on printed manuals, tablets, or laptops, which increase cognitive load and interrupt task execution, ultimately decreasing productivity, especially in confined physical spaces. Meanwhile, the use of advanced materials, such as composites, creates inspection and repair demands that are more labor-intensive and time-consuming; …

Enhancing Aviation Safety: A Framework For Predictive Maintenance Using Generative Data Augmentation And Uncertainty Quantification, Muhammad Najjar

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

Predictive maintenance is a critical component of aviation safety, yet the development of accurate data-driven models is often hindered by the severe class imbalance inherent in real-world flight data; healthy flights are abundant, while flights preceding a failure are rare. This imbalance biases machine learning models, leading to poor detection of critical maintenance needs. This project addresses this challenge by leveraging the NGAFID aviation maintenance dataset to develop and validate an integrated predictive framework. We propose training a Time-series Generative Adversarial Network (TimeGAN) to synthesize high-fidelity, realistic "pre-maintenance" flight data. This synthetic data is used to create a balanced training …

The E-Strip® As A Tool For Predictive Maintenance To Monitor And Control Shot Peening Processes, Walter A. Beach, Scott Glasier

15th International Conference on Shot Peening

The primary objective of this paper is to demonstrate the E-Strip® is capable of providing real-time feedback to the machine controller for making necessary process adjustments due to external forces, such as machine wear. Adjustments may include regulating air pressure and shot flow within pre-defined tolerances dictated by specification. It is anticipated that this integrated approach will significantly reduce variations in intensity levels observed from part to part and lot to lot.

The Value Of Strong Partnerships To Build A Successful Aviation Maintenance Career Pathway Program For Transitioning Military Service Members, Angela C. Albritton, Kenneth Witcher Ph.D., Christopher Toppin

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The aerospace industry is competing with other industries for a qualified workforce, and many of those competing industries are investing heavily in creating workforce development pipelines. Boeing (2021) forecasts that 626,000 new aviation maintenance technicians will be needed over the next 20 years. If the aerospace industry is unable to recruit the skilled workforce they require, it could have a ripple effect felt globally. Career pathway programs are emerging as essential to inspiring and recruiting the next generation of aviation professionals. How can industry, academia and government work together to find more innovative ways to address the growing need for …

Neutralization Of Fuel Tankering Emissions For Environmental Sustainability, Peter O'Reilly, Maria Petrescu, Fabricio Sulzbacher, Diogo Coutinho

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

As aviation has been one of the fastest-growing sources of emissions, this paper explores sustainable solutions in the equation of the economic savings from the fuel tankering practice, in a way it could represent gains of credibility for this industry (Boussauw & Vanoutrive, 2019). The fuel expenses in Brazil have been responsible for the highest operational cost for the airlines and, as a result, there has been an ongoing pursuit of the highest level of efficiency (ANAC, 2019). In this context, this study has been focused on the emerging Brazilian aviation market, and uses primary data collected from three major …

Improved Feedback Mechanisms Of The Hydraulics Sandbox Simulator, Karen J. Johnson, Martin Hebel

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The proposed presentation will include the following project and results from implementation in an aircraft hydraulic systems course.

In 2020 we developed a digital hydraulics system schematic sandbox for use in an FAA Part 147 airframe maintenance technician training program (See Figure 1). The sandbox allows students to drag-drop-connect components used in systems such as those found in aircraft. It allows them to ‘test-connect’ the components to get feedback on correct and incorrect ‘construction’. As shown in Figure 1, light green ‘hoses’ are correct supply connections, dark green are correct return connections and red are incorrect connections per established rules …

Under Pressure: Decision Making In Aircraft Maintenance And The Role Of Gender, Stephanie Douglas Ph.D., Bettina M. Mrusek Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

In aircraft maintenance, leaders are under near-constant pressure to maintain airworthiness. Every minute an aircraft cannot fly due to maintenance represents financial waste. Decisions are therefore made in a relatively quick fashion. A leader evaluates the situation, identifies a course of action and then communicates this message to a team of technicians. However, gender influences regarding leaders’ decisions can influence team members’ perceptions of those decisions.

The study will measure decision making methods of leaders in aircraft maintenance and the perceptions of the technicians. It informs how gender influences decision making from both the leader and follower perspective. The expected …

Certificated Amts: What Will Encourage More Women To Become Aviation Maintenance Technicians?, Gail Y. Rouscher Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

This paper examines practices that are used in STEM fields to attract women in order to understand how those tactics may to entice women to join the ranks of certified AMTs. According to the FAA, the estimated active mechanic certificates held as of December 31, 2018 was 292,002. Of those 292,002 it is estimated that 7,133 or 2.4% were held by women. In 2009, there were 329,027 active mechanics certificates held and 6,980 or 2.1% were held by women. There was steady growth of certificated women mechanics from 2009 through 2015 – growing from 2.1% to 2.5% respectively. In 2016, …

Drones Are Everywhere!, Andreas Wesemann Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Drones are everywhere! Using technology to enhance learning in collegiate and secondary school education.

Unmanned Aerial Systems are invading our campus at Utah State University, and we see drones flying everywhere. Using hands-on activities, including design, building and actually flying, students are becoming FAA certified Remote Pilot as part of a new minor at USU. This workshop will discover how this program was created, how the use of active learning labs compliment student programs in all disciplines from journalism to business, and landscape architecture to natural resources. Using examples from the first two years of course offerings, participants will discover …

Human Factors Evaluation Of Laptops As A Technical Data Repository In Aircraft Maintenance, Sarah Talley, Christopher Groom

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Digital technology is employed more and more in society for both personal and professional use. Specifically, laptops and tablets are used in diverse environments in a variety of capacities. In the aircraft maintenance environment, many instances of technical data repositories exist in paper form. Retrieval and interaction with these documents can be limiting and introduce human factors that are less than ideal for maintenance operations. The deployment of laptops can alleviate some of those strains and offer a more ergonomic solution for technical data repositories. However, despite the many benefits introduced by technology, laptops may also present ergonomic strains not …

Uas Maintenance: A Critical Component In Maintaining Airworthiness, Bettina M. Mrusek Ph.D., Patti J. Clark Ph.D., Kristy W. Kiernan Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Over the last several decades, the notion of traditional aircraft design has significantly changed. While there are many modern aircraft that resemble earlier models, their components, systems, and overall architecture have evolved, including the introduction of small unmanned aircraft systems. Despite the growing consumer attraction to own and operate these aircraft, the subsequent impact on safety is an area of intense concern. The requirement of an established maintenance program for manned aircraft is rooted in ensuring that all aircraft are deemed safe for flight. Preventive maintenance schedules are based on component reliability data, which minimizes unnecessary maintenance while preventing maintenance-related …

Enhancing Aviation Maintenance Training Using Scenario-Based Education, Raymond Thompson

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Aviation maintenance technician training programs primarily utilize general aviation equipment. Most graduates in the current demand-driven environment are taking positions with air carriers and MRO’s. Industry reports that new technicians required between 2 – 5 years of further training and experience to be considered able to work independently on the shop floor which exacerbates the technician shortage.

Scenario-based education provides graduates with an experience that provides a greater understanding of how large aircraft maintenance is developed and delivered in comparison to small general aviation aircraft. This will allow new hires to become capable of independent work in a shorter time …

Holographic Micro-Simulations To Enhance Aviation Training With Mixed Reality, Lori Brown Fraes, Msc, Hfavn

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Mixed reality technologies present a new medium, a new paradigm of augmented reality, where for the first time we have the ability to take the analog world and superimpose digital training artifacts and create a ‘mixed reality’ to enhance aviation training. Digital computing headsets such as Microsoft HoloLens are intuitive and offer a natural means of interaction with no computer, wire or touch-screen. This approach has several practical advantages to overlay holographic elements onto real-world crew environments which makes holographic micro-simulations particularly suited to aviation training and education. Unlike virtual reality—the user is not isolated from their surroundings. MR allows …

Performance Results Of Using Waste Vegetable Oil Based Biodiesel Fuel In A Turboshaft Gas Turbine Engine, Donald Bartlett 5218591, Blaine M. Heisner

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

The purpose of this research is to record and compare the operating parameters of a turboshaft gas turbine engine using two different blends of biodiesel fuel and the standard Jet A fuel.

2fly With Rpi - Evaluating The Raspberry Pi For Glass Cockpit Applications, Donald R. Morris

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

Evaluating the capabilities of Raspberry Pi computers to be used in embedded glass cockpit applications for experimental aircraft. This includes details of what is required for these applications as well as how well the Raspberry Pi 3B can perform in this role.

Technological Advances Of Diesel Engines Within The Aviation Industry, Daniel I. Mattingly

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

Brief history of the diesel engine and how technological advances are making the use of a diesel engine more feasible in powering general aviation aircraft and light helicopters.

The Effect Of Using Noise Reduction Turbofan Engine Exhaust Nozzle Designs On A Turbojet Engine, Donald Bartlett 5218591

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

The level of sound produced by the turbojet and turbofan engines and the types of exhaust nozzle designs is the focus of this research. The purpose is to see if using noise reduction nozzle designs currently used on turbofan engines reduce noise on a turbojet engine.

Late Morning Concurrent Sessions: Innovations In Aviation Technologies: Presentation: Relative Material Loss: A Methodology For Assessing Island Airport Steel Marine Bulkheads, Robert Ernsting, Constantine M. Koursaris

Aviation / Aeronautics / Aerospace International Research Conference

A July 2015 report from the Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) states “U.S. airports are long overdue for [a] major structural improvement projects. Most U.S. airports are aging, … and because of budgetary restrictions, they’re not aging well.”(Garcia and Clampet, 2015). The average US age is 40 years old with the youngest (Denver International) recently turning 20 years old. As airports continue to age, airport commissioners will struggle to find creative ways to either fund airport replacements or extend the service life of existing airport facilities (commonly referred to as service life extension projects or SLEP). Due to …