Management and Operations Commons^™

Vertiport Ventures: Assessing Operational Feasibility For Evtol Integration In São Paulo’S Helipad And Heliport Infrastructure, Peter E. O'Reilly, Ramy A. Rahimi, Jorge Luiz Rosa Marques, Marco Aurélio Feitosa De A. L. Babadopulos1

Publications

The objective of this study is to assess the operational viability of introducing Electric Vertical Take-Of and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles in São Paulo and its metropolitan area, utilizing existing helipads and helicopter infrastructure. eVTOL aircraft, capable of vertical take-of and landing like helicopters, difer from traditional helicopters in their propulsion systems, with eVTOLs typically featuring multiple smaller electric motor-driven propulsion units instead of internal combustion engines and mechanical transmissions (Schuchardt et al. 2023). The study specifcally targets eVTOLs with the capacity to transport a minimum of four passengers and one pilot for distances of at least 50 km. Appendix provides …

Green Skies Over Akron: “Revolutionizing Cak With A $20m Sustainability Blueprint", Oluwasemilore A. Akintelure, Kyle Rediger, Katie Horn

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Our groundbreaking research at Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) proposes a transformative $20 million electrical master plan, designed to revolutionize the airport into a sustainable aviation hub and an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) leader - a unique stance compared to similar airports in its economic corridor. This initiative, poised to impact millions of travelers, integrates cutting-edge solar panel installations and infrastructure for electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles. Our comprehensive analysis, encompassing energy consumption, economic impacts, and risk assessments, underpins this ambitious project. The implementation of green energy solutions is projected to substantially reduce CAK's carbon footprint, leading to a healthier …

Going Airborne: Kent State's Pioneering Leap Into Integrated Advanced Air Mobility, Jason T. Lorenzon

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

This proposal centers on the development of a Concept of Operations in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Kent State University's College of Aeronautics and Engineering is poised to pioneer the integration of drones and electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) systems, bridging the gap between its campus and airport by transporting students and faculty the 3NM distance from campus to the airport and back by a UAV. Beyond a standard research initiative, this proposal signifies a groundbreaking effort to reshape the landscape of educational aeronautics and Advanced Air Mobility and Urban Air Mobility. Our overarching goal is to transcend conventional boundaries …

Integrating Unmanned Aerial Systems For Enhanced Wildlife Hazard Assessment In Airport Environments, Savanna Box, Anna Golendukhina, Raymond Ayres, Nicholas Buckalew

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Our team has explored the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) technologies to develop a concept of operations for data collection during a Wildlife Hazard Assessment. Data have been collected in a farmland area located two nautical miles south of Daytona Beach International Airport (Class C Airspace). The research team has applied and assessed the effectiveness of several Safety Risk Management protocols designed to ensure safe UAS operations during a WHA. The UAS crew has applied drone technologies to visually detect and record wildlife observations, activities, and natural habitats that could attract wildlife to the airport environment, as recommended by …

The Role Of Organizational Theory For The Formulation Of A Sustainable Model Applicable To Air Traffic Management And Control Operations, Eva Maleviti

Publications

This paper provides a comprehensive introduction to Air Traffic Management (ATM), which encompasses Air Traffic Control (ATC) procedures, Reduced Separation Vertical Minima (RVSM) and Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) schemes. It also discusses the role of these and other elements in promoting environmental sustainability and the key factors essential for creating effective aviation operations. The main objective of this paper is to identify and select the most relevant components for establishing a theoretical framework for sustainable ATM and ATC practices. Notably, the organizational theory is used in this paper, aiming to create a firm theoretical model that can support sustainability in the …

Delphi Panel For Establishing Land Use Compatibility Areas And Standards For Vertiports, David C. Ison

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

This study aimed to determine land use compatibility guidelines for vertiports, which are locations where vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft operate. The study employed a three-round e-Delphi panel to establish vertiport land use compatibility zones and standards. The results reached a consensus of at least 70%, providing comprehensive land use compatibility recommendations for vertiports. The study provides a foundation for vertiport land use compatibility planning, ensuring the integration of vertiports in existing communities. The findings can also increase public and local officials' awareness of the needs and requirements of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) infrastructure development. The uniformity between existing …

A New Trajectory In Uav Safety: Leveraging Reinforcement Learning For Distance Maintenance Under Wind Variations, Xiaolin Xu, Jeffrey Sun

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

In the field of aviation, safety is a critical cornerstone, and the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems is deeply connected with this principle. A thorough analysis and rigorous simulation and testing of aircraft systems are essential to avoid severe safety hazards. This paper delves into the safety issue in UAV operations, specifically regarding maintaining minimum safety distances under fluctuating wind conditions. The study introduces a novel solution based on a Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) model, a reinforcement learning method. The DDPG model was trained using a simulated environment created through the Gazebo simulator, with values for wind …

High-Flying Results: A Case Study In A Pilot Development Mentor Program, Catherine G. Cordova, Barron Parsons-Daisley, Emma Fox Captain

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Consistently considered one of the world’s most stressful occupations, the job of an airline pilot requires increasingly specific skills and responsibilities, especially amidst the global pandemic (Cullen, et al., 2020; Sew, et al., 2022). Given the severity and implications of their decisions and actions, airline pilots must continuously undergo training and practices to ensure proper procedure. In 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) augmented qualifications by enacting Pilot Professional Development requirements (85 FR 10923), including mentoring for newly hired pilots in command (PIC’s). In complement with 85 FR 10923, CFR 121-N ensures “techniques for reinforcing the highest standards of technical …

The Intellectual Structure And The Future Of Counter-Uncrewed Aerial Systems (Uas) Research: A Bibliometric And A Scoping Review, Chuyang Yang, Chenyu Huang, Yanhui Zhao

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

With advancements in remote sensing technology and affordable design, uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, have become prevalent in civil and military applications, such as agriculture, public safety, and aerial imaging. However, the rise in unlawful UAS activities, such as non-compliance with legal standards and potential terrorist attacks, has raised significant public concern, necessitating effective detection and mitigation solutions. Despite the growing importance of this issue, comprehensive and detailed examinations of existing counter-UAS solutions are lacking. To address this gap, this study conducts a bibliometric analysis and scoping review of the current literature to identify key topics and …

Assessing Past Airworthiness Directives And How Safety Management Systems May Benefit Aviation Product Design And Manufacturing, Damon Lercel, Manoj Patankar, Richard Steckel

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) continues to promulgate Safety Management Systems (SMS) across aviation organizations when it recently issued SMS requirements for EASA certificated Part 145 maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organizations and Part 21 Design & Manufacturing (D&M) organizations. Currently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has no such rule in place for these U.S.-based organizations, which may challenge those doing business in countries where EASA policies apply. Given that a majority of the United States’ D&M and MRO population is made up of smaller organizations, it is likely a U.S. SMS regulation will require justification of the …

History’S Slowest Digital Transformation: The Long Road To Flight Data Monitoring, Michael Ott

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Flight data monitoring (FDM) began in the flight test community in 1939 and entered the airline industry in 1974. In the 48 years since, however, very few operators have chosen to adopt this practice, which has shown clear safety benefits where it has found acceptance. While technical issues have created some obstacles, cultural issues have proven the greatest hindrance to wider FDM adoption. These cultural issues originated in the traits associated with pilots’ personalities, especially distrust of the regulators and operators who would administer flight data analysis programs (FDAP) that used FDM information. U.S. regulators have relied on voluntary adoption, …

Human-Ai Teams In Aviation: Considerations From Human Factors And Team Science, Jenna Korentsides, Joseph R. Keebler, Crystal M. Fausett, Sabina M. Patel, Elizabeth H. Lazzara

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed the way human-computer interaction (HCI) teams can collaborate and coordinate in various domains, including aviation and crew resource management (CRM). AI's transformative capabilities enhance teamwork, efficiency, and safety, particularly in risk management. AI's ability to process vast amounts of data and provide real-time insights enables informed decision-making and automation of repetitive tasks in aviation. By combining the strengths of AI and humans, outlined in our modified version of the ‘HABA-MABA’ framework, a dynamic teamwork relationship emerges, provided roles are successfully allocated. AI systems are able to act as intelligent assistants, offering timely recommendations, fostering effective …

Machine Learning - Hail Awareness Spatial Analysis Toolkit (Hasat), Haoruo Fu, Joseph P. Hupy, Chien-Tsung Lu, Zhenglei Ji

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

The National Airspace System (NAS) is a sophisticated network of air traffic control, navigation, and communication systems that play a critical role in ensuring the safe and efficient flow of air traffic across the United States. However, the occurrence of severe weather conditions, particularly hailstorms, poses a significant threat to flight safety within the NAS. To mitigate the risks associated with hail, aviation organizations have implemented a range of safety measures. This study utilized Esri’s ArcGIS as a mapping software to conduct a geospatial analysis of the impact of severe weather, particularly hail, on the NAS. The Hail Awareness Spatial …

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence To Improve Data Configuration & Accuracy In Modern Flight Management Systems, Sreeram Chittayil

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

AI (Artificial intelligence) can automate the process of generating optimized flight routes using real-time data, such as AIRAC (Aeronautical Information Regulation and Control), significantly reducing the time needed for flight management tasks. While AIRAC data typically takes up to 28 days to refresh, AI could condense this process to just minutes, enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring pilots have timely and accurate flight information. The research includes practical experiments, prototype code, and visual case studies to demonstrate AI's role in optimizing FMS functions while addressing issues related to data input errors and human intervention. Key findings from trials show the algorithm's …

Performance Prism: A Comprehensive Framework For Performance Measurement In Aircraft Maintenance, Mohammed Timjerdine, Saoudi Taibi, Younes Moubachir

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Aircraft maintenance is governed by rigorous safety requirements and high operational complexity, demanding robust performance measurement frameworks to ensure optimal maintenance practices. This paper investigates existing performance measurement methodologies within the sector, highlighting their limitations and the need for a more structured evaluation system. Through this critical analysis of current literature, the paper proposes the Performance Prism (PP) framework as a novel and potentially robust solution for assessing and enhancing aircraft maintenance performance. Because the PP framework integrates multiple dimensions of evaluation, it provides a holistic assessment of aircraft maintenance performance, thereby enhancing reliability, efficiency, and overall effectiveness. Using examples …

Short-Term Forecasting Airport Passenger Flow During Periods Of Volatility: Comparative Investigation Of Time Series Vs. Neural Network Models, David H. Hopfe, Kiljae Lee, Chunyan Yu

Publications

Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), known for handling complex data tasks like language translation and speech recognition, are seldom employed in airport management practice for daily and weekly passenger flow forecasting tasks. In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness and adaptability of various neural network models (RNN, LSTM, GRU, Deep LSTM, Bidirectional LSTM, multivariate RNN, and multivariate LSTM) against standard time series models (ARIMA, SARIMA, and SARIMAX) for a short-term forecasting airport security checkpoint passenger flows at five major U.S. airports during the pandemic.

At Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL), the RNN notably surpasses SARIMA's forecasting accuracy by 34% (DM= 3.44, p …

Impact Of Weather Factors On Airport Arrival Rates: Application Of Machine Learning In Air Transportation, Robert W. Maxson, Dothang Truong, Woojin Choi

Publications

Weather is responsible for approximately 70% of air transportation delays in the National Airspace System, and delays resulting from convective weather alone cost airlines and passengers millions of dollars each year due to delays that could be avoided. This research sought to establish relationships between environmental variables and airport efficiency estimates by data mining archived weather and airport performance data at ten geographically and climatologically different airports. Several meaningful relationships were discovered from six out of ten airports using various machine learning methods within an overarching data mining protocol, and the developed models were tested using historical data.

Perception Of Crisis Management, Service Quality, And Loyalty Programs On Airline Travel Intention: What Roles Do Fear Of Covid-19 And Risk Attitude Play?, Sohel M. Imroz, Tamilla Curtis, Scott C. Ambrose

Publications

This research investigates the antecedents of airline travel intention, including the effects of crisis management, service quality perceptions, and loyalty programs, along with the fear of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and risk attitude among individuals from different parts of the world during the peak of the pandemic. Its main objective is to assess how these variables impact passenger airline travel intention. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to assess the measurement model and test the hypothesized relationships on the sample of 944 travelers. Results indicated strong positive associations between fear of COVID-19, risk-averse attitudes, and service quality with respect …

A Literary Survey On The U.S. Airline Maintenance Outsourcing: Technology, Economics, And Politics Perspectives, Linfeng Jin, Chien-Ting Lu

Publications

This study examines the U.S. airline maintenance outsourcing- a common business phenomenon in the post-1978 deregulated airline industry. Over the years, there have been several fatal accidents in the U.S. linked to airline maintenance outsourcing, and it has caught the attention of the government and general public. This paper went over the complex airline maintenance outsourcing factors from technology, economics, and political tripartite perspectives. And suggestions for the airlines, the regulators and the legislators are made in the end

An Investigation Into The Economic Useful Life Of Commercial Aircraft As Impacted By Maintenance And Economic Variables, Robert Gallagher

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This research involved examining the economic useful life of commercial aircraft and the impact of maintenance and economic variables on the viability and longevity of the asset. The data sample consisted of the entire population of Boeing commercial aircraft produced between 1956 and 2021. The objective was to determine the effect of both maintenance and economic variables on the longevity and usefulness of commercial aircraft. As manufacturers work with issues such as service life, economic life, safety, and critical design features, those in the aviation community focus on the operational side of the equation––how long can one operate the asset, …

Change Fatigue In Aviation Maintenance Through A Human Factors Lens, Stephanie Douglas, Bettina Mrusek

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Aviation is a demanding and fast-paced industry and it is not uncommon for aviation professionals, including maintainers, to experience rapid disruption and organizational change. Fatigue in aviation professionals is a known risk. Fatigue risk management systems (FRMS) seek to mitigate this risk by focusing on tiredness resulting from long work hours and lack of quality sleep. Recently, change fatigue has also risen to the forefront of business and employee studies. In many of today’s industries, change is constant as firms implement changes either to address disruptions, business growth or to follow trends in the industry. Frequent changes in an organization …

Development Of A Safety Performance Decision-Making Tool For Flight Training Organizations, Marisa D. Aguiar Phd, Carolina L. Anderson Phd

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The purpose of the research was to create and validate a safety performance decision-making tool to transform a reactive safety model into a predictive, decision-making tool, specific to large, collegiate Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 141 flight training organizations, to increase safety and aid in operational decision-making. Using Monte Carlo simulation, the study conducted simulation runs based on true operational ranges to simulate the operating conditions possible within large, collegiate CFR Part 141 flight training organizations with varying levels of controllable resources in terms of personnel (Aviation Maintenance Technicians and Instructor Pilots) and expenditures (active …

Airline Pilot Risk Profiling By Using Unstable Approach Management Case, Selim Ozyurek

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Risk and human decision-making cannot be separated from each other. Many of theories and studies have tried to analyze pilots’ decision-making processes, risk factors, and preference behavior in the aviation domain. Unstable approaches are fairly infrequent, but an unstable approach is a major risk factor for landing accidents (Smith & Curtis, 2013; Smith, Jamieson, & Curtis, 2012). Therefore, the decision to execute a go-around if an approach is not sufficiently stable is encouraged in the interest of safety (Airbus Customer Services, 2012; Flight Safety Foundation, 2013), but in practice less than 5% of the unstable approaches actually results in a …

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 …

Business Process Architecture For The Integration Of Artificial Intelligence At Aerospace Organizations, Andrew Walker

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Artificial intelligence's capability is rapidly increasing, and the aerospace industry must capitalize on this computing revolution. The current study conducts an integrative literature review to identify current and potential AI applications beneficial to the aerospace industry. It utilizes the findings to develop a new high-level business process architecture integrating AI in the workplace. Business process elements are extracted from the literature using logical reasoning to modify a baseline architecture model. The new model is developed to allow the integration of artificial intelligence from a holistic perspective, at the more general level of employee interaction and at the more narrow level …

Stochastic Optimization To Reduce Aircraft Taxi-In Time At Igia, New Delhi, Rajib Das, Saileswar Ghosh, Rajendra Desai, Pijus Kanti Bhuin, Stuti Agarwal

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Since there is an uncertainty in the arrival times of flights, pre-scheduled allocation of runways and stands and the subsequent first-come-first-served treatment results in a sub-optimal allocation of runways and stands, this is the prime reason for the unusual delays in taxi-in times at IGIA, New Delhi.

We simulated the arrival pattern of aircraft and utilized stochastic optimization to arrive at the best runway-stands allocation for a day. Optimization is done using a GRG Non-Linear algorithm in the Frontline Systems Analytic Solver platform. We applied this model to eight representative scenarios of two different days. Our results show that without …

A Deep Bilstm Machine Learning Method For Flight Delay Prediction Classification, Desmond B. Bisandu, Irene Moulitsas

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

This paper proposes a classification approach for flight delays using Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models. Flight delays are a major issue in the airline industry, causing inconvenience to passengers and financial losses to airlines. The BiLSTM and LSTM models, powerful deep learning techniques, have shown promising results in a classification task. In this study, we collected a dataset from the United States (US) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of flight on-time performance information and used it to train and test the BiLSTM and LSTM models. We set three criteria for selecting highly important features …

Faa Designated Pilot Examiner System Insights, Wendy Beckman, Michael Gref, Timothy Rosser

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

As part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2018 the FAA was required by Congress to review Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) policies and procedures. This task was delegated to the Designated Pilot Examiner Reforms Working Group (DPERWG). This Group delivered its recommendations to the FAA in June 2021, and this research study was conducted in late January of 2022 to attempt to provide additional insights to the agency prior to its required response to the DPERWG in June of 2022.

This research project aimed to provide perceptions of the current DPE system from both DPEs and flight …

Ads-B Communication Interference In Air Traffic Management, George Ray

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Automated Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) provides position and state information about aircraft and is becoming an essential component in the global air traffic management system. ADS-B transponders broadcast this key information on a common frequency to both other aircraft and to secondary surveillance radar systems located at ground stations. Both the aircraft transponders and the ground stations work together to assist in managing the commercial airspace. Since the aircraft transponders all broadcast on the same frequency and are in close proximity there is an apparent risk of interference and the garbling of the communications needed to manage the airspace.

The …

Single Pilot Operations And Public Acceptance: A Mixed Methods Study Conducted In Greece, Panagiotis Kioulepoglou, Ilias Makris

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The airline industry is moving towards Single Pilot Operations (SPO), as a result of the increased training and salary cost of pilots, and also as a remedy to the impending pilot shortage which is estimated to manifest itself in the years to follow. The main objective of this study was to explore whether the Greek public is willing to accept only one pilot onboard, what are the factors that affect this decision, and which is the preferred method of replacing the second pilot by choosing between an array of alternative options proposed by the industry.

Based on the qualitative findings …