Management and Operations Commons^™

Bitseat: Reimagining The Financing For Airliners Using Nonfungible Tokens (Blockchain Technology), Edwin S. Ongola

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

This essay describes how blockchain technology, particularly nonfungible tokens, can be used to raise funding for airliners. The essay begins with a brief overview on the costs, categories, and acquisition methods of airliners. After that, the essay introduces concepts on blockchain technology, tokens, and smart contracts. The essay then touches on how nonfungible tokens can be used to facilitate fractional ownership of airliners. From there, the essay discusses Bitseat, a conceptual nonfungible token for fractional ownership of airliners, covering its overall design, appeal, marketplace alternatives, and challenges. Finally, in the discussion, the essay summarizes the overall concept and outlines its …

The Evolution Of Mro Outsourcing: Global Trends, Regulatory Challenges, And Strategic Considerations In Aviation Maintenance, David C. Ison

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) industry plays a critical role in ensuring the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of the global aviation sector. As airlines seek to reduce costs, optimize operations, and access specialized expertise, MRO outsourcing has become an increasingly prevalent strategy. This essay examines the key drivers of MRO outsourcing, including cost reduction, access to advanced technologies, and the focus on core competencies. The essay also explores emerging trends such as the rise of new MRO hubs in Asia and the Middle East, the integration of predictive maintenance and artificial intelligence, and the growing emphasis on environmental sustainability. …

Statistical Analysis Of Log Transformation Effectiveness In Air Traffic Movement Forecasting During Covid-19 In South Africa, John Lehlaka Masekoameng

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

This study evaluates the effectiveness of log transformation in enhancing multiple regression models used to forecast air traffic movements (ATMs) in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using 60 monthly observations from October 2016 to September 2021, the analysis incorporates variables such as revenue, lockdown levels, COVID-19 metrics, exchange rates, gross domestic product, and population. Two models are compared: one using raw ATMs and another with log-transformed ATMs as the dependent variable.

While the untransformed model shows stronger explanatory power (R² = 0.904, adjusted R² = 0.891) compared to the log-transformed model (R² = 0.772, adjusted R² = 0.741), the …

Financial Risk Trends During Covid-19: A Comparative Analysis Of Three Major U.S. Airlines (2020-2022), Kamanda Mosongo

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Community Involvement Efficacy In The Adoption Of Airport Noise Mitigation Programs, Rhea Dutta, Oleksandr Sergey Crowell, Joao Pedro Biondo Peres, Caroline Kathure Marete

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Introduction and Background: The management of noise stemming from airport operations has been at the center of regulatory efforts aimed at balancing airport expansion with both environmental and community impacts. This study evaluates the effectiveness of community involvement in creating and implementing noise mitigation programs. It explored the methods through which airports are adopting federal regulations, established by agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and implementing initiatives, such as Noise Compatibility Programs (NCPs) and Noise Exposure Maps (NEMs). Specific regulations reviewed include 14 CFR Part 150, 14 CFR Part 160, and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). …

A Feasibility Study Into The Usability And Application Of An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle For Aircraft Inspection And Quality Assurance Inspections, Reece P. Bhave

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The global aviation industry is often characterized as one of the safest modes of transportation in the modern world. With an abundance of quality assurance inspections and checks to determine operations safety, modern-day commercial aircraft that are utilized for passenger and cargo flights are held to a higher safety standard defined by regulatory bodies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States of America and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in the European Union. While these quality standards are maintained via a series of inspections, checks, and preventative maintenance procedures, they are limited to only visual or …

A Technical And Statistical Analysis Of Unleaded Aviation Fuel (Ul94) Adoption In A High- Volume Collegiate Aviation Environment, Nicholas D. Wilson, Ryan Guthridge, Brandon Wild, Jeremy Roesler, Daniel Kasowski, Nick Geinert, Aaron Terbest, Aaron Fettig, Robert Kraus

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The University of North Dakota (UND) adopted unleaded aviation fuel (UL94) for approximately a four-month period in the summer and early fall of 2023. The UL94 fuel was used in all reciprocating engine fleets based at the university’s primary training airport, Grand Forks International Airport in North Dakota. During the operational implementation of UL94, the UND flew 46,600 flight hours, consuming 386,778 gallons of fuel across all fleets powered by Lycoming engines. After approximately two months of using UL94, operational reports and maintenance inspections began to indicate potential for exhaust valve seat recession (EVSR), although early indications were limited in …

Contributing Factors To Low Airspeed On Climb-Out As A Precursor To Loss Of Control In Flight, Owen D. Poborsky

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The nature of aviation is not without inherent risk. Conducting training flight operations increases these inherent risks. Flight data monitoring and voluntary safety action programs seek to reduce risk, as seen in their success at commercial airlines. These successes are slowly permeating into general aviation through programs such as the National General Aviation Flight Information Database (NGAFID). The NGAFID is a program funded by the Federal Aviation Administration that allows general aviation operators to have the ability to collect and share de-identified flight data on an aggregate level to identify trends and increase safety margins during flight operations. This study …

Comparative Analysis Of Loss Of Control Definitions, Owen D. Poborsky

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

“Loss of control” (LOC) is a broad term in aviation used to describe an event or series of events that resulted in an accident or incident of an aircraft. Many definitions of LOC exist for aircraft while maneuvering on the ground and in the air. The purpose of this study is to synthesize the numerous LOC definitions found in the literature and from government and rulemaking organizations to better understand the importance of airspeed awareness as it relates to LOC events at low altitudes. Furthermore, emphasis shall be placed specifically on flight training within general aviation, as significant LOC statistical …

Unleaded Aviation Fuel: Assessing Stakeholder Perceptions And Preparing An Organization For Change, Ryan Guthridge, Nicholas D. Wilson, Brandon Wild

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Since the Clean Air Act of 1996 banned the use of leaded fuel for automotive applications, leaded aviation gasoline (AVGAS) has become one of the leading sources of lead pollution in the nation due to the volume of AVGAS consumed in general aviation applications (GAMA, 2019). The Federal Aviation Administration has recently recognized this concern with the establishment of the Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) initiative, which was formally established in February 2022 to foster an important campaign to research and inform the general aviation community on the process for transitioning to unleaded AVGAS. This essay seeks to inform …

An Overview Of Aeronautical Occurrences Related To Safety In Brazil And The United States, Diogo Carlos Rodrigues, Giuliano Gardolinski Venson, Odenir De Almeida

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

This essay presents a comparative analysis of the aeronautical occurrences registered in Brazil and in the United States from 2012 to 2021. The study was carried out through several segmentations of the occurrences and the aircrafts involved. Statistical data from the websites of Brazil’s Center for Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents and the US National Transportation Safety Board was used for the comparative analysis. The evolution of the number of aircraft registered in each country was evaluated, and although the number of aircraft in the United States is much higher than in Brazil, the US occurrence rate is lower. …

Trends In Wildlife Strikes To Aircraft In Brazil: Implications For Airport Operators, Flavio A. C. Mendonca, Chenyu Huang, Julius Keller, Carolina Anderson

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Purpose. Brazilian airport operators face persistent challenges from wildlife hazards to aircraft operations, necessitating the development and implementation or review of existing wildlife hazard management plans. Enhancing airport operators’ ability to allocate resources effectively requires a deeper understanding of past wildlife strikes. This study aimed to provide empirical insights derived from the analyses of wildlife strike and aircraft operations data in Brazil to support accident prevention endeavors.

Design/methodology. The researchers utilized two main datasets: the Brazilian National Wildlife Strike Database and the annual reports on aircraft traffic operations published by the Brazilian Department of Airspace Control. For this study, wildlife …

Navigating The Safety-Regulation Gap: Unraveling Systemic Challenges In Aviation Through Historical Accidents Analysis, Joshua Jackson

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Smart Airports: Artificial Intelligence–Enabled Internet Of Things Networks Using Blockchain Technology, Edwin Ongola

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

This article provides a perspective on how an internet of heterogeneous self-service airport terminal systems can be used for data collection, which is stored on a private or consortium blockchain depending on the ownership or operations of an airport or both. Such a setup would help to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve traveler experience at airport terminals. Moreover, it would allow airports to gather data directly from passengers as opposed to waiting to receive the same data from airlines. Subsequently, this data, now on a blockchain system, becomes a data source for other applications such as machine learning. In …

Computational Fluid Dynamics Visualization For Unmanned Aerial Systems In Bridge Inspections, Kristoffer B. Borgen, John Mott

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Bridge inspections are an expensive and time-consuming process, varying significantly with a bridge’s style, height, width, and length. Inspections create interruptions that interfere with bridge use, as the examination requires partial or total closure, causing traffic delays. Unmanned aerial system (UAS) use has increased significantly over the past decade, including assistance and coordination during bridge inspections. However, the impact on a UAS from high winds and turbulent airflows induced by a bridge’s structure can decrease flight safety during inspections. Visualization of these hazards is difficult for UAS operators; therefore, a process to estimate the velocity and locations of these hazardous …

Energy Safety Management: A Training Model To Improve Flight Safety, Juan R. Merkt, Matthijs H. J. Amelink, David G. Sizoo

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Failing to properly manage an airplane’s energy state can be unforgiving. Mismanagement of mechanical energy (altitude and/or airspeed) is a contributing factor to three common types of fatal accidents in aviation: loss of control in flight, approach and landing accidents, and controlled flight into terrain. Recognizing the importance of energy management, the Federal Aviation Administration has incorporated new elements into the Airman Certification Standards, emphasizing knowledge of energy management concepts and the consequences of mishandling an airplane’s energy state. Unfortunately, no adequate guidance has been available in terms of defining key energy management concepts or suggesting how these should be …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Virtual Reality (Vr) Training Devices For Pilot Training, Ryan Guthridge, Virginia Clinton-Lisell

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Virtual Reality (VR) technology is a quickly advancing field that has many documented benefits, including highly detailed environments, accuracy to the real world, and low cost of entry in the flight simulation market. At the time of this study, VR technology has not been well tested or widely accepted in the aviation industry. In this mixed methods study, quantitative and qualitative data was collected on beginning-level instrument pilots (n = 120) while performing a visual traffic pattern at an airport. A one-way ANOVA was used to evaluate the equivalence of each group in the study based on previous flight and …

A Comparison Of Airport Risks: Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Uas) Sightings, Wildlife Strikes, And Runway Incursions, Cheng Wang, Sarah M. Hubbard

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

To provide a context for the potential threat of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) sightings on airport operations, this paper compares the characteristics of UAS sightings with two common airport threats: wildlife strikes and runway incursions. This study analyzed over 60,000 events in a three-year period (September 2016 to August 2019), including 6,551 UAS sightings from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) UAS Sightings Report database, 47,574 wildlife strikes from the FAA Wildlife Strike database, and 6,041 runway incursions from the FAA Runway Safety database. The results suggest both similarities and differences among the airport threats. Both UAS sightings and wildlife strikes …

Airport Operational Sustainability Practices In Us Small Hub Airports, Caroline K. Marete

Purdue Road School

Operational sustainability focuses on everyday activities that facilitate seamless and efficient operations of an airport. While a holistic view of sustainability is necessary when planning for the long term, each of the four dimensions of sustainability can be assessed independently. This session will analyze data, including sustainable master plans, from US small hub airports to assess the effectiveness of operational sustainability initiatives. Participants will learn the benefits of incorporating sustainability in airport planning and promoting the adoption of sustainability planning in airports of all sizes.

Evansville Airport Terminal And Passenger Access, Jamin Heldt, Nate Hahn

Purdue Road School

The Evansville Airport has completely updated the terminal area and passenger access to the terminal. A plan is underway to expand the passenger parking area in the future. This presentation will review the past updates and walk through future goals.

South Bend Airport Tw B Realignment And Apron Project, Lisa Kinsman, Patrick Mac Carthaigh, Jeff Thoman, Ashley Thorsen

Purdue Road School

South Bend Airport is in the process of a major reconstruction project to realign Taxiway B to provide a Runway Incursion Mitigation (RIM), separate Taxiway B from the Terminal Apron, and make adjustments to the terminal apron to correct drainage. This presentation will provide a full review of the project.

Flight Testing Gls Approaches Enabled By Wide Area Corrections In Kerkyra, Greece, Thomas Dautermann, Thomas Ludwig

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Many airports with a high value to commercial air traffic have spatial or budgetary constraints which prevent the installation of a precision approach system. We previously designed a low-cost precision approach system which combines the advantages of both ground-based and satellite-based augmentation systems by using a converter between them in order to allow GAST-A approach types. We installed, operated, and flight-tested such a system at Kerkyra Airport using an A320 aircraft. During these, we recorded data from a commercial multimode receiver as well as GPS raw data in order to prove the feasibility of the system. Data were analyzed using …

Modeling Airport Catchment Areas: Using Spatial Analysis Approach, Sitong Chen

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Th e airport catchment area is the geographic area from which an airport can reasonably expect to draw commercial air service passengers. Th e purpose of this interdisciplinary research is to estimate airport catchment areas using a spatial analysis method for informed airport management. In order to ensure the comprehensiveness and reliability of the research, we chose to analyze the catchment areas for five airports of different sizes and in different geographic locations in the United States. The Huff model, which is usually used in marketing, economics, and retail research, was adopted in this study. We applied this model in …

The Impact Of Passenger Characteristics On Use Of Self-Service Technologies For Check-In Process: A Case Study Of Sydney Airport, Sarika Tyagi, Gabriel Lodewijks

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Due to the severe global competition in the aviation industry, airports give top priority to passenger services. Therefore, a study of characteristics associated with passenger services is one of the most important measurements in the aviation industry. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of passenger characteristics on the use of self-service technology (SST) for the check-in process at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. A survey was conducted online amid the COVID-19 pandemic for data collection. Based on the collected responses, this study analyzed the sociological and demographic characteristics of the passengers and situational factors related to characteristics …

Qualitative Findings From The Practice Of Outsourcing By The Aviation Technical Services Industry In Northern Europe: Comparison With Literature, Jukka Holkeri

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The outsourcing of maintenance and other technical services is a trend in both military and civil aviation. This article uses input from real outsourcing cases in Northern Europe to verify previous literature findings and to introduce new viewpoints to fill an identified research gap.

Interviews of deeply involved individuals from six cases were selected and analyzed using the Delphi method. The findings were synthesized using a framework that articulates contexts, observed outcomes, and generative mechanisms.

Many of the key literature findings were verified by this case analysis, but there were also some contradictions and new observations that had not been …

Characteristics Of Unmanned Aircraft System (Uas) Sightings And Airport Safety, Cheng Wang, Sarah M. Hubbard

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

This paper presents the characteristics of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) sightings and discusses these characteristics in the context of airport safety using airport operational data. An unmanned aircraft in the vicinity of a commercial airport may be a potential threat to aircraft operations, and may result in operational and economic impacts if it causes an airport delay or shutdown. To ensure a record of UAS activity, the Federal Aviation Administration collects and publishes a UAS Sightings Report. This study analyzed UAS sightings and found that they vary by time of year and time of day, with more sightings in the …

Fatigue And Its Management In The Aviation Industry, With Special Reference To Pilots, Rajee Olaganathan, Timothy B. Holt, Jackie Luedtke, Brent D. Bowen

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Abstract Fatigue is a significant contributing factor that reduces human ability and leads to accidents and threatens the safety of aircraft and human lives. Approximately 70% of fatal accidents that occur in commercial aviation operations are due to human factors. More specifically, crew fatigue contributes to nearly 15 to 20% of the accidents (Akerstedt, 2000). These accidents and incidents are associated with pilot fatigue because of the long duty periods, disruption of circadian rhythms, and inadequate sleep that are common among both commercial and military pilots. Though fatigue is seen in all the disciplines associated with the aviation industry, this …

Modeling Land And Hold Short Operations: Balancing Safety And Arrival Rate, Kenneth A. Ward, Heather Owen-Perry

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Many airports conduct simultaneous operations on intersecting runways to increase the rate of takeoffs and landings. This requires landing aircraft to hold short of the intersecting runway, which incurs a safety risk of runway incursions in the process. A Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to analyze the traffic load at maximum operational capacity at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in order to analyze the fleet types and the rate of those landing aircraft unable to stop short of the intersecting runway. The researchers used the actual and four alternative compositions of the subject airline’s aircraft arrivals, interspersed among other airport traffic, to …

Factorial Validity Of The Flight Risk Assessment Tool In General Aviation Operations, Chenyu Huang, Allen Xie, Flavio A.C. Mendonca

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) was developed and is recommended by the Federal Aviation Administration to provide a solution of proactively identifying and mitigating risk before each flight. General aviation (GA) operators are encouraged to adapt the FRAT based upon specific operational characteristics. Currently, most safety management systems-compliant GA operators have implemented various versions of FRATs with different operational purposes. However, the FRAT could be inappropriately implemented because of the dynamic operational features of GA operations. The purpose of this study is to explore insights into potential approaches to validate the FRAT that is used for flight risk assessment …

Empirical Analysis Of Trends In Runway Incursions In The United States From 2001 To 2017, David C. Ison

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Runway incursions, events in which an aircraft, vehicle, or person is located on a runway surface without authorization, continue to be a constant threat to aviation safety. Previously identified on the ‘‘Most Wanted’’ list of aviation safety issues by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has spent significant amounts of money and effort to address runway incursions. Little empirical evidence has been collected on the effectiveness of such efforts. Moreover, the data that are available provide a confusing landscape of contradicting findings. Some FAA publications claim that runway incursions are decreasing while the evidence provided in …