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Higher education institutions continuously seek ways to improve teaching methods and enhance student learning experiences by leveraging emerging technologies in the classroom. One such technology is ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) application. The integration of this AI technology in aviation education has the potential to transform teaching and learning experiences. This study aims to investigate the acceptance and integration of ChatGPT in aviation education and understand the benefits and challenges associated with integrating such technology. The study employs a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative focus group discussions with aviation professors and a quantitative survey administered to students. The study included a total of 50 participants. The qualitative sample consisted of four aeronautical science professors with varying course expertise. The study's quantitative portion comprised 46 undergraduate students enrolled in the aeronautical science degree program. The participants were selected from two upper-level writing-intensive courses, aviation legislation and the senior capstone course. The qualitative findings highlight the potential benefits of AI, including personalized learning experiences, exposure to diverse educational resources, enhanced research capabilities, and interactive learning opportunities. However, concerns were raised regarding the dependency on AI, the limitations of AI-generated feedback, and the potential reduction of individualized guidance from educators. The quantitative results indicate a significant positive impact of AI on students' learning experiences, critical thinking skills, and learning outcomes. Students reported that AI-assisted learning enhanced their engagement, comprehension, and ability to synthesize large amounts of data. However, some students expressed reservations about overreliance on AI and the potential limitations and biases associated with AI systems. This study highlights the need to str

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) stands as an integral component of any successful organization. Historically, society has overlooked and underplayed DEI matters, resulting in the underrepresentation of minority groups, including women and people of color. In the past decade, underrepresentation of women and other minority groups in the aviation workforce has received attention and raised concerns among industry stakeholders. To gain insight into the status of women in aviation, the authors analyzed the participation of females in aviation professions between 2016 and 2021. Data used in this study were retrieved from the 2023 U.S. Civil Airmen Statistics published by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Descriptive and inferential statistical methods, including one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), are used to analyze the trends and features of pilots and instructors holding different types of airmen certificates. The analysis delves into temporal, geographic, and age distributions. The temporal distributions reveal that the number and percentage of women in aviation professions have not significantly changed. From 2007 to 2021, female airline transport pilots (ATPs) marginally increased from 3.7% to 4.7%. Notably, there are statistically significant differences across the eight FAA regions, with the Alaskan region having the highest percentage of female pilots, instructors, and remote pilots, while the Central and Southwest regions exhibit the lowest percentages. In addition, a significant age-related disparity exists among female pilots, with a decline in female representation as the certification level advances. Given that the underrepresentation of women in aviation professions resulted from a mix of social, educational, organizational, and financial factors,; recognition, understanding, embracement, and advocating for DEI issues could ultimately lead to increased equality, and a positive impact on the ongoing workforce shortage in the aviation secto

Many aviation education and training programs are expanding their learning materials to include virtual learning environments (VLEs) that utilize virtual reality (VR) technology. While developing training materials and the VLE, an understanding of technical specification requirements is needed to inform stakeholders who need to choose a headset for a given training scenario. As part of a larger initiative to compare the usability of multiple VR headsets for implementation into procedural training, a review of the extant literature was conducted to identify technical specifications of VR head-mounted displays, followed by a pilot test of a head-mounted display (HMD) comparison methodology that considers VR HMD technical specifications (“tech specs”) and usability aspects. This report identifies key technical specifications for VR HMDs which can be used as a guideline as technology changes. Further research and collaboration are anticipated to elaborate on the technical specifications to recommend for aviation training initiatives.

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 communication, and facilitating coordination among crew members. Its adaptability and capacity for learning improve collaboration abilities, tailoring strategies to meet the team's specific needs. This paper explores the theories, considerations, and implications of human-AI teams in aviation, highlighting potential benefits, training recommendations, and future research directions. While human-AI teams offer numerous benefits, addressing the risks, limitations, and ethical considerations is crucial to ensuring safe and efficient operations. Future research must prioritize transparency, explainability, adaptability, and real-world testing to unlock the full potential of human-AI teams and foster successful integration across diverse domains.

The Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry is experiencing significant growth due to technological advancements and increasing demand for efficient travel experiences. The market is expected to reach $45 billion by 2030, with major players like Joby, Archer, Beta, and Wisk dominating. This study aimed to assess public willingness to pay for AAM services using eVTOLs, using Amazon's Mechanical Turk platform. The survey yielded a response rate of 85.8%, with 1,622 completed surveys. The study found that younger urban consumers were more willing to pay higher prices for AAM electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft trips than older participants, possibly due to their tech-savvy nature and openness to new transportation technologies. Age, income, and race showed minimally influenced willingness to pay (WTP) at higher price points, but age and marital status had some influence at lower price points. Income level did not significantly affect willingness to pay more for eVTOL services, suggesting that this mode of transportation may be palatable to a wide range of consumers regardless of their financial situation. A well-rounded approach that considers pricing, advantages, safety features, environmental impact, accessibility, and partnerships will be crucial for companies to succeed in the rapidly growing eVTOL market. Findings show that by targeting younger, married, middle-class urbanites, AAM providers could tap into a lucrative market segment and increase adoption and profitability in the emerging mode of transportation. Suggestions for future research are also provided.

Why is there greater gender parity for long-haul truck drivers, astronauts, and paleontologists than for women airline captains? This study uses a mixed-methods approach to examine the underlying causes of the gender imbalance in the United States aviation industry, in which only 3.6% of airline captains are women. Two polls and one survey gather data from professional pilots (N=1093) on their experience with stereotyping, gender bias, and allyship. Direct comments were analyzed to shed light on the results of the survey. Results suggest that, contrary to prevailing perceptions, the persistent gender imbalance in the flight deck can largely be attributed to an ingrained and self-perpetuating negative culture cycle unique to the flight deck and a lack of allyship which affects the recruitment and retention of women pilots. Findings from self-identified male pilots (N=575) revealed that the majority of potential allies are not participating in resolving the gender imbalance because they do not see it as their responsibility. The authors develop a model depicting this cycle and propose a novel system-level (s-frame) solution to fundamentally change the culture.

Over the next 15 years, 50% of the U.S. commercial air carrier workforce will retire, making way for younger pilots from Generations Y and Z. This review identifies the emerging pilot workforce and training methods, including emerging technologies and learning methods, as well as research gaps.

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 associated costs and benefits. This study explored the potential benefits SMS may provide these organizations by exploring the overall scope and nature of safety controls implemented through Airworthiness Directives (AD), which may help safety practitioners better understand how SMS in D&M organizations may reduce the number of AD related corrective actions. Researchers analyzed a sample of 189 ADs issued over a ten year period and found that approximately 55% of the sampled ADs were the result of a new risk control and approximately 45% were the result of a revised risk control. In these cases, the risk controls were not sufficient, and the AD action was necessary to ensure an acceptable level of safety. More effective risk controls have the potential to significantly reduce the number of ADs the industry must address. Every AD involves unplanned costs, often at multiple levels, and other variables that must be managed and implemented as part of the aircraft maintenance and manufacturing process. SMS may further improve the industry’s safety performance by reducing the number of corrective actions and their associated costs.

Density altitude (DA) plays a key role in flight safety because it helps pilots anticipate poor aircraft performance when temperatures are warmer than standard. In this study, a 30-year climatology of DA for the conterminous United States was created using the fifth-generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts atmospheric reanalysis of the global climate (ERA5) dataset was applied to four separate DA-based, aircraft-performance, rules-of-thumb for general aviation (GA) flight. The goal was to demonstrate a technique to create educational visualization tools showing the variation of operational flight impacts with both month and location. Four such parameters were chosen to show the technique's utility: take-off distance, landing distance, climb rate, and engine power, all of which were expressed as multipliers to be applied to the standard altitude values. The study provided results based on the 30-year (1991-2020) July mean DA values as well as those based on the maximum daily values (worst case) at each grid point occurring during the months of June, July, and August during the same period. Results showed performance parameters tended to have the most variation in the east-west direction following terrain rather than the north-south direction following the solar insolation.

This paper provides a data-driven approach to apply lessons learned from Project Risk Management in the aviation industry. This is accomplished by performing a qualitative analysis to inform a second-pass quantitative analysis using tools like surveys, word clods and analysis through NVivo and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD). The results of this analysis show that the most important lessons are elements of early identification, rigorous risk identification and analysis and a focus on reducing risks inherent within the aviation history. Furthermore, the analysis yielded the following top tools for risks management within their phases of the project life-cycle: document review, checklists or taxonomies, retrospection, assessment of risk parameter, data quality assessment, data analytics and status meetings.

This study aimed to assess and analyze all historical National Transportation Safety Board accident reports since 1982. For analysis, reports were bisected into seaplane (float, amphibian, and hull) and non-seaplane groups. Findings showed that there is a deficiency in the level of available detail on the seaplane fleet and cadre of seaplane pilots in the U.S. During the most recent ten years of complete data (2012-2021) showed a negative trend in all accidents and fatal accidents, although only the latter being statistically convincing. During this timeframe, seaplane accident pilots had significantly higher total time and age than other groups (non-seaplane accident and non-accident). Although practically (not statistically) significant, seaplane accident pilots had significantly more flight time in type than non-seaplane accident pilots. In both periods, the top accidents were de Havilland, Cessna, and Piper. Accident event sequences showed higher numbers of accidents during takeoffs among seaplanes. A comparison of the estimated seaplane accident rate per 100,000 hours vs. that of non-seaplanes was found not to be significantly different. This provides further evidence that the assumption that seaplanes are involved in more accidents is simply anecdotal, although more research is required for a conclusive answer. Between 1982 and 2021, considerable gains in seaplane safety were noted, with decreases in both total and fatal accidents. From this larger dataset, an assessment of seaplane and non-seaplane accident pilot time in type showed that seaplane pilots have significantly lower hours. The top aircraft makes were virtually unchanged across timeframes, with the top slots still going to de Havilland, Cessna, and Piper. In summary, while seaplane operations have consistently become safer over time, specific areas continue to cause an unacceptable loss of aircraft and lives. The findings of this study will hopefully help guide efforts to continue to improve seapla

This research project examined the cyberspace domain in the United States (U.S.) aviation industry from many different angles. The research involved learning about the U.S. aviation cyberspace environment, the landscape of cyber threats, new technologies like 5G and smart airports, cybersecurity frameworks and best practices, and the use of aviation cyberspace monitoring capabilities. The research looked at how vulnerable the aviation industry is from cyber-attacks, analyzed the possible effects of cyber-attacks on the industry, and suggests ways to improve the industry's cybersecurity posture. The project's main goal was to protect against possible cyber-attacks and make sure that the aviation industry is safe and secure.

The low-cost carrier's model made remarkable gains across the globe in the prior decade, although growth was uneven domestically and intraregionally. Within this region, there are significant differences in overall country size, the size of the domestic aviation market, and the number of carriers serving the market. The largest and most developed market is in Russia, but rest of the region also experienced growth in economy airlines' activity as they discovered the power of the model to expand aviation access and lower costs. The success of low-cost carriers, however, has been halting and hampered by government decisions on foreign investment, ownership, and leasing. Still, some carriers have been able to grow and achieve gains over rivals. The recent Russian-Ukrainian war has further complicated the situation.

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 to travel intention. On the other hand, perception of crisis management handling and loyalty programs did not have significant influence on travel intention during the global pandemic. Interestingly, the researchers found that risk-averse attitude positively influences both crisis management and service quality perception. Therefore, airline decision-makers need to consider the psychological aspect of fear of COVID-19 and other researched dimensions to regain passenger confidence and stimulate travel demand regardless of the risk-averse attitude.

This study sought a better understanding of public opinion about the siting of vertiports to support Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). An online survey was used to collect the necessary data. The survey was divided into seven sections: personal impacts, community impacts, acceptable proximity, benefits and concerns, flight operations, open-ended comments, and demographics. The findings for personal impacts suggested a slightly positive outlook. Community impacts were assessed, and data also indicated a marginally positive outlook. The survey revealed that a tolerable average distance between the home of the respondent and a vertiport was between one to two miles. Opinions about the benefits of a vertiport were found to include saving time, access to transit, reduced congestion, flexibility, and economic impact. Respondent concerns focused on safety, noise, air pollution, light pollution, and visual distractions/disturbances. The majority of respondents indicated that 35-40 daily flights would be acceptable. The survey also revealed that respondents were mostly comfortable with the proximity of eVTOLs to their homes but preferred that eVTOLs were flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet or higher. The demographics of respondents were also outlined. The results of this study provide planners and stakeholders with critical information necessary to consider public concerns and community impacts when selecting sites for vertiports.

The segment between home and airports is an essential component in all air transportation trips. Travelers normally have different ground access options to commence their journeys. Using Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as a special case, this study proposes a theoretical framework for quantifying and comparing the overall cost of driving and parking at airport and the use of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) ridesharing services such as Uber. Based on the cost comparison, we design an interactive web application to visualize the utility advantage area and summarize the corresponding demographic information. Our study has the potential to benefit airports, TNC operators, and travelers. Using our app, these stakeholders can visualize and measure potential tradeoffs between parking and TNC ridesharing services.

The turnover time for aircraft maintenance is crucial for the operational efficiency and profitability of airlines. Quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) procedures play a role in assuring the safe and reliable operation of aircraft. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of QC and QA on turnover time and to propose strategies for achieving a balance between quality and efficiency. A large-scale survey of airline and aviation maintenance organization maintenance staff was combined with a literature study to form a mixed-methods strategy. The findings indicate that quality control and quality assurance have a substantial impact on the turnaround time for aircraft maintenance. Standardization, automation, collaboration, training, and regulation were identified as obstacles and best practices for enhancing QC and QA. Recognizing the intricate relationship between QC, QA, and turnaround time, the paper concludes by recommending future research and practices to enhance aircraft maintenance quality and efficiency.

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 of previous research, a close-ended scale was developed to explore the attitudes of the public quantitatively (N=414) through exploratory factor analysis and inferential statistics. Results showed a fairly negative attitude of the public towards SPO (mean score of 3.61 on a differential scale of 1-7). Also, the result of the exploratory factor analysis included three factors, namely, the inherent concerns of the passengers, the degree of passenger’s safety awareness and the reputation of the airline company. Lastly, the participants of this study showed a preference for combining highly-sophisticated technology such as advanced automation with a permanent ground operator as the optimum solution to replacing the second pilot. It is recommended that an integrated marketing strategy should be implemented at this time, so as to facilitate a smoother transition to SPO. This strategy should take into serious consideration the factors that affect the public’s intention to accept SPO. Finally, despite the overall conservative attitude of the passengers, there was no evidence of an impending failure of this innovation to diffuse into the market.

Helicopter pilots rely on visual cues from the environment and instrument displays during critical phases of flight – particularly final approach and landing – to safely land. However, the specific visual cues pilots rely on and how they integrate those cues to make anticipatory inceptor inputs or corrections are not well understood. Importantly, those cues may be degraded under nighttime and brownout/whiteout conditions where the downwash of a helicopter’s rotors cause loose dirt/snow to be projected into the air, resulting in the obfuscation of the pilot’s vision outside the aircraft. The lack of visual cues in these conditions means that pilots are often ‘flying blind’ and must transition from using visual scene-based cues and motion-based cues to alphanumeric or pictographic information on displays. This transition of in-flight rules involves changes in perceptual and cognitive processing during a time of increased cognitive and physical workload. Pilots must shift their visual and attentional focus from the external scene to head-down displays. Additionally, cognitive processing shifts from natural visual cues to detection and response. This shift is not instantaneous. Delays in recognizing and understanding the alphanumeric information increases the risk of spatial disorientation. Therefore, it becomes imperative to identify what cues pilots may rely on to inform the design of displays that may be more effective under degraded viewing conditions. To address this issue, we reviewed the literature on the visual cues used to process forward motion (i.e., speed, heading), altitude, position in space, and collision detection (specifically during the landing flare). Analyses conclude that (a) optical flow supports awareness of linear motion, (b) lines of splay and depression promote altitude regulation, (c) accretion and deletion of environmental features outside the aircraft allow for roll, yaw, and heave detection, (d) motion parallax is crucial for motion detecti

The number of women and minorities working in aviation occupations has been very low and continues to be very low according to data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Occupations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) include aircraft pilots, flight engineers, aircraft mechanics and service technicians. Although the ratio of women and minorities working in these occupations remains low, data from the BLS indicates that the total number of individuals from these underrepresented groups who work in these occupations has increased in the last 2 decades. This research focuses on BLS data to determine employment trends between 2002 and 2021. Assuming that these trends continue, they can be used to predict the number of women and minorities working in these occupations in the future. This research seeks to answer 2 important questions: Is the rate of increase in women and minorities who work in these aviation occupations greater than the rate of increase for White males? If the number of women and minorities who work in these aviation occupations continues to increase at the same rate, what will the aviation workforce of the future look like? Answering these questions will help aviation industry decision makers implement programs that will help recruit and retain more women and minorities to work in these highly paid occupations. Women and minorities represent an untapped reservoir of talent that could help the aviation industry avoid a shortage of qualified pilots and service technicians.

Single Pilot Operations (SPO) have drawn significant attention during the last years, as a result of the increased dual flight crew expenses, and as a remedy to the impending pilot shortage which is estimated to manifest itself in the following years. The main objective of this study was to explore the factors that influence the Greek passengers’ acceptance of SPO. To that end, 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed through Thematic Analysis by combining both a priori and inductive coding procedures. Qualitative findings of this process revealed seven factors influencing passengers’ intention to accept and fly with a SPO aircraft. The three predominant factors were the reputation of the airline company, the degree of passengers’ knowledge regarding SPO safety, and the track record of successful SPO over time. Furthermore, four additional factors were found to influence passengers’ intention such as the urgency to travel, the price of the SPO tickets, the social pressure, and the duration of the flight. By drawing on the current study’s findings, specific recommendations are proposed in the case of SPO implementation, especially from the industry’s perspective. Finally, it is advised for any future SPO marketing strategy to take into consideration such factors that can eventually result in a smoother transition to single-piloted flights.

Aviation is expected to face a surge in the number of manned aircraft and drones in the coming years, making it necessary to integrate Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) into Air Traffic Management (ATM) to ensure safe and efficient operations. This research proposes a novel hexagonal grid-based 4D trajectory representation framework for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) traffic management that overcomes the limitations of existing square/cubic trajectory representation methods. The proposed model employs a hierarchical indexing structure using hexagonal cells, enabling efficient ground based strategic conflict detection and conflict free 4D trajectory planning. Additionally, the use of Hexagonal Discrete Global Grid Systems provides a more accurate representation of UAV trajectories, improved sampling efficiency and higher angular resolution. The proposed approach can be used for predeparture conflict free 4D trajectory planning, reducing computational complexity and memory requirements while improving the accuracy of strategic trajectory conflict detection. The proposed framework can also be extended for air traffic flow management trajectory planning, Air Traffic Control (ATC) workload measurement, sector capacity estimation, dynamics airspace sectorization using hexagonal sectors and traffic density calculation, contributing to the development of an efficient UTM system, and facilitating the integration of UAVs into the national airspace system with ATM

Wildlife strikes with aircraft have been and continue to be a problem in the aviation industry costing millions of dollars in both damage and delays. This study used the geoprocessing information system ArcGIS to depict wildlife strikes at Florida’s 26 Part 139 Airports from 2012 to 2021. Importing reports from the National Wildlife Strike Database into ArcGIS, this study used symbology and geoprocessing tools to create a color/ size gradient that depicts the risk (number of damaging strikes out of known strikes) at each airport. Using an interactive map with ArcGIS Online viewers can observe then select each airports vector point and view a table containing the important information on that airports strike data. Data like number of strikes during time of the day, strikes per weather conditions, and whether the strikes were damaging or not, are contained in the online resource. Attempts to study and depict wildlife strikes are limited, the industry and researchers need to continue research on a localized scale to help mitigate wildlife strikes.

Machine learning becomes truly valuable only when decision-makers begin to depend on it to optimize decisions. Instilling trust in machine learning is critical for businesses in their efforts to interpret and get insights into data, and to make their analytical choices accessible and subject to accountability. In the field of aviation, the innovative application of machine learning and analytics can facilitate an understanding of the risk of accidents and other incidents. These occur infrequently, generally in an irregular, unpredictable manner, and cause significant disruptions, and hence, they are classified as "high-impact, low-probability" (HILP) events. Aviation incident reports are inspected by experts, but it is also important to have a comprehensive overview of incidents and their holistic effects. This study provides an interpretable machine-learning framework for predicting aircraft damage. In addition, it describes patterns of flight specifications detected through the use of a simulation tool and illuminates the underlying reasons for specific aviation accidents. As a result, we can predict the aircraft damage with 85% accuracy and 84% in-class accuracy. Most important, we simulate a combination of possible flight-type, aircraft-type, and pilot-expertise combinations to arrive at insights, and we recommend actions that can be taken by aviation stakeholders, such as airport managers, airlines, flight training companies, and aviation policy makers. In short, we combine predictive results with simulations to interpret findings and prescribe actions.

Burmese pythons are an invasive, non-native species of snake to southern Florida and attempts at eradicating the snakes had yielded mixed results. The current rate of detection had been reported as 0.05%. The purpose of this research project was to determine if a UAS equipped with a near-infrared (NIR) camera could be used to detect pythons at a higher rate when compared to a RGB camera. The approach involved collecting 55 images from RGB and NIR cameras, over carcass pythons at flying heights of 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 meters. A likelihood ratio consisting of a true positive rate over false positive rate was calculated from 101 participant survey responses. Participants were able to detect pythons from an NIR camera with greater likelihood (M = 6.05, SD = 1.94) than a RGB camera (M = 4.74, SD = 1.32), t(10) = 1.77, p = .048. The data suggests that survey participants could correctly detect pythons in images containing the pythons at a 1.3x greater rate with the NIR sensor than with the RGB sensor. Also, a true positive rate (TPR) showed the observation rate of correctly detecting a python when one was present in the image. The NIR camera images had higher TPR rates compared to RGB images. The largest difference between camera types was observed at the 15 meters flying height over an outstretched python; there was a 35% increase in participant detection accuracy using the NIR camera compared to the RGB camera. These results suggest that a UAS equipped with an NIR camera flying between 3 and 15 meters in a nadir-oriented position of 90 degrees can be used to detect pythons. Using a UAS equipped with an NIR camera over levees searching for exposed pythons may help biologists responsible for managing these invasive species determine if a python is present.

Higher education, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, benefit our society and economic growth. However, overcoming gender disparity and increasing the retention of underrepresented minorities within these programs is challenging. Mental health across higher education has shown to be on the rise, and when it comes to the mental health needs of aviation students, research shows that underrepresented minorities experience unique challenges in achieving academic success. This paper focused on identifying aviation minority students' unique challenges in a small STEM university. This mixed-methods action research study collected quantitative data using an adapted version of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-62 (CCAPS-62) and qualitative in-person focus groups. Essential elements evaluated were social support, psychological distress, and psychological well-being needed to thrive in the academic environment. The findings provide educational leaders with research-based strategies to meet the needs of underrepresented minority students and increase their retention in aviation education.

In recent years, different global events have led to increased awareness of the benefits of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and education. Notably, the aviation industry is seeing increased research initiatives to promote DEI among all generations. Nevertheless, given the rising concerns about mental health in higher education, this paper sought to connect coping and addressing mental health through implementing DEI teachings in aviation education. Integrating DEI in the aviation classroom can be challenging, as many faculty members might feel uncomfortable addressing the topic in their courses. Consequently, the researchers proposed and tested an aviation education approach incorporating Talking, Teaching, Tools, and Taking Care to facilitate the capstone course for graduating seniors in Aeronautical Science. Therefore, this research focused on incorporating mental health into teaching diversity, equity, and inclusion in aviation education through research-based practices.

Flight simulators have a significant contribution to effective and efficient flight training across the globe. Significant literature has suggested the effectiveness of simulation tools in training pilots in different scenarios and is an area for continued development and research. To continue those efforts, this study assessed the effectiveness of visual aid to be used as an instructional aid for flight instruction for crosswind landings. The need for further training in crosswind landing is substantiated due to the significantly high number of accidents for General Aviation aircraft in the approach and landing phase of flights. The study utilized an experimental research design and consisted of pre-survey, post-survey, and performance assessments. Along with the descriptive data collected from the surveys, the 5-point competency-based performance assessment was used to grade the landing performance in seven aspects of crosswind landings which was used for the hypothesis testing. The post-results survey highlighted that most participants found that the visual aid assisted with identifying visual cues and perceptions that aided the participants during the crosswind landings in the FTD. Additionally, almost all participants found the visual aid relatively simple to understand and utilize, with all the corresponding lines and marks being easily understood. The statistical analysis of the null hypotheses identified that the visual aid allowed the participants to successfully maintain the required airspeed, vertical speed, and height above the runway threshold on the traffic pattern's final leg. The conclusion of the study highlights the need for such visual aids, further potential improvements in such a visual aid, and scope of utilizing visual aids for improving flight education. While the post-survey and performance assessment highlighted the deficiency in the visual aid in fulfilling some of the objectives of the development of the aid, the results should be used as

Flight simulators have a significant contribution to effective and efficient flight training across the globe. Significant literature has suggested the effectiveness of simulation tools in training pilots in different scenarios and is an area for continued development and research. To continue those efforts, this study assessed the effectiveness of visual aid to be used as an instructional aid for flight instruction for crosswind landings. The need for further training in crosswind landing is substantiated due to the significantly high number of accidents for General Aviation aircraft in the approach and landing phase of flights. The study utilized an experimental research design and consisted of pre-survey, post-survey, and performance assessments. Along with the descriptive data collected from the surveys, the 5-point competency-based performance assessment was used to grade the landing performance in seven aspects of crosswind landings which was used for the hypothesis testing. The post-results survey highlighted that most participants found that the visual aid assisted with identifying visual cues and perceptions that aided the participants during the crosswind landings in the FTD. Additionally, almost all participants found the visual aid relatively simple to understand and utilize, with all the corresponding lines and marks being easily understood. The statistical analysis of the null hypotheses identified that the visual aid allowed the participants to successfully maintain the required airspeed, vertical speed, and height above the runway threshold on the traffic pattern's final leg. The conclusion of the study highlights the need for such visual aids, further potential improvements in such a visual aid, and scope of utilizing visual aids for improving flight education. While the post-survey and performance assessment highlighted the deficiency in the visual aid in fulfilling some of the objectives of the development of the aid, the results should be used as

Fatigue has long been identified as a human factor in aviation. Subsequently, a series of studies have highlighted fatigue-related elements within the context of the aviation industry, focusing on the flight deck – with some extension to flight students – and aviation maintenance activities. However, the latter has not been as deeply examined as its flight crew-centered counterpart. Similarly – if not more significantly – fatigue experienced by aircraft maintenance technician (AMT) students is scarcely explored, especially in comparison to the research conducted to understand fatigue in flight schools. AMT students are subject to comparable, but not the same, experiences as flight students. Academic-related stress, coupled with the need to accumulate a certain number of hours of instruction, certification and qualification exams, and the careful balance of jobs, academic requirements and expectations, and personal lives are all examples of fatigue-inducing situations faced by AMT students. In the conducted study, exactly these factors were explored, with the goal of better understanding the fatigue levels experienced by aircraft maintenance students, but also the contributing factors thereto and the consequences thereof. With this purpose, AMT students at a specialized school in the United States were surveyed with respect to their opinions on, and experiences with, fatigue. A total of 72 responses were analyzed, which indicated that fatigue and tiredness are factors of interest within the context of AMT educational programs. While the participants indicated overall healthy lifestyle patterns and adequate stress and work-life balancing mechanisms, commitments outside of the classroom, the schedule of classes, and course attendance requirements were identified to contribute to students’ fatigue levels. Consequently, reports of students falling asleep in class together with fatigue-induced errors/mistakes were identified among the responses. Nevertheless, the particip

The purpose of this research was to examine the effect of self-efficacy of male and female students in collegiate flight programs to identify if a relationship exists between self-efficacy responses and gender representation in aviation. Self-efficacy, an element of social cognitive career theory’s (SCCT) behavioral factors, deals with an individual’s belief in his/her capacity to address a certain set of circumstances. No studies have been found addressing self-efficacy of students enrolled in collegiate aviation programs, specifically addressing differences between male and female students. The population for this study consisted of students enrolled in four-year collegiate aviation programs, as found through the University Aviation Association (UAA) membership rosters. The General Self Efficacy Scale (GSES) was distributed to students enrolled in collegiate aviation programs enrolled in various aviation majors. Results from this study compared 145 collegiate aviation students’ self-efficacy responses and personal comments and presented a multi-factor examination of possible influences of gender on self-efficacy for collegiate aviation students. Independent t-test results revealed male and female students had similar self-efficacy responses and associated level, but revealed a perceptual difference of gender disparity in the personal comments and responses. Additionally, an independent t-test demonstrated collegiate aviation students have statistically significant higher self-efficacy than the generalized American adult population at 95% confidence level.

Eye movement characteristics might provide insights on pilots' mental fatigue during prolonged flight. The visual entropy, eye fixation numbers, and eye fixation durations of ten novice pilots and ten expert pilots were analyzed for a four-hour simulated flight task consisting of four consecutive flight legs. Each flight leg lasted approximately one hour and contained five flight phases: takeoff, climb, cruise, descend, and landing. The pilots maneuvered the simulated B-52 aircraft following instrument flight rules (IFR) in a moderate-fidelity Microsoft Flight Simulator environment. Our results indicate that experts’ eye movement characteristics were significantly different from those of novices. In detail, novices' eye movements were more random, produced longer eye fixation durations, and had fewer eye fixation numbers on the areas of interest (AOIs) than the experts. In addition, the repetitive task (i.e., four consecutive flights) significantly impacted the eye movement characteristics for both experts and novices. Visual entropy and eye fixation duration increased, while eye fixation numbers decreased for both groups as the repetition index increased. Finally, the flight phases also affected eye movement characteristics. The results show that both experts' and novices' visual entropies were relatively higher during climb, cruise, and descend phases, whereas those were relatively lower during the takeoff and landing phases. The present results provide a foundation for us to better understand the similarities and dissimilarities of eye movement characteristics between the experts and novices for a prolonged flight. Lastly, potential scaffolding training methods and pilot anomaly alerting systems, derived from such eye movements, are introduced.

Women are underrepresented in many aviation occupations despite outreach and recruitment efforts from multiple organizations. Attracting women into aviation is a necessity not only to address workforce demand but also to achieve the benefits of a more diverse workforce to include enhanced profitability, safety, and innovation. To address the gender gap, the research presented here attempts to inform recruitment/retention strategies by identifying both the positive and negative factors that influence a woman’s decision to pursue a career in aviation and the decision to persist. Additionally, factors such as participation in youth outreach programs, role of mentors, influencers who support or interfere with the pursuit of aviation as a career for women, and development of a better understanding of barriers to the career field are all explored. The results reveal a profile for recruiting, and identification of factors that deter women from the field, which include cost of entry, negative workplace culture, and maintaining work life balance. The information gained will allow for tailoring strategies for the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women to the identified factors that influence career decisions in order to close the existing gender gaps in aviation.

Airport planning depends to a large extent on the levels of activity that are anticipated. To plan the facilities and infrastructures of an airport system and to be able to satisfy future needs, it is essential to predict the level and distribution of demand. This document presents a short- and medium-term forecast of the demand for air passengers carried out through a specific case study (Colombia), in which the impact of the pandemic period due to COVID-19 on air traffic was taken into account. To make the forecast, an algorithm that implements techniques based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) (Machine Learning (ML)) was developed. In particular, for the analysis of the available time series, techniques of encoder-decoder networks of the type ConvLSTM2D have been applied. These architectures are a hybrid between Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), very useful for the extraction of invariant patterns in their spatial position, and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN), appropriate for the extraction of patterns within their temporal context (time series). The most relevant result of the present research is that the recovery in demand (volume and trend) to the levels reported before the pandemic is forecast for the period between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2024 (depending on the type of traffic and scenario considered). Finally, the application of the forecasting model based on Machine Learning/Deep Learning (DL) presents, as a metric performance, a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) value from 3% to 9% (depending on the scenario), which enables predictions of relative precision and introduces a new alternative technical approach to develop reliable air traffic forecasts, at least in the short and medium term.

Airport planning depends to a large extent on the levels of activity that are anticipated. In order to plan facilities and infrastructures of an airport system and to be able to satisfy future needs, it is essential to predict the level and distribution of demand. This document presents a short- and medium-term forecast of the demand for air passengers carried out through a specific case study (Colombia), in which the impact of the pandemic period due to COVID-19 on air traffic was taken into account. To make the forecast, an algorithm that implements techniques based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Machine Learning (ML) was developed. In particular, for the analysis of the available time series, techniques of encoder-decoder networks of the type ConvLSTM2D have been applied. These architectures are a hybrid between Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), very useful for the extraction of invariant patterns in their spatial position, and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN), appropriate for the extraction of patterns within their temporal context (time series). The most relevant result of the present research is that the recovery in demand (volume and trend) to the levels reported before the pandemic is forecast for the period between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2024 (depending on the type of traffic and scenario considered). Finally, the application of the forecasting model based on ML/Deep Learning (DL) presents, as a metric performance, a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) values from 3% to 9% (depending on the scenario), which enables predictions of relative precision and introduces a new alternative technical approach to develop reliable air traffic forecasts, at least in the short and medium term.

This paper focuses on what language needs to be used in emergencies by air traffic controllers based on an investigation of plain language definitions and descriptions in International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) publications and in the beliefs of nine air traffic controllers in the United Arab Emirates. The aim of the study is pedagogical, in that it is important to establish what language trainee air traffic controllers need to use during emergencies, but there is little in the way of course books or materials that can inform course development. Findings suggest there are contradictions in the ICAO documentation, and differences in beliefs held by air traffic controllers largely mirror these documents. The paper presents a model of the contradictions found in interview and document data and explores the likelihood of differing assumptions leading to variation in language output. The implications for training, testing and ICAO policy are presented, as well as possibilities for future research.

In the modern era, several new technologies are being developed for the most convenient and easy usage of materials. Due to its effortless and quick usage properties, 3D printing technology has a vast application range nowadays in different fields. The application of 3D printing technology in the aerospace industry has been developed in the past few decades, but now it has been enhanced to a new level. 3D printing technology now has several applications in the aeronautical and space sectors. Soon, 3D printing technology will be used for building habitations on other planets and for the printing of spacecraft and satellite parts directly in space. Currently, several components of aircraft and spacecraft are manufactured using 3D printers. 3D printing technology can be used to print components using all the filament materials. The main advantage of 3D printing technology is the low-cost creation of components ranging from simple to complex designs. Because of its ability to print any small-to-large complex designs, this technology is currently primarily used in the research sector. The review article aims to give an overview of 3D printing technologies and their current and futuristic uses in the aerospace industry. The types of 3D printers and their extruder nozzles are discussed in detail. The advantages and limitations of 3D printing technology as well as their application are presented. Filament materials and components along with their properties are discussed, especially those developed for aerospace industry applications. This review article mainly shows 3D printing technology as one of the core technologies for the aerospace industry.

The coronavirus crisis effects on aviation in 2020 are currently well-documented. Nonetheless, the widely registered low traffic due to the crisis does not necessarily lead to increased air navigation efficiency. Thus, the present work, developed to fulfill the program outcomes for the Master of Science in Aeronautics, Air Traffic Management (ATM) specialization, aimed to investigate what was the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on air navigation efficiency in Brazil. This research question was addressed through a quantitative, nonexperimental, observational approach with two parallel branches, designed to answer two sub-questions. For the first, regarding what was the impact of the crisis on arrival delays in Brazil, a posttest, one group design found no evidence of significant differences in mean arrival delays between 2019 and 2020. For the second, regarding flight times between city pairs, there was no strong correlation between the number of flights in a given route and their respective flight durations. Together, both branches suggested no overall efficiency improvements. In other words, the COVID-19 crisis did not have a significant impact on the air navigation system efficiency, within the Brazilian context. The work was relevant for the ATM industry due to the contrasting findings in other parts of the world and also for helping to develop alternative air navigation efficiency evaluations. Due to the nonexperimental nature of the research design, further investigations are recommended to support a better comprehension of global ATM

A webinar presentation for AeSSA Young Professionals.

Over the last decade, many companies have begun to recognize the value of a diverse workforce, equity within the workforce, and inclusion practices. Recent global events have pushed the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the aviation workplace and education higher on the priority list for many. Unfortunately, the aviation industry continues to have difficulty in attracting and retaining a diverse workforce. Notwithstanding this struggle in the industry, those in education must find ways to educate our students on topics relating to DEI. It is critically important that this training is rooted in research. The aviation industry is starting to see increased research initiatives to promote DEI among all generations. However, integrating DEI in the aviation classroom can be challenging, as many faculty members might not feel comfortable addressing the topic in relation to their courses. Therefore, this research focused on inclusive teaching and dynamic lecture strategies that will enable educators to reflect on critical consciousness, be mindful of implicit bias, and handle resistance while fostering a safe space.

Introduction: Many services offer subscription-based sales models. The aviation industry has not widely attempted to market a subscription-based service through their airline for ticketing purposes. This study developed a regression equation to determine predictive factors for the type of individual who would purchase a subscription-based airline ticket. Method: A two-stage approach was used where the participants (N = 521) answered demographic information, flight habits, and the same scenario with a perceived value scale and willingness to purchase scale. Results: Stage 1 found perceived value, employment status, and early boarding preference all to be significant factors, accounting for 77.6% of the variance. Stage 2 validated the regression equation through a t­-test, correlation, and cross-validated R2. Conclusion: The suggested regression equation showed a strong model fit and predicted the scores from Stage 2 with a mean difference of -.034. These factors will aid the aviation industry’s marketing departments in developing a subscription-based ticket using findings from this study.

The use of animation and video, combined with auditory and text components, to teach complex subjects can be beneficial to deepen understanding. A review of the literature was conducted to better understand how interactive learning modules can give flight students tools to enhance the learning process outside of traditional instruction. Instructional theories and educational environments were considered through the lens of designing course content for flight students. Several research questions were asked to guide the course of the research, all focused on how students learn a complex subject matter using interactive material. Guidelines and principles are discussed to ensure the interactive modules are designed to increase germane cognitive load and decrease extraneous cognitive load to benefit the learning processes of the flight students. This report concludes that interactive modules would allow flight students to own their academic experience while positively impacting declarative and procedural knowledge acquisition.

Dissertation Defense: Human Factors associated with sUAS operations come in an assortment of characteristics, and they are inadequately represented in literature that focuses on the perspective of the air traffic controller as the center of the HITL environment. This may impact the safe integration of civilian sUAS as they continue to integrate in the NAS. Leads to concern for safety, efficiency, and workload optimization for controllers. Shows gaps in related knowledge

The integration of sUAS in commercial airspace is complicated and faces many challenges to ensure a safe and secure incorporation into the National Airspace System (NAS). This research analyzes the interconnectedness between the air traffic controller and the sUAS through HF implications when sUAS enter the NAS. To mitigate negative consequences in the integration, it examined the human performance of the controllers, the sUAS operators, commercial pilots, and the equipment. This study used a quantitative research approach from both the Software Hardware Environment, Liveware, and Liveware (SHELL), and the Swiss Cheese models (SCM) for analysis of UAS sightings that are part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) UAS sightings reports and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Aviation Safety reporting System (ASRS). This identified the HF that could cause human errors during sUAS integration in the NAS. The study found that there is a gap in the knowledge for understanding human error from the controller perspective in the integration of sUAS in the NAS; however, work is being done to mitigate these errors and ensure safe integration for all stakeholders. The study highlighted possible human errors that air traffic controllers could make if further research, education, and training were not conducted to mitigate errors. The study revealed that further collaboration is needed to mitigate Air Traffic Control (ATC) centered human errors. It also recommended that the Safety Management System (SMS) program continue development in sUAS. Finally, it is recommended that research continue by the FAA and NASA with the ASRS and UAS sightings reporting to include the Remote Identification (REMOTE ID) requirements.

EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) transmits data for more accurate real time positioning with an integrity message for GNSS navigation satellites, which are in view by RIMS station (Ranging and Integrity Monitoring Stations) extended over a continent. The purpose of this paper is to analyses the performances of EGNOS V2 single frequency L1 and EGNOS V3 dual frequency L1/L5 without RIMS station in Algeria. During this work, four procedures of flight (APV I, LPV 200, APV II and CAT I) were analyses to determine the optimal performances of the EGNOS system in terms of availability and continuity. We have clearly highlighted that additional L5 frequency is expect to improve the EGNOS performance in Algeria. The obtained result shows that the high performance level is provide with dual frequency L1/L5 in comparison with L1. The availability and continuity of all procedures are improve in area between 20° and 35° in latitude and corresponds to the APV II and LPV 200 procedures.

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) continue to grow in both popularity and utility within the national airspace system. The use of commercial UAS for civil inspection, specifically that of bridge structures, is becoming commonplace among practitioners and academics alike. The development of an integrated bridge-inspection hazard model provides a way for UAS operators to prepare for and respond to changing environmental conditions that could otherwise prevent a successful UAS flight. The interaction of wind-induced airflow with bridge surfaces creates an aerodynamic wake that can result in hazardous conditions for a UAS platform operating in close proximity. An analysis of this airflow surrounding an overpass bridge using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models shows where these hazardous areas exist, based on initial wind conditions, existing functionality of UAS platforms, and mitigating systems that exist within current UAS technology. Altering the initial conditions by modifying wind velocities allows for a baseline understanding of which areas surrounding an overpass bridge structure are not suitable for successful UAS flight. Hazard zones range from severe, moderate, and mild, to no appreciable hazard. Moderate to extreme hazard zones are located in areas where high levels of wind shear, vorticity, or general turbulence exist, making UAS operations difficult. This study develops a practical model that may be utilized by UAS operators to better understand and potentially avoid unsafe flight environments during bridge structure inspections.

This paper reports on a review of literature covering gender issues in aviation. It considers the impacts of aviation culture on women pilots. The focus of the review was on empirical studies over a 25-year period (1996-2020). Two research questions underpin the review; firstly, we investigated how aviation culture impacts women pilots’ experiences, secondly, we considered its effect on women as pilots. Using a hermeneutic methodological framework, we found that cultural attitudes towards women pilots in the aviation industry are biased and discriminatory. The studies in the review overwhelming concur that the hegemonic masculine culture that dominates aviation significantly diminishes women pilots' experiences and undermines their performance. The contribution of this review to the field of aviation is significant as it brings together and synthesizes academic research from a diverse range of disciplines, covers civil and military aviation and spans a research period over two decades. The literature suggests cultural reform within the aviation industry is needed to affect any real change on the experiences of women pilots.

This paper presents a methodology to manage the support to design in ATM operations. We propose a workflow for the design of ATM solutions in a performance-based setting. The methodology includes the evaluation of the impact on human behaviour and exploits a combination of different paradigms, such as Agent-Based Modelling and Simulation, and Agent-Based Evolutionary Search. We prove the soundness of the methodology by carrying out a real case study, which is the transition from Direct Routing to Free Routing in the Italian airspace. The validation results exhibit limited errors for the assessment of the performance metrics under evaluation. Furthermore, the optimization of sector collapsing/decollapsing configuration is discussed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the implemented engines.

The general aviation sector has contributed significantly to the overall growth of the aviation industry. Fleet mix and operations information is important for the analysis of both the safety and the environmental and economic impact of general aviation activity. Factual data on the impact of environment and safety is particularly important, given the scarcity of airport improvement funds and the strong stakeholder engagement that often occurs when airport investments are evaluated. The research presented herein evaluates Mode S short and extended squitter data collected from three general aviation airports over a one-month period. This article demonstrates that by utilizing the unique ICAO code present in Mode S records in the United States, ICAO identification can be used as a primary key for retrieving information from publicly available databases, permitting the determination of aircraft type and engine models. An aircraft operation type with the corresponding fleet mix information can thus be estimated at non-towered airports. The techniques reported here are also useful in monitoring the increase in aircraft compliant with the FAA’s January 1, 2020 mandate for ADS-B out to operate in large portions of the national airspace system. For the three Indiana airports studied, the proportion of ADS-B transponder messages received ranged from approximately 29% at the Terre Haute Regional Airport (KHUF) to 79% at the Purdue University Airport (KLAF).

This article gives a holistic overview of the current CO2 reduction measures and analyses the effectiveness of measures that are feasible for implementation in the future. To achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement, the aviation industry needs to implement reduction measures because of its forecasted growth and contribution to global warming. The focus is set on CO2 reduction measures, categorized in technology, operations, infrastructure/air traffic management (ATM), and market-based measures. The most promising long-term technologies to reduce CO2 emissions are hydrogen-powered aircrafts and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). In terms of operations, CO2 emissions can be reduced through weight savings, either from fuel or payload. For every additional ton on board of an aircraft, an extra 3%–25% of fuel is necessary, depending on the route distance. From an infrastructure/ATM perspective, the goal is to decrease flight times and avoid holdings because every kg of fuel burned produces 3.16 kg of CO2 emissions. Market-based measures have a low impact as a reduction measure, but revenues may be used to accelerate the research and development of more promising reduction measures. The implementation of just one reduction measure is not reasonable. A global approach with reasonable incentives to support CO2 reduction measures is preferable.