Blake's Aeronautical Science blog

  The main purpose of the air traffic control (ATC) system is to prevent a collision between aircraft operating in the system and organize and expedite the flow of traffic (PHAK, 2016). I will be comparing and contrasting ground air traffic control and tower air traffic control entities. A ground controller’s job is to be responsible for traffic moving on the ground along the taxiways. A tower controller is responsible for the runways, along with traffic landing and taking off or in the air in the immediate vicinity of the airport (Metzger et al., 2001). Both of these roles are similar in that they are equally important in providing air operations safety. Some air traffic controllers work just one of these positions if at a larger airport. While others at a small airport, may presume the role of both ground controller and tower controller. These roles are also decided sometimes by the traffic of the airport. For instance, the airport may require two separate controllers for ground ...

  I believe that noise pollution presents the greatest concern for airport managers due to the harmful effects of those that suffer consequences from its exposure. Based on the reading from the Management of the Environmental Impact at Airport Operations , a dose-response relationship is used to determine how much noise results in annoyance and disturbance (Visser et al., 2012). This data is referred to TNO data collection and is the most widely used instrument for dose-response. This data has been pulled from approximately 50 different studies on aircraft. The results of these studies best predict annoyance from aircraft noise (Visser et al., 2012). Between the main categories of environmental factors, which include air, noise, and water pollution, I believe noise pollution is the most critical due to the effects of sonic boom on physical and mental health. The CDC describe effects of sonic boom on behavior and experiences defined by startle reactions and feelings of fear. These c...

  The FAA proposed a massive rewrite of FAR Part 61 in 1995, which took effect two years later. The purpose of this rewrite was to clarify and simplify the rules and regulations that govern pilot certifications, flight instructors, and ground instructors. This re-write included many important changes the aviation industry. Some of the major changes are summarized below (FAR Part 61).   61.1. Applicability and definitions. The first change has to do with updating the definition of some new terms and changes to the old terms. The most important new term from this regulation is “Authorized Flight Instructor”, which is a certified flight or ground instructor who holds the certification to conduct the flight or ground training. Updating terms in aviation is a simple, albeit important change to keep current and have clarity with what specific roles entail.   61.3. Requirement for certificates, ratings, and authorizations. This change is made to require pilots to have their phys...

  Human factors in aviation are the way in which humans interact with aviation technology. The safety and performance of flights are dependent on how humans can mitigate their risk factors. The key elements of this definition are how safety is dependent upon human performance. Boeing defines human factors in aviation as how humans can most safely and efficiently be integrated with aviation technology. This understanding is then translated into design, training, procedures, etc. to help humans perform better (Satow, 2009). A team-based aviation activity would be the role of an aviation maintenance shop, with each person in the team having a different role with the purpose of one common goal—safety of flight. The challenge of an aviation maintenance team would start with the mechanic. One of the biggest challenges mechanics face is complacency. It is important for mechanics to be up to date with revisions of maintenance manuals and not become lazy with routine checks and fixes. The n...

  Cyberthreats originate from people or organizations that aim to disrupt travel and possibly cause injury or harm to those traveling. The threat begins with perpetrators locating a point of weakness in airport security. Cyberattacks can even be conducted from home, making it difficult to track and eliminate the source of the threat. Many airports are vulnerable to cyberattacks, especially airports that are not up to date on technology or airports in smaller, less economically stable countries. Most of the airport security is at the TSA line, and there are not security measures outside of the airport to protect it from attacks from the outside. Cyber attacks involving data breaches lead to at the very least, delays to flights and inconvenienced travelers, to more chaotic situations like compromised accounts of travelers and stolen identities. (Willemsen et al., 2018). Specific layers of TSA security that can mitigate cyber threats are intelligence and behavior detection. Intellig...

Aircraft fuel systems are designed to provide a continuous amount of clean fuel from the fuel tanks to the engine. There are two types of fuel pumps: the gravity-feed system and fuel-pump system. Just as it sounds, the gravity-feed system uses gravity to provide the fuel from the tanks to the engine. The fuel-pump system utilizes pressure from a pump to transfer fuel to the engine in aircraft that are not able to function with the gravity system. This system also serves as a redundant system to some gravity-fed aircraft systems (PHAK, 2016). Like all aircraft systems, there are failures that can occur if the necessary precautions and maintenance procedures are not applied. Indications of failure in the fuel system can be identified by by a fuel smell in the cabin, lack of fuel flow or excess of fuel flow transferring to the engine, which may indicate a leak. Fuel system failure or leaks can be caused by flexible materials becoming brittle and losing elasticity. Other fuel system parts ...