ASCI 202: Intro to Aeronautical Science

    In my opinion the most hazardous weather to aviation operations is wind because it can be unpredictable, and a multitude of factors affect its characteristics. You cannot see wind either which makes it even more hazardous. Adverse winds were responsible for 52% of weather-related aircraft incidents from 2000-2011 in part 91 operations and turbulence was 74% in part 121 operations (Eick, 2015). Wind can come in the form of turbulence or wind shear which are the most dangerous to aviation operations. The numbers prove that wind is the biggest hazard in aviation operations.     Wind is created by the horizontal movement of air from high pressure to low pressure across a gradient (PHAK, 2016). It effected by temperature, Coriolis effect, and friction which determine its speed and direction. Turbulence can be created by convective currents near the surface, vertical wind shear, or mountains. Convective currents are caused from the uneven heating or cooling of the eart...

        The airspace that we fly through has to have a control function otherwise the chance that aircraft would collide with each other would be dramatically increased. In the United States the Federal Aviation Administration is in charge of the National Airspace System and controls this air space via the Air Traffic Control system (PHAK,2016). The Air Traffic Control system is broken down into many entities to ensure that one entity isn't overloaded with tasks. To better see how this system is broken down we can look two different entities and how they are similar and different. The entities I have chosen are Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC) and the Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) specifically the Tower component, so let us first look at how they both control their respective airspace.      The Air Route Traffic Control Center is in charge of all air routes beginning above 1200 AGL, IFR flights, and Class A airspace, they provide safe ...

      One of the biggest issues with airport operations is that of the noise created from aircraft and ground equipment. Noise pollution is a serious issue especially when a large airport is located in a densely populated area but it can also effect rural airports too. Noise effects both humans and animals so the more noise reduction technology that is created the better. To best see this issue let us look at Seattle-Tacoma International airport in Washington.      Sea-Tac airport is a major hub for international flights so it sees its share of airline traffic but it is in the middle of the residential areas near Seattle and Tacoma. An article in The Seattle Times explains how the uptick in travel through the airport has created some unhappy residents in the areas surrounding the airport (Gates,2018). The article explains how the approach paths into the airport are over the same residential areas and that the planes are guided in by air traffic controllers ...

      The Aviation Safety Research Act of 1988(1988) became law November 3, 1988 and contains many sections which are all centralized around the research and improvement of safety in aviation. The law requires the FAA to research fire and smoke resistant material and maintenance technology, research human factors effect on aviation, research medical conditions and the effects, research air traffic controller technology, research fuel system components to better withstand crashes, and appropriates the funding to do so.      I believe this law was instrumental to the aviation industry we know today. Airplanes are now safer from improved aircraft maintenance technology, fire and smoke resistant materials, and from required airframe design testing. In my own job, I see the effects of the improved fire resistant material in our cargo compartments which are required to be keep a fire contained for 195 minutes for Extended Range Twin-Engine Operations (ETOPS)....

     As a flying crew chief, team-based human factors are an integral part of my job because not only do we fly a two maintainer team but we are part of the aircrew and fall under their crew resource management.  To me, human factors in aviation are defined as the inherit traits of human beings performing aviation tasks that could lead to errors. The FAA defines human factors in maintenance as issues that affect human performance which can be from human psychology, workplace limitations, aircraft design, etc(MX HF Presentation System, 2019).       An example of how human factors can affect a team activity would be during an aircraft tire change where usually a team of 2 or 3 mechanics are needed on bigger jets. On the C-17 we had a team of 5 or 6 because of the complicated process to prepare for the tire change. The challenges of working in a team on a maintenance task can be overwhelming as you get teammates with varying experience, varying moods...