Posts

9.2 Weather Hazards

Image
One of the most problematic topics in aviation today are weather hazards. The reason why this topic is so troublesome is because there are so many different types of weather hazards that take place. These include: Wind Shear Icing Thunderstorms Wake Turbulence Imc Microbursts The weather hazard that poses the most threat that I will be discussing in this blog is a thunderstorm. Thunderstorms are produced through a process called convection (NOAA, 2011). This is the process which relates to the atmospheric motions in a vertical direction. The atmosphere is heated unevenly which can trigger an imbalance (NOAA, 2011). There are three things that are needed in order for the process of convection to occur: moisture, lift, and instability. In order to form clouds a sufficient amount of moisture must be present (NOAA,2011). As the warm air rises, it starts to cool, which then starts to evaporate the water. There are several ways in which air is lifted. One method is a mechanical lift, when th
Post a Comment
Read more

8.2 Air Traffic Control Entities

Image
In the United States the air traffic control team is made up of several subcategories and entities that all work towards the same goal. However, they both do very different tasks in order to accomplish this goal. The goal I am talking about is obviously managing and maintaining aviation safety in and out of the airport runway. Among these entities that I will be discussing in this blog are ground controller and center controller.   A ground controller is responsible for all ground traffic (HowStuffWorks, 2021). This includes aircraft taxiing from the gates to the takeoff runways and from landing runways to the gates (HowStuffWorks, 2021). The ground controller is directly responsible for moving the aircraft from point A to point B safely and without any accidents (HowStuffWorks, 2021). When the ground controller deems it safe for transport, he or she directs the pilot around the airport. The ground controller and pilot communicate via radio and gives them instructions, such as which ru
Post a Comment
Read more

7.2 The Airport and the Environment

Image
      Today, there are several issues associated with the operation of airports and the surrounding environment. Some of these include, GHG emissions Noise pollution Land utilization Waste Congestion      All of these major environmental issues are caused by airports however, the one that is most concerning is the GHG emissions. Expansion and growth of airports are widely encouraged today due to the economic and social benefits they would bring to the economy (Sameh, 2016). However, with these expansions comes the possibility of affecting the environment negatively. The growth of airports should be achieved without the cost of negative impacts on the environment.         Currently there are approximately 5,000 commercial airplanes in the sky over the United States alone (Smithsonian, 2012). The air traffic takes up approximately 2-3 percent of the CO2 emissions while road traffic takes up approximately 10 percent. This seems like air travel isn't as bad as road travel until you tak
Post a Comment
Read more

6.2 Legislative Acts

Image
     In my opinion the 1926 Air Commerce Act was one of the most important regulations that helped shape the aviation industry to what it is today. This act gave the government the responsibility to control and maintain air commerce.  The 1926 Air Commerce Act was introduced to develop the Aeronautics Branch of the Commerce Department, better known today as the Federal Aviation Administration. This act implemented other air safety regulations to increase safety and to grow the aviation business (FAA, 2016). They implemented ,  Air  traffic rules Licensing pilots  Certifying aircraft Operating and maintain aids to air navigation      This piece of legislation required that all aircraft must be inspected for airworthiness, and were required to have visible markings placed outside of the aircraft for identification purposes (AvStop, n.d.). Pilots were required to pass a test on aeronautical knowledge and were required to have a physical completed to insure their flying capabilities (AvSto
Post a Comment
Read more

5.3 Team Based Human Factors Challenge

Image
    Human factors in aviation to me can best be described as the safety and efficiency humans are capable of while using equipment, systems, aircraft, and other people. The FAA defines human factors as the limitations that humans can do while carrying out their work (FAA, n.d.) Human factors or human error are terms that have grown in popularity in the aviation industry due to the number of accidents that have occurred (Boeing, 1999). According to the FAA, human error has been documented as a primary contributor to more than 70 percent of aircraft accidents (FAA, 2016). This means that today, rather than mechanical failure, human error is the predominant cause the most accidents and incidents in the aviation industry.      One team-based activity is the air traffic controllers. Air traffic controllers experience human factors every day. Some of these include, Health conditions Psychological conditions Societal issues Work conditions Environment conditions Training      They must all me
Post a Comment
Read more

4.3 Aviation Security

Image
     After the destructive use of aircrafts on 9/11, TSA security has jumped to an all-time high. There are several emerging threats today and there will always be a threat due to the improvements to technology. On the other side there will always be mitigation strategies to these threats due to technological improvements that we see every day. The threat that I will be discussing within this blog is an internal threat known as aviation cybersecurity.          Aviation cybersecurity is one of the most important types of security in the aviation industry. The reason for this is due to the information that it holds and what information can be  pulled. Today, in the aviation industry cyber enabled technology is used to increase the safety of air transportation (ICAO, 2021). However, with all these systems and information being connected created the premises for new risks to emerge.  Some of these systems include departure and passport control systems, airport ground systems, flight inform
Post a Comment
Read more

3.2 Aircraft Systems and Flight

Image
       Within an aircraft there are multiple systems that make a plane functional and operational. When these systems fail or have problems, it could lead to the aircraft malfunctioning and possibly crash. The system that I will be discussing in this post is the hydraulic system. There are multiple uses for the hydraulic system, some of which are to operate the wheel brakes, retractable landing gear, propellers, wing flaps, spoilers, and other control surfaces (FAA, 2016).     The hydraulic system is a very complex and thorough system in an aircraft. It is composed of a  reservoir which holds a volume of fluid to transfer heat from the system to allow solid containments to settle and release air and moisture from the fluid (Machinery Lubrication, 2019). A pump which transmits mechanical energy to hydraulic energy through the movement of fluids (Machinery Lubrication, 2019). Next, there is a filter to keep the fluids within clean (FAA, 2016). The selector valve controls the direction of
Post a Comment
Read more