Aviation research, sourced & cited.

Sensors and Navigation Algorithms for Flight Control of Tethered Kites

We present the sensor setup and the basic navigation algorithm used for the flight control of the SkySails towing kite system. Starting with brief summaries on system setup and equations of motion of the tethered kite sy…

Global drag-induced instabilities in protoplanetary disks

We use the Fokker-Planck equation and model the dispersive dynamics of solid particles in annular protoplanetary disks whose gas component is more massive than the particle phase.

To Regulate or Not: That is the Question

In some ways the discussion over whether an industry should be re-regulated is an academic discussion. With over 30 years of operating as a deregulated aviation industry, it would be a herculean task to change directions…

Back Matter

Editor's Forum

Assessing Safety Culture within a Flight Training Organization

This study was prompted by multiple aircraft hull losses experienced by a multinational, multi-campus flight training organization. A mixed methods study was conducted to assess the attitude and perceptions of the operat…

Vol.22 No.3 Front Matter

Private Pilot Progress: Where Do We Fall Down?

This project suggests that we examine training curriculum for areas that need reinforcement. In this study the electronic flight records of sixty-seven participants enrolled in the private pilot curriculum were studied t…

Editorial Focus

Front Matter Fall 2013 Vol 23 No 1

Front Matter

Spirit Airlines: Achieving a Competitive Advantage Through Ultra-Low Costs

Large losses between 2004 and 2006 brought Spirit Airlines to the verge of failure. With capital infusions from two private equity groups and a new cost focus strategy patterned after Europe's Ryanair, Spirit proclaimed …

The Perceived Benefits of Airbag Systems in General Aviation Aircraft

Airbags have been used in cars for years and are just starting to be developed for used in General Aviation (GA) aircraft but there exists a perception that aircraft airbag systems may be more harmful than beneficial.

A Design for Inspiring Students with Near-Space Exploration

The prevalence of overseas success in engineering education represents a significant threat to the United States. Once the dominant force in advancing technology, the U.S.

Editor's Forum

Predictive Power of English Testing: Training International Flight Students

Due to the impending pilot shortage in Asian countries many prospective students are being sent to the United States to receive their initial flight training.

The Future of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Pilot Qualification

One of the major issues facing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) integration into the National Airspace System (NAS) is pilot qualification.

Editor's Forum

Welcome to another issue of the JAAER. We are pleased to share three exciting articles with you. Our first article addresses an interesting issue: what effect do certain variables have on how employees respond to trainin…

Table of Contents

Back Matter

The Wright Lawsuit

While the flights of the Wright brothers over a century ago have enshrined their names in aeronautical history, only slightly less important are the lawsuits brought forth by the brothers in defense of their invention.

Table of Contents

Measuring Demand for Access to Regional Airports: An Application of Zero-Inflated Poisson Regression

The demand for access to regional airports is measured by the counts of area navigation (RNA V)/required navigation (RNP) procedures filed in the flight plan and collected by the Federal Aviation Administration's host co…

Predicting Impact of Maintenance Resource Management Training Utilizing Individual Difference Variables

Human error has been identified as a leading cause of accidents and incidents in many "high-consequence" industries, such as aviation and medicine.

Back Matter

Table of Contents

Pilot Decision Making: Modeling Choices in Go-Around Situations

A mathematical model of sap exudation in maple trees governed by ice melting, gas dissolution and osmosis

We develop a mathematical model for sap exudation in a maple tree that is based on a purely physical mechanism for internal pressure generation in trees in the leafless state.

Zonal flow regimes in rotating anelastic spherical shells: an application to giant planets

The surface zonal winds observed in the giant planets form a complex jet pattern with alternating prograde and retrograde direction. While the main equatorial band is prograde on the gas giants, both ice giants have a pr…

Learning Monocular Reactive UAV Control in Cluttered Natural Environments

Autonomous navigation for large Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is fairly straight-forward, as expensive sensors and monitoring devices can be employed.

Helicopter Pilot Workload and Operator Fatigue in MEDEVAC Missions

USAARL field study of MEDEVAC helicopter pilot workload + fatigue. Drove implementation of crew-rest enhancements + adoption of dual-pilot operations in high-tempo OEF/OIF MEDEVAC units.

Workload Management in General Aviation Cockpits

Eye-tracking and physiological-workload measurement during simulated GA scenarios. Compares workload signatures across glass-cockpit and steam-gauge configurations, with implications for flight-instructor training and pr…

Investigation on Damage Tolerance of Thick Laminate for Aircraft Composite Structure

Use of Personal Portable Electronic Devices by Flightcrew Members

Examines the use of personal portable electronic devices (PEDs) by flightcrew during operations and the distractions or sterile-cockpit violations they create.

Harvesting energy from the dynamic deformation of an aircraft wing under gust loading

Airline Quality Rating 2012

The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) was developed and first announced in early 1991 as an objective method for assessing airline quality on combined multiple performance criteria.

On-Board Visual Tracking with Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)

This paper presents the development of a real time tracking algorithm that runs on a 1.2 GHz PC/104 computer on-board a small UAV. The algorithm uses zero mean normalized cross correlation to detect and locate an object …

The Critical Richardson Number and Limits of Applicability of Local Similarity Theory in the Stable Boundary Layer

Measurements of atmospheric turbulence made over the Arctic pack ice during the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean experiment (SHEBA) are used to determine the limits of applicability of Monin-Obukhov similarity the…

Control of Towing Kites for Seagoing Vessels

In this paper we present the basic features of the flight control of the SkySails towing kite system. After introduction of coordinate definitions and basic system dynamics we introduce a novel model used for controller …

Editor's Forum

Spring Vol.21 No.3 Front Matter

Back Matter

Not Just a Student Problem: Plagiarism in Aviation Academic Research

Plagiarism has long been a concern for educators. However, research literature has indicated that faculty and researchers have themselves conducted plagiarism at alarming rates.

Editor's Forum

The Certainty of Uncertainty: Understanding and Exploiting Probability-Based Aviation Weather Products

Probability-based weather forecasts (i.e., forecasts that quantify uncertainty) have been available for certain weather elements for over 40 years; for example, the probability of precipitation forecast.

Back Matter

The Evolution of the ATC Selection and Training Process

This paper explores the history of the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) selection and training process, showing how the process has evolved in an attempt to select a highly qualified and diverse controller workforce.

Mixed Methods Study of Demand Determinants of Airline Coach and Saddle Seats

The SkyRider seat was presented in September 2010 at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in California as a potential strategy to decrease space between seat rows and increase the revenue generating capacity of an airline.

Prepped for Departure: Sources of Information for Aviators

While some may joke the only information a pilot needs to know is which way is up and which way is down, the information needs of the aviator are easily equal to the most advanced scholar, doctor, or lawyer.

Hybrid Courses in Aeronautical Science Curriculums

This article focuses on the need to address learning styles of NetGeners with an emphasis on aviation students. A brief history of aviation training generations as posited by Kearns (2010) is reviewed after which the aut…