Research papers

Feasibility and Performance of Aerogravity Assists for Ceres Missions

This work investigates the feasibility and performance of aerogravity assist (AGA) maneuvers for missions to Ceres, with emphasis on both interplanetary trajectory design and atmospheric flight dynamics.

Designated Pilot Examiner System Study - 2025

In recent years primary flight training in the United States has experienced a significant bottleneck in the form of long waits to schedule check rides with Designated Pilot Examiners.

Are Single-Pilot Operations An Advantage Or A Disadvantage?

This study aims to investigate the potential benefits and drawbacks of Single-Pilot Operations (SPO) and to provide actionable insights for commercial airlines.

Assessing the Mental Wellness of Professional Pilots and Their Willingness to Seek Professional Help

Professional pilots face distinct mental health challenges arising from irregular schedules, fatigue, high responsibility, and the need to maintain medical certification.

Digital Twin–Oriented Certification Architecture for Advanced Air Mobility

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) systems introduce certification challenges associated with distributed propulsion, increasing software reliance, and tightly coupled architectures.

An Exploration of Aviation Safety Culture in Nigeria

Despite sustained regulatory reforms, infrastructural development and capacity-building initiatives, Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest economies and a key regional aviation market, continues to experience significant safe…

Local Values, Global Standards: Understanding Aviation Safety Culture in the Middle East Region

This study examines the role of national cultural determinants in shaping aviation safety culture across the Middle East. Employing an exploratory research design that integrates a literature review and structured safety…

From Reactive to Predictive: A hybrid Trust-Mediated Adoption Framework for Data-Driven Maintenance in Distributed-Authority Aviation Environments

Modern aviation maintenance operates within increasingly data-intensive technological environments, yet the operational integration of predictive maintenance into routine decision-making remains inconsistent across secto…

The Decision of US Airlines to Diversify the Flight Deck: Perceptions of Collegiate Flight Students

The United States (US) airline industry is struggling to find enough commercial pilots and to diversify a profession that has the reputation of historically being male and white.

Pilots’ Perceived Cognitive Functions: The Effect of Mental Workload and Mindfulness on Prospective Memory Performance

Errors related to human factors remain a leading cause of aviation accidents, with many of these incidents being attributed to pilot performance.

The Impact of Flight Instructor Feedback on Subsequent Instructor Evaluations of Student Performance

This study examines the impact of feedback tone and feedback order on flight instructors’ evaluations of student performance in an aviation training context.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Human Factors in Aviation

In this introduction to the special issue, the guest editors situate the selected articles within the ongoing conversation about Human Factors in Aviation.

Cognitive and Human-Automation Challenges in UAS-AAM Integration: A Thematic Review

This paper identifies key cognitive and human-automation challenges in the integration of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) through a thematic review of existing academic and industrial litera…

Impact of In-Cabin Human Machine Interface Designs on Passenger Trust in Urban Air Mobility

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) presents a promising solution for alleviating urban traffic congestion and enhancing transportation efficiency.

Instructional Fidelity in Virtual Flight: Applying a Structured Learning Model for VR-Based Pilot Training

As immersive training technologies reshape the future of aviation education, this study explores the impact of integrating Virtual Reality (VR) into a structured instructional model for B-52 pilot training.

The Role of User Experience in Virtual Reality Flight Training: A Comparison With PC-Based Simulation

The current project explores how user experience (UX) in virtual reality (VR) flight simulation influences both cognitive learning outcomes and procedural skill acquisition when compared to traditional desktop-based simu…

Utilising Video Recordings to Assess Student Pilot Performance: An Exploratory Study during a Simulated Training Flight

In ab initio flight training, the quality of the feedback a flight instructor provides their student is essential to their success. While other high-performance and safety-critical industries have incorporated the use of…

The Human Toll of Change: Reframing Fatigue as a Latent Risk in Aviation Human Factors

Aviation organizations are operating in an era of rapid, overlapping transformation that places continuous cognitive and emotional demands on personnel.

Evaluation of Tactile Cueing Embedded in an Aviation Headset on Pilot Altitude Control

This study evaluated the effectiveness of tactile cueing integrated into a pilot’s headset on pilot altitude control during simulated instrument conditions.

Navigating the Challenges: Preflight Planning with NOTAM in Australia’s General Aviation Sector

Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) are an integral part of a pilot’s preflight navigational briefing, providing pertinent information in textual format.

Airline Quality Rating 2026

The Airline Quality Rating Report is a product of academic research from the previous co-authors Dr. Dean Headley and Dr. Brent Bowen. The research originated at the W.

Forecasting Aviation Carbon Emissions with Tree-Based Machine Learning: A Case Study of Turkish Airlines Operational Data

The global aviation industry plays a critical role in economic development and international connectivity. However, it also contributes significantly to environmental challenges, particularly through fuel consumption and…

Evaluating Kansai Airport's PPP: Grounded Ambitions, Concession of Financial, Geotechnical, and Climate Risk

This study critically examines the Kansai Airports Group’s 44-year Public-Private Partnership (PPP) monopoly-type concession encompassing Kansai International (KIX), Osaka Itami (ITM), and Kobe (UKB) airports.

A Scoping Review of Aviation Loss of Control Inflight Research

Loss of control – inflight (LOC-I) contributes to aircraft accidents at unacceptably high rates. Significant industry efforts and research have aimed to improve LOC-I prevention, detection, and recovery.

Strategic Analysis of Digital Transformation Capabilities: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Evaluation of Low-Cost Airlines

This study comparatively assesses the digital transformation capabilities of low-cost carriers (LCCs) operating in Turkey through the lens of dynamic capabilities.

Invisible Aircraft in U.S. Airspace: Regulatory Gaps and Mid-Air Collision Risk for Part 121 Operators

Scheduled air carrier aircraft operate at large and small commercial airports across the U.S. National Airspace System. These turbine-powered aircraft fly at high speeds during departure and approach, yet many commercial…

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Safety Management System Regulations: An Informal Policy Evaluation

The United States (US) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revised 14 CFR § Part 5 Safety Management Systems, effective May 28, 2024.

Empowering Precision Forecasting: Self-Supervised LSTM for Hourly Pressure and Temperature Prediction

The most important parts of any flight are landing and takeoff, and an aircraft's takeoff configuration must balance the regulated takeoff weight, runway length, and weather conditions to ensure a safe departure and arri…

Towards the Wearable Cardiorespiratory Sensors for Aerospace Applications

In safety-critical aviation operations, adaptive Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) rely on accurate physiological monitoring to mitigate cognitive overload.

The Emotional Landscape of Aviation Pilots: Analysis of Online Professional Forums Using Natural Language Processing

This study investigated burnout related to emotions in three categories of pilots: commercial passenger, commercial cargo, and military.

Analysis of Health Promoting Lifestyle and Associated Factors on Collegiate Aviation Pilots

A health-promoting lifestyle is an important determinant of physical and mental health status. Collegiate aviation pilots face unique challenges in balancing a healthy lifestyle with academic and physical demands.

A Systemic Analysis of Helicopter Instructional Accidents in the United States from 2010 to 2022

A high number of accidents during helicopter training in the United States (U.S.) highlights the need for research to investigate their causal and contributing factors.

Quantifying the Transfer Effectiveness of an Artificial Intelligence-Based Simulator Pre-Training Program for Student Pilots

Since the airline pilot shortage was initially studied in 2016, the pilot hiring model has been significantly impacted, with airlines hiring qualified pilots at unprecedented rates.

Retention Rate of the Human Performance Course in Flight Training

Pilots are obliged to accurately assess a situation that poses a risk to flight safety and take the necessary corrective action. The theoretical knowledge in flight training is essential to accomplish this.

Analysis of Public Acceptance of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Based on Air Travel Frequency

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is an innovative air transportation system designed for efficient travel in urban and suburban areas, offering significant time saving compared to traditional ground transportation.

The Influence of Social Achievement Goals on Grit in Aviation Education

Aviation students have multiple ways of persisting and persevering in their aviation education, and they do not learn in a vacuum. Their social goals may help explain why some aviation students show more grit than others…

Editor's Note: Celebrating 35 Years of Scholarly Excellence

A letter from the editor, Dr. Dahai Liu, on the JAAER's 35th anniversary.

Identifying Individual Factors Which Impact Student Learning in a Desktop Flight Training Simulator

With expected global growth in air transport demand and forecasted shortage of pilots, there is a need for faster and cheaper flight training.

The State of UAS Operations at Airports, A Perspective from Airport Managers

As the number of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) operating in our National Airspace System (NAS) increases, so do UAS operations near or at an airport.

A Mathematical Model on the Temporal Dynamics of Aviation Competitive Pricing

This study investigates the competitive dynamics of airport pricing using U.S. airport data to validate the findings. It employs linear and nonlinear ordinary differential equation models to analyze the influence of comp…

Political Turbulence and Aviation Safety: A Cross-National Analysis of Political Stability's Effects on Aviation Accidents

To what extent does political stability affect aviation safety? This research aims to link domestic political conditions and public safety through the consideration of aviation accident frequency.

The Impact of Socialization on Student Intention to Persist and Flight Training Outcomes

The aim of this quantitative study was to investigate the relationship between the socialization of student pilots within aviation-training organizations, student intention to persist, and training outcomes as demonstrat…

What is it like to be a Female Pilot in the United States Air Force: A Gender Diversity Study

This research investigates the gender-based disparities faced by female pilots in the United States Air Force (USAF), providing a comprehensive analysis of their experiences compared to their male counterparts.

Generalizing Classification of Pilot Workload: Transfer Learning versus a JEPA-Inspired Transformer Architecture

Within the context of learning, there poses difficulty when objectively measuring human performance. In this work, we investigate the evaluation of human performance via its relation to the individual's mental capacity b…

Evaluating the Reporting and Safety Culture of an Airline According to Patankar and Sabin's Safety Culture Pyramid

As a result of the literature review, it is seen that the safety management system in airline businesses is mostly evaluated with Reason's just culture model.

The Role of Cognitive Flexibility and Psychological Resilience in Enhancing Operational Performance Among Air Traffic Controllers

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of cognitive flexibility on psychological resilience among air traffic controllers (ATCOs).

Bibliometric Analysis with R Biblioshiny on Safety Behavior in Aviation

Safety behaviors in aviation are not limited to technical knowledge and skills in ensuring the safety of flight operations, but also include the attitudes, decision-making processes and collaborations of individuals and …

Assessing the English Language Needs of Student Pilots: A Comprehensive Analysis for Effective Aviation English Training

This research aims to identify the English language material needs for pilot students at the Indonesian Civil Aviation Polytechnic in order to improve communication skills that are essential for flight safety and operati…

sUAS Agricultural Aerial Application Operational Field Test

One of the most promising uses of aerial applications by a sUAS is on small farms where traditional crewed aerial applicators were not practical due to the limited size of the operations.

Aircraft Turnaround Bottlenecks: Addressing Ground Handling Delays for Operational Excellence

Ground handling delays at major airports pose significant challenges, impacting operational efficiency, airline schedules, and passenger satisfaction.