Commercial Airplanes Research Articles

The Evolution of Safety and Security Literature in Event Management

The evolution of safety and security literature has been notably accompanied with the rise of modern terrorism, above all after the attacks to World Trade Center in 2001. This was the first bloody incident where four commercial airplanes have been weaponized against the most powerful nation in the planet. Like the recent COVID-19 pandemic, 9/11 has changed not only geopolitics but travel behavior as never before. In this grim context, the present conceptual article focuses and examines the evolution of safety???security literature head by Event Management, as fertile ground in Event Management and Tourism studies, because of terrorism. We identify three academic schools that in different stages make a seminal contribution to the studied field.

THE BUSINESS PLAN REVIEW—THE HEARTBEAT OF OUR ORGANIZATION

AbstractThe authors have first‐hand experience working with Alan Mulally's Our “Working Together”© Leadership and Management System (Mulally is the former CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Ford Motor Company). The authors describe the Business Plan Review (BPR), one of the five elements of the system, and note that the other elements are the principles and practices, the governance process, the leadership team, and the creating value roadmap. They describe what the BPR is, how it is used, and “how a typical BPR looks and works.” While the system, and the BPR itself, is probably best known through the two major companies led by Mulally, the authors write that “the BPR approach and structure works in any setting and has been integral to our own business since the beginning. We started as a team of two and have grown to include two more team members. The BPR helps our small team stay on track, focused on our mission, aligned with our values and operating principles, and reinforces our culture.” In the conclusion, they note that “by encouraging open communication, shared objectives, and strong leadership, BPR cultivates a culture of respect where everyone feels valued, empowered, and motivated to contribute to success.”

Water Consumption Using Artificial Neural Network Modelling in Commercial Aircraft

Amidst the current period of increased environmental consciousness and the aviation industry's dedication to sustainability, the delicate balance between water-carrying and fuel usage in commercial aircraft has become a crucial issue due to the rapid development of aviation technology. The primarypurpose of this study is to evaluate thewater usage of commercial aeroplanes and to optimise the aeroplanes' usage of water. Moreover, the study focuses on analysing the comparison between water consumption estimated using the Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) andhistorical data collected precisely. By referring to the actual operational data of water tank usage of the Boeing 787-9 fleet in a commercial airline, the flight hours, total passengers, and also actual portable water tank wereobtained. The data weregathered over twoyears,starting from January 2022 until December 2023,for day and night flight time. After all the collected data werecompleted, the optimisation of the water consumption was conducted and analysed using ANN. The optimised results were then compared using two conventional methods,IATA and Boeing. In conclusion, the ANNmethod has the least errorscompared to IATA and Boeing.The ANN method is suggested as a method to optimise thewater tank volume for commercial aircraft.

Flight verification of cooling self-sustaining high-temperature superconducting motor

The global shift towards sustainable development and technological advancements has propelled the energy transition trend. Recognizing the substantial environmental impact of conventional commercial airplanes, there is a growing urgency to develop a sophisticated superconducting motor system for commercial aviation. The advent of high-temperature superconducting motors presents a transformative leap, offering significant advantages in power density and efficiency when compared to traditional motors. To validate the issues that future liquid-hydrogen superconducting electric airplanes may encounter, a kilowatt-class aerospace high-temperature superconducting motor is designed. Based on the requirements of airborne applications, critical parameters such as electromagnetic characteristics, operating characteristics, and AC losses have been analyzed. Furthermore, extensive research and testing have been conducted on the superconducting motor magnet, leading to the successful assembly of a prototype. The superconducting motor has a rated output power of 2.7 kW and a rated speed of 5000 rpm. Rigorous ground operation performance tests have also been conducted to ensure the feasibility and reliability of the motor in practical applications. Benefiting from the topological structure design, the superconducting motor has an excellent sealing performance at low temperatures. The superconducting motor can maintain low temperature and high vacuum for a long time, when the vacuum pump is removed and the liquid nitrogen inlet is closed after the motor is completely cooled. The culmination of these endeavors is the realization of a successful flight validation of an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a high-temperature superconducting motor, demonstrating a sustained flight of nearly one hour.

Time-triggered scheduling of mixed-critical flows at end-system in asynchronous AFDX avionic network

Avionics Full-DupleX (AFDX) is a switched Ethernet-based network used in modern commercial airplanes for the transmission of command and control avionics flows. These critical flows require deterministic guarantees leading to a lightly loaded network. Aircraft manufacturers envision to carry additional non avionics flows (i.e. video, audio, service) to take advantage of the spare bandwidth. However, it is then compulsory to preserve the real-time guarantees of avionics flows in terms of bounded jitter at the transmitter output and of bounded end-to-end latency. Depending on the type of additional traffic, Quality of Service (QoS) end-to-end guarantees may be offered to the additional flows of lower criticality in terms of reduced delay or bounded jitter for instance. These guarantees can be ensured by scheduling policies at transmitter and switch level. However, an important safety-related constraint is the asynchronous design of avionics distributed systems that prohibits the use of a network-wide synchronization of end systems and switches. Thus, time-triggered networking such as emerging Time-Triggered Ethernet (TTEthernet) or Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) cannot be leveraged. This paper underlines the benefits of only scheduling flows at the transmitter, which is compatible with the asynchronous safety constraint of avionics systems. We show that it is possible to build a table schedule that carries both critical avionics flows and additional video flows that meet their timing and bandwidth allocation constraints. Therefore, we design scheduling strategies for efficient distribution of flows in the table scheduling whose performance is compared to the optimal schedule minimizing the emission lag of additional flows. Proposed heuristics are constructed such as to favor the network responsiveness for avionics flows thanks to slot over-provisioning. Extensive results on an A350 AFDX industrial configuration show that for a transmitter load of up to 70% of the available bandwidth, the uniform allocation heuristic provides a performance close to optimal in terms of minimum emission lag for additional flows, so offering a practical configuration heuristic to industry.

Boosted Incremental Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion for Flexible Airplane Gust Load Alleviation

Active gust load alleviation is an important technology for reducing loads on future commercial airplanes so that the structure can be designed to be lighter in order to save fuel. For the intense reduction of gust loads, a highly reactive control system of sensors, control algorithms, and actuators is required, which is not yet available. In this paper, a control algorithm based on incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion is extended so that actuators respond faster. The control algorithm is applied to a future medium-range aircraft with distributed trailing-edge flaps. It is assumed that the vertical acceleration of the center of gravity and the displacement, velocity, and acceleration of the first wing bending mode are available as feedback variables. To allow comparability with other actuator and sensor setups, the authors abstract the actuator dynamics and sensor filter as control system time delay. The feedback gains are adjusted automatically to the control system time delay. In simulation, the authors investigate the influence of the control system time delay on the peak gust loads. They show that gust loads can indeed be intensely reduced with sufficiently small control system time delay in simulation.

One-year survival of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage after airplane transatlantic transfer – a monocenter retrospective study

BackgroundAneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is preferentially treated by prompt endovascular coiling, which is not available in Guadeloupe. Subsequently, patients are transferred to Paris, France mainland, by commercial airplane (6751 km flight) after being managed according to guidelines. This study describes the characteristics, management and outcomes related to these patients.MethodsRetrospective observational cohort study of 148 patients admitted in intensive care unit for a suspected aSAH and transferred by airplane over a 10-year period (2010–2019).ResultsThe median [interquartile range] age was 53 [45–64] years and 61% were female. On admission, Glasgow coma scale was 15 [13–15], World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) grading scale was 1 [1–3] and Fisher scale was 4 [2–4]. External ventricular drainage and mechanical ventilation were performed prior to the flight respectively in 42% and 47% of patients. One-year mortality was 16% over the study period. By COX logistic regression analysis, acute hydrocephalus (hazard ratio [HR] 2.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98–5.58) prior to airplane transfer, WFNS grading scale on admission (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.16–2.02) and age (OR 1.03, 95% 1.00–1.07) were associated with one-year mortality.ConclusionWhen necessary, transatlantic air transfer of patients with suspected aSAH after management according to local guidelines seems feasible and safe.

Towards balancing efficiency and customer satisfaction in airplane boarding: An agent-based approach

The airplane boarding process, which can have a significant impact on a flight’s turnaround time, is often viewed by researchers and airlines primarily in terms of minimizing total boarding time (TBT). Airplane capacity, number of passengers on board, amount of luggage, and boarding strategy are common factors that affect TBT. However, besides operational efficiency, airlines are also concerned with customer satisfaction, which affects customer loyalty and financial return. One factor that influences passenger experience is the individual boarding time (IBT), here defined by the time passengers stand inside the cabin. Considering these two aspects, an agent-based model is presented that compares the performance of three alternative mainstream boarding strategies in a 132-seat and a 160-seat single-aisle commercial airplane. An important characteristic of the model that differentiates it from previous work is that overhead bins have a physical limitation, which could lead to an increase in aisle interferences on full flights as passengers take longer to find a place for their carry-on luggage. Another important contribution is the analysis of how passenger seat location affects IBT. Our results show that outside-in (OI) produces shorter TBT than random and back-to-front boarding, and also shorter IBT and much shorter maximum IBT than BTF, particularly for passengers seated in the middle of the airplane. This suggests that among the three most popular boarding strategies used by airlines across the world, OI is the best when it comes to balancing airplane boarding efficiency with individual customer satisfaction.

Tactile transformation in flying airplanes: From hands-on to fingers-on aviation

Portable laptops, cell phones, touchscreen equipment and other mobile devices are changing the way commercial airplane pilots are handling information used for flying aircraft. Pilot expertise and skill are being transformed by a new approach in which fingertips are replacing traditional hands-on methods of controlling airplanes. Drawing on participatory and interview methods at a UK airbase, this article draws on ethnographic research with commercial pilots and pilot cadets, to trace the refashioning of cell phone media in an aviation context where touch-based computer screens replace traditional airplane technology. Drawing on Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology, this article examines how the knowing, sensing and intuition through the hands allows for a particular sort of la prise (grip) which accustoms itself to the emergence of new tactile and human–computer interfaces.

Development of a machine learning model for predicting abnormalities of commercial airplanes

Airplanes are a social necessity for movement of humans, goods, and other. They are generally safe modes of transportation; however, incidents and accidents occasionally occur. To prevent aviation accidents, it is necessary to develop a machine-learning model to detect and predict commercial flights using automatic dependent surveillance–broadcast data. This study combined data-quality detection, anomaly detection, and abnormality-classification-model development. The research methodology involved the following stages: problem statement, data selection and labeling, prediction-model development, deployment, and testing. The data labeling process was based on the rules framed by the international civil aviation organization for commercial, jet-engine flights and validated by expert commercial pilots. The results showed that the best prediction model, the quadratic-discriminant-analysis, was 93% accurate, indicating a “good fit”. Moreover, the model’s area-under-the-curve results for abnormal and normal detection were 0.97 and 0.96, respectively, thus confirming its “good fit”.

Constructing and characterizing various multi-component crosslinked epoxy resins based on molecular dynamics simulations with a curing reaction model

Epoxy resins are extensively used as the matrix for carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) in commercial airplanes due to their outstanding thermomechanical properties. Until now, few researchers have simulated multicomponent epoxy resins. In this work, the impact of stoichiometric variations in the base resins in the Di Glycidyl Ether of Bisphenol A (DGEBA)/Tetra Glycidyl Diamino Diphenyl Methane (TGDDM)/4,4′-Diamino Diphenyl Sulfone (4,4′-DDS) system on the curing process and thermomechanical properties is investigated. When the proportions of each component are comparable, the curing process is primarily determined initially by the component with a lower activation energy and subsequently by the component with a relatively greater quantity during the high conversion rate stage. Furthermore, a higher proportion of TGDDM in the DGEBA/TGDDM/4,4′-DDS system results in an increased number of ring structures, which in turn leads to enhanced thermomechanical properties. Our Python-LAMMPS algorithm can be further developed for designing new multi-component epoxy resin materials.

Barotrauma of the ear and paranasal sinuses

With the increasing popularity of amateur scuba diving and the availability of commercial airplane flights, otorhinolaryngologists will increasingly encounter patients suffering from the effects of barotrauma. Barotrauma occurs according to the principles of Boyle's law, more precisely, due to the inability to equalize pressures within the body cavities. The pathophysiology of barotrauma of the ear and paranasal cavities is reviewed, as well as therapeutic options for prevention and treatment.

Analisis Komunikasi Beban Kerja Air Traffic Controller (ATC) dalam Menjaga Keselamatan Lalu Lintas Penerbangan di Airnav Indonesia Cabang Palembang

As a fast, economical and efficient transportation alternative, air transportation is the only alternative for inter-island and inter-regional transportation. Air transportation itself has Air Traffic or flight traffic which must be obeyed by all vehicles on the ground and in the air such as commercial airplanes, helicopters and the like. This research aims to investigate the role of communication in managing the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) workload in maintaining flight traffic safety at AirNav Indonesia Palembang Branch. Increasingly dense and complex air traffic requires effective coordination and communication between ATC and aircraft pilots to prevent incidents and accidents. The research method uses a qualitative approach involving in-depth interviews with ATC, observations at the air traffic control center, and analysis of related documents. The results of this research reveal that good communication between ATC and pilots is very important in maintaining flight safety. ATCs must manage their workload carefully, including managing communications as diverse as voice communications, text messages, and radar data. Additionally, factors such as time pressure, fatigue, and stress also influence ATC communications. Workload management and good training to improve ATC communication capabilities are necessary. This study also provides recommendations for developing policies and best practices in optimizing ATC communications in maintaining flight safety at AirNav Indonesia Palembang Branch.

Considerations for Medical Students' and Residents' Response to an In-Flight Call for Help.

INTRODUCTION: High quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation and medical care in an emergency can save lives, especially when resources are limited, as when in flight on a commercial airplane. A medical student or resident may be the most qualified person to offer assistance during an in-flight cardiac arrest; however, he/she may not yet have experience acting as a sole provider on the ground. Moreover, physicians-in-training may feel an ethical obligation to help a fellow passenger in need, but later worry that their help is subject to questions of tort liability action. This commentary will discuss who should volunteer to help in flight, considering the capability, ethics, and legal consequences of medical students and residents providing medical assistance on an airplane. It will also discuss how changes in medical curriculum due to the COVID-19 pandemic may aid medical trainees' ability to help during an in-flight emergency as well as propose further opportunities for training.Edelson J, Ruskin K. Considerations for medical students' and residents' response to an in-flight call for help. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2024; 95(1):59-60.

Investigation of alternative vehicle applications for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in urban public transport: The case of Adana province

Passenger cars, trucks, commercial airplanes, and railways all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions as part of the transportation sector. The usage of fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel emits exhaust gases commonly referred to as greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere. The buildup of these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is responsible for global warming, a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly pronounced in today’s climate. In response to the GHG problem, cities have started setting targets to reduce their emission values. Adana is one of the cities that has set reduction targets. In all of the studies forming the basis of this research, the potential for transitioning buses and minibuses used in public transportation in Adana to alternative vehicles is investigated, with a focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This study includes a comparison between electric, compressed natural gas (CNG), hydrogen and conventional vehicles, considering various parameters such as fuel economy estimates, vehicle size, and emission calculations. The research delves into greenhouse gas emission calculations specific to the Adana province, along with potential alternative applications in public transportation. Within the province, the transportation sector accounts for 27% of the total city inventory’s emissions. This study shows that converting the existing urban public transport fleet to alternative buses can lead an impressive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as 81.93% with electric car, while hydrogen vehicles achieve a commendable 57.37% decrease. This underscores the substantial potential of electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles to lead to a significant reduction in transportation-related carbon emissions in the city. Consequently, the research places significant emphasis on addressing the transportation sector, which stands out as a primary contributor to emissions.

Splenic Subcapsular Hematoma from Commercial Air Travel: Case Report of a Unique Incident of Altitude-Associated Splenic Syndrome

BackgroundSickle cell trait (SCT), the heterozygous form of sickle cell disease, is generally thought of as a benign condition. However, it is possible for those with SCT to have serious complications, especially when they are exposed to high altitudes where oxygen levels are low. Case ReportWe present a case of a 41-year-old man with a history of SCT who developed severe epigastric pain and nearly lost consciousness while traveling on a commercial airplane. His twin brother, who also has SCT, had a similar episode in the past and required a splenectomy. A splenic subcapsular hematoma was found in a computed tomography scan of the abdomen and pelvis with intravenous contrast. He was admitted and managed conservatively until his symptoms resolved. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?Though SCT is prevalent in our population, the complications that can arise, such as altitude-associated splenic syndrome, have likely not been thoroughly investigated. Physicians should add this condition to their differential if they practice at locations near airports or in areas of higher altitude and if their patients have a past medical history of SCT.

OUR GREATEST OPPOSITION IS OUR DIVISION

AbstractThe author connects her work of 2001 as a writer and managing editor for a research project about the “global leader of the future,” which grew into the book Global Leadership: the Next Generation; with her current work as editor‐in‐chief of Leader to Leader. It is also connected with her earlier partnership and collaboration with Frances Hesselbein, Leader to Leader’s founder and longtime editor‐in‐chief. This is further tied to the author’s collaborations with former CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Ford Motor Company, Alan Mulally. The latter was the first recipient of the Leader to Leader Institute’s Leader of the Future award, presented by Hesselbein in 2006. The author shares remarks she “made recently at a 100 Coaches event in Nashville that describe why Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith, I, and many more, want Alan’s ’Working Together’ to reach as broad an audience as possible.” Within she includes comments made by Frances in 2006 for the award presented to Mulally: “Alan is the leader in Marshall’s vision of the stakeholder centered leader whose leadership and management system includes all of the stakeholders and helps successful leaders, their teams and organizations become even more successful using stakeholder centered coaching.”

THE FIVE KEY QUALITIES OF LEVEL 5 LEADERS AND HOW WE CAN DEVELOP THEM IN FUTURE LEADERS

AbstractThe authors (Chartered Engineer & Business Leader at Rolls‐Royce and Editor‐in‐Chief of Leader to Leader) build on the concept of “level 5 leaders,” from Jim Collins's classic book Good to Great. They outline and describe the concept, and write that their “review of 7 out of 11 of the level 5 leaders in Jim's book showed the following 5 leadership qualities that created this combination of humility and will.” Those qualities, in their words, are: 1. Purpose before profits 2. Connection before critical thinking 3. Service before seniority 4. Creativity before control 5. Coaching for mastery. Each of these qualities is outlined in depth regarding recent leaders: Frances Hesselbein (Former CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, Namesake of Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum, Founder and longtime Editor‐in‐Chief of Leader to Leader, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient); Alan Mulally, (Former CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Boeing Defense and Space, and the Ford Motor Company); and Hubert Joly (Former Chairman and CEO of Best Buy, recognized top 10 U.S. CEO, Glassdoor: Unleashing Human Magic). They write that these leaders “advocate an approach where all stakeholders are included to create insights, implement change, and follow up to deliver sustainable and long‐term improvement.”

Aircraft Cockpit Interaction in Virtual Reality with Visual, Auditive, and Vibrotactile Feedback

Safety-critical interactive spaces for supervision and time-critical control tasks are usually characterized by many small displays and physical controls, typically found in control rooms or automotive, railway, and aviation cockpits. Using Virtual Reality (VR) simulations instead of a physical system can significantly reduce the training costs of these interactive spaces without risking real-world accidents or occupying expensive physical simulators. However, the user's physical interactions and feedback methods must be technologically mediated. Therefore, we conducted a within-subjects study with 24 participants and compared performance, task load, and simulator sickness during training of authentic aircraft cockpit manipulation tasks. The participants were asked to perform these tasks inside a VR flight simulator (VRFS) for three feedback methods (acoustic, haptic, and acoustic+haptic) and inside a physical flight simulator (PFS) of a commercial airplane cockpit. The study revealed a partial equivalence of VRFS and PFS, control-specific differences input elements, irrelevance of rudimentary vibrotactile feedback, slower movements in VR, as well as a preference for PFS.

Testing a Generalized Two-Equation Turbulence Model for Computational Aerodynamics of a Mid-Range Aircraft

The generalized k-ω formulation provides a relatively new flexible eddy-viscosity Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes modeling approach to turbulent flow simulation, where free coefficients allow for fine-tuning and optimal adjusting of the turbulence closure procedure. The present study addressed the calibration of this versatile model for the aerodynamic design of an innovative mid-range commercial airplane by carrying out a series of simulations for varying model coefficients. Comparing the different solutions with each other, as well as with reference experimental and higher-fidelity numerical data, the performance of the generalized procedure in predicting the aerodynamic loading on the aircraft model was systematically examined. While drawing particular attention to the high-lift regime, the set of model parameters giving the best results was practically determined.