Electronic Flight Bag Research Articles

Development of Electronic Flight Bag Application for Small Turboprop Aircraft Weight and Balance Calculation

Nowadays, many airlines in modern aviation utilize an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) during flight to replace traditional paper-based systems. Considering the importance of aircraft weight and balance calculation to flight operations, the flight mission of X-123 (a small turboprop aircraft) and the current EFB market, research on weight and balance application development of X-123 on EFB in Indonesia is conducted. The research aimed to develop the application according to Indonesian regulations and to examine the weight and balance characteristics of X-123 through several simulations in a programming language, Python. Furthermore, Staff Instruction 8900 - 3.3 is analyzed to identify the factors that should be considered in EFB development. The global architecture design and substantial features are, then, proposed as an initial EFB development. In the global architecture design, the utilization of a gateway becomes important as a connection between the EFB developer and the client, providing aircraft data changes flexibility to the client. Moreover, the calculation formula is completely discussed in the calculation modules as a substantial feature and implemented in the simulation. According to simulation results, the payload weight and payload distribution changes can affect significantly the CG location. It is recommended to weigh and assign the payload before flight to ensure flight operation safety. In addition, the proposal of the architecture design and substantial features can be used as a reference and further developed by the Indonesian aviation companies.

Poster] Improving light aviation safety through traffic sharing and OpenSky ADS-B feed

Traffic detection and alerting is lacking in light and ultralight aviation aircrafts for several reasons:
 
 those aircrafts mostly operate in lower airspace, often near the ground, and may not be detected by ATC radar network.
 they may either not be transponder-equipped or not operating their transponder, especially in uncontrolled lower airspace.
 Most of those small aircrafts are not equipped with onboard ADS-B receivers.
 Pilots may not be in touch with ATC information frequencies and hence will not get traffic alerts from ATC.
 
 To increase safety of such flights, we have added the display of surrounding traffic to the Airmate EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) and relevant informational collision avoidance alerts when a potential conflict is detected. Airmate is the most used free application for flight planning and navigation, with a community of more than 230,000 pilots worldwide. The Airmate EFB is now able to display neighbouring traffic consolidated from OpenSky and other hubs, and broadcasted to flying pilots over mobile network connectivity.
 The sharing of position reports from Airmate app enables to complement ADS-B traffic with actual data from aircrafts that may not be detected by ATC radar network.
 Traffic sharing and alerting prerequisites is to be within coverage of a mobile network and running the Airmate app while flying. An Airmate server is receiving ADS-B traffic from OpenSky and other hubs, FLARM and GliderNet traffic, merging it with Airmate position reports received from Airmate apps in flight mode. The consolidated data is then broadcasted to pilots flying using Airmate EFB if within mobile network coverage.

Increasing connectivity: Using operator event sequence diagrams to assess the integration of new technology within the flight deck

AbstractGrowing interest in “connected services” is set to revolutionize the design of future transport systems. In aviation, connected portable Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) would enable some of the traditional and more arduous preflight activities (e.g., route planning) to be conducted away from the flight deck. While this offers the opportunity to improve efficiency, any potential changes to the performance of the system need to be considered alongside the possible negative outcomes. The impact of EFBs on flight operations is assessed using Operator Event Sequence Diagrams (OESDs), which allow the operator interactions with technological systems to be mapped across different scenarios. This paper presents two OESDs: one focusing on current practise and one representing a “future” scenario whereby connected EFBs are commonplace. Our analysis predicts a 44% reduction in flight‐crew operational loading due to increased connectivity in the flight deck. Not only does the analysis highlight the reduction in operations but it also presents the utility of OESDs in the development of the connected EFBs of the future as well as their broader use in understanding the impact of new technologies on performance.

The influence of implementing electronic flight bag application on aviation safety mediated by the optimization of human resources

The unintegrated use of information technology in the cockpit of Garuda aircraft was the electronic flight bag, with the application of the Garuda electronic flight manual and the Garuda electronic airway manual. This gap would cause potential negligence and delay in distributing paper documents or manuals to the aircraft of Garuda Indonesia Airline. It was necessary to study whether the use of Garuda electronic flight manual software and Garuda electronic airway manual could ease the duties of the Pilot on board the aircraft. This research aimed to know the influence of implementing the Garuda electronic flight manual and the Garuda electronic airway manual on flight safety by optimizing human resources. The study used the Path Analysis method. The samples of this research were 30 pilots as the users and processors of the Garuda electronic flight manual and the Garuda electronic airway manual. The study found that the variable of flight safety was directly influenced by the implementation of the Garuda electronic flight manual, the Garuda electronic airway manual, and the optimization of human resources. In addition, implementing the Garuda electronic flight manual and the Garuda electronic airway manual was the variable influencing flight safety at most.

GDL90fuzz: Fuzzing - GDL-90 Data Interface Specification Within Aviation Software and Avionics Devices–A Cybersecurity Pentesting Perspective

As the core technology of next-generation air transportation systems, the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is becoming very popular. However, many (if not most) ADS-B devices and implementations support and rely on Garmin’s Datalink 90 (GDL-90) protocol for data exchange and encapsulation. This makes it essential to investigate the integrity of the GDL-90 protocol especially against attacks on the core subsystem availability, such as denial-of-service (DoS), which pose high risks to safety-critical and mission-critical systems such as in avionics and aerospace. In this paper, we consider GDL-90 protocol fuzzing options and demonstrate practical DoS attacks on popular electronic flight bag (EFB) software operating on mobile devices. Then we present our own specially configured avionics pentesting platform and the GDL-90 protocol. We captured legitimate traffic from ADS-B avionics devices. We ran our samples through the state-of-the-art fuzzing platform American Fuzzy Lop (AFL) and fed the AFL’s output to EFB apps and the GDL-90 decoding software via the network in the same manner as legitimate GDL-90 traffic would be sent from ADS-B and other avionics devices. The results showed worrying and critical lack of security in many EFB applications where the security is directly related to the aircraft’s safe navigation. Out of the 16 tested configurations, our avionics pentesting platform managed to crash or otherwise impact 9 (56%). The observed problems manifested as crashes, hangs, and abnormal behaviors of the EFB apps and GDL-90 decoders during the fuzzing test. Our developed and proposed systematic pentesting methodology for avionics devices, protocols, and software can be used to discover and report vulnerabilities as early as possible.

On the (In)Security of 1090ES and UAT978 Mobile Cockpit Information Systems–An Attacker Perspective on the Availability of ADS-B Safety- and Mission-Critical Systems

Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) is a key air surveillance technology and a critical component of next-generation air transportation systems. It significantly simplifies aircraft surveillance technology and improves airborne traffic situational awareness. Many types of mobile cockpit information systems (MCISs) are based on ADS-B technology. MCIS gives pilots the flight and traffic-related information they need. MCIS has two parts: an ADS-B transceiver and an electronic flight bag (EFB) application. The ADS-B transceivers transmit and receive the ADS-B radio signals while the EFB applications hosted on mobile phones display the data. Because they are cheap, lightweight, and easy to install, MCISs became very popular. However, due to the lack of basic security measures, ADS-B technology is vulnerable to cyberattacks, which makes the MCIS inherently exposed to attacks. Attacks are even more likely for the MCIS, because they are power, memory, and computationally constrained. This study explores the cybersecurity posture of various MCIS setups for both types of ADS-B technology: 1090ES and UAT978. Total six portable MCIS devices and 21 EFB applications were tested against radio-link-based attacks by transmission-capable software-defined radio (SDR). Packet-level denial of service (DoS) attacks affected approximately 63% and 37% of 1090ES and UAT978 setups, respectively, while many of them experienced a <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">system crash</i> . Our experiments show that DoS attacks on the reception could meaningfully reduce transmission capacity. Our coordinated attack and fuzz tests also reported worrying issues on the MCIS. The consistency of our results on a very broad range of hardware and software configurations indicate the reliability of our proposed methodology as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of our platform.

An Examination of Pilot-Reported Trust and Response to Information Conflicts Experienced on the Flight Deck

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to examine how pilots respond to conflicting information on the flight deck. In this study, 108 airline, corporate, and general aviation pilots completed an online questionnaire reporting weather, traffic, and navigation information conflicts experienced on the flight deck, including which information sources they trusted and acted on. Results indicated that weather information conflicts are most commonly experienced, and typically between a certified source in the panel and an uncertified electronic flight bag application. Most participants (a) trusted certified systems due to their accuracy, reliability, recency, and knowledge about the source, and (2) acted on the certified system due to trust, being trained and required to use it, and its indicating a more hazardous situation.

Risk Analysis with Decision Tree Method on the Use of Electronic Flight Bags: A Case Study on Pilots

İnsan yaşamının bir parçası olan bir yerden bir yere ulaşma ihtiyacı elde bulunan imkân ve ihtiyaçlara göre farklı ulaşım modlarıyla sağlanmaktadır. Havayolu taşımacılığı da hız ve diğer ulaşım modlarına göre üstün birtakım özellikleriyle hayatımızda önemli bir yere sahiptir. Havayolu taşımacılığı emniyetli bir taşımacılık olması ile öne çıkmaktadır. Her geçen gün gelişen teknolojiye havayolu taşımacılığı da ayak uydurmaktadır. Havayolu taşımacılığı tarafından son yıllarda kullanılmaya başlanan ve giderek yaygınlaşan elektronik uçuş çantaları ekonomikliği ve verimliliği sayesinde tercih sebebi olmaktadır. Bu çalışmada en emniyetli ulaşım modlarından olan havayolu taşımacılığı için elektronik uçuş çantaları kullanımının üzerine karar ağacı yöntemi ile risk analizi yapılmıştır. Yapılan bu analizle riskleri azaltarak havayolu emniyetini maksimize hale getirmek amaçlanmıştır. Karar ağacı yöntemi kullanımı için tehlike belirlemesinde SHELL modelinden esinlenilmiş ve elektronik uçuş çantalarının çevre, donanım, yazılım ve insanla olan etkileşimi üstüne karar ağacı yöntemi uygulanmıştır. İki havayolu şirketinin pilotlarına uygulanan anket analiz sonuçlarına göre, elektronik uçuş çantalarının elektronik uçuş çantalarının donanımla etkileşimi sonucu düşük seviyede risk tespit edilmişken, yazılım ve insanla olan etkileşiminde yüksek risk ve çevre ile etkileşiminde çok yüksek risk tespit edilmiştir.

A Machine Learning-Based Intrusion Detection System for Securing Remote Desktop Connections to Electronic Flight Bag Servers

Remote desktop protocols (RDP) are commonly used for connecting and interacting with computers remotely. In this case, a server component runs on the remote computer and shares its desktop (i.e., screen) with the client component which runs on an end user device. In recent years, a number of vulnerabilities have been identified in two widely used remote desktop implementations, Microsoft Remote Desktop and RealVNC. These vulnerabilities may expose the remote server to a new attack vector. This concern is increased when it comes to a cyber-physical system (CPS) in which a client device with a low trust level connects to the critical system via the remote desktop server. In order to mitigate this risk, in this paper we propose a network based intrusion detection system (NIDS) specifically designed for securing the remote desktop connections. The propose method utilizes an innovative anomaly detection technique based on machine learning for detecting malicious TCP packets, which can carry exploits aimed at the RDP server. An empirical evaluation conducted on an avionic system setup consisting of a commercial tablet (Samsung Galaxy Tab) connected through a Virtual Network Computing (VNC) remote desktop implementation to a real electronic flight bag (EFB) server shows that the proposed method can detect malicious packets carrying real exploits (reported in recent years) with a true positive rate of 0.863 and a false positive rate of 0.0001.

Human Computer Interaction on the Modern Flight Deck

ABSTRACT There has been steady and significant growth and development of the technology available to pilots on the modern aviation flight deck. From improved information systems such as the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB), to increased control of the aircraft (e.g., automated collision avoidance maneuvering) and onwards to overall management of flights (via the Flight Management System, FMS), pilots now have a range of high-tech systems at their fingertips. This technology is designed to support pilots in maintaining situation awareness, making complex decisions, communicating effectively and assisting in flying the aircraft. However, each technological advancement comes with human computer interaction (HCI) considerations that warrant exploration. This special issue aims to bring together new knowledge and best practices, from the scientific community and industry, related to HCI issues on the modern flight deck. The goal of the special issue is to shed light on areas in need of improvement and potential new solutions for maintaining effective HCI on the flight deck. The articles within this special issue incorporate quantitative and qualitative research methods along with HCI design techniques to examine current and future use of technology on the flight deck and how it impacts pilot performance. Although this issue represents a small portion of the challenges pilots face when interacting with technology on the modern flight deck, it will hopefully serve as a lens to focus attention on the many HCI issues that pilots face, the progress that has been made to date, and the many areas that show potential for improvement.

Integrating Uncertified Information from the Electronic Flight Bag into the Aircraft Panel: Impacts on Pilot Response

ABSTRACT Many pilots utilize portable electronic flight bags (EFB) as supplemental sources of information on the flight deck. Because EFB applications often obtain data from different sources than the certified systems displayed in the aircraft panel, there is a potential for the EFB and onboard systems to simultaneously show pilots information that conflicts. As manufacturers explore integrating uncertified EFB information into the aircraft panel, there is a need to understand the impact of information conflicts on pilot response. A simulation study with Boeing 737 pilots was conducted to examine how level of integration of uncertified information into the aircraft panel impacts pilot response to information conflicts between an uncertified EFB source and approved sources of information on the flight deck. The results indicate that as uncertified EFB information became more integrated into the panel, participants were more likely to both detect and investigate information conflicts between approved and uncertified sources.

Factor Modeling for Innovative Enterprises

The concept of a factor model based on frames is proposed. Factors are considered as slot values of the corresponding frames, which makes it possible to reduce the complexity of the developed model. The method for calculating the factor values by searching for the eigenvalues of the pairwise comparison matrices of the extent of the slots’ influence is proposed. A procedure allowing us to see the spread of the influence of factors along all possible paths of the influence graph is developed. As a result of the calculations, the most influential factors on the efficiency of the entire modeled system are determined. It is shown that it is possible to use the factor model for estimating the activity of innovative enterprises and for selecting an electronic flight bag (EFB) for the crew. This model can be used to forecast the development of complex dynamic systems with feedback, as well as for evaluating and making management decisions on the innovative activity of enterprises under conditions of weakly structured information.

Next generation of avionics learning based on virtual instruments in vocational education

At this time aerospace technology is very advanced. This is very closely related to advances in information technology and aerospace, so the learning process in aerospace vocational education also progresses. The learning process that was originally very manual now has used a computer as a support system. Learning methods or content of learning materials are also adjusted. One of them is the next generation of avionics. At this time, many types of aircraft have used electronic flight bags to control the aircraft. This technology is very advanced, using many automatic electronic devices such as sensors, actuators and other sophisticated devices that are connected by wireless networks and applications on computers. Studying the current generation of avionic systems is not easy, it is very complicated and sophisticated. This is a problem whose solution that must be sought to provide approach to learning. Studying theoretically and classically in Avionics will be very difficult and boring. A learning method that approaches the real conditions facilitates the process of understanding, namely utilizing virtual instruments. A teaching technique that is supported by applications on computers that resemble conditions in an aircraft. In this paper, a sub-section of avionics is assisted with computer applications, so the actions taken will have an effect on what the conditions of the aircraft are. The perceived benefit is that learning material is easier to understand and implement. This study will present learning methods using virtual instruments. The general design of virtual instruments related to avionics was proposed in this study in order to facilitate teaching avionics to students.

Impact of Electronic Flight bag (EFB) on Single Pilot Performance and Workload

Impact of Electronic Flight bag (EFB) on Single Pilot Performance and Workload

Применение онтологического подхода к процессу разработки и внедрения систем Electronic Flight Bag

The paper considers application of an ontological approach to development and implementation of Electronic Flight Bag information systems (EFB). An ontology of EFB systems’ subject area with description of a conceptual model of EFB software application for take-off and landing characteristics calculations of aircraft has been developed. The ontology was formalized using Protégé software.

Development of Software for Computing of Aircraft’s Takeoff and Landing Characteristics Using Expert System Technology

The principles of expert system are proposed in the development of software application for calculations of rational takeoff and landing characteristics. The modular architecture is developed for the process of takeoff and landing parameters calculations in the system. A prototype of a client-server software application for electronic flight bag based on tablet computer was developed on the example of a specific type of Russian aircraft. A post-publication change was made to this article on 21 February 2020 to correct an author name.

Pilot Perceptions on the Integration of Electronic Flight Bag Information in New Flight Deck Designs

The purpose of this study was to gather usability data on a new flight deck concept in which pilots are shown certified and uncertified information concurrently on installed avionics. Specifically, we wanted to examine perceptions on the concepts of concurrent use and differentiation for electronic flight bag (EFB) applications that show ownship position. We presented an uncertified electronic chart on either a portable electronic device (PED) alone (off to the pilot’s side) or on both a PED and an installed flight deck display. The uncertified electronic chart was always shown concurrently with an approved navigation source. We differentiated the electronic chart from the navigation information via display medium (portable vs. installed) and a header labeled “EFB,” drawn at the top of the uncertified electronic chart on the installed display. Thirteen flightcrews flew eight scenarios using the flight deck concept. Pilots liked the concurrent display of the electronic chart, and the repeated display functionality, in particular, because they could control the presentation of information on the forward display using the touch screen on the side display. Our method of differentiation—a header—was less successful and suggests a need to consider the potential for stimulus habituation when evaluating these techniques.

Tradeoffs for Routing Flights in View of Multiple Weather Hazards

Adverse weather impacts the safety and efficiency of aviation. Convective storms, turbulence, and icing are aviation weather hazards that can lead to unpleasant rides and, in the worst case scenario, pose safety risks. Commercial flight route planning tools are largely based on wind optimization, and the daily air traffic flow discussion is heavily focused on avoidance of deep convective storms. Other hazards such as icing (mostly an issue for general aviation) and turbulence have to be manually accounted for by a dispatcher. Routing solutions favoring avoidance of convective storms can result in undesired outcomes such as significant encounters or extended duration of turbulence. This study examines various flight routing approaches, taking into account multiple weather hazards for a range of decision time horizons. A range of time horizons (that is, look-ahead distances) is used to assess the potential benefits of using weather uplinks (for example, onto an electronic flight bag) as compared to the limited information available through the onboard radar. The paper provides a glance at how to improve trajectory-based operations for safe, efficient, and comfortable airborne travel in the future.

The Effect of Electronic Flight Bags in Flight Training on Preflight Skill Development and Aeronautical Decision-Making

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of utilizing Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) in flight training with emphasis on preflight skill development and Aeronautical Decision Making. The study participants were student pilots or private pilots who used EFBs in flight training and had not logged more than 100 total flight hours. The study utilized a simulation of the preflight process of a Visual Flight Rules cross country flight in which the participants answered questions related to the flight preparation. Fifty percent of the study’s population completed this survey with the information provided through an EFB and the other 50% population had to answer the questions without an EFB using traditional unabridged raw data. A comparative analysis of the data collected from both groups was performed. The largest degradation of performance was noted in Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) interpretation and the least degradation in performance was noted in weather-related decision-making.

Examining Head-Down Time in Transportation: Case Study in Single-Pilot General Aviation Operations

The “head-down time” problem refers to the potential inability of an operator (e.g., pilot, car driver, or train driver) to divide his or her attention optimally between the primary visual field (e.g., out the window) and an auxiliary tool (e.g., visual display screen). This problem has become an important safety concern in road, rail, and air traffic environments. To improve transportation safety, researchers are applying technology to minimize head-down time. One of these emerging technologies is a pilot-oriented cognitive assistant called the Digital Copilot. The Digital Copilot is a working prototype that provides contextual information and aviation related reminders to the pilot in a timely manner. However, the effects of using this cognitive assistant on the pilot had not been evaluated. This research uses a cognitive task modeling software, called Cogulator, to model a pilot’s expected thoughts and actions and compare them across two different environments: one using the Digital Copilot and one using three different electronic flight bags (EFBs) without cognitive assistance. This study examines how effectively the cognitive assistant can manage mental effort, simplify tasks, and decrease head-down time during preparation for the approach phase of flight for the following five tasks: determine weather frequency, determine communication frequency, review and follow a checklist, determine if the tower is open, and determine the preferred landing runway. Results show that the Digital Copilot provides: time savings in all tasks except for determining weather frequency; savings in head-down time for all tasks; and working memory load savings, or no change, for all tasks.