Flight Execution Research Articles

Hygienic evaluation of environmental factors and public health in the Cosmodrome Vostochny

Introduction. The problem of using highly toxic components of rocket fuel remains one of the main issues in ensuring the hygienic safety of the territory affected by rocket and space activities.
 Materials and methods. A hygienic assessment of environmental objects was carried out; structural and dynamic analysis of medical and demographic indicators, and morbidity in the population of the city of Tsiolkovsky.
 Results. The sources of emissions into the atmospheric air during the operation phase of the cosmodrome are the launch complex of the launch vehicle, the technical complex and the complex for the production and storage of rocket fuel components. Regular operation of the Cosmodrome Vostochny is not accompanied by the release of asymmetric dimethylhydrazine and its transformation products into the environment. Classifying facilities for the preparation and execution of space flights as objects of extremely high risk is associated with a potential risk to the health in the city’s population, which may arise from combined multi-environment exposure to chemicals of hazard classes 1 and 2, including rocket fuel components.
 The prevalence in the age structure of the population of the city of Tsiolkovsky younger than working age indicates a progressive structure of the population, both due to reproduction and the influx of labour. Primary and general morbidity in children and adolescents is characterized by higher levels compared to the morbidity in adults.
 Limitations. A number of uncertainties associated with incomplete information about all possible contaminants of environmental objects, as well as a low level of sensitivity of the analytical methods used compared to reference concentrations, which can lead to an overestimation of possible exposure.
 Conclusion. In the context of the further development of space infrastructure and the creation of new rocket systems at the Cosmodrome Vostochny, ensuring safe living conditions for the city’s population implies the continuation and improvement of work to monitor the state of the environment, potential sources of its anthropogenic pollution, as well as assessing and predicting the health of the population.

IT-SUPPORTED DATA ANALYSIS OF FUEL CONSUMPTION AND FLIGHT PROGRESS IN AVIATION SECTOR

Aviation continues to be an important means of transport for passengers and cargo. However, fuel savings and emissions reduction have become increasingly important in recent years. As part of a PhD thesis, ways to reduce fuel consumption by reducing the final reserve fuel were investigated. Improved risk assessment, calculations based on better data and better decision-making can optimise the amount of fuel needed without compromising safety levels. Evidence for this must be provided, often with the help of appropriate data, frequently correspondingly large amounts of data. The statistical basis for this study was data over a five-year period provided by an airline from various reports, each with approx. 40 000 data sets. The assessment was carried out in several steps using various tools such as Excel or, in particular, MATLAB. A wide range of data on all aircraft movements is recorded in the internal database system of the air carrier which provided the information. Through statistical analysis of existing fuel data, it was possible to prove that the planning and flight execution is reliable - as a representation of the basic level of safety. MATLAB makes it possible to quickly create clear and meaningful plots. With the help of this assessment, evidence of a performance-based approach to the approval of fuel systems can be provided. This in turn can be used for the application of procedures requiring approval by the competent authority.

Statistical evaluation of fuel values

Aviation emissions, domestic and international, account for approximately 2 % of total global CO2 emissions. Fuel consumption for a given route, excluding other factors such as wind, depends largely on the weight of the aircraft. To minimise fuel consumption, it is often most economical to carry only the minimum weight required for the sector. Within the framework of a dissertation, possibilities to reduce the final reserve fuel and thus the amount of fuel required are being researched and evaluated. This paper shows part of the results, as reliability and accuracy of flight planning and actual operations are a necessary basis for a possible reduction. The level of safety in aviation must always be taken into account. To prove this, fuel values are recorded and statistically evaluated, based on real flight and fuel data provided. Analysis, systematization and generalization were used to conduct the study. As a statistical background, extensive fuel data of an airline from a period of about five years were examined. The focus of this paper is on the results for taxi and trip fuel. The result shows that the current requirements for flight planning and the subsequent execution of flights are very reliable and highly accurate today. The results of the study can be used as a basis for a performance-based approach to reduce the final reserve fuel while maintaining the necessary safety level. Reducing the final reserve has a significant impact on reducing overall fuel consumption and emissions. Further research and studies are needed to determine performance indicators.

МЕТОДЫ И СРЕДСТВА СНИЖЕНИЯ ВЛИЯНИЯ ЧЕЛОВЕЧЕСКОГО ФАКТОРА В ГРАЖДАНСКОЙ АВИАЦИИ С ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕМ ИНФОРМАЦИОННО-УПРАВЛЯЮЩИХ СИСТЕМ

Human factor is a set of moral, social, psychological, physical, professional and other human qualities influencing his activity. Human factor role to provide flight safety is determined by that all processes in aviation on organization, procuring and accomplishment of flights are made by humans – aviation specialists of various profiles. Major impact on flight safety among aviation specialist goes from aviation personnel. The latter constitutes people belonging to commanding-flying, flying staff, dispatcher personnel of management service of air traffic, engineering-technical, medical personnel whose activity is directly aimed to air transportation execution. It’s evident that influence of aviapersonnel various groups on flight safety state differs and 's determined by the degree of interaction with flight execution process. Analysis of aviation severe accidents during five-year period leads to that crew wrong actions have major impact on their occurrence (about 60%). This fact finds natural explanation because namely flying personnel pursues flight direct control, and flight outcome in the situation depends on the correctness of his action. In this connection, the human factor problem namely for flying personnel and first of all for pilots has paramount importance. The realization of the ways of reducing aviation accident probability is possible on an airplane board only whiles using electronic computer which works out either management impacts or information prompt for a crew. As a result, this implies introduction and exploitation of board information-control system by a crew. It’s been less considered and generalized the human factor impact in organizational-technical and organization-economical systems of civil aviation. But it’s evident that at halting situation occurrence in any service, correct decision acceptance by a user is possible only at his information support which can be embodied in “ground” information-control system. The publication views reduction of negative impact of the human factor in civilaviation with the help of modern information-ruling systems.

Anovar of Errors in Surveying Photogrammetric Measurements of Mountain Objects with the Help of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The application of unmanned aerial vehicle technologies in surveying is gaining pace: the results are more correct while being obtained more quickly at less amount of resources required. The drawbacks of the UAV used are most frequently detected during the flight execution and thus, a certain experience is accumulated, new methods and options for the UAV application at surface mining operations. A great part of the experimental outcomes obtained allows justifying a more efficient use of UAV from a theoretical perspective. The article considers the main problems of surveying photogrammetric measurements of the mountain objects. The authors study the impact factors influencing the errors in the measurements conducted with the help of the unmanned aerial vehicle and suggest a mathematical method for their substantiation and analysis by the example of ANOVAR of the UAV flying height and the number of control survey points that help to improve the correctness of the final model for the object measured.

Execution of Parker Solar Probe's unprecedented flight to the Sun and early results

Parker Solar Probe (PSP) was launched on August 12, 2018, on its way to enter the solar corona and “touch” the Sun for the first time. We utilize enormous planetary gravity assists from 7 repeated Venus flybys via a V7GA trajectory in 24 solar orbits over 7 years, to get within 8.86 solar radii from the Sun's surface. The probe successfully entered the V7GA trajectory and made the first Venus flyby only 52 days after launch. Five weeks later it flew by the Sun at a perihelion distance of 0.166 AU and flyby speed of 95.3 km/s, setting new records as the closest craft to the Sun and the fastest human-made object. In this paper, the overall strategy, plan, process, and early flight results and performance for PSP's flight execution including in-flight trajectory control and re-optimization, orbit determination and navigation, and trajectory correction maneuvers are presented. The unique challenges and operation constraints we encountered in flying a solar mission are described.

Avaliação do PEC em ortofotomosaicos obtidos com RPA e proposta de um modelo matemático para correção geométrica

O objetivo deste artigo é avaliar o padrão de exatidão cartográfica (PEC) em ortofotomosaicos digitais obtidos por meio de uma aeronave pilotada remotamente e propor um modelo de correção geométrica para o ângulo de guinada, a fim de reduzir a distorção do pixel na imagem. Este artigo é uma continuação dos trabalhos de GAMBA e SANO (2017). As áreas de teste estão localizadas nos estados do RJ (Área 1) e MG (Área 2). A metodologia foi dividida em quatro etapas: planejamento e execução do voo; determinação dos pontos de apoio; geração dos ortofotomosaicos nos aplicativos Agisoft Photoscan® e E-Foto®; e avaliação dos ortofotomosaicos. A avaliação dos ortofotomosaicos foi feita por meio da aplicação do PEC analógico e digital, utilizando o método disponível no aplicativo GeoPEC®. Nesta avaliação, foram verificados o comportamento da distribuição espacial, a normalidade e a acurácia posicional das amostras, com análises de tendência e de precisão. Os resultados demonstraram que os menores erros médios quadráticos (EMQ) na planimetria das Áreas 1 (1,4337m) e 2 (1,1073m) foram no aplicativo Agisoft Photoscan®. O menor EMQ na altimetria da Área 1 (9,5387m) foi no aplicativo E-Foto®. O menor EMQ na altimetria da Área 2 (21,0263 m) foi no aplicativo Agisoft Photoscan®.

Design of Digital Aerial Photography System for UAV based on Wireless Sensor Network

The traditional UAV aerial photography system has the disadvantages of unclear imaging, low system efficiency and poor flight control effect. Thus, a digital aerial photography system based on wireless sensor network is proposed. Firstly, the principle of aerial photography system is analyzed, and the wireless sensor network is set up. A large number of wireless sensor nodes are deployed in the interval, and functions such as wireless communication and calculation are completed by nodes; the SN-RN data acquisition layer, the RN-UAV relay transmission layer and the UAV-DC mobile aggregation layer are designed to form a wireless sensor network architecture, and the UAV digital aerial photography technology is combined to form the wireless sensor network. Experiments show that the medium error, maximum error and medium error limit of the digital aerial photography of the UAV are low, the total working time of the system is short, and the accuracy of the flight execution of the UAV is maintained between 93%-95%, and always stable. Therefore, the overall imaging effect of this method is better, the system work efficiency is higher, the system control effect is better, and it is more practical and advantageous.

APPLICATION OF AMATEUR UAV IN PHOTOGRAMMETRY

<p>With the advancement of technology in the last ten years and the cheaper development of microchips, new technologies are available for everyone. In addition to high-performance computers, relatively low-cost drones have been developed. This paper presents the possibility of using unmanned aerial vehicles in geodesy as well as flight planning, flight execution, processing of collected data, describes the basic components of the quadcopter, data collection procedure, processing methods as well as accuracy of the obtained results.</p>

An insect-inspired model for acquiring views for homing.

Wasps and bees perform learning flights when leaving their nest or food locations for the first time during which they acquire visual information that enables them to return successfully. Here we present and test a set of simple control rules underlying the execution of learning flights that closely mimic those performed by ground-nesting wasps. In the simplest model, we assume that the angle between flight direction and the nest direction as seen from the position of the insect is constant and only flips sign when pivoting direction around the nest is changed, resulting in a concatenation of piecewise defined logarithmic spirals. We then added characteristic properties of real learning flights, such as head saccades and the condition that the nest entrance within the visual field is kept nearly constant to describe the development of a learning flight in a head-centered frame of reference, assuming that the retinal position of the nest is known. We finally implemented a closed-loop simulation of learning flights based on a small set of visual control rules. The visual input for this model are rendered views generated from 3D reconstructions of natural wasp nesting sites, and the retinal nest position is controlled by means of simple template-based tracking. We show that naturalistic paths can be generated without knowledge of the absolute distance to the nest or of the flight speed. We demonstrate in addition that nest-tagged views recorded during such simulated learning flights are sufficient for a homing agent to pinpoint the goal, by identifying nest direction when encountering familiar views. We discuss how the information acquired during learning flights close to the nest can be integrated with long-range homing models.

UAV flight safety close to the mountain massif

Lately, the UAV has repeatedly been the main issue of many international scientific conferences worldwide and many researchers or professionals are discussing the safety and security of UAVs versus air transport. The state authorities, whether civilian or military, have to find the most appropriate form of solution to create the national legislation that reflects the changes in European legislation after establishing the framework within 2018-2019. At the same time, it is necessary to respond to the ever-growing progress in the production of UAV technologies and their impact on air transport market. However, the most important is the safety of the UAV flights. Which in Slovakia means the ability to safely overcome obstacles, which is the subject of this paper. The paper focuses on the simulation and analysis of UAV vertical flight, while avoiding mountain obstacles in mountain orographic terrain. The result of the research is a method of a safe flight execution in terms of its technical execution while respecting the legislative conditions valid in the territory of the Slovak Republic.

The role of spatial texture in visual control of bumblebee learning flights

When leaving the nest for the first time, bees and wasps perform elaborate learning flights, during which the location of the nest is memorised. These flights are characterised by a succession of arcs or loops of increasing radius centred around the nest, with an incremental increase in ground speed, which requires precise control of the flight manoeuvres by the insect. Here, we investigated the role of optic flow cues in the control of learning flights by manipulating spatial texture in the ventral and panoramic visual field. We measured height, lateral displacement relative to the nest and ground speed during learning flights in bumblebees when ventral and panoramic optic flow cues were present or minimised, or features of the ground texture varied in size. Our observations show that ventral optic flow cues were required for the smooth execution of learning flights. We also found that bumblebees adjusted their flight height in response to variations of the visual texture on the ground. However, the presence or absence of panoramic optic flow did not have a substantial effect on flight performance. Our findings suggest that bumblebees mainly rely on optic flow information from the ventral visual field to control their learning flights.

LEGAL ASPECTS OF USING UAVs FOR AIR OPERATIONS WITHIN THE RESPONSIBILITY REGION OF FIR WARSZAWA

The paper describes currently binding legal regulations for execution of flights by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) of particular categories. The division of the air space in the Warsaw’s flight information region (FIR) including consideration of possibilities for flights with the use of UAVs in different parts of this space is also presented. The final part of the paper provides information on legal consequences after violation of binding law regulations relating to the performance of flights by the UAVs.

Analysis of Landslide Evolution Affecting Olive Groves Using UAV and Photogrammetric Techniques

This paper deals with the application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) techniques and high resolution photogrammetry to study the evolution of a landslide affecting olive groves. The last decade has seen an extensive use of UAV, a technology in clear progression in many environmental applications like landslide research. The methodology starts with the execution of UAV flights to acquire very high resolution images, which are oriented and georeferenced by means of aerial triangulation, bundle block adjustment and Structure from Motion (SfM) techniques, using ground control points (GCPs) as well as points transferred between flights. After Digital Surface Models (DSMs) and orthophotographs were obtained, both differential models and displacements at DSM check points between campaigns were calculated. Vertical and horizontal displacements in the range of a few decimeters to several meters were respectively measured. Finally, as the landslide occurred in an olive grove which presents a regular pattern, a semi-automatic approach to identifying and determining horizontal displacements between olive tree centroids was also developed. In conclusion, the study shows that landslide monitoring can be carried out with the required accuracy—in the order of 0.10 to 0.15 m—by means of the combination of non-invasive techniques such as UAV, photogrammetry and geographic information system (GIS).

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle – A Tool for Acquiring Spatial Data for Research and Commercial Purposes. New Course in the Geography and Cartography Curriculum in Higher Education

Abstract. This paper describes the syllabus for the innovative course "Unmanned aerial observations of Terrain" introduced to the curriculum by the Department of Geoinformatics and Cartography of the University of Wroclaw (Poland). It indicates the objectives of the new subject, its didactic purpose, methods used in the teaching process, specifications of teaching materials, and the knowledge and skills that students are expected to acquire. Finally, it presents the content of the course and description of lesson units. The subject will be obligatory for graduate students majoring in Geography, who are participants in the Geoinformatics and Cartography Master's program. Thirty-eight hours in a summer semester has been earmarked for the course. That includes 30 hours of instructor-guided laboratory and fieldtrip work, and 8 hours of individual work. The course aims to prepare future geographers to conduct a multi-step process that includes defining the purpose of using UAV in light of the chosen research problem, preparation of the mission, flight execution; geoprocessing of acquired aerial imagery; generation of cartomertic final products, and analysis of outcomes in order to answer the initially asked research question. This comprehensive approach will allow students, future experts in the field of geoinformatics and cartography, to gain the skills needed to acquire spatial data using an UAV, process them, and apply the results of their analysis in practice.

Strategic de-confliction in the presence of a large number of 4D trajectories using a causal modeling approach

This paper presents a strategic de-confliction algorithm based on causal modeling developed under the STREAM project and launched under the umbrella of the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) Program. The basic underlying concept makes use of the enriched information included in the Shared Business Trajectories (SBTs) of the flights prior to takeoff (or in the Reference Business Trajectories (RBTs) if the flight is airborne) to allocate conflict-free trajectories in a traffic planning phase that should lead to an actual conflict-free scenario in the flight execution phase in the absence of flight and/or network uncertainties. The proposed approach could decrease the workload of the air traffic controllers, thus improving the Air Traffic Management (ATM) capacity while meeting the maximum possible expectations of the Airspace Users’ requirements in terms of horizontal flight efficiency. The main modules of the implemented system are also presented in this paper; these modules are designed to enable the processing of thousands of trajectories within a few seconds or minutes and encompass a global network scope with a planning horizon of approximately 2–3h. The causal model applied for network conflict resolution and flight routing allocation is analyzed to demonstrate how the emergent dynamics (i.e., domino effects) of local trajectory amendments can be efficiently explored to identify conflict-free Pareto-efficient network scenarios. Various performance indicators can be taken into account in the multi-criteria optimization process, thus offering to the network manager a flexible tool for fostering a collaborative planning process.

Agent-Based Cooperative Decentralized Airplane-Collision Avoidance

The efficiency of the current centralized air-traffic management is limited. A next-generation air transportation system should allow airplanes (manned and unmanned) to change their flight paths during the flight without approval from a centralized en route control. Such a scheme requires decentralized peer-to-peer conflict detection and collision-avoidance processes. In this paper, two cooperative (negotiation-based) conflict-resolution algorithms are presented: iterative peer-to-peer and multiparty algorithms. They are based on high-level flight-plan variations using evasion maneuvers. The algorithms work with a different level of coordination autonomy, respect realistic assumptions of imprecise flight execution (integrating required navigation performance), and work in real time, where the planning and plan-execution phases interleave. Both algorithms provide a resolution in a 4-D domain (3-D space and time). The proposed algorithms are evaluated experimentally, and their quality is studied in comparison with a state-of-the-art agent-based method-the satisficing game theory algorithm.

Critical Flights Detected with Time Windows

Airlines need to pay special attention to flights that may be liable to produce undesired downstream effects if subjected to delay. A mathematical formulation is proposed to identify these critical flights by defining a set of temporal intervals, called time window, which must be met during the flight execution. The width of the time window is variable because it reflects all known constraints on runway capacities or on congested en route sectors that the flight will go through, or both. The set of optimal time window that maximizes their overall width was chosen, thus providing airline operators with the largest degree of flexibility to perform their flights. Three possible approaches are presented to compute the utilization of the system capacity. By means of a computational analysis, it is shown that the solution of the time window model is insensitive about the formulation used for the capacity constraints.

Adaptive Stochastic Filtering for Online Aircraft Flight Path Reconstruction

State and parameter estimation using flight test data is highly affected by process and measurement noises, especially with noises displaying time varying statistical properties. Hence, if an estimation problem is to be solved, an adaptive filtering approach is recommended. It is also desirable to obtain the estimates online, simultaneously with flight execution, aiming at a maneuver validation before concluding the flight. Indeed, it is more expensive to put the aircraft back in the air than to extend a little the flight and repeat a test point. Flight path reconstruction is a technique which produces a consistent flight test data set from noisy measurements as a preprocessing scheme to a parameter identification routine. Air data can also be calibrated simultaneously if the problem is formulated properly. This work proposes a methodology to deal with time varying noise statistical properties using a new approach for an adaptive extended Kalman filter. Besides the main filter, two other Kalman filters are proposed to run in parallel, to estimate the process and measurement noise statistics based on the main filter residuals. The proposed adaptive method is derived from the covariance matching technique, by employing filter residuals to adjust the noise statistical properties. Because the method has a low computational cost and is recursive, it is suitable for online applications. The method is validated in a flight path reconstruction application, with simultaneous air data calibration for angle of attack, angle of sideslip, and static pressure sensors. A 100 samples Monte Carlo simulation and real flight test data analysis are used for performance evaluation. Because the proposed approach adequately estimates the statistical noise properties, improved performance is obtained.

Response to Review of Reform, Resiliency and Renewal and KIDS as Planners

Children, Youth and Environments. Vol 14, No.2 (2004) ISSN 1546-2250 Response to Review of Reform, Resiliency and Renewal and KIDS as Planners Francine Rudoff KIDS Consortium Citation: Rudoff, Francine. Response to Review of Reform, Resiliency and Renewal, and KIDS as Planners.” Children, Youth and Environments 14(2), 2004. Since the publication of KIDS as Planners in 2001, over 35,000 young people have taken action—using the KIDS servicelearning model—to address problems and needs in communities across the United States. Hundreds of teachers and thousands of community members have worked with them and we continue to learn about the service-learning process from their collective efforts. One compelling story comes from a small Maine community outside of Bangor: When fifth-grade students at the Holbrook School in Holden learned that the largest number of Life Flight critical care transports involved patients between ages 17 and 25, they were horrified. When they learned that many of those injuries could have been prevented—through use of helmets and seat belts, they were empowered to act. Calling their project “Mission Possible: Agents of Change,” students set out to learn more about preventing injuries. Their teacher Trisha Smith worked closely with Life Flight Executive Director Tom Judge to plan field trips to meet with emergency responders and classroom presentations (on topics ranging from brain anatomy to interviewing skills). “Through this partnership, we hoped to ‘turn off the faucet’—working with younger students who might develop new behaviors and take those home—rather than mopping up the mess when they’re older,” says Judge. 324 To learn more about attitudes and behaviors regarding seat belt and helmet use, students developed and distributed a survey in five communities. Making links to their curriculum, students graphed responses on wall-sized charts and created PowerPoint presentations and videotaped interviews based on their classroom work and field trips. They then delivered presentations to the School Board and to families at a ‘school field day on public safety’ and a health fair at Maine’s secondlargest shopping mall in collaboration with a regional medical center. The class even made a presentation to then Governor Angus King! The positive effects of this project continue to ripple outward. Two students from the class launched another helmet and seatbelt safety project of their own the following year, which they displayed at the State House. A parent of one student commented that ‘the most appealing aspect of service-learning is the enthusiasm it creates in children... I can see the pride in their faces for their acceptance of the responsibilities that are required of them. Adults actually trust them to do something that’s meaningful.’ - KIDS Consortium From projects like “Mission Possible,” KIDS Consortium has compiled many new tools and resources. In the Spring of 2005, an expanded and revised edition of KIDS as Planners will be published—including a new chapter on the research and investigation phases of KIDS projects, additional resources for teachers related to assessments of student learning, and ideas for sustaining service-learning in schools and communities. As we move into the 21st century, it is imperative that we afford our young people opportunities to become life-long learners with the critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and social skills needed to succeed in our democracy and in a global society. Through KIDS projects, students demonstrate that they are up to the challenge. About KIDS Consortium 325 Now in its second decade, the KIDS Consortium is a nationally recognized leader in the rapidly expanding service-learning movement, which promotes learning through community involvement as a way to strengthen students, schools and communities. KIDS works with local teachers and administrators, and community partners to involve students in addressing real challenges faced by their communities. Together they identify, research, and work to address local community needs. With guidance from KIDS Consortium, teachers match projects to school curricula and state standards, providing a powerful “hands on” learning experience that improves the community and brings academics to life. For more information, visit www.kidsconsortium.org. Francine Rudoff is the Executive Director of the KIDS Consortium. She has over 25 years of experience directing initiatives that connect schools and communities, as well as...