Flight Instruction Research Articles

Mathematical Modeling of Bird Murmurations

Self-motivated collective motions, which superficially seem to be in violation of the second law of thermodynamics by decreasing entropy, arise throughout physics, chemistry and biology. A well-known example in a petri dish is the spontaneous emergence of spiral waves in the so-called Belousov–Zhabotinski reaction. In biology, morphogenesis is another example in the differential development of bone and muscle in a growing organism. Collective motion is also found in various bird and animal systems where long-range information exchange is obtained by vision, and we here focus on the spectacular synchronized flying of flocks starlings in what are called murmurations. Recent work has shown how the birds can achieve this by focusing on dark-to-light edges in their distant view of the far-off flying birds. Averaging unit vectors that point at these edges defines, with other clues, their instantaneous flight instructions.

Incidence of barotrauma in the formation of cadets aviators in the Brazilian air force

Middle ear barotrauma is a pathology that can occur due to ineffective equalization between the external and internal pressures of the middle ear and can be caused by everyday conditions, which we sometimes do not notice before a flight. It is important to instruct the aviators to identify conditions that expose them to this pathology in order to make their instructions at the Air Force Academy (AFA This study aims to measure the level of consciousness of the cadets on the subject, the recurrence of conditions that lead to the emergence of barotraumas, and the preventive measures used. A questionnaire with seven questions about barotrauma knowledge was applied to a sample of 40 Cadet Aviators of the second Squadron in 2023. All these cadets were conducting the Air training course when they answered the questionnaire. All were questioned as to their knowledge of barotrauma, symptoms, procedures for relief and treatment. The results showed that although cadets have broad knowledge on the subject, and more than half of those questioned admit to performing instructional flights in non-ideal health conditions. This behavior, besides greatly increasing the risk of occurrence of a barotrauma, shows that a preventive culture is not being cultivated in the cadets. It is necessary to reaffirm the dangers of a barotrauma during the training of cadets who are going to begin flight instruction. Cadet awareness of pathologies involving air activity is important to everyone, as it is, a matter of flight safety.

Testing Backward Chaining Ab-initio Flight Instruction

This conceptual/exploratory research updates that previously published in the Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education and Research (JAAER) Vol. 30, Issue 1 (Spring 2021) which asked if backward chaining, ab-initio pilot training decrease time to first solo? The specific focus of the research was the viability of landings instruction as the first ab-initio lesson. The research compared a total of eight respondents in a backward-chained flight instruction methodology against four respondents in a forward-chained flight instruction methodology. All 12 respondents were recruited without previous flight instruction or Pilot-in-Command logged flight time. Ground instruction preceded simulator instruction which was followed by instruction in actual aircraft. A hybrid approach of Grounded Theory/Phenomenology was used to evaluate the respondent’s performance, acceptance of, and attitudes towards the delivered flight instruction. All respondents completed multiple circuits in the traffic pattern on their first flight. Updated research results include: a) exploration and incorporation of refined methodological enhancements, b) qualitative and quantitative evaluation of respondents, c) recognition of previously un-experienced student pilot behavioral outcomes highlighting and reiterating potential risks embedded in conceptual/exploratory research, and d) observational evidence that if the goal is to teach ab-initio pilots to land an aircraft first, backwards chaining methodology may be preferred over the traditional, long-standing forward chained flight instruction methods.

Model of the software and hardware complex of automated flight instruction for cadets based on the reference flight pattern

Information is provided regarding the developed model of the software-hardware complex of the automated flight instruction of cadets based on the reference image of the flight. It is proposed to model the movement of a helicopter between two support points as the movement of a material point that has mass and is affected by gravity. The movement model is represented by a system of differential equations of the first order, which describes the movement parameters: air speed, angle of inclination of the trajectory, flight height and distance of movement. Based on the existing regulatory rules for the operation of aircraft, a system of restrictions on movement parameters has been defined. The set of basic flight control bodies is substantiated, the laws of pilot control and restrictions on control parameters, which are also determined by the rules of helicopter operation, are set. The task of finding optimal control parameters at the stage of acceleration of a helicopter at a constant altitude has been formalized. The general structure of the adaptive search system has been built. Procedures for finding optimal parameters have been created using a combined method of finding optimal control parameters based on single-criteria conditional and vector optimization methods. Based on the model experiment, the optimal value of the parity criterion in the method of adaptive convolution of the optimal criterion vector is determined. The calculated data of the proposed model made it possible to find in real time the parameters of the movement of the helicopter under the control of the pilot, the history of the deviation of this movement from the ideal, and the dynamic forecast of such deviation. The possibility of obtaining predicted solutions in the case of existing linear control laws or approximate to linear control laws has been established experimentally. The parameters of the model were determined experimentally. A system of commands of an electronic instructor in verbal form is proposed for correcting the pilot's behavior and bringing his actions closer to optimal ones. Recommendations regarding the practical application of the developed model are substantiated.

Multimodal Augmented Reality Applications for Training of Traffic Procedures in Aviation

Mid-air collision is one of the top safety risks in general aviation. This study addresses the description and experimental assessment of multimodal Augmented Reality (AR) applications for training of traffic procedures in accordance with Visual Flight Rules (VFR). AR has the potential to complement the conventional flight instruction by bridging the gap between theory and practice, and by releasing students’ time and performance pressure associated with a limited simulator time. However, it is critical to assess the impact of AR in the specific domain and to identify any potential negative learning transfer. Multimodal AR applications were developed to address various areas of training: guidance and feedback for the correct scanning pattern, estimation if an encountering traffic is on collision course and application of the relevant rules. The AR applications also provided performance feedback for collision detection, avoidance and priority decisions. The experimental assessment was conducted with 59 trainees (28 women, 31 men) assigned to an experimental group (AR training) and a control group (simulator training). The results of tests without AR in the flight simulator show that the group that trained with AR obtained similar levels of performance like the control group. There was no negative training effect of AR on trainees’ performance, workload, situational awareness, emotion nor motivation. After training the tasks were perceived as less challenging, the accuracy of collision detection has improved, and the trainees reported less intense negative emotions and fear of failure. Furthermore, a scanning pattern test in AR showed that the AR training group performed the scanning pattern significantly better than the control group. In addition, there was a significant gender effect on emotion, motivation and preferences for AR features, but not on performance. Women liked the voice interaction with AR and the compass hologram more than men. Men liked the traffic holograms and the AR projection field more than women. These results are important because they provide experimental evidence for the benefits of multimodal AR applications that could be used complementary to the flight simulator training.

Multi-rotor UAV reinforcement learning control modeling and algorithm design

UAV does not need to be operated by a pilot. It mainly uses radio communication to receive flight instruction information from the ground station to complete various flight tasks. But the design of the UAV needs to keep the flight position and state stable according to the dynamics and control theory. This paper takes the quadrotor UAV as an example, introduces a variety of UAV control technologies, and then uses reinforcement learning and Newton-Euler method to establish a dynamic model according to its flight principle, and designs a position and attitude controller based on sliding mode control theory, the robust response value of the controller is tested to prove the strong anti-interference performance of the sliding mode controller.

기본비행훈련장치(BATD)의 효율적 활용과 비행교육 효과 분석

A method to increase the effectiveness of flight training at a low cost by applying the correct flight training method to students without flight experience is a very important factor. BATD equipped with an extended display device enables the proper cross-check of external references and internal instruments by integrated flight instruction methods, enabling effective flight training in the initial stages. In addition, BATD employs the Cessna 172 model with Glass Cockpit to help make it easy to apply to actual flights. As a result of analyzing the effect of flight training through a survey of students who completed the BATD practice lecture, it was very helpful to understand the theories related to flight that they had already learned, and they responded that they could easily adapt to all flight subjects in additional FTD practice lectures. Therefore, a well-planned BATD practice lecture will be easy to adapt to real flight training, which will have significant effects in reducing time and cost.

Gold Wings and Brown Boots: The Organization of the Army ROTC at Marshall University

Gold Wings and Brown Boots:The Organization of the Army ROTC at Marshall University Nathaniel DeBruin The 1902 Marshall College catalog contains a photograph of young men in uniform standing in front of Old Main, the College's academic and administrative building. The caption reads, "Cadet Corps in front of College Hall." Other photos of student organizations and "boarding clubs" in the catalog show young men in the same uniform. A single paragraph in the Herald Advertiser relates that college president L. J. Corbly was petitioning state legislators to form a corps of cadets at the college.1 In the May 1902 edition of the Parthenon, the college student newspaper, another few sentences relate the arrival of the cadets' uniforms and the fact that one of the colleges' female boarding clubs enjoyed coming to campus to watch the "boys drill.'"2 One last mention is made of the corps of cadets greeting the train to welcome the winning Marshall College baseball team on May 31, 1902.3 And that is where the story ends – as suddenly as it appears, the corps vanishes. No further mention is found in the local or student newspapers after 1902, and the college catalogs after 1902 contain no mention or photographs of the corps or students in uniform. In 1934, Marshall College had another brief interaction with the military when the opportunity arose to host an Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) unit. Support for the unit was found among the student body; but the faculty was opposed, and the opportunity for a unit was lost. The Civilian Pilot Training Act of 1939 designated federal funds to create a Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP), which emulated the civilian pilot training programs in European countries. Marshall was selected to participate in the CPTP; the program included classroom instruction in aeronautics on campus and flight instruction at the Chesapeake (Ohio) Airport.4 It was not until 1943, when the US Army Air Force selected colleges and universities across the United States to provide academic training for aviation [End Page 1] Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 1. Marshall Catalog, 1902 (Marshall University Special Collections) cadets, that Marshall College and the military would finally come together. In February 1943, after meeting the criteria to host a unit, Marshall College was selected to become the home of the 47th College Training Detachment (CTD) (Aircrew). The 47th CTD became an integral part of the campus and the Huntington community until it was disbanded in April 1944. In 1950, Marshall applied for and was selected to host an official Army ROTC unit, and the Thundering Herd Battalion was created in September 1951. The desire for a military presence on the college's campus prior to World War II was mixed. However, as the United States moved toward entering the global conflict, Marshall actively sought and accepted an Army Air Force unit during the war. These changing attitudes toward education and the experiences of veterans returning to campus, both students and faculty, were instrumental in creating an atmosphere of increasing acceptance of the military that was absent prior to World War II. This presence of the armed forces on campus during the war and the changing attitudes toward veterans by faculty and other students contributed to the creation of an ROTC unit on Marshall's campus. The Early Years At the founding of the United States, it was a widely shared belief among the framers of the Constitution that "standing armies in time of peace are [End Page 2] inconsistent with the principles of republican government, dangerous to the liberties of a free people, and generally converted into destructive engines for establishing despotism."5 The result of this sentiment was a recurring cycle of expanding the military during times of crisis, and then just as quickly dismantling it when the threat or conflict had ceased. The Civil War made it apparent that the US Military Academy was not capable of meeting the demand for the large number of officers needed for a protracted conflict; thus a new method of training officers was needed.6 The debate over public funding of colleges and universities had also been ongoing prior to the...

BowTie Methodology for the Risk Management of the Spin Maneuver During Flight Training in Brazil

This paper aims to present the BowTie methodology as a practical tool for the Risk Management of the spin maneuver during flight instruction, identifying hazards, controls and consequences related to the loss of control in-flight (LOC-I). Exploratory research was carried out regarding its objectives, through a literature review. Initially, a comparison is made between the Brazilian and international training programs, then the particularities of this training in Brazil was analyzed. Finally, a step-by-step construction of a BowTie developed is presented to reduce LOC-I occurrences during spin training.

Effectiveness of a Flight Simulation Training Visual Aid for Normal and Crosswind Approach and Landing

Flight simulators have a significant contribution to effective and efficient flight training across the globe. Significant literature has suggested the effectiveness of simulation tools in training pilots in different scenarios and is an area for continued development and research. To continue those efforts, this study assessed the effectiveness of visual aid to be used as an instructional aid for flight instruction for crosswind landings. The need for further training in crosswind landing is substantiated due to the significantly high number of accidents for General Aviation aircraft in the approach and landing phase of flights. The study utilized an experimental research design and consisted of pre-survey, post-survey, and performance assessments. Along with the descriptive data collected from the surveys, the 5-point competency-based performance assessment was used to grade the landing performance in seven aspects of crosswind landings which was used for the hypothesis testing. The post-results survey highlighted that most participants found that the visual aid assisted with identifying visual cues and perceptions that aided the participants during the crosswind landings in the FTD. Additionally, almost all participants found the visual aid relatively simple to understand and utilize, with all the corresponding lines and marks being easily understood. The statistical analysis of the null hypotheses identified that the visual aid allowed the participants to successfully maintain the required airspeed, vertical speed, and height above the runway threshold on the traffic pattern's final leg. The conclusion of the study highlights the need for such visual aids, further potential improvements in such a visual aid, and scope of utilizing visual aids for improving flight education. While the post-survey and performance assessment highlighted the deficiency in the visual aid in fulfilling some of the objectives of the development of the aid, the results should be used as a foundation for further development of visual aids for flight education.

Service-Learning in a Professional Discipline: Exploring Reflections of Aviation Science Students

It can be a challenge to implement service-learning activities within STEM-related professional disciplines that do not directly connect to issues facing the community. To be effective, the activity must be a collaborative effort, address a real need, and support the course-level learning objectives. Growing out of an established volunteer program at a local elementary school, two potential opportunities to make this connection were identified within upper division courses in Aviation Science: (1) Fundamentals of Flight Instruction for professional pilot majors and (2) Senior Seminar for aviation management majors. Presented in this article are the retrospective perceptions of aviation science undergraduate students who participated in an aviation elective program at a local elementary school. Aviation science students practiced their teaching craft and honed their leadership skills in a real setting with actual students. They were encouraged by the children’s responses and were hopeful that they might have helped to inspire future achievements. Based on the findings of this study, the authors offer recommendations.

Notes on Rules of Thumb for Pilots

The rules of thumb can be found in several flight instructions or pilot's handbooks. Thus far, available rules have been presented without proof or a valid range, such as altitude or velocity ranges wherein these rules can be applied. This paper presents the background theory for a few selected rules; then, the rule is compared with a first-order approximation of the background theory. A valid range is presented by analyzing the prediction accuracy of the rule, which is defined as the relative error of the rule to the background theory. These rules of thumb provide a good approximation of the background theory for various altitudes or velocities, although a few rules have not been adequately addressed to use with the valid range.

Human Performance Envelope Model Study Using Pilot’s Measured Parameters

Taking into consideration that nowadays the aerospace industry focuses a lot on safety, more durable and stable systems are developed. While the system itself is safer, there is another element that can have a high impact on the overall safety of a flight, namely the human factor. Pilot physiological parameters were measured during a full flight in a fixed cockpit environment using application-specific equipment. The recorded or calculated parameters are used to compute a performance envelope model with the scope of determining the degradation of the pilot’s condition during different flight phases or events. Several standardized tests were realized/performed on subjects who were given flight instructions before the test, without knowing beforehand the scenario and events that will occur/take place. This study helps in identifying the limits of pilots in different flight scenarios and the impact on their presumed performance.

“I'd a set that back at the chocks”: The personal hypothetical “I would” in aviation flight instruction

In this paper we use conversation analysis to investigate instructional interactions that occur during inflight pilot training relative to instructors' use of the formulation “I would”. The flight instructor's role is multi-dimensional compared with a classroom instructor, as s/he is simultaneously a teacher, potential co-pilot, and safety monitor. The student is flying the plane while the instructor is giving directions, instruction, advice, corrections, or even physical interventions as warranted. We found instructors used the personal hypothetical “I would” to provide explanations, instructions, and corrections of a student's actions and understandings while displaying an orientation to the student's developing autonomy and professional competence. By accomplishing these tasks through a description of what the instructor would do, the “I would” formulations enable the instructor to serve as an expert role model, display how they use their professional vision to pay attention to relevant information, and help students develop their professional vision and situation awareness. We conclude that instructor's “I would” formulations provide a mechanism for the performance of these overlapping roles and goals and facilitate teaching aeronautical decision-making.

Learning Theory and Differentiation in Flight Instruction: Perceptions from Certified Flight Instructors

Learning Theory and Differentiation in Flight Instruction: Perceptions from Certified Flight Instructors

Preflight and Flight Instructions on the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for Agricultural Applications

This 5-page document provides guidance on the appropriate use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for agricultural applications in Florida. It contains step-by-step instructions for preparing a UAV for flight, creating a mission path (using flight mission planning apps), and collecting UAV-based data. Written by Sri Charan Kakarla, Leon De Morais Nunes, and Yiannis Ampatzidis, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, November 2019.

Seeing without self: Discovering new meaning with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy

ABSTRACTNew research in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy merits a reexamination of the neurobiology and phenomenology of psychedelic states. First person accounts of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy are used to re-conceptualize the ego boundary as a defense mechanism which regulates the significance that objects hold for the self. Therapeutic action is attributed to ego dissolution, which enables subjects to see new significance in things. This process coincides neurobiologically with uncoupling certain midline cortical structures, and psychodynamically, with deactivating defense mechanisms which mitigate the threat of losing the loved object. It also enables the dreamlike imagery, symbols, and metaphor of the primary process, a regression to earlier ways of relating to objects, and feelings of love and connectivity. The process supports Freud's ideas about the oceanic mode of relating to the world existing alongside the narrower, mature ego feeling. The former is better suited for finding meaning in life, while the latter is better suited for survival. The noetic quality of the psychedelic state derives from an unconscious recognition that experiences without character defenses feel more genuine than others, and conform to earlier ways of feeling and thinking. The accessibility of the primary process makes psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy transformative, not just informative. An analogy is drawn to Fonagy's developmental model of mentalization. Absent the defensive, self-critical lens of a prior self-concept, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy serves as an ideal paradigm for the transformative experience of seeing oneself through the eyes of another, leading to greater self-acceptance. Flight instructions for navigating this royal road to the unconscious are considered.

HFACS Analysis for Investigating Human Errors in Flight Training Accidents

Training of pilots in civil aviation is the primary concern when dealing with accidents and incidents. There has been too little research into accidents during flight instruction. To advance the literature, the present study aims to analyze accidents during the instructional general aviation flights. This study examined investigation reports of 70 accidents involving instructional general aviation flights in the United States between 01.01.2018 and 12.12.2018. The data of those accidents was recorded by the national transportation safety board (NTSB).The causal factors of those accidents were statistically analyzed and classified by using the Human FactorsAnalysis and Classification System (HFACS). To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first ever report analyzing contributing factors of training flight accidents by the analytical framework HFACS. According to the analysis results, it was revealed that across all accidents mentioned above, skill-based errors were ranked as the primary contributing factors, followed by environmental factors, and decision errors. Results showed that the most common skill-based errors are student pilots’ improper landing flare and failure to maintain directional control during landing and takeoff. The findings of this study provide intriguing insight that may be beneficial to people researching contributing factors of aviation accidents in academia and practice. Furthermore, the outcome of the current study may assist student pilots in completing safe flights.

Max-Range Glides in Engine Cutoff Emergencies Under Severe Wind

Engine cutoff is a recurring emergency in general aviation. It may be caused by an engine malfunction, fuel leak, or improper aircraft maintenance. Such an event, coupled with adverse weather, may endanger passengers and crew. This work obtains max-range optimal trajectories that exploit to the utmost the airframe dynamic capability, accounting for intense in-plane and crosswinds. This study proves that the optimal trajectory in terms of minimal altitude loss must maintain constant heading and velocity. A novel equation for the optimal glide velocity is then derived, whose unique solution depends only on the aircraft’s optimal velocity in still air and the wind vector. An explicit analytical expression is obtained for the optimal velocity in strict crosswinds. The results are demonstrated by applying them to the Cessna 172 airframe, in realistic engine cutoff scenarios, and it is shown that using these results can significantly increase the maximal glide range in scenarios combining strong crosswinds and in-plane winds. This paper formulates a range-maximization algorithm that yields the reachability envelope, the optimal landing site, and flight instructions that enable the pilot to follow the optimal path. These results can also enhance the common charts in glider manuals to account for non-negligible crosswinds.

Кваліметричні моделі ступеню придатності навчально-бойового літака до використання в базовій навчальній льотній підготовці курсантів

The process of determination of the property of combat-capable trainer aircraft is object of research. Creation of qualimetrical models of combat-capable trainer aircraft is the purpose of research. The methods of research are include methods of systems analysis, method of analysis of hierarchical structures and method of group experts testing. A number of qualimetrical models of combat-capable trainer aircraft was created for determination of property index of basis of flight training of cadets. The qualimetrical model of combat-capable trainer aircraft is mathematical dependence of date index of property of purpose from dates of performance of aircraft. Index of property of purpose of combat-capable trainer aircraft is a vector. This vector includes two main components: index for prime flight training of cadets and index for basis of flight training of cadets. On the basis of flight training of cadets in air military high school analysis hierarchical data structure of combat-capable trainer aircraft characteristics was constructed. This structure describes the adaptation rate of aircraft to flight instruction solution. The elements of flight instruction solutions was grouping in the three groups for each program of flight training of cadets (prime and basis): training of takeoff, training of pilot missions and training of landing aircraft. Factor-space for qualimetric modeling of aircraft was created by means of detected links of the main characteristics analysis. Data of coefficients of factors of the model was determined after analysis of results of expert testing. A group of expert was included thirty-three pilots – instructors of military aviation school. The results of research was creation the six parts qualimetrical models (training of takeoff, training of pilot missions and training of landing aircraft for every programs of flight training of cadets) and two global qualimetrical models - for every programs of flight training of cadets (prime and basis programs).