Passenger Planes Research Articles

Employee Grievance Redressal and Corporate Ethics: Lessons from the Boeing 737-MAX Crashes

Two Boeing 737-MAX passenger planes crashed in October 2018 and March 2019, suspending all 737-MAX aircraft. The crashes put Boeing’s corporate practices and culture under the spotlight. The main objective of this paper is to use the case of Boeing to highlight the importance of efficient employee grievance redressal mechanisms and an independent external regulator. The methodology adopted is a qualitative analysis of statements of various whistleblowers and Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stakeholders. It suggests that employee feedback flowing up the chain of command should be more flexible and dealt with more seriousness. It recommends that companies adopt a cooling-off period or a lifetime restriction for employees who have gone through the revolving door between regulators and the industry. The Boeing 737-MAX case, which emphasizes the ethical obligations of the job, can offer value to engineers, engineering educators, managers, ombudsmen, and human resource professionals.

Exploring the Technology Needed to Build Electric Passenger Planes

Environmental scientists have found that airplanes account for 2.6% of all global CO2 emissions. Hence, in order to reduce CO2 emissions, it would be helpful to build electric-powered passenger planes for air travel. Therefore, electric passenger planes are the focus of this research. Our methodology included reviewing, analyzing, and summarizing primary sources from peer-reviewed journals and conference publications. We examine and discuss the small-scale electric planes that can currently fly short distances along with the challenges of flying large-scale electric passenger planes for long distances.

Comparison of cabin noise of turboprop and turbofan aircrafts

Turboprop aircrafts are typically used for transporting cargos and for low-capacity short-haul air transport between regional cities. The new designs of turboprop aircrafts tend to focus on noise and comfort level of the aircrafts. Although turboprop aircrafts are known to have relatively higher cabin noise, there are limited reported studies in the open literature examining the actual cabin noise level in commercial flights. In this study, the cabin noise of the ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft was examined and compared with that of the Bombardier CRJ 900 turbofan aircraft during actual commercial flights. Both are passenger planes which are designed to carry fewer than 100 passengers and are deemed to be a more compatible comparison. Both are single isle aircraft with two seats on each side of the isle. The Bombardier CRJ 900 is found to have a lower cabin noise in terms of both dBA and dBC for both taxing and cruising. As the average equivalent continuous sound pressure level (Leq) for cabin noise is found to be well below 85 dBA, there is no risk of exceeding the daily exposure to noise of 85 dBA for eight hours under the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) regulation. However, as many reported studies have shown that prolonged exposure to low frequency noise may lead to disorders, discomfort, sensitivity to and irritability from noise, annoyance, hearing loss, and cardiovascular diseases, there may be a need to carry out a more detailed study of the effect of low frequency noise on passengers.

The Application of Fuel Cell and Battery Technologies in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): A Dynamic Study

The harmful influences of the fossil fuels on the environments have convinced the authorities to set official targets to 100% phase out the sales or registrations of new internal combustion engines (ICEs). As alternatives, batteries and fuel cells are suggested to provide the required power for different applications such as cars, buses, trucks, etc. Although there have been many investigations on the possibility of using integrated fuel cell and battery system as the prime mover for different types of vehicles, limited number of investigations have been developed in the airplane sector.At the current stage, the current suggested integrated system of battery and fuel cell is not able to provide the required power for huge passenger planes, but they can generate the needed electricity to run small size planes (around 100kW to 300 kW), hence the objective of the current study is related to the domain of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). UAVs are designed to fulfill long and high-altitude flight missions. The flight duration and flight altitude have been proved to be improved using the proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) as the prime-mover of the UAVs. However, the low acceleration of the PEMFCs has triggered the idea of combining PEMFCs and Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) battery. Thus, the integrated system can improve the low range of batteries by maintaining high acceleration and fast re-fueling time.Among different types of fuel cells, PEMFCs are established to be the best option for mobility applications, and the well-known Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC), and Lithium Titanite Oxide (LTO) Li-Ion batteries are considered as the most efficient types. Among the existing Li-Ion batteries in the market, LTO enjoys from the highest performance, lifespan, and safety by higher costs, whereas NMC provides acceptable performance with low costs and high specific energy. In comparison to the batteries, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have faster refueling time and higher ranges, hence the integration of batteries and fuel cells can provide the needs of UAVs.The utilization of PEMFC in an UAV results in the size and weight reduction of the system in addition to improving the flight endurance. Batteries can also ameliorate the acceleration and thrust of the system. So far, it is believed that fuel cells can be suitable for cruise flight while batteries are more appropriate for other flight modes. This study analyzes the possibility of integrating the PEMFC technology to the batteries as an alternative for fossil fuel-based combustion engines for the small sized UAV application. The proposed hybrid system, which is shown in Fig. 1., is designed to provide around 950W power for a UAV with a weight of 14 kg. PEMFC will be used as the selected type of fuel cell while NMC is the considered type of Li-Ion battery. The goal of this study is the characterize the dynamic performance of the current integrated system in an optimized condition. The integrated model of the fuel cell and battery is developed in the MATLAB/Simulink software to be controlled by an energy management system, which provides power to a DC variable power load, representing the different loads of an UAV flight. The load is mainly supplied by the fuel cell, while the battery intervenes in the following cases: As a support when the load is too high for the fuel cell,As a support when the fuel cell takes too long to respond to a load variation,As an additional load when the state of the charge of the battery is low (meaning that the fuel cell recharges the battery). Figure 1

Decompression Load Analysis in Large Passenger Planes with Windshield Cracked

To prevent the possible accident of a large passenger plane due to rapid decompression, transient load analysis is of vital importance in the assessment of structure strength and also an important clause of airworthiness standard. A 0-D isentropic model and a 1-D model based on the characteristic line are developed to simulate the rapid decompression process of the cockpit-cabin model due to a cracked windshield. The accuracy of these models is presented by comparing them with experiments and 3-D CFD simulations. Then, the 1-D model is applied to study the influence of cabin and cockpit volume, windshield and decompression panel area, compartments, and environment pressure on the decompression load. The non-dimensional decompression time and the non-dimensional decompression load are developed to evaluate the decompression characteristics, and the correlation equations are established. The relative deviation between the results of the correlation equation fit and the results of the one-dimensional simulation is less than 3%. This work provides a new engineering method for structure strength design and decompression load analysis with high accuracy and low resource consumption.

Airplane-Aided Integrated Next-Generation Networking

A high-rate yet low-cost air-to-ground (A2G) communication backbone is conceived for integrating the space and terrestrial network by harnessing the opportunistic assistance of the passenger planes or high altitude platforms (HAPs) as mobile base stations (BSs) and millimetre wave communication. The airliners act as the network-provider for the terrestrial users while relying on satellite backhaul. Three different beamforming techniques relying on a large-scale planar array are used for transmission by the airliner/HAP for achieving a high directional gain, hence minimizing the interference among the users. Furthermore, approximate spectral efficiency (SE) and area spectral efficiency (ASE) expressions are derived and quantified for diverse system parameters.

Marijuana Boom: The Rise and Fall of Colombia's First Drug Paradise

Marijuana Boom: The Rise and Fall of Colombia's First Drug Paradise

Deep Reinforcement Learning Aided Packet-Routing for Aeronautical Ad-Hoc Networks Formed by Passenger Planes

Data packet routing in aeronautical ad-hoc networks (AANETs) is challenging due to their high-dynamic topology. In this paper, we invoke deep reinforcement learning for routing in AANETs aiming at minimizing the end-to-end (E2E) delay. Specifically, a deep Q-network (DQN) is conceived for capturing the relationship between the optimal routing decision and the local geographic information observed by the forwarding node. The DQN is trained in an offline manner based on historical flight data and then stored by each airplane for assisting their routing decisions during flight. To boost the learning efficiency and the online adaptability of the proposed DQN-routing, we further exploit the knowledge concerning the system's dynamics by using a deep value network (DVN) conceived with a feedback mechanism. Our simulation results show that both DQN-routing and DVN-routing achieve lower E2E delay than the benchmark protocol, and DVN-routing performs similarly to the optimal routing that relies on perfect global information.

Identification and Prevention of Safety Hazards During Towing of Large Airplanes

Abstract The introductory part of the article discusses briefly the basic principles and methods of towing large aircrafts. Then, events that occurred while different large passenger planes were towed are analyzed. Based on the analysis, the main causes of plane damages during towing are indicated. The percentage distribution of individual identified risk factors is determined to show that the main cause is the broadly understood human factor, especially errors of service personnel and the crew. Finally, preventive recommendations were made based on the analysis; they can help avoid such events. The analysis stimulates further research in this field and highlights the necessity to continuously analyze the risk, which should minimize the number of towing-related incidents.

Creation of Supersonic Civil Aviation in Russia

The creation of Russian supersonic passenger planes is considered. The development of promising airliners for no more than 20 passengers is discussed. A hybrid power unit consisting of turbojet and supersonic ramjet engines is proposed. The proposed hybrid system performs well both in ascent and descent and in cruising. This approach has undeniable economic and engineering benefits.

АЛГОРИТМ ІНТЕГРАЦІЇ СИЛОВОЇ УСТАНОВКИ ПАСАЖИРСЬКИХ ЛІТАКІВ СЕРЕДНЬОЇ ДАЛЬНОСТІ

A study on the integration of the propulsion system of medium-range passenger aircraft has been performed. The architecture of the power plant system and the system approach to power plant design are considered. The block division of the solved problems is offered – connected with a choice of schemes and the basic design parameters of aircraft with its power plant and integration of management. The influence of the power plant and elements of the glider on the choice of parameters of the working process and the scheme of the engine at the technological and structural level is considered. The model of research of the principle of the dependence of characteristics of the movement of the passenger aircraft on a level of integration of characteristics of its power plant is considered. Based on this model, an algorithm for increasing the efficiency of integration of the propulsion system of medium-range passenger aircraft is proposed. The study focuses on the consideration of the aircraft as a complex and highly efficient system that contains subsystems and components. Accordingly, the subject area of the study has a multifaceted complex nature and is presented taking into account the technological evolution of air passenger traffic, which has already reached a fairly high degree of development of the existing system architecture. The approach to the integration of the characteristics of the propulsion system of passenger aircraft is reduced to a multifaceted systematic consideration of the ICAO requirements for passenger aircraft, as well as the requirements for their certification. Aspects of modern scientific researches that are carried out in the field of modeling of synthesis of integration of characteristics of a power plant and accordingly are developed taking into account technological and design decisions concerning the improvement of the general architecture of the system in a foreshortening system are considered. Based on the calculations of the developed algorithm, the results of integration modeling are presented within the aerodynamic design of a passenger aircraft, compressors, and turbines. The diagram of efficiency of integration of power plant of medium-range passenger planes is given. The study demonstrated that at the technological and structural level, a generalized-integrated consideration of the power plant and glider elements, respectively, affects the choice of operating process parameters and engine scheme.

The supply chain in a world of Covid-19

HEATHROW AIRPORT is the UK's largest port by value, with 34 per cent of the country's cargo passing through and 95 per cent usually carried in the belly-hold of passenger planes. However, since mid-March it has seen a sharp rise in cargo-only flights from roughly 50 a month to, at time of writing, 50 a day.

Analysis of applicability of polymer, composite materials as components of aeronautical structures

The paper considers the problems of using composite materials to create power units of modern passenger planes. It gives examples of crash situations involving planes of the leading companies, describes some technological aspects in the production of composite parts.

МЕТОД ЗАГАЛЬНОГО ПРОЕКТУВАННЯ РЕГІОНАЛЬНИХ ПАСАЖИРСЬКИХ ЛІТАКІВ

A method of general design of regional passenger planes for transportation of passengers, baggage, mail and cargo on domestic and international airlines with the possibility of operating on airfields with concrete and prepared unpaved runways is proposed. Airplane is designed to replace the outdated Tu-134 passenger aircraft in the fleet of airlines of the CIS and other countries. The concept of creating an aircraft using integrated design systems has been developed. The effect of the aircraft parameters on the aerodynamic and mass characteristics was taken into account, subject to the requirements for layout and flight safety. The range of variation of the aircraft modifications parameters has been determined. The method has been tested by comparing the obtained parameters with the regional passenger aircraft of the Antonov State Enterprise.The aircraft features a modern aerodynamic configuration and efficient engines. Modern flight and navigation equipment and radio communication equipment, the use of multifunctional indicators, electrical distant flight control system allowing them to be used on any airways, in simple and complex meteorological conditions, day and night, and on routes with high flight intensity at high comfort level of passengers and crew.Passenger comfort is provided at the average level of long-haul aircraft, and is achieved by a rational layout and composition of service rooms, deep ergonomic optimization of the overall and individual space of the passenger compartment. The aircraft fully complies with the AP-25 airworthiness standards.The main technical characteristics of the aircraft are comparable to the characteristics of the analogue aircraft of Embraer and Bombardier companies. In addition, the aircraft has several advantages, such as the ability to operate on aerodromes with poorly prepared and unpaved runways, the presence of a door-ramp, high engine safety from damage by foreign objects, a high level of passenger comfort and large luggage racks, high efficiency of operation; high level of competitiveness in the global market

China Launches Its First Passenger Aircraft

C919, the passenger plane developed by China within a national project, was successfully launched at the inauguration of its flight. After a series of long delays, this is only the first step by which China is trying to penetrate the international aviation market. C919, developed and produced by Aircraft Corp. or COMAC in brief, was initially scheduled to be prepared in 2012 with its first flight in 2016. Despite these delays, COMAC will be a serious competitor in the future for the leaders of the Boeing and Airbus civil aviation market, given that C919 will be up to 50% lower than the models produced by American and European competitors. This first model of the airplane, still under test, was taken off from Shanghai Pudong Airport, the event being broadcast live by the media in the Chinese state. The latter declared the success of this project as a reason for national pride, only six other countries in the world have managed to produce a line plane of this size, especially in the context in which just days ago China launched the first the aircraft produced entirely on the domestic market. China's ambition to develop its own civil aviation industry dates back to the 1970s when Mao Zedong's wife, Jiang Qing, supported the personal development of this sector. "A strong country must have its own passenger plane. China's commercial aviation industry cannot depend entirely on imports," said Li Jiaxiang, the head of China's civil aviation authority. Between 150 and 170 passenger seats, C919 will be a competitor for Boeing 737 and Airbus 320. Incorporating a state-of-the-art engine, specialists in the field believe the C919 is comparable as their competitors. The plane is not fully developed in China, the engine, electronics, wheels, brakes and many other components being manufactured mainly in Europe and the United States. Airplane price is announced to be about 500 million dollars, with about 100 million dollars below the price of the catalog of its competitors. Price differences may, however, increase in the case of large orders. Chinese media announced that there are already orders for 570 C919 devices from Chinese aviation companies. It is estimated that the global civil aviation market will total $ 2 trillion in the next 20 years. Boeing estimates that just to cope with the domestic market, Chinese airlines will have to acquire over 6,000 passenger planes of different sizes, the cost of which is close to 1 trillion dollars. The next step for the C919 to enter the global market will be the required certificates from American and European agencies, the FAA and EASA, which regulate the commercial aviation sector. Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said shortly afterward that "there is no hesitation in a plane made in China, as long as they are built to a certain standard. There is nothing wrong with buying China-made products, but we are using China-made iPhone designed by someone else but manufactured in China. I think it will be good if this monopoly (Boeing/Airbus) is broken" he added this.

A Combined Freight and Passenger Planes Cargo Allocation Model

Abstract From the beginning of the 20th century, transporting passengers and cargo has changed due to the advancements in aircraft design. In the last decade, there have also been changes in the levels of technology, information sharing, the distribution of flight data knowledge, and construction of shipping centers or Hubs. All these allow for the highly efficient and dynamic design of optimal freight transportation routes. This paper presents a transportation problem, aiming at finding the optimal route to transfer cargo from the supplier to the customer, which focuses on both passengers and cargo planes. The presented model optimally allocates cargo to passenger and cargo planes, considering: a) the passengers’ flights fixed schedule and available planes’ capacity, and b) the availability of cargo planes. The goal is to find the cheapest route, or routes, emphasizing the commitment of shipping and delivering according to the customers’ requirements. The problem is formulated as an integer linear programming problem. However, since it cannot be optimally solved in a reasonable time, a heuristic algorithm is presented. The results of the of the heuristic algorithm are compared to the optimal solutions using some artificial test networks.

Simulation of the Tool Shape Design for the Electrochemical Machining of Jet Engine Vanes

Due to the demand for environment-friendly passenger planes, the aviation industry is forced continually to improve the efficiency of jet engines. Solutions for this reduction could be the use of high-temperature-resistant materials as jet engine components, such as the well-established nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718, as well as construction aspects to improve the streaming behavior of the jet engine vanes.Electrochemical Machining (ECM) is a well-known technique to bring hard to machine material into complex shapes by creating an excellent surface finish. However, the time and cost intensive tool design process is a big disadvantage. With the aim to shorten the tool development procedure, this paper presents an inverse approach for the tool simulation and optimization. Based on material-specific data, the tool shape for the desired vane geometry is calculated using a self-developed algorithm. The simulated tool shape is validated by the performance of sinking experiments on an industrial ECM-machine.

Long-term study of the impact of temperature changes, material aging and service load on the strains of a reinforced concrete structure

The article discusses five year long measurements of strains of a concrete floor of a hangar. That hangar, originally meant for servicing light military aircraft, was rebuilt with a view to making it fit for servicing larger and heavier passenger planes. As part of that redevelopment, a new floor - reinforced concrete slab, capable of withstanding the weight of the planes - was constructed. In the areas of the floor where the greatest loads occur, ie. in the areas of the concrete slab on which the wheels of the three undercarriage legs rest, three strain rosettes were installed so that the slab strains could be measured. The rosettes were connected to two meters - dataloggers. The latter were programmed in such a way as to register the measured strains and additionally temperatures many times during every 24 hours. The monitoring process, conducted in such an automatic way, demonstrated the occurrence of strains resulting from service load, aging of the reinforced concrete, as well as changes in its temperature.

Profil psychologiczny pilotów samolotów pasażerskich – analiza temperamentu, agresji i skłonności do podejmowania ryzyka

Over the years it has been assumed, that the greater the number of pilot flight hours, the better the development of problem-solving skills among pilots. Research suggests, however, that the problem is more complex than that. Not only one's experience is of importance - temperament, aggression and risk may also affect the decision-making process under stressful conditions. We examined 97 male pilots of passenger planes, who had flew ATRs, Boeings, Airbuses, Embraers, and Saabs. The comparative group was made up of 127 graduates of technical studies (not connected with aviation). In our study, we used the following methods: the PTS (Pavlovian Temperament Survey) Temperament Questionnaire by Strelau, the Aggression Questionnaire by Buss and Perry, and the Stimulating-Instrumental Risk Inventory (SIRI) by Zaleśkiewicz. Following the analyses we could categorize the pilots into 3 distinct groups: group 1 - strong type of nervous system with a tendency to avoid risk; group 2 - strong type of nervous system with a tendency to take risks; group 3 - the relatively weakest type of nervous system with a tendency toward aggressive behavior. Members of each group were analyzed to assess how they function in a task situation, i.e., whilst piloting a passenger plane. The study showed that individuals with high need for stimulation may - consciously or not - seek situations of excessive or unnecessary risks, and this is done in order to reach the right level of stimulation. A constellation of the following variables: temperament, risk, and aggression could be - we argue - useful in psychological examinations, and should be taken into account in training procedures for pilots. Med Pr 2017;68(5):639-651.

Risk profiling of airline pilots: Experience, temperamental traits and aggression

It has been assumed that the greater the number of flying hours, the better the pilot is at solving problems. The studies suggest, however, that this issue is more complex. What is important is not only a pilot’s experience but also their personality traits such as temperament, aggression, and risk-taking tendencies, which all influence how the pilot reacts under stress. After examining 112 pilots of passenger planes, we found that individuals characterized by a high need for stimulation seek situations, consciously or not, of excessive or unnecessary risk to achieve the right level of stimulation. In terms of their psychological characteristics, the study also revealed that some pilots are less predisposed to be airline pilots.