Posts

Ethics

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Ethics        Since I am in the Air Force, we have a set of core values that I'm sure most of you are aware of: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence in All We Do.  Those three core values are what I believe to be the definition of Ethics.  All three of them can be used in your day-to-day life, not just being applied to the military.  Having integrity is one of the most important things to me because it helps build trust in another person.  In the aviation industry, having integrity is vital to ensure safe and reliable aircraft are being flown.  Service before self is essential to aviation as well, and I don't mean putting your work before you all the time, more that when you're performing maintenance or flying an aircraft, that should be your top priority at the time you are doing it. Lastly, excellence in all we do is self-explanatory.  You should always do your best when performing anything you do.  Those three cor...
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Environment factors that affect aircraft performance

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 Environment factors that affect aircraft performance     Weather is one of the most influential factors that can affect an aircraft's performance.  The temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure, among others, can all have an effect on how an aircraft will fly.  For this blog, I will be focusing on atmospheric pressure and its effects on aircraft performance.     Atmospheric pressure is one of the basic factors in weather changes and helps provide lift to the aircraft.  The atmospheric pressure changes at different elevations and temperatures.  At higher altitudes, the pressure of the air becomes less dense, which has a major effect on the aircraft.  This can cause less power to be produced in the engines since they take in less air.  Also, the loss of thrust, because less power in the engines equals less thrust.  It reduces life, since the air is thinner, it exerts less force on the airfoils.  To help combat the los...
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Hydraulic Systems

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 Hydraulic Systems     The hydraulic system in an aircraft provides control to the aircraft's other systems.  Those systems range from brakes to flight control operations.  It is one of the most important systems on an aircraft, and the loss of hydraulic power could have severe consequences.       As an aircraft maintainer myself, I have seen what can happen if an aircraft loses hydraulic power.  Thankfully there has been no loss of aircraft or personnel due to the safety features that are equipped to the aircraft I have worked (A-10, F-35).  A total loss of hydraulic power is extremely rare in most airliners since there is usually more than one.  However, if it were to happen, there is very little a pilot can do about it.  The A-10 for example has two hydraulic systems and if one were to go out, the other can be used to help control the aircraft.  If both were to go out, then it is able to be flown in manual reversio...
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Aviation Cyber Security

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Aviation Cyber Security      One of the many emerging security threats to aviation would be cyber attacks.  According to the European Aviation Safety Agency ( Airport Cyber Security , n.d.) , there are close to 1000 cyberattacks on aviation systems each month.  The need to protect the cybersecurity of the aviation industry is vital.      Cyberattacks are relatively cheap to carry out but can cause a broad number of problems.  They can cause aircraft delays, loss of power, and communication breakdowns.  Also, cyberattacks on the aviation industry can cause people's personal information to be stolen or worse can cause aircraft in the air to lose vital navigation and communication systems.        In 2018, TSA presented its plan to reduce or eliminate cyberattacks with its TSA Cybersecurity Roadmap.  Their roadmap defines pathways to integrate and improve their cybersecurity posture and safeguard the nation...
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Airport Noise and Its Environmental Impacts

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 Airport Noise and Its Environmental Impacts     There are many environmental impacts that are caused by airport operations.  There are water quality issues, noise issues, fuel storage, and air quality just to name a few.  In this blog, I will be discussing the environmental impact of noise that is caused by airport operations.       Noise issues are primarily caused by the aircraft in the airport itself or the surrounding area in the air.  One of the main issues with the noise caused by aircraft is the negative effect it can have on people's quality of life and the surrounding property values.  It has been shown to negatively affect the academic performance of children and can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in people living near an airport  ( Aviation Noise Impacts: State of the Science , 2017).  On top of all that, noise can also impact a person's ability to get adequate sleep at night which can have a negat...
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Icing and the effects it has on Aircraft

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 Icing and the effects it has on Aircraft     Weather conditions are one of the most important things when it comes to flying.  Pilots and passengers will always prefer clear skies, but that's not always going to happen.  Some of the most dangerous weather conditions to aircraft while flying would be thunderstorms, icing, wind shear, high winds, etc.  However, icing can be one of the greater risks to flying, and it's what I will be discussing.     Aircraft icing can cause a high risk to aircraft flying due to the increase of drag and reduction of lift caused by it.  A study from 1982 to 2000 showed that icing incidents led to 583 accidents and more than 800 fatalities  (Petty & Floyd, 2004).  Icing is caused when an aircraft flies through clouds made up of small liquid droplets.  There are three main types of aircraft icing, clear, rime, and mixed.  Clear ice is a heavy coating of ice that forms when the aircraft is fl...
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Air Traffic Control Entities

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 Air Traffic Control Entities     For this week's blog, I will be discussing and comparing different Air Traffic Control Entities.  The two I will be comparing will be Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and Shanwick Oceanic Control Area.  Both of these ATC entities provide direction and safety for aircraft in the air.       ARTCC's main purpose is to control aircraft traffic in the air while they are traveling from one airport to another  ( Air Route Traffic Control Center , 2021).  They use IFR to communicate with the aircraft once they are under their control, around 1200 ft above ground level  ( Air Route Traffic Control Center , 2021).  They verify and assign altitudes to aircraft to prevent in-flight collisions or mishaps and also issues route assignments  ( Air Route Traffic Control Center , 2021).  There are 22 Air Route Control Centers across the United States  ( Air Route Traffic Control Cente...
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