AVIATION SAFETY

Aviation Safety

Aviation Safety

Many factors contribute to the safe operation of an aircraft. Statistical data (Kuchar 2006) shows that, among those factors, a human plays the most significant role. The trend has helped in part the advancement of the human factor discipline as a field of study to determine causes of aircraft accidents in recent past(Waldrop 2001). Despite the availability of valuable information and tools to prevent mishap from universities and research centers, accidents caused by the same error or mistake seem to happen repeatedly. The question is then what is the missing link between remarkable results from laboratories and the practical day to day operation of the aircraft? It appears that there exist no common level of knowledge, awareness and understanding among the stakeholders in regards to the standard practices for aviation safety. The human factor in this case should be taken as the center of consideration. The paper is focused on addressing the importance of pilot preparedness in handling the impending accident or crisis due to the technical problem as well as adverse environment. The role of flight simulation will be highlighted as a means to analyze possible failure modes in the operation of an aircraft and as an instrument for reconstructing aircraft accidents. This report focuses on the Flight simulation and Traffic Alert/Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). The paper show how (TCAS) and flight simulation combined make a safer environment for aviation industries.

Flight Simulation

Airplanes are not like automobiles. They travel at a high rate of speed and move forward and backward and also from side to side and up and down. They are difficult to operate and require hundreds of hours of training. They are also a threat both to their occupants and people on the ground if they experience problems in the air. Because of this, innovators and engineers have long sought ways of training people to operate an airplane without actually having to fly one(Eggert Howes Kuffner Wilhelmsen Bernays 2005). They have developed machines called flight simulators that today are highly sophisticated and important tools, useful for training, learning safety procedures, and even for aircraft design and development.

Aviation simulators generally serve three major functions. First, they are used to train pilots in many of the basic operating procedures. Their primary advantage is that they are relatively cheap to operate compared to flying an actual airplane. Second, they are used for advanced training, particularly in emergency procedures. Numerous emergency procedures cannot be practiced in the air, either because they would be too dangerous or because there is no way to recreate the emergency. Finally, simulators are used in the design process for new aircraft.

Traffic Alert/Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)

A collision between aircraft is one of the most sudden and catastrophic transportation accidents imaginable. These tragic events are rarely survivable—hundreds of people may die as the two aircraft are destroyed. In response to this threat, Lincoln Laboratory has been pursuing surveillance and alerting system technologies to protect aircraft operations both on the ground and in the air. Recent developments in the Runway Status Lights Program, for example, greatly reduce airport-surface collision risk due to runway incursions(Waldrop ...