...Aviation Maintenance from A Manger’s Perspective Lisa A. Williams Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Management 203 Christopher Urdzik April 26, 2015 Abstract This paper explores aviation maintenance from a Manager’s perspective. There are various governing bodies that control or oversee how maintenance is performed on a routine basis for commercial aircraft. The main governing body that is discussed here is the FAA. Also discussed is the required training of the Airframe and Powerplant mechanic and how management can be assured that mechanics are qualified to release aircraft after performing maintenance certifying these aircraft are safe to fly. Also, in this paper, the attempt is made to show where mechanics need ongoing training to assure management that the mechanic is trained on new technologies that are developed and used in commercial and corporate aviation. The answers are not mapped out by the FAA or training programs so it is up to the company to be sure that the mechanic is made aware of these new technologies through FAA study groups that managers can attend and brief technicians on new developments. Human error cannot be eradicated it is indispensable fact of the human behavior (Maddox, 1998). Although, aviation maintenance managers have acquired high levels of technological skills training related to their profession, the above statement from Dr. Michael Maddox is true in regards to human error. Research in the industrial...
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...Impacts of New Technology on Aircraft Maintenance Abstract In this research paper the author identifies several key areas of interest when introducing new technologies in the aviation industry. The majority of the focus surrounds the maintainability of these new technologies and the significant impacts to the maintainers themselves. Much emphasis is given to the people responsible to maintain the aircraft from a human factors perspective. There are many maintenance aspects addressed in the paper to include the impacts on Training and Certification of aircraft mechanics, design considerations in terms of capabilities and ease of access of components and associated equipment. Advancements in procedures, interactive technical manuals and specific emerging maintenance techniques and troubleshooting are introduced from the maintainer’s perspective and those impacts addressed. The key impacts of new technology are summarized for domestic, international, military aircraft operational environments, and the paper concludes with an examination of the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies on aircraft maintenance. Keywords: aircraft maintainability, design for maintenance, personnel training, human factors Impacts of New Technology on Aircraft Maintenance Advancements in technology are a continuous and necessary aspect of our culture. The desire to stay ahead of the competition in both domestic and international environments is what makes our country’s aviation and...
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...EWMBA 299 – Competitive Strategy Southwest Airlines Introduction The domestic US airline industry has been intensely competitive since it was deregulated in 1978. In a regulated environment, most of the cost increases were passed along to consumers under a fixed rate-of-return based pricing scheme. This allowed labor unions to acquire a lot of power and workers at the major incumbent carriers were overpaid. After deregulation, the incumbent carriers felt the most pain, and the floodgates had opened for newer more nimble carriers with lower cost structures to compete head-on with the established airlines. There were several bankruptcies followed by a wave of consolidation with the fittest carriers surviving and the rest being acquired or going out of business. Analysis of the airline industry To determine the profitability of the airline industry, we will do an industry analysis using Porter’s five-forces framework. This industry analysis will help us in understanding the size of the Potential Industry Earnings (PIE), and how much of this the different participants can extract. Rivalry among competitors There is intense rivalry among different airlines. In the pre-deregulation days, airlines competed mostly on things like service, meals and in-flight movies etc., since prices were mandated by the Civil Aeronautics Board. In the post-de-regulation era, this rivalry has taken on the form of severe price competition, with airlines ruthlessly undercutting each other...
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...problem with Weisskopf is that his achievements were never formally recorded like the Wright Brothers were. He has proof that he did achieve powered flight 2 years prior to the Wright Brothers, by eye witness accounts and minor newspaper recordings. He was formally made the first American in the United States to achieve powered flight on 08 March 2013, and the Connecticut state governor on 26 June 2013 signed it into law. He built his first glider on around the turn of 1894-1895, and early in 1901 Weiskopf had built his 21st manned aircraft. Weisskopf was hired by William Pickering, a professor at Harvard University. He was tasked with building the Lilienthal Glider, which of course he was able to easily achieve due to his prior knowledge of American and German Aeronautical terms and experience. He was the first Chief Mechanic for America’s first aviation organization, which allowed him to build the gliders and engines that were used in the aircraft he flew in. He did have extensive training in building engines at Diesel/M.A.N. and quite a few years as a seaman handling sails and rigging props and engines on boats. His ultimate achievement was when he took his first powered flight in 1901, and set the foundation for...
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...Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University RSCH 202 Intro to Research Methods The Importance of Aviation Maintenance Introduction Aviation maintenance practices do not get followed like they should, too many mechanics tend to try and take shortcuts to get the job done. This can lead to catastrophic failures, and even death. Aviation maintenance work is a very importance piece of the productivity and maintainable condition with aircraft. Proper work and strong mechanical skills are needed. An airplane cannot just pull over in the clouds if an issue is suspected. This needs to be taken serious and stop with the shortcuts. A brief literature review According to an article posted by Matthew Bauman, there was a Naval Aviation Maintenance Program implemented in 1959 to help reduce the Class A. accidents (Bauman, 2013). Class A. accidents are those involving more than one million dollars in property damage. Matthew Bauman then continues with noting that more than 80 percent of issues are due to human error. “Understanding the role of human error in an accident or incident is fundamentally different from simply attributing such an event to an inherently fallible human operator” (Latorella & Prabhu, 2000). As holding a career as an aviation mechanic, there have been countless time of aircraft damage due to negligence, or just plain not paying attention. An article released in 2014, noted that a study done in the United Kingdom, tried to eradicate the root causes of aviation maintenance errors...
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...Safety Implementations and Respond to Emergency Conditions Blackboard assignment 3.10 Dharmik Vora Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University ASCI 202 Nov 10th, 2013. Abstract This research paper discusses about the response action that any airline manager should take after the accident has taken place or safety implementation prior to the accident. The paper overall, is discussed on the basis of incident that took place at Sioux City Gateway airport with United Airline flight 232. The National Transportation Safety Board claimed aircraft maintenance as the main cause of the crash. Therefore this paper briefly analyze the proactive safety management system, proactive hazard identification system that any airline safety manager should implements to avoid accidents and make sure maintenance and inspections are conducted at regular intervals. Finally, it also summarize the duties of airport safety manager and the contingency plan that can be put into action after the plane crashes at the airport, to minimize the casualties and save as many lives as possible. Brief History United airline flight two three two was scheduled from Stapleton Airport (Denver) to O' Hare International airport (Chicago) on July 19th. The flight encountered power failure in its second engine and lost all its flight controls therefore crew members were able to save only ninety six lives. After NTSB investigation, it was found that engine failed because of the manufacturing defect in the fan disk which...
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...SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. CASE STUDY 2013 1) Financial data from 2012-2008 | Revenues(b) | Net Income (b) | Load Factor | Trips flown | 2012 | $17.09 | $0.42 | 80.3% | 1,361,558 | 2011 | $15.66 | $0.18 | 80.9% | 1,317,977 | 2010 | $12.10 | $0.46 | 79.3% | 1,114,451 | 2009 | $10.35 | $ 0.099 | 76.0% | 1,125,111 | 2008 | $11.02 | $0.18 | 71.2% | 1,191,151 | 2) Blue Ocean Strategy Blue ocean strategy refers to the creation of a new, uncontested market space by a company that makes competitors irrelevant and that creates new consumer value often while decreasing costs. Southwest airlines is a very good example for using Blue Ocean Strategy as by creating a new market by offering the speed of air travel with the low cost and flexibility of driving. The three main aspect of Blue Ocean Strategy are as follows and how the Southwest Airlines applies these to its business: FOCUS: Southwest focus only on three factors: friendly services, speed and frequent point-to-point departures. They doesn’t make investment in meals, lounges and seating choice and able to price against car transportation DIVERGENCE: While the other Airlines operated through hub-and-spoke systems, Southwest Airlines doesn’t followed them instead created new rules and alternatives by choosing point-to-point travels between midsize cities. COMPELLING TAGLINE: A Good strategy has a clear cut and compelling tagline, which not only provides clear, cut message but also advertise...
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...Pioneers of Aviation Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Aviation Legislation November 01, 2013 Abstract Man has always wanted to soar with the birds and take flight. A few great men and women have accomplished this task with great strides. Once heavier than air flight was proved to be a valid means of transportation, the technology accelerated at an astonishing rate. Every time we get onto an airplane, helicopter, or hot air balloon we have the pioneers of aviation to thank. These great people proved to the world that nothing was out of reach for the human race. Some gave their life in pursuit of this dream while others funded and supported those who were developing the technology. No matter what the role each of these played, we have to appreciate everyone. We would not be where we are today in aviation if it weren’t for these pioneers. Pioneers of Aviation Introduction From the very first flight of the balloon to the flight of the powered airplane, our early pioneers always looked to make changes for the better. Many of these ideas simply built upon ideas of individuals of the past. These great pioneers were from every part of the world, United States, England, France, Germany, and so many other places. They did not look at aviation as a reason to disagree but rather found that flight would help everyone equally. Balloons Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier are the brothers who invented and flew the first hot air balloon. Born in Annonay, France, they...
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...Module 3 Aircraft Systems and Aircraft Maintenance Learning Objective #10 Determine the requirements for maintenance records, compliance with Airworthiness Directives (AD), preventive maintenance, and alterations. Web Support link: http://www.avweb.com/news/savvyaviator/190596-1.html The Savvy Aviator While browsing the Internet and reading through various FAA websites, I came across a column by a passionate pilot that likes to spread the good, educated, aviation word. I chose column #23: Maintenance Records highlighting the importance of detailed and accurate records, and compliance with FARs. One thing I found refreshing was how casual the author speaks to his audience, yet delivers a wealth of knowledge that is typically only gained through years of experience, both on and off the ground. The author goes into great detail as to what is required from the regulatory sense and what is required per good pilot and mechanic sense. He further breaks it down by addressing complying with airworthiness directives and how to annotate them properly, alterations and the depth at which they need to be captured, and preventive and routine maintenance. I found this article to be very informative and challenged my current maintenance practices, both personally and professionally. The article was simplistic enough that the youngest of aviator or manager would glean the basics, and maybe a few inches deeper of aviation knowledge, and those that have been at this for more than a...
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...EWMBA 299 – Competitive Strategy Southwest Airlines Introduction The domestic US airline industry has been intensely competitive since it was deregulated in 1978. In a regulated environment, most of the cost increases were passed along to consumers under a fixed rate-of-return based pricing scheme. This allowed labor unions to acquire a lot of power and workers at the major incumbent carriers were overpaid. After deregulation, the incumbent carriers felt the most pain, and the floodgates had opened for newer more nimble carriers with lower cost structures to compete head-on with the established airlines. There were several bankruptcies followed by a wave of consolidation with the fittest carriers surviving and the rest being acquired or going out of business. Analysis of the airline industry To determine the profitability of the airline industry, we will do an industry analysis using Porter’s five-forces framework. This industry analysis will help us in understanding the size of the Potential Industry Earnings (PIE), and how much of this the different participants can extract. Rivalry among competitors There is intense rivalry among different airlines. In the pre-deregulation days, airlines competed mostly on things like service, meals and in-flight movies etc., since prices were mandated by the Civil Aeronautics Board. In the post-de-regulation era, this rivalry has taken on the form of severe price competition, with airlines ruthlessly undercutting each other...
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...THE USS AKRON: A NAVAL AIRSHIP By Wynette C. Perry Airframe Structures and Applications AMNT 270 Instructor R. Xavier Koon Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Extended Campus Patuxent River Resident Center September 27, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES iii Chapter I INTRODUCTION 1 II HISTORY OF EARLY FLIGHT 2 III HISTORY OF HOT-AIR BALLOONS 3 IV HISTORY OF THE ZEPPELIN 4 V USS AKRON DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION 5 VI USS AKRON MISSIONS 6 VII SUMMARY 8 VIII CONCLUSION 9 APPENDICES A BIBLIOGRAPHY 12 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Ormithopter Flying Machine 2 2 Montgolfier Brother’s 1783 hot-air balloon 3 3 dirigible 4 4 First ring of the uss akron 6 5 USS AKRON DESIGN PLANS 7 6 USS AKRON 8 7 LONG ENDURANCE MULTI-INTELLIGENCE VEHICLE 9 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION The idea of flight has intrigued man for many years. For centuries, man experimented with ways of how to fly; some ideas of how to fly were good, while other ideas were not so good. Early pioneers of flight would...
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...Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. The word "Aviation" was coined by French writer and former naval officer Gabriel La Landelle in 1863, from the verb "avier" (synonymous flying), itself derived from the Latin word "avis" ("bird") and the suffix "-ation".[1] Contents 1 History 2 Civil aviation 2.1 Air transport 2.2 General aviation 3 Military aviation 3.1 Types of military aviation 4 Aviation accidents and incidents 5 Air traffic control 6 Environmental impact 7 See also 8 Notes History Main article: History of aviation Many cultures have built devices that travel through the air, from the earliest projectiles such as stones and spears,[2][3] the boomerang in Australia, the hot air Kongming lantern, and kites. There are early legends of human flight such as the story of Icarus, and Jamshid in Persian myth, and later, somewhat more credible claims of short-distance human flights appear, such as the flying automaton of Archytas of Tarentum (428–347 BC),[4] the winged flights of Abbas Ibn Firnas (810–887), Eilmer of Malmesbury (11th century), and the hot-air Passarola of Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão (1685–1724). The modern age of aviation began with the first untethered human lighter-than-air flight on November 21, 1783, in a hot air balloon designed by the Montgolfier brothers. The practicality of balloons was limited...
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...living organisms, processes, and materials on planet Earth. The emerging field of biomimetics has given rise to new technologies created from biologically inspired engineering at both the macro scale and nanoscale levels. Biomimetics is not a new idea. Humans have been looking at nature for answers to both complex and simple problems throughout our existence. Nature has solved many of today's engineering problems such as hydrophobicity, wind resistance, self-assembly, and harnessing solar energy through the evolutionary mechanics of selective advantages. One of the early examples of biomimicry was the study of birds to enable human flight. Although never successful in creating a "flying machine", Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was a keen observer of the anatomy and flight of birds, and made numerous notes and sketches on his observations as well as sketches of "flying machines".[4] The Wright Brothers, who succeeded in flying the first heavier-than-air aircraft in 1903, derived inspiration from observations of pigeons in flight.[5] Otto Schmitt, an American academic and inventor, coined the term biomimetics to describe the transfer of ideas from biology to technology.[6] He developed the Schmitt trigger while attempting to replicate the biological system of nerve propagation.[7] The term biomimetics entered Websters Dictionary in 1974 and is defined as "the study of the formation, structure, or function of biologically produced substances and...
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...UVA-OB-0682 PY INTERGROUP RELATIONS AT ATLANTICA’S FLIGHT CENTERS CO Rick Oberweis stood on the observation deck of the Prudential Building, gazing through the plate-glass windows at the city of Boston spread below. It was a Sunday afternoon, in the fall of a year which proved turbulent for Rick, and he came to the top of the Pru as he often did to gather his thoughts and take stock. Though he worked at a desk now, Oberweis was a commercial and corporate pilot for many years, and so it didn’t surprise him when—of all the landmarks to look at— his absent gaze came to rest on Logan International Airport, visible in the gray distance of Boston Harbor. Oberweis was director of Flight Operations for Atlantica, Inc., a Boston-based technology firm. A St. Louis native, he came east to Boston a year ago to take this position, which Atlantica just created as part of an acquisition-driven restructuring. East Versus West NO T The last few years were good ones for Atlantica. Two years ago the company, flush with cash, acquired Pacific Industries, a high-tech company based in San Diego, which Wall Street analysts deemed an excellent “fit” for the Boston firm. The two companies’ product lines meshed nicely, and their areas of expertise were complementary. The only possible clash, the pundits worried, was culture: how would a free-thinking California company get along with its more conservative adoptive parent? DO The events of the following year bore...
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...A flying car is hypothetical personal aircraft that provides door-to-door aerial transportation (e.g., from home to work or to the supermarket) as conveniently as a car but without the requirement for roads, runways or other specially prepared operating areas. In addition, the aircraft lacks any visible means of lift (unlike fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters), thus allowing it to be operated in urban areas and close to buildings, people and other obstructions. Fulfillment of some of these goals is being attempted by personal air vehicles being developed. The term "flying car" has also been used to refer to roadable aircraft and hovercars. The flying car has been depicted in works of fantasy and science fiction such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, The Jetsons, Star Wars, Blade Runner, Back to the Future Part II and The Fifth Element as well as in technology magazines such as Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, and Mechanix Illustrated.[1] The flying car was and remains a common feature of science fiction and conceptions of the future, including imagined near futures such as those of the 21st century. As an example, less than a month before the turn of the millennium the U.S. journalist Gail Collins noted: Here we are, less than a month until the turn of the millennium, and what I want to know is, what happened to the flying cars? We're about to become Americans of the 21st century. People have been predicting what we'd be like for...
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