Airport Operations Delays and Possible Mitigation Through Electric Taxi Systems

Airline departures, not including private aircraft, increased from 25,143 in 2000 to 36,722 in 2017. More passengers necessitate more aircraft and more flights. With more aircraft at terminals, ground delays, based on current airport design, will continue to increase. Systems that allow for reduced aircraft time on the ground will improve airline economics and airport operations, in addition, will reduce airline delays both for departure and arrival at the gate. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the efficacy, from ramp controllers’ perspectives, of equipping airliners with an electric taxi system. Prototype electric taxi systems have shown a savings of up to 10 minutes for an aircraft to pushback and depart the ramp area. A case study methodology was employed to examine the various aspects of four representative airports regarding the potential implementation of the electric taxi system. Results showed that although ramp controllers saw economic and environmental benefits to an electric taxi system, most believed that these systems would not save time in and out of the ramp entry and exit areas due to limitations of airport design. There is still conflict between ramp controllers (working for airlines) and ground controllers (government employees) on efficient aircraft movement. Releasing control of more airport ground areas, to the ramp controllers, would be far more effective in reducing gate delays

Applying and Evaluating a Taxonomy of Resilient Performance Among Certified Flight Instructors

Human error in aviation has been well studied, but the contribution of human performance to system resilience in aviation has not been as well explored. Resilient performance is the ability of a system to make accommodations before, during, and after a disturbance to ensure continued system functioning. Resilient performance is enabled by the ability to anticipate, monitor, learn, and respond. Certified flight instructors will be interviewed using the critical incident debrief method. Interviews will be transcribed and analyzed to explore resilient behavior and evaluate whether the taxonomy of success developed in commercial airline operations is applicable to the flight instruction setting. This study will help identify behaviors which contribute to system resilience. Understanding these behaviors can help improve instructor training

Airport Operations Delays and Possible Mitigation Through Electric Taxi Systems: A Qualitative Case Study

Airline daily departures, not including private aircraft, increased from 25,143 in 2000 to 36,722 in 2017. More passengers necessitate more aircraft and more flights. With more aircraft at terminals, ground delays, based on current airport design, will continue to increase. Systems that allow for reduced aircraft time on the ground will improve airline economics and airport operations, in addition, will reduce airline delays both for departure and arrival at the gate. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the efficacy, from ramp controllers’ perspectives, of equipping airliners with an electric taxi system. Prototype electric taxi systems have shown a savings of up to 10 minutes for an aircraft to pushback and depart the ramp area. A case study methodology was employed to examine the various aspects of four representative airports regarding the potential implementation of the electric taxi system. Results showed that although ramp controllers saw economic and environmental benefits to an electric taxi system, most believed that these systems would not save time in and out of the ramp entry and exit areas due to limitations of airport design. Releasing control of more airport ground areas, to the ramp controllers, would be far more effective in reducing gate delays

Developing a Taxonomy for Success in Commercial Pilot Behaviors

Human error has been well studied in aviation. However, less is known about the ways in which human performance maintains and contributes to aviation safety. The lack of data on positive human performance prevents consideration of the full range of human behaviors when making safety and risk management decisions. The concept of resilient performance provides a framework to understand and classify positive human behaviors. Through interviews with commercial airline pilots, this study examined routine airline operations to evaluate the concept of resilient performance and to develop a taxonomy for success. The four enablers of resilient performance, anticipation, learning, responding, and monitoring, were found to be exhaustive but not mutually exclusive. The tenets of resilience theory apply in airline pilot behavior, but operationalizing a taxonomy will require more work

A Comparison of General Aviation Accidents Involving Airline Pilots and Instrument-Rated Private Pilots

Introduction: The extremely low accident rate for U.S air carriers relative to that of general aviation (~1 and ~60/million flight hours respectively) partly reflects advanced airman certification, more demanding recurrency training, and stringent operational regulations. However, whether such skillset/training/regulations translate into improved safety for airline pilots operating in the general aviation environment is unknown, and the aim of this study. Methods: Accidents (1998-2017) involving airline pilots and instrument-rated private pilots (PPL-IFR) operating non-revenue light aircraft were identified from the NTSB accident database. An online survey informed general aviation flight exposure for both pilot cohorts. Statistics used proportion testing and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: In degraded visibility, 0 and 40% (χ2 p=0.043) of fatal accidents involving airline and PPL-IFR airmen were due to in-flight loss-of-control, respectively. For landing accidents, airline pilots were under-represented for mishaps related to airspeed mismanagement (p=0.036) relative to PPL-IFR but showed a dis-proportionate count (2X) of ground loss-of-directional control accidents (p=0.009) the latter likely reflecting a preference for tail-wheel aircraft. The proportion of FAA rule violation-related mishaps by airline pilots was \u3e2X (7 vs. 3%) that for PPL-IFR airmen. Moreover, airline pilots showed a disproportionate (χ2 p=0.021) count of flights below legal minimum altitudes. Not performing an official preflight weather briefing or intentionally operating in instrument conditions without an IFR flight plan represented 43% of airline pilot accidents involving FAA rule infractions. Conclusions: These findings inform safety deficiencies for (i) airline pilots, landing/ground operations in tail-wheel aircraft, and lack of 14CFR 91 familiarization regulations regarding minimum operating altitudes, and (ii) PPL-IFR airmen in-flight loss-of-control and poor landing speed management. Practical Applications: For PPL-IFR airmen, training/recurrency should focus on unusual attitude recovery and managing approach speeds. Airline pilots should seek additional instructional time regarding landing tail-wheel aircraft and become familiar with 14CFR 91 rules covering minimum altitudes