ASCI 202

As the world drives further into a technology-embraced future, it is safe to assume that the rise of cyber threats would also increase as well. This is evident in the figure below reported from aviation today (2021). According to aviation today, most of these cyber-attacks were financially motivated, with the loss of personal data accounting for 34% of the cases (2021). This presents a severe issue to security in the aviation community today. The compounding effect of this issue is that almost every actor in the aviation community depends on technology, from the passenger to the supply chain, to the airport itself. If awareness of the threat and a plan are not in place, the results can be devastating. In conjunction with other agencies, the transportation security agency (TSA) is working diligently to thwart these threats. In 2018 the TSA launched a cybersecurity roadmap assessing how to deal with cyber security threats (TSA, 2018). Using the layers of security model the TSA al...

 Cabin Pressurization System Planes may love to go high, but the human body does not. Our bodies need oxygen, and while in flight many planes are equipped with a cabin pressurization system to meet that need. As aircraft travel higher in altitude the air becomes less dense (FAA, 2016). This decrease in density results in less oxygen available, and can lead to hypoxic effects like confusion, inability to concentrate, and unconsciousness (Skybrary, 2019). To prevent this situation, aircraft that operate frequently above 10,000’ utilize a cabin pressurization system.             One of my favorite Instructor Pilots always said, when it comes to cabin pressurization “we mindlessly flood the cabin, and brilliantly meter the rest”. On a Beechcraft King Air 200, the cabin vessel is a sealed system with bleed air routed from the last stage of the compressor (CAE, 2017).   Bleed Air Valve  (Photo Credit CAE 2017)  ...

  One of the most prevalent conditions that affects aircraft performance is the effect of temperature on air density. Air density directly affects the amount of lift an aircraft can produce. Essentially the hotter the day the less dense the air will be, this requires careful planning and action to mitigate the risk of producing less lift. Air like water is a fluid, and just like water the colder air becomes the denser it will become like ice (FAA, 2016). Conversely if temperatures rise water will become less dense in a vapor form, air behaves very similar. The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical knowledge addresses the effect of temperature on air density and how a decrease in air density can even cause a propeller to become less efficient (FAA, 2016). Air density is a variable in the lift equation, known as rho (NASA, n.d.). The lower this value is, the less lift is produced if the other variables like wing area or velocity are kept constant. To compensate for less lift produced...

  Ethics are simple, they are a driving set of principles a person bases their behavior and decisions upon. This sense of obligation to a moral duty applies in every walk of life, but it is the foundation of all operations in aviation. Every time the wheels go up on an airplane as it lifts off the ground, there is no guarantee of a safe return to the ground. Unless countless people have done their job right. Therefore, ethics and morals are the bedrock of the aviation profession.             To me ethics and the word duty are almost synonymous. If I step into the cockpit to fly it is my duty to anyone on board, their families, and my own to make the right choices and not accept shortcuts. I expect the same of all the professionals involved, from the maintenance crew that works tireless hours in the sweltering hangar without air conditioning, to the controller working a long week managing hundreds of different flights. If anyo...