ASCI 202

  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...