https://www.space.com/43149-spacex-crew-dragon-access-arm-video.html

SpaceX just unveiled a new crew access arm that connects to their new spacecraft called the Dragon. The Dragon is a new ship and will be the first of it’s kind to make a manned trip to space to visit the ISS. This new ship is important in that it now contains life support, emergency launch abort and many other vital needed to support a crew. Obviously this is huge for America, SpaceX and what we’re studying in communication. Now if someone on the ISS contacts to us asking for supplies, help or really anything else that involves a human going to space, we will have a spacecraft capable of doing such a thing. Allowing for a much faster response time and a more efficient way of handling things, rather than just sending an unmanned ship up there and telling them over the radio what to do.

Due to the ongoing efforts to improve efficiency of aircraft, Diamond Aircraft and Siemens AG are developing a hybrid-electric aircraft. There goal is for that aircraft to have better fuel performance and reduced noise impact compared to light piston airplanes.

Their current prototype is a modified Diamond DA40, originally a four seat single engine piston aircraft. The prototype has a one diesel engine mounted in the nose, used as a generator, and two electric motors. Each electric motor drives a propeller, mounted on both sides of the fuselage, forward of the wing. This gives it a funny, nose-heavy appearance. The diesel generator provides 110 kW of power and charges two 12kWh batteries mounted in the rear passenger compartment.

The project began in 2013, and the first test flight was October 31, 2018. The test flight was 20 minutes long and took place in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. During the flight, the aircraft performed its three modes of operation. The first is its charging mode; the generator is running and charges the batteries, while the batteries provide power to the electric motors. The second is generator only operation; the generator power goes directly to the motors, without any use of the batteries. The third is fully electric flight in which the aircraft is flown solely on power from the batteries and the generator is off. The prototype is able to cruise at 130 knots, fly for 30 minutes fully electric, and five hours with operation of the generator.

Hopefully these developments in electric aircraft will propel its usefulness in general and commercial aviation in the future.

https://www.flyingmag.com/diamond-da40-hybrid-electric-prototype-flies

According to AIR Wise, NATS ( the UK air traffic management company) is putting AI (Artificial Intelligence) to a test at Heathrow Airport on London. It is to help recoverability loss due to poor visibility. They are utilizing both AI technology and high description photographic equipment at NAT’S Digital Tower Laboratory at Heathrow to do an experiment, whether they can make the airport’s landing ability better when the visibility is very low.

Heathrow control tower is over 280 feet tall and one can see the airport in plain sight, however, it also makes it difficult for them to see outside when the clouds are very low. Air traffic controllers check if the airplane has landed and the runway is clear for the next airplane to land, by using ground radar when the visibility is low. Using a ground radar takes more time, and this will lead to delays of many flights.

NATS assumes that introducing AI technology will solve this problem because an AI platform can clarify the images and send information about each airplane to the air traffic controllers, including when an airplane has cleared the runway (AIR Wise, 2019).

I think relying everything on AI in the aviation industry would not be a good idea, because there are some things which cannot be done by AI, such as making decisions when there is an emergency. When there is an irregular problem during the flight, AI would not be able to make the best decision because AI’s knowledge is based on data. However, I think using AI as a tool will allow air traffic controllers to communicate with pilots more effectively. They will probably have extra time to reconfirm the instructions they will be given to pilots, and the instructions would be more accurate. It will then give pilots a sense of safety. Most of all, it will gradually decrease the number of accidents.

Reference

AIR Wise (2019). Nats using ai at heathrow to combat visibility issues. Retrieved January 24, 2019, from https://news.airwise.com/story/nats-using-ai-at-heathrow-to-combat-visibility-issues

As it is a hot topic currently and is all over any news outlet you may stumble upon, the most recent partial shutdown of the U.S. government has affected many in the Aviation world. At first, we heard about how TSA had staffing concerns at airports across the country as there was an increase in the number of TSA employees calling in sick due to their federal paychecks getting withheld as a result of the partial shutdown. This slowed some security checkpoint lines at various airports, but for the most part, wait times were within standards for TSA and TSA pre, as per a recent TSA press release.

However, recently a new concern related to the partial shutdown and withheld federal paychecks came to surface as New York LaGuardia airport saw slowed down flows of arriving and departing traffic due to ATC staffing concerns. Rather than having a lack of ATC employees on site at LaGuardia, the ATC system saw a shortage of staff at Jacksonville and Washington D.C. Air Traffic Control Centers. The employees at these ATC centers are the controllers that pilots communicate with during the enroute portion of the flight, as well as the departure and arrival portions of flight once the pilots have been handed off by tower controllers and are often times the last people pilots communicate with before being transferred to a tower frequency. Due to this lack, flights from the southern and north eastern United States that were bound for LGA were delayed and held on the ground at their departure airports to accommodate for the lack of ATC employees at these centers. Some flights leaving LGA were also delayed to accommodate.

This is an important issue when considering the importance of communication in the aviation world, as effective communications between ATC and pilots are paramount for the safe operation of flight. Communication with ATC is one of the most important parts of flying, and if there are factors that can affect their operations, the aviation system is presented with a large risk. While the recent shortage of employees only resulted in some delays, it shows how truly important ATC communications are to our system.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/laguardia-airport-flights-delayed-on-friday-morning-due-to-air-traffic-control-staffing-shortages-2019-01-25-live-updates/

https://www.tsa.gov/news/releases/2019/01/21/tsa-statement-checkpoint-operations-january-21

Earlier this week, a full ground stop was ordered at LA Guardia Airport in New York City. Essentially, almost all service on inbound flights was halted and delayed flights both in and out of La Guardia. The source of this delay stemmed from a lack of available workers at Washington Center – a key air traffic control center for the southern and mid-Atlantic United States. The staff shortage is painted within the context of the ongoing government shutdown, but the article goes on to point out that it is not the main source of the shortage. The FAA cites that an increase in sick leave from the operators lead to the ground stop. The article goes on to then explain how these types of delays are not uncommon and can happen for a number of different reasons. The main point of this article, however, is that this may be a sign of what’s in store if the shutdown continues. Within the shutdown, there is a strong possibility that ground stops may increase in both frequency and severity. Federal workers are soon to be without their 2^nd paycheck since the shutdown, and the still-working controllers are reaching a “breaking point” of exhaustion and stress.

In general, I think that this situation highlights the absolute necessity that communication plays within the aviation industry. Speaking under a more general scope of communication, the ability to convey and relay information for an entire airspace is of the utmost importance. Without air traffic control, the entire airline industry would come grinding to a halt. And while it’s only causing minor delays at the moment, ATC employees can only work without pay for so long. If the shutdown continues for much longer, the entire systems of aviation communication within the US will only get worse. The safety of operations relies on the effective cooperation between any given flight and the corresponding air traffic control center.

Source: Mary Schlangenstein, Alan Levin. “NYC Flight Disruptions Put Spotlight on FAA as Shutdown Drags On.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 25 Jan. 2019, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-25/laguardia-flights-halted-as-shutdown-hits-air-traffic-staffing.

On January 24^th, a solo student pilot crashed about 90 seconds after taking off at Buttonville Municipal Airport in Toronto, Canada. The aircraft, a Bellanca 8KCAB Decathlon, was destroyed and the pilot died in the accident. When the pilot made the “Mayday” call, he stated that the engine was running roughly. Just before the crash, the propeller was rotating at 2,700 rpm and the engine was running at 65% power. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigated the incident and their accident report stated that there were light winds, good visibility, and few clouds, and the aircraft had just completed an annual inspection. The pilot’s logbook was looked over, and it was discovered that he disregarded safety multiple times. First, most of his flight hours had been unsupervised or without an actual flight instructor. Second, investigators learned that the pilot had carried passengers illegally on multiple occasions. The rest of the article talks about how this accident could have been prevented if the pilot received consistent training and focusing on preflight actions because witnesses saw him banking the aircraft hard to the right something you never want to do with a failing engine.

As soon as I read this article, I instantly thought of preflighting the aircraft. The pilot was known for ignoring safety rules, so it only makes sense that he rushed through the preflight planning just to get up in the air as soon as possible. At the end of the day the accident could have been avoided with better communication. Flight instructors who taught the student and signed his solo endorsement should have enforced how important preflighting an aircraft is. The student could have never learned how to safely land an aircraft in distress either because most of his flights he was by himself unsupervised or carrying passengers. If the pilot knew how to do a successful emergency landing instead of turning the yoke aggressively, he could still be alive today. Communication would have saved this student pilot’s life.

https://www.flyingmag.com/fatal-decathlon-accident-canada-investigation

The longest US government shutdown in US history has had negative implications on the aviation industry. Because the federal government was shutdown, federal employees, including the TSA, FAA, and ATC, did not get paid during this period. More than double the TSA employees called in sick. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association president said there has been an uptick in young air traffic trainee resignation. Workers faced a second pay period where they did not receive pay and that could possibly have an impact on the US air system. There were staffing problems at ATC facilities that funnel in traffic into and out of the north east. Many flights experienced delays because there weren’t enough people to keep safe spacing between flights. Over the course of the shutdown, many ATC personnel received pizza from unions, airlines and other ATC employees from Canada, Mexico, and Russia. Industry professionals were concerned that the unpaid controllers had unnecessary burden in the already stressful environment they work in. The FAA employees could not authorize the entry of service of the Delta A220 on time, airmen certificates were not processed or renewed, and FSDOs around the nation were closed.

Over the period of the shutdown, many CEOs of airlines, presidents of unions, and federal employees voiced their concerns of the shutdown. In all, all entities involved wanted to end the shutdown. CEOs were concerned with the wellbeing of the national and international economy. US Travel estimated that the shutdown costed the airlines as much as $100 million a day. President of the NATCA said they couldn’t continue the hiring process of new controllers. He said ATC is at an all time low and the impacts of the shutdown will be felt down the road as there will be fewer and fewer controllers. Federal employees collectively voiced their displeasure by taking sick days on the days they were not being paid. All these actions are examples of communication. Whether the voiced concerns and the exceptional flight delays in the north east influenced President Trump is up for debate. However, the aviation industry has communicated to the government about how the shutdown is impacting them.

Source: https://skift.com/2019/01/25/aviation-complications-likely-spurred-move-to-reopen-u-s-government/

There has been a recent development in regards technology relating to passengers. United Airlines has updates their app which will allow passengers a better experience during their travels. This update comes with ” features a completely redesigned home page and adds an inbox, which stores travel messages such as boarding notifications and flight status changes, as well as a My Profile section that includes MileagePlus frequent-flyer program account information and United Club lounge passes”. These things are all updated 48 hours before a passenger would get to the airport for their flight. It will also continue to update with all relevant information in regards to that passenger and their flight. Things like maps of airports for passengers to quickly navigate their way around an airport to make a flight. It also features a better experience for passengers by adding the ability for passengers to watch certain TV shows and movies during a flight and allow passengers to update every part of their journey. These things all point to a better experience for passengers and an easier way to travel.

These things are all going to lead to better communication within the aviation industry. The ability for passengers to directly communicate with their airline service allows a better flow of communication between the two. The better communication will be a major bonus for the passengers and the airlines both. It will also allow for a better experience both ways, making it easier on both sides. Allowing passengers direct communication with their airline providers will help prevent conflict in the future, things such as delayed flights and canceled flights can be directly communicated to passengers instead of them finding out the day of or at their airport terminal. This also allows airlines to effectively put their brand out there. By offering something like this, they can stand out from the competition and maybe get more passengers to come fly with their airline.

United Airlines Debuts Redesigned Smartphone App for Apple and Android Platforms

During the record-breaking government shutdown, government employees were forced to work without pay. After missing consecutive paychecks, fewer employees were showing up to work, including TSA agents. TSA agents are directly responsible for the safety of airports across the country. With less employees showing up to work, the airports became less safe. TSA agents were told they would receive a bonus for working without pay, but they have not received that bonus. Throughout the government shutdown, airports were not able to meet the standards of safety they have set.

One failure of communication that occurred was the TSA agents being led to believe they would receive bonus pay. If these agents had not been lied to, they may have still showed up to work. Another failure in communication would be in the government shutdown itself. If the politicians used better communication, they could have avoided the shutdown.

Link: https://www.vox.com/2019/1/24/18195809/air-traffic-control-unions-shutdown-warning

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/25/politics/aviation-shutdown-negotiations/index.html

This article talks about the impact that the government shutdown has had on the aviation industry; as well as the consequences it has had on the nation. The government shutdown cut funding to agencies such as the TSA and FAA so aviation works, such as TSA agents and air traffic control workers, have not been paid. This lead to a large number of workers calling in “sick” which has resulted in a disruption in the national aviation system. Air traffic control workers are only allowed 6 shifts a week of 8 hours with 2 hours overtime, due to the rigorous focus and concentration the job requires. Throughout the shutdown flights have been delayed and security screenings have decreased in overall efficiency due to the lack of man power. The shutdown not only affected commercial aviation but cargo aviation as well, effecting commerce through the US airspace.

For the majority of the shutdown there was insufficient communication between those politicians responsible for the shutdown and those officials running the aviation agencies affected. The lack of communication was a large part of what lead to the problems the last month, an example of this is waiting two weeks into the shutdown before letting furloughed workers know they would receive back pay. Earlier this week however thanks to the communication of heads of the aviation community, like Paul Rinaldi president of the air traffic controller union, with those same politicians these issues were seen as a”catalyst to ending this shutdown for both sides” (CNN).