Aviation Education and Research Symposium

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Aviation Education and Research Conference proceedings "Contemporary Issues in Aviation Education and Research"
(Massey University, 2009-07) Yaansah, Robert
‘Contemporary issues in aviation education and research’ is the theme for the inaugural Aviation Education and Research Conference to be held in Blenheim on the 29-30 July as part of the New Zealand Aviation Conference week. The conference is being organised by the Massey University School of Aviation in conjunction with the Aviation Industry Association of New Zealand. “This event is intended as a forum for disseminating research and discussing current issues in aviation, with an emphasis on bridging theory and practice,” says Mr Ashok Poduval, General Manager of the Massey University School of Aviation, “It will also present an opportunity for ‘a meeting of the minds’ for academics and practitioners in the aviation industry.” The two day conference has generated a lot of interest within New Zealand as well as in Australia and the wider international academic community, with many attendees and presenters crossing the Tasman to be part of this event. “We are very pleased with the response,” adds Dr Robert Yaansah, Postgraduate Programmes and Research Coordinator of Massey School of Aviation. “A wide range of papers have been received from academics, representing a good cross section of universities within the Australasia region. Additionally, a number of our PhD Aviation students are presenting papers related to their research. This conference should establish that the region has an academic community with a strong focus on aviation education and research, as good as elsewhere in the world.”
Increased risk of multi-crew operations: examining the effect of group polarisation on perceived invulnerability in general aviation pilots
(2010) Lee, Seung Yong; Gilbey, Andrew
According to the theory of group polarisation, perceived invulnerability could be greater in multi-crew operations than for single pilots. The purpose of this study was to measure the level of perceived invulnerability among general aviation pilots in New Zealand and to examine whether the level of perceived invulnerability was influenced by the presence of other pilots. Whilst it is of some concern that the majority of the pilots exhibited perceived invulnerability, no evidence was found to suggest that the level of perceived invulnerability is affected by a group polarisation effect, although further replication of this study is recommended.
New technologies in general aviation
(2010) Pérezgonzález, Jose D.; Gilbey, Andrew; Diaz Vilela, Luis
This research explored the technological needs of GA pilots at international levels. Overall, single pilot operators tend to value costs as the most important feature of any technology, followed by technology that helps with pre-flight tasks as well as during flight. Remote monitoring, post-flight analysis and 3-D displays are technological features of lesser importance.
Airline passengers’ rights to information and the strange case of the right to be informed about destinations
(2010) Pérezgonzález, Jose D.; Gilbey, Andrew
This research explored whether airline passengers wanted more rights to know about the safety and economic conditions of their flights, as well as the right to be reimbursed if they decided not to flight because of perceived risks. Overall, passengers agreed somehow on having more safety rights, but not so regarding financial rights. Surprisingly, they also wanted to have the right to be informed about their destinations (hotels, attractions, etc), something that is foreign to the purpose and duties of air transport.
The effect of propaganda about climate change on people’s desire to fly
(2010) Gilbey, Andrew; Pérezgonzález, Jose; Tani, Kawtar
The theory of Psychological Reactance suggests that in response to regulations or impositions that impinge upon real or perceived freedoms and autonomy, people may find the restricted behaviour or product appeared more desirable. This reaction is especially common when individuals feel obliged to adopt a particular opinion or engage in a specific behaviour (Brehm & Brehm, 1981). Many sources suggest that aviation has a significant effect on global warming (e.g., Greenpeace). This pilot study explored whether, via the phenomenon of Psychological Reactance, people’s desire for air travel increases following exposure to propaganda about climate change and global warming.
Pilots’ cognition of airport movement area guidance signs
(2010) Lewis, Raymond
Movement Area Guidance Signs (MAGS) are designed to assist pilots when they manoeuvre or taxi an aircraft on the airport prior to take-off and after landing. MAGS are standardized by ICAO and are installed on most major airports. Nevertheless, accident and incident surveys indicate the continuing prevalence of runway incursions and incorrect taxi procedures. The current study extends the findings of work carried out by the University of Newcastle into pilot perception and comprehension of airport movement signs. 18 pilot candidates with a mean age of 20 years and a mean flying experience of 25 hours were tested on their interpretation of MAGS during three simulated taxi manoeuvres. The experimental paradigm was more realistic than the University of Newcastle study in that the simulated taxi manoeuvre was performed with reference to a specific aerodrome chart. Subjects were instructed to taxi from a nominated position at Canberra airport to another nominated position at Canberra airport and were tested on their understanding of MAGS encountered en route. Participants displayed an excellent knowledge of the meaning of the MAGS. The mean score was 56.5 out of a possible 60 points or 94.25%. These results contradict the Newcastle study and indicate that MAGS are effective as a navigation aid for ground-based aircraft operations. Further work is indicated where pilots are tested on their cognition of MAGS when they simultaneously taxi an aircraft whilst performing other tasks associated with ground manoeuvres (for example, reading a pre take-off checklist).
Net profitability of airline alliances, an empirical study
(2010) Pérezgonzález, Jose D.; Lin, Bo
This study examines the net return for airlines before and after joining an alliance. The research database was compiled from ICAOData, and comprised 15 international airlines as subjects and their net financial results for a period of 11 years as primary research variables. Two variables, the averages of five and three years net performance before joining an alliance, were tested against another variable, the average net performance five years after joining the alliance. Results show a deterioration of net profits after joining an alliance, although this trend was only significant when comparing performance over the short-term. However, the performance of American airlines accounted for most of this trend, which may have being partly affected by the consequences of September 11 2001.
Teaching an aviation course via video conference – comments and observations on the attainment of graduate attributes and learning outcomes
(2010) Lewis, Raymond
While the author was at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs; Colorado, the author taught an Introduction to Aviation course at the School of Engineering and Information Technology located at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra. This paper describes the method of teaching this course via video conference. In this instance, teaching via video conference is markedly different to the techniques employed in distance education. This paper will describe the experience of teaching via video conference as well as some of the perceived shortcomings and pitfalls of being a ‘talking head’. The paper also describes some of the techniques developed in order to ameliorate some of the perceived difficulties of teaching via video conference. The results of a student questionnaire and overall learning outcomes will be discussed with reference to University of New South Wales graduate attributes.
A pilot test of the effect of mild-hypoxia on unrealistically optimistic risk judgements
(2010) Gilbey, Andrew; Mundel, Toby; Legg, Stephen; Hill, Stephen; Schlader, Zac; Ramon, Aaron
Although hypoxia is believed to occur above altitudes of 10,000 ft, some have suggested that effects may occur at lower altitudes. This pilot study explored risk judgments under conditions of mild hypoxia (simulated altitude of 8,000 ft). Some evidence of an increased optimism was found at this level, suggesting the need for a larger scale study with more experimental power.
Reliability analysis of assisted-GPS technologies for post-flight analysis
(2010) Pérezgonzález, Jose D.
This research analysed the reliability of an assisted-GPS mobile phone in tracking several flight parameters during a typical flight. The reliability was assessed against that of a GPS-based remote tracking device of common use in aviation. The results suggest that the reliability of both devices is similar, which may prove advantageous to those pilots with lesser resources or less interested on a dedicated tracking device.
2nd Aviation Education and Research Symposium: “Contemporary Issues in Aviation Education and Research”
(Massey University, 2010-07) Pérezgonzález, Jose D.
Massey University School of Aviation is pleased to announce the second Aviation Education and Research Symposium to be held at Palmerston North on 28-29 July 2010, in conjunction with the Aviation Industry Association of New Zealand and Royal Aeronautical Society, New Zealand. This event is intended as a forum for disseminating research and discussing current issues in aviation, with an emphasis on bridging theory and practice. It will present an opportunity for "a meeting of the minds" for academics and practitioners in the aviation industry. The theme for this symposium "Contemporary Issues in Aviation Education and Research" is broad to encourage a greater spectrum of submissions encompassing aviation psychology, education, technology, training, and the economic aspects of the industry. We are delighted at the interest generated and the range of papers received from Australia and New Zealand. The conference papers have been classified into five sessions, with ‘Aviation Psychology’ and ‘Aviation Education’ on the first day, followed by ‘Commercial Aspects of Aviation’, ‘Aviation Technology’ and ‘Training for new technology - the man-machine interface’ on the second day. We welcome delegates to attend, participate and share information on the latest developments in the industry.
Two pilots may be safer than one: The effect of group discussion on perceived invulnerability
(2011) Gilbey, Andrew; Lee, Seung Yong
Although most general aviation (GA) pilots have received training in aviation decision making, one of the most common causes of GA accidents remains a pilot’s decision to press-on with a flight, when the safe decision was to turn back or divert (Federal Aviation Authority, 2002). Presumably, pilots press-on because they assume it is safe to do so, rather than because they are foolhardy. One reason pilots press-on may be because they underestimate the inherent risks. Indeed, research into the area of perceived invulnerability (PI) suggests that many pilots perceive themselves to be invulnerable to negative outcomes and that this predicts the kinds of behaviour likely to increase the chance of accident or incident (Isenberg, 1986). For more than 40 years, psychologists have been aware that decisions made by groups of people tend to polarise the views of individuals (O’Hare & Smitheram, 1995). Thus, if individuals make decisions that are risky, the decisions made in groups will tend to be more risky than those made by individuals. In aviation, this has potentially serious implications for flights where there are two pilots rather than one, because if individual pilots’ are susceptible to PI, then when there are two pilots PI may increase. Data collected earlier (Lee & Gilbey, 2010), which in a preliminary analysis found no effect of group polarisation on PI, was reanalysed to investigate whether an effect of group polarisation would be observed when both members of a pair of pilots exhibit PI. (Previously, all pilots had been included, regardless of whether they exhibited PI.) The sample were seventy-eight GA pilots, recruited from seven different flight training organisations in the North Island of New Zealand (14 female, 64 male; ages 18 to 59 years (M = 25.94, SD = 7.86) flight experience ranged from 30 minutes to 5,000 hours (Mean = 662.38 hours, SD = 895.13 hours). A within-subjects design was used, in which participants completed two equivalent measures of PI; once alone, and once in pairs, following discussion. Significant evidence of PI was found for all pilots when measured alone, t(77) = 8.54, p < 0.001 and also when measured in pairs, following discussion, t(77) = 8.92, p < 0.001. Next, unlike in our previous analysis (Lee & Gilbey, 2010), the nine pairs of participants in which one pilot did not demonstrate PI were excluded from all further analyses. (In hindsight, it was considered illogical to expect PI to be polarised following group discussion if it was not evident in individuals at the outset.) Remaining participants were allocated into two groups based upon a median split of their PI scores when measured alone (>5.8 = high PI and ≤5.8 = low PI). A 2x2 ANOVA indicated a main effect of group polarisation on PI, F(1, 58) = 5.24, p = .026 (Malone = 6.24, SD = 1.03; Mgroup = 6.01, SD = .96) and an interaction between manipulation (alone vs. group) and PI score in the control condition (low vs. high) F(1, 58) = 7.42, p = .009. Contrary to predictions, pilots with the higher levels of PI when alone showed a reduction in PI when measured in groups.The implications of the current study, suggest that perceived invulnerability in GA may be less of a problem when two (or more) pilots fly together, than when they fly alone. Future research could thus investigate accident reports to investigate whether lone pilots are more likely than two pilots to be involved in accidents or incidents where PI was a contributing factor. The findings of this study are reassuring regarding commercial flight operations, where normally there will be two pilots.
Predicting Skytrax’s Official World Airline Star ratings from customer reviews
(2011) Pérezgonzález, Jose D.; Gilbey, Andrew
Skytrax audits and ranks airlines internationally in its yearly ‘Official World Airline Star Ranking’. Unfortunately, its activity is severely restricted, at most covering just 30% of those airlines listed as open for review by passengers in its website in 2010. This research article explored the possibility of using a readily available variable as predictor, as an alternative way of ranking the remaining 70% of airlines in a simpler and more straightforward manner. The regression formula retained correlated highly with the criterion variable, accounting for 47% of its variance, thus supporting the viability of using customer reviews as a possible way of predicting ranking scores for airlines not officially audited by Skytrax.
PC-based aviation training devices (PCATDs): research, development and certification
(Massey University, 2011) Reweti, Savern; Gilbey, Andrew; Jeffreys, L; Hall, S
This paper examines the development of two PCATD’s (one helicopter, one fixed-wing) and their eventual certification by CAA. Certification has demonstrated the potential these devices have for aviation training in New Zealand. Traditionally FTD‘s and PCATD’s have been sourced from foreign companies, and they represent a considerable financial investment for large flying training organisations. The procurement of these simulator types is generally beyond the financial resources of most small to medium sized flying schools. Aviation training in NZ is facing significant financial constraints as well as an increasing demand to simulate complex glass cockpit systems that are now installed in most new General Aviation (GA) aircraft. The development, utilisation and certification of this type of PCATD technology could solve these difficult challenges.
3rd Aviation Education and Research Symposium: “Contemporary Issues in Aviation Education and Research”
(Massey University, 2011) Pérezgonzález, Jose
Massey University School of Aviation is pleased to announce the third Aviation Education and Research Symposium to be held at Wellington on 05-06 July 2010, in conjunction with the Aviation Industry Association of New Zealand and Royal Aeronautical Society, New Zealand. Encouraged by the success of the previous two seminars, we have continued with sessions that enable both academics and practitioners from the aviation industry to share views and developments. The event will be a venue for disseminating research, and an opportunity for theory and practice to converge. We have retained the same theme "Contemporary Issues in Aviation Education and Research", as this appears to attract a greater spectrum of submissions across aviation psychology, education, technology, training, and the economic aspects of the industry. The conference papers have been peer-reviewed and classified into three sessions, with ‘Aviation Training’ on the first day, followed by ‘Aviation Psychology’, ‘Aviation Education’ and ‘Commercial Aspects of Aviation’ on the following day. We welcome delegates to attend, participate and share information on the latest developments in the industry.
Sleep pattern disruption of flight attendants operating on the Asia–Pacific route
(2011) Lin, Bo; Qiu, Yifan; Pérezgonzález, Jose D.
Jet lag is a common issue with flight attendants in international flights, as they have to cross several time zones back and forth, while their sleep patterns get disrupted by the legally required rest times between flights, which are normally carried out at different locations. This research aimed to investigate the sleep quality of a sample of flight attendants operating between New Zealand and Asia. Twenty flight attendants were surveyed in this research. The research found that flight attendants typically took a nap immediately after arriving into New Zealand, reporting a sound sleep time of about 6 hours. After the nap, however, they had problems falling sleep in subsequent nights. After their first nap, some flight attendants try to adapt to local light conditions, while others prefer to keep the sleep patterns they had back home. Both groups report different trends of sleep quality.
The net profitability of airline alliances using referential dollars
(2011) Pérezgonzález, Jose D.; Lin, Bo
This study revises a previous research in which we analysed the net profitability of airline alliances but did not control for the impact of inflation on such profitability. Using the same methodology, 15 international airlines as subjects and their net financial results for a period of 11 years as primary research variables, we now compared the performance of airlines before and after joining their respective alliances using referential dollars (i.e., constant dollars with 2010 as base year) instead of nominal dollars. The results showed a similar deterioration in short-term net profits after joining an alliance as the previous study did, and a similar behaviour of statistics tests. Thus, the conclusion then achieved still stand after this revision.
Forecasting airport passenger traffic: the case of Hong Kong International Airport
(2011) Tsui, Wai Hong Kan; Balli, Hatice Ozer; Gower, Hamish
Hong Kong International Airport is one of the main gateways to Mainland China and the major aviation hub in Asia. An accurate airport traffic demand forecast allows for short and long-term planning and decision making regarding airport facilities and flight networks. This paper employs the Box-Jenkins Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) methodology to build and estimate the univariate seasonal ARIMA model and the ARIMX model with explanatory variables for forecasting airport passenger traffic for Hong Kong, and projecting its future growth trend from 2011to 2015. Both fitted models are found to have the lower Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) figures, and then the models are used to obtain ex-post forecasts with accurate forecasting results. More importantly, both ARIMA models predict a growth in future airport passenger traffic at Hong Kong.
T-Visual Approach Slope Indicator System (T-VASIS) versus Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) – the debate revisited
(2011) Lewis, Raymond
Two visual approach slope indicator lighting systems are in use in Australasia. These systems are designed to ameliorate and overcome the visual illusions associated with the approach and landing manoeuvre of aircraft. Using a flight simulator, 14 student pilot candidates, with little actual flying experience, ‘flew’ 10 approaches using PAPI and 10 approaches using T-VASIS. The approaches were ‘flown’ in various flight conditions including low visibility. The visual approach slope indicator lighting system was randomly assigned to each experimental condition. Results indicated that overall, there was less deviation from a correct glidepath when the approaches were ‘flown’ using T-VASIS. A post-flight survey indicated that participants found T-VASIS to be more intuitive. The results are discussed with reference to the prevailing preference of PAPI over T-VASIS by aviation authorities.
A convenient regression formula for predicting Skytrax’s Official World Airport Star ratings
(2011) Pérezgonzález, Jose D.; Gilbey, Andrew
Skytrax audits and ranks airports internationally in its yearly ‘Official World Airport Star Ranking’. Unfortunately, its activity is severely restricted, at most covering just 3% of those airports listed by Skytrax as open to review by passengers in its website in 2010. This research article explored the possibility of using a readily available variable as predictor, as an alternative way of ranking the remaining 97% of airports in a simpler and more straightforward manner. The regression formula retained correlated highly with the criterion variable, accounting for 45% of its variance, thus supporting the viability of using customer reviews as a possible way of predicting ranking scores for airport not officially audited by Skytrax.

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