This paper discusses desynchronosis ( Jet-lag ) and commercial aviation: Cause, biological and behavioral effects, circadian rhythms and sleep disturbances.
1,575 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 10 sources, 1994, $ 55.95
From the Paper "The technological breakthroughs of the 20th century have raised many questions regarding physiologic adaptation and environmental adversity. One such area of research involves high speed travel and its effect on biological rhythms. Multiple time zone transitions result in a phenomenon known as desynchronization, or "jet lag." This condition can have significant biological and behavioral consequences; it could even, possibly, represent a potential threat to aircrews involved in transmeridian flights.
The first pilot to experience jet.lag was Wily Post. In 1933, he described various physiological alterations incurred while crossing time zones during global flight. These changes resulted primarily from shifts in ... "
From the Paper "Information technology in general, and computers in particular, have entered nearly every aspect of our lives. Aside from the direct use that we make of information technology in our homes and businesses, information technology influences and directs many other facets of modern living. Within the airline industry, for example, computers and information technology has become an integrated and integral component. Manned flight has always been an activity that was highly dependent on technology, but the recent increase in information technology has given rise to an integration of information technology and flight programs that would have been unimaginable only decades earlier. This research examines the current state of the market of information technology in the airline industry with regard to three major areas: traffic control, ... "
Abstract The essay explains how there was a formal structure in place in the Tenerife incident where each person had a specific role to play and yet stress managed to complicate the situation. It goes into greater detail regarding the various elements of group dynamics including structure/status, hierarchy/roles, norms, leadership, cohesiveness and conflict.
From the Paper "In order for groups to function effectively, a structure must be in place. This structure may be formal or informal. In the Tenerife example, the structure was formal and followed a hierarchy in which each main player held a specific status and role. The airport controllers give direction to the pilots and coordinate movements of aircrafts. Aboard the plane, the captain was the designated leader (years of experience, decorations, and image added to his legitimate authority and control), and the copilot and engineer where his subordinates."
Abstract This paper outlines the origins of the Boeing Aerospace Company which which first started in a boathouse in 1915 and today is the world's leading aerospace company. It describes William Boeing's early life, his first plane designs and flight experiences and his airmail career. It examines its contibutions to the military in World War I and its near bancruptcy afterwards.
From the Paper "Boeing also opened the first airmail service between Vancouver and Seattle in a B-1 Flying Boat. In 1934, federal antitrust laws forbade airmail carriers from associating themselves with aircraft manufacturers. The government also canceled its airmail contracts with private planes and gave them to the United States Army. But when the army lost 12 airmail pilots in two months, the government had no choice except to give the contracts back to the companies. Boeing was the only one who did not get his contract back because he was declared ?ineligible and unfit to carry airmail.?"
Abstract This paper examines how the needs of commercial aviation is continually changing and how, with the desire to grow the manufacturing business, Boeing is continually downsizing and reorganizing, with an optimum goal to yield a highly efficient manufacturing process. It examines how senior managers have faced the challenge by defining four new strategies to lead the company toward this endeavor in the form of goal setting.
Outline
Introduction
Production
Competition
Upgrading Existing Business Units
Design of New Aircraft
Twentieth Century Technology Empowers Boeing's
Transformation of Business Strategy
CATIA and ENOVIA as Enterprise Wide Standards for Digital Design and Manufacturing
Knowledge Work Systems
The Winning Team - Analysis
From the Paper "Prior to production of the Boeing 777, manufacturing at Boeing was decentralized and non-conducive to information sharing. Production in many areas of design, manufacturing and assembly operations were highly inefficient by virtue of time loss and duplicity; most of which was experienced by engineers who design, prototype, and test airline systems utilizing more than 800 independent computer systems, all of which spoke variations of the same architectural lingo??airplane.? The problem was clear to see; the efficiency of communications solutions represented the difference between profits and losses."
Abstract Little did the Wright brothers know when they successfully tested their flying machine at Kitty Hawk, on December 17, 1903, what an influential industry they were launching. The paper shows that since then aviation has changed enormously, with airports like Chicago O?Hare facilitating some 383,362 landing and take-off cycles each year. It examines how the aerospace industry is becoming America's leading industrial employer with some 1,484,000 employees and sales of $27 billion. The paper shows however that the evolution and growth of aviation has not been an entirely positive experience. This paper examines the effects ? good and bad ? that aviation has had on the economy, on society, on the environment and on military power.
From the Paper "Surely the most negative aviation-related event that has happened ? and has had a tremendously harmful and lingering effect on the U.S. economy and on citizen morale ? was the hijacking of jetliners by terrorists on September 11, 2001. On that day, America learned that large airplanes can quite easily be turned into missiles, and those missiles upon impact become potent bombs, to be used by our enemies against this nation. This is an issue that leaders must address, in terms of making airports truly secure and safe. Meanwhile, another kind of airport safety is in the news lately. A recent article in Time Magazine alludes not to hijacking, or of people in planes, but rather to ??the vastly greater numbers on the ground who are brutalized as the planes pass overhead.?
Millions of people who live ?"under the proliferating webs of flight path"are paying an unacceptable price in stress, lost sleep, impaired hearing, inability to concentrate, in their children's ability to learn and in the generally degraded quality of life that results when the mind is tormented by these intrusions,? writes Time journalist Lance Morrow."
Abstract This paper provides an application oriented state-of-the-art review of smart materials and magnetostrictive actuators in aeronautical design. Smartness describes self-adaptability, self-sensing, memory and multiple functionality of the materials or structures. The paper shows that these characteristics provide numerous possible applications for these materials and structures in aerospace, manufacturing, civil infrastructure systems and biomechanics. Active vibration and acoustic transmission control, active shape control and active damage control are some of those areas which have found attractive applications for smart materials and structures. Examples of specific applications are micro-positioning, vibration isolation, fast acting valve and nozzles, transducers, luxury car shocks, and active engine mounts in aircrafts. The paper shows that system integration, mass and energy consumption reduction, elimination of moving parts in actuators and collocation between actuator and sensor are some of the benefits of using smart materials. Those smart materials covered in this paper are primarily piezoelectric, shape memory alloys and magnetostrictive.
From the Paper "Along these lines there is growing interest in the design and control of smart structures systems with embedded sensors and actuators that provide enhanced ability to program a desired response from a system. The ability to sense real-time conditions, i.e., the factors that contribute to turbulence and therefore resistance in a given environment, would be welcome and useful. Applications of interest include: (a) smart helicopter rotors with actuated flaps that alter the aerodynamic and vibrational properties of the rotor in conjunction with evolving flight conditions and aerodynamic loads; and (b) smart fixed wings with actuators that alter airfoil shape to accommodate changing drag/lift conditions. In these and other examples, key technologies include actuators based on materials that respond to changing electric, magnetic, and thermal fields via piezoelectric, magnetostrictive and thermo-elasto-plastic interactions."
Abstract The space shuttle is the world's first reusable spacecraft. With today's technology, shuttles are capable of withstanding the vacuums of space, the difficulty of re-entry and cosmic and solar radiation. The paper shows that while some scientists believe the space industry will never become commercialized due to the shuttle's outdated complexities, shuttles of today may commercialize the space industry with an old rocket technology that has not been fully realized. Solid rocket engines, an old, yet reliable, space technology, are safe, low cost, provide a high thrust and may be the key to space industry commercialization.
From the Paper "Solid fuel rocket engines are an old technology. While they have changed since their inventions of early China, their simple and non-complicated design remains in tact. It is due to that design that the engines and rockets have remained stable throughout centuries. They are safe, encompassing easy to handle materials, and allowing for long-term storage. They are reliable, consisting of non-machine related parts to limit the possibilities of mechanical failure. They are cost effective, due to their reusability as well as their materials, made from low cost resources."
Abstract Airline pricing is a complex, unpredictable process that is affected by many factors. Three of the major factors affecting this process are competition, demand and inventory. Airlines refer to it as "yield management? yet few offer an explanation for why a one-way flight costs as much as a round-trip ticket does. This essay describes the process of airline pricing and the factors that affect it, in an attempt to understand the logic behind major and discount airlines when creating their pricing structures.
From the Paper "Demand is another factor that affects airline pricing. This factor explains why it is cheaper to fly on a weekday, at off-peak hours, or on days other than major holidays. Some flights are more popular than others, possibly due to the time or day or day of week. A red-eye flight is not as popular as a flight in the morning. And a flight on Tuesday is probably not as popular as a flight on Friday, unless it is around a major holiday. Regardless, airlines must operate these flights to maintain a regular schedule, so prices must be changed, flight by flight, to attract people to fill up the less popular flights and the more popular flights."
Abstract The paper deals with the competitive advantage Airbus possesses in its market. It goes into detail on specific projects which helped make Airbus the juggernaut that it is today. In addition to discussing technology and growth opportunities, the paper also levels Airbus against its competitors.
From the Paper "Airbus and Boeing are well aware that if they want to win this race for market domination, they will have to offer premium services to help China's aviation industry and to train China's pilots. Airbus took the initiative to provide these premium services by setting up their own parts distribution centers in Beijing to fill the needs of the Chinese commercial aviation fleet. Airbus is also making strategic moves to gain popularity by selling their planes in a manner that benefits more than just two parties. In reference to a $2.5 billion order for twenty eight Airbus jets for China, the French president commented that "It's good for Europe. It's good for France. It's good for employment" With up to fifty percent of the new Airbus's constructed in the United Kingdom, this order will help secure British jobs.? These types of tactics are helping Airbus to gain a competitive edge over Boeing not only in China but around the world, and to grow more stable as an international company."
Tags: 747, aeronautics, airplanes, aviation, boeing, europe
Abstract As the space shuttle Columbia began its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003, it began to break up. While the exact cause of the shuttle break up is still being investigated, there are many theories being considered, many of which have to do with heating tiles under the shuttle. The paper examines the process of an air-shuttle's re-entry into the atmosphere and shows where things could have gone wrong with Columbia.
From the Paper "In the final stage, the shuttle approaches the upper atmosphere and enters the ionization blackout. In the ionization blackout, hot ionized gases of the atmosphere surround the shuttle. This prevents radio communication with mission control for the about twelve minutes. At this point the shuttle is traveling at 17,000 mph. As the shuttle collides with air molecules, friction is generated which leads to surface temperatures of around 3000 F. The steep angle of re-entry ensures that most of the aerodynamic heating is directed towards the underside of the shuttle where the heat resistant tiles offer the greatest amount of protection. As the atmosphere thickens, the shuttle's thrusters are eventually switched off, at which point the shuttle's aerodynamic flight features kick in, and it can be flown like an airplane."
Abstract This paper argues for the institution of commercial pilots carrying arms. It shows that since the 9/11 attacks, people willing to fly on commercial airlines have drastically decreased. It argues that in order for the airline industry to be able to regain these figures and ensure passengers and crew that the skies are indeed friendly, commercial airline pilots need to be able to carry weapons, or have access to a weapon within the cockpit.
From the Paper "Airlines have undertaken various methods to ensure the cockpit is safe from any hijacker. These measures have included barring the cockpit and making it impenetrable to a terrorist on-board. While this is a positive first step, it does not relieve travelers of their worries, and in fact, alienates crew and passengers from the pilots. This kind of alienation does not increase the likelihood of someone choosing to fly over taking the train. It only sends out a subliminal message to passengers that flying is still dangerous because of the probability of a terrorist attack on a plane."
Abstract This research paper provides an account of working as a flight attendant. The paper includes a look at the nature of work, training requirements, qualifications, procedures, employment rate and earning rate as well as merits and demerits of the service occupation of flight attendants. The writer adds a number of current statistics, including salaries, size of workforce, breakdown of the workforce among others.
From the Paper "Almost all airlines provide their passengers with flight attendants in order to assist their customers travel comfortably. Since, the law demands airlines to hire flight attendants the individuals joining this occupation shoulder various responsibilities including making sure that passengers on board comply with the safety regulations and keeping a strict check pertaining to the availability of first aid kit and other safety equipment (Service Occupations: Flight Attendants). Moreover, flight attendants inform the flying public regarding the use of such emergency equipment, welcome their passengers on board, check their flying tickets as well as provide instructions to them regarding the placement of "carry-on items" ."
Abstract Foremost among the problems found in air travel safety is within human error. The safety of general aviation has been improving. Even with these improvements, general aviation's accident rate remains about 24 times higher than the accident rate of scheduled commercial aviation. Runway incursions and other unauthorized entry into areas that would give rise to the opportunity for accidents or other safety failures are significant.
Abstract There are 933 flight schools in the United States, ranging from private facilities mostly located at airports to complete two- and four-year programs at some of the nation's colleges and universities. How well does each prepare its students to become commercial pilots for airlines or small, local and regional carriers? In this paper, I will discuss some selected pilot training schools and show what they offer students. In addition, I will touch on the area of minority recruitment and the presence of minorities and women in commercial aviation.
