ESSAY - PASSION FOR BUSINESS AVIATION

I.

Introduction
When I was pursuing my high school studies with the emphasis on math, physics and
chemistry, a strong passion flux for aviation was generated in me. This passion and hunger
for knowledge maneuvered me towards graduation in aeronautical engineering and equal
hard work and dedication helped me to achieve my bachelors in the same.
With great difficulty and challenge, I got admitted into Arizona State University for my
masters in aerospace engineering. By the end of my first semester I began to realize the
passion flux pulling me towards aviation management and human factors, also offered at
ASU.
This marked the beginning of my journey in the field of aviation. Like all great journeys,
mine was also inspired and motivated by several other aviation personalities. In this essay I
would like to mention and discuss the important safety issues in the current aviation
scenario.

II.

UAS Boon or a Threat?

A. Unmanned Aircraft Systems are one of the most debated topics these days in terms of safety
and privacy. Since model airplane enthusiasts have begun this unmanned aircraft legacy for
pleasure flying, there have been revolutionary changes in its technology and applications.
Following are the examples of drone interventions in the recent times.
1. US Army Addresses New Threat Drones as IEDs : Recently US Army expresses its
concerns over drone threats on American targets, and their research on mitigating
them.
2. Another example comes from a press release stating that more than 400 US military
drones have crashed in major accidents around world since 2001. Which means
increase in the potential dangers of drone activity and traffic on American skies.
B. Not only on the defense side, but Unmanned Aircraft Systems possess a great threat to the
civil and business aviation industries as well.
1. According to Washington post, reports from pilots around United States about nearcollisions and other dangerous encounters with small drones have spiked since 2014.
2. Very recently Ocean City, Maryland are reportedly considering a ban on unmanned
aircraft systems in most of the islands airspace.

III.

Accidents Root causes?

Over the years, aviation accidents have been classified according to the probable causes,
and it has been observed that equipment failure contributes to 31 percent of the part 121
accidents alone. This category includes the failure of engines, instruments, electrical
systems, landing gear or tires, and failure of any part of the structure of the aircraft
including control surfaces.
1. We all know that Part 121 air carriers carry the vast majority of commercial passengers
in the United States, it is important to think about the equipment that is still in use today
across the country and we need to have more reviews to improve safety.
2. In the context of business aviation, safety could be directly related to type of equipment
used on board. By following the important equipment upgrades from time to time,
safety standards are set to impress.
Pilot error is the second largest contributor for aviation accidents according to NTSB. In
part 121 alone, pilot error contributes to about 27 percent of the accidents.
1. Other than just flight training and aptitude development, airlines must be encouraged to
consider the psychological assessment of the pilots before and after hiring them.
Thorough background check on the account of psychological problems would prove a
significant measure in human error project.
2. Crew resource management training plays a key role in managing the human factor in
aviation safety. Studies show that the airlines having CRM courses included in their
training curriculum have much lower human factor involved in the accidents than the
ones that dont have CRM in their curriculum for training.

IV.

Cybersecurity how can this be a concern for aviation safety?

Hacking is an activity that involves individual or a group of individuals who breach the
virtual security around a system with or without the use of assistive technology. Many
countries, establishments, and companies including some of the major financial institutions
have been the victims of this illicit activity. This malpractice using computer technology is
set to hit the airline industry.
1. At the 24th AVSEC World Conference, at the World Aviation Security Conference, the
attendees and speakers agreed that unlike most other security breaches, cyber-attacks
on a targeted airline will guarantee a maximum impact.
2. It is also noted at the conference that an issue long highlighting the worrying lack of
cybersecurity measures in an airplane is the Automatic Dependent Surveillance
Broadcast (ADS-B) system in an aircraft. Akin to a transponder, the system periodically
determines the planes position via satellite before sending it to a ground station,
ensuring that the plane can be tracked. Significantly, the data sent from the system is
unencrypted, leaving it to an exploit by outside interference

ESSAY - PASSION FOR BUSINESS AVIATION

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Now that airline industry is a potential threat, cyber security upgrades are essential for the
continued efficiency of international trade, tourism and investment which are crucial
factors of global economy. It is important that the critical infrastructure of the aviation
industry should be secured and maintained. The areas that airlines need to look into:
1. The security of commercial airlines and whether the systems crucial to fly planes are
vulnerable to cyber-attacks hit the headlines in April after a security researcher claimed
that he had been able to hack into flight controls via his under seat entertainment unit.
2. Along with Wi-Fi and electronics on board, airlines, airports and air traffic management
companies are sharing more information than ever before to make flying more efficient
and deal with increasing numbers of passengers.
V.

Conclusion
Commercial airline safety has improved dramatically since the airline industrys birth about
a hundred years ago. Fatal accidents have now declined so much that air transportation can
now be considered as one of the safest mode of travels.
However, the current generation and future generations to follow face further more
challenging factors such discussed above as: UA Systems, Most common probable causes,
and Cyber-security of an airline industry.
I am therefore inspired to pursue my passion flux in aviation and involve in these
challenging factors which could change the face of business aviation.

ESSAY - PASSION FOR BUSINESS AVIATION

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