Assignment

Running Head: ADVANCED AIRCRAFT AVIONICS AND DVE 1

ADVANCED AIRCRAFT AVIONICS AND DVE 2

Assessing Advanced Avionics that will help Aircrews Avoid Degraded Visual Environments (DVE).

July 2016

Abstract

Degraded Visual Environment (DVE) is the loss of visual cues while flying. Since 2002, DVE has accounted for 123 fatalities and more than $965 million dollars in equipment loss in the US Army (Donovan, n.d.). The author will give examples of DVE accidents and what modern aircraft avionics are available to assist pilots in DVE. The author will accomplish this by researching Army Flight Regulation 95-1, US Army Safety Center database, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, Aeromedical 400-03/1, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) database, and the following companies (BAE, Elbit, SNC, and HN Burns) for advanced avionics technology. At the conclusion of this paper, the author will provide a better understanding of what DVE is, how it affects aircrews, and what avionics components can help prevent accidents.

Assessing Advanced Avionics that will help Aircrews Avoid Degraded Visual Environments (DVE).

From 2003 through 2007, there were 8,657 aviation accidents involving 8,754 aircraft (Weather-Related, 2010). The weather was a cause or contributing factor in 1,740 accidents or 20.1 percent (Weather-Related, 2010). Fog, rain, dust, snow and smoke, are phenomena that can cause DVE that aircrews have to deal with during all phases of flight. When a pilot encounters any of these environments, the pilot may become spatial disoriented (SD). SD causes the pilot to lose his/her flight orientation, and potentially leading to an unrecoverable attitude of the aircraft.

The Army had three major aviation accidents that were caused by weather for the fiscal year 2015 (US Army Safety Center, 2016). A military Blackhawk helicopter crashed off the coast of Florida in March of 2015 killing all service members (“Thick Fog”, 2015). The fog was a contributing factor that caused the accident. The pilot was flying using outside visual references when they encountered the fog. The pilots became spatially disoriented. The only method of recovery is through proper training, basic instrument flying, and good crew coordination. Sadly, that did not happen.

The author will evaluate four different companies that provide advance avionics to assist aircrews for a smoother transition when DVE is encountered. The author will obtain at least five years worth of statistical data to show how many accidents are caused by DVE, and in what phase of flight DVE most commonly occurred. The author will compare and contrast some techniques to recover from SD during flight, and analyze how advanced technology could simplify recovery methods. This project will evaluate whether aircraft accidents are preventable with advanced avionics that can provide other visual references through DVE conditions.

DVE

DVE can be divided into two categories; first is the aircraft disturbing the natural environment it’s operating in- such as dust and snow (Kennard, 2008). These two environments are usually only a factor when the aircraft is conducting take off and landings. The first category is a major issue for military rotary wing aircraft conducting combat operations in a desert or snowy environment. The second category is created naturally by the environment or by man. The most common DVE conditions created by the environment are darkness and precipitation effects (fog, mist, clouds, heavy rain, and heavy snow). However, man creates battlefield smoke and city lights (Kennard, 2008). The military uses night vision goggles (NVGs) to counter the darkness. The general aviation (GA) industry is slowly acquiring NVGs to provide safer night operations for pilots. All other DVE conditions, pilots must be trained and educated on how to deal with “mother nature”. The military has limited avionics components that will aid the pilot in addressing either DVE category. DVE conditions mentioned can cause pilots to become disoriented during flight.

According to Lt. Col Higginbotham, the Aviation Directorate for the U.S. Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center defines DVE as “reduced visibility of potentially varying degree, wherein situational awareness and aircraft control cannot be maintained as comprehensively as in normal visual meteorological conditions, potentially leading to loss” (Higginbotham, 2014). Lt. Col Higginbotham notes that spatial disorientation (SD) and DVE are linked. He continues by describing SD as “what happens” to the pilot and DVE is the condition “where it happens”, which results in the loss of orientation (Higginbotham, 2014). If you have never encountered DVE as a pilot, it’s a very unnerving event.

Spatial Disorientation

Spatial orientation is being able to maintain your body’s orientation and posture with the surrounding environment (physical space), no matter if you’re static or in motion (Antunao, n.d.). Spatial disorientation is when you cannot determine your position, attitude, and motion about the Earth’s surface. When a pilot encounters SD in flight, they’re usually unable to trust their instrumentation. They instead rely on false information provided by their senses (Department of the Army, 2009). A pilot encountering DVE unexpectedly will become overwhelmed, and their workload increased dramatically. Approximately 20 percent of all major Army aviation accidents valued over half million dollars have been caused by SD, or loss of situational awareness in DVE (Higginbotham, 2014). Spatial disorientation accounts for five to ten percent of all general aviation accidents, which 90 percent of those are fatal. (Antunao, n.d.). Spatial disorientation caused by DVE effects all pilots no matter if you’re in the military or if you fly general aviation. Sensory illusion whether visual, vestibular, or proprioceptive can give the pilot a false perception of reality caused by the conflict of orientation information derived from one or more equilibrium mechanisms. Sensory illusions are a major cause of SD accidents within the military (Department of the Army, 2009).

There are three types of SD the Army teaches their aircrew members. Type I “unrecognized”, the most dangerous. The pilot does not perceive anything is wrong. Type II “recognized”, the pilot notices a problem, but thinks the aircraft instrumentation has malfunctioned. The graveyard spin is a good example of this scenario. Type II SD was a contributing cause that killed JFK Jr., and two other family members in a 1999 plane crash (Vulliamy, 1999). Type III “incapacitating”, is an overwhelming sensation of movement that the pilot cannot orient using visual cues or the aircraft instruments. Type III is not fatal if the pilot can gain control of the aircraft.

Of the three sensory systems, the visual system is the most important to a pilot. The visual system provides 80% of orientation in humans (Department of the Army, 2009). The vestibular system is located in the ear, which detects motion and gravity. The semicircular canals and otolith organs sense changes in aircraft attitude via pitch, roll, and yaw. The semicircular cans also detect changes in angular acceleration and deceleration. Proprioceptive system is pressure on the joints and muscles. Pilots refer to this term as “seat of the pants” flying.

Figure 1. From (Antunano, n.d.)

Prevention of SD

SD cannot be eliminated, but pilots must beware of the environment they’re operating in and always be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Training, instrument proficiency, and maintaining situational awareness will help minimize SD. The following measures can prevent SD: (1) always fly with visual reference points. An actual horizon or artificial horizon via instruments, (2) trust your instruments and regularly cross crosschecks your instruments, (3) don’t fly in visual flight rules (VFR) conditions if weather conditions are deteriorating, (4) transfer flight controls to the other pilot if able. In most situations, both pilots won’t experience SD at the same time (Department of the Army, 2009). The statement above provides great talking points for training and real life scenarios, but sometimes it’s not reality. Military aircrews might be in a location that doesn’t provide training areas or instrument flying. If in combat, the pilot, at a minimum should always maintain their situational awareness of the following: weather, terrain, hazards, and crew proficiency. Taking those items into account, the crew should be able to come up with a good plan to counter “most” DVE situations. However, advanced avionics could simplify the issue at hand.

Army’s Composite Risk Management (CRM)

The purpose of risk management is to preserve the resources and assets by identifying, evaluating, and controlling risks. The goal is to minimize any losses of property, net income, or personnel (as cited in Vanvactor, 2007). The US Army defines an accident by any unplanned event which results in one or more of the following: job-related illness to Army military or Army civilian personnel, Army civilian personnel injury while on-duty, Army military on-duty or off-duty injury, damage to Army property, damage to public or private property caused by Army operations, injury or illness to non-Army personnel caused by Army operations (AR 385-10, p. 22). The U.S. Army uses a five-step process to mitigate risk: (1) identification of hazards, (2) an assessment of those hazards, (3) a development of controls to aid with decision-marking, (4) an implementation of controls, and finally, (5) supervision and evaluation of safe execution (ATP 5-19, 2014).

Figure 2. From (Department of the Army, 2014)

All Army Aviation units have a risk matrix they use to evaluate risk and determine where they can mitigate risk. The risk matrix using the five-step risk management is an effective tool for leaders. The matrix will usually identify areas of concern and how to address those issues. The five-step risk management is just one tool for leaders to use.

Figure three defines and classifies a US Army accident. Class A is the most serious accident, and class E is the least serious accident. If aircrews are involved in a Class A or B aviation accident, they are grounded until the accident review board has determined the cause. Additionally, the aircrews are required to give a urinalysis and blood test. This is to ensure no drugs or alcohol was involved. Additionally, if those crews have been cleared of any negligence, they have to pass a physical exam and flight evaluation.

Figure 3. From (Department of the Army, 2014)

Accident Data

From 2002 to 2015 the US Army had 383 Class A and B accidents. Twenty-five percent of those accidents were caused by DVE. Of the 383 accidents caused by DVE, there was an 81% fatality rate and a total of $1 billion in lost material. A vast majority of these accidents occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan were 56% of the accidents occurred in brownout conditions (Drew, 2016). I’ll give a micro look at the Blackhawk and shed some light on the type of accidents, and the cost associated with DVE. The US Army Blackhawk is one of the work horse aircraft for the military. During 2010-2014 (2,120,00+ flight hours), the Blackhawk had 163 Class A-C mishaps. There were 33 fatalities and total losses of $137 million dollars during a five-year period. The vast majority of the accidents (92%) were human error. Eight of the 22 Class A accidents were related to DVE that resulted in 18 fatalities (Higginbotham, 2014).

Figure 4. From (Higginbotham, 2014)

As of to date, the accident rate has declined per figure five. There is an incline in Class A accidents for 2016. In my opinion, the reduction in accidents is due to a limited number of military aviation assets in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Figure 5. From (U.S. Army Safety Center, 2016)

Lessons Learned

At the beginning of the Iraq war, helicopters launched to execute a known target. The weather was less than VFR conditions but only got worse throughout the flight. The flight decided to land in the desert to wait out the weather. During the approach to landing, the aircrew encountered heavy dust and crashed. This incident caused our organization to rethink how we approached DVE conditions. When landing in heavy dust conditions, we refer to this maneuver as loss of visual references (LVR).

When conducting LVRs, we’ll take the following considerations into account. First, we ensure out of ground hover effect (OGE) is available for the weight, temperatures, and pressure altitudes we’ll be operating at. OGE provides we’re able to clear obstacles if any hazards are encountered during landings and take offs. Second, we check our instrumentation to ensure its accuracy for DVE conditions at a hover. LVR allows the pilot to hover the aircraft using instrumentation only when no outside visual cues are available. Finally, crew coordination is discussed amongst the crew. The crew will talk about the LZ and any potential hazards. The pilots will determine who’s conducting the approach, and how the approach will be terminated. There’re two types of LVR approaches; first is the approach to touchdown with minimum ground speed, and second is a pilot coordinated landing. Touchdown with minimum ground speed is a constant approach angle to the intended point of touchdown and land with little ground roll. Pilot coordinated landing is when the pilot stops at a hover over the planned point of touchdown and comes straight down to land (ARSOA 60 Series ATM, 2014). Both maneuvers work well if they are practiced in the flight simulator or simulated conditions. Practicing LVR is necessary for the pilot to gain confidence in landing the aircraft safely while in DVE conditions. LVR is our current teaching method in dealing with DVE conditions during landings and takeoffs. It’s not the ideal method due to the lack of advanced avionics technology.

Weather

U.S. Army pilots will obtain a weather briefing for all VFR and IFR flights. The destination and alternate airport weather must be forecast to be equal to or greater than VFR minimums at estimated time of arrival (ETA) through one hour after ETA. Aviators may file flight plans to airports that have an active class B, C, D, and E surface area airspace, as long as weather conditions are greater than known special visual flight rules (SVFR) minima for that airspace. Helicopter SVFR is half-mile visibility and clear of clouds unless the airport has higher weather minimums. Weather information will be obtained from a U.S. military weather facility. Weather briefings will be voided one hour and thirty minutes after initial forecast is received provided the aircraft has not departed” (Department of the Army, 2014).

Figure 6. From (Department of the Army, 2014)

Weather usually plays a vital role in most accidents. Weather minimums are published for aircrew’s safety. Most Army Aviation units have high weather minimums while flying VFR. Commanders may implement weather minimums to be greater than a 1000’ ceilings and 3 miles of visibility at all times. Additionally, if flying at night, the illumination has to be greater than 50%. If those weather conditions aren’t met, the missions is delayed or canceled. The issue for most military aviators is combat. Commanders and aircrews will push weather minimums to accomplish the mission. Sadly, this is where aircrews encounter DVE and either becomes spatially disoriented or flying into terrain.

Avionic Companies

Elbit

Elbit has successfully demonstrated their BrightNite system enables helicopters to perform in DVE conditions in more than 90% of the nights. BrightNite is a static uncooled forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera that provides an ultra-wide field of regard image to the pilot’s helmet-mounted display system. BrightNite augments the standard NVG with a clear fused image display. BrightNite gives both pilots 200 degrees of horizontal and 90 degrees of vertical viewing. If the pilot exceeds either vertical or horizontal limits, the BrightNite has an auto-switch that reverts to the standard NVGs. BrightNite gives pilots 3D flight path symbology during low-level flights at night. Finally, BrightNite gives the pilot 3D situational awareness by using anchoring symbols to allow the pilot fly in DVE conditions while conducting landings and takeoffs (Elbit Systems-Aerospace, n.d.).

Figure 7. From (Elbit Systems-Aerospace, n.d.)

BrightNite has a practical use, but I think it has limited use in the military. First, the cost is unknown. Second, how much strain does the system put on the pilot’s neck area. Finally, the system doesn’t allow the pilot to see clearly through DVE. If the military is spending millions of dollars on a system to see through DVE, then a company should provide a system that accomplishes that task.

Figure 8. From (Defenseupdate, 2016)

BAE

BAE is testing the Brownout landing aid system technology (BLAST), which uses a 94GHz monopulse radar. The 94GHz radar uses a millimeter-wave sensor that allows the system to see through DVE conditions. The radar provides a synthetic digital terrain that produces a 3D image of the landing zone (LZ). Figure nine is a snapshot of a helicopter at 500’ starting an approach to landing. The red coloring is providing information of possible hazards within the LZ. The right image in figure nine shows small triangles where the planned LZ is plotted. BLAST uses onboard GPS positioning to aid the sensors to provide accurate real time data (Sykora, 2012).

Figure 9. From (Sykora, 2012)

Figure 10. From (Sykora, 2012)

Interpreting the 3D graphs isn’t easy. In figure ten, I would assume that points A-D is hazardous terrain versus man-made objects. BLAST doesn’t integrate a landing system page for the pilot when DVE is encountered while hovering per figure six.

HN Burns

HN Burns uses multi-function laser detection and ranging (MFL) laser to scan the terrain and provides a high-resolution 3D image for pilots during all phases of flight. The MFL can detect wires, poles, towers during low-level flight at greater than 1500 feet slant range per figure eight. The MFL can provide initial LZ data at 1000 feet slant range and gives a final assessment at 100 feet slant range. The above data was provided while in actual DVE conditions. The MFL has terrain flight awareness that will warn the pilots when the aircraft is getting too close to terrain. (Air Force SBIR/STIR, 2015)

Figure 11. From (H.N. Burns Engineering Corporation, 2015)

The bottom left picture in figure 11 shows the aircraft is within the dust cloud, and the pilot has no outside visual cues. The picture on the right in figure 11 shows the pilot can still see the ground, buildings, wires, and hills. The MFL allows the pilot to fly with confidence while DVE conditions are encountered during flight. The MFL has great potential, but the unknowns are the cost, size, and weight.

Figure 12. From (H.N. Burns Engineering Corporation, 2015)

Honeywell

Honeywell has an avionics component called smartview. Smartview uses synthetic vision system (SVS) and enhanced vision system (EVS) to give pilots situational awareness of their surroundings. Smartview uses global position system (GPS) using satellites, enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS), terrain and obstacle databases that provide pilots a colorful 3D view of the terrain (Padfield, 2013). The system incorporates an FLIR to make a blended solution as seen in figure 13. Smartview gives the pilot SA no matter if the pilot is flying VFR or IFR. The system gives the pilot the feeling that they’re always flying in the daytime. However, this system doesn’t allow the pilot to “see through” DVE conditions. Smartview is a smart choice for mission’s that doesn’t need to see through DVE. Smartview would be ideal for companies like EMS, VIP, and Helicopter tour companies. The cost for this system as of 2015 is about $300,000 dollars. I’ve seen other articles that enhanced flight vision systems (EFVS) cost around $900,000 dollars. I’ve seen cheaper versions of SVS around $25-35 thousand dollars. The one major issue with Smartview is the database has to be constantly updated. The database is what provides the 3D obstacle and terrain avoidance profile.

Figure 13. From (Padfield, 2013)

Conclusion

The aviation industry is two to three years from having the ability to “see through” DVE conditions. However, there are alternatives that are available today. H.N. Burns would be the author’s top recommendation for military operation while flying in brownout conditions. MFL should cut down the accident rates and reduce the brownout accidents from 56% to a lower percentage number. Honeywell’s smartview system would be the author’s top choice for all other general purposes helicopter operations. Bottom line, there’s never a good reason why a pilot has crashed due to CFIT or lack of SA with all the advanced avionics technology that’s currently available. The government, corporate, and private agencies should always strive to ensure their pilots have the safest and most reliable aircraft avionic components available.

References

Air Force SBIR/STIR. (2015). Multi-Function (MFL) Laser Radar (LADAR) for rotorcraft brownout and cable warning/obstacle avoidance. Innovation. Retrieved from https://www.afsbirsttr.com/Publications/Documents/Innovation_20160128_AF93C-137_HN%20Burns.pdf

Antunano, M. (n.d.). Spatial Disorientation: Why you shouldn’t fly by the seat of your pants. FAA. Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/pilotsafetybrochures/media/spatiald.pdf

ARSOA 60 Series ATM. (2014). Aircrew Training Program. Fort Bragg, NC: Commander, United States Army Special Operations Aviation Command (Airborne).

Bellamy, W. (2014, February). Cockpits Next Generation Helicopter. Avionics. Retrieved from http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/issue/cover/COCKPITS-Next-Generation-Helicopter_81051.html#.V4LE_DflTzJ

Defenseupdate. (2016, May 4). Elbit Systems BrightNite. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykX1e8M8SmA

Department of the Army. (2009). Aeromedical Training for Flight Personnel. Retrieved from http://www.chinook-helicopter.com/Publications/Aeromedical/TC_3-04x93.pdf

Department of the Army. (2014). Flight Regulations. Retrieved from http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r95_1.pdf

Department of the Army. (2010). Army Aviation Accident Prevention Program. Retrieved from http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/p385_90.pdf

Department of the Army. (2014). Risk Management. Retrieved from http://www.adp.army.mil/pdffiles/p5_19.pdf

Donovan, J. (n.d.). Accident Trends. Army Aviation Magazine. Retrieved from

http://www.armyaviationmagazine.com/index.php/archive/not-so-current/849-accident-trends

Drew, J. (2016). US Army pick special forces gear as interim DVE capability. Flight Global. Retrieved from https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/us-army-picks-special-forces-gear-as-interim-dve-425441/

Elbit Systems-Aerospace. (n.d.). Brightnite [Fact sheet]. Retrieved from http://elbitsystems.com/media/Brightnite.pdf

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. (2015). College of aeronautics: Undergraduate capstone policy guide. Retried from https://erau.instructure.com/courses/6179/pages/coa-undergraduate-capstone-policy?module_itemid=17735

Federal Aviation Administration. (n.d.). AC00-6A- Aviation Weather For Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel Document Information. Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/document.information/documentid/22268

Gould, J. (2015, March). US Helo Leaders Take on Dust, New Engines. Defense News. Retrieved from http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/land/army-aviation/2015/03/30/helicopter/70685988/

Guide To Aircraft Airworthiness. (n.d.). AOPA. Retrieved from https://www.aopa.org/go-fly/aircraft-and-ownership/maintenance-and-inspections/aircraft-airworthiness/guide-to-aircraft-airworthiness

Hamilton, J.S. (2011). Practical aviation law (5th ed.). Lancaster; Newcastle, Wash; Aviation Supplies & Academics.

Higginbotham, M. (2014). Army Aviation’s enduring challenge. National Safety Month. Retrieved from https://www.army.mil/article/128754/Army_Aviation_s_enduring_challenge

Higginbotham, M. (2014). Black Hawk safety performance review. Flightfax. Vol. 44, 1-5.

H.N. Burns Engineering Corporation. (2015). 3DLZ Helicopter Brownout Landing System 2014 Flight Test. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgoqaktpbFQ

Kennard, P. (2016). How to solve a problem like brownout. Heliops, 8, 66-81. Retrieved from https://issuu.com/heliops/docs/hof_8

Marks, P. (2014, July). Smart goggles let helicopters pilots see through fog. New Scientist. Retrieved from https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25926-smart-goggles-let-helicopter-pilots-see-through-fog/

National Transportation Safety Board. (2016). Aviation Accident Database & Synopses. Retrieved from http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/index.aspx

Nelms, D. (2014, June). Finding a Better Way. Rotor&Wing International. Retrieved from http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/services/modifications/Finding-a-Better-Way_82233.html#.V4LJezflTzJ

Padfield, R. (2013). Synthetic vision with infrared becomes helicopter’s smartview. AINonline. Retrieved from http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2013-06-02/synthetic-vision-infrared-becomes-helicopters-smartview

Sykora, B. (2012). BAE Systems Brownout landing aid system technology (BLAST) system overview and flight test results. BAE Systems. Retrieved from https://globalcommhost.com/bae/contact/docs/SPIE_2012_BLAST_paper.pdf

Thick fog caused Black Hawk pilots to crash. (2015, June). USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/04/helicopter-crash-florida-training/28496745/

U.S. Army Safety Center. (2016). Statistics. Retrieved from https://safety.army.mil/STATISTICS.aspx

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Weather-Related Aviation Accident Study. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.asias.faa.gov/i/2003-2007weatherrelatedaviationaccidentstudy.pdf

Wheelen, T.L., & Hunger, J.D. (2015). Strategic management and business policy (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

APPENDIX A

COPY OF THE APPROVED RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Assessing Advanced Avionics that will help Aircrews Avoid Degraded Visual Environments (DVE).

By

Wade Davis

A Research Project Proposal

Submitted to the Worldwide Campus

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

Of Course ASCI 490, The Aeronautical Science Capstone Course,

For the Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics Degree

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

July 2016

Abstract

Degraded Visual Environment (DVE) is the loss of visual cues while flying. Since 2002, DVE has accounted for 123 fatalities and more than $965 million dollars in equipment loss in the US Army (Donovan, n.d.). The author will give examples of DVE accidents and what modern aircraft avionics are available to assist pilots in DVE. The author will accomplish this by researching Army Flight Regulation 95-1, US Army Safety Center database, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, Aeromedical 400-03/1, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) database, and the following manufactures (BAE, Elbit, SNC, and HN Burns) for avionics advanced technology. At the conclusion of this paper, the author will provide a better understanding of what DVE is, how it effects aircrews, and what avionics components can help prevent accidents.

Assessing Advanced Avionics that will help Aircrews Avoid Degraded Visual Environments (DVE).

Statement of the Proposal

This project will analyze DVE and evaluate advanced avionics to determine the student’s competency of all eleven-program outcome (PO’s) associated with the Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics degree.

Introduction

From 2003 through 2007, there were 8,657 aviation accidents involving 8,754 aircraft (Weather-Related, 2010). Weather was a cause or contributing factor in 1,740 accidents or 20.1 percent (Weather-Related, 2010). Fog, rain, dust, snow and smoke, are phenomena that can cause DVE that aircrews have to deal with during all phases of flight. When a pilot encounters any of these environments, the pilot may become spatial disoriented (SD). SD causes the pilot to lose his/her flight orientation, and potentially leading to an unrecoverable attitude of the aircraft.

The Army had three major aviation accidents that were caused by weather for fiscal year 2015 (US Army, 2016). A military Blackhawk helicopter crashed off the coast of Florida in March of 2015 killing all eleven-service members (“Thick Fog”, 2015). Fog was a contributing factor that caused the accident. The aircrew was flying using outside visual references when they encountered the fog. The aircrew quickly became spatially disoriented. The only method of recovery is through proper training, basic instrument flying, and good crew coordination. Sadly, that did not happen.

The author will evaluate four different companies that provide advance avionics to assist aircrews for a smoother transition when DVE is encountered. The author will obtain at least ten years worth of statistical data to show how many accidents are caused by DVE, and in what phase of flight DVE most commonly occurred. The author will compare and contrast some techniques to recover from SD during flight, and analyze how advanced technology could simplify recovery methods. This project will evaluate whether aircraft accidents are preventable with advanced avionics that can provide alternate visual references through DVE conditions.

Program Outcomes to be Addressed

Critical Thinking: “The student will show evidence of knowledge at a synthesis level to define and solve problems within professional and personal environments” (ERAU, 2015, pp. 12).

Critical thinking is the process of gathering data through research and experience, and making a logical decision to solve a problem. The author will show an understanding by analyzing and evaluating what DVE is, how it affects aircrews, and what advanced avionics can penetrate DVE conditions. The author will analyze ten years of statistical data on aviation accidents and how many are caused by DVE. Additionally, the author will evaluate the following companies; BAE, Elbit, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), and HN Burns, that meet the criteria stated above. The author sources will include the Army’s unclassified investigational crash report, Army’s flight Regulation 95-1, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the following manufactures (BAE, Elbit, SNC, and HN Burns) to provide the necessary data for the author’s project proposal.

Quantitative Reasoning: “The student will show evidence of the use of digitally-enabled technology & analysis techniques to interpret data for the purpose of drawing valid conclusions and solving associated problems” (ERAU, 2015, pp. 14).

Quantitative reasoning deals with math, graphs, and charts to provide factual data. The author will show quantitative data on how many aviation accidents are contributed to DVE. The author will obtain tens years worth of data. The author will compare military versus general aviation DVE accidents. The author will use a chart to break down what DVE factors that caused the accident. The author sources will include the Army’s unclassified investigational crash report, Army’s flight Regulation 95-1, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the following manufactures (BAE, Elbit, SNC, and HN Burns) to provide the necessary data for the author’s project proposal.

Information Literacy: “The student will show evidence of meaningful research, including gathering information from primary and secondary sources and incorporating and documenting source material in their writing” (ERAU, 2015, pp. 15).

Information literacy is how authors gather facts to provide meaningful research. The author’s goal is to only provide accurate and pertinent information to the reader. The author will use the Hunt Library to obtain scholarly and peer reviewed material relevant to author’s topic and the industry. The author will attempt to interview an aviator who has encountered DVE. The author’s secondary resource will be from any blogs, reports, or articles describing DVE and possible recovery methods. The author sources will include the Army’s unclassified investigational crash report, Army’s flight Regulation 95-1, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and the following manufactures (BAE, Elbit, SNC, and HN Burns) to provide the necessary data for the author’s project proposal.

Communication: “The student will show evidence of communicating concepts in written, digital, and oral forms to present technical and non-technical information” (ERAU, 2015, pp. 16).

Communication is the ability to provide a written and oral presentation to an audience. The written portion will be in APA format, and the oral presentation will be in a PowerPoint presentation. The author’s intent with both presentations is to provide logical and pertinent information for the reader. The APA publication manual 6th edition will be the author’s source to ensure all formatting is done correctly. The author will be using Microsoft Word to write the report, Microsoft Excel for graphs and chart analysis, Microsoft PowerPoint for the presentation, Eagle-Vision, Email, and Canvas to communicate with the instructor and other students throughout the course.

Scientific Literacy: “The student will show evidence of analyzing scientific evidence as it relates to the physical world and its interrelationship with human values and interests” (ERAU, 2015, pp. 18).

Scientific literacy is the understanding of scientific concepts and their associated applications. The author will discuss the weather phenomenon associated with DVE. This includes but not limited to fog, rain, dust, and smoke. The author will be evaluating the technology behind improved avionics to minimize DVE. Additionally, human factors such as spatially disorientation will be discussed. The author will analyze the physiology factors associated with vestibular illusion. The author sources will include the Army’s unclassified investigational crash report, Army’s flight Regulation 95-1, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), AC 00-6A- Aviation Weather For Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel, Aeromedical 400-03/1, and the following manufactures (BAE, Elbit, SNC, and HN Burns) to provide the necessary data for the author’s project proposal.

Cultural Literacy: “The student will show evidence of the analysis of historic events, cultural artifacts and philosophical concepts” (ERAU, 2015, pp. 19).

Cultural literacy is analyzing lessons learned in history and different perspectives from various cultural groups. The author will compare and contrast how DVE influenced aviators during any phase of flight. Additionally, the author will examine the evolution of an organization during combat operations. Once accidents occurred, how were the aviators affected and were any new Technical and Tactical Procedure (TTP) established? The author sources will include the Army’s unclassified investigational crash report, Army’s flight Regulation 95-1, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), AC 00-6A- Aviation Weather For Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel, Aeromedical 400-03/1, and the following manufactures (BAE, Elbit, SNC, and HN Burns) to provide the necessary data for the author’s project proposal.

Lifelong Personal Growth: “The student will show evidence of the skills needed to enrich the quality of life through activities which enhance and promote lifetime learning” (ERAU, 2015, pp. 20).

Lifelong personal growth is having a purpose and being disciplined in what you want to accomplish over time. The author will evaluate how DVE is trained and educated in the US Army. The author will analyze what the Army and its leaders have done over the past 10 years to minimize risk to aircrews. Is the Army ensuring the aviation community has the right tools in place to safely accomplish their missions from past lessons learned? The author sources will include the Army’s unclassified investigational crash report, Army’s flight Regulation 95-1, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), AC 00-6A- Aviation Weather For Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel, Aeromedical 400-03/1, and the following manufactures (BAE, Elbit, SNC, and HN Burns) to provide the necessary data for the author’s project proposal.

Aviation/Aerospace/Aeronautical Science: “The student will show evidence of advanced concepts of aviation, aerospace, and aeronautics to solve problems commonly found in their respective industries” (ERAU, 2015, pp. 21).

Aeronautical science involves multiple areas of aerodynamics, flight operations, human factors, and flight simulations. The author will evaluate human factors such as spatial disorientation and vestibular illusions. The author will discuss how flight simulations can be used to train aviators to recognize and recovery from possible DVE conditions with current aircraft avionics. The author sources will include the Army’s unclassified investigational crash report, Army’s flight Regulation 95-1, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), AC 00-6A- Aviation Weather For Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel, Aeromedical 400-03/1, and the following manufactures (BAE, Elbit, SNC, and HN Burns) to provide the necessary data for the author’s project proposal.

Aviation Legislation and Law: “The student will show evidence of the basic concepts in national and international legislation and law as they pertain to the aviation, aerospace and aeronautics industries” (ERAU, 2015, pp. 23).

Aviation law is established to ensure aircrews and aerospace industries are being safe. The FAA and Military services have their own regulations that must be followed. The author will discuss what the legal requirements are to fly in Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC). Additionally, the author will analyze what process is required for a company to get approval for aircraft modifications. The author sources will include the Army’s unclassified investigational crash report, Army’s flight Regulation 95-1, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 21.303, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), AC 00-6A- Aviation Weather For Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel, Aeromedical 400-03/1, and the following manufactures (BAE, Elbit, SNC, and HN Burns) to provide the necessary data for the author’s project proposal.

Aviation Safety: “The student will show evidence of basic concepts in aviation safety as they pertain to the aviation, aerospace, aeronautics industry” (ERAU, 2015, pp. 24).

Aviation safety is all about risk mitigation. Aircrews are always analyzing and evaluating weather, crew proficiency, and hazards. The author will evaluate what the Army uses to assess risk prior to any flight operation. The author will analyze the Army’s Composite Risk Management (CRM) program. There are five sections in the Army’s CRM that the author will evaluate. The author sources will include the Army’s unclassified investigational crash report, Army’s flight Regulation 95-1, Army Safety Regulation 385-10, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), AC 00-6A- Aviation Weather For Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel, Aeromedical 400-03/1, and the following manufactures (BAE, Elbit, SNC, and HN Burns) to provide the necessary data for the author’s project proposal.

Aviation Management and Operations: “The student will show evidence of sound, ethical management principles within standard aviation, aerospace, and aeronautics operations” (ERAU, 2015, pp. 25).

Aviation management requires an understanding of flight operations, standard operating procedures, personnel management, and aircraft equipment. The situational analysis the author will evaluate is SWOT. Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) is a management tool that the author will use to evaluate the four avionic companies and how their technology reduces DVE accidents. Additionally, the author will incorporate Strategic Factors Analysis Summary (SFAS) matrix to show each company’s internal and external pros and cons. The author sources will include the Army’s unclassified investigational crash report, Army’s flight Regulation 95-1, Army Safety Regulation 385-10, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), AC 00-6A- Aviation Weather For Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel, Aeromedical 400-03/1, and the following manufactures (BAE, Elbit, SNC, and HN Burns) to provide the necessary data for the author’s project proposal.

References

Bellamy, W. (2014, February). Cockpits Next Generation Helicopter. Avionics. Retrieved from http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/issue/cover/COCKPITS-Next-Generation-Helicopter_81051.html#.V4LE_DflTzJ

Department of the Army. (2014). Flight Regulations. Retrieved from http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r95_1.pdf

Department of the Army Pamphlet. (2010). Army Aviation Accident Prevention Program. Retrieved from http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/p385_90.pdf

Donovan, J. (n.d.). Accident Trends. Army Aviation Magazine. Retrieved from

http://www.armyaviationmagazine.com/index.php/archive/not-so-current/849-accident-trends

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. (2015). College of aeronautics: Undergraduate capstone policy guide. Retried from https://erau.instructure.com/courses/6179/pages/coa-undergraduate-capstone-policy?module_itemid=17735

Federal Aviation Administration. (n.d.). AC00-6A- Aviation Weather For Pilots and Flight Operations Personnel Document Information. Retrieved from http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go/document.information/documentid/22268

Gould, J. (2015, March). US Helo Leaders Take on Dust, New Engines. Defense News. Retrieved from http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/land/army-aviation/2015/03/30/helicopter/70685988/

Guide To Aircraft Airworthiness. (n.d.). AOPA. Retrieved from https://www.aopa.org/go-fly/aircraft-and-ownership/maintenance-and-inspections/aircraft-airworthiness/guide-to-aircraft-airworthiness

Hamilton, J.S. (2011). Practical aviation law (5th ed.). Lancaster; Newcastle, Wash;: Aviation Supplies & Academics.

H.N. Burns Engineering Corporation. (2015). 3DLZ Helicopter Brownout Landing System 2014 Flight Test. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgoqaktpbFQ

Kennard, P. (2016). How to solve a problem like brownout. Heliops, 8, 66-81. Retrieved from https://issuu.com/heliops/docs/hof_8

Marks, P. (2014, July). Smart goggles let helicopters pilots see through fog. New Scientist. Retrieved from https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25926-smart-goggles-let-helicopter-pilots-see-through-fog/

National Transportation Safety Board. (2016). Aviation Accident Database & Synopses. Retrieved from http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/index.aspx

Nelms, D. (2014, June). Finding a Better Way. Rotor&Wing International. Retrieved from http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/services/modifications/Finding-a-Better-Way_82233.html#.V4LJezflTzJ

Thick fog caused Black Hawk pilots to crash. (2015, June). USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/06/04/helicopter-crash-florida-training/28496745/

U.S. Army Safety Center. (2016). Statistics. Retrieved from https://safety.army.mil/STATISTICS.aspx

Weather-Related Aviation Accident Study. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.asias.faa.gov/i/2003-2007weatherrelatedaviationaccidentstudy.pdf

Wheelen, T.L., & Hunger, J.D. (2015). Strategic management and business policy (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.