Ethics in the Aviation Workplace - Aerial Hacker

Before I start this blog, I would like to share some quotes I found from Boeing: "The term "human factors" has grown increasingly popular as the commercial aviation industry has realized that human error, rather than mechanical failure, underlies most aviation accidents and incidents" and " Despite rapid gains in technology, humans are ultimately responsible for ensuring the success and safety of the aviation industry"  (Boeing, n.d.)   Specifically in the maintenance world of the aviation industry or even in-flight operations, there can be both lack of communication and lack of knowledge resulting in human error which can in return lead to an accident . Other human factors are fatigue, lack of awareness, lack of communication, distractions, etc. (FAA, 2012). Human factors affect how well somebody does their job, and it is important because "80 percent of maintenance errors involve human factors which if not detected can cause events, worker injuries,

For this blog, I decided to talk about the emerging threat of cyberattacks/cyber-terrorism.  Cybercrimes are illegal acts that use technology as either the tool or the target of a crime.  There are various definitions of this, but I am sure the readers of this blog know what it is.    I would say this is a relatively new issue that the industry will face in the coming years with the continued rise of technology each year. While the world has witnessed numerous terrorist attacks on the industry, especially after the events of 911, cyber-attacks are a newer and less expensive tactic used by these unseen invaders that can wreak a similar kind of havoc. Some worst-case scenarios would be tampering with air traffic control to cause a crash. This is the main concern because ATC is not immune to cyber-attacks (IATA, 2019).  Other scenarios would be basic system breaches, small electronics programmed to be explosive, the BHS attacks (Willemsen & Cadee, 2018), somebody hacking into in-fligh

The Hydraulic system on an aircraft is very important, as it allows the operation of various aircraft components.  A failure of the hydraulic system in the aircraft can have catastrophic consequences and it is one of the most feared events of a pilot when operating a plane. But, there are multiple separate hydraulic systems, usually three, typically installed on an aircraft. The hydraulic system is used on both small and large aircraft.  For small airplanes, it is used to operate wheel brakes, retractable landing gear, and constant speed propellers.  On other larger planes, it is used for flight control surfaces, spoilers, wing flaps, and other systems (PHAK, 2016). A basic hydraulic system consists of a reservoir, pump (either hand, electric, or engine-driven), a filter to keep the fluid clean, a selector valve to control the direction of flow, a relief valve to relieve excess pressure, and an actuator (PHAK, 2016).  "T he hydraulic fluid is pumped through the system to an actuat

The primary factors most affected by performance are the takeoff and landing distance, rate of climb, ceiling, payload, range, speed, maneuverability, stability, and fuel economy. (PHAK 11, n.d.) Although humidity alone does not majorly contribute to aircraft performance, according to PHAK chapter 11, it is a factor that contributes to density altitude.  Pilots should expect a slight decrease in performance and reduced climb rate when flying in high humidity conditions (FAA, n.d.). Humidity refers to the "amount of water vapor contained in the atmosphere and is expressed as a percentage of the maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold" (PHAK 11, n.d.). However, the air is never 100% dry.  But as the water content of the air rises to higher percentages, the air becomes less dense as a result.  This increases density altitude and decreases the expected performance of an aircraft (PHAK 11, n.d.). The main factors most affected by performance in the situation of high humidit

Ethics in the Workplace While I do not have a career in Aviation yet because I am only 19, I do understand the importance of workplace ethics.    After all, ethical behavior leads to safe operations, which is the number one priority of the aviation industry.  However, it is required for any successful career.    Ethics in the workplace is a lot of things; it is being honest, on time, having a good attitude, being responsible/accountable for your actions, showing initiative, and respecting your colleagues.    It is the way employees must manage their behavior and decisions from day to day.  In the aviation industry, in particular, good ethics are required from everyone to ensure safe flight.  Pilots and mechanics, for example, must be very diligent and strictly follow a code of ethics.    Any shortcuts, failure to disclose important information, or other unethical behavior could lead to a disaster.  With more than 44,000 flights per day (FAA, 2020), millions of lives are in the hands of