Embracing Simulations and Problem-Based Learning to Effectively Pair Concepts of Aeronautics With Flight Safety Training

Cadets, in order to become pilots, apart from successfully passing their flight training program, need to also complete their academic education, where many technical subjects, such as aeronautics, exist. Cadets often face difficulties in comprehending certain concepts in the subject “aeronautics” as well as the applied link between aeronautics and flight safety. To this end, at the Hellenic Air Force Academy, an innovative educational tool is under development so as to facilitate students' understanding of the practical use of aeronautics and its impact on aircraft safety. An important aspect of the proposed educational tool is that it can be easily adopted into the pilots' flight training program and offer a complimentary training experience regarding mid-air crisis scenarios. The new educational tool is based on introducing in-class simulation and problem-based learning, thus combining theory and practice. The aim of this chapter is to describe the development of this educational tool and to demonstrate the way that it can be employed for academic and flight training purposes.

Implementation of the digital training concept in the basic flight training in the Serbian Military Academy

Introduction/purpose: The paper provides a review of recent research in the field of digital training applied in the Serbian Military Academy flight training. Flight training represents the foundation of successful education of military pilots. Its division is based on the environment and a phase of realization. The main part and the core of successful flight training is basic flight training. This training phase has experienced significant changes with the introduction of the Technically Advanced aircraft (TAA) which is characterized by a high degree of digitalization not only of the cockpit but also of other aircraft systems. Consequently, a different methodological approach to training is needed, including a digital training concept. The paper shows the achievements and certain solutions based on some elements of digital training concepts used in the basic flight training at the Serbian Military Academy. Methods: The scientific approach is used in the evaluation of aircraft cockpit digitalization and in the implementation of a new training concept in the basic flight training in the Serbian Military Academy. Results: Based on the methodological analysis used, the importance and the values of the digital training concept in basic flight training are shown. Conclusion: Although the digital training concept is not mandatory in the existing flight training model in the Serbian Military Academy, it proves to be a valuable asset. Its potential is significant and, to a certain extent, it can change the nature of basic flight training. Due to digital training, cadets can fly more safely and their flying skills are acquired faster. In accordance with new modern aircraft acquisition in the Serbian Air Force, every aspect of the digital training concept has to be carefully considered, especially in the basic flight training phase, including conversion to new aircraft types.

Flight screening of military pilots in Poland

This article diagnoses and evaluates the process of selecting and preparing candidates for military pilots in Poland. The presented changes in the screening training system are to help with understanding the principles of organizing an effective system of recruitment and selection of military pilots at present. It also indicates directions for improvement. The organization of initial flight screening contributes to improving the efficiency of flight training and can serve as a model for use by flight training systems in other countries. The purpose of the article is to diagnose and evaluate recruitment and selection of candidates for military pilots in Polish Armed Forces. The problem that the author addresses is expressed in the following question: in what directions should the current solutions in the selection and training of candidates for military pilots, be improved in order to reduce the attrition rate at subsequent stages of flight training in the future? The research has been conducted at the Military University of Aviation using case study methods. The theoretical research methods, such as analysis and synthesis of information contained in literature and source materials, conclusions and comparison were used to develop the article. In order to confirm the conclusions drawn with the use of theoretical methods, an empirical method was used, which consisted in examining the opinions with the use of expert interviews. Experts were selected from the group of commanders of training units and military pilots involved in selection training, who had an impact on the applicable aviation training and recruitment system in Polish Armed Forces. The results shows main directions of military pilots initial flight screening improvement.

Multi-User Drone Flight Training in Mixed Reality

The development of services and applications involving drones is promoting the growth of the unmanned-aerial-vehicle industry. Moreover, the supply of low-cost compact drones has greatly contributed to the popularization of drone flying. However, flying first-person-view (FPV) drones requires considerable experience because the remote pilot views a video transmitted from a camera mounted on the drone. In this paper, we propose a remote training system for FPV drone flying in mixed reality. Thereby, beginners who are inexperienced in FPV drone flight control can practice under the guidance of remote experts.

Flight training and dietary antioxidants have mixed effects on the oxidative status of multiple tissues in a female migratory songbird

Birds, like other vertebrates, rely on a robust antioxidant system to protect themselves against oxidative imbalance caused by energy-intensive activities such as flying. Such oxidative challenges may be especially acute for females during spring migration, since they must pay the oxidative costs of flight while preparing for reproduction; however, little previous work has examined how the antioxidant system of female spring migrants responds to dietary antioxidants and the oxidative challenges of regular flying. We fed two diets to female European starlings, one supplemented with a dietary antioxidant and one without, and then flew them daily in a windtunnel for two weeks during the fall and spring migration periods. We measured the activity of enzymatic antioxidants (GPx, SOD, CAT), non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity (ORAC), and markers of oxidative damage (protein carbonyls and lipid hydroperoxides) in four tissues: pectoralis, leg, liver, and heart. Dietary antioxidants affected enzymatic antioxidant activity and lipid damage in the heart, non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity in the pectoralis, and protein damage in leg muscle. In general, birds fed less antioxidants appear to incur increased oxidative damage while upregulating non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant activity, though these effects were strongly tissue-specific. We also found trends for diet x training interactions for enzymatic antioxidant activity in the heart and leg. Flight-training may condition the antioxidant system of females to dynamically respond to oxidative challenges, and females during spring migration may shift antioxidant allocation to reduce oxidative damage.

AN EXTENDED SINGLE-VALUED NEUTROSOPHIC AHP AND MULTIMOORA METHOD TO EVALUATE THE OPTIMAL TRAINING AIRCRAFT FOR FLIGHT TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS

Aircraft’s training is crucial for a flight training organization (FTO). Therefore, an important decision that these organizations should wisely consider the choice of aircraft to be bought among many alternatives. The criteria for evaluating the optimal training aircraft for FTOs are collected based on the survey approach. Single valued neutrosophic sets (SVNS) have the degree of truth, indeterminacy, and falsity membership functions and, as a special case, neutrosophic sets (NS) deal with inconsistent environments. In this regard, this study has extended a single-valued neutrosophic analytic hierarchy process (AHP) based on multi-objective optimization on the basis of ratio analysis plus a full multiplicative form (MULTIMOORA) to rank the training aircraft as the alternatives. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis is performed to demonstrate the stability of the developed method. Finally, a comparison between the results of the developed approach and the existing approaches for validating the developed approach is discussed. This analysis shows that the proposed approach is efficient and with the other methods.

REFERENCES RELATED TO THE DEFINITION OF THE STATUTE OF AERONAUTICAL STAFF IN THE PIONEERING PERIOD OF THE ROMANIAN MILITARY AERONAUTICS

The establishment of the Military Aviation 110 years ago, a historical event with reference to the audacious flight made by the engineer Aurel Vlaicu, on the Cotroceni land, with the Vlaicu airplane no. 1 on June the 17th, 1910, the founding of the first Civil Pilot Schools and, later on, of the first Military Flight Training School, specialized aeronautical institutions that will initiate the training of military pilots, represents the starting point that will generate major debates in the leadership and political factors of the Armed Forces, regarding the theoretical and practical methods for the development of this new reality at the beginning of the twentieth century, the selection of the human resource excellently trained and motivated to carry out fearlessly and courageously dangerous activities in the field of air weapons, but also the taking of some measures to regulate the status, the obligations and rights of the aeronautical personnel, aspects that will find their solution by developing innovative legal instruments, adapted to the requirements of the times, which will decisively influence modern developments in the fundamental area of Air Law.