Blog 7.2 The Airport and the Environment

"The number of people exposed to significant airport noise in the United States has decreased from 7 million people in 1975 to approximately 309,000 people in 2012" (FAA, 2015). Noise is the most concerning environmental factor surrounding airports and their environmental impact on those who live nearby. Sleep is one of the most important human needs. A lack of sleep, or sleep disturbances can cause us to function improperly and act in hazardous ways. "Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes – and it shortens your life expectancy" (NHS, 2018). Too much noise pollution from airports can be detrimental to those living nearby. 

With the increase in air traffic starting in the 1970s, there have been several programs aimed at reducing the level of noise within the areas surrounding airports (Visser, 2008). The FAA's Airport Noise Program addresses these concerns by developing Part 150. Part 150 is a volunteer, collaborative program that began in 1981 (FAA, 2015). This program is a collaborative effort between the airport personnel and the surrounding communities. Its purpose is to work together to identify and mitigate noise pollution problems, hearing issues from everyone involved. The community's feedback is necessary for Part 150 to be successful. Hearing input allows the best decisions to be made between airports and the public. Additionally, Part 150 provides grant funding through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), if the airport matches the grant from the FAA. Although this has been a successful program by the Federal Government, airports and communities are not require to use Part 150 for noise abatement. Some airports work directly with community leaders to ensure noise abatement is a priority. (FAA, 2015).

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References

Federal Aviation Administration. (2015, January 13). Fact Sheet – The FAA Airport Noise Program. Federal Aviation Administration. https://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=18114

National Health Service, United Kingdom. (2018, May 30). Why lack of sleep is bad for your health. NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/why-lack-of-sleep-is-bad-for-your-health/

Visser, H., & Wijnen, R. (2008). Management of the environmental impact at airport operations. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu

6.2 Legislative Acts

     

    In 1958, Congress enacted the Federal Aviation Act, which would eventually become the organization known as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, 2017). The FAA's mission is "provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world" (FAA, 2019). The creation of the FAA was arguably the most important safety measure taken for United States aviation and progress.

    Before the creation of the FAA, aviation was disorganized, especially in its early years. In 1926 the Air Commerce Act was passed (FAA, 2017). These early years did its best to regulate and provide safer measures for aircraft. Technology and progress allowed us to commercialize air travel and also for courier transportation. More and more aircraft were taking to the skies without any rules or regulations. Soon after, rudimentary air traffic control was developed. A more organized sky was on the horizon. Over the next generation these measures would come together to form what the FAA encompasses today. 

    Today, the FAA is no less than critical to maintaining safe aviation in the United States. Its many functions include flight safety regulations, air traffic regulations, pilot licensing, medical research, training, publications, and developing the airspace system (Federal Aviation Act, 1958). It hosts a vast number of research and initiatives designed to provide a safer airspace system for those operating in it. Without the FAA, we would have a disorganized airspace with fewer regulations for pilots and air traffic controllers. Maintaining these regulations, and growing with aviation technology allows us to remain on the forefront of aviation safety. The FAA is the centralized resource for all of these matters. 

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References

Federal Aviation Act of 1958, Public Law 85-726; 72 Stat. 737 49 U.S.C. App. 1301 et seq. (1958). http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/books-online/Aviationlawpt1.pdf

Federal Aviation Administration. (2017, January 4). A Brief History of the FAA. Federal Aviation Administration. https://www.faa.gov/about/history/brief_history/#birth    

Federal Aviation Administration. (2019, November 5). FAA Mission. Department of Transportation. https://www.faa.gov/about/mission/

5.3 Team-Based Human Factors

    

    Human factors in aviation encompasses all of the possible ways humans can cause an aircraft operation to be unsafe. It takes more than one human to produce a safe flight. Understanding this, it is arguable that it takes more than one human to produce an unsafe flight. “Human factors are issues affecting how people do their jobs. They are the social and personal skills, such as communication and decision making which complement our technical skills. These are important for safe and efficient aviation” (Civil Aviation Safety Authority, 2020).

    In air traffic control, there is a system in place to counterbalance human factors. We call it Crew Resource Management. This concept acknowledges that human factors in aviation do occur. This is why we have different positions, with different responsibilities in each position. In addition to being responsible for our own positions, we are also responsible for looking out for potential problems, whether it is our position’s responsibility or not. With all of the air and ground traffic, it would be nearly impossible for the human brain to keep up with everything and make good, safe decisions. This is why we have Crew Resource management. 

    “CRM encompasses a wide range of knowledge, skills and attitudes including communications, loss of situational awareness, problem solving, decision making, and teamwork; together with all the attendant sub-disciplines which each of these areas entails” (Skybrary, 2020). The most important aspects of being a controller, other than the knowledge base, are situational awareness, checklists, and communication. Being situationally aware of the aircraft, vehicles, potential conflicts in the air and on the ground, and any anomalies are all part of situational awareness. Checklists are crucial to maintain the same level of safety each time, for each situation. Communication is critical because it offers another level of protection against unsafe situations. For example, when we raise the cable for incoming flights, we communicate with other controllers, “cable coming up,” and then mark it on a flight strip once observed in the raised position. Because of the checklists and communication, everyone in the tower cab is aware that the cable is raised for inbound aircraft. There is no second guessing at the last second when it comes to safety. Crew resource management is air traffic’s answer to combating safety and human factors in aviation. 

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Resources

Australian Government Civil Aviation Safety Authority. (2020, March 3). Human factors. Civil Aviation Safety Authority. https://www.casa.gov.au/safety-management/human-factors

Skybrary. (2020 March 21). Crew Resource Management. Skybrary. https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Crew_Resource_Management_(CRM)

4.3 Aviation Security

Throughout the years, we've seen an evolution of explosive devices that have changed and become smaller, harder to detect, and made with different materials. While there are many known explosives that the TSA screens for, how are we to look for the unknown ones? 

The TSA is more than the people in blue uniforms that you have to account for when scheduling your airport arrival time. The TSA provides security through twenty different layers to protect travelers (TSA, 2017). It is made up of agents as well as other agencies and groups working behind the scenes to ensure the safest public transportation possible. Explosive devices are met with several layers of security to get through, including trained canines, Transportation Security Inspectors, Transportation Security Specialists-Explosives, and a hardened cockpit door. While these levels of security do mitigate potential situations involving explosives, there is still an opportunity for newer explosives to go by undetected by the status quo. The TSA could benefit from having a dedicated team of professionals who are proactive in identifying new types of explosive devices, and screening for them. Remaining on the forefront of this technology could prevent damage from a new, uncommon type of explosive not currently screened for. 

References 

Burns, B. (2017, August 1). Inside Look: TSA Layers of Security. TSA. https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2017/08/01/inside-look-tsa-layers-security