Aviation Legislation: Changes made, due to 9/11

           For those of us who were over the age of 13, we will never forget the incident that happened on SEP 11, 2001.  What most people might not have realized, especially if you don't travel much, is how certain conferences and legislations came into effect to change the aviation industry due to 9/11.  On October 2001, the ICAO held a general assembly to talk about the atrocities that happened just a month prior, and what should be done.     "The ICAO 33rd Assembly unanimously adopted a Resolution to hold accountable with severity those who misuse civil aircraft as weapons of destruction, including those responsible for organizing such acts or for aiding, supporting or harboring the perpetrators. Furthermore, the Assembly directed the ICAO Council to convene as soon as possible an international High-level Conference on Aviation Security, with the objective of preventing, combating and eradicating acts of terrorism against civil aviation."  They did hold that conference in Feb, 2002.  The conference can be summed up on an increase in security worldwide.  "What did the United States do to increase it's security you might ask?"  Well for starters TSA agents are now at all/most airports in the united states.   "Congress authorized the creation of the TSA where airports previously had used private security guards."   In general we have seen that every year TSA continues to increase security with new technology, properly trained personnel, etc.  These new legislations have dramatically shaped the aviation industry in safety and security and will continue to do so as new threats emerge.

References:

Five Laws and Regulations that Emerged from 9/11, SEP 9, 2016
https://www.ballardspahr.com/eventsnews/mediacoverage/2016-09-09-five-laws-and-regulations-that-emerged-from-9-11

https://www.icao.int/about-icao/History/Pages/Milestones-in-International-Civil-Aviation.aspx

Break The Norm! Why Accepting New Employees Helps Aviation Maintenance/Servicing

        Many aviation employers fear the new employee for aviation maintenance/servicing.  Which is quite understandable due to the aspect that they lack experience.  So why is it good to have fresh blood?  I will go over reasons why and how it reduces human factors associated with aircraft accidents, but first lets define what a human factor is.  A human factor is "a term that covers the science of understanding the properties of human capability" ( AMT Handbook Addendum Chapter 14. Pg. 14-3)   So what factors effect the human capability negatively, and how can employers effect those factors for the better.  I will not discuss all of the factors, rather how hiring new employees can reduce some of the negative factors.
       "Transport Canada identified twelve human factors that degrade people's ability to perform effectively and safely, could lead to maintenance errors." ( AMT Handbook Addendum Chapter 14. Pg. 14-11) One of those factors is known as Norms.  Every company may run things a little bit different, but if they are not following the proper procedures developed from maintenance manuals for proper maintenance, this can cause severe hazards.  Newcomers only know what they learned from school and will often times be very strict in following the proper procedures, or wanting to essentially do what the rules say to do.  If an older employee starts to establish a new norm for a particular procedure, even though that is not what is outlined in the proper maintenance manual, this could cause a problem down the road.  When a new employee brings up that the other employee is not following the correct procedures, the older employee should not claim seniority and bypass what the new employee says; he should consider what was said and reexamine the manual according to the correct procedure.  Being an overseer of maintenance programs we should incorporate the human factor of environment and ensure that everyone is heard, no matter their position or experience.


References:

AMT Handbook Addendum Human Factors 2017

https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/maintenance_hf/library/
      

The 3 Best Layers of Security Against Cyber Attacks In Aviation

 

 

            As we develop new technology every day in aviation, cyber attacks become more prevalent and cause quite a concern for everyone.  I will go over the 3 best layers to battle against cyber attacks in relation to aviation. 

 

 

           1.  Intelligence:  TSA is constantly gathering intelligence before anyone even boards the plane.  They get as much information about each individual to see if they are a known terrorist or on the "do not fly list".  They also protect those individuals who are not a known terrorist, or on the "do not fly list" information that they do gather, so others cannot harm them with identity theft or other malicious attacks.  TSA also uses the help of other agencies such as the FBI, CIA, and other security agencies in helping gather and disseminate intelligence information. "A good example of TSA airport coordination involved dissemination of information by TSA to airports concerning the threat of portable anti-aircraft missiles. Following a terrorist attempt to down a civilian aircraft over Mombasa, Kenya, in 2002, US officials began a concerted effort to educate local law enforcement and security officials about these weapons."  (https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol50no3/airport_security_5.htm)  The main issue with gathering intelligence in relation to cyber attacks is hacking.  This is harder to do since there are multiple agencies involved in gathering intelligence, so if one is hacked, the other agencies being hacked is not likely.

          2.  Crew Vetting:  Crew vetting is very important in battling cyber attacks because a lot of aviation technology is not in a Network Infrastructure.  This means that if you hire an employee who knows the technology and can manipulate them however they choose this can cause catastrophic damage.  "Airports often use integrated systems and local engineers to install, monitor or service these industrial systems, such as BHSs and many others. These systems are not always owned by the airport itself, but third parties, like airlines and suppliers, are responsible for those. Those organizations might have different interests, especially when it comes to cybersecurity." (Bert Williamson pg. 240)  As we can see not only do we need to take the necessary precautions in hiring crew, but also the suppliers of aviation technology.

          3.  Checked Baggage:  Our machines continue to advance in there ability to scan for items inside baggage that would cause a threat to the airport and airplane.  The main issue that I see is as they advance so does the integration of each machine which causes it to be more vulnerable.  To battle this there should be both the integrated system and an individual/private system to compare with each other if there is a difference between the two.  Also an area of security in regards to the BHS ( baggage handling system), that often gets forgotten about with cyber attacks is the hold baggage area.  "The hold baggage is a ‘forgotten’ area for cybersecurity. Airports tend to extend and build on existing equipment and therefore old PLCs and industrial (digital) equipment designed with an operational focus are still in use and often connected to newly installed machines." (Bert Williamson pg. 244)  We can mitigate this by using the same procedures used for checked baggage.

 

       All in all for all three of these layers we need to Audit  these technologies.  "Regular IT assessments and vulnerability scans throughout the supply chain are helpful to keep the airport’s extended IT infrastructure up-to-date, but actual penetration testing with advanced techniques will provide the airport organization the needed insight on whether it is actually in control of its IT security (including third parties) or have been shutting their eyes to the real (ever changing) dangers out there while adding ticks to checklists."( Bert Williamson pg. 243)  By doing this we have the best chances in beating cyber attacks.

 

 

References/Sources

 

Extending the airport boundary: Connecting physical security and cybersecurity by Bert Williamson

 

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/07/four-threats-to-aviation-security-and-four-responses/

 

https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol50no3/airport_security_5.htm

 

https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2017/08/01/inside-look-tsa-layers-security

Aircraft Systems: Landing Gear

          Often times we tend to overlook something as simple as landing gear.  Most airlines that use larger commercial aircraft, tend to have retractable landing gear on their aircraft.  Even though retractable landing gear is beneficial to streamline the aircraft, if the system does not operate correctly, it could cause dangerous and sometimes fatal results.  Take for example of the accident in Aalborg Denmark. 
         A retractable landing gear works in a few ways; electronically, hydraulically, or a combination. 
"An electrical landing gear retraction system utilizes an electrically-driven motor for gear operation. The system is basically an electrically-driven jack for raising and lowering the gear. When a switch in the flightdeck is moved to the UP position, the electric motor operates. Through a system of shafts, gears, adapters, an actuator screw, and a torque tube, a force is transmitted to the drag strut linkages. Thus, the gear retracts and locks. Struts are also activated that open and close the gear doors. If the switch is moved to the DOWN position, the motor reverses and the gear moves down and locks. Once activated, the gear motor continues to operate until an up or down limit switch on the motor’s gearbox is tripped."(https://www.flightliteracy.com/retractable-landing-gear-part-one/)
"A hydraulic landing gear retraction system utilizes pressurized hydraulic fluid to actuate linkages to raise and lower the gear. When a switch in the flightdeck is moved to the UP position, hydraulic fluid is directed into the gear up line. The fluid flows through sequenced valves and down locks to the gear actuating cylinders. A similar process occurs during gear extension. The pump that pressurizes the fluid in the system can be either engine driven or electrically powered. If an electrically-powered pump is used to pressurize the fluid, the system is referred to as an electrohydraulic system. The system also incorporates a hydraulic reservoir to contain excess fluid and to provide a means of determining system fluid level."(https://www.flightliteracy.com/retractable-landing-gear-part-one/)
          The problem with the electrical landing gear system that could possibly arise is a short in the wiring system going to the landing gear, or one of the switch's malfunctioning showing an incorrect position.  Shorts can be caused by damage caused to the wiring harness, by fraying, pinching, or corrosion over time.  Switches themselves can go bad, but it tends to be the sensor associated with that switch that tend to cause the problem.  These sensors can go bad for a number of reasons such as, dirt, debris, corrosion, improper exposure to elements, etc.  To combat these faults there are rigorous inspections, also back up sensors as well as possible ways to manually extract the landing gear outward through emergency gear extension systems.
          The problem with hydraulic landing gear is that debris can get into the hydraulic system and cause an under pressure or over pressure of the hydraulic system.  Theses sensors will restrict the landing gear and depending on the aircraft will cause the aircraft landing gear to stay in one position or another.  Once again these faults can be combated by back up systems, continued thorough inspections and emergency gear extension systems.
          One more way that the landing gear may be monitored to ensure whether or not it is in the stated position from what the displays or switches are showing, would be to have cameras near the landing gear for observation.





Pilot Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge Chapter 7, pg. 7-34

https://www.flightliteracy.com/retractable-landing-gear-part-one/

https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/DH8D,_Aalborg_Denmark,_2007