OSU Journals (Oklahoma State University)
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Exploring the State of SMS Implementation at Airports
Get PDFSafety Management Systems (SMS) in the aviation industry are an increasingly important aspect of identifying hazards and managing the associated risks. While SMS has become commonplace and is often a regulatory requirement for air carriers, it remains voluntary for many other aviation service providers, such as airports. Over the past decade, commercial Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operations near airports have significantly increased along with the development of Advanced Air Mobility operations. Airports face new and emerging safety challenges. However, safety is a precursor for public acceptance and proliferation of these next-generation aviation technologies. Safety practitioners consider SMS a key enabler in ensuring the safety of the National Airspace System and may assist airports in addressing these emerging hazards and risks. This research explored the current state of SMS at airports and their incorporation of UAS hazards and risks. This research utilized a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, which included an extensive literature review and a survey of airport stakeholders. Research results suggest a need for further development and adoption of SMS at airports, including further maturation of UAS safety practices along with education and training. This study may assist airport stakeholders and regulators with further developing robust safety and risk management practices that support the safety of the next generation of aviation operations
Effect of Integrated Method of Flight Instruction on Student Pilot Performance
Get PDFWith the prevailing use of integrated cockpit displays in flight training, flight students have shown to have difficulty controlling the aircraft and maintaining situational awareness. The integrated method of flight instruction is a proven tool to help transfer the skills necessary from visual to instrument flying, but it may also distract the student and lead to the formation of dangerous habits. This research study looked at whether the integrated method of flight instruction helps or hinders a student at the beginning of flight training. A quantitative experimental research design was used to measure situational awareness, reaction time to a traffic conflict, and ability to maintain the altitude and heading of participants instructed with visual and instrumental cues. Participant scores were analyzed using independent samples t-tests to measure the expected results that students exposed to visual and instrumental cues have significantly different scores. The results showed that participants instructed with visual cues had a significantly higher level of situational awareness in the subcategory of orientation, an overall higher level of situational awareness, and a quicker reaction time to a potential mid-air collision. The results showed that the very onset of training may not be the appropriate time to introduce instrumental cues
An Exploratory Review of Transfer Policies for Certified Private Pilots in Collegiate Flight Programs
Get PDFResearch problem: Universities often admit students who have already completed a portion of their flight training outside the collegiate environment and who want to transfer in their previous flight experience in fulfillment of a flight degree. There is no widely-published standard by which to evaluate or successfully integrate transfer flight students into a collegiate flight training curriculum. This research aims to learn how common it is for students to enroll in a flight program with a Private Pilot Certificate, how university flight programs are evaluating and integrating these students into their existing curriculum, and whether or not there are any differences between ab-initio and transfer students in terms of graduation rates or other measures of success. Research questions: (1) What are common ways that flight programs award credit for private pilot certificates earned outside of the university? (2) What, if any, supplemental instruction or evaluation actions are transfer students required to complete before they start post-private training? (3) If supplemental instruction or evaluation actions are being completed, are those actions working as intended? (4) When considering two suggested measures of success, are universities finding any differences between ab-initio flight students and transfer flight students? Summary: This study explores why students may want to complete Private Pilot training before entering a collegiate program, shares how some collegiate flight programs are managing the flight transfer process, reports how successful these transfer processes are, and identifies additional areas of needed research in order to identify best practices.  
Exploring Collegiate Flight Training Students’ Perceptions of Safety Culture
Get PDFAs flight training organizations expand and adapt to meet the growing demands of the industry, organizational leadership and safety departments are continuing to intensively focus on aviation safety and quality assurance through the core values of safety promotion, culture, and education. A flight school’s safety culture, shaped by students’ risk perceptions, can predict safety behaviors. Understanding students’ trust and confidence in this safety culture could potentially aid in early risk mitigation strategies. The purpose of this study was to investigate flight students’ perceived safety culture at a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 141 flight training school in the Southeast region of the United States. The survey was adapted from the Safety Culture Indicator Scale Measurement System. Quantitative and qualitative data were obtained from 398 students. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test structural relationships among organizational commitment, operations interactions, formal safety indicators, and safety behaviors. Results indicated a good model fit to analyze the nine hypotheses. Two of the nine hypotheses were supported. Safety Values and Safety Personnel significantly influenced perceived personal risk. The textual data analysis revealed strong student’s opinions towards a medical grounding and no-show procedure initiated by the Flight Department. Additionally, themes identified students’ desire to receive more communication of safety information, and the language barriers present in a multi-cultural operation
A Floristic Inventory of the John W. Nichols Scout Ranch, Canadian County, Oklahoma
Get PDFWe conducted a vascular plant survey of the John Nichols Scout Ranch in southeastern Canadian County, Oklahoma, during the growing seasons of 2017 to 2019. Vouchered specimens were collected for 152 species in 116 genera and 49 families. The largest families represented were the Asteraceae (37 species), Poaceae (19), and Fabaceae (17). No rare species currently being tracked by the Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory were encountered. Twenty of the species collected were not native to the United States, of which six (Lonicera japonica, Lespedeza cuneata, Bothriochloa ischaemum, Bromus tectorum, Sorghum halepense, and Tamarix chinensis) are considered invasive. Three tree species (Pinus taeda, Pistacia chinensis, and Taxodium distichum) were planted in developed areas of the ranch. Species richness appears to be low when compared to surveys of similar size. We suggest that the adjacent properties used for agriculture and housing development have influenced the number of species of this suburban wilderness
Some common Amanita species of Oklahoma
Get PDFBrief descriptions and photos are presented for twenty species of the mushroom genus Amanita that are common to Oklahoma. The descriptions and illustrations introduce mushroom morphology and terminology for Amanitas that are important for their identification. Short diagnoses are also presented for each of the seven sections of Amanita. The species are arranged according to their placement in each section. One species, A. persicina, has not yet been reported for Oklahoma but we include it with the speculation that it is present in the pine forests of eastern Oklahoma
Crime along ritual interstate highways
No full textCrime occurs at a lower rate in rural areas than in urban areas (Weisheit, Falcone, and Wells 1994). However, crime rates may vary across rural areas. Rural areas with unique social or geographic characteristics may exhibit crime rates different from rural areas not possessing those characteristics. The present study builds upon research by Jarrel and Howsen (1990)that indicated interstate highway traffic in an area affects crime rates in that area. This thinking is applied to rural crime. Crime rates in rural areas are compared across levels of interstate highway presence. Findings indicate traffic along interstate highways may in fact have a noticeable influence on the occurrence of some types of crime, especially motor vehicle theft, robbery, and homicide
