ASCI 202

  Whenever Aviation Security comes to mind, insider threat is always at the forefront. This is one of the biggest threats to the Aviation Industry, and if presented with the opportunity to execute their plans could be disastrous to the industry, the facility, the safety of customers and other employees. With just the showing or the swiping of a badge, employees have access to almost all of the facility. A good example of an airport employee having this kind of access is the 2018 Sea-Tac Airport worker Richard Russell, a baggage handler at the airport who just showed his ID and walked through security, stole a Horizon Airplane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport . He later intentionally crashed the plane on a small island and killed himself. How does this even happen? How did the system fail this bad? Another case of an employee using their access to attempt to cause harm is the 2019 American Airlines incident where a mechanic in Miami was charged with sabotaging a plane’s navi...

    The ignition system is one of the most important systems in the aircraft. It consists of four major components:  two magnetos, spark plugs, ignition switch and ignition wires. Magneto operation is controlled by a five-position  ignition switch which is located in the flight deck. The magneto uses a rotating magnet to generate the voltage required by the spark plugs to ignite the fuel/air mixture for combustion in the engine cylinders. Magnetos are typically geared to the engine and require no outside power to make them work. During normal operation, magnetos will keep the engine running even in the event of a loss of electrical power. This is due to the ignition system being completely independent of the aircraft’s electrical system and each magneto being independent of each other. Why do they fail? Failures in the ignition system can be identified during pre-flight checks, during and after flight checks and during scheduled maintenance. When both magnetos ...

  What is humidity? Humidity is defined as the amount of moisture or water vapor in the air and is expressed as a percentage of the maximum amount of water the air can hold. Humidity is important to aircraft performance because of its direct effect on air density. This effect can cause a reduction in takeoff speed which could result in the aircraft needing to have longer runways to reach the required speed necessary for takeoff or to maintain level flight at a specific speed. High humidity at higher altitudes can also cause ice buildup on the aircraft surfaces due to the amount of moisture present at that altitude. Aircraft performance decreases in high humidity conditions. It affects engine performance by making less air available to the engine for combustion due to its negative effects on air density. High humidity equals decreased air density; decreased air density means that the volume of air passing over the wings will be less and the result of that is a reduction in aircraft ...

Ethics, when no one is watching. Merriam-Webster defines ethics as, “a set of moral principles”. I believe ethics is a direct reflection of one’s moral compass. It guides us in differentiating between wrong and right. It is making conscious decisions daily to do the right thing in the best interest of ourselves, our family, and the people we serve, and with aviation professions, performing your duties by following implemented guidance set in place to ensure maximum safety in the field. It’s speaking up when you see or know something is wrong and operating within the scope of what you’re allowed to do. Ethics and professionalism go hand in hand and are very important in the Aviation Industry. As a prior maintenance technician, we were encouraged to ask ourselves, ‘are you willing to fly in that aircraft or put the lives of others at risk?’ The answer was easily no when it came to jeopardizing safety, complacency and shortcuts should never be acceptable. I figured out quickly the ...