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College of Aeronautics

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Research at the College of Aeronautics

The College of Aeronautics' programs incorporate a multi-disciplinary approach to research that spans across various programs including engineering, human factors, safety, psychology, computer science and biology. Courses are designed to help students become more comfortable and familiar with conducting research, a vital part of any degree program. The College of Aeronautics manages an impressive inventory of aircraft and simulators that are available for research as well as a large pool of qualified instructor and student pilots holding various ratings and certificates. Additionally, students have access to various labs and other facilities such as the Basic Aviation Training Device (BATD) Lab, The Center for Aviation Human Factors (CAHF) Lab, and the Airport Management and Development Lab. Our Alumni Association and faculty provide our students with direct connection with organizations such as NASA, FAA, KSC, Harris Corp, Northrop Grumman, Avidyne, and many of the commercial pilot associations.

Undergraduate Research

The College of Aeronautics is working to promote student understanding of and participation in research. Aviation Research (AVT4002) is a senior undergraduate course, in which students plan, conduct, and present research projects on a variety of aviation-related topics:

  • Florida Tech pilots’ willingness to report through the ASAP,
  • Analyzing two different approaches to training private pilots,
  • Decision making and the Flight Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT),
  • Examining the relationship between airport station staffing and ground operation incidents,
  • The impact of employee’s experience on ground operation incident rates,
  • Effect of attrition of ramp agents on ground operations incidents,
  • The relationship between airport size and ground operations incidents.

A recent College of Aeronautics graduate and faculty member presented a project from AVT4002, Flight Students’ Willingness to Fly Within or Over Airspace Containing Operating Unmanned Aerial Systems, in the Human Factors section of the Industry, Engineering, & Management Systems Conference Human Factors Section (March 2018). This work has also been accepted for publication in the conference proceedings.

One of the College of Aeronautics undergraduate researchers received 2nd place in the 2016 UAA poster competition for his poster: Impact of Graphical and Textual Weather Briefings on Preflight Aeronautical Decision Making.

Current Projects

Here are some of the aviation research topics that College of Aeronautics faculty and students are currently involved in. 

  • Pilot transitions into glass cockpit aircraft
  • Integrated modeling of aircraft systems
  • Cross Cultural Training Knowledge Management Content Development
  • Pilots' job satisfaction in relation to the leadership style of airline executives
  • Runway incursions
  • Airports and the newest generation of general aviation aircraft
  • Improving Air Ambulance Operations at Holmes Regional Medical Center
  • Airport noise and aviation emissions at airports
  • Rotorcraft ASIAS Helicopter Flight Data Management (FDM)
  • Airport noise modeling
  • Transfer of training for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operations

Visit our Research Stories page to read more about the wide variety of research at the College of Aeronautics.

From The Director of Research

The College of Aeronautics is committed to building upon its excellent talent and facility bases in order to pursue new applied research and development opportunities. New endeavors in aviation human factors, safety, and airport management R&D realms will be especially beneficial to students enrolled in our graduate programs. Our vision includes a research component for undergraduate students as well, as we see quality research as the foundation of any academic program.

As we develop targeted research thrusts over the next five years, we fully anticipate the COA to be recognized as one of the premier universities conducting aviation-related research. This is an exciting moment for the COA as we embark upon the development of an expanded research base that will benefit both students and university alike.

John Deaton, Ph.D.

PEGASAS Research

Learn more about PEGASAS research at the College of Aeronautics at Florida Tech! 

Recent Publications

Students of the College of Aeronautics have the unique opportunity to work alongside professors to perform real-world research starting at the undergraduate level and continuing throughout their academic careers. Research at the College of Aeronautics is not just a professor’s pet project, students get their work published here giving them valuable experience and a leg up on the competition when starting their careers.

*denotes student author

Rice, S., Winter, S. R., & *Tokarski, R. (Accepted) How trust in commercial airline pilots is affected by their perceived sociability: A mediation analysis. Collegiate Aviation Review.

*Mehta, R., Rice, S., Carstens, D., *Cremer, I. & Oyman, K. (in press). A brief intermodal rail network (IRN) scale: Establishing validity and reliability. Journal of Sustainable Development.

*Cremer, I. & Rice, S. (in press). Which emotions mediate the relationship between type of water recycling projects and likelihood of using green airports? International Journal of Sustainable Aviation.

Rice, S. & Winter, S.R. (accepted). Which emotions mediate the relationship between type of pilot configuration and willingness to fly? Journal of Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors.

Rice, S., *Mehta, R., & Winter, S.R. (in press). A trustworthiness of commercial airline pilots (T-CAP) scale for American consumers. Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering.

Winter, S. R., Rice, S., *Mehta, R., *Cremer, I., *Reid, K. M., *Rosser, T. R., & *Moore, J. C. (in press). Indian and American consumer perceptions of cockpit configuration. Journal of Air Transport Management.

*Cremer, I., Rice, S. & Winter, S. (in press). Attitudes toward sustainability between Indians and Americans on water reuse for different purposes at airports. International Journal of Sustainable Aviation.

Trafimow, D., & Rice, S. (in press). Is consistency a domain-general individual differences characteristic? Journal of General Psychology.

*Hunter, K., Rice, S., *Kraemer, K. & Oyman, K. (in press). Previous mental illness diagnoses predict perceptions of current mental health: A cultural and gender differences analysis of the United States and India. International Journal of Mental Health.

Rice, S., *Mehta, R., Steelman, L.A. & Winter, S.R. (in press). A trustworthiness of commercial airline pilots (T-CAP) scale for Indian consumers. International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace.

*Mehta, R., Rice, S., Winter, S.R, *Reid, K. & *Moore, J. (accepted). Examining the relationship between familiarity and reliability of automation in the cockpit. Collegiate Aviation Review.

Rice, S., *Graves, W., *Stauble, M. & *Mehta, R. (in press). Perception of video game experience and its effects on STEM tasks and tests. Journal of Technologies in Education.

Winter, S.R. & Rice, S. (accepted). Pilots who are perceived as unsociable are perceived as more likely to have a mental illness: An affective perspective. Aviation Psychology and Applied Human Factors.

Winter, S.R., Rice, S., *Rosser, T., *Mehta, R. & *Rice, A. (2014). Consumer perceptions of starting regional pilot pay given additional qualifications. International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace, 1(2), 1-18.

Rice, S., *Kraemer, K., Winter, S.R., *Mehta, R., *Dunbar, V., *Rosser, T. & *Moore, J. (2014). Passengers from India and the United States have differential opinions about autonomous auto-pilots for commercial flights. International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace,1(1), 1-12.

Silver, I.M. 2013. Numerical Simulations of Direct impact Accretion Proccesses in Short Period Algol Type Binaries. ProQuest/UMI, 3577741.

Carstens, D.S. & VanLandingham, G. (2015). Through a Glass, Darkly: The Promise and Reality of State Transparency Websites, Online Journal of Applied Knowledge Management, 3(1), 37-50.

Mehta, R., Rice, S., Carstens, D., Cremer, I. & Oyman, K. (in press). A brief intermodal rail network (IRN) scale: Establishing validity and reliability. Journal of Sustainable Development.

Johnson, K., Carstens, D. & Rice, S. (2015). Airline marketing preferences. 8th Annual Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference, Daytona Beach, FL.

Carstens, D.S., Kies, S. & Stockman, S. (2015). E-Government Transparency and Citizen Engagement Increasing Accountability. In K. Bwalya and S. Mutula (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Electronic Democracy and Government. Niagara Falls, NY: IGI Publishing, 188-213.

Carstens, D.S., Rodriguez, W. & Wood, M.B. (2014). Task and Error Analysis Balancing Benefits over Business of Electronic Medical Records, International Journal of Electronic Healthcare, 7(4), 331-348.

Carstens, D.S. & Audu, A. (2014). Government Accountability and Transparency Mobile Readiness. Proceedings of the International Conference: Industry, Engineering & Management Systems 2014, Cocoa Beach, FL. 1-8.

Doss, S.K. & Carstens, D.S. (2014). Big Five Personality Traits and Brand Evangelism, International Journal of Marketing Studies, 6(3), 13-22.

Carstens, D. S., Kies, S. & Stockman, R. (2014). Achieving Useful Government Accountability and Transparency Websites. In D. Yannacopoulos, P. Manolitzas, N. Matsatsinis & E. Grigoroudis (Eds.), Evaluating Websites and Web Services: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on User Satisfaction. Niagara Falls, NY: IGI Publishing, 19-41.

Carstens, D.S., Richardson, G.L. & Smith, R.B. (2013). Project Management Tools & Techniques, CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group: New York.

Carstens, D.S. & Stockman, R. (2013) Does Socializing Result in Community Passwords?" Proceedings of the International Conference: Industry, Engineering & Management Systems 2013, Cocoa Beach, FL.

Cain, J. H. (1999). Simulation-based learning ...: A case study at NASA's Classroom of the Future (Doctoral dissertation, Florida Institute of Technology, 1999). Dissertation Abstracts International, 61 (01A), 142.

Cain, J. H. (2000). Best Practices in Instructional Technology. Presentation at Instructional Technology Workshop, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL.

Cain, J. H. (1997). Assessment Alternatives. Presentation at Teachers Workshop, Center for Educational Technologies, NASAs Classroom of the Future, Wheeling-Jesuit University, WV.

Wilt, D. F., Shea, M. W., & Cain, J. H. (in press). PCATD uses beyond the IFR trainer: An innovative method for learning. Proceedings of the 3rd NAFI Flight Instructor Conference. Oshkosh, WI.

Cremer, I., Rice, S. & Winter, S. (in press). Attitudes toward sustainability between Indians and Americans on water reuse for different purposes at airports. International Journal of Sustainable Aviation.

Winter, S. R., Rice, S., Mehta, R., Cremer, I., Reid, K. M., Rosser, T. R., & Moore, J. C. (2015). Indian and American consumer perceptions of cockpit configuration. Journal of Air Transport Management, 42, 226-231.

Cremer, I., Rice, S. Mehta, R. & Oyman, K. (2015). Water reuse attitudes for airports: A regression analysis. 18th International Symposium on Aviation Psychology. Dayton, Ohio.

Cremer, I. (2012). Integrating Technology in the Classroom. 23rd International Conference on College Teaching and Learning, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

Commercial Aviation Safety, 5th Edition Clarence C. Rodrigues & Stephen K. Cusick New York: McGraw-Hill (2012)

Vincenzi, D., Deaton, J.E. Blickenderfer, E., Pray, R., Williams, B., & Buker, T. (2010). Measurement and reduction of system latency in see-through Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) systems. Proceedings of SPIE (Vol. 7688). Orlando, FL. April 5-9.

Vincenzi, D., Blickensderfer, E., Deaton, J., Buker, T., Pray, R., & Williams, B. (2010). Proceedings of the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation & Education Conference. Orlando, FL. Nov. 29-Dec.2.

Todhunter, R.G., & Deaton, J. (2010). The relationship between religious and spiritual factors and the perpetration of intimate personal violence. Journal of Family Violence, 25, 745-753.

Gallo, M. A., & Clauter, A. (2014). The relationship between part 121 pilots’ age and accident rates. Collegiate Aviation Review, 32(1), 1-17.

Gallo, M. A., & Kepto, M. (2014). The relationship between 2011 metar and taf data at Chicago-Midway and Seattle-Tacoma airports. Collegiate Aviation Review, 32(1), 18-33.

Gallo, M. A., & Smith, K. A. (2012). Middle grades algebra: Grade 7 vs. Grade 8. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 16(1), 46-50

Rankin, W. B. (Spring, 2010). General aviation security: A safety management model for colligate learning. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education and Research.

Rankin, W. B. (2012). Runway incursions: A critical examination of airport driver training methods. The National Civil Aviation Agency Journal (ANAC) of Brazil with permission of the International Journal of Applied Aviation Studies.

Rankin, W., Cokely, J., Heinrich P., and McAuliffe, W., (2013, Summer). Comparison of Historic Exploration with Contemporary Space Policy Suggests a Retheorisation of Settings. Journal of the British Planetary Society, Vol 66, No 07/08.

Rankin, W. B. (Spring, 2015). Preparing airports for weapons of mass effect. Journal of Airport Management, Henry Stewart Publications, London, UK.

Vauclair, G., et al. (includes Silver, I.) 2012. Period and Amplitude Changes in the GW Vir Variable Star PG 0122+ 200: Evidence for Resonant Coupling. ASPC, 462, 160.

Winter, S. R. & Fanjoy, R. O. (2013, May). Pilot decision-making in irreversible emergencies. Presentation at Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institutes’ AERO 2013, Toronto, Canada.

Geske, R. C., Johnson, M. E., Dillman, B., Winter, S. R., Young, J. P. (2013, May). Effect of autopilot on pilot performance during ILS approach in general aviation technically advanced aircraft. Presentation at Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institutes’ AERO 2013, Toronto, Canada.

Winter, S. R., Kirschner, J. E., Leib, S. M., & Fanjoy, R. O. (2013). Implementing jet aircraft training in a university setting: Instructor perceptions and lessons learned. Collegiate Aviation Review. 31(1), 140-152.

Bowen, E.E., Wulle, B., Winter, S. R., Kirschner, J.E., & Crombie, K. (2012, November). Able flight at purdue: Opportunities in technology. Invited presentation at IsLAND Conference on Disability, West Lafayette, IN.

Winter, S. R., Kirschner, J. E., Leib, S. M., & Fanjoy, R. O. (2012, October). Perceptions of instructors on student training in a jet aircraft: A preliminary qualitative analysis. Paper presented at the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Student Conference, Boston, MA.

Winter, S. R. & Fanjoy, R. O. (2012, April) Student perceptions on the use of hotseat. Presentation session presented at Purdue Aviation Graduate Research Symposium, West Lafayette, IN. (Winner of Best Presentation Award)

Bowen, E. E., Kirschner, J. E., Winter, S. R., Crombie, K., & Wulle, B. (2012, January). Able Flight: Pilot Training for Persons with Disabilities. Invited presentation at the Special Needs Leadership Development Program, West Lafayette, IN.