Insider Threats 

Within the Aviation Industry

    Since the early 2000s, it has become a routine for airline passengers to be processed through security screening checkpoints. At first thought, most do not think much of it. In fact, some may even find it a nuisance. The truth, however, is that the physical security checkpoints located at airports, train stations, and ferry or boat terminals are just one level of the many necessary security processes that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) uses to thwart terrorism and criminal activity.

An Emerging Threat

    Insider threats are those where personnel within an organization use their access, authority, or understanding of an organization to do harm to the organization (Cybersecurity, n.d.). The TSA has been countering insider threats since its inception, however, it was not until 2013 that it formally established a program aimed at countering insider threat activity (TSA, n.d.). Typically insider threats do not relate to terrorism, but rather to industrial sabotage, theft, or smuggling (TSA, n.d.). 

    Some examples of insider threats could include sabotage of an aircraft by an airline mechanic, a flight crew member smuggling drugs, an airline employee stealing an aircraft and intentionally crashing it, and the list goes on. You can now see how an employee within the Transportation Security Sector (TSS) or aviation industry could use their access or knowledge of an organization to carry out criminal activity. One must only use their imagination to think of ways an insider threat could do grave harm.

    The TSA has many layers of security aimed at providing security throughout the various different levels and areas within the TSS. Of these layers that protect against insider threats are: Intelligence, Crew Vetting, Behavior Detection, Random Employee Screening, Trained Flight Crew, and Passengers. There are others, however, that may indirectly provide protection against insider threats. 

    Because there are already many protections in place, improvements in combating insider threats are far limited. One area, however, that can always be improved is that of Behavior Detection. An employee may never demonstrate traits or show signs that he or she is a possible insider threat. They may initially pass a background check and go for years showing no sign of a threat. However, circumstances change and this is where coworkers and leadership within an organization can have an impact in detecting an insider threat. It doesn't take specialized training to recognize when someone's behavior patterns change. Maybe they become reckless in their duties, seem to stop caring, their spending habits change, or they just don't seem to be themselves. Although these behaviors do not guarantee that one is for sure an insider threat, recognition and reporting of behavior changes might just be enough to stop someone who intends to use their access, knowledge, or position to do harm.

    As coworkers, it is our responsibility to look out for each other; to keep each other safe and protected as well as those who rely on us as professionals within the aviation industry. So the next time you recognize behavior changes in a coworker, engage them and see how they are doing. If it persists, ensure you report your observations to leadership so that action can be taken. It may be the only thing standing in the way of an insider threat within your organization. 

References

Defining Insider Threats | CISA. (n.d.). Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. https://www.cisa.gov/defining-insider-threats

James, A. [Anthony James]. (2020, March 6). Anthony James (@Cut_2_Fit) / [Tweet]. Twitter. https://mobile.twitter.com/cut_2_fitCombating Insider Threats

Transportation Security Administration. (n.d.). Insider Threat Roadmap 2020. TSA.Gov. https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/3597_layout_insider_threat_roadmap_0424.pdf

 Aircraft Anti-Ice and Deicing Systems

Making flight through adverse conditions possible

    Flying in hazardous weather requires aircraft to utilize specialized systems to ensure a safe flight. One such condition is icing conditions. Ice that forms on an aircraft's wings, propellers, control surfaces, or windshield can be extremely detrimental to maintaining proper thrust, lift, and control of the aircraft. There are several methods in which to prevent or remove ice from the surface of an aircraft. Anti-ice systems are designed to prevent or drastically reduce the formation of ice on an aircraft during flight, whereas deicing systems are designed to remove ice that has already formed. Failures of either type of system can have deadly consequences, however certain processes and procedures can be put into place to ensure that doesn't happen.

Anti-Ice

When supercooled water comes into contact with an object, it can immediately freeze. Aircraft utilized anti-icing to prevent the formation of ice on critical surfaces of the aircraft and are designed to be activated prior to entering icing conditions in flight (NASA, n.d.). Anti-icing can be accomplished by heating the surfaces (hot pneumatic air or electrically), or fluid can be used that lowers the freezing point so that ice does not form when supercooled water or ice crystals contact the surface.

Deicing

Aircraft deicing systems are designed to remove ice that may have formed. One common method of deicing is the use of deicing boots that inflate to break up ice formations and dislodge them from various surfaces.

What happens when icing systems fail?

When icing systems either fail or are not activated in icing conditions, ice is likely to form on surfaces that are critical to the aerodynamics of the aircraft. The formation of ice reduces thrust, increases drag, reduces lift, and increases weight. To put into perspective just how detrimental icing can be, see the table below which illustrates the effects icing has on stall speed and drag increase through various instances ranging from "all iced" and "deiced" (Flight Safety Foundation, 2018)

Mitigation

Anti-ice and deicing systems are not effective unless they are fully functional and operate as intended when necessary. To ensure that such systems are operational, they should be regularly tested on the ground. Such system tests should be a part of every aircraft preflight procedure, especially when there is a potential for an aircraft to fly into known icing conditions. Aircraft whose icing systems are not functional should be restricted from flight or, if dispatched with faulty equipment, be restricted from flying into known icing conditions. When icing systems are fully functional, it is also critical that they are activated prior to entering icing conditions.

References

Flight Safety Foundation. (2018, February 27). Discoveries on Ice. https://flightsafety.org/asw-article/discoveries-on-ice/

NASA. (n.d.). In-Flight Icing: Aircraft Design for Icing - Anti-Icing Systems. A Pilot’s Guide to Inflight Icing. https://aircrafticing.grc.nasa.gov/1_1_3_6.html#:%7E:text=The%20anti%2Dicing%20fluid%20runs,on%20propeller%20blades%20and%20windshields.

Stoll, R. (2020, May). UBC ATSC 113 - Aircraft Icing. Weather for Sailing, Flying & Snow Sports. https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/courses/atsc113/flying/met_concepts/03-met_concepts/03g-Icing/index.html

DENSITY ALTITUDE

Sufficient lift must act upon the wing's airfoil for an aircraft to fly. As the air passes over and under the airfoil, a pressure differential occurs where pressure along the wing's lower surface is greater than that of the upper surface. The amount of lift achieved as the airfoil moves through the atmosphere is dependent on several factors, one being the density of the air itself. There are, of course, many other factors, but this blog focuses primarily on air density as an environmental factor affecting an aircraft's performance. To get a sense of how density altitude can affect aircraft performance, I've included a great video that I found.

What exactly is air density?

First, we must understand that air is a gas and, like any other matter (solids, liquids, plasma), has mass. All matter has density. Density is defined as "the mass of an object divided by its volume" (NASA, n.d.). Therefore, we can derive that air density is how much mass a given volume of air has. The more dense the atmospheric air is, the more molecules it contains.

This is important because the more mass the air has (more dense) the more force it can have upon another object. Simply put, the denser the air surrounding a wing as it flies, the more lift that can be achieved. Conversely, the less dense the air is the less lift that may be achieved. This is, of course, not taking into account any other factors such as speed or the shape of the airfoil.

Air Density vs. Altitude

Air density varies with altitude at a constant rate, at Standard Atmospheric Temperature. But first, we must understand how the atmosphere's temperature and pressure change about a rise in elevation. Standard temperature decreases at a rate of approximately 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit per thousand feet, up to 36,000 feet (Federal Aviation Administration, 2016). Standard pressure changes at a rate of 1 Hg per one thousand feet, up to 10,000 of elevation (Federal Aviation Administration, 2016). These standard lapse rates have been established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and are considered standard temperature and pressure, and any change from this standard is referred to as non-standard temperature and pressure (Federal Aviation Administration, 2016).

At standard temperature, the pressure altitude remains standard. When, at a given altitude, the temperature is no longer standard, air density changes as well. We call this change in air density outside of standard temperatures the Density Altitude. As previously discussed, as air density increases, aircraft performance will also increase. When air density is lower, aircraft performance will also thus be lower (Federal Aviation Administration, 2016). 

Aviators must know the density altitude to determine how the aircraft will perform. An aircraft may be at an elevation of 6,000 feet above sea level, however, due to temperature changes outside of the standard temperature, the air may be as though the aircraft were at 9,000 feet of elevation on a standard day. This can drastically change the performance of the airfoil. If improperly determined, the aircraft may not have enough thrust to sustain flight or it may not have enough runway to get to sufficient speed for rollout.

References

A.V. [AVWeb]. (2012, August 9). Airplane Crash In-Cockpit Footage: Stinson 108–3 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVM3RRd1vf0&feature=youtu.be

Benson, T. (n.d.). Air Density. NASA. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/VirtualAero/BottleRocket/airplane/fluden.html

Federal Aviation Administration, F. A. (2016). Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge: FAA-H-8083-25B (Black & White). Independently published. https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2022-03/pilot_handbook.pdf

Martin, S. (2017, March 21). How Density Altitude Caused A Plane Crash Shortly After Takeoff. Boldmethod Flight Training. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-fly/performance/prevent-a-density-altitude-crash-on-takeoff/

 

ETHICS IN AVIATION

The dictionary can define ethics for us in its most simple form, but to really understand what it really means and how it pertains to aviation, particularly professionals within the aviation industry, goes much deeper than just one's own moral values.

I learned very early on in my career in aviation that one must have absolute integrity; always doing the right thing when nobody else was looking. After all, there are other's lives at stake when it comes to sending an aircraft out for a flight! As an Avionics Technician, the work I performed and, more importantly, the maintenance that I inspected, was critical to the safety of flight. There was never room for "cutting corners". Every profession within the aviation community requires a level of moral obligation that is not necessarily found in other professional industries. If someone seeking a career in aviation can't live up to the requisite moral standards and ethics, they simply do not have what it takes.

When WRONG feels RIGHT because, well..... It just feels so RIGHT!

Sometimes, we are completely unaware that we are doing the wrong thing or performing tasks or procedures incorrectly. Through improper training or bad information being passed down by senior members within a given profession, it becomes a culture of "this is how we have always done it". We call this "Normalization of Deviance", a term first coined by sociologist Diane Vaughan (Price & Williams, 2018). When professionals within an organization become insensitive to deviant practices, they can become the "norm". This is an absolute recipe for disaster and requires the moral obligation of every person involved to step up and say something. 

Reference:

Price, M. R., & Williams, T. C. (2018, March). When Doing Wrong Feels So Right: Normalization of Deviance. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved July 8, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25742063/