2020/21 Undergraduate Module Catalogue
AVIA3010 Aviation Safety and Reliability
30 creditsClass Size: 70
Module manager: Professor WF Gale
Email: w.f.gale@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2020/21
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Objectives
On completion of this module, students should:- become aware of the statistical data for aircraft safety and of the various causes of accidents and incidents;
- become familiar with the factors that lead to major classes of accidents and incidents and how these might be prevented;
- become aware of cabin health issues which affect crew and passengers;
- become aware of security issues for aircraft and airports and of the industry's response to these challenges;
- be able to exercise a range of personnel management skills required of a pilot or other aviation professional;
- understand and have the ability to exercise the non-engineering skills applicable to working in a multi-crew environment;
- have been introduced to the topic of reliability and maintenance in an aviation context with an emphasis on what is important to know for the student of aviation, as a future pilot, manager, regulator etc.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the module, students should:
- Have the ability to identify the major challenges in aviation safety, healthy, security and reliability;
- Have the ability to select appropriate technological, human factors/crew resource management and procedural/regulatory responses to these challenges and awareness of the interplay between these;
- Be fully conversant with the major issues in human factors;
- Have the ability to apply crew resource management techniques to a variety of situations;
- Understand the concepts of reliability functions and maintenance engineering practices and systems;
- Be able to apply the logic of reliability systems and Failure Mode and Effect Analysis for various systems;
- Be able to demonstrate an understanding of different asset management practices in aviation environments;
- Be able to formulate maintenance strategies and analyse different performance measures, condition monitoring and diagnostic techniques;
- Be able to apply maintenance costing and planning in relation to aircraft.
Skills outcomes
Students acquire the following AHEP 3 competencies in the module. P = Practiced actively, F = Formatively assessed, S = Summatively assessed. Discussions refer to both open in-class discussions of questions from broad to highly focused and semi-structured discussion centred around numerous case studies.
SM1: Students gain understanding of scientific principles of sensors, in warning/alerting systems and psychological basis of human factors. P (in class discussions), F (accident hearings and reports), S (exam).
SM2: Students gain insight into Weibull statistics and application in reliability. F (reliability assignment), S (exam).
SM3: Students bring knowledge into aviation from materials, electronic engineering, reliability engineering etc. Integrated P (in class discussions), then F (various assignments), S (exam).
EA1: Insight into engineering principles of sensors (e.g. ROC curves), reliability and maintenance. P (in-class discussion), F (assignments), S (exam).
EA2: Students use analytical and modelling techniques for reliability. F (reliability assignment), S (exam).
EA3: Students use quantitative approaches to reliability, including reliability software. F (reliability assignment), S in (exam).
EA4: Integral to the whole system approach to safety of the module, integrating engineering, human factors and regulatory/operational/process aspects. P (in-class discussion topics), F (accident investigation), S (exam).
D1: Students analyse safety from the standpoint of key actors/stakeholders. P (in-class discussions), F (accident investigation), S (exam).
D2: Students investigate/analyse safety problems, P (discussion topics), F (accident investigation), S (exam).
D3: Students learn to recognise that it is not always possible to identify definitive, but only probable causes for accidents, due to fragmentary or missing information, P (discussion topics), F (accident investigation), S (exam).
D6: Accident hearings (F), involve two way communication with witnesses (played by students) at all levels from 'captain' to 'passenger'.
ELSEE 1: Translating professionalism into safety action and the ethical aspects of safety are major foci, P (in-class discussions), F (accident investigation), S (exam). In depth consideration of ethical aspects of aviation security, e.g. appropriateness of lethal force and invasive passenger screening, P (in-class discussions), S (exam).
ELSEE 2: Places safety/security in commercial, economic and societal contexts, P(in-class discussions), S (exam).
ELSEE 3: Major theme on safety management and integration of e.g. safety management systems with airline management systems, P (in-class discussions), S (exam).
ELSEE 4: Sustainability is considered with respect to end of life, P (in-class discussion), S (exam).
ELSEE 5: Impact on safety of regulatory frameworks and harmonisation. P (in-class discussion), S (exam).
ELSEE 6: Risk is a major focus. P (in-class discussion), F (accident investigation), S (exam).
EP1: In depth insight into broader, multifaceted context of safety. P(in-class discussions), F (accident investigation), S (exam).
EP5: Legal environment for safety, reliability and maintenance. P (in-class discussions), F (accident investigation), S (exam).
EP6: Similar to EP5.
EP7: Quality management and improvement considered from standpoint of impact on safety, P (in-class discussion), F (accident investigation).
EP8: Uncertainty arises in multiple aspects ranging from false positive/negative rates for warning and alerting systems to uncertainties in primary causes and contributory factors involved in aviation accidents P (in-class discussions, S (exam).
EP9: Students work together on accident scenario development and investigation teams (F), experiencing individual assigned roles and shared leadership.
AGS4: Similar to EP9.
Syllabus
Aviation Safety, Health and Security:
- Review of accident statistics and comparison with other modes of transportation (aviation is placed in the broader context of risk and current and potential challenges to safety in civil aviation are identified).
- Human factors in aviation (including the nature of human error, the impact of training, situational awareness, factors in human performance and spatial disorientation).
- The benefits and limitations of technological solutions to safety issues.
- Major classes of accidents and their prevention (including controlled flight into terrain, loss of control, mid-air collision, runway incursions/excursions, weather-related accidents, maintenance/systems-related accidents and fire/explosion).
- Features of an effective safety culture for civil aviation and safety management systems (SMS)
.
- Aviation health issues and responses (including cosmic radiation, cabin environmental control issues, cabin pressure/hypoxia, ozone, disease transmission and deep vein thrombosis).
- The threat to aviation security (including an overview of terrorism, threats specific to aviation and the changing nature of terrorist attacks on aviation).
- Security screening technologies/procedures and policy aspects of aviation security
. Numerous case studies are included throughout the module.
Crew Resource Management and Human Factors:
- Introduction to CRM. Models: SHELL, error chain and Reason's Swiss Cheese; examples and statistics; management of human error.
- Crew communication and co-ordination; personality and behaviour; teamwork.
- Management and leadership; conflict management; workload; standard operating procedures; optimum decision-making.
- Situational awareness; cockpit crew effectiveness under difficult circumstances and the effects of shift patterns and fatigue (human performance).
- Information processing; controlled flight into terrain; automation.
Maintenance Engineering Practices and Systems:
- Concepts of reliability functions.
- Probability theory; hazard function; mean time failure; Weibull distribution.
- Analysis of serial and parallel systems.
- Reliability Centred Maintenance; Failure Mode and Effect Analysis; data analysis and methods of modelling.
- Basic diagnostic techniques; maintenance techniques: preventive maintenance, condition based monitoring, fixed time, breakdown maintenance.
Asset Management Practices:
- Maintenance strategies and performance measures.
- Maintenance and overhaul costs: direct maintenance on the airframe, direct maintenance on the engines, administrative and overhead costs.
- Fixed and variable, direct and indirect maintenance costs. Maintenance planning.
- Use of Reliability and Weibull modelling software.
Teaching methods
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
| Lecture | 66 | 1.00 | 66.00 |
| Tutorial | 2 | 3.00 | 6.00 |
| Private study hours | 228.00 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 72.00 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 300.00 | ||
Private study
Review of lecture notes each weekUse of recommended on-line and literature resources to support lecture material
Preparation of group work
Further reading on case studies
Directed reading of recommended texts and on-line resources to support lecture material
Short self-assessed exercises
Revision for written examination
Students use industry standard software in this module and are given tasks to complete so they are familiar with using the software. The software is produced by Reliasoft (www.reliasoft.com) and is widely used within the aviation (and other) industries. The two programmes, RCM++ and Weibull++ 7 are fairly straightforward to use.
Opportunities for Formative Feedback
Regular self-assessed in-class short exercises.Informal feedback on the group assignments and detailed written comments on the reports resulting from these.
Reliability based coursework.
Self-assessed in-class short exercise.
Methods of assessment
Coursework
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
| Essay | CRM Assignments | 10.00 |
| Essay | Reliability & Maintenance | 10.00 |
| Group Project | Accident Investigation | 10.00 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 30.00 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Exams
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
| Online Time-Limited assessment | 48 hr | 70.00 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 70.00 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Reading list
The reading list is available from the Library websiteLast updated: 10/08/2020 08:43:52
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