Digital Camouflage for Wind Towers

The Australian Prime Minister has described wind farms as "visually awful". Previously I suggested Digital Camouflage for Wind Turbines. The towers need to be made visible close up so that low flying aircraft do not collide with them. This could be done by painting the towers with  a pattern of high contrast colors. Close up a pilot would see a checkerboard pattern, as used on radar antennas at an airport. From a distance the pattern would merge into a green/blue color which would blend with the ground and sky. The checks of about 200mm would act as camouflage from about 3 km, but still allow the pilot of a light aircraft sufficient time to see and avoid the tower (about twenty seconds).

Joint Strike Fighter in Australia

Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra, where Dr Paul Bevilaqua, Chief Engineer of the Lockheed Martin "Skunk Works" is speaking on "Inventing the Joint Strike Fighter". The Australian Government has announced they will order 72 F-35A aircraft.

Dr Bevilaqua developed the F-35-B lift fan for the Short Takeoff / Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the Joint Strike Fighter. He discussed the history of attempts to create a vertical landing fighter aircraft. The Harrier is the only successful such aircraft so far, using a ducted turbofan engine, but is not supersonic. The problem was to create an aircraft with the speed of an F-18, but land vertically like a Harrier.

The F-18's engines have only half the thrust needed to land vertically. Also engine's thrust is at the back of the aircraft and so the solution was to balance with with a shaft driven fan at the front. In retrospect this sounds obvious, but as Dr Bevilaqua pointed out that previously engines were either used as a turbojet or turbo-shaft, not both. Research shows the the combination is possible with only a small drop in power.

Interestingly Dr Bevilaqua's initial sketch for the aircraft has the lift fan mounted horizontally in front of the turbojet, with two nozzles to direct the air down, as with the Harrier. The final design for the F-35B has the fan vertical, so no nozzles are required. However, it seems to me this gives up some subsonic efficiency, as the fan is not used in forward flight (as it is in the Harrier). It might be possible to have an annular fan with a clutch. This would be shut down at high speed, but operate as a turbofan at low speed, then with additional doors open, direct air down for vertical landing.

Dr Bevilaqua pointed out that the stealth features of the F-35 are not designed to make the aircraft completely invisible to radar, just hard to spot from some angles.

Dr Bevilaqua related how the design of the VSTOL aircraft was turned into an idea for a conventional aircraft, simply by taking out the lift fan and replacing it with a fuel tank. He related how previous such "joint" designs had a bad reputation in the US DoD due to the TFX project (which resulted in the F-111 which Australia purchased).

One interesting part of the talk was the approach to making the prototypes of the X-35. 3-D printing was used to produce plastic mock-ups of the parts, so the companies making them had a full size template for making metal parts.

Dr Bevilaqua explained that the three variants of the F-35: Airforce, Beach and Carrier have essentially the same fuselage with some different components attached.

Australia is planning to order the conventional take-off F-35A, which does not use a lift fan. Dr Bevilaqua explained that the US Marines have had their own air-support using Harrier aircraft and the F-35B is the supersonic replacement for it. Air support for amphibious operations is very relevant to the Australian Army, which is re-equipping itself to operate from Australia's two new Canberra Class amphibious assault ships. These ships have flight decks specifically designed for the Harrier and the F-35B STOVL aircraft. I have suggested Australia order eighteen F-35b aircraft, to equip the ships.

ps: The event was organised by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics - Australia. They showed a very cheesy video promoting AIAA and aerospace technology. What got my attention was that AIIA membership is free for school teachers.

Inventing the Joint Strike Fighter

Dr Paul Bevilaqua, Chief Engineer of the Lockheed Martin "Skunk Works" will speak on "Inventing the Joint Strike Fighter" at the Australian National University in Canberra, 1 May 2014 from 6:00 PM. He will speak on the F-35 aircraft, which is being ordered for the Royal Australian Air-force. Dr Bevilaqua developed the F-35-B lift fan for the Short Takeoff / Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the Joint Strike Fighter. Australia is planning to order the conventional take-off F-35A, which does not use a lift fan. However, I have suggested eighteen F-35b aircraft be ordered, to equip Australia's two Canberra Class amphibious assault ships, which have a flight deck designed for STOVL aircraft.

Digital Camouflage for Wind Turbines

This is to suggest using digital camouflage to make wind turbines less visible from a distance, but at the same time more visible close up. Wind turbines are considered by many to be an ugly blot on the landscape. They are also a collision hazard for birds, light aircraft and helicopters. So I propose applying a pattern of contrasting light and dark patches to wind turbines, which close up would make them stand out, but from a distance would blend into the landscape.

Digital Camouflage is a form of military camouflage using square blocks of different colors. The squares are small enough so they cannot be distinguished at a distance.

Digital camouflage has been used on small  wind turbines. In "power to the people" (27 January 2009), Dominic Hyde describes how his company, Hyde Definition, applied a patter of two shades of gray, plus white to a domestic wind turbine in the UK. The US Bureau of Land Management experimented with digital camouflage on renewable power installations, but did not consider it for large wind turbines due to the need for them to be visible to aircraft and birds ("BLM experiments with camouflage to hide renewable power structures", Kimberly Hirai, High Country News, 31 October 2011).

Wind turbines are normally painted white, so black squares could be painted on them (or applied as decals) to give a gray color from a distance. Close up the checkerboard of black and white would resemble the high visibility patterns applied to antennas. This would not be true digital camouflage, as there would only be two colors used and there would be a uniform pattern used, but it would still make the structure less visible from a distance.

If it was necessary to make the structure even more visible close up, it could be painted bright safety yellow, with contrasting dark color selected for the overlying squares, so from a distance the result would still appear light gray.

The pixels on the turbine would need to be large enough to be visible close up, but indistinguishable from a distance. The Apple 5s mobile phone has a 326 ppi. display. Held at arms length (1m), the pixels on the display are hard to distinguish. This suggests that pixels on a tower would need to be about 75mm (1,000 times larger than the Apple's pixels), to be indistinguishable from 1 km away (1,000 times an arm's length).

This approach of a pattern which is high viability close up but camouflage at a distance may also have application in the military. There is a high risk of collision between camouflaged military aircraft, vehicles, ships and buildings. Having a form of camouflage which makes them more visible close up would have safety benefits.

High Speed Rail For South-East Australia

Mr. Anthony Albanese , the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, released the High speed rail study phase 2 report, 11 April 2013. This looked at the feasibility of Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane being linked by high speed passenger trains. The report finds this technically feasible, with economic and environmental benefits, but media reports have concentrated on the high cost and long time scale of such a project. In my view the project would be politically and financially feasible if built in stages. The Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne sector could be politically justified by eliminating the need for a second Sydney airport and the treat of further aircraft noise over politically sensitive western Sydney electorates. The project could be funded from the sale of land in new "i-Towns" along the route.

Providing a high speed passenger train from Sydney to Canberra and Melbourne would eliminate most flights on one of the world's busiest aircraft corridors. This would free up slots at Sydney airport for other interstate and international flights. It would also allow Canberra to be the second Sydney airport.

Fast train access to regional Australia would allow the rapid development of new "i-Towns". This would relieve development pressure from Sydney and the sale of the developed land in the new towns would pay for the cost of the railway. The new towns would exploit broadband technology to the maximum, to make them attractive and also low cost to develop. Facilities such as an advanced hospital, university campus, offices and entertainment facilities would be integrated and on-line. The railway would provide rapid access to the city for services not available in town. The towns could be built at the same time as the railway, so that revinue from land sales would be avialabl;e quickly.

Ships, submarines and aircraft: Naval and aerial aspects of the Gallipoli War

Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra, where Professor Serhat Güvenç, Kadir Has University, Istanbul is speaking on "Ships, submarines and aircraft: Naval and aerial aspects of the Gallipoli War". Professor Güvenç discussed the arms race with Dreadnought battleships before World War Two. In 1911 Dodecanese Islands were lost by the Ottoman Empire. In 1913 the Ottomans outbid Greece and Russia to purchase a British dreadnought, the Sultan Osman-i Evvel, but the ship and another was retained by the UK. The German battlecrusers SMS Goeben and Moltke escaped the British Mediterranean fleet to Ottoman territory and were  transfered to Ottoman control. Professor Güvenç argued that these circumstances effectively decided the Ottaman's would side with Germany, against the UK.

Only obsolete ships were used for the UK's Gallipoli Campaign as the Ottamans were seen as not having a significant military force. The available Ottaman ships were required to counter the Russian threat. Instead Gallipoli was defended with shore mounted obsolete naval guns and sea mines. Guns and mines were carefully positioned in anticipation of the likely lines of approach for UK ships. The UK forces used Greek  (notionally neutral) islands. Professor Güvenç argued that the Minelayer Nusrat while a small ship was very significant to the Gallipoli War. One aircraft available to the Turks, was also significant in providing advice on the status of the mines. Australian submarine AE-2 penetrated to the Sea of Marinaras, which was a morale boost for UK forces, but not militarily significant. German submarine U-21 was more effective in forcing K ships from the Gallipoli area. UK submarine E-11 in the Marmara Sea severely disrupted Turkish shipping (and attacked a train with gunfire).

Professor Güvenç argued the Turks won the Gallipoli War because they had better military leadership, but also were well prepared. The Ottoman Empire in effect won their war with Russia, but ultimately lost with the allied victory in WWI. From another perspective the modern Turkish state arose partly from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's rise to prominence in the Gallipoli War.

Professor Güvenç's analysis of the Gallipoli is significant not only historically but for the world today. One lesson is that major warships are at a disadvantage in the littoral zone close to shore. Ships are vulnerable to relatively unsophisticated sea mines, land based aircraft and gunfire. Large ships are also vulnerable on approach to shore from submarine attack. There are significant issues for Australia, which has ordered two Canberra Class Landing Helicopter Dock ships (LHDs). These ships are purpose designed for amphibious assault in the littoral zone as flagship of an Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG). But the LHDs are very vulnerable and must be protected by mine-clearing, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft defenses. This will require a significant investment by Australia, not only in ships, but in specialized highly trained personnel. Australia is building Hobart-class Air Warfare Destroyers and upgrading Anzac-class frigates, to provide air defense, but does not have sufficient mine or submarine countermeasures.

The Gallipoli Peninsula stands as one of the earliest theatres of joint military operations in the modern era. At Gallipoli, both the Allies and the Ottomans employed their naval, land and air power assets in pursuit of a decisive victory. The campaign, which opened with a naval assault to force a quick capitulation of the Ottoman Empire, turned into a massive land campaign as a result of the allied amphibious landing. However, the naval assault failed, and degenerated into a war of attrition waged increasingly by submarines and aircraft to the end of World War I.

This presentation has three objectives. The first is to provide an overall assessment of the factors that contributed to the Ottoman decision to go to war. The second is to discuss the reasons how and why the submarine and aircraft, as new and largely untested weapons, gradually succeeded the battleship, as principal means of warfare upon which both sides continued to rely until the end of the conflict. The third objective is to discuss the legacy of the Gallipoli Wars in shaping the contours of the subsequent Turkish War of Liberation and the Republic of Turkey.

Dr Serhat Güvenç is an Associate Professor of International Relations at Kadir Has University, Istanbul.  He has a BA in International Relations and an MA in European Studies from Marmara University, Istanbul and a PhD in Political Science and International Relations from Bosphorus University. He has worked at Koç University, Istanbul Bilgi University and the University of Chicago as a Visiting Assistant Professor of History in 2006.
Dr Güvenç’s research interests include Turkish defence policy and modern Turkish military/naval history. He is the author of Ottomans’ Quest for Dreadnoughts on the eve of the First World War, Istanbul: Is Kultur Yayinlari, 2009, and Turkey in the Mediterranean during the Interwar Era: The Paradox of Middle Power Diplomacy and Minor Power Naval Policy, Indiana: Indiana University Turkish Studies, 2010 (co-authored with Dilek Barlas). He has published in the Middle Eastern Studies, International Journal of Naval History, Uluslararasi Iliskiler (Turkish Journal of International Relations), Exotierika Themata (in Greek) and the Journal of Strategic Studies. He guest-edited a special issue of Uluslararasi Iliskiler on the 60 Years of Turkey’s NATO Membership.

787 Battery Fire

The US National Transportation Safety Board have issued photographs of the burned auxiliary power unit battery from a JAL Boeing 787 (14 January 2013). The lithium-ion cells are barely recognizable due to the fire. The battery weighs 63 US pounds, so there is a serious risk to an aircraft from fire.

Flying a Robot Helicopter by the Seat of Your Pants

Greetings from the famous room N101 at the College of Engineering & Computer Science at the Australian National University, where summer students are reporting on their projects. One project is on the use of haptics (touch sense) for controlling UAVs (robot helicopters). Hobby model control aircraft are typically flow by the operator looking at the aircraft and using two joysticks. However,  a UAV can fly  out of the visual range. A camera can be used, but has limitations in terms of the field of view and the stability of the image. A pilot in an aircraft has other senses they can use, especially touch. This touch interface can be reproduced, typically with a force feedback joystick.

US Air Force Cyberspace Warfare Operations Capabilities

The US Air Force Materiel Command issued a presolicitation for "Cyberspace Warfare Operations Capabilities" (CWOC) for their Electronic Systems Center. The US Air Force is looking for technology demonstrators for Cyberspace Warfare Attack and Support. The presolicitation document uses a conventional air warfare metaphor, with terms such as position, maneuver and strike, but applied to "destroy, deny, degrade, disrupt, deceive, corrupt, or usurp the adversaries ability to use the cyberspace domain for his advantage".

1. Technical Description: The ESC/HSJG Program Office is an organization focused on the development and sustainment of Cyberspace Warfare Attack capabilities that directly support Cyberspace Warfare capabilities for the operational Air Force. This BAA solicits concept papers with the potential to enhance Air Force operations focused on Cyberspace Warfare capabilities access, position, maneuver, and strike within the adversary cyberspace domain in support of the Combatant Commanders (CCDR) and national objectives. CWO is the integrated planning and employment of military capabilities to achieve desired effects across the interconnected cyberspace domain.

CWO is conducted in the cyberspace domain through the dynamic combination of hardware, software, data, and human interaction. In many cases, CWO requires unique technologies, techniques, and capabilities to maneuver, operate and persist. The topics this BAA is interested in pursuing include, but are not limited to:

a. Cyberspace Warfare Attack. The employment of cyberspace capabilities to destroy, deny, degrade, disrupt, deceive, corrupt, or usurp the adversaries ability to use the cyberspace domain for his advantage.

b. Cyberspace Warfare Support. Actions tasked by or under direct control of an operational commander to search for, intercept, identify, and locate or localize sources of access and vulnerability for the purpose of immediate threat recognition, targeting, planning, and conduct of future operations in the cyberspace domain.

Cyberspace Warfare Support provides information required for immediate decisions involving CWO. Cyberspace Warfare Support data can be used to produce intelligence, or provide targeting for electronic or destructive attack.

c. Technologies/concepts for developing capabilities associated with Cyberspace Warfare Attack (i.e., to disrupt, deny, degrade, destroy or deceive an adversary’s ability to use the cyberspace domain to his advantage.) This should address, but not be limited to the following:

i. Mapping of networks (both data and voice)
ii. Access to cyberspace domain, information, networks, systems or devices
iii. Denial of service on cyberspace resources, current/future operating systems and network devices
iv. Data manipulation
v. Ability to control cyberspace effects at specified times and place
d. Technologies/concepts for developing and assessing cyberspace capabilities while disconnected from the operational cyberspace domain (the Internet or communication networks) including IO modeling, simulation and capability, and operational and performance assessments.
e. Situational awareness capabilities that give an operator near real-time effectiveness feedback in a form that is readily observed by the operator.
f. Technologies/concepts for developing capabilities to assess and visualize non-kinetic cyberspace domain effects.
g. Technologies/concepts for developing capabilities to support rapid implementation of effects-based cyberspace capabilities.
h. Cyberspace technologies/capabilities employing unique characteristics resulting in the adversary entering conflicts in a degraded state.
2. Proposed concept papers may also address new tactics, techniques, procedures, and mature technology applications that may affect Air Force IO doctrine and strategy. ...

From: Cyberspace Warfare Operations Capabilities (CWOC) TECHNOLOGY CONCEPT DEMONSTRATIONS, Electronic Systems Center, Air Force Material Command, Department of the Air Force, USA, 13 Feb 2012

BAe146 Aircraft With Gravel Kits

Cobham Aviation Services has modified two BAe 146 jet aircraft to operate from unsealed airstrips used by mining companies. Surplus BAe 146 aircraft are now being used by the UK military for transport of supplies and troops. The "Gravel Kit" has rubber paint to
protect the fuselage, nose wheel stone deflector and Kevlar undercarriage shields for the main landing gear.

I suggest, if commercially successful, Cobham's aircraft could also be used to transport personnel and equipment for the Australian military. This would free up military transport aircraft for tactical use. Cobham already supply services to Australian and other military organizations.

News Release
10 July 2012
Cobham Offers Australia’s First Commercial Jetly In Fly Out Services to Unsealed Airstrips

PERTH, Australia – Cobham has opened-up hundreds of gravel air strips around Australia to commercial passenger jet aircraft for the first time, unlocking huge benefits to mining and energy companies’ Fly-in Fly-out (FIFO) operations.

In an Australian-first, Cobham has commenced jet FIFO services to unsealed airstrips following modification of several BAe 146 jets with “gravel kits” that protect the undercarriage and airframe during take-off and landing.

Cobham’s first jet FIFO services are being provided to a mining consortium in Kambalda, 500km east of Perth. Cobham is also in active talks with other mining companies to expand the services.

“Until now, companies operating out of gravel airstrips were forced to use turboprop aircraft, with a limit of 50 passengers,” said Peter Nottage, vice president of Cobham Aviation Services.

“The gravel kit modification means faster flights in safe, quiet jets with full cabin service for mining workers, creating a much improved travel experience and a happier and more productive workforce. The alternative to achieve this is to spend millions of dollars building a sealed runway.”

Cobham has so far modified two 71-seat BAe146 aircraft with “gravel kits” to enable landing on unsealed airstrips and is in the process of converting more aircraft in its FIFO fleet.

The introduction of gravel kit-equipped jets followed an 18 month period of trial flights and final approvals by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority in January of this year.

The BAe146s were modified in Cobham’s Adelaide and Perth facilities by applying the approved BAE Systems airframe protection kit, which includes specialised rubber paint to protect the underside of the fuselage. A nose wheel stone deflector and Kevlar undercarriage shields around the main landing gear protects the undercarriage from dislodged gravel and debris during take-off and landing.

Nottage said that only the BAe 146, with its versatility, strength, and wing and undercarriage design could safely operate on gravel and unsealed strips in remote Australia.
“This really is a historic step for FIFO aviation in Australia,” said Nottage. “Cobham is the only Australian FIFO provider which offers jet passenger services to unsealed airstrips” and the only other known country in which it is being used is Mongolia.

“The successful introduction of the gravel kit modification is a testament to the innovation, safety and trust placed in us by our clients, and that sets Cobham apart in Australia’s highly competitive FIFO market”.

“Cobham is proud to be a partner and business enabler for successful companies operating in Australia’s booming mining and energy sectors.”

The gravel kit flight proving program was led by in-house technical pilot Captain Gordon Browne AO, formerly a test pilot with the Royal Australian Air Force.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority was later involved as part of the certification of the necessary additions to the BAe146 flight manual for the modified aircraft.

Cobham Regional Services, which operates the FIFO services, has a fleet of 20 aircraft made up of BAe 146 and Avro RJ100 passenger jets and Dehaviland Dash 8 turboprop.

Cobham is currently demonstrating the enhanced service to existing customers and other interested parties.

About Cobham

Cobham specialises in meeting the demand for data, connectivity and bandwidth in defence, security and commercial environments. ...Offering a technically diverse and innovative range of technologies and services, the Group protects lives and livelihoods, responding to customer needs with agility that differentiates it. The most important thing we build is trust. Employing more than 10,000 people on five continents, the Group has customers and partners in over 100 countries.

About Cobham Aviation Services

Cobham Aviation Services provides specialist aviation solutions to Defence, Government and major commercial customers under long term performance based contracts. This includes operating the largest border protection civil maritime surveillance contract in the world for the Australian Government, supporting Qantas and numerous major resource industry clients across Australia, modern battle space air warfare training for the UK armed forces and NATO, providing air traffic control radar display software and aid calibration services to leading UK and European airports and with partner Bristow Helicopters training all helicopter pilots for the UK’s Navy, Air Force and Army through entity FB Heliservices.

With a combined fleet of over 150 fixed and rotary wing aircraft, Cobham Aviation Services is a trusted partner worldwide.

- ends -
...
Jet Systems (Pty) trading as Cobham Aviation Services
www.cobham.com
Twitter.com/cobham_plc

High Speed Passenger/Freight Trains for Canberra-Sydney-Melbourne

Canberra Airport is planning a high speed rail terminal to quickly transfer passenger to Sydney (Airport willing to fund rail terminal, ABC News, June 12, 2012). The incorporation of freight could make a Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne high speed train service more viable, with freight moved from aircraft to train at the same time the passengers are boarding.

In March Euro Carex ran a high speed test freight train from Lyon to London. The train is actually a modified TGV passenger train used by the French post office for carrying mail. The consortium plans to run dedicated high speed freight trains between European airports to transport freight at lower cost than possible by air. Dedicated freight terminals will be built inside the security perimeter of the airports, allowing container to be moved securely between planes and trains.

Australia would not have enough freight to justify dedicated trains. Instead I suggest dual mode trains be used with passengers and freight. The freight area would be separated from the passenger compartment for security. On high capacity routes a modified double deck train could be used, with the freight on the deck above the passengers. A separate secure upper platform would be used to load freight at the same time passengers are embarking below. The same roll-on and roll off systems as used for aircraft could be used to load the trains and both road transport pallets and air containers could be used.

Human Error in the Health System

Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra, where former Royal Australian Air Force test pilot, Robyn Clay-Williams (UNSW Centre for Clinical Governance Research in Health) is peaking on "Human Error in Complex Systems". Robyn asserted that error is part of human behavior which has to be managed, not just an aberration. Using the "Invisible Gorilla Test", she demonstrated the effects of situational awareness (or its opposite "Inattentional blindness"). When an individual concentrates on part of a task they have a loss of awareness of other aspects. In the "Invisible Gorilla Test" subjects are asked to concentrate on one team in a video of a basketball game. About 25% of subjects then fail to notice a person dressed in a gorilla suit walk into the middle of the game, stop, wave to the audience and walk off. Analogously airline pilots who concentrate on an instrument malfunction can fly into the ground due to inattention, as happened with Eastern Air Lines Flight 401. Flight crews are now trained to allocate tasks so that one will keep the plane flying, while another tries to solve the instrument problem. Also the air crew are trained to say aloud what they are doing with standard terminology and for junior staff to question the actions of their superiors.

One lesson research is that auditory attention lessons when staff are concentrating on one problem. This is an issue in hospitals where a large variety of audio warnings; these can tend to be ignored. I wonder if medical personnel should have the equivalent of the stick shaker in an aircraft, which physically vibrates the controls in the pilot's hands. The vibrator in a smart phone could be used to alert medical staff to urgent matters.

One of the lessons from air accident investigation is that most accidents occur from honest hardworking people making a mistake. Simply finding someone to blame does not reduce the accidents in the future. Instead the accident needs to be looked at from the point of view of the team of people involved and what they perceive.

It occurs to me one example of what not to do are the recent royal commissions into Australian bush-fires.

Robyn pointed out that if there are pressures on staff they will tend to work outside the normal safe operating environment, this can result in very unsafe practices creeping into common use.

It occurs to me that it should be possible to monitor the delivery of health care in hospitals every easily. Hospitals keep detailed records which are now computerized. It should be possible to monitor the actions of the staff and the outcomes automatically across all hospitals in Australia. Something like this is already done with GPs, through automated examination of Medicare claims.

At discussion time we got on to the different philosophies of aircraft control between Boeing and Airbus: Boeing gives ultimate control of the aircraft to the pilot, whereas Airbus has computer controlled limits which the pilot cannot override. A local example is the room at ANU used for the talk, which has a bright yellow power switch installed at the instance of the computer scientists, whereas other rooms have the computer system in complete control of room functions.

One well know aircraft problem

While attempting its first overseas deployment to the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, on February 11, 2007, a group of six Raptors flying from Hickam AFB experienced multiple computer crashes coincident with their crossing of the 180th meridian of longitude (the International Date Line). The computer failures included at least navigation (completely lost) and communication. The planes were able to return to Hawaii by following their tankers in good weather. The error was fixed within 48 hours and the F-22s continued their journey to Kadena. ...

From: F-22 Raptor, Wikipedia, 10 March 2007

Robyn recommended, The Human Contribution, Safety and Ethics in Healthcare: A Guide to Getting It Right, Patient Safety: A Human Factors Approach.

Human Error in Complex Systems

Former Royal Australian Air Force test pilot, Robyn Clay-Williams, from the UNSW Centre for Clinical Governance Research in Health, will speak on "Human Error in Complex Systems" at the Australian National University in Canberra, 3pm 15 May 2012. This is a free talk with no need to book:

Human Error in Complex Systems

Robyn Clay-Williams (Centre for Clinical Governance Research in Health, UNSW)

COMPUTER SCIENCE SEMINAR

DATE: 2012-05-15
TIME: 15:00:00 - 16:00:00
LOCATION: Seminar Room (N101), CSIT Building (Building 108, North Road)
CONTACT: Malcolm.Newey@anu.edu.au

ABSTRACT:
One of the by-products of conducting normal human operations in complex systems is error. Colloquially, error has been acknowledged as an inherent part of the human condition since Cicero (106-43BC) declared "to err is human". It was not until the Second World War, when accidents occurred on a large enough scale to impact on performance, however, that error became linked to safety. With the introduction of computer-based information technology in the 1960s, systems became larger, increasingly centralised and more complex. As human ability to manage these systems started to become a limitation, accidents became a more common occurrence. Interdependency of system elements and fast system response may cause a seemingly innocuous error to develop into a catastrophic accident before a solution can be found. Well known examples include nuclear accidents at Three Mille Island, USA (1979) and Chernobyl, USSR (1986), and the space shuttle Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003) accidents.

Despite a large body of literature on error modelling and categorisation, little progress has been made on elimination of errors. Research has found that errors can be statistically predicted, but not with sufficient precision for prevention. The best we can do is to explore ways to minimise or mitigate the undesirable consequences of error. Current research efforts concentrate on engineering and design, psychology and human factors, or a combination of both.

Through discussion of accidents in aviation and health care, the presentation will explore how the ways that humans behave, both as individuals and in groups, can contribute to error. Some of the methods currently used by industry to prevent human error will also be introduced, with examples from aviation and health care.

BIO:
Robyn Clay-Williams has a 24 year background in the Royal Australian Air Force, where she worked as an engineer, test pilot, flight instructor and aviation team skills instructor. She was the operational advisory member on the Australian Defence Force board that introduced contemporary 5th Generation Crew Resource Management teamwork training into military aviation. Her PhD investigated the efficacy of aviation-style Crew Resource Management (CRM) training in improving public health safety, by evaluating attitude and behavioural changes in multi-disciplinary teams resulting from implementation of a CRM intervention in the Australian health care field.

Robyn's postdoctoral fellowship is in the field of human factors in health care. Specific areas of interest include teams and teamwork, decision making, and usability test and evaluation of medical devices and IT systems.

Broadband and Train to Replace Second Sydney Airport

The NSW Premier, Barry O'Farrell, has proposed to use a high-speed rail line from Sydney to Canberra in place of a second Sydney airport. Canberra's airport could then be used for Sydney. This is technically feasible, but it might be necessary to extend the rail line to Melbourne to make it viable. Also I suggest the use of broadband to make new settlements along the route viable and to pay the cost of the rail line.

European experience suggested that a rail service between Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne would replace most air travel. Broadband access on the train would also make this form of travel more attractive and something much harder for an aircraft to provide. This would free up the existing Sydney airport for longer trips. Also some international passengers who currently land in Sydney and transfer to Canberra or Melbourne by air, would then instead land in Canberra or Melbourne.

Sydney to Melbourne is the second busiest passenger air route in the world, with 950 aircraft movements per week. A high-speed train could be expected to replace 90% of flights between Canberra and Sydney and 80% between Sydney and Melbourne. Assuming that also 20% of the international flights to Sydney were replaced with ones to Canberra and Melbourne, this would free up significant capacity in Sydney. The use of larger A380 aircraft will also increase Sydney's capacity.

The high-speed train could make new and expanded settlements in inland NSW viable, reducing infrastructure pressure on Sydney. The sale of improved land in the new settlements would be sufficient to pay for the rail line. Broadband Internet could be used to provide jobs and services quickly and at low-cost in the new settlements, making them more attractive to residents. As an example, shared offices could be provided for workers to telecommute from. New schools, TAFEs and university campuses could be built with computer equipped classrooms, allowing access to global education. Medical facilities with instant on-line access to remote specialists could be provided.

Solar Unmanned Aircraft Presentation

Ben Coughlan will speak on "Solar Unmanned Aircraft" at the Australian National University in Canberra at 3pm today.

The Australian National University
College of Engineering & Computer Science

Solar Enrygy Series

Solar Unmanned Aircraft

Ben Coughlan (College of Engineering and Computer Science)

DATE: 2012-01-19
TIME: 15:00:00 - 16:00:00
LOCATION: Ian Ross Seminar Room
ABSTRACT:
Unmanned aircraft are becoming increasingly popular for use in defence, law enforcement and civilian applications. Many of these emerging applications require the aircraft to remain airborne for many hours, even days at a time. Such endurance usually requires very large and expensive aircraft. While battery and fuel cell technologies are improving and becoming more common on smaller aircraft, solar is the most promising energy that can be harvested from the environment while airborne. In combination with behavioural algorithms designed to optimise the energy usage of the aircraft and gain energy from air movement, solar energy is a required step on the path to persistent flight. Unmanned aircraft present unique challenges for deploying photovoltaic technologies and require some unconventional solutions.

From "Flying Forever" by Ben Coughlan:

The albatross can travel great distances
with very little energy using a technique
known as dynamic soaring. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are used for things like aerial mapping, surveillance, atmo-
spheric observation, communication relays as well as various military applications. Many of these tasks could benefit from the ongoing or even persistent presence of a UAV or one with
a practically limitless range.
Aircraft have the ability to harvest solar and wind energy during flight to give them more speed, altitude or electrical energy. By managing these energies and balancing resources against mission objectives, aircraft can benefit from substantially increased performance and the possibility of persistent flight.

This project will focus primarily on producing a frame-work for developing, assessing and deploying small scale fixed wing aircraft capable of managing their own energy resources in balance with their given mission objectives. ...

Modelling Energy Flow

Like any physical system, an Aerial Vehicle is comprised of a number of energy sources, stores and sinks, and has methods for transforming this energy over various states. An energy source is external to the aircraft itself and supplies energy that can be harnessed and used to achieve various goals. This includes the sun which provides electrical energy harvested by photo-voltaic cells on the
surface of the aircraft and air movement in the forms of wind and rising warm air known as thermals, which can provide speed and/or altitude via techniques known as dynamic soaring and thermalling.

The energy flow within an aircraft system can be modelled as a directed graph. Each node represents either an energy source, transitional device (like a motor), or an energy sink. The edges of the graph can be annotated with the efficiency of the energy transition.

Experimentation Platform

Experiments are performed on a commercially available airframe, the Alex F5B. The Alex F5B is constructed of and is made of composite materials to provide a very strong and stiff airframe. This airframe provides a very wide speed envelope allowing various techniques to be tested in various conditions.

The motor is capable of pulling the aircraft vertically at 100 km/h, however this is only used in short bursts to gain altitude. While gliding, the propeller folds flat against the fuselage to minimise drag.

The current payload is an EagleTree inertial data recorder and transmitter allowing the state of the aircraft to be viewed live on a base-station. The data recorded includes GPS, air-speed, accelerations, barometric altitude, servo positions and current draw from the battery. ...

F-35B STOVL Fighter for Australian Sea Control Ship

This is to suggest the Australian Government order 24 F-35B Lightning II STOVL aircraft to equip the HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide. The Canberra and Adelaide are currently described as Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ships, operating only helicopters from the flight deck. However, the Australian government ordered the ships fitted with ski-jump ramps intended for Short Takeoff - Vertical Landing (STOVL) fixed wing aircraft. With these aircraft, the ships will then be able to carry out their primary mission, of amphibious operations. Without the protection of aircraft, the ships will be limited to operating close to the Australian coast.



The F-35B is the highest technical rusk, most expensive and lowest performance of the three F-35 variants. Currently the Australian government is considering ordering the conventional takeoff F-35A, which is less risky, cheaper and higher performance. However, the F-35B offers the ability to operate from a ship's deck and retains the stealth characteristics and a useful payload. The extra cost of the F-35B has in effect been underwritten, by the other variants and has performed well in recent shipboard trials.

Risks remain with the F-35 project. Australia could order 24 F-35Bs, sufficient for the two ships. If the F-35 turns out to be successful, then F-35As could be ordered later for land-based use. Otherwise more F/A-18Fs could be ordered for land use and just the 24 F-35Bs retained for shipboard use.

Air Crash Investigation Lab Tour

As part of Engineering Week, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is providing a free tour of its “Air Crash Investigation Laboratory” in Canberra, on 1 Aug 2011:

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), in the spirit of Engineering Week 2011, extends an open invitation to interested members of the community, to visit its Canberra technical facilities.

This is an opportunity for a glimpse behind the scenes of Australia’s premiere transport safety investigation agency. In these limited-numbers sessions, experienced investigators will give you an insight into contemporary no-blame investigation methods and the application of advanced forensic engineering techniques. The ATSB maintains several advanced engineering laboratories dedicated to the recovery of evidence from accident wreckage, engineered systems and the ever-important ‘black box’ flight recorders. ...

Lunch at former flying boat base in Perth

Lunching at the "Matilda Bay Restaurant " in Perth, I noticed there was a "Catalina" function room. A sign on the wall indicated this was a former US Navy flying boat base in World War 2. The restaurant is on the banks of the Swan River, across the road from the Nedlands campus of the Unviersity of Western Australia. This was also the original location for the Australian The Double Sunrise service operated between Austrlaian and Ceylon by the RAAF and QANTAS. Unfortunately a sign in the park commemorating this shows a photo of a biplane flying boat (not a Catalina).

Pilotless Helicopter Waterbombers for Japanese Reactors

New reports indicate that attempts to drop water on damaged Japanese reactors have been unsuccessful. The USA has a robot helicopter water-bomber which might be safe and effective.

In January 2011 U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) is reported to have successfully tested with an unmanned helicopter air-dropping a 4,400lb load. The helicopter used was a modified version of the Kaman KMax, which is also used for fire-fighting around the world (including in Australia). The aircraft can carry a water-bucket as its load and release the water under remote control.

It appears likely that the Kaman KMax aircraft could be used to drop water on a nuclear reactor. This could be done with more precision than a manned aircraft as there would be no risk to the operator and the aircraft could hover precisely over the target. The aircraft could operate for hours at a time, then needing to land for a few minutes to refuel.

Military Data Network Dependability

"Navy Network Dependability: Models, Metrics, and Tools" is another in the excellent series of technical report from RAND corporation on aspects of military operations. In this report the reliability of the telecommunications networks used by the US Navy is investigated.

The emphasis here is on how reliable the network shared between Navy ships and aircraft in a strike group looks to the military user. A methodology for assessing this is outlined and then applied. As with previous RAND reports the report provides a clearly written but technically rigorous analysis. However, it is limited by the brief given.

In this case the limitation of the analysis is shown by three examples of networking in a carrier battle group. These show the IP Network, Secure Voice Equipment String and the Tactical Data Link Equipment String. These are three different networks all of which have to be supported on ships and aircraft. The logical way to make this more reliable would be to use one network which could prioritise communications and route it over all avialable links. Having separate networks devoted to two different sorts of data and voice makes little sense and is a legacy of the development of such systems.

Navy Network Dependability

Models, Metrics, and Tools

By: Isaac R. Porche, III, Katherine Comanor, Bradley Wilson, Matthew J. Schneider, Juan Montelibano, Jeff Rothenberg

The Navy is increasingly dependent on networks and associated net-centric operations to conduct military missions, so a vital goal is to establish and maintain dependable networks for ship and multiship (e.g., strike group) networks. In this volume, the authors develop a framework for measuring network dependability that is focused on users' perceptions of whether individual network services are available, as opposed to hardware-focused measurements of whether individual pieces of equipment are functioning. The authors used this framework to modify a tool for modeling network availability that was originally developed by Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command; the modified tool allows the user to perform sensitivity analysis that captures the degree to which individual network components affect overall mission operational availability. The authors walk the reader through some exemplar analyses, then conclude with recommendations on how the Navy might facilitate future network dependability assessments, provide more meaningful results to network engineers, and, ultimately, enhance the dependability of networks across the fleet.

Pages: 126

ISBN/EAN: 9780833049940