7.2 Blog Discussion: The Airport and the Environment


Dusty Environments 

An environmental characteristic that significantly affects the operations of aircraft is dusty environments.  When I first heard this, I thought it was just people being overly dramatic because they had to clean the plane more.  However, a dusty environment can have significant effects on the daily operation of aircraft  (Szczepankowsk, Szymczak, & Przysowa, n.d.).

Reduce Visibility

Reduce visibility is among one of the most significant risks of flying in a dusty environment.  When the pilot cannot see, they must rely on instruments to safely navigate the plane safely to the ground.   A Dusty environment can be catastrophic to aircraft as a pilot can easily be overcome by a condition called spatial disorientation and lose control of the plane.  This hazard is especially true to helicopter pilots (FAA, 2011).

Increased Ware

Dust can increase engine wear.  When a piece of dust becomes lodged between the fan and outside of the turbines, this increases the engine's friction.  Friction ware decreases the engine's efficiency over time and can lead to malfunctions of the engine (Szczepankowsk, Szymczak, & Przysowa, n.d.)e. 

Some dust will increase the corrosion of exposed metals, especially if the dust contains heavy metals.  This can lead to a condition called bimetallic corrosion.  Large portions of dust can also cause severe pitting within the blades.  If this pitting becomes excessive, cracks can form, causing a blade to break off and destroy other portions of the engine (Szczepankowsk, Szymczak, & Przysowa, n.d.).

Aircraft that do not have proper filtering built-in can be at even more of a risk. In 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, the American aircraft were grossly under-equipped to handle the dust, resulting in some soldiers utilizing pantyhose to cover air intakes out of desperation (Quintanilla & Kilian, 2003).

References

FAA. (2011). Spatial Disorientation. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/pilotsafetybrochures/media/spatiald_visillus.pdf

Quintanilla, R., & Kilian, M. (2003, March 26). Sandstorm lashes allies. Retrieved from https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2003-03-26-0303260284-story.html

Szczepankowsk, A., Szymczak, J., & Przysowa, R. (n.d.). The Effect of a Dusty Environment Upon Performance and Operating Parameters of Aircraft Gas Turbine Engines. Retrieved from https://www.sto.nato.int/publications/STO%20Meeting%20Proceedings/STO-MP-AVT-272/MP-AVT-272-06.pdf

Comments

  1. David CooperApril 4, 2021 at 3:30 PM

    Brandon,

    Interesting discussion here about dust and the impact to flight operations. This reminds me of a common comparison between American and Soviet/Russian fighter jets that was used through the Cold War and still maintains prevalence today. More often than not American jets require heave levels of maintenance and care, including multiple FOD walks and care for things such as dust like you talk about here whereas Russian jets were comparatively much less intensive. These jets are more often compared to a Ford which may not be nearly as flashy but will need far less maintenance and repair to operate with many Soviet fighters operating from snowy/dusty runways and sometimes even unimproved airstrips.

    David

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