Research Projects

A Simulation Approach to Manpower Planning at Continental Airlines

PI Massoud Bazargan

This research relates to the development of a computerized line maintenance simulation model for strategic manpower planning at Continental Airlines for one of their major maintenance stations at Newark airport.

The simulation model provides guidelines to the development of enhanced staffing models and a better understanding of resource requirements on a daily basis. The proposed simulation model could be used as a tool to support the management of the line maintenance department in solving various capacity planning issues related to the manpower requirement and scheduling. The recent capabilities of simulation modeling, namely optimization modeling is adopted in search of enhanced shift schedule of technicians that would improve the efficiency of the existing system.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

A Simulation Study to Determine Optimal Shipping Strategy

PI Massoud Bazargan

The purpose of the project is to develop a simulation that can serve as means for choosing the optimal shipping option based on given criteria.

This project comes from AAR Airlift, a maintenance supply chain organization that frequently sends packages overseas. The ultimate goal is to develop two separate deliverables for AAR Airlift airline efficient use of available resources and reduce flight delays. The project uses simulation for one full day of an airline's operations. The simulation model developed can identify the number of delays as well as the total time of delays that may occur throughout the system due to shortage of maintenance workforce.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

Development of an Aviation Weather Database Highlighting Weather Encounters

PI Massoud Bazargan

The project team, which includes the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Clemson University, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, interviewed 26 General Aviation (GA) pilots over a 25-month period.

The hope is that a list of items and/or data points that investigators can use to gain a better understanding of what happened within a particular weather incident/accident can be generated.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

GA Airport funding strategies

PI Massoud Bazargan

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current financial environment of publicly owned and operated general aviation airports, and to develop an outlook for future potential.

The study focused on basic airport demographic data and the views of airport managers of GA airports regarding their facility's current financial situation, access to finding resources, state, local, and private sector, current fuel handling activity, T-hangar vacancies, other concepts for enhancing revenue, and attitudes toward attaining financial self-sufficiency.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

Integration of Small Aircraft Transportation Systems (SATS) into General Aviation

PI Massoud Bazargan

Conducted operational and simulation approaches to identify potential bottlenecks and examine future expansion strategies for airports by integrating SATS with GA.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

LAX Tow Tugs Feasibility Study

PI Massoud Bazargan

Currently, United Airlines does not have any tow tugs at LAX and uses only tractors with pull bars.

These are not suited for the lengthy tows. Due to high cost of these tow tugs a study is needed to identify economic viability of purchasing these tow tugs. In particular, the airline would like to identify metrics such NPV, payback, and IRR determined for a period of 5 years after buying these tow tugs.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

Manpower Planning for Maintenance Crew at SFO

PI Massoud Bazargan

The objective of this project is to optimize the use of maintenance manpower at San Francisco International Airport for efficient use of available resources and reduce flight delays.

The project uses simulation for one full day of an airline's operations. The simulation model developed can identify the number of delays as well as the total time of delays that may occur throughout the system due to shortage of maintenance workforce

Categories: Faculty-Staff

NextGen Task G 4D FMS TBO Demonstration Benefits Analyses

PI Massoud Bazargan

The goal of the project was to leverage existing technology and Flight Management System (FMS) capabilities as a starting point to define standards and requirements for trajectory exchange, time of arrival control, and other building blocks.

The analyses focuses on benefits of these standards and requirements.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

Statistical Analysis for General Aviation Accidents

PI Massoud Bazargan

The identification of causal factors for problems within a complex system present a variety of challenges to the investigator.

This project will proceed by considering existing data on GA accidents, applying data mining methods to highlight patterns, applying mathematical and statistical methods to model relationships, and finally to employ simulation to test, refine and verify results.

Categories: Faculty-Staff

Tow Tug Simulation Feasibility Study

PI Massoud Bazargan

In this study we conduct a feasibility study using simulation for AirTran Airways at their hub in Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL). This study pertains to using super-tug to transport aircraft to and from the airline's maintenance facility.

The purchasing price for these super-tugs is around a quarter of a million dollars. This study attempts to investigate the possibility of reducing costs through saving jet fuel. This study adopts simulation to analyze the annual savings by studying the numbers needed, as well as the utilization and operation cost for these super-tugs. The results are very interesting, enabling the airline to clearly evaluate the cost and benefits of purchasing new super-tugs.

Categories: Faculty-Staff