This year’s ASC, “Flying with Computers” is the fifth in the series, with the competition first launching in 2015. It was first established to reach out to students from schools, polytechnics, colleges and universities to generate interest in the aviation sector, to build a strong aviation culture for our Next Generation of Aviation Professionals. Students were given a problem statement to analyse, and subsequently present their solutions, having gone through the recorded lectures and live online forums.
The submission for Aviation Safety Competition (ASC) 2021 was recently concluded on 18th January 2021, with a total of 21 teams and 76 participants preparing their final reports, having gone through lectures and attending forums with industry experts and senior practitioners from agencies dealing with aviation safety, navigation and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul).
Click here for full list of participants
Lectures
Due to the pandemic, the lectures were pre-recorded for participants to view at their own time. They were variously delivered by the following:
Prof Lim Yeow Khee, Associate Professor (Adjunct), Nanyang Technological University
Michael Daniel, Managing Director, Aviation Insight
Victor Lee, Principal Regulator (CNS Regulation), Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS)
Prof Lim delivered content related to data buses such as the ARINC 429 bus, and how flight computers operated in general. He also discussed some computing fundamentals such as Binary Coded Decimals, and ended off with flight control systems, autopilot systems and flight control system certification.
Michael went through the evolution of flight computers, starting from the humble sundial, to the slide rule E6B “Whiz Wheel”, to current state-of-the-art systems. He also discussed cabin and passenger systems such as inflight entertainment and cabin climate control, as well as flight data recorders or black boxes, before rounding off with insights on unmanned aerial systems and increasing use of artificial intelligence, such as the helmet system for F-35 pilots.
Finally, Victor shared his expertise as Principal Regulator in the CAAS and discussed the airport side of things, while providing a brief history of computers used by air traffic control, including what he called the “grandfather of computers”, the ENIAC 1945. He also provided insight into the extent which computers are being used in and around the airport, and closed off with the kind of technologies we might be seeing in operation in the future.
Forums
3 forums were variously held on the 4th, 5th and 6th of January, and were hosted by the aforementioned. Within the forums, participants were given the opportunity to interact with the lecturers and ask questions regarding the subject matter and even current affairs like the return to service of the Boeing 737 MAX.
In addition, several members of the ASC organising team and SIAE executive committee were also present to share their advice and experiences.
First, Second, Third and Innovation prizes are up for grabs at this year’s competition. Selected finalists will be announced on 24nd January, and the final presentation and judging will take place on 30th January.
