System Safety Education

2024-02-28 by Dr Jay Nagy

Background

When junior engineers enter the workforce, most of them are not familiar with even the most basic system safety concepts. At the same time, we build more sophisticated systems with an increased level of automation. And the unforgiving nature of complex designs leads to more surprises and seemingly unexplainable events when we decide to test or operate our new designs. Technical investigations often blame the operator for poor decision making by attaching various human error labels (e.g. loss of situational awareness, as the latest trend). Read more…

Safety and Autonomous Systems

2023-05-01 by Dr Jay Nagy

Background

Over the course of 2021-23, I successfully introduced a new system safety framework that can cope with more autonomous/intelligent vehicle designs operating in complex airspace (crewed and UAS platforms). The Integrated System Hazard Analysis (ISHA) framework is a UAS-specific application of Prof Leveson's system-theoretic accident model that meets MIL-STD-882E requirements. Read more…

Non-routine Flight Operations (NRFO)

2023-03-17 by Dr Jay Nagy

Background

Non-routine flying is a broader operational category that includes positioning and ferry flights, training flights, customer demonstrations, end-of-lease, and maintenance check flights. My doctoral research study focused on the safety of post-maintenance test flight operations (aka functional check flights). It is important to highlight that the term "check flight" is also used in the context of flight crew competency verification. Those competency checks are conducted either during routine commercial sectors, or during dedicated training flights. Read more…