Night flying operations

Mitigating anthropogenic climate change involves deployments of renewable energy worldwide, including wind energy, which can cause significant impacts on flying animals. Bats have highly contrasted responses to wind turbines (WT), either through attraction increasing collision risks, or avoidance leading to habitat losses. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown despite the expected rapid evolution of WT size and densities. Here, using an extensive acoustic sampling (i.e. 361 sites-nights) up to 1483 m from WT at regional scale, we disentangle the effects of WT size (ground clearance and rotor diameter), configuration (density and distance), and operation (blade rotation speed and wake effect) on hedgerow use by 8 bat species/groups and one vertical community distribution index...

Along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States, eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) are present during fall mating and migration, though little is currently known about most aspects of bat migration. To reveal migration patterns, and understand drivers of over-water flight, we captured and radio-tagged 115 eastern red bats using novel technology, and subsequently tracked and described their movements throughout the region. We compared over-water flight movements to randomly generated patterns using a use-availability framework, and subsequently used a generalized linear mixed effects model to assess the relationship of over-water flight to atmospheric variables...

We have used a continuous-wave bi-static lidar system based on the Scheimpflug principle in measurements on flying insects above, and in the vicinity of, a small lake located in a forested area in Southern Sweden. The system, which operates on triangulation principles, has a high spatial resolution at close distance, followed by a subsequent decline in resolution further from the sensor, related to the compact system design with a separation of transmitter and receiver by only 0.81 m. Our study showed a strong increase in insect abundance especially at dusk, but also at dawn...

BACKGROUND: Air carriers, but not general aviation, have long employed in-flight data to identify risks/implement corrective measures for improved safety. Herein, using in-flight data, aircraft (in non-instrument-rated private pilots (PPLs) ownership) operations in two potentially hazardous environments (mountains, degraded visibility) were researched for safety practice deficiencies. Four questions were posed, the first two related to mountainous terrain operations: were aircraft (a) flown with hazardous ridge-level winds, (b) within gliding distance of level terrain? Regarding degraded visibility, did aviators (c) depart with low cloud ceilings (≤3,000 ft...

The surface urban heat island (SUHI) phenomenon is characterized by both high spatial and temporal variability, while its diurnal (i.e., diel) variations have rarely been investigated because traditional satellites and sensors flying on polar orbits (e.g., Landsat, MODIS) have no diurnal sampling capability. Here we combined land surface temperature (LST) data from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES-R) and the Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) to explore the diurnal variations of SUHI and thermal differentiation among various land covers over the Boston Metropolitan Area...

Sampling methods are selected depending on the targeted species or the spatial and temporal requirements of the study. However, most methods for passive sampling of flying insects have a poor temporal resolution because it is time-consuming, costly and/or logistically difficult to perform. Effective sampling of flying insects attracted to artificial light at night (ALAN) requires sampling at user-defined time points (nighttime only) across well-replicated sites resulting in major time and labor-intensive survey effort or expensive automated technologies...

During nightly foraging activity, echolocating bats drink by flying low over the water surface and dipping the lower jaw while avoiding further bodily contact with the water. This task poses different sensorimotor challenges than flying in the open to forage for insects. Of interest is how bats adjust the timing of their echolocation pulses to accommodate the surrounding scene, from the progressively nearer water surface itself to objects at longer distances. Drinking behavior has been described in only a few of the roughly 1,000 echolocating bat species, and in none of the 110 species in the Indian subcontinent...

In this paper, a non-powered trap equipped with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) designed for capturing small night-flying insects was field-evaluated for sampling anopheline mosquitoes. This new light trap, referred to as the Silva trap, was compared with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) miniature light trap in a livestock area in northeastern Brazil. Light traps were operated from 18:00 to 06:00 between July and August 2018, over a 12-night period. A total of 3124 specimens and eight species were collected...

Observations from the satellite microwave sounders play a vital role in measuring the long-term temperature trends for climate change monitoring. Changes in diurnal sampling over time and calibration drift have been the main sources of uncertainties in the satellite-measured temperature trends. We examine observations from the first of a series of U.S. new generation of microwave sounder, the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), which has been flying onboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) environmental satellite since late 2011...

BACKGROUND: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Indian subcontinent is a fatal disease if left untreated. Between 1994 to 2013, the Ministry of Health of Bangladesh reported 1,09,266 cases of VL and 329 VL related deaths in 37 endemic districts. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) using dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) was used by the national programme in the 1960s to control malaria. Despite findings of research trials demonstrating that the synthetic pyrethroid deltamethrin 5 WP was very effective at reducing vector densities, no national VL vector control operations took place in Bangladesh between 1999 to early 2012...

BACKGROUND: A syrinx is a fluid-filled cavity within the spinal cord. They can lead to a variety of symptoms, including limb weakness and back pain. Incidental finding of syringomyelia provides a challenge for clinicians due to the wide variety of possible symptoms. In military aviation, neurological findings in pilots can result in extensive investigation that can lead to potentially invasive management. Conversely, the potential for chronic progression of a spinal syrinx and subsequent neurological deterioration makes early identification critical...

Outbreaks of cutaneous leishmaniasis are relatively common among soldiers involved in nocturnal activities in tropical forests. We investigated the population dynamics of sand flies in a military training camp located in a remnant of Atlantic rainforest in northeastern Brazil, where outbreaks of cutaneous leishmaniasis have sporadically been described. From July 2012 to July 2014, light traps were monthly placed in 10 collection sites, being nine sites located near the forest edge and one near a sheep and goat stable...

Airline pilots' sleep and on-duty alertness are important focus areas in commercial aviation. Until now, studies pertaining to this topic have mainly focused on specific characteristics of flights and thus a comprehensive picture of the matter is not well established. In addition, research knowledge of what airline pilots actually do to maintain their alertness while being on duty is scarce. To address these gaps in research knowledge, we conducted a field study on a representative sample of the airline pilots of a medium-sized airline...

This paper presents an algorithm and a system for vertical infrastructure inspection using a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle and shared autonomy. Inspecting vertical structures such as light and power distribution poles is a difficult task that is time-consuming, dangerous and expensive. Recently, micro VTOL platforms (i.e., quad-, hexa- and octa-rotors) have been rapidly gaining interest in research, military and even public domains. The unmanned, low-cost and VTOL properties of these platforms make them ideal for situations where inspection would otherwise be time-consuming and/or hazardous to humans...

The advantages that are inherent to the air ambulance service are shown in a reduction in mortality of critically ill or injured patients. The air ambulance service ensures quick and efficient medical care to a patient as well as the immediate transport of patients to a suitable hospital. In addition, primary air rescue has proved to be effective as a support for the standard ground-based ambulance services in some regions of Germany during the night. Under certain conditions, such as the strict adherence to established, practiced and coordinated procedures, air rescue at night does not have a significantly higher risk compared to operations in daytime...

Social foraging is a very common yet extremely complex behavior. Numerous studies attempted to model it with little supporting evidence. Studying it in the wild is difficult because it requires monitoring the animal's movement, its foraging success, and its interactions with conspecifics. We present a novel system that enables full night ultrasonic recording of freely foraging bats, in addition to GPS tracking. As they rely on echolocation, audio recordings of bats allow tapping into their sensory acquisition of the world...

BACKGROUND: The fatality rate for general aviation, 82 times that of air carriers and even higher for those involving aeromedical transportation, has not declined over time. Although noncommercial (private) pilots are increasingly seeking the instrument rating (IFR), which offers safety advantages, there is a paucity of research on causes of fatal crashes for this aviator subset. METHODS: The NTSB accident database was queried for general aviation fatal accidents involving private pilots...

The deployment of specialist teams to incident scenes by helicopter and the delivery of critical care interventions such as Rapid Sequence Induction of anaesthesia to patients are becoming well-established components of trauma care in the UK. Traditionally in the UK, Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) are limited to daylight operations only. The safety and feasibility of operating HEMS services at night is a topic of debate currently in the UK HEMS community. Within the West Midlands Major Trauma Network, the Medical Emergency Response Incident Team (MERIT) provides a physician-led prehospital care service that responds to incidents by air during daylight hours and by Rapid Response Vehicle during the hours of darkness...

BACKGROUND: A preliminary survey showed half of the participating Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) F-16 fighter pilots to have nasal integument and osteocartilagenous disorders related to wearing in-flight oxygen masks. AIM: To make an inventory of these disorders and possible associated factors. METHODS: All RNLAF F-16 pilots were requested to fill out a semi-structured questionnaire for a cross-sectional survey. Additionally, one squadron in The Netherlands and pilots in operational theater were asked to participate in a prospective study that required filling out a pain score after each flight...

INTRODUCTION: Neck pain in fighter pilots has been studied by several air forces and found to be relatively common. The aim of this project was to study the incidence, characteristics, possible associated causative factors, and operational impact of neck pain in Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) fighter pilots. METHODS: The study was designed as a retrospective anonymous questionnaire survey, collecting data on age, aircraft type, flying hours, and physical activity...