Cybersecurity in Aviation

Everyone who has traveled by plane in the United States is aware of the extensive security measures taken to protect airlines and passengers alike. Everyone is required to pass through security technology, shoes have to be taken off, and carrying any liquids over a certain size is forbidden. Physically, passengers are able to experience how secure flights have become. However, not many people are aware of security measures that are being taken to protect a flight’s technology. Very recently, cybersecurity became a focal point of airport security, and the Cybersecurity Standards for Aircraft to Improve Resilience Act was passed as a response to growing concern.

Last year, the FBI became aware of just how vulnerable planes were to cyberattacks when an agent was basically able to hack into an airplane and make it change course. For years, there has been a burgeoning concern about the ease with which people are able to use perks like in-flight entertainment systems to gain control of air traffic control systems, navigation systems, and even the email accounts of fellow passengers. The focus on aviation security comes at a time in which cybersecurity in transportation has become a hot topic. This sort of security for cars was brought up in a bill last year, for example, to protect drivers and their personal information.

There has even been a push for the past two years to create a cyber division of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB.) The NTSB is a government faction that studies transportation accidents to determine what went wrong. This would be ideal, as many different organizations would have to come together to determine the cause of cybersecurity incidents, as well as with whom the blame lies. However, actually instituting such a sector of the NTSB has proven to be difficult.

Ironically, much of the government’s notion of security has been shaped by the aviation industry. It seems that, with the heightened security measures in airports and organizations like the NTSB, transportation has it all figured out. However, on a technological level, they still sorely lack a comprehensive security approach.  

The threats being dealt with on the cyber front of the aviation industry are aviation specific. Hacking into a plan to change its course is just the tip of the iceberg. Creating an organization like the NTSB, or even just a section of the NTSB, to focus specifically on cybersecurity in transportation will only bring us closer to the level of security for which the United States aims in its aviation.

Boeing 727 is Grounded

A plane that made its first flight in 1963 ended up making its last flight on March 2 of this year. The Boeing 727 was the first Boeing airplane with no prototype. It went straight from being made to flying customers. It was a commercial airplane, but a risky one at first. The Boeing 727 was, of course, made after the Boeing 707 as a response to increased customer demand. Its design was made to fly into smaller airports with shorter runways, and it was created despite Boeing still trying to keep up with costs of the Boeing 707. It was, however, worth the risk.

The Boeing 727 is a trijet plane, meaning it has three engines. It ended up being the first commercial airplane to reach 1,000 sales. It went on a tour of over 20 countries in order to boost sales, and therefore took on a wide variety of pilots, crew, and passengers in its lifetime. The plane’s entire life of service, all 27 year of it, was spent in the care of United Airlines. The revenue United Airlines accumulated due to this plane added up to $300 million, as it services millions of customers and flew tens of thousands of hours in its time of service.      

In 1991, the Boeing 727 was grounded, ferried to Boeing field, then flown to the Paine Field Restoration Center to spend 25 years being restored for its placement in the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. On March 2nd, the plane, after 25 years, flew to be ferried to its final resting place in the museum.

The flight itself could only be done after obtaining special permission from the Federal Aviation Administration. The plane had not been in the air in so long that flying 30 miles south to the museum was a definite risk to all aboard. However, the permission was granted and two experienced pilots, one flight engineer, and the plane’s restoration manager got on board. They were able to get the plane the entire distance, even through a backfire by one of the engines on the plane’s journey down the runway.

There were hundreds of people that attended the installation ceremony of the Boeing 727, many of whom were former pilots of the plane. They welcomed the airplane and spent the rest of the day touring it, fans able to see a familiar interior and pilots revisiting memories of hours spent in the sky.

Curbing Carbon in Aviation

It is no surprise, with the constant growth of the aviation industry, that airplane carbon emission has become a large concern as of late. Greenhouse gas pollution is always a significant environmental concern, and it turns out the aviation industry has become the fastest growing source of it. Therefore, the industry has been in negotiations with the United Nations for six years about how to tackle their worrisome carbon output. On Monday, February 7, they finally, reached an agreement on their first carbon dioxide emission limit.

With the recent international climate change conferences, the aviation industry came into the spotlight as a serious issue. It had not been a part of any climate change talks until after the Paris Agreement was reached. It was then that officials realized they could be doing more to address climate change by addressing an industry that constantly emits carbon dioxide. The limits are not, however, addressing the current carbon dioxide emissions. They are addressing the projected emissions by the aviation industry as the years go on. As it continues to grow, the industry’s emissions will most likely triple, which could harm the environment even further.

The new limits on carbon dioxide emission were actually announced in Montreal, and are expected to be put fully into effect by the year 2028. There are many who believe that the new rules are not harsh enough, however. While it is an important first step in further lowering humanity’s carbon emissions, the new rules were watched over carefully by the airline industry. In a six year negotiation, it makes sense that airline officials had a lot of say in what the new rules entail.

I do believe that the rules are too lax, as they do not even include current aviation vehicles, however this is a huge step in environmental protection. With vehicle technology continuing to grow, we have imposed limits on devices like cars and trucks in terms of how much carbon they are able to emit, and the same regulations should be in place for aircrafts, especially considering the rapid growth of the industry.

The new limits include a small reduction of the percentage of fuel each aircraft can consume, and will specifically target aircrafts in production. This will theoretically cut carbon emissions by hundreds of millions of metric tons in the span of 20 years. Of course, this is just the first step in what will be a long battle to reduce carbon emission from aircrafts, but it is a step in the right direction. Hopefully this will lead to further environmental regulations in the aviation industry, which will have a large impact on humanity’s quality of life in the future.