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A special issue of Technologies (ISSN 2227-7080).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 15289

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Dr. Graham Wild

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School of Science, University of New South Wales, Canberra 2612, Australia
Interests: aerospace; aviation; intelligent systems; smart sensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This special issue aims to explore the latest advancements and applications in aviation science and technology. As the aviation industry continues to evolve, integrating cutting-edge technologies and innovative practices is crucial for enhancing safety, efficiency, and sustainability. This issue will serve as a platform for researchers, engineers, and practitioners to share their findings, insights, and developments in various aspects of aviation.

We invite original research articles, review papers, and case studies that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

Sustainable Aviation: Green technologies, alternative fuels, and strategies for reducing the environmental impact of aviation.
Human Factors and Ergonomics: Enhancing pilot training, cockpit design, and overall human-machine interaction.
Aviation Operations and Management: Innovations in airline operations, maintenance, and logistics.
Aviation Safety and Security: Innovations in safety protocols, risk management, and security technologies.
Aviation Education and Training: Use of technology and other digital tools to enhance aviation education and training.
Aircraft Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul: Applications of 3D printing, IoT, and AI/ML for predictive maintenance, etc.
Aircraft Design and Engineering: Advances in aerodynamics, materials science, and propulsion systems, etc.
Air Traffic Management: Modernization of air traffic control systems, optimization algorithms, and automation.
Drones (UAS/UAV/RPAS): Development and applications of drones and other unmanned systems in commercial and military contexts.
Urban Air Mobility: Emerging technologies and frameworks for advanced or urban air mobility solutions.
Aerospace Transportation: Point-to-point space, supersonic, and even hypersonic concepts, as well as space tourism and other commercial space activity,

By bringing together a diverse range of topics and perspectives, this special issue aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and drive forward the frontiers of aviation science and technology. Trends in terns of the digital transformation, including AI/ML, VR/AR, blockchain, and other up-and-coming technologies, in shaping the future of aviation are desirable. Similarly, the green revolution, and associated electrification and hybridization in aviation should be considered.

We look forward to your contributions that will help shape the future of aviation.

Dr. Graham Wild
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Technologies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

aerospace
air transport
airlines
airports
aviation
flying
drones
RPAS
UAV
UAM
AAM
UAS

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

35 pages, 2847 KB

Open AccessArticle

Predicting Technological Trends and Effects Enabling Large-Scale Supply Drones

by Keirin John Joyce, Mark Hargreaves, Jack Amos, Morris Arnold, Matthew Austin, Benjamin Le, Keith Francis Joiner, Vincent R. Daria and John Young

Technologies 2026, 14(3), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14030155 - 3 Mar 2026

Viewed by 1274

Abstract

Drones have long been explored by commercial and military users for supply. While several systems offering small payloads in drone delivery have seen operational use, large-scale supply drones have yet to be adopted. A range of setbacks cause this, including technological and operational challenges that hinder their adoption. Here, we evaluate these challenges from a conceptual modelling perspective and forecast their applicability once these barriers are overcome. This study uses technology trend modelling and bibliometric activity mapping methodologies to predict the applicability of specific technologies that are currently identified as operational challenges. Specifically for supply drones, we model trends in technological improvements of battery technology and aircraft control, and project its focus on landing zone autonomy and powertrain. The prediction also focuses on the current state of hybrid power and higher levels of automation required for landing zone operations. These models are validated through several published case studies of small delivery drones and then applied to assess the feasibility and constraints of larger supply drones. A case study involving the conceptual design of a supply drone large enough to move a shipping container is presented to illustrate the critical technologies required to transition large supply drones from concept to operational reality. Key technologies required for large-scale supply drones have yet to build up a critical mass of research activity, particularly on landing zone autonomy and powertrain. Moreover, additional constraints beyond technological and operational challenges could include limitations in autonomy, certification hurdles, regulatory complexity, and the need for greater social trust and acceptance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aviation Science and Technology Applications)

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15 pages, 1049 KB

Open AccessArticle

Virtual Reality in PCATD-Based Instrument Flight Training: A Quasi-Transfer of Training Study

by Alexander Somerville, Keith Joiner and Graham Wild

Technologies 2026, 14(2), 94; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14020094 - 1 Feb 2026

Viewed by 619

Abstract

The use of virtual reality for pilot flight training, whether as a stand-alone device, or to augment or replace a conventional simulator, has gained significant attention in recent years. The primary purported benefit of virtual reality is its increased ability to achieve immersion of the trainee, which has particular benefits for visuospatial awareness. This benefit of the technology would appear to offer little advantage in the training of instrument-flying skills, where only the aircraft’s instrumentation needs to be accurately rendered in order that the status of the ownship can be known. However, given the wide-scale intention toward the adoption of the technology, it is likely that instrument flight training will be one of its uses at flight schools. In order that the effectiveness of the VR Simulator can be evaluated, for instrument flight training, a quasi-randomised separate-sample pretest–posttest design study was completed. The ability of this low-cost VR simulator to transfer the flying skills required to conduct an ILS approach, after establishment on approach, was evaluated with 44 participants. Results indicate significant improvement in participants’ flying skills based on operational (r_rb = 0.508) and synthetic (g = 0.844) performance metrics. The findings indicate that the VR simulator appears effective for the training of these skills, and that the immersion and presence are not detrimental, even when the primary focus is the instrument panel. The idea that VR is an effective tool for training instrument flight skills has not previously been demonstrated. Due consideration must, however, be given to the context of this study and the noted limitations of the VR technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aviation Science and Technology Applications)

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19 pages, 8623 KB

Open AccessCommunication

Influence of Performance Metrics Emphasis in Hyperparameter Tuning for Aircraft Skin Defect Detection: An Early Inspection of Weighted Average Objectives

by Christian Kurniawan, Nutchanon Suvittawat and De Wen Soh

Technologies 2026, 14(1), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14010075 - 22 Jan 2026

Viewed by 421

Abstract

To address the limitations of traditional aircraft skin inspection, the aviation industry and academia have increasingly been exploring the integration of computer vision technologies into the defect detection process. These implementations of computer vision technologies rely on the performance of underlying neural network models, whose effectiveness is highly influenced by their hyperparameter configuration. To obtain optimum hyperparameters, an optimization procedure is often employed to optimize a certain combination of the model’s performance metrics. However, in the aircraft skin defect detection domain, studies to inspect the effect of different emphases in the performance metrics considered in this objective function are still not widely available. In this paper, we present our early observations regarding the influence of different performance metrics’ emphases during the hyperparameter tuning process on the overall performance of a computer vision model employed for aircraft skin defect detection. In this preliminary inspection, we consider the utilization of YOLOv12 and the Bayesian Optimization approach for the defect detection model and hyperparameter optimizer, respectively. We highlight the possible performance degradation of the model after a hyperparameter tuning procedure when the weight factor distribution of the performance metrics is not carefully considered. We note several weight factors of interest that could serve as initial possible “safe spots” for further exploration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aviation Science and Technology Applications)

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20 pages, 5170 KB

Open AccessArticle

Nonlinear Control Design for a PVTOL UAV Carrying a Liquid Payload with Active Sloshing Suppression

by Manuel A. Zurita-Gil, Gerardo Ortiz-Torres, Felipe D. J. Sorcia-Vázquez, Jesse Y. Rumbo-Morales, José J. Gascon Avalos, Juan R. Reynoso-Romo, Julio C. Rosas-Caro and Jorge A. Brizuela-Mendoza

Technologies 2026, 14(1), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14010031 - 3 Jan 2026

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1084

Abstract

The increase in the number of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for liquid transport tasks, such as agricultural spraying, results in significant stability challenges. The free movement of the liquid, known as sloshing, generates unpredictable forces that destabilize the vehicle and increase collision risks. This study treats this problem by developing and validating a nonlinear control strategy to ensure precise trajectory tracking while actively suppressing liquid sloshing. The coupled dynamics of the system are modeled using the Euler–Lagrange formalism by representing the UAV as a planar vertical take-off and landing (PVTOL) aircraft and the liquid sloshing dynamics as an equivalent pendulum model. The stability of the entire closed-loop system is proven using Lyapunov’s direct method. The analytical results are validated through numerical simulations in MATLAB/Simulink, which demonstrate excellent tracking of desired altitude and horizontal trajectories. Crucially, the simulations confirm that the controller effectively attenuates the sloshing oscillations, offering a robust solution to enhance the safety and operational performance of UAVs in liquid transport applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aviation Science and Technology Applications)

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31 pages, 5344 KB

Open AccessArticle

Ground Effect Influence on UAV Propeller Thrust: Experimental and CFD Validation

by Mădălin Dombrovschi, Gabriel-Petre Badea, Tiberius-Florian Frigioescu, Maria Căldărar and Daniel-Eugeniu Crunțeanu

Technologies 2025, 13(12), 542; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13120542 - 21 Nov 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1874

Abstract

This work investigates the influence of ground effect on the performance of a UAV propeller through a combined experimental, analytical, and numerical approach. A dedicated test bench was designed and constructed to enable controlled measurements of thrust and power under static conditions. During experimental campaigns, it was observed that the measured thrust significantly exceeded theoretical free-air predictions, suggesting the presence of a ground-like amplification effect. To quantify and validate this phenomenon, complementary methods were employed: blade element momentum-based analytical modeling corrected for ground proximity and high-fidelity CFD simulations performed using ANSYS CFX. Three configurations were analyzed numerically—an isolated propeller, a propeller with a motor, and a propeller–motor–mounting plate configuration—highlighting the progressive impact of structural elements on the flow field. The results showed close agreement between corrected analytical predictions, CFD solutions, and experimental data, with deviations below 8%. The presence of the mounting plate induced pressure redistribution and jet reflection, analogous to the helicopter ground effect, leading to thrust amplification of up to 30% relative to free-air conditions. This study confirms the critical role of the experimental setup and mounting configuration in propeller characterization and establishes a validated methodology for capturing ground effect phenomena relevant to UAV propulsion systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aviation Science and Technology Applications)

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28 pages, 4794 KB

Open AccessArticle

Aircraft Propeller Design Technology Based on CST Parameterization, Deep Learning Models, and Genetic Algorithm

by Evgenii I. Kurkin, Jose Gabriel Quijada Pioquinto, Oleg E. Lukyanov, Vladislava O. Chertykovtseva and Artem V. Nikonorov

Technologies 2025, 13(10), 469; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13100469 - 16 Oct 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1195

Abstract

This article presents aircraft propeller optimal design technology; including an algorithm and OpenVINT 5 code. To achieve greater geometric flexibility, the proposed technique implements Class-Shape Transformation (CST) parameterization combined with Bézier curves, replacing the previous fully Bézier-based system. Performance improvements in the optimization process are accomplished through deep learning models and a genetic algorithm, which substitute XFOIL and Differential Evolution-based approaches, respectively. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the application of a neural network to predict the aerodynamic characteristics of profiles in the form of contour diagrams, rather than scalar values, which execute the neural network repeatedly per ISM algorithm iteration and speed up the design time of propeller blades by 32 times as much. A propeller for an aircraft-type UAV was designed using the proposed methodology and OpenVINT 5. A comparison was made with the results to solve a similar problem using numerical mathematical models and experimental studies in a wind tunnel. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aviation Science and Technology Applications)

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30 pages, 19158 KB

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Performance and Reduced Emissions in Aviation Microturboengines Using Biodiesel Blends and Ejector Integration

by Constantin Leventiu, Grigore Cican, Laurentiu-Lucian Cristea, Sibel Osman, Alina Bogoi, Daniel-Eugeniu Crunteanu and Andrei Vlad Cojocea

Technologies 2025, 13(9), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13090388 - 1 Sep 2025

Viewed by 1001

Abstract

This study examines the impact of using eco-friendly biodiesel blends with Jet A fuel in aviation microturbine engines, both with and without an ejector. Three biodiesel concentrations (10%, 20%, and 30%) were evaluated under three different operating conditions. Key performance indicators, including combustion temperature, fuel consumption, propulsive force, specific fuel consumption, and emissions, were analyzed. Results indicate that fuel consumption increases with higher biodiesel content, reaching a peak rise of 3.05% at idle for a 30% biodiesel blend. However, the ejector helps offset this increase, reducing fuel consumption by 3.82% for Jet A. A similar trend is observed for specific fuel consumption (SFC), which decreases by up to 19.67% when using Jet A with the ejector at idle. The addition of an ejector significantly enhances propulsive force, achieving improvements of up to 36.91% for a 30% biodiesel blend at idle. At higher operating regimes, biodiesel alone slightly reduces thrust, but the ejector effectively compensates for these losses. Emission analysis reveals that using biodiesel leads to a cleaner combustion process, significantly reducing CO and SO₂ emissions. The ejector further enhances this effect by improving airflow and combustion efficiency. Additionally, noise measurements conducted using five microphones demonstrate that the ejector contributes to noise reduction. Overall, this study concludes that integrating an ejector with sustainable biodiesel blends not only enhances engine performance but also significantly reduces the environmental footprint of aviation microturbine engines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aviation Science and Technology Applications)

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23 pages, 10266 KB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Passive Serration Technologies for Aero-Engine Noise Control in Turbulent Inflow Environments

by Andrei-George Totu, Daniel-Eugeniu Crunțeanu, Marius Deaconu, Grigore Cican, Laurențiu Cristea and Constantin Levențiu

Technologies 2025, 13(8), 363; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13080363 - 15 Aug 2025

Viewed by 1093

Abstract

This study explores the aeroacoustic influence of leading-edge serrations applied to stator blades subjected to turbulent inflow, which is representative of rotor–stator interaction in turbomachinery. A set of serrated geometries—75 mm span, with up to 9 teeth corresponding to 10% chord amplitude—was fabricated via 3D printing and tested experimentally in a dedicated aeroacoustic facility at COMOTI. The turbulent inflow was generated using a passive grid, and far-field acoustic data were acquired using a semicircular microphone array placed in multiple inclined planes covering 15°–90° elevation and 0–180° azimuthal angles. The analysis combined power spectral density and autocorrelation techniques to extract turbulence-related quantities, such as integral length scale and velocity fluctuations. Beamforming methods were applied to reconstruct spatial distributions of sound pressure level (SPL), complemented by polar directivity curves to assess angular effects. Compared to the reference case, configurations with serrations demonstrated broadband noise reductions between 2 and 6 dB in the mid- and high-frequency range (1–4 kHz), with spatial consistency observed across measurement planes. The results extend the existing literature by linking turbulence properties to spatially resolved acoustic maps, offering new insights into the directional effects of serrated stator blades. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aviation Science and Technology Applications)

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24 pages, 7102 KB

Open AccessArticle

Comparing a New Passive Lining Method for Jet Noise Reduction Using 3M™ Nextel™ Ceramic Fabrics Against Ejector Nozzles

by Alina Bogoi, Grigore Cican, Laurențiu Cristea, Daniel-Eugeniu Crunțeanu, Constantin Levențiu and Andrei-George Totu

Technologies 2025, 13(7), 295; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13070295 - 9 Jul 2025

Viewed by 1553

Abstract

This study investigates the complementary noise control capabilities of two passive jet noise mitigation strategies: a traditional ejector nozzle and a novel application of 3M™ Nextel™ 312 ceramic fabric as a thermal–acoustic liner on the central cone of a micro turbojet nozzle. Three nozzle configurations, baseline, ejector, and Nextel-treated, were evaluated under realistic operating conditions using traditional and advanced acoustic diagnostics applied to data from a five-microphone circular array. The results show that while the ejector provides superior directional suppression and low-frequency redistribution, making it ideal for far-field noise control, it maintains high total energy levels and requires structural modifications. In contrast, the Nextel lining achieves comparable reductions in overall noise, especially in high-frequency ranges, while minimizing structural impact and promoting spatial energy dissipation. Analyses in both the time-frequency and spatial–spectral domains demonstrate that the Nextel configuration not only lowers acoustic energy but also disrupts coherent noise patterns, making it particularly effective for near-field protection in compact propulsion systems. A POD analysis further shows that NEXTEL more evenly distributes energy across mid-order modes, indicating its role in smoothing spatial variations and dampening localized acoustic concentrations. According to these results, ceramic fabric linings offer a lightweight, cost-effective solution for reducing the high noise levels typically associated with drones and UAVs powered by small turbojets. When combined with ejectors, they could enhance acoustic suppression in compact propulsion systems where space and weight are critical. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aviation Science and Technology Applications)

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25 pages, 2905 KB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Does the Choice of Topic Modeling Technique Impact the Interpretation of Aviation Incident Reports? A Methodological Assessment

by Aziida Nanyonga, Keith Joiner, Ugur Turhan and Graham Wild

Technologies 2025, 13(5), 209; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13050209 - 19 May 2025

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2712

Abstract

This study presents a comparative analysis of four topic modeling techniques —Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), Probabilistic Latent Semantic Analysis (pLSA), and Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF)—applied to aviation safety reports from the ATSB dataset spanning 2013–2023. The evaluation focuses on coherence, interpretability, generalization, computational efficiency, and scalability. The results indicate that NMF achieves the highest coherence score (0.7987), demonstrating its effectiveness in extracting well-defined topics from structured narratives. pLSA performs competitively (coherence: 0.7634) but lacks the scalability of NMF. LDA and BERTopic, while effective in generalization (perplexity: −6.471 and −4.638, respectively), struggle with coherence due to their probabilistic nature and reliance on contextual embeddings. A preliminary expert review by two aviation safety specialists found that topics generated by the NMF model were interpretable and aligned well with domain knowledge, reinforcing its potential suitability for such aviation safety analysis. Future research should explore new hybrid modeling approaches and real-time applications to enhance aviation safety analysis further. The study contributes to advancing automated safety monitoring in the aviation industry by refining the most appropriate topic modeling techniques. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aviation Science and Technology Applications)

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Review

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26 pages, 697 KB

Open AccessReview

Quantum Computation in Air Transport: A Short Overview of the Fundamentals, Challenges and Opportunities

by Massimiliano Zanin, Zhuoming Du, Gian Luca Giorgi, Xiaoqian Sun and Sebastian Wandelt

Technologies 2026, 14(2), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies14020103 - 4 Feb 2026

Viewed by 812

Abstract

The application of quantum physics principles has opened the door to a radically different way of conceiving and performing data computation. While still in its infancy, quantum computation offers the potential to efficiently solve problems that are classically considered intractable, thanks to the inherent parallelism granted by quantum effects like superposition and entanglement. The aim of this review is to discuss the potential applications of quantum computation in air transport problems by introducing its main concepts, in addition to how quantum algorithms are designed and their limitations, and then discussing solutions that have already been proposed in the literature. Finally, we draw some conclusions about the factors hindering wider application of quantum computation in air transport and sketch what the future may look like. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aviation Science and Technology Applications)

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