Latest news with #WaterlooInstituteforSustainableAeronautics
Daily Mirror
09-08-2025
- Science
- Daily Mirror
Female pilots 'better and more accurate than men in high-pressure flight situations'
While women hold just 10% of the pilot licences given out in the UK, they could actually be more adept than men at handling high-pressure situations in the cockpit Female pilots may be better than their male counterparts at handling pressure during flight situations, a new study has revealed. The researchers, from the University of Waterloo in Canada, used a flight simulator to study 20 experienced pilots as they went through different scenarios. The pilots wore eye-tracking glasses, which allowed the team of scientists to record where the participants were looking and how they responded. The flight tasks included unexpected engine failures and landing challenges, which were designed to test the pilots' reactions under pressure. 'These findings are exciting because they push us to rethink how we evaluate pilots,' Naila Ayala, the study's lead author, said. She added: 'We can't assume that because two pilots are looking at the same things, they will react the same way. Our study shows that women may be better at keeping control and making decisions in stressful flight scenarios.' The research found that female pilots tended to make fewer flight control errors when stress levels increased. This means that women were more consistent and accurate in how they responded to the information presented to them. Suzanne Kearns, associate professor and director of the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics, said: 'Understanding how different people perform under pressure helps us build better training programs for everyone, safer cockpits, and more inclusive aviation systems. "At a time when the industry is facing a pilot shortage, tapping into the full potential of all pilots, regardless of gender, is more important than ever.' The team hopes that the research, published in the Proceedings of the 2025 Symposium on Eye Tracking Research and Applications, will help shape future pilot training. According to the study, the women demonstrated more stable landing approaches, completed tasks faster in the emergency scenario, and had higher situation awareness ratings. It explains: 'These preliminary findings suggest that female pilots may manage task demands effectively under pressure and have important implications for addressing gender-based assumptions in training and recruitment.' Last July, it was announced that there had been a 26% increase in the number of pilot licenses issued to women between 2019 and 2023. Data from the UK Civil Aviation Authority showed that 239 pilot licences were issued to women in 2019, while this number rose to 301 four years later. However, licences for women are still comparatively low as they make up just 10% of the total number given out. Bronwyn Fraser, the secretary of the British Women Pilots' Association, said: 'Women pilots bring diverse perspectives and skills. But aviation is so much more than just flying. We have brilliant women engineers, air traffic controllers, and sustainability experts pushing the boundaries of innovation, developing new technologies and unlocking the full potential of our airspace.' Fraser explained that the UK needs 'more young women in aviation'.
CBC
15-03-2025
- Science
- CBC
Would you fly in an e-plane? University of Waterloo researcher says it could be the future of the skies
Aircraft is limited but 'it's just a matter of getting that technology to progress,' says Ontario pilot Media | Would you fly on an electric plane? These e-planes can withstand Canadian winters Caption: First there were e-bikes, e-cars and e-buses. Now, the world of electric transportation has expanded to the skies. Researchers at the University of Waterloo have been testing electric planes to find out if they can fly reliably in Canada's freezing winter weather conditions. Mehrdad Pirnia is the lead researcher of the project at the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage. Vehicles powered by electricity may soon no longer be limited to the ground, with research in Canada progressing into the testing of e-planes. In Ontario, researchers at the University of Waterloo have partnered with Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre (WWFC) to test Velis Electro, a small e-plane that runs on batteries similar to an electric vehicle. The team is doing tests on the e-plane's batteries to see how well they can withstand flight at different elevations and weather conditions. They are also testing the e-plane's capacity for short-distance travel. "We were flying down the Grand River … It was so beautiful," Mehrdad Pirnia, lead researcher at the University of Waterloo's Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics and associate professor at UW's Management Science and Engineering Department, told CBC News. He said he "totally forgot about the freaky nature" of a noiseless plane once he was up in the air. A 'slow' approach to battery testing Pirnia said his team is utilizing "a very slow approach" to testing the Velis Electro's batteries. "We started by just charging and discharging the batteries of the electric plane while they are on the ground," he said. Pirnia and his team then test the e-planes by doing circuits, where pilots take off, put the planes into high power until they reach 305 metres, do some circuits at that elevation and then land. Pirnia said they repeat those circuits seven times. The team is doing upper air exercises and testing the batteries' capacity by conducting intercity test flights. "We started by flying to Guelph and coming back with one charge," he said. "We had a charger installed in Brantford. From here to Brantford, charging the e-plane, and then coming back again. We came back with around 60 per cent of charge." E-planes for pilot training Zachary Taylor is a flight instructor at WWFC who flies the Velis Electro for pilot training. He said in an interview that the battery technology is what's holding back the e-plane at the moment. He said, when flying the e-plane for lessons, "there's no dilly-dallying, and maybe you don't double up on lessons" because of limitations on the battery's capacity. "You just kind of stick to one item at a time, and always [be] aware of … how much charge is left in the battery essentially." Pirnia said the Velis's range can depend on many factors, including the "e-plane's power setting, altitude, speed and the amount of battery reserve that should [be left] in the battery in case of emergency." "The plane can fly for 45 to 50 minutes plus 10 to 15 minutes of reserve, which can be translated to about 200 kilometres." The e-plane's batteries need to be charged after every flight, but Taylor does not see this as an issue for flight instructors. "If you were teaching a lesson, like you'd come back from your flight, pull the plane in, keep an eye on it, and then you could debrief the students," he said. "While that's going, theoretically you could be briefing with your next students. By the time you're ready to go, your plane could be almost ready to go as well." '99% emission-free flights': researcher Electric vehicles are touted for being cleaner than traditional, gas-powered vehicles. Pirnia said it's the same with e-planes. "Actually there [are] no emissions while the planes are flying or operating," he said. "The emission comes from the charging of the batteries and it depends on the grid that you are charging the battery on." Pirnia said Ontario's electric grid is "pretty clean," utilizing a mix of nuclear, renewable and gas sources. "With some sort of thoughtful charging time, we can even get to 99 per cent emission-free flights." Despite its potential, Pirnia's team is still waiting to test the Velis Electro's battery in different weather conditions. "Right now, we don't have the permission to operate the plane in temperatures below zero," he said. "Based on the Pilot Operational Handbook (POH), the operational temperature range for Velis Electri is –20 C to 35 C." Pirnia said they have only tested the battery in higher temperatures at this point, but that "battery temperatures are remaining well within the normal range" of 11 to 50 C. "The cooling system worked as designed and battery temperature remained stable." E-planes already in use Other companies that are either already working with e-planes or have shown an interest in the technology include a seaplane company Harbour Air. In 2022, CBC News reported on Harbour Air, which had "its first direct point-to-point test flight … flying 74 kilometres in 24 minutes from a terminal on the Fraser River near Vancouver International Airport to a bay near Victoria International Airport." "The technology is there right now," Pirnia said. He also mentioned Air Canada signing a contract to acquire ES30s — a hybrid, 30-passenger plane. CBC News reached out to Air Canada for confirmation about the acquisition of these ES30s for possible commercial use. A representative from Air Canada told CBC News in an email that the electric planes are still "under development and not flying commercially." The representative also said the e-planes are "still a few years away from entering service and it is premature to discuss how they will be deployed." "I really enjoy flying it," Taylor said. "This aircraft as we have it is a little limited ... It's just a matter of getting that technology to progress." The e-planes are currently only being tested for use during pilot training, but Pirnia said the next step would be to have e-planes approved for short-distance flights. "The next thing is having these electric planes accommodated within regional flights actually," he said. "That would be the future, for sure."
