In the year of the 80^th anniversary of the Victory and the related 75^th anniversary of the engineering aviation service of the civil aviation of Russia, the article analyzes the activities of the service during the Soviet period. It is stated, that the engineering aviation service of the civil aviation was established, based on the model of the air force engineering aviation service, which was reflected in the system of the key regulatory documents in the form of guidelines and a Charter within the legal framework of the Air Codes. The analysis of the goals, objectives and functions of the engineering aviation service activities over a forty-year period, regulated by four guidelines, was conducted. It is shown how they changed, reformulated and supplemented in the process of accumulating experience until a coherent system of technical operation of aviation equipment was established, which included aviation personnel – the foundation of the engineering aviation service. The article focuses on the answer to a key question of the guidelines: what kind of aircraft can be allowed to fly? During the analyzed period of the engineering aviation service activity, the answer was unambiguous – only airworthy aircraft can be allowed to fly. All activities of the engineering aviation service were subordinated to this principle. The article formulates the paradigm of continued airworthiness, which is the basis of international civil aviation, and serves as the foundation for the developing of the domestic system of continued airworthiness. A correct understanding of the relationship and interconnection between technical maintenance and continued airworthiness is essential for the development of professional and educational standards that should define the names and the content of training programs and specialties for which the University prepares students and cadets. The analysis conducted in the article and the materials prepared for the subsequent article will provide answers to pressing questions on how to ensure the training of highly qualified specialists for the engineering aviation service, possessing all the necessary competencies to be sought after by operators and organizations in the industry.

The article considers the problem of ensuring ornithological safety of aircraft flights in the aerodrome area, where collisions with birds pose a serious threat that can lead to serious consequences in the form of an aviation accident or an aviation incident. Also, such collisions often lead to significant financial losses for airports, airlines, and insurance companies. The purpose of the study is to analyze the existing bird detection system in the aerodrome area, assess the quality of these systems and develop recommendations for improving the efficiency of using systems that ensure ornithological safety. The article considers various methods of bird detection: visual observation, acoustic systems, radar systems. An assessment of the effectiveness of the methods is given taking into account the accuracy, range and applicability in various conditions. The methods of statistical data analysis, analysis of the probability of occurrence of a dangerous factor are applied. The study revealed the need to use special ornithological radar stations with improved detection range and automatic target recognition, as well as the use of acoustic systems to detect birds in adverse weather conditions. The importance of continuous monitoring of the ornithological situation in the airfield area and timely decision-making in the event of a dangerous factor is noted. To effectively ensure ornithological safety of aircraft flights, it is necessary to implement a comprehensive system that combines modern detection technologies, automated warning systems and bird scaring methods developed for each airport. Further research based on this work should be aimed at developing more accurate and effective radars in terms of bird detection range and improving the methods of forecasting and identifying the likelihood of a dangerous factor and a risk factor. 

Due to the increasing integration of onboard and ground-based data networks in aviation and the associated rise in information threats, the development of comprehensive models capable of assessing the security of such systems against unauthorized access is becoming increasingly necessary. One promising direction for enhancing the resilience of aviation networks is the creation of mathematical models that consider not only technical malfunctions and random equipment failures but also deliberate cyberattacks by intruders. This paper proposes a mathematical model of threats to aviation data networks, developed in accordance with ICAO recommendations and the requirements of ARINC standards. The network structure is represented as a directed graph, the nodes and edges of which are characterized by probabilistic indicators of failures and vulnerability to attacks. A distinctive feature of the developed model is the integration of probabilistic characteristics of random equipment failures, intentional attack scenarios, and parameters reflecting the efficiency of systems detecting unauthorized access. Utilizing probabilistic theory approaches, we synthesized an algorithm enabling the calculation of an integral indicator representing the risk of network connectivity loss and performance degradation. A significant aspect of this algorithm is its ability to simultaneously account for various types of threats and quantitatively assess the vulnerability of network elements. Numerical simulations of the proposed model were conducted, and results evaluating the criticality of specific network nodes and data transmission channels are presented. The analysis confirmed that applying the developed mathematical model provides a sound basis for identifying the most vulnerable aviation network components and selecting appropriate protective measures. 

The article presents a study of modern requirements for the development of air conditioning systems (ACS) of transport category civil aircraft in the context of their updating and harmonization with international best practices in the field of aircraft design and certification. It has been established that the competitiveness of an aircraft directly correlates with the completeness and detail of airworthiness standards (AS), which, in turn, has a significant impact on flight safety and operational efficiency of aircraft. Consideration is given to the recommendations from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding the development of national AS and ensuring their uniformity among states-developers of aircraft, and to ICAO recommendations for the ACS development. Advanced practices by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in the field of continuous systemic updating and harmonization of AS have been reviewed and summarized. The key factors: aircraft certification procedures, interaction between aviation authorities and development enterprises, international bilateral agreements on flight safety (BASA) – all of which together determine the uniformity of foreign certification systems to ensure a high level of flight safety and efficient operation of aircraft – have been formulated and described. A comparative analysis of the Russian Federation, the EU, the USA national AS has been performed: AP 25 and Airworthiness Norms 25 by Rosaviatsia, CS 25, Part 25, respectively, to the aircraft ACS. Similarities and differences in the requirements between the Russian Federation, the USA, and the EU have been identified along with an assessment of uniformity levels between domestic and foreign AS related to the aircraft ACS. Conceptual proposals for updating and supplementing the AS for increasing operational and technical characteristics of this functional aircraft system have been formulated. 

Due to the growing requirements to the fleet in terms of increasing the efficiency of solving assigned tasks, taking into account the ever-increasing operational situation, increased use of unmanned aerial vehicles is required, including small and medium-displacement ships. Thus, an important trend in the development of helicopter-type unmanned aerial vehicles (HT UAVs) is their adaptation to ship-based conditions. The key problem of adaptation is ensuring the take-off and landing on the ship’s landing pad (runway). This article discusses the influence of ship-based conditions, the most important of which is ship’s pitching, and requirements for performing takeoff and landing operations, including the need to adapt to forced landing systems, on the formation of the design of the landing gear of a HT UAV, and formulates the design specifications typical to the landing gear of a shore-based aircraft. At the same time, to study the dynamic and static compatibility of the HT UAV with the ship, deterministic or probabilistic characteristics of the ship’s pitching should be set in the form of pitching amplitudes and periods, pitching spectral densities, variances of displacements and velocities of the runway center, as well as displacements, velocities and accelerations in the runway center. Based on the specified parameters, the kinematics of the movement of the center of the runway and its spatially complex positions are calculated to solve the problem of dynamic compatibility of the VTOL UAV with the ship. Dynamic compatibility includes determining the stability and controllability of the HT UAV, unwinding and stopping the main rotor, take-off and landing, and transporting the HT UAV along the runway. The existing and prospective basic design schemes of the skid landing gear are divided into four main types and evaluated for compliance with the specifics of operation on the ship, special attention is paid to the possibility of adaptation to forced landing systems on deck. Based on the evaluation results, a design scheme of the landing gear for a promising HT parallelogram-lever type UAV with an external shock absorber is proposed. As a confirmation of the compliance of the proposed scheme with the formulated requirements, the results of the calculation of the dynamic landing gear model during landing and rolling, performed in the Simcenter Motion software package, are presented. The proposed scheme can be implemented for both HT UAVs and manned ship-based and shore-based helicopters. 

This article examines the evolution of fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control systems for rotary-wing aircraft, from early analogue to modern autonomous flight control systems. Such flight control systems can replace a pilot in case of adverse weather conditions and extreme situations, thereby enhancing flight safety. Proper integration of autonomous flight with manual control will minimize the critical human factor-related causes of flight accidents, such as collision with ground obstacles or loss of spatial orientation in severe meteorological conditions. Autonomous piloting mode implies monitoring and verification of input signals from the pilot and their comparison with targets of flight mission and current weather conditions (and restrictions imposed in connection with it). The system can include the pilot in the control loop and notify him of this, eliminating his activity in case of emergency. Modern autonomous control systems are considered based on the example of the flying testbed RASCAL JUH-60A, which was used to test elements of the FBW for the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter during its modernization.