Comparison of Renting Training Aircraft Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Undergraduate Review Volume 12 Article 9 2016 Comparison of Renting Training Aircraft Using Data Envelopment Analysis Heather Dickerson Follow this and additional works at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev Part of the Business Commons, and the Management and Operations Commons Recommended Citation Dickerson, Heather (2016). Comparison of Renting Training Aircraft Using Data Envelopment Analysis. Undergraduate Review, 12, 37-43. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev/vol12/iss1/9 This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Copyright © 2016 Heather Dickerson Comparison of Renting Training Aircraft Using Data Envelopment Analysis and patented their aerodynamic control system. In 1903, the Wright Brothers broke records and set the pace for the future with their first ever twelve-second flight (Croche 2015). Quickly after the Wright Brothers successfully got off the ground and back in one piece, the aviation industry “took off ” and it was clear that the pilots needed to be trained to operate such a vehicle. Developers soon realized that pilots would have training that is more effective in aircraft designed for that purpose. Training aircraft has advanced throughout history with many more additional safety features than a typical aircraft (Davisson 1992). The use of sympathetic flight features and a basic cockpit organization allows HEATHER DICKERSON training pilots to improve their navigation, real-time piloting, and Abstract in a fully featured aircraft. Civilian pilots, specifically, are normally M flying abilities without the hazard of straining their abilities alone any elements are involved when a pilot is trying to decide trained in a light aircraft, which is what this research project focuses which aircraft to pursue for rental. Uninformed new pilots on. Normally, training aircraft have two to four places for seating decide to rent purely based upon the aircraft used for initial training, to accommodate the certified flight instructor and also the student but once more variables are considered, the pilot will realize such pilot, as well as an additional person if necessary. These aircraft are an important decision must consider all aspects. Cost typically being adapted to tolerate the flight conditions executed during training the greatest determining factor, horsepower output of the engine, flights. These training aircraft are then what an average new private speed, the maximum load capacity, and the maximum altitude the pilot would be seeking to rent after they receive their certificate. aircraft is able to reach also tend to have a large effect on determining In this research, ten of the most common rental aircraft are to be which aircraft will suit the needs of the pilot. Data Envelopment compared (Price 2015): Analysis was used to compare ten of the most common training and rental aircraft to determine which model was most efficient given the • Cirrus SR22 - SR22 (2003). constraints listed above. This model can show even the newest pilot • Cessna 172 model R - C172R (1996). which aircraft should be chosen to rent based on a few of the most • Cessna 152 - C152 (1979). common variables in flying. • Piper Warrior - PA 28-161 (1982). • Diamond Katana - DA 20-C1 (2012). Introduction • Piper Tomahawk - PA 38-112 (1978). Compared to other modes of transportation, the history • Piper Arrow - PA 28R-200 (1973). of aviation is much more recent, and fast evolving. The constantly • Cessna 206 - C206 (1979). progressing journey of developing aircraft successfully began by • Mooney - M20J (2005). the Wright Brothers in 1860. They began with small toy schemed • Cessna 182 model Q - C182Q (1979). aircraft helicopters and by 1899 the Wright brothers began creating an aerodynamic control system for small aircraft. In the early 1900’s they developed their first manned glider known as the “kitty hawk” BRIDGEWATER STATE UNIVERSITY 37 • THE UNDERGRADUATE REVIEW • 2016 When pilots earn their pilot certificate, they have the skills Definition of Variables and ability to purchase an aircraft. However, it is very costly to own Let Ek be the efficiency ratio of unit k, where K is the total number and maintain a plane, so renting is often the only feasible option. of units being evaluated. Although there are many ways to compare what aircraft might be the Let Ee be the efficiency of the eth Decision Making Unit (DMU) best option, DEA Modeling is used in this paper in order to determine the most efficient choice of rental. In this research project, we are Let uj , with J= 1,2,...M be the coefficient for output J, where M is the using cost of renting per hour as our input. Horsepower, maximum total number of outputs being considered. cruise speed in knots, service ceiling in feet, and maximum takeoff weight in pounds as outputs. Data for each was collected primarily by Let vi , with I=1,2...N be the coefficient for input I, where N is the the Pilot Operating Handbook for each individual aircraft, and, more total number of inputs being considered. specifically, by using the performance sheets for each variable. Let Ojk be the number of observed units of output m produced by Literature Review service unit k during one time period. Charnes, Cooper, and Rhodes developed data Envelopment Analysis, or DEA. It soon became a popular modeling method is Let Iik be the number of units of inputs n used by service unit k used worldwide to measure the efficiency of decision-making units during one time period. or DMUs (Charnes 1978). There are plenty of applications of DEA Modeling that Objective Function compare efficiency of the commercial side of aviation, for example, The objective of a DEA is to find a set of coefficient u Zhu, Lin, Yang, and Chang (2012) discussed managing airline associated with each output and a set of coefficient v associated efficiency utilizing resources such as fuel and salaries to maintain with each input that will yield the highest possible efficiency for the fleet size and load factor. Operational performance vs profitability service unit being evaluated. in commercial aviation was compared by Tsikriktsis (2007). However, In this case e is the index of the Decision Making Unit to our knowledge, it does not appear that any academic research papers using Data Envelopment Analysis has been written to aid in the selection of renting a training aircraft. Data Envelopment Analysis Model (1) !"# %& = () *)+ ,(- *-+ …(/ */+ 0) 1)+ ,0- 1-+ ,⋯03 13+ (DMU) being evaluated. The objective function is subject to DEA can be used for research in evaluating efficiencies constraints such that when the same set of input and output of any Decision Making Units (DMUs). Those DMUs could be coefficients (uj and vi) is applied to all other DMUs being compared, some bus (...truncated)