Determination of Curriculum Content for a Non-Engineering Doctoral Degree in Aviation

The U.S. aviation industry has been and continues to be a rapid-growth sector of commerce. Educational and academic metamorphosis coincident with this growth is evident in the number of postsecondary educational institutions offering degrees in aviation. A recent publication of the Collegiate Aviation Guide (UAA, 1994a) listed more than 500 postsecondary institutions offering aviation programs. More than 200 are at the baccalaureate level or higher. Many, established in the past 10 years, coincide with the net industry growth rate

Publishing Aviation Research: A Literature Review of Scholarly Journals

The importance of the aviation industry\u27s socio-economic impact, domestically and globally, cannot be denied. In light of this and, as aviation continues to evolve as an academic field of study, post-secondary institutions with aviation specific curriculum have grown,in number and prominence. As a direct consequence of academic growth, the necessity to publish follows as a concomitant requirement. Through the diligence of those researchers actively conducting aviation related research a common theoretical and conceptual base for aviation specific research has been established. The void that once existed for aviation research has been filled, predominantly by three aviation specific journals and a number of other journals of prominence that accept aviation research for publication. In a 1995 article entitled Publishing Aviation Research: An Interdisciplinary Review of Scholarly Journals, Truitt and Kaps, using a specialized computer research criterion, and key informant interviews identified a list of 21 aviation specific and related publication outlets available for publishing. This research procedure and methodology received additional validity when the University Aviation Association codified the findings into a UAA publication entitled, Director of Scholarly Journals Which Publish Non-Engineering Aviation Research. Replication of that study and by expanding the field of search mechanisms, the authors set out to determine the present field for aviation publications, both scholarly and non-scholarly. Twenty-nine academically peer reviewed journals are included in this update. The results validate the previous study, and identify and define, through tabular exhibits, contact points, addresses and email and/or web site locations of previously sited locations and those emerging subsequent to the UAA listing. In addition, this current effort adds new perspectives on the reasons for publishing and who might be encouraged to publish in what type of journal

Arriving at Consensus: Airport/Aviation Administration Advice Provided to Airport Managers by State Aeronautic Agencies

Recently a study was undertaken to determine the depth of information provided to small airport managers throughout the United States by State Aeronautical agencies. The study centered on efforts to provide formal, written advice to airport managers about airport and aviation administration matters. For the purpose of the study, advice is considered as material provided to airports exclusive of regulatory codes and rules. More specifically, such advice provides airport managers with valuable insight on how to effectively manage various aspects of airport operations. The survey material is concerned with a broad range of indigenous airport topics dealing with subject matter from General Aviation Airport Operations to Storm water compliance, and a host of topics in between. The many topics addressed in the state documents that were found in the survey were then compared with two key aviation industry sources of information to arrive at a recommended list of topics for inclusion in ANY airport management handbook for use in any state. The genesis of the study and report was a grant received by Southern Illinois University Carbondale from the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics. The goal of the grant was to develop and prepare a small airport manager handbook\u27\u27 for smaller non-hub airports in Illinois. Due to the varying nature of laws and regulations concerning airport management and operations from state to state, state aeronautical agencies are in the best position to provide small airport managers with much needed and necessary information on the totality of management functions. However, not all states aeronautical agencies have the human or financial resources to author a comprehensive guide to small airport management. This study found that, at the time the survey was accomplished, only nine states provided some form of advice to airport managers

A Profile of Charter Operators: A Survey of On-Demand Carriers

Several years ago, one of the authors made a presentation before the National Air Transportation Association Convention in Tampa, Florida concerning the elements of Aircraft Charter Pricing. In research for that project, it was found that a dearth of information was available to adequately describe some of the elements to be considered in making a blanket pricing arrangement. Particularly vexing was the fact that at the meeting itself several of the operators and operator representatives present were unfamiliar with the type of business structure employed by the Fixed Base operator (FBO) and some were unfamiliar with the make up of the demand elements of their operations. In 2003 and again in late 2004, the authors set out to study this anomaly by surveying large numbers of Fixed Base Operators in the United States. Using a Likert style survey methodology, a representative sample of the on-demand air carriers listed with the National Business Aviation Association was surveyed. The survey was designed to learn something about the business structure of the FBO, their aircraft mix, how many charter flights were flown annually; the number of employees engaged in the 135 portion of the FBO operation; experience levels and a host of, heretofore, unknown elements of he business. In short, the intent was to develop a snapshot of what a typical 135 operator looks like from its business structure to its operation matrix to how it maintains and supplies its basic product, charter aircraft

Nonverbal Communications: A Commentary on Body Language in the Aviation Teaching Environment

Some time ago, while employed in the field of labor relations, as a chief negotiator for both a major and a national airline, one of the authors wrote an article on the use of and merits of \u27body language\u27 or kinesics in the negotiation process. The substance of the message conveyed observations of common characteristics and positions displayed when different negotiating tactics are employed. More recently both authors have assumed positions in the secondary aviation teaching environment. In each of their respective roles interaction with students displays many of the characteristics of the negotiation process. From the bargaining table to the classroom, body postures bear striking resemblance in the presence of an unwritten/unspoken message. The author\u27s opine being ignorant or failing to understand rudimentary body language cues can work against an educator\u27s ability to convey the message he/she desires to express. The fundamental rationale behind an educational experience is the transfer of information. This paper suggests efficient and effective enhancement supports verbal communication with body language. Nonverbal behavior, on the part of the instructor and student, provides fertile ground toward effective and efficient information transference

Crew Resource Management: A Literature Review

Crew Resource Management as an academic field of study has only been in existence for a relatively short period. However, because of its importance to the aviation community and the airlines in particular, there is a small but growing community of researcher and academicians that are specializing in its postulates. Despite the importance of research to the aviation industry and to aviation education, no comprehensive compendium of point specific literature exists. This void presents an obstacle for both researchers and practitioners in locating articles that may be relevant to their work. In addition, because of a narrow scope of many aviation education programs, researchers seeking information are often unaware of specificity\u27s that address the totality of any particular program. Thus, the authors set out to identify a particular point specific niche of articles relating to a particular time segment of the unfolding Crew Resource Management Training field. Using descriptive research methodology and a systematic and thorough computer methodology, three hundred eighty-five citations were identified. These then were culled of duplication and a resultant sixty-six representative articles, with abstracts were found to coincide to the period of 1993 to 1998. These were further refined to key topics of a) the current status of CRM training and research, b) evolution of CRM concepts, c) measuring methods, and d) application of CRM

Aviation Industry Employment Data Estimates Revisited

A wide variety of estimates of aviation industry employment data exist today. For example, a range of estimates from a low of 750,000 to a high of 2.1 million are reported in various industry publications and journals. This broad range raises questions not onIy about such data but also about the definition used to define the industry and thus used to arrive at employment numbers. In this paper, an overall 1995 aviation industry employment estimate is presented that is based on various secondary sources. The estimate incorporates various components of the civil aviation industry, including aircraft/aerospace manufacturing, airlines, general aviation, government aviation, and miscellaneous aviation industry employment. Active duty military personnel are a significant contributor to aviation employment. Although they are not included in previous assessments of overall civil aviation employment, they have been included in this work. One article (NewMyer, 1985) estimated aviation employment at 2,286,709. This new assessment indicates an industry increase of 62,290 employees to a total population of 2,349,399. Data collection for this new computation was obtained through replication of the methodology producing the 1985 statistics. The primary contributing factor to overall aviation industry employment increases in 1995 is the fact that there were net increases in four of the six components of the aviation industry (aviation/aerospace manufacturing, airlines, general aviation, government aviation, miscellaneous, and active duty military aviation personnel). It is concluded, however, that without the miscellaneous employment category contribution to employment statistics, there is actually a decline in industry employment over the 10-year period. Contributing to this descent have been large personnel reductions in the defense-related aircraft/aerospace manufacturing industry and active duty military aviation components

Airline Unions Since Deregulation: The Views of Selected Airline Unions

The airline industry in the United States has passed through a crucial period of post-deregulation adjustments. One of those adjustments has been in its relationship with the unions representing a large portion of the industry employees. One view of this situation that is commonly presented is that unions are “losers” in this post deregulation period. The common wisdom in the U.S. airline industry is that labor unions are the biggest losers from deregulation and the dash into consolidation. Certainly there is plenty of evidence for this view. Deregulation spawned split wage scales, futile strikes at United and Pan American, Chapter 11 bankruptcies, and the emergence of a handful of super-carriers which, on the surface at least, handed management oligopolistic bargaining powers\u27 (Gaudin). This is certainly a negative view of how unions have weathered the storm of deregulation, but is it well-founded, and is it a view shared by the airlines unions, themselves? The direction of this study is to describe the airline union viewpoint, the impact deregulation has had on their viability and on their future attitudes toward bargaining issues

Air Charter - The Business Airline of the Future...But, Does the Business Traveler Know?

Historically, FAR Part 121 commercial carriers have provided efficient, economical and safe air transportation for corporate and business users. Recently, however, corporate and business travelers find their travel plans disrupted by delays, bankruptcies, poor service, lost baggage, fare increases, labor strikes and other systemic difficulties that degrade their travel experience to unsatisfactory levels. This article examines these Part 121 service delivery problems and, utilizing a tripartite investigative methodology, examines an alternative air transport mode: FAR Part 135 on-demand charter travel products. This long extant segment of our national air transportation system is set prime to support increased demand for charter services. Corporate and business travelers are set prime to utilize viable, cost effective alternatives to commercial travel products. Two research questions emerge. First is whether corporate and business travelers are aware of Part 135 travel alternatives. Second is whether Part 135 charter service providers are aware of this latent demand and are effectively targeting this demand segment in their marketing efforts. The three-part surveys employed to investigate these questions examined demand sid

Traumatic brain injury : integrated approaches to improve prevention, clinical care, and research

Rahul Raj on työryhmän InTBIR Participants Investigators jäsen.Peer reviewe