Expert: David A. NewMyer - 12/6/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hello Sir!

Its been a long time since I have spoken to you. Hope you would remember me. I was doing with my exams all these days. Thanks a lot for your valuable suggestions regarding my aviation career. At last I have ddicated myself to get into the safety side of aviation. So I have already applied for the Aviation Safety course in 3 universities.
1) Embry-Ridlle Aeronautical University: Prescott- Master of science in safety science
2) Arizona state university- Aviation management and Human Factors
3) Univesity of Central Missouri (Aviation Safety)
hope this would be a prospective and fruitful way to my career in aviation though I have no experience in the field.
I am in my final year of Bachelors and I have to submit a project work this year. I have been thinking of doing some project in the safety side of aviation but unable to think a good title. The project can be a case study. Kindly let me know few project titles on which I can work so that it would helpful for my higher studies and career.
Awaiting a positive reply!

ANSWER: Hi, Vinay:

Sorry to be so slow in responding to you....it has been a busy time. I was traveling and then we had our Thanksgiving Holiday here in the USA.

Yes, the three schools and master's programs that you have listed are all good ones.  The three that you have listed all have very good programs and have good faculty members.  At Embry Riddle Prescott, I believe that I have given you the name of Dr. Eric Savage.  He is a good person and someone who has taught for the university where I work (Southern Illinois Univ)and is quite good at what he does.  And, ERAU Prescott has a very good field laboratory for aircraft accident investigation.  At Arizona State, a good contact would be Dr. Mary Niewmcyzk.  She is someone I have known for over five years and is an excellent faculty member and teacher. She would be very good to work with on the management side of aviation safety.    A good contact at the University of Central Missouri is Rick Martinez.  He is a former facutly member here at SIUC and is a good person.

As for a project idea in the area of aviation safety, I have a couple of ideas for you:

1.  Something in the area of Safety Management Systems or SMS.  Understanding the basic concepts of SMS (the four pillars, etc)is important as well as such things as the management of risk and doing risk assessment.  The application of SMS in the USA is now becoming more widespread beyond the airlines to airports and Maintenance/Repair/Organizations and the like.  So, SMS would be a timely subject....and, SMS is something that has been applied in the international community a bit longer than the USA.  So, there are good examples worldwide via ICAO.  

2.  As a subset of the above subject area (SMS), you might want to examine a particular SMS plan for a particular airline or airport.  This will give you some insight as to how the SMS process works as it is applied to a particular subject.

3.  Another kind of case study would be one of a particular aircraft accident might be of interest to you.  In this case, you might want to select a fairly recent accident---perhaps one that was controversial due to human factors issues or some other reason.  There is a lot of effort of differnt people with different expertise that goes into one aircraft accident investigation....it might help you to learn that process.

I hope that the above list will give you some ideas to start with. If you need more clarification, just let me know via another question on AllExperts.

Thanks again and best wishes with your exams,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Sir! I would like to thank you very much for your patience in answering. One of my friend who is already in your university tried to get your appointment but he came to know that you were not available. Off late I became a regular seeker for your advices to shape my career. So I got your SIUC email id and even sent a mail to that. I am sorry if I have done it wothout your permission but I wanted someone who knows the field and you are the one from whom I am seeking all the advices.
Hope I will get an admission in any one of the universities that I have mentioned with my academic qualifications. But, as an International student what would be my chances of getting a job in USA in the aviation safety field? If I get what would be average starting salary for freshers?

Coming to the project part, I have an offer from one of the International airport at hyderabad. The Assistanat General Manager, Safety at GMR Intl airport,hyd was impressed with my mini project " aircraft accident investigation ". In this I have studied various causes that lead to the accidents such as human factors, bird strikes, metal fatigue, delamination, fire, etc over the past two decades. So he said that he would allow me to work under his guidance in the airport once I come to him with any idea of the project. So I am searching for few project ideas. As you have mentioned regarding the accidents, I am already done with that. If there are any more ideas that you have, especially regarding the safety part, kindly let me know regarding that.
Awaiting a positive reply!

ANSWER: Hi, Vinay;

It is nice to hear from you again!

I am sorry that I missed your friend who tried to contact me.  I was on a busy travel schedule for much of October and November.  However, I am home now for the next month.  So, if your friend wants to contact me again, tell him to try me now since I am in town until January 6th.

As for the SIUC email ID, and the email you sent, I am sorry, but, I have not been able to check all of my email since I returned from my travels.  I try to give the AllExperts.com messages some priority, so, I will probably see these messages before I get through all of my email!

As far as obtaining a job in the USA in an aviation safety field, I am not sure what the job prospects will be once you finish your degree here.  It will depend somewhat on the expertise that you develop while you are here and whether or not the employer can make a case to hire you over someone else.  I do know that most student visas allow a student to remain for a six month to a year period to obtain work experience in a field that would be helpful upon return to your home country---an aviation internship or work experience. Such a work experience would allow the employer to get to know your work.   I know that a former student of mine from Nepal was able to develop some excellent aircraft noise analysis skills during such an internship and was able to stay and work here after his one year was over.  You would have to work closely with the faculty of the institution where you decide to study in order to work toward such a situation.  They will be more knowledgable than I am about the aviation safety work possibilities.

With regard to your request for an aviation safety project, you might try one of the following ideas:

1.  You can assist the airport in updating its Wildlife Hazard Plan (if there is one)---this would be to update any plans they may have on file regarding bird control issues, other wildlife issues that might interfere with the safety of aircraft on the airport.

2.  You can assist the airport in updating its Safety Management Systems Plan, perhaps by updating some part of their Implementation Plan for SMS.  For example, you might want to help them perform a new set of contacts (a survey, or personal visits, etc) with key airport tenants and users to see if they have any safety issues to report or any other matters to discuss regarding the safe operation of the airport.

3.  Related to #2 above, you might want to assist in the development of a Safety Risk Assessment on an EXISTING safety problem at the airport.  For example, (this is just hypothetical), your airport might have had a problem with the safe operation of ground vehicles by those who drive them on the airport.  Therefore, your airport might have developed a driver safety and training program.  If so, you would follow up and find out if this program is working.  Or, if they do not have such a program, perhaps you can help them develop one (or do an assessment to see if one is needed).

I hope that these additional ideas are of help to you.

Best wishes,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Sir! Now I have a clear picture regarding the project. I have spoken with the personnel at Hyderabad airport. They are ready to offer me a projet on SMS. As a enthusiastic student, I would like to ask you a general question regarding the project.
Many of my friends are doing the technical projects such as wing design. propeller design, landing gear, etc related to the aircraft. I am the only one looking for the other side such as SMS or so. In the real World, when someone at the job interview or somewhere else, would my project be awarded good or the technical project? As an Aeronautical undergraduate which would suit me much apprpriately?
Kindly let me know regarding this!

Answer
Hi, Vinay:

The simple answer is that it depends on where you are doing the job interview in the real world!  If you are talking about interviewing with an aviation or aerospace manufacturer, then, they might be interested in wing design or landing gear.  At an airport, however, they are going to be interested in operational matters such as airport safety and how to improve it.  That is what SMS is all about:  Applying the principles of continuous process improvement to aviation safety at an airport.

Therefore, if you are interested in interviewing at an airport or an airline, I would think SMS would be a much better project for you.....if it is a manufacturer, then, wing design might be better.

Does that make sense to you?

Best wishes,

David A. NewMyer