Careers: Flying & Aviation/flight Operration Career

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Expert: - 9/29/2010


Question
Hi David,
I’m Hasitha from Sri Lanka I Have ICAO 201 flight Dispatcher licences. At the moment I’m working as a flight dispatcher at SriLankan airlines. I’m very much interested on flight operation and aircraft Accident investigation side, lot of them are interested on flying side but I’m not. I like study more about those sides. I knew there are lot of degrees for flight operations like operation control. But I would like know what is the correct path that I can go trough both operation and accident investigation side.
Thanks!!


Answer
Hi, Hasitha:

Nice to hear from you, I will try to assist!

First of all, if you are interested in aviation safety/aviation accident investigation, there are some good graduate degrees that focus on those subjects in the USA.   If you go to www.uaa.aero that is the website of the University Aviation Association.  Once you are on that site, click on the Colleges and Universities link and there you will see a drop down menu with a listing of graduate degree programs.  Go to that list and you will see the University of Central Missouri and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott as two schools that offer masters degrees in aviation safety.

Second, if you do not have a bachelor's degree, you can go to that same website and find a listing of universities and colleges that offer baccalaureate degrees in aviation.  Those degrees will, in most cases, prepare you for the graduate degrees listed above.  You do NOT have to fly to get many of these baccalaureate degrees....you can pursue a degree in aviation management or aviation administration if you wish.  HOWEVER, it does help very much to have at least a Private Pilot License (PPL) or higher to gain the perspective of being a pilot for the aircraft accident investigation role.

If you wish to work for a government agency to investigate aircraft accidents, the hiring agency will want you to have a TECHICAL background in aviation (flight, or maintenance, or engineering, or weather, or operations/dispatch, etc).  So, it is important to know that is NOT just about the degree you hold, but, it is also about the work experience in aviation, too.

I hope that this helps you!

Best of luck,

David A. NewMyer

Careers: Flying & Aviation

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David A. NewMyer

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Can advise people thinking about beginning and aviation career and espcially those thinking about an aviation university program. Can also help with aviation scholarship questions. I am particularly strong in questions related to starting a flight career, choosing a university flight or aviation management program, aviation internships and aviation scholarships. Also, I can assist with questions about airport management and planning careers and oveall aviation industry employment questions.

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Prepared In addition to aviation education, I work at a major university, I have worked as an airport planner preparing airport system plans, airport master plan and environmental assessment reports for the Chicago area in general and for several individual Illinois airports.

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