Flight Safety Information - June 2, 2022 No.105 In This Issue : Incident: Spicejet B738 near Mumbai on May 28th 2022, cracked windshield : Incident: Emerald AT72 at Dublin on May 31st 2022, cracked windshield : Accident: Canada B772 near Delhi on May 24th 2022, severe turbulence causes 8 injuries : Vistara Fined For Letting Improperly Trained Pilot Land An Aircraft : Safety first: On Nepal’s Tara Air crash : Houston-based nonprofit recruits young women of color to be pilots : United Airlines plans $100 million expansion of pilot training center during hiring spree : Southwest Airlines Invests in Startup That’s Turning Corn Waste into Jet Fuel : Boeing Is In Talks With Singapore Airlines About 777X Delays : Embry-Riddle: Business Education from the Ground Up Incident: Spicejet B738 near Mumbai on May 28th 2022, cracked windshield A Spicejet Boeing 737-800, registration VT-SLG performing flight SG-385 from Mumbai to Gorakhpur (India), was enroute at FL370 about 280nm northeast of Mumbai when the outer pane of the right hand windshield cracked. The crew descended the aircraft to FL280 and returned to Mumbai for a safe landing on runway 27 about 100 minutes after departure. A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration VT-SZN reached Gorakhpur with a delay of about 4.5 hours. The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 24 hours after landing back. The airline reported the outer pane of the right hand windshield broke. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f9b2f35&opt=0 Incident: Emerald AT72 at Dublin on May 31st 2022, cracked windshield An Emerald Airlines Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration EI-HDH performing flight EI-3326 from Dublin (Ireland) to Manchester,EN (UK), was enroute at FL150 about 60nm east of Dublin when the right hand windshield cracked. The crew decided to return to Dublin for a safe landing about 40 minutes after departure. The airline confirmed a technical issue prompted the return. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Dublin about 28 hours after landing back. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f9ab445&opt=0 Accident: Canada B772 near Delhi on May 24th 2022, severe turbulence causes 8 injuries An Air Canada Boeing 777-200, registration C-FIUJ perfomring flight AC-42 (dep May 23rd) from Toronto,ON (Canada) to New Delhi (India) with 281 people on board, was unable to land at Delhi due to Thunderstorms, the crew advised ATC of their intention to divert to Ahmedabad (India), however was told by ATC that Ahmedabad was closed. The crew did not want to try an approach in Thunderstorms and severe turbulence at Delhi, therefore declared emergency and proceeded towards Ahmedabad. While climbing to cruise the aircraft encountered severe turbulence causing altitude variations of +/- 200 feet, a number of passengers and crew received injuries. The aircraft landed in Ahmedabad without further incident. The Canadian TSB reported 8 people (including crew and passengers) received minor injuries as result of severe turbulence causing altitude variations of 200 feet. The flight landed safely in Ahmedabad however. A severe turbulence inspection was carried out before the aircraft returned to service. https://www.avherald.com/h?article=4f9ab287&opt=0 Vistara Fined For Letting Improperly Trained Pilot Land An Aircraft The incident took place in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has fined full-service carrier Vistara for violating safety regulations on one of its recent flights. It has emerged that a first officer was allowed to land the plane without receiving the required training in a simulator. Inadequately trained pilot lands aircraft When an aircraft lands on the runway, passengers can be comforted by the fact that the pilot performing the landing has sufficient training and experience to do so. And while every pilot has to perform the landing for the first time, it is always after adequate training in a simulator. After all, it is one of the most challenging parts of the flight. However, a recent landing of a Vistara aircraft was performed by the first officer without first getting the requisite simulator training. The DGCA has fined the airline ₹10 lakhs (approx. $12,800) for violating safety regulations. Commenting on the incident, an official stated, "This was a serious violation endangering lives of the passengers on board." Vistara A321 MSN9297 Delivery (1) The first officer who landed the Vistara plane did not receive adequate simulator training. Photo: Airbus When and where? The exact details of the flight have not been made public, but we do know that the incident took place at Indore’s Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport in the state of Madhya Pradesh. For its domestic operations, Vistara relies on mostly the Airbus A320 family of aircraft and a handful of Boeing 737s. A quick scan of FlightRadar24.com reveals that Indore receives four Vistara flights every day – 2 from Delhi and 1 each from Mumbai and Bengaluru. All flights are operated by an Airbus A320 airplane. Unless there was an unscheduled change of equipment, the aircraft involved in the landing is most likely to be an A320. Both the captain and the first officer were found to be inadequately trained to handle the situation. Training is conducted for the first officer to land the aircraft in the simulator before they can do it in real life with passengers onboard. In the same way, captains are also trained before they can give landing instructions to the first officer. Air India incidents Improper training can affect not just new pilots but even some of the more experienced ones. Last year, two separate incidents involving Air India’s A320 airplanes highlighted the issue of improper training of its pilots. This was before the carrier was handed over to the Tata Group. The first incident involved a hard landing and the second involved the aircraft lurching sharply towards a mountain as the pilot commenced a turn in the wrong direction. Both flights had pilots from the airline’s Boeing 777 and 787 fleet who were upgraded as captains on its Airbus fleet. A senior AI pilot explained the situation to Frontline Magazine, saying, “…the Boeing co-pilots who are being trained as captains for the first time on the Airbus fleet are being trained on the fixed base trainer for only 8 hours, followed by the usual 32 hours in the full motion flight simulator.” Hopefully, for Vistara, this was a one-off incident, as the airline has so far enjoyed a clean safety record. https://simpleflying.com/improperly-trained-vistara-pilot-lands-an-aircraft/ Safety first: On Nepal’s Tara Air crash Nepal should not sacrifice aviation safety for the sake of commercial tourism The grim images of the wreckage of a Tara Air de Havilland DHC-6-300 Twin Otter aircraft in Nepal have once again highlighted the complexities of ensuring aviation safety in one of the most challenging environments in the world, and in regulating the mountain nation’s Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) flights that are a tourist draw. The plane with 22 passengers, including an Indian family, was on an ‘air trek’ along the scenic yet aerially treacherous Pokhara to Jomsom route on Sunday when it lost radar contact at around 13,000 feet. STOL operations call for well-honed piloting skills, and as 3-D terrain maps of the flight path show, danger lurks in every corner in the form of jagged peaks, narrow passes and fickle weather. The small unpressurised craft used in this sector operate at a ceiling of 13,000 feet and are airborne for a short duration — oxygen supplies are needed for all passengers if flights exceed over 30 minutes above 13,000 ft. Flights are characterised by manoeuvres of 90 degree turns in valleys that have at times just wing length clearance. And as in any competitive tourism market crowded with various STOL operators, there are many pressures that can tell on the crew: commercial stress points such as not having wasted fuel moments and ensuring passenger contentment by pushing the envelope of crucial visual flight rules (VFR). Not following VFR is cited as the main cause of accidents in Nepal’s STOL operations. So, is Nepal pushing the boundaries in air safety? Data put out by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal show domestic air travel having risen by 15.45% in 2018, though registering a dip in 2019-20 largely on account of travel restrictions following the global COVID-19 pandemic. But, interestingly, country data over the past 10 years have shown a sharp drop in the accident rate in general, the only blip being a rise in helicopter incidents with growing copter operations in logistics, relief and rescue, and tourism. In the same timeframe, the STOL sector has seen a higher rate of accidents than trunk route air operations; of the 19 accidents, 16 were STOL aircraft. Accident analysis has shown Controlled Flight into Terrain, Runway excursions and Loss of Control In-flight as the leading causes. A more realistic check lies in the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme of the International Civil Aviation Organization monitoring safety oversight obligations by all 193 member-states (as of June 2020), in which Nepal’s scores — it last participated in the programme in 2017 — dropped in ‘Organization’ and ‘Accident Investigation’. In an era of improving global air safety, Nepal needs to scale a crucial summit by working on pending legislation that unbundles its civil aviation body into a regulator and service provider, paving the way for a full-fledged safety system, and in turn enabling safer STOL operations. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/safety-first-the-hindu-editorial-on-nepals-tara-air-crash/article65484264.ece Houston-based nonprofit recruits young women of color to be pilots • With a nationwide pilot shortage, experts said influencing the next diverse generation of professional pilots is important now more than ever. HOUSTON — Aviation experts are predicting there will be a shortage of about 19,000 pilots globally by the end of 2022 and many of us are already feeling the effects of it. A Houston-based non-profit called Sisters of the Skies is looking to address this problem. It involves inspiring young ladies to reach for the sky. Less than one percent of professional pilots are women of color. And with a nationwide pilot shortage, experts said influencing the next diverse generation of professional pilots is important now more than ever. “The industry has another resource they can tap into to have pilots for their flight decks and that's what we are here to do,” said Nia Gilliam-Wordlaw. Gilliam is the co-founder of Sisters of the Skies and a long-time United airlines pilot. “Prior to the pandemic, we were already facing a pilot shortage," Gilliam said. "The pandemic just exacerbated the situation." Fast forward to 2022, where the demand for flights has skyrocketed ahead of summer travel, but the shortage of pilots to fly those planes still lingers. “If there's not enough food to eat, we starve," Gilliam said. "So, if there's not enough pilots to fly these planes, we don't get to travel." Since the group's founding in 2017, they've made it a mission to attract a new generation of pilots. “Sisters of the Skies is here to give that dream some wings and get these young ladies exposed," Gilliam said. Outreach events help young girls meet women who look just like them and get hands-on with the plane. “I like looking at the inside and all the buttons. I feel comfortable here. I really like all the planes. It's cool,” said Callie Calloway, one of the many young girls interested in planes. On top of mentoring, and hosting events, Sisters of the Skies has given $1 million in flight scholarship money, thanks to corporate and community donations. “A lot of these young ladies don't just have the challenge financially, but they don't know that this career field exists,” said Gilliam. In the financial, world experts always suggest you diversify your stock options, so that if something happens you don't lose everything. “You don't want to put just one group of stocks in investing, one group of people flying a plane, because you're going to miss out on the big picture,” said Gilliam. Sisters of the Skies believes they can be a part of the pilot shortage solution in the long run. “Being one of the founders, it's so satisfying to see the young girls say how much they appreciate Sisters of the Skies. How much it's changed their lives,” said Gilliam. https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/sisters-of-the-skies-organizations-recruits-future-pilots/285-38f1a4af-3c1e-41ec-ba3c-06ef684c9ebd United Airlines plans $100 million expansion of pilot training center during hiring spree • The expansion will cost United about $100 million. • United and other carriers are racing to hire pilots as travel demand returns. • United expects to add more than 2,000 pilots this year. United Airlines plans to break ground Wednesday on an expansion of its training center in Denver, an initiative aimed at getting thousands of pilots ready to fly passengers as the carrier goes on a hiring spree. The project will cost about $100 million. The new four-story building at its training campus will allow United to add six new flight simulators. The airline plans to add an additional six simulators later on. It currently has space for 40 simulators. The new simulators will be to train pilots on the Boeing 737 Max and Airbus jetliners, after a massive order last year, as well as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Marc Champion, managing director of the flight training center, told CNBC. The carrier expects the project to be completed before the end of next year. Champion said the training center expansion project has been in the works for about a year. Like other carriers, United is facing intense competition for pilots as the industry recovers from the Covid pandemic. The airline is planning to hire about 10,000 pilots between now and the end of the decade, Champion said. The Chicago-based carrier expects to add about 2,000 pilots this year. Last year, United started teaching the first students at its new flight school, the United Aviate Academy, in Goodyear, Arizona. It aims to train 5,000 pilots there by 2030. Fleet changes and idled pilots during the pandemic created massive training backlogs across airlines as many aviators switched to new aircraft or waited for slots to complete federally mandated recurrent training. American Airlines, for example, last year decided to keep a pilot training center in Charlotte, North Carolina, open to handle the volume. United, however, maintained much of its fleet, and reached an agreement with its pilots’ union early in the pandemic that helped it keep many of its pilots trained. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/01/united-airlines-plans-100-million-expansion-of-pilot-training-center.html Southwest Airlines Invests in Startup That’s Turning Corn Waste into Jet Fuel As part of a Department of Energy-backed effort, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is investing in SAFFiRE Renewables, a new startup that aims to turn corn waste into sustainable aviation fuel. Once the product is fully tested, SAFFiRE says about 7.5 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel could be produced by 2040. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan calls the technology "game-changing." Ahead of an expected surge in summer travel, Southwest Airlines is looking to make its flights more environmentally friendly in the long term. The Dallas-based carrier is investing in SAFFiRE Renewables to pilot a project to use sustainable aviation fuel, as part of a U.S. Department of Energy-backed effort, “[Sustainable aviation fuel] is critical for decarbonizing the aviation sector,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement. “This is a unique opportunity to invest in what we believe could be game-changing technology.” From corn waste to jet fuel Corn stover is whats left over after the corn grain is harvested. [Video still: Southwest Airlines] SAFFiRE—which stands for Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Renewable Ethanol—was formed this year by North Dakota-based cellulosic ethanol company D3MAX to pilot and commercialize renewable ethanol fuel technology from the DoE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. According to a video posted by Southwest, corn waste left over after harvesting—called corn stover—will be converted into renewable ethanol, which will then be utilized through “alcohol-to-jet technology” for use by the aviation industry. Biorefinery currently being built in Georgia Southwests’ investment in the technology matches DoE grant funding for the first phase of the pilot, which includes business planning and technology validation. A biorefinery is currently being built in Georgia, in partnership with Chicago sustainable fuel startup LanzaJet, for scaling the technology in the second phase of the pilot. Once the product is fully tested, SAFFiRE CEO Mark Yancey says about 7.5 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel could be produced by 2040. “Moving cutting-edge technology advances in sustainable aviation to production scale will save money, reduce carbon emissions, and reshape the future of airline travel for the benefit of American consumers,” said David Turk, U.S. deputy secretary of energy, in a statement. Cutting carbon emissions and challenges Southwest has a goal of converting 10% of its fuel consumption to sustainable aviation fuel by 2030. This new investment fits in with Southwest’s other efforts to reduce its carbon emissions per available seat mile by 20% in the same timeframe. Late last year, Southwest announced a 15-year agreement with U.K.-based sustainable fuel tech company Velocys Renewables to purchase 219 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel starting around 2026. According to the New York Times, commercial air travel in the U.S. accounts for around 3% to 4% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Citing data from consulting firm IHS Markit, the Times notes that sustainable jet fuels are expected to make up only around 15% of the fuel consumed by the industry by 2050. Investing in future flights The investment in SAFFiRE comes as Southwest raised its revenue forecast for the second quarter last week, saying it expects operating revenue to increase by between 12% and 15% compared to Q2 of 2019. At the same time, the carrier said it predicts fuel costs to rise to between $3.30 and $3.40 per gallon in Q2, compared to the $3.04 to $3.15 per gallon it saw in the previous quarter. The announcement also comes as Southwest is looking to hire 10,000 employees, including 1,200 new pilots this year, after making staff cutbacks during the pandemic. It also plans to add up to 140 new planes to its fleet of more than 700 aircraft. Customer experience upgrades Last month, the company also announced plans to invest $2 billion in “the next generation of customer experience” upgrades on its planes over the next five years. “We remain intensely focused on our hiring and training efforts as we work diligently to restore our network and position the company for future growth,” Jordan, who took over the CEO role from Gary Kelley in February, wrote in Southwest’s most recent quarterly report. “While it has been an incredibly challenging period, we are greatly encouraged by the progress we are making and believe we are well-positioned for future growth and long-term success with our point-to-point network, low-cost and low-fare business model.” Fort Worth-Founded Booster Partners With Renewable Energy Group to Deliver Carbon-Cutting Fuels to Fleets Perot Jain-backed Booster was founded in 2014 out of Fort Worth's AllianceTexas, before moving its HQ to San Mateo, California. Booster has raised over $108M in funding, and now operates in California, Texas, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. By partnering with REG, it aims to help fleets switch to renewables, cutting carbon emissions in the fight against climate change. https://dallasinnovates.com/southwest-airlines-invests-in-startup-thats-turning-corn-waste-into-jet-fuel/ Boeing Is In Talks With Singapore Airlines About 777X Delays Singapore Airlines has been a long-term customer of Boeing. Singapore Airlines & Boeing are in talks regarding delays. After several delays and eventually failing to deliver the long-awaited Boeing 777X aircraft on time, Boeing has reached out to Singapore Airlines to discuss potential delays. The Singapore national carrier has 31 of the aircraft type on order and will need to wait in line behind at least two other airlines before receiving the aircraft. A big Boeing customer About two months ago, Boeing yet again delayed deliveries of the Boeing 777X aircraft. This time until 2025, which is five years later than initially intended. Production of the aircraft won't resume until 2023, which has prompted some aircraft lessors to suggest that the aircraft's future is in serious doubt. The further delay has also led to speculation that some airline customers may cancel orders or switch to rival Airbus and its A350 aircraft. One of Boeing's most significant airline customers, Emirates, had threatened to withdraw its Boeing 777X order if it kept being delayed. The Dubai-based carrier has a massive 115 of the Boeing 777X on order and is a planned launch customer for the aircraft. Singapore Airlines is another of Boeing's more prominent airline customers, with the Chicago-based manufacturer's products accounting for more than 40% of the airline's fleet, excluding the fleet of its cargo subsidiary. In regards to the Boeing 777X, Singapore Airlines has 31 of the aircraft type on order. With so much at stake, it makes sense that Boeing would reach out to the carrier for discussions about potential delays, as highlighted by the airline's Chief Executive Officer, Goh Choon Phong: "We are a very important customer to Boeing. I’m sure Boeing will tell you that too." The national carrier is also due to take delivery of three Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners later this year, with another six scheduled for next year and onwards. However, Boeing has also stalled deliveries for the Boeing 787s due to a recurring issue of structural glitches, though it was not specified if the discussions included talks regarding delays of those deliveries. Keeping an eye on the market In mid-May, Singapore Airlines had stated its confidence that its growth plans would not be significantly affected by the delay of the Boeing 777X aircraft. The almighty 'biggest twin-engined commercial aircraft' was planned to become the eventual flagship and renew its aging yet reliable predecessor, the Boeing 777-300ERs. Additionally, the Star Alliance member airline is slowly but surely embracing the rebound in passenger demand but still far from hitting pre-pandemic passenger capacity. But besides the not-so-urgent need for capacity just yet, Singapore Airlines is eager to put its range of all-new suites and seating concepts meant for the Boeing 777X in motion, as highlighted by Executive Vice President Commercial Lee Lik Hsin: "We have to wait to see what happens with Boeing, but we are very excited and waiting to unveil those brand new products to the world." The business class onboard the Boeing 737 MAX features two "throne" seats that can recline into a 76-inch-long flatbed. Photo: Getty Images The new concepts are part of the airline's strategy to keep up with the continued high demand for wider varieties of premium travel, especially since the Boeing 777X was planned as the airline's eventual flagship. So far, Singapore Airlines has noted that the uptick of momentum in premium bookings is not just coming from corporate travelers but is also being driven by leisure travelers. The shift in premium travel demand was undoubtedly one of the reasons the national carrier hopped onto the adaptation of having lie-flat seats on its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The waiting line With its branding of its "A Great Way To Fly," Singapore Airlines has undoubtedly become well-known for its services and cabin concepts. Given the airline's fantastic track record, the suites and cabin concepts for the Boeing 777X aircraft are sure to be a real pleaser. And while passengers won't be able to experience it for years to come, the national carrier is taking advantage of the delay to revisit the designs for ways to improve the next-generation cabins for all classes, based on still-emerging trends and technologies. https://simpleflying.com/boeing-singapore-airlines-777x-compensation/ Embry-Riddle: Business Education from the Ground Up In today’s complex aviation and aerospace industries, a solid business education is essential. At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, we help build business skills from the ground up. The world’s leading aerospace university offers business degrees that range from management and finance to new programs in data science and business analytics. Each degree can open the door to an unlimited future – not just in aerospace but in any industry. They also build a solid foundation for entrepreneurs who are dedicated to innovation. Business students at Embry-Riddle benefit from meaningful internships with top employers and a global network of connections that includes fellow students, experienced faculty and alumni from top companies who regularly recruit our students. The power of a business education at Embry-Riddle is showcased by continued student success. No matter their backgrounds, challenges or ultimate goals, Embry-Riddle business students have produced a proven track record of accomplishment and achievement. Here are just a few examples of students who have taken their careers to the next level by earning business degrees from Embry-Riddle: TOOLS FOR LIFE Before deciding to continue her education, Treshina Smith (’21) found herself branching into business consulting for her natural hair care business clients. After 10 years of running her business, she moved overseas after marrying her husband, who is serving in the Navy, and continued her business services at the Fleet and Family Services Center. “I found myself giving classes on resumes and LinkedIn, organizing events, small business consulting and wellness,” said Smith. As an Army veteran and military spouse with her own business and career goals, she was drawn toward the Embry-Riddle Worldwide Campus. “I made the decision after meeting my academic advisor on base and reviewing Embry-Riddle’s current research, involvement with the Project Management Institute, programs offered and alumni reviews,” she said. “The M.S. in Project Management offered the global perspective and focus in data analytics that I was looking for.” While in the program, Smith learned how to apply project management tools to her own life. Those skills also proved to be especially helpful in her first project management role at a consulting firm. “Through Embry-Riddle, I strengthened my skillsets in building and delivering presentations, advanced Excel, and risk and data analysis, which are all foundational skills for an analyst and consultant,” said Smith. She also had the opportunity to deepen her real-world knowledge and job-hunting skills through the courses in the program. “I have participated in several conversations on current events and trends in tech, supply chain, economics and more with confidence because we covered many relevant topics during discussion assignments,” she said. “The capstone was immensely helpful in bringing together all that we’d learned and preparing us for the job hunt process.” Since graduating, Smith now uses the knowledge she gained in her role as a senior consulting analyst at Accenture – an information technology and services company. “I get a chance to develop innovative and creative service solutions for companies that extend beyond technology and delve into the truly human aspect of creation and change,” she said. “The most challenging part is staying focused and not getting distracted on so many opportunities to learn and participate.” In the future, Smith hopes to continue on the path she started years ago as a small business entrepreneur. She encourages fellow Eagles to set strategic goals and timelines for themselves but to stay adaptable to change. “Be the master of your own destiny and be unafraid to chart your course,” said Smith. VETERAN IGNITES INNOVATION Sensatek Propulsion Technologies founder and CEO Reamonn Soto (’18) claimed the top $25,000 prize in the 2022 PenFed Foundation Black History Month Ignition Challenge. The challenge, now in its second year, was established by the Virginia-based nonprofit to encourage Black veterans and military-affiliated entrepreneurs with funding and mentorship. The foundation’s Veteran Entrepreneur Investment Program selected 15 national finalists. Soto, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was wrapping up his master’s degree through Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Campus when he had a big idea to save gas turbine operators millions of dollars annually. To build Sensatek Propulsion Technology, Soto took advantage of incubator space at Embry-Riddle’s Research Park in Daytona Beach, Florida, which has forged partnerships with private industry as well as local, state and federal policymakers and agencies. The Sensatek business model — licensing patented wireless sensor technology to increase the operational reliability and performance of jet engines and high-temperature process flow applications — proved appealing to an array of investors. Soto’s funding from all sources now stands at more than $5.5 million. His innovation, based on the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that entrepreneurs can deliver to industry, has created high-paying new jobs. Sensatek sensors measure heat transfer data for customers in an innovative way that will advance technology for aviation, space and energy applications. Since joining the Research Park in 2017, Soto’s team has won multiple awards, earning support from the National Science Foundation, Launch Your Venture competition, NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, Starter Studio Seed Fund Accelerator and several other organizations, including Embry-Riddle. TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS AT BOEING Sarah Graber (’19) landed an internship with The Boeing Company the summer before her senior year at Embry-Riddle’s Prescott, Arizona, campus. Little did she know, the opportunity would turn into the career of her dreams. Graber began her journey with The Boeing Company as a procurement intern working to acquire parts for the Apache helicopter rotor and drivetrain systems. With the valuable knowledge and skills gained from the Aviation Business Administration program, she made herself a strategic asset to her team and leveraged the role into a full-time position as a procurement agent. Check out this video to learn more about Sarah’s success. An Investment with Huge Returns Master of Business Administration (MBA) students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's David B. O'Maley College of Business got a chance this spring to contribute to a real-world consulting project for an aviation industry leader. The project gave students deep insight into the inner workings of a global company — for proprietary reasons, the company opted to remain anonymous — and the opportunity felt like “working alongside the professor versus for the professor,” according to student Jacques Boudreaux. “It was really cool to work with the client and see what their specific wants and needs were,” said Boudreaux, who earned his MBA in Aviation Management and plans to start pilot training with the U.S. Air Force. The project, to explore Urban Air Mobility (UAM) — a transportation system that will use aircraft to transport passengers or cargo at lower altitudes within urban and suburban areas — as a viable market, was arranged in part by Dr. Janet Tinoco, professor of Management and Marketing. The students participated in the project in the capstone class of their graduate degree program. Connor Guinn (’20; ’21), another graduate of the MBA in Aviation Management program, said he enjoyed working on a project that could directly influence whether or not a real-world company takes steps to expand its reach in an emerging market. “The company’s interest in UAM and growth opportunities was intriguing, and helping contribute to research that will help the company in the future was fascinating,” said Guinn, who is working as a ground instructor at Endeavor Air and plans to move into a pilot role within a year. The students provided a range of assessments, Tinoco said, examining macro-environmental forces on the UAM market, such as government regulations and economic influences. Company positioning, as well as competitive assessments and market trends, in the United States and globally, were also analyzed. Based on their initial assessments, the students proposed two market opportunities, in the form of potential business models, answering research questions posed by the company about barriers to market by country, viability for customers and value propositions. Tinoco said the unnamed firm was very happy with the results, “and we will be working again with them in the future. Discussions have already started on new projects for 2022 and beyond." Even if aerospace is not your primary focus, Embry-Riddle business degrees can open up roles at some of the nation's largest and most successful companies, paving the way to careers that command the best positions and the salaries that come along with them. Students have the option of learning at our campuses in Florida or Arizona as well as flexible educational opportunities online and at locations throughout the world. Find out more about the programs that can help you explore your next horizon. https://www.ainonline.com/sponsored-content/business-aviation/2022-06-01/embry-riddle-business-education-ground Curt Lewis