The Department of Aviation educates and prepares students for careers in commercial aviation and related businesses as FAA-certificated pilots, fixed-base operations managers, airport managers, airline management personnel and other positions in the aviation industry. Major course work encourages critical thinking ability and problem-solving with an emphasis on knowledge, skill and professionalism. The department offers a Bachelor of Science in Aviation with two options: Flight Education (flight option) and Aviation Management (non-flight option). Both options combine courses in business management, communication, math, computer science and general education. Also offered is an Associate in Aviation Technology. The program provides flight training through the university for non-majors, university personnel and the public as well.

The Department of Aviation has an educational mission that differs in fundamental ways from that of other university departments. Flight instruction requires faculty with professional certification who frequently teach in a one-on-one setting using specialized tools such as aircraft and sophisticated ground training equipment. The University reviews the program every seven years. The Department of Aviation seven-year review was completed in 1997.

The mission of the Department of Aviation has three essential components:

• To provide excellent undergraduate instruction preparing the national aviation system professionals of tomorrow.
• To engage in applied aviation research and scholarly endeavors that benefit the government, industry, general aviation and the public
• To provide leadership, expertise, and professional development opportunities for aviation professionals and general aviation, and to promote a greater understanding of aviation among the general public.

This mission is accomplished by the following:

1. To provide excellent undergraduate instruction preparing the national aviation system professionals of tomorrow.

1. Low instructor to student ratio. Flight instruction necessarily requires a 1:1 instructor/student ratio. Certified Flight Instructors (CFI’s) are assigned 1-5 students per quarter. Enrollment for classroom courses is normally no larger than 40 students per class and grade reports indicate an average class size of 15.
2. Dedicated aircraft/lab time. Students are assigned to specific aircraft for a specific time slot for the duration of the quarter in which they are enrolled. This aircraft "belongs" to that student for that time period unless canceled or the student fails to show. As a service to our students, flight times are scheduled after a student has registered for his/her on-campus course work. Every effort is made to coordinate aircraft and instructor time around the students’ other classes. These are features unique to our program.
3. State-of-the art Flight Training Device (FTD). Commonly referred to as a flight simulator, the FTD provides a safe environment for procedures and emergency training at a lower cost to students than the alternative of learning all procedures in an aircraft. This FTD may be switched from a multiengine to a single-engine trainer in two to three minutes.
4. Matching of student to CFI. The nature of the program requires periodic flight skill tests which allows the faculty to assess the knowledge, skills and abilities of each student. Student and instructor abilities are matched accordingly to maximize learning potential and enhance the educational experience.
5. Availability of faculty and staff to students. The faculty are available and spend a great deal of formal and informal instruction and advising time with students. If issues arise that impact the instructional environment, students easily approach faculty and staff members to have the issues resolved efficiently and effectively.
6. Opportunities for practical experience. Students certified by the FAA are employed by the department as flight instructors for which they receive internship credit and $8.00 per hour. In addition, the department has established a number of paid and unpaid internships with a wide variety of national airlines and other aviation-related businesses. Please see attached internship list.
7. High safety standards. Each quarter, instructors confirm with their students that they have read and understand the safety standards set forth in the Department of Aviation Flight Operations and Safety Manual. In addition, department minimum weather requirements in which students are permitted to fly are higher (safer) than federally regulated minimums.
8. Incorporation of case studies in course work. Case studies have been incorporated into some courses such as Aviation Safety and Aviation Law to help bridge flight-theory topics with real-world decision-making and experiences.
9. Aviation Day activities. The department’s annual Aviation Day provides opportunities for students to network with representatives from major airlines, the FAA and the Department of Aviation Advisory Board. This activity allows students and faculty to gain valuable insight into the future training needs of the airlines and other potential employers.
10. Participating in regional and national flight competition. Students have the opportunity to become members of both the O.U. Precision Flight Team and Alpha Eta Rho, a national coeducational aviation fraternity. The Ohio University Precision Flight Team has qualified for and competed in national competition two years in a row. In addition, the Department of Aviation will host regional competition during the fall of 1998.

2. To engage in applied aviation research and scholarly endeavors that benefit the government, industry, general aviation and the public.

1. Sponsored research participation by faculty and students. Dr. McCoy has included aviation students in research projects funded by NASA-Ames Research Center and the FAA. Professionals such as air traffic controllers, airline pilots and airline dispatchers meet with researchers and students. Students have been supported for fully paid summer visits to major air carriers.
2. Publications and presentations at national meetings and government briefings. Scholarly activity is represented by the department Chair’s publications in professional journals and presentations at symposiums and conferences.

3. To provide leadership, expertise, and professional development opportunities for aviation professionals and general aviation, and to promote a greater understanding of aviation among the general public.

1. Faculty professional activities. Faculty members have been active in the University Aviation Association, the Council on Aviation Accreditation, and the Committee on Aeronautical Education. Additionally, the department and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have co-sponsored safety seminars to the local pilot community.
2. Public service activities. Faculty and students participate in a variety of activities such as regularly providing public school tours of the airport and flight training facilities. Other activities include lectures at public schools, presentations to high school guidance counselors in association with the Committee on Aeronautical Education on the benefits of careers in aviation, and hosting FAA Safety Programs for the local aviation community.

There are published federal standards to which pilot applicants must demonstrate their knowledge and practical skill for each pilot certificate and rating issued by the FAA. Therefore, many of the department’s FAA certification flight courses require the student to be evaluated to federal standards through written, oral and skill tests conducted by a representative of the FAA. In addition, the department operates under FAR Part 141 which requires FAA approval of each course syllabus.

Written and skill proficiency testing are accomplished in a number of ways in the Department of Aviation. Unique to the flight courses is a policy which requires that students must pass a stage check or written exam with a grade of 70% or above to be able to proceed further in their courses.

1. External measures

1. FAA Oversight. In addition to the assessment measures below, representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration Flight Standards District Office randomly visit the department to critique student documentation, departmental files and procedures.

1. FAA knowledge tests. To receive certification and ratings, flight majors are required to take a series of national computerized exams provided by the FAA.
2. FAA CFI Check rides. When a student has completed the course work necessary to become a Certified Flight Instructor, this certification is obtained by taking an oral examination and practical skill test with a representative from the FSDO in Columbus, Ohio. The oral exam and skill test last approximately six hours.

2. Aviation Advisory Board. The advisory board meets annually with the Chair and faculty to advise the department about changes in the industry that may affect aviation education requirements. The board includes in its membership aviation industry, government and NASA representatives, and corporate and airline pilots. The advisory board has also provided financial support for Department of Aviation scholarships.

 

2. Internal measures

1. Written examinations. At certain stages in the courses, students take written tests to assess their level of comprehension of the concepts taught in each course. In the flight courses, a student may not proceed further in a course until a grade of 70% or better is attained.
2. Stage checks. Part 141 regulations require periodic skill proficiency checks of all flight students. These stage checks must be conducted by a CFI other than the current instructor of the student and who has been approved by the Chief Flight Instructor and the FAA to perform these tests.
3. Student progress reports. Two times each quarter, all student CFI’s submit written reports to the Chief Flight Instructor regarding their students’ performance and progress.
4. End of quarter evaluations. Data received from classroom courses is compiled and shared with each individual member of the faculty by the department chair. The department chair also informally visits classes and provides constructive feedback to the faculty.
5. Student Feedback. A dynamic, on-going process of evaluation effectively addresses student needs and other issues pertinent to the efficient operation of the department. Formal and informal feedback in the form of written comments from classroom evaluations and regular meetings/discussions with students affords faculty and staff the ability to adapt policy and procedure as students’ needs change.

According to the UCC Task Force in 1997, the Department of Aviation was meeting expectations in the following areas:

• Setting and meeting goals
• Quality of students
• Mix of students
• Quality of curriculum
• Quality of instruction
• Quality of scholarly and creative activity
• Success of graduates
• Judgment of future of program

In addition, the department exceeded the Task Force’s expectations in quality of facilities and equipment made available to Aviation students.

Other noteworthy areas:

1. Related to student instruction and service:

1. FAA certificates attained. Our students have demonstrated a high pass rate on their first attempt of FAA knowledge and skill tests. Only on rare occasion has a student not passed which then required some remedial instruction.
2. Departmental advising. Like many of the university’s departments, the Department of Aviation has a formal advising system and a parallel, complementary informal system. When the UCC Task Force quantitatively measured the effectiveness of both systems in 1997, no apparent problems were observed.
3. High rate of internship acceptance. Internships at numerous airlines, corporate flight departments and other general aviation companies and fixed-base operations are available to aviation students. The department has successfully encouraged the development of paid internships for many of our students. Companies awarding internships to O.U. students include United Airlines, American Airlines, TWA, DHL-AQP, US Airways, Aerosafe, Virginia Aviation and others. Our students enjoy a high percentage of acceptance for these highly competitive programs. In the last year (Fall 97-Spring 98), all 16 students who applied for internships were accepted.
4. Teaching award. Ron Faliszek, Assistant Professor and Chief Flight Instructor, won a teaching award from the Russ College of Engineering in April, 1998, for "dedicated teaching and student advising".
5. Flight team success in national competition. In May of 1997 and 1998, the O.U. Precision Flight Team participated in a national flight meet against the top aviation programs in the country. In 1997, the team place ninth out of thirty teams and brought home several awards including Coach of the Year and the Loening trophy, awarded by Delta Airlines to the team which exhibits "outstanding competition performance, air safety and active participation in aviation and the team’s local community". The department is very proud of their efforts.

2. Related to research and development:

1. Recent publications and presentations. During the last year, Dr. McCoy has been published five times in journals such as Air Traffic Control Quarterly and IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics. In addition, she was also a contributing author to the Handbook of Institutional Ergonomics (Marras & Karowski, Eds.) with a chapter entitled "Ergonomic Issues in Air Traffic Management".

In 1997 and 1998, Dr. McCoy has given several presentations with organizations such as the National Weather Service in Anchorage, Alaska and NASA and presented twice at the Ninth International Symposium on Aviation Psychology.

2. Ongoing departmental research. The department Chair is the principle investigator on five studies sponsored by the NASA-Ames Research Center in California. These studies include such topics as weather-related decision-making, and human centered design and technology. Over $400,000 has been obtained in research support over a 4-year period.
3. Student participation in research. To date, seven undergraduate aviation majors have participated in research activities with Dr. McCoy, several of whom also had the opportunity to co-author two articles for publication.
4. Research award. In the spring of 1998, Dr. McCoy received an award from the Russ College of Engineering for research, scholarship and the creation of new knowledge. This was the first such award received by a member of the Department of Aviation faculty.

3. Related to professional development and public service:

1. Process by which faculty remain current. Faculty remain flight proficiency and currency requirements by training with other instructors in the department. Certain regulatory requirements must be met in order to continue flying and teaching. CFI renewals, Biennial Flight Reviews, landing and instrument currency are required not optional activities. Professional home-study courses and weekend workshops have also been utilized.

In a more traditional sense, faculty maintain discipline currency by participating in conferences such as the University Aviation Association Fall Education Meeting, reading trade journals, visiting industry sites and meeting with other Ohio aviation educators and organizations such as NASA and the FAA.

2. Public tours of Airport and Aviation training facility. The department regularly provides free tours to schools, Boy Scout troops, church groups, and other organizations. On average, ten of these tours took place each quarter during the 1997-98 academic year. . In addition, the department hosted a high school senior intern from Trimble High School during the Spring of 1998.

Changes in the FAA regulations for Part 141 flight training schools created the impetus for the faculty to complete a strategic restructuring of all of the flight courses in the program. This required the faculty to spend countless hours in meetings, rewriting and revising the syllabi and associated documents for eight courses. Course syllabi average 10-15 pages in length and document all of the lessons provided in each course. After undergoing an editing process by a FSDO representative, the syllabi have now been submitted to the FAA for final approval. The FAA requires that all changes be made by August 1998. The Department of Aviation has completed this project two months ahead of that deadline and is the first training facility in the District to complete these changes.

In 1993, the Chair noted high airframe time and began discussions of fleet replacement with individuals in airport administration at that time. As a result, beginning in the Fall of 1997, five new Cessna 172 single-engine aircraft were available for students. These five are the first of a ten aircraft order placed with Cessna aircraft and are equipped with panel-mounted GPS. Additional aircraft are planned to be added over a period of several years which, in turn, continues to enhance the educational experience we provide our students. This is also an important safety measure for students as the aircraft with the highest airframe times are the ones replaced. Somewhat like old, weathered cars that have driven on bumpy roads, airframes begin to become subject to structural failure after thousands of hours of use.

In the August, 1997, the outdated flight training device, AST 300, was sold and a state-of-the art Frasca 142 purchased. This device provides a wide cockpit with dual instrumentation. It will permit programmable, hence standardized, lessons that can be computer scored for accuracy and will provide a foundation for the development of a Cockpit Resource Management course. The device offers Global Positioning System (GPS) and other advanced avionics that students will encounter early in their careers.

Finally, during the 1997-98 school year, the department hired another Group I faculty member who will begin his contract in the fall of 1998. He is well-prepared to assist in both classroom courses and flight instruction.

An additional Group I position for Fall, 1999, will be advertised in the Fall of 1998.

Internships

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