I think Piers is correct when he says that there are distinct national
attitudes to pilot education.
However, it is interesting to see which part of the community is responsible
for these attitudes.
When we (University of South Australia) started university pilot education in
Australia the driving force was the our University. Some 15 years on the
driving forces are the Universities (now about 10 or so offer Aviation Degrees)
and the Student's perception that a degree is the best way to start a pilot
career. The Airline Industry in Ausralia still does not require a degree for
selection purposes and makes this point clear to students who contact them.
Because of the lack of involvement and no clear outcome citeria for graduates
from the Airline Industry, each university course has developed independently.
This has produced a wide variety of university aviation courses in Australia.
The University of South Australia offers Total Pilot Eduacation which includes
both the flying and the academic studies. Other universities have decided to
concentrate on the academic component and leave the flying to an external
provider. The point I make is that it is not the Aviation Industry that is
driving university pilot education in Australia, but rather the universities,
and the prospective students and their parents.
Steve Thatcher.
-----Original Message-----
From: Piers Herbert
To: CRM forum
Sent: 9/25/98 12:09 PM
Subject: re: The Pilot's Education Question
There seem to be national differences in attitudes to pilot education.
In Australia, for example, several universities offer degrees in
aviation studies in conjunction with flying training (and ERAU in the
United States of course). In the U.K. such courses do not exist,
probably due to lack of enthusiasm on the part of the industry.
What about Human Factors education? (Nobody yet has suggested a degree
in Psychology as a desirable pilot qualification). As I have noted
before, part time or distance learning courses in Aviation Human Factors
are few and far between (ERAU and Swinburne, Melbourne perhaps the only
two).