Austin, TX – A new partnership between the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and GE Aviation is improving aviation safety education by providing students and faculty with access to a leading flight data analytics platform — opening doors to additional applied learning and research opportunities.
“Embry-Riddle intends to use the software on all campuses in our aviation safety education courses and programs, and to improve operational efficiency for flight and fleet maintenance in our flight departments,” said Dr. Alan Stolzer, dean of the College of Aviation on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Florida, campus. “This software, in particular, gives us a huge competitive advantage over other flight and educational programs.”
The university worked for more than a year to identify the best flight data monitoring tool for its use, said Stolzer. GE Aviation’s Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) program is powered by the company’s flight analytics platform — the Event Measurement System (EMS). It’s the “gold standard” and is used by the majority of domestic and international airlines, and general aviation, Stolzer said.
“Embry-Riddle is the leading aviation school in the world, so it was the right thing to do,” said Bob W. Whetsell, director of safety programs with GE Aviation’s Digital Group. “We feel that helping students learn on the tools that are actually being used in the field is very important.”
Airlines, the military and many significant corporate aviation operations use flight data monitoring to detect conditions outside of normal, predetermined parameters and trends.
Educational and Research Advantage
While the software will assist Embry-Riddle with its fleet operations, the partnership’s primary focus is on students.
“Giving our students hands-on experience with the industry’s state-of-the-art flight data analysis program makes them highly competitive for positions in the safety programs of every major airline in the world,” Assistant Professor of Aerospace & Occupational Safety Dr. Kimberly J. Szathmary said.
The FOQA program allows for data visualization with animation and enables users to look for trends and detect precursors to incidents or accidents, she said.
“Additionally, I envision master’s and Ph.D. students, as well as faculty members, using the software for research into real-world, pressing aviation safety problems,” Szathmary said.
The university’s Flight Data Analysis Lab will also allow for collaboration with industry and aviation experts and offer professional education for aviation safety professionals.
“GE Aviation’s FOQA program will give us myriad opportunities for research in data analytics, fuel consumption modeling and other areas,” Stolzer said.
About GE Aviation
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, avionics and electrical power systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit us at http://www.ge.com/aviation. Follow GE Aviation on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GEAviation and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/GEAviation.
About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Reporters worldwide contact Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for content experts in all aspects of aviation, aerospace, engineering and STEM-related fields. Our faculty experts specialize in unmanned and autonomous systems, security and intelligence, air traffic and airport management, astronomy, human factors psychology, meteorology, spaceflight operations, urban air mobility and much more. Visit the Embry-Riddle Newsroom for story ideas.
Embry-Riddle educates nearly 34,000 students at its residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona, at approximately 125 Worldwide Campus locations and through online degree programs ranked by U.S. News & World Report as being among the Nation’s Top Five.
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Media contact:
Embry-Riddle: Ginger Pinholster 386 226 4811 [email protected]
GE Aviation: Jennifer Villarreal 616 241 8643 [email protected]