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Australia’s RMIT University Announces Partnership with Airline to Establish Safety Academy

Melbourne, Australia – RMIT University will partner with Qantas to establish a national first safety academy, upskilling professionals across all high reliability sectors in Australia, including transport, energy and medicine.

The Qantas Group Safety Academy is set to launch in 2025, offering online or in-person programs to upskill leaders, safety professionals and entry level workers.

The courses have been designed in collaboration with RMIT and Griffith universities, leveraging Qantas’ industry expertise, and will develop a new national standard to support safety critical industries.

The suite of micro credentials will allow students to rapidly upskill in safety culture, risk management, data management, cyber safety and human safety factors including sleep and fatigue management.

The programs complement RMIT’s existing aviation training and education, comprising nearly 100 study pathways, which will be available to Academy graduates who may choose to explore credit transfers for higher post-graduate qualifications.

The Academy’s offer is planned to expand throughout 2026 to offer accredited post graduate qualifications and advanced research programs to benefit industry through the establishment of a Centre of Safety Excellence.

RMIT Aviation has operated for more than 80 years. It expanded to regional Victoria in 2019, providing training in Bendigo to help meet skills demands in Australia and abroad. RMIT has the largest fleet of aircraft in the higher education sector in Australia.

Quotes attributable to RMIT Aviation Academy Director Lea Vesic:

“RMIT’s partnership with Qantas is testament to the quality of our training and leadership – not just in producing job-ready graduates but fostering collaboration across the sector.

“The new Qantas Safety Academy will utilise our training expertise to build a pipeline of safety leaders who have a broad set of critical skills.

“These types of industry partnerships – and innovative training delivery – will be even more critical as we look to futureproof the aviation industry in Australia.”

Quotes attributable to Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson:

“Safety and training have been part of Qantas’ DNA since our first flight back in 1922.

“The new Qantas Group Safety Academy will help upskill a generation of safety and risk professionals, leaning on Qantas’s century of practical experience with safety leadership and the academic expertise of RMIT and Griffith University.”

Quotes attributable to Dean (Academic) Griffith Sciences Group Professor Rosalind Archer:

“Griffith is an industry leader in the area of safety science where we can offer a combination of leadership, science and social science across a multidisciplinary and multi-industry platform.

“This is not a cookie cutter approach to safety science, but micro credentials with depth which offers a post graduate learning environment for professionals who want to advance their careers and take the next step.”

Source: RMIT University
Photo Credit: RMIT University

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Global Pilot Training Group Simaero to Host Thales to Discuss Advancements in Evidence Based Training PERCEVAL Project

Global operator of full flight simulator training centers Simaero will host the Thales Aerospace team at EATS 2024 to discuss advancements in Evidence-Based Training (EBT) through the PERCEVAL research project.

In March 2024 Thales announced that

  • Thales had formed a consortium with ENAC, l’ENS Paris-Saclay, Simaero, AviaSim and Corsair to develop a tooled methodology for evaluating pilot behaviour under the PERCEVAL project (Pilot bEhaviouR and CompEtency EVALuation).
  • The consortium brings together the expertise of all the stakeholders in the airline pilot training community, including airlines, training centres, civil aviation schools, and public and private research organisations.
  • This Thales-led research project is designed to meet the new flight safety requirements of the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Sponsored by the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), the PERCEVAL project (Pilot bEhaviouR and CompEtency EVALuation) will be conducted by a Thales-led consortium including the ENAC national civil aviation school, the research Centre Borelli from l’ENS Paris-Saclay, the Corsair airline and the Simaero and AviaSim training centres to validate a new approach to behavioural evaluation of airline pilots and air traffic controllers.

Training programmes are changing rapidly in the civil aviation sector, particularly with the introduction of Evidence-Based Training (EBT) concepts and other new training and evaluation methods. One major benefit of the new approach is its focus on non-technical skills and their role in building trust and developing the capacity of crew members to recognise unexpected or unpredictable situations.

By bringing together all the stakeholders in the training community, the consortium will leverage this collective intelligence to reshape the future of airline pilot training and improve flight safety by continuing to reduce the risk of human error.

From ab initio training to recurrent training and crew training, the consortium has all the resources needed to design, develop and test this new technological concept. As consortium leader, Thales brings to the table the knowledge and technology from its research into human factors analysis for aircraft pilots based on a multi-modal approach combining voice, eye movements and motor skills.

Source: SIMAERO and Thales
Photo Credit: SIMAERO

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Training Aircraft Manufacturer Bye Aerospace Advances eFlyer 2 Prototype Meeting Partners at NBAA 2024

Las Vegas, USA – Rod Zastrow, CEO and President of Bye Aerospace, highlighted his experience at the 2024 NBAA Convention alongside CFO Jim Dunn, focusing on advancing collaborations for the company’s all-electric aircraft development.

Zastrow engaged with system partners such as Safran, supplying the aircraft’s electric motor, and Garmin, providing avionics solutions, as Bye Aerospace prepares for critical system integration in 2025. According to Zastrow, the eFlyer 2 prototype, Serial Number 001, is currently being fabricated at Bye Aerospace’s facilities in Englewood (Denver). This aircraft will be the company’s first full-scale model to undergo testing and integration, with the goal of establishing a new standard for electric flight training. The eFlyer series aims to revolutionize aviation training with zero-emission operations, lower noise levels, and reduced operating costs, offering significant benefits to flight schools and aviation communities.

Statement:

“Another great experience attending this year’s National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention with our eFlyer Team’s CFO, Jim Dunn. Enjoyed speaking with some of our functional system partners such as Safran (electric motor) and Garmin (avionics), and preparing for system integration in 2025 for our eFlyer 2 Serial Number 001 full-scale prototype now being fabricated at our facilities in Englewood (Denver), CO,” said Zastrow.

Source: Rod Zastrow (Bye Aerospace)
Photo Credit: Bye Aerospace

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Growing to Become One of the Largest Flight Schools in Italy – Professional Aviation Academy

In this week’s AFM Pilot Training Leadership Interview Series AFM’s Customer Success & Business Development Manager Agata Marszalek speaks with Vito Preti – the CEO of Professional Aviation – one of the largest Italian flight academies, based in Bologna. Professional Aviation Academy is a premier provider of aviation training, offering a full range of programs that include both theoretical and practical instruction for aspiring pilots.

The conversation covers:

  • Company Background: Vito Preti, with a military aviation background, founded Professional Aviation based on the best practices from his career, aiming to offer high-quality training for pilots. The academy is known for its high-quality training in both technical flying skills and professional attitudes.
  • Modern Fleet and Facilities: Professional Aviation boasts a fleet mainly consisting of Tecnam Aircraft, Cirrus Aircraft for instrument training, with Garmin avionics for seamless student transitions. They also offer now training in helicopters, ensuring a modern and versatile learning environment.
  • Student Intake and International Outreach: The school trains 80 to 100 students annually, with an increasing number of international students. Classes are conducted in English, and the academy offers both EASA and GCAA licenses, expanding its global reach. Partnerships with banks provide financial support for Italian students, with plans to extend this to international students. The academy has recently expanded into helicopter training, addressing the growing demand for pilots in sectors such as offshore operations and air ambulance services.
  • Industry Trends and Challenges: Vito notes a strong demand for pilots expected to continue for the next 10-15 years. Vito highlighted the importance of long-term investment and infrastructure in aviation training, noting the growing demand for pilots globally. He also discussed challenges like instructor retention and the need for improved campus facilities to meet students expectations. Professional Aviation is focusing on developing a campus to offer a comprehensive training environment.
  • Key Advantages: Professional Aviation employs 100% full-time flight instructors, many of whom have military or airline experience. This ensures a highly professional and standardized training process, with instructors fully dedicated to student development. The school operates a modern aircraft fleet and uses advanced scheduling tools (such as FlightLogger) to ensure efficient planning for both instructors and students. The recent expansion into helicopter training further broadens their scope and appeal.

For more information:

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