(upbeat music)
- Hi, my name is Dr. Steve Leib,
and I'm the Program Director of Aviation
at the University of South Australia.
I'm passionate about so many different things in aviation.
One of them is just the idea of an interconnected world
that people can move around.
It's such a unique field that brings together
so much of cutting-edge technology.
The height of our cultural interaction, multiculturalism,
it's fun, and there's so many people passionate
about aviation who just grow up that way,
and they just love the field.
I've been interested in aviation my entire life,
even as a child.
When I was in high school,
my parents, who were very supportive,
helped me get flying lessons.
So I started flying on Saturdays while I was in year 11.
I got my private pilot license at the age of 18
and then went to a university similar to what we offer here
for professional flight operations.
Through that experience,
I got a bachelor degree,
as well as a commercial pilots license,
an instrument rating, and a multi-engine rating.
Since then, I spent a brief time period
doing some charter operations
before getting back into academia with a Master's Degree
in Multiculturalism and Standardisation.
From there, I moved to China,
and I lived in China for three years
prior to coming to the University of South Australia.
I've been here now for just over six years.
The aim of the aviation program
at the University of South Australia
is really to not only help develop professional skills
with students in aviation,
both on the pilot side as well as the management side
but also to deliver that education
meeting the standards of a bachelor degree.
This is a great foundation for students
looking at pursuing careers in aviation,
as well as students who have existing careers in aviation,
looking to supplement their background
with formal education.
The Bachelor of Aviation here
at the University of South Australia
is divided into two streams,
the Bachelor of Aviation Pilot
and the Bachelor of Aviation Management.
The Bachelor of Aviation Pilot provides all ground theory
to support flight operations,
as well as bachelor degree requirements.
Students who also want to undertake flight training
can do so through the graduate diploma in aviation,
which has offered concurrently along the bachelor degree;
this program provides nothing but flight training
up through career-ready credentials.
One of the great things
about taking the Bachelor of Aviation Pilot,
as well as the Graduate Diploma in Aviation
through the University of South Australia,
is that we have this great environment here in Mawson Lakes,
where we deliver ground theory,
right next door to Parafield airport,
where students can receive flight training
through the graduate diploma.
That program is delivered
by our partner Flight Training Adelaide,
and it provides for a unique integrated experience
that is comfortable and gives students
a real opportunity to learn.
Students who undertake the Bachelor of Aviation Pilot
concurrently with the Graduate Diploma in Aviation
put themselves along a great career trajectory
that will take them through general aviation,
perhaps being a flight instructor
as they build up hours and experience
eventually landing at major airlines,
such as Qantas, Jetstar, Emirates, Qatar
in Australia and around the world.
There are three key features of the aviation program
at UniSA that I'd like to talk about.
The first is that we provide an incredible opportunity
for hands-on learning;
whether you undertake the Bachelor of Aviation Pilot
or the Bachelor of Aviation Management,
you get access to some great hands-on learning tools.
For example, both streams will spend one semester
flying our desktop flight simulators.
In the Bachelor of Aviation Pilot,
you'll have a chance to take a course
in our Boeing 737 NG simulator.
On the management side,
students have an opportunity
to use state of the art software to design an airline,
develop flight operations, choose ticket prices,
and learn about all the management concepts
and apply them in real-time.
And both streams have access
to our air traffic control elective
in which students can actually learn
on real air traffic control equipment
how to control airplanes and communicate effectively.
The second key feature is for students
who wanna undertake flight training
alongside the bachelor degree.
This is an amazing opportunity to get hands-on learning
in the actual aircraft while pursuing a real pilots license
to make them career-ready.
Those students also have the opportunity
to join the Qantas Future Pilot Program,
of which University of South Australia is a member.
This allows mentorship and hands-on learning
with actual Qantas pilots that allow students
a pathway to employment with QantasLink.
The third key feature I'd like to mention
is that we have an incredible team of teaching staff
who either come from or are currently connected to industry.
Whether it's working on projects with industry
or being connected to students around the world,
there are so many opportunities
related to the aviation industry through this program
that it is really a great chance for students
to get engaged with the industry,
which is a fairly small community
and really make a name for themselves.
We receive a lot of questions from students
about our aviation programs.
Let me answer a few of them now.
(upbeat music)
As part of an aviation degree,
you're gonna learn a lot
about the local and international aviation system
and how different parts all come together
to provide for this incredibly complex industry.
On the pilot side,
it may be learning how to actually operate the aircraft,
which includes good decision-making,
communications, and good leadership skills.
On the management side,
this can include aircraft operations.
It can include things like revenue management,
flight planning, aircraft financing and leasing,
a variety of management topics that are industry-specific.
(upbeat music)
Being a pilot is a very public-facing role.
And it's easy to think that the industry
is not much more than just flying the airplane.
When in fact, there are a huge variety of roles
that all contribute to keeping that aircraft moving.
For example, someone needs to decide
how much to charge for ticket prices.
Someone needs to decide where aircraft go.
Someone needs to decide how to structure
and manage safety at an airline,
as well as human factors considerations.
These are all roles that support aviation
and include revenue management,
aircraft finance, route planning,
and they're all very important.
We've had graduates take those roles
in Australia and around the world
at organisations such as Virgin Australia,
Qantas, Emirates, Cobham, and many more.
(upbeat music)
While the pandemic is unprecedented,
its effect on the aviation industry is not.
The industry has suffered through several events
over the past few decades, including 9/11,
including the great financial crisis.
All of which have been shocks
to the development of the industry
that the industry has always recovered from.
Even now, domestically within Australia,
operations have reached almost their 2019 levels.
Internationally, most experts agree
that we're looking at around a two to three-year recovery.
For our students, now's a great time to start
because as the industry begins to recover,
it won't even need to reach its pre-pandemic levels
to create a vacuum of pilots.
(upbeat music)
What does the future of aviation look like?
Well, for one, aviation has always been
on the forefront of cutting-edge technology, right?
The future will continue to embrace this
in a variety of different ways.
Navigation, for example, has never gotten more fine-tune
underpinned by ever decreasing costs of flight operations
with alternative fuels,
as well as increasing engine technology.
The industry will continue to grow
and open up new routes that weren't even possible before,
which the industry has a long history of.
The future of aviation also includes things like
new roles being developed.
We're now looking at suborbital flights and space flights.
This will create a whole new section of the industry
that hasn't existed.
(upbeat music)
One common question I get from students
is why should I get a Bachelor Degree in Aviation?
When an aviation degree is not required
to operate an aircraft,
the vast majority of graduates
are going to need to fly someone else's aircraft,
and having a degree is an important part
of the selection process for students to be competitive.
(upbeat music)
Why should you study aviation at UniSA?
Well, there's a couple of great reasons
for one we offer a package
that allows for flight training
as well as a bachelor degree.
This allows students to be more competitive
and keep doors open.
Another great reason to study aviation at UniSA
is that we're a bit of a one-stop-shop
for a full aviation experience.
Our Mawson Lakes campus, where students study theory,
is located right next door to Parafield airport,
where our students in the graduate diploma
can undertake flight training.
It's a great, comfortable,
and convenient environment to get engaged.
Another great thing about the aviation program
is the extent which we utilise actual industry experts
in the delivery of this program,
whether it's marking projects or informing curriculum,
or participating in extracurricular activities.
We really utilise industry experts
to make sure that the education students are getting here
is contemporary and relevant.
If you have any other questions about our aviation programs
or would like any more information about studying at UniSA,
please get in touch with us.
We'll see you on campus.
(upbeat music)