Adam Carrodus. Pearl Aviation Metroliner First Officer
I am currently employed as a First Officer for Pearl Aviation in Darwin. When I graduated from the Bachelor of Aviation (Flying) degree, in 2007, I was successful in being selected for the Qantas Cadet Pilot Program. As part of the program, I undertook further training which included flying and theory as well as multi-crew coordination, conducted in a 737-300 full motion simulator. I am currently in the post-training phase, in which cadets are placed in a regional airline for two years, before joining Qantas mainline.

My position as a First Officer for a regional airline is very rewarding. There are often a number of challanges we face on a daily basis, such as wet season weather, flying into dirt airstrips and night 'black-hole' approaches. The flying is all hands on, and so it allows me to improve my skills, whilst helping the transition onto larger, faster aeroplanes.

The role gave me the opportunity to use all the skills learnt while completing the degree, both flying and people skills. I truly enjoy going to work, and the prospect of flying for Qantas in the near future makes the journey even more exciting.

Kevin Li. Qantas Cabin Crew Safety
The UNSW Aviation work experience program not only granted me valuable on-the-field experience to work within an airline, but also opened my pathway into Qantas Group Safety and now Qantas Cabin Crew Safety.

Sophie Thevenin. Qantas Pattern Planning Analyst
I am currently working in Cabin Crew Scheduling and Resourcing as a Pattern Planning Analyst. I am responsible for creating trips for the crew, which need to be economically efficient, comply with union regulations, avoid creating operational delays and minimise fatigue. My work directly impacts 2,000 permanent and casual Cabin Crew covering flights domestically and within the Pacific and South-East Asian Region.

UNSW Aviation has provided me with a broad knowledge base and serves as a great asset to the airline. The complexity of the business means that all employees need to be aware of the impact their work has on other functions within airline.

The program provided me the background in mathematics, computing and time management that I use every day of the week. But more than that, it gave me the essentials in management, finance, scheduling and general knowledge of aircraft that enable me to profit from my current environment and progress in my career.

The program is based on industry specific knowledge making graduates marketable to any airline globally. The degree is designed and updated constantly with the assistance of industry professionals, making the course attractive to prospective employers.

I know from experience the high value placed on the successful completion of the course by airlines in their recruiting programs and I derive great benefits from the support of other UNSW Bachelor of Aviation graduates within the organisation.

I can certainly recommended the program to anyone who is passionate about the industry and is motivated to work hard to complete a truly worthwhile degree.

Ayako Mabuchi. Flying Instructor, Schofields Aeroclub
When I was at high school I always had an interest in being a pilot but I never thought it was the right job for a woman. However, I read an article about a female pilot and that encouraged me to enrol in the Bachelor of Aviation - Flying Stream.

I graduated with the Bachelor of Aviation in 2000 and I’m currently employed as a flying instuctor with Schofields Aeroclub. Now I supervise local and international students to fly while I increase my flying experience.

Sophie O’Ferrall. Honours Student - Cabin Safety
Choosing to do a Bachelor of Aviation Management at UNSW was a big decision for me at the time as it involved moving down from Brisbane. Four years later I completed my Honours thesis in Cabin Safety which was sponsored by Qantas. The degree has let me explore areas of the aviation industry with safety, basic aeronautical knowledge and engineering, to commerce subjects such as aviation marketing, economics and airport management. Most importantly though it offers students the chance to experience the industry first hand through work experience, guest speakers and the opportunity to attend conferences such as Safeskies and meetings with the Asia Pacific Cabin Safety Working Group. It is a very challenging course however, one that can be very rewarding if you make the best of every opportunity that is offered to you.

Jeremy Robertson. First Officer - Qantas Airways
My position as a First Officer for Qantas is one of great diversity and interest. The main function of a first officer is to provide both preflight and inflight assistance to the Captain.

Outside of the purely flying aspects of the job, there are many roles that keep us busy during the course of a flight. First Officers are actively involved in the pre-flight process of checking the flight plan and finalising the fuel order. We also carry out the pre-flight walk around. Once inside the flight deck, there is a substantial amount of paperwork required to make the aircraft ready for dispatch. Once the aircraft is under way, our main flying duty begins. We are responsible for monitoring the actions and decicions of the Captain alerting them to any oversights or errors. This is especially important in high workload situations, busy airspace, poor weather and so on.

Matthew Yarrow. Project Officer, Aviation Tourism Queensland
After completing the Bachelor of Aviation – Operations Management stream I joined the Tourism Queensland Aviation Unit in December 2000, taking up the position of Project Officer – Aviation. Tourism Queensland is a statutory authority of the Queensland Government and is widely considered as the most progressive destination marketing and development organisation in Australia. The Aviation Unit within Tourism Queensland works to optimise air access to Queensland tourism destinations, in addition to regularly providing advice to the State and Commonwealth governments on airline, airport and other aviation trends and issues for Queensland.

My main role as Project Officer - Aviation is the production of detailed airline operating proposals that are presented to airlines to influence their decisions to either improve or establish new air routes to Queensland. These operating proposals include a detailed route analysis section. The aviation economics knowledge I gained during my three years completing the Bachelor of Aviation has been of particular benefit to me in the production of these airline operating proposals. In addition part of my role is the provision of research and market intelligence to advise industry on issues, challenges and opportunities facing Australian Aviation. The statistical and research techniques I acquired from completing the Bachelor of Aviation have been extremely beneficial in my current role. The Aviation Industry is certainly an interesting industry to be involved in and completing the Bachelor of Aviation program at the University of New South Wales has given me a unique opportunity to secure a job that I thoroughly enjoy and find both challenging and interesting.

Tim Wong. Revenue Analyst - Cathay Pacific
Being a Revenue Analyst of an international airline, I found the Bachelor of Aviation course practical and useful for my work. It provided me with the latest market trends and was designed in such a way that I could learn step by step. Now when I make any decision regarding inventory control, marketing and pricing strategies, I would consider many more aspects than my colleagues who graduated with a general commerce or engineering degree. Such aspects would include airline planning, operations and CRM, as well as some technical topics in aerodynamics, meteorology and engineering. The world of aviation offers considerable scope for an exciting and rewarding career. Well-trained aviation personnel are in high demand in commercial airlines. If you are looking for a dynamic, challenging and full of fun career with extensive international exposure, then aviation may be the one.

Kate Harvey
I graduated with the University of New South Wales Bachelor of Aviation (Management) degree in 2002. Since then I have been working for Regional Express, Australia’s largest independent regional airline. Starting out as Flight Log Data Entry Clerk I quickly moved into the role of Crew Planning Officer, responsible for the planning of all crew training and ensuring all CASA requirements were met. More recently I have moved into the role of Rostering Officer.

As Rostering Officer for Regional Express I am responsible for producing legal and efficient rosters for over 150 SAAB 340 Captains and First Officers in 8 different bases ensuring all flights are crewed accordingly. Additionally to this I am required to construct Crew Tours of Duty, whilst ensuring maximum crew utilization and cost-efficiency, plan in-flight check and training functions for all flight crew, ensure all crew comply with currency and licensing requirements and manage crew annual leave allocations.

Throughout my three years at UNSW I enjoyed many wonderful experiences. Our lecturers offered first hand knowledge of the aviation industry which has helped me to get where I am today. The Bachelor of Aviation degree, through its many different facets, taught me the knowledge I required to gain my position at Rex.

Samantha Pearson
I had always been interested in having a career in Aviation, and at High School my careers teacher told me to look into Aerospace engineering. While aerospace was about aircraft, I was more interested in working with the final product and dealing with airlines. When I discovered the Bachelor of Aviation it was a great day.

The Bachelor of Aviation provided me with a broad range of subject choices enabling me to focus more on my area of interest, which was airports. The degree also helped me to gain leadership experience throughout The University of New South Wales Aviation Society of which I was President in 2004. Through the society I was able to interact with students within the other year groups and bring together all the students of the Aviation degree at social functions throughout the year.

At the end of 3rd year I was offered a job at Airport Coordination Australia, as a Coordinator. My role includes taking all the applications from airlines and general aviation aircraft for arrival or departure slots at all of the major airports in Australia. The major part of my day includes analysing aircraft activity from the day previous and determining which airlines operated outside the slot they were originally offered, whilst also taking all inquiries for general aviation aircraft wanting to take off or land at Sydney airport. Airport Coordination Australia takes all slot applications up until the day before operation and then passes these onto Air Services Australia so their air traffic controllers know what flights are expected for any particular day. Any general aviation flights that need a slot on the day of operation contact Air Services Australia directly.

I was recently allocated the Summer 05 season of operation, which required me to attend the IATA scheduling conference in November 2005, held in Osaka,Japan. This gave me the opportunity to meet many representatives of all the airlines that operate from overseas into Australia and the major domestic carriers, as I am generally corresponding with them on a daily or weekly basis.

I would recommend the Bachelor of Aviation degree to anyone who has an interest in aircraft, flying or the aviation industry in general. It has put me in a very good position to carry on a successful career in the aviation industry.

Hanna Walsh
Surveillance Australia is a subsidiary of the Jet Systems group and a sister company to National Jet. Rather than operating scheduled RPT services, however, Surveillance Australia (SAPL) carries out the Federal Government Coastwatch Contract. My role as the Check and Training Coordinator / National Operations Controller within the company is carried out within the Operations planning cell based in Adelaide. I am responsible for the initial and continued training of over 120 aircrew – both pilots and observers. With over 2000 flying program changes per month, part of my role includes rostering and scheduling, auditing, providing training programs to the Chief Pilot and Chief Observer and liaising with the Customs/Coastwatch department to ensure all tactical operations and other flights are not disrupted by uncurrent crew. If currency does pose a problem to the flying program, then I am responsible in partnership with the duty operations controller for recovering the flight and the crew currency with a minimum of cost and disruption.

This role is extremely active and coordinates many of the operational departments including the 4 bases, Check and Trainers, Rosterers, Management, Customs and the crew themselves. The information and skills I learnt during the completion of Bachelor of Aviation (Management) greatly assists me every day. Airline management and safety subjects have proved themselves invaluable and the aviation industry knowledge I gained ensures that I am capable of adapting to any task required.

Haidee Wong
I had always wanted to fly, even as a child, but I hadn’t heard of any women pilots out there. After joining the Air Force Cadets during high school, I did a trial instructional flight and a flying camp and met some pilots, including a few women. Suddenly, I found that my dream to fly for a career could be realised, that I too could work as a pilot.

In year nine, I attended a careers day at UNSW and found out about the Bachelor of Aviation (Flying) degree and decided that it would be perfect for me. The subjects covered by the degree would give me a more balanced view of the industry. Not only would I know how to fly, I will also understand what goes on behind the scenes. Subjects like Airline Economics, Airline management, together with engineering subjects like Engineering Experimentation and Aircraft Maintenance and general subjects like Risk management give me a more complete view of the aviation industry. My degree at UNSW has also allowed me to do some general education courses, subjects outside my field, but interesting all the same. For example, one of my General Education courses was Astronomy. At the end of my course, UNSW Aviation would give me a degree from a well-known university that the airlines can look at and recognise. With the trend for many professional trades asking for degrees as time goes on, my degree is an investment in my future.

I have absolutely no regrets about doing the Bachelor of Aviation (Flying) degree at UNSW, as I believe it has made me a more well-rounded person. The three-year degree has given me the opportunity to grow as a person and become more mature as we meet and work with people with different interests from all over the world. It has also given me the chance to organise and manage large groups of people from the degree as well as industry representatives as the Vice President (Flying) of the UNSW Aviation Society (AvSoc) – the degree’s student body. I believe UNSW Aviation has one of the best standards of education and training, providing a well-rounded background for anyone wanting to make flying their career, be it as a flying instructor, charter pilot or airline pilot.

I graduated in 2004 and am currently employed as a Second Officer on the B747-400s. Previously, I was a Flying Instructor with China Southern West Australia Flying College at Jandakot Airport. I loved taking people for their first flights and watching them experience the sensation of controlling an aircraft for the first time and their grins as we land and complete the flight, as well as the satisfaction of seeing the cadets grow from being timid boys to confident China Southern airline pilots. In the future, I would like to build on my knowledge of the industry , something that my Bachelor of Aviation (Flying) degree has given me a solid foundation for me to build on.

Suzanne Garniss
I am employed as a Transport Safety Investigator at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, a Bureau within the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services. As a Transport Safety Investigator I conduct investigations into aviation accidents, incidents and safety deficiencies to enhance air safety in Australia.

This role requires me to perform a variety of tasks including managing investigation team, liaising with the media, appearing at coronial inquests, preparing reports and ascertaining as far as possible the circumstances of the occurrence including examining the failure mechanisms of aircraft materials and components.

In performing these tasks I am frequently required to examine organisational issues including safety climate, organisational culture and leadership. The investigation process is very comprehensive and requires examination of both macro and micro level issues. My job is very rewarding, offering me the opportunity to learn and gain experience in a variety of areas. In addition it offers me the opportunity to apply the knowledge, skills and abilities I have acquired throughout my professional training including the UNSW postgraduate course.

Karl Bernt Askelin
As an Aircraft Maintenance Docking System Designer I found the Masters course to be of great help for my profession. An Aircraft Maintenance Docking System is a structure that envelops an aircraft to allow personnel to perform checks. My job is to design a strong and steady platform that is able to reach all critical areas of the specified aircraft. Aircraft Maintenance Docks are for all types of aircraft. They are an extremely important part of an airline. They reduce the time an aircraft is required for maintenance. The longer an aircraft sits on the ground undergoing maintenance the less time it spends in the air making money. The wide range of courses that are offered through the Master of Science & Technology in Aviation helped me to further understand the workings of my clients and the airlines. I found the courses to be both interesting and challenging. The Masters program gave me a better foundation in my business dealings.

Edward Chong
As an Operations Manager in a Hong Kong based airline's Operations Division my duties include managing and controlling the airline's Operational Services Department and the Movements Control Department. Since the UNSW courses are developed in collaboration with professionals in the Aviation industry and academics from many different fields; I believe I can reinforce theories in a practical way.

Sarah Louise Donovan
I work for the Defence Science and Technology Organisation in Melbourne. I am a Human Factors Research Scientist within the Maritime section and am involved in research projects aiming at identifying human factor issues within the Maritime environment.

I have really enjoyed the Masters program at the University of New South Wales. It has helped me enormously, particularly the Human Factors and Safety and Accident Prevention subjects. I have found the program to be most beneficial as it covers a broad range of topics which are readily applicable to many big organisations, such as the Aviation and Maritime industries.

Linda Heinrich
My position at work is as Safety Promotion Specialist with Civil Aviation Safety Authority. My team spend long days on the road selling the message of safety to the aviation industry around Australia. We run everything from Instructor Seminars to pilot briefings on topics like VCAs, runway incursions, setting your own standards, Inflight Decision Making, Weatherwise etc. When we are not travelling we try to update the visual pilot guides and create new videos on topical problems and issues. I chose to study with UNSW because it seemed to have the sort of course content that I can use in my position at CASA and lends me additional credibility when talking to the industry.

Oliver Grandjean
In my role, I am responsible for formulating policy and the setting and maintenance of standards, procedures and guidance material in relation to flight crew licencing and examinations. As a team member my duties involves developing and maintaining flight crew licensing standards, formulating policy proposals and assisting the Aviation Safety Compliance Division. I also provide interpretation, advice and guidance for the Authority, ATSB, Airservices Australia, government agencies, the aviation industry, the public, foreign government agencies, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and other international representative organisations.

The MScTech program in my view has formalised my industry qualifications. It has assisted me in focusing on the legal system within which our regulatory system operates and the powers, responsibilities and scope of various aviation regulatory authorities. It has additionally given me a practical insight in the legal implications associated with the various aviation positions such as the pilot in command. It has assisted me in planning and developing strategies to make aviation systems safer. It has also helped me in my role as a Flying Operations Inspector to focus on the investigation and prevention of accidents and given me a deeper understanding of the principles of physical and cognitive human performance along with a detailed analysis of error, situational awareness, ergonomics and the evaluation of human factors.


UNSW Aviation Alumni
The Department of Aviation UNSW would like to invite all students who have graduated from our programs to keep in touch with us. If you would like to join the UNSW Aviation Alumni, please contact the UNSW Aviation office. The information we gather will only be for the purpose of maintaining contact with you and will not be distributed to any third parties.

If you are interested in belonging to the Alumni of UNSW or of the Faculty, please contact the UNSW Alumni Association.