MASTER-COURSE IN AVIATION SCIENCE - FLIGHT SAFETY

ACADEMIC YEAR 2004-2005
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING – UNIVERSITY OF BOLOGNA

PRESENTATION

Our Aviation Master-Course programme offers high-profile professional development courses aimed at creating professionals of the same calibre as those in the most advanced countries in the aviation sector. This programme, which draws on the rigorous academic traditions of the prestigious University of Bologna, takes place at the ultra-modern campus of the Faculty of Engineering, located in the Forlì Airport complex.
The first specialist course offered and updated for the 2004-2005 academic year is in Flight Safety. The course content and design is the result of collaboration between the heads of the public regulatory bodies, academic institutions and industry leaders in the aviation sector.
The Course Academic and Advisory Committee
Michel Ayral – European Commission
Daniel Calleja – European Commission - DG TREN
Bruno Franchi – The Italian Flight Safety Agency - ANSV
Silvano Manera – The Italian Civil Aviation Authority - ENAC
Anna Masutti – University of Bologna
Bruno Nieddu – The Italian Company for Air Navigation
Services - ENAV
Franco Persiani – University of Bologna
Alfredo Roma – Air Transport Economist
Giorgio Zappa – Alenia Aeronautica

Aims and Objectives
Predictions for the immediate future of the air transport industry envisage growth at a global level, with notable increases in the number of aircraft and passenger movements, taking place in an increasingly competitive commercial climate. In this context, the issue of safety assumes prime importance, whether this is in terms of aircraft design and construction or the technical skills of the air and ground personnel employed by airline companies and airports, if the number of accidents is not to increase in line with the growth in air transport. This very growth forecast has led to rapid changes in the air safety requirements being demanded by the authorities and bodies that regulate air traffic and transport. These regulatory bodies are themselves undergoing a process of rationalisation in terms of their management and flight safety responsibilities, leading to a predictable demand for safety specialists that cannot be easily met by the current university system and which would involve an unnecessary waste of money and resources if this burden were to be assumed by those regulatory bodies.
The aim of this Master-Course is to develop individuals whose wide ranging knowledge and skills will make innovative contributions to the air safety sector. The professional profile takes in safety legislation, analysis of the human, technical and environmental aspects of the aviation industry, the principal elements of flying and aviation systems and finally, research and risk analysis of factors affecting aviation in its broadest sense. The high technical content of the program, together with its acknowledged aim to offer participants the most professionally focussed and practical training, has led to the inclusion of a great many working aviation professionals among the teaching staff. The objective is to ensure that participants not only acquire the necessary theoretical knowledge, but receive a thorough grounding in the procedures, dynamics and working practices of those involved in solving flight safety problems, at all levels of management, in both in the public and private sectors.

Professional profile
On completion of the course, participants will be equipped to take control of proactive and reactive safety measures or act as safety consultants for complex organisations operating in the ambit of civil and commercial aviation, such as official bodies, airport management companies, airlines and aviation manufacturers.

Career Opportunities
This Master-Course prepares students for a range of careers in aviation, either as a public servant or in the private sector. The specialist nature of the course makes it the ideal preparation for participation in the competitive examinations held by public bodies or for employment in the private sector. In addition, for those already employed in aviation, the course offers the opportunity to acquire broader and more in-depth knowledge of the latest innovations in this field, leading to better prospects for career development and advancement. This course is a genuinely advantageous addition to a curriculum vitae, a suitable qualification for entry into competitive exams or other selection processes for positions in the public bodies either directly or indirectly involved in the flight safety sector.

Course Organisation
The course is organised and managed by I.S.Aer.S., the company that provides services for Forlì Airport and by ECAP, the vocational training organisation accredited by the Emilia-Romagna Region. An academic committee, made up of university lecturers and aviation professionals oversees the theoretical and didactic aspects of the course. The numerous seminars and conferences in the programme will be conducted by lecturers from overseas universities and by experts and technical personnel from ENAC (Italian Civil Aviation Authority), ENAV (Italian Company for Air Navigation Services), ANSV (Italian Flight Safety Agency) and aviation industry manufacturers.

COURSE PROGRAMME
Attendance at classes is obligatory. Classes take place in the classrooms and laboratories of the Faculty of Engineering, via Fontanelle 40 - Forlì, beginning in March 2005 and finishing in December 2005. Attendance days are Thursday afternoons and Friday and Saturday of alternate weeks, to facilitate attendance for working students.
The programme structure includes face to face lessons, alternative teaching/learning activities and individual study, and is divided into two semesters: March to June and September to December. At the end of the first semester, students will benefit from a two month (June-August) period of work experience. In addition to the above activities, there will be seminars and conferences aimed at more in-depth study of particular subjects and issues. The seminars will be held by both Italian and non-Italian experts from overseas universities and from the various public, private and military bodies involved in the air transport safety sector.
It is worth mentioning some experts who participated in the Master Course during the Academic Year 2003-2004: Capt. Silvano Manera – Director General Italian Civil Aviation Authority: Risk Assessment in Aviation Michel Ayral – Director of Air Transport – DG Transport and Energy - European Commission: The European Union and the Air Transport Prof. John Hansman – MIT Boston: Human/Automation Issues in Advanced Cockpits Prof. James Reason – Professor Emeritus University of Manchester: Human Factors in the First Century of Flight: What Have We Achieved?

LEARNING PROGRAMME

Semester I
Legislation, air transport organisations and aviation manufacturers
- Technical aspects of air safety
- Meteorology for aviation
- Flight Safety - Operations, training & simulation

Work experience period

Semester II
- Navigation and air traffic control
- Human factors in aviation operations
- Proactive flight safety
- Reactive flight safety