Aviation education is a big challenge
The Aviation Week could not be missing talks on aviation education and training, which is why the conference “Aviation education in Poland and in the world” was organized at the Faculty of Transport and Aviation Engineering in Katowice. The event took place as part of the European City of Science Katowice 2024 celebrations.
The conference brought together representatives of universities offering aviation education in Poland and abroad, civil services, as well as from the business world.
Aviation education is a difficult task. The requirements of aviation regulations should be reconciled with those required by the regulations governing the activities of universities. All this so that educated people can easily start their aviation business, that is, get the qualifications and pass the appropriate exams. At the Silesian University of Technology, these tasks are mainly carried out by the Faculty of Transport and Aviation Engineering and the Civil Aviation Personnel Training Centre of Central and Eastern Europe– said Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Bogusław Łazarz, Vice-Rector for General Affairs of the Silesian University of Technology.
- “We have a number of graduates who work in aviation companies, but - most importantly - they stayed at our University. This should guarantee in the future the fluidity of training at the Silesian University of Technology” - said Dr Hab. Eng. Jarosław Kozuba, prof. of Silesian University of Technology, director of the at the Civil Aviation Personnel Training Centre of Central and Eastern Europe at the Silesian University of Technology. “Our task is to show young people the right patterns and ways of doing things, both when performing aviation activities and in everyday life, because aviation safety, which we put first, depends on the everyday lifestyle of a person. There is no room in the aviation environment for amateurs. Therefore, we need to examine whether these people can continue to be trained.”
The discussion panels did not lack discussions about aviation law regulations in relation to the training of aviation specialists. The quality of education as a determinant of flight safety was also discussed, among others, with psychological aspect in mind. The speakers emphasized the importance of educating responsible people.
"To ensure safety at the right level, we must first ensure the quality of education, and we can do this, among other things, by standardizing the rules. It is important that instructors and lecturers, regardless of the location of the training centre, transfer their knowledge in such a way that a student who meets with his or her peers from the industry from the other end of the world can talk to him or her in the same language and aviation slang at the highest level.” - explained Tomasz Pietrzak MSc, Eng, member of the National Commission for investigation of Aviation Accidents.
Today, aviation is based on uniform rules. The basis for aviation cooperation is defined very clearly and as a university educating primarily for military aviation, more broadly for state aviation, we use cooperation with the Silesian University of Technology - said General Brig. Dr Eng Ryszard Hać from the Polish Air Force Academy in Dęblin. – Although the Silesian University of Technology has been conducting aviation training recently, it takes place with very experienced staff and exchange of experiences, also through such conferences, which is very necessary.
The conference was also attended by representatives of the Technical University in Kosice, with which the Silesian University of Technology has been cooperating for four years The university from Slovakia has been educating aviation professionals for 65 years
- “Cooperation with the Silesian University of Technology is very important for us” - said Docent. Eng. Robert Rozenberg, PhD, Eng. Paed.IGIP, head of the Aviation Department of the Technical University of Košice. – “I am glad that I was able to participate in this conference. We are in the European Union, so our lecturers teach according to the same principles as they are at the Silesian University of Technology. We try our best to prepare professional pilots and air traffic controllers.”
During the event, in the building of the Faculty of Transport and Aviation Engineering in Katowice, there was also a presentation of the achievements of the Science Clubs of our University.
- “We presented our glider simulator, in which you can test your skills and feel how it is controlled” - explained Michał Sujkowski, chairman of the glider Science Club of the Silesian University of Technology.
“This is an important event for students, because we can get to know many companies offering jobs, but also for candidates for studies who can learn what our University offers them, as well as get to know the Science Clubs,” said Wiktoria Michalak and Wiktoria Solorz from SKN Aerospace Engineering.
Representatives of six Science Clubs of the Silesian University of Technology – SKN High Flyers, SKN Aerospace Engineering, SKN Unmanned, SKN Virtual Flying, SKN Silesian Aerospace Technologies, SKN Ai-METH – also presented at the conference in the panel “Per aspera ad astra – student challenges on the way to the stars”.
The Aviation Week lasts until Sunday, June 2. Detailed information on the next events can be found at: Aviation Week | European City of Science 2024 KATOWICE.
