Thesis

     To this very day, the world of aviation is ever growing, soaring to new heights each and every day through the dedication, passion, and technological advancements of our time.

Integrating Quotes: Example

Kip Blakely has been the vice president of industry and government relations at TIMCO, a company that provides fully integrated aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul. He has also recently been named president of Guilford Technical Community College Foundation, Inc. In a TedTalk he gave at Greensboro he talks about the continual growth of the world of aviation and the various job opportunities it provides. During his speech, he gives a scenario where three kids are at a playground and they see a plane fly above them. The first kid says, "I want to design a plane". The second kid says, "I want to build that plane". And the third kid says, "I want to fly that plane" (Blakely). This shows that there is such a wide diversity within the world of aviation that almost anyone can become involved in it.

Interview: Dr. Randal J. DeMik

Dr. DeMik is an associate professor of aviation at Lewis University, director of their master's program in aviation and transportation studies, co-director of the Doherty Center for aviation and health research, and a captain for United Airlines. He has agreed to be interviewed and for a copy of the interview to be posted and used in my research paper.  

1. What caused you to first become interested in the world of aviation? More specifically what made you want to become a pilot? My father is a private pilot who owned his own airplane - Cessna 206.  This was our family "minivan". I started flying with him at a very early age and knew by the time I was 12 years-old that I wanted to have a career as a pilot.

2. How long does it typically take to get a job in aviation after graduation? Most students that are flight majors in college earn the CFI (certified flight instructor) certificate and typically find employment as a flight instructor while still in college or immediately after graduation. 

3. How long does it take to rise through the ranks and become a captain of a major airline? After flight instructing for about 1 to 2 years most flight instructors find employment as a regional airline pilot or corporate pilot.  After spending 2 to 5 years as a regional pilot, many pilots are hired by a major carrier. 

4. What sort of obstacles could potentially arise to make me deviate from my goal of becoming a pilot? Money!  It is expensive to earn the flight certificates from Private to CFI with a typical price tag of about $60,000.00.  Other obstacles include passing and keeping a First Class FAA Medical Certificate and successfully passing initial training at airlines (even experienced pilots find that they fail the standards of many airlines).

5. If needed, what sort of back-up plans would be appropriate for me to pursue within the world of aviation? I highly recommend earning the FAA Dispatch Certificate.  There is no max age limit or medical required.  

6. What starting salary can I expect as a pilot and how much can it go up to? What are also some unexpected benefits of the job? A CFI might earn from $23,000 to $33,000 per year in their first few years as an instructor.  A new regional airline First Officer typically earns about the same as a CFI (sometimes slightly less).  A Captain at a regional may earn from $60,000 to $90,000 per year.  A senior Captain at a major airline (including cargo, FedEx and UPS) can earn well over $200,000 per year.  Benefits include medical insurance, retirement plans, and pass travel on the airlines for the pilot and his/her family. 

Summary: TedTalk

From first in flight to the future of flight: Kip Blakely at TEDxGreensboro

Blakely, Kip. "From first in flight to the future of flight: Kip Blakely at TEDxGreensboro." Onilne video
     clip. Youtube. Youtube, 31 May 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2014.

     This video talks about the ever growing and wide variety in the world of aviation. It starts out with the speaker, Kip Blakely, talking about his childhood and how he first became interested in aviation. He talks about how his first dream of flying was playing on a swing set during recess at school while wearing a Superman cape. He goes on to explain that the world of aviation has grown so much that aircraft manufacturers are so behind on their orders that if you were to place an order today, it may take up to seven years for the order to be fulfilled. He then gives a scenario where three kids are at a playground and they see a plane fly above them. The first kid says, "I want to design a plane". The second kid says, "I want to build that plane". And the third kid says, "I want to fly that plane". This shows that there is such a wide diversity within the world of aviation that almost anyone can become involved in it. Blakely then concludes by saying that it is not about the present when it comes to aviation, but the future.

Summary: "PILOT OUTLOOK 2010-2029: A SHORTAGE LOOMS"

Lee, Marc C. "Pilot Outlook 2010-2029: A Shortage Looms. "Plane and Pilot 47.4 (2011): 32-35. Web. 

     The world of aviation is a rising field. Recently in 2007, regional airlines saw a huge jump in pilot hiring "sucking flight instructors out of every corner of general aviation" (Lee). Also, the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots was reduced to 65. This lead to a domino effect of job openings that is still being felt to this day. 
     As a result, major airline captains have begun to retire at an earlier age, which leads to a complete shakeup in the commercial pilot ranking system. First-officers for the major airlines are then trained and called to replace the captains, minor and low budget airline pilots are being used to replace the first-officers, and flight instructors are being hired by the spots that were left open. 
     We are also living in a day of high technological advancements, which means brand new airplanes entering the market. By the year 2029, research shows that the fleet of aircraft around the world is expected to grow from about 19,000 to 36,000. And "since airliners don't yet fly themselves (and the public doesn't yet support the idea), qualified pilots will be needed to fly all those new airplanes" (Lee). This shows that the world of aviation is forever growing and that at this time pilots especially are in a high demand. 

Academic Sources

PILOT OUTLOOK 2010-2029: A SHORTAGE LOOMS

Lee, Marc C. "Pilot Outlook 2010-2029: A Shortage Looms. "Plane and Pilot 47.4 (2011): 32-35.            Web.

JOB HUNT / Airline Pilot: [ALL EDITIONS]

Bruno, Lisa Doll. "Job Hunt/Airline Pilot: [All Editions]." Newsday (1998): F10. Web.

FLY HIGH

Larson, Heather. "Fly High." Career World 37.2 (2008): 12-15. Web. 

Research Paper Topic

For my research paper I have decided to do it about my life's goal: becoming a commercial pilot. I think that I know most of what the life of a commercial pilot entails, but I want to learn about every little detail I possibly can and share it with everybody. With that in mind here are some questions that I came up with to further help me in the development and research of this paper.

• How did most pilots become interested in aviation?
• How long does it take to get a job after graduation?
• Why do pilots today choose to get into that line of work?
• How long does it take rise up the ranks to become a captain?
• What is the best airline out there to work for?
• What sort of obstacles could arise to potentially make me deviate from my goal?
•  If needed, what sort of back-up plans should I be looking for?
• And of course, what is the salary like? 

Summary: "I Spend a Fair Amount of Time Thinking About What Might go Wrong" from The Harvard Gazette

     In Alvin Powell's interview, his goal was to try and find out more about the life of Walter Willet and how he became interested in being a food and nutrition specialist. He was able to do this by interviewing him about his life in chronological order.

     Starting out with his childhood, Willet describes growing up around animals. His grandfather was a dairy farmer and his father "was a Ph.D. reproduction physiologist and worked at the American Foundation for the Study of Genetics" (Powell). He grew up in Madison, Wisconsin on a research farm. He then goes on to explain how he went to Michigan State to pursue a study in physics. He then goes to Michigan to get his M.D. 

     Later on, his interest in food and nutrition started to take effect. He and his friends began to be involved in nutritional experiments at a local hospital. During his college days, he decided to spend some time studying abroad in Tanzania where he was also able to teach about nutrition while at the same time learning about diseases such as diabetes and cancer and their connections to ones diet. 

     After conducting several health studies he was able to publish his work in the New England Journal of Medicine explaining an analysis that "[showed] that with just moderate diet and lifestyle we could prevent about 80 percent of heart disease, and in another paper, 90 percent of type 2 diabetes" (Powell). 

     In the end of the interview, Willet explains that his life would have never been that same if he never got the chance to participate in the health and nutrition study program as a student. 

Summary: "The Summoned Self"

     "The Summoned Self" by David Brooks tells the story about two different ways to approach life. The first, which he calls the Well-Planned Life, is all about planning your life out like a well constructed project with a beginning, middle, and an end. Its "overall purpose...[is] about allocating your time, energy, and talent" (Brooks). Make sure not to stretch yourself out too much on anything. In the end, your life should appear to be constructed in a way that was carefully organized and "brought toward a well-rounded fruition" (Brooks).
     In contrast to the Well-Planned Life, there is the Summoned Life. This is the second way of thinking about ones life. In this method life isn't a project like the in the Well-Planned Life, but instead "an unknown landscape to be explored" (Brooks). It states that we cannot yet know the meaning of life because we have not lived through it yet. In the Summoned Life, current circumstances are used in order to try and figure out what that individual is being "summoned" to do and what would be most beneficial for them.
     Although both of these plans for life have its benefits and drawbacks, they both are "useful for a person trying to live a well-considered life" (Brooks).  

Practice for MLA Formatting

The Boeing Company 

"Boeing’s "bet the company strategy" appears to have successively increased earnings power (measured by Net Income) with each generation of new commercial jet aircraft" (Haloulakos). 

The World's Fastest Plane: Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

"Yeah, it just took your breath away because it was so different looking. The shapes are very different depending on what perspective you have walking around the aircraft. But nowhere did it look like anything flying to this day" (Hall).

Works Cited 

Hall, Spencer. "Flying the World's Fastest Plane: Behind the Stick of the SR-71." Vox Media. SB            Nation, 18 December 2013. Web. 20 October 2014.

Haloulakos, George A. "The Boeing Company: A Case Study on Betting it all". Demand Media,              Inc. The Wings of the Web, 14 August 2013. Web. 20 October 2014.

Aviation: The Invisible Highway

     At first, the very idea of flight was just a fantasy, a fascination by man, but now it's something that is often overlooked and taken for granted. Nowadays, aviation really is the invisible highway. I find it very intriguing how far the world of aviation has come. When man took their first flight, they sought ways of making faster, bigger, and more efficient ways of air travel. The world of aviation has increased dramatically to a point that it has almost gone unnoticed by the general public. No body gets fascinated by the idea of flight, it just soars over their head. Hop in the plane, hope it doesn't crash, and hop back out. But the most interesting facet of flight is the fact that it is never ending. It will continue to grow, and continue to find newer and better ways for man to make like the birds and fly.