My Internship at McCarran International Airport

Posted on September 16, 2016 by #ERAUPrescott

by guest blogger Gleb A. Liashedko, Sophomore (class of 2019)
Aviation Business Administration (minor in Industrial Organizational Psychology)

This summer I interned at McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, Nevada. LAS is the 8th busiest airport in the nation and is the hub into Las Vegas. I was hired on as a “Management Intern” for the airport. My supervisor was the Assistant Director of Aviation for Airside Operations.

This experience has been an incredible look into the “behind the scenes of an airport.” Throughout the summer, I had a unique opportunity to shadow most of airport divisions. Every week was a different department and a different shift. My favorite divisions were: Airport Operations Coordinators, the Airport Control Center as well as LAS Ramp Control.

In addition to shadowing airport divisions, I also did a few projects for the airport:
• Holding Pads Refurbishment Project – I connected the resources together to come up with a plan on how the airport plans to replace asphalt holding pads to concrete. In the end made a presentation and timeline for the FAA, Airport Operations Coordinators, Airfield Maintenance as well as the contractors involved.
• Everbridge presentation to the airport director – Researched a new program that the Airport Control Center wants to utilize for their mass notification communication and created a presentation that was presented to the airport director.
• Assisted in the implementation of the airport-wide survey for nearly 1,400 employees. Also participated in physically conducing the survey.
• Conducted a Ramp Control Efficiency Study for the airport which provided written recommendations for the FAA as well as LAS Ramp Control to improve operations. Provided statistical data of the ramp control efficiency. Conducted this study with my Intern counterpart Adin Herzog.

How did I get selected?
I heard about the opportunity from Dr. Greenman from the Business Department. After I submitted my application, LAS immediately reached out to me to schedule an interview. I reached out to the Career Services (Judy Segner) who critiqued my resume and gave me great advice for the interview. The interview was conducted via Facetime. Interview went very well especially because two Embry-Riddle alumni were on the interview committee.

Did I apply any learning from ERAU?
There were a few moments during the summer where I thought to myself “Oh, I wish I would have paid more attention to this particular topic in class.” Every single class that I took my freshmen year had been applicable to the work that I did—especially excel. If I can recommend something for future interns,k it’s pay attention in your excel class, you’re going to use it one way or another.

I was able to apply my research skills on a few projects throughout the semester. The biggest project of the summer had been the McCarran International Airport Ramp Control Efficiency Study. I conducted the study with my intern counter-part Adin Herzog. I had the ability to interview personnel, collect data and provide recommendations to the airport from the conclusion of the report.

What was the best part?
Having the ability to shadow every division of the airport and get real hands on experience. From driving on the runway during rush hour at nation’s 8th busiest airport to painting taxiway lines at 4am in the morning to giving aircraft pushback and taxi instructions from Ramp Control Tower.

What surprised me?
There were a lot of things that surprised me during my experience. Seeing behind, the scenes of an airport is a very rare opportunity. What surprised me the most is the airport culture. It’s like one big family. Everyone takes care of each other. A good example of this was on my birthday this summer. The supervisors/managers of the division I was with (Airside Operations) had called an important afternoon meeting. Because of the urgency that was emphasized, I hurried to the meeting with my notepad and pen. As I walk into the meeting, the entire room starts singing the Happy Birthday song to me. I was really happily shocked by this. After they were done singing, the Airfield Manager said: “Gleb, our only agenda item for today is your birthday and the ice cream cake!” This was really touching moment. How the people that I’ve known for such a short time went out of their way to get me a custom cake and arrange this little meeting just for me.

How does having an internship enhance my college experience?
Since coming back to school, I am now paying attention more to what my professors are teaching. If the professor says that you will use the learning obtained in class in the industry, I guarantee you will! I can also relate many of the things I learned back into the classroom. Time management, deadlines as well as peer interactions are some of the things which are important both in school and in the workplace. You must be able to work in a team while taking an initiative to go above and beyond with your work. Meeting deadlines is huge, especially when time is money.

As I start my sophomore year of college I can appreciate the learning in the classroom. I know that at some point in my career, the things that I will learn in the classroom (event little things) will be applicable to what happens in the workplace.

This has truly been an incredible experience. I would choose this over summer fun in a heartbeat. Definitely one of the best summers yet.

Yes I was there – the 2015 Dubai International Aviation Festival

Posted on November 18, 2015 by #ERAUPrescott

by John Sami, Senior

At Embry-Riddle, doors open to those who grab the handle and turn it. I’m a Senior in Aeronautics with a triple minor in Business Administration, Aviation Safety, and Security graduating magna cum laude this December. Over the years I’ve had some pretty awesome experiences but this past week topped it all. I attended the 2015 Dubai Aviation Festival with CEOs and corporate Executives of Airlines and aviation businesses from around the world.

I was interested in attending the 2015 Dubai Aviation Festival because it’s the foremost conference for aviation in the Middle East. Over 80 airlines and airport representatives attended from Saudi Arabia, India, North Africa, Central Asia and more. Yes it was amazing! It was my first time in Dubai too! What a stunning city with such nice people.

At the conference I was able to participate in speed networking sessions and meet and greets with executives and sales professionals in the global aviation industry. The presentations gave me a unique perspective into the current state of aviation in these markets. I found it especially interesting to know that social media is really where many of these airlines will be focusing their future branding.

A major aspect of my attending was as an ambassador for ERAU’s 3rd annual AirCon which will be taking place in Chandler, AZ. I met with and invited 10 new international airlines and 20 aviation technology companies to attend and present research at the upcoming January event. AirCon is the world’s leading aviation research conference. It only makes sense that these professionals could benefit from the research-sharing at our AirCon and likewise we could benefit from their knowledge.

I’m also hoping my experience will help our current students. I brought company contacts for our international students to be able to obtain internships and full-time positions back home.

It’s opportunities like this that have shaped my academic time here at Embry-Riddle. I’m very grateful to have had the academic support of some great faculty like Dr. Brent Bowen and Robin Sobotta in the Aviation and Business programs.

*Note – The first photo of the space shuttle was taken on my layover in Virginia when I visited the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center National Air and Space Museum. This is the same gentleman who donated the ERAU Prescott Hazy Library!

Unique Final Exams That Prove My Learning

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Vishra

Gather all of your notes, homework, class work, tests, and quizzes for your classes. Make a pile for each class. You should have papers going back to August. For each class, put the papers in chronological order by the date they were given to you or were completed. THIS IS WHAT STRESS FEELS LIKE DURING FINALS…

But that’s NOT the case with some of the upper level business finals. For instance, all students in Dr. Greenman’s Social Responsibility and Ethics class were given the opportunity to volunteer for the Sky Kids event. Sky Kids provides a very unique opportunity to experience FIRST FLIGHT to children with special needs or disability that are within the age range of approximately six through eighteen years of age. I volunteered as an airplane loader in which I was assigned tasks to safely load an aircraft with the Sky Kids participants and their parents and/or guardian. Not only did Sky Kids gave me an opportunity to practice social responsibility in a professional aviation related environment, but knowing that I helped make the life with a special needs child even more special put a smile on my face.

While in my Airport Management class, taught by the author of The Administration of Public Airports Dr. Sobotta, my final project was in teams of three. My teammates and I were presented with a unique opportunity of conquering a final project, which focused on a common airport topic/specialization in which we chose San Diego International Airport. Our topic was Passenger Processing Technology Management. Essentially, I got an opportunity to interview the Terminal Manger at San Diego Airport and learned about the airport’s use of technology (i.e. mobile boarding passes, automated boarding gates, common use passenger processing systems, etc.) and its role in making the circulation of passengers and aircraft more efficient. Collectively, our team compared all the three airports on the topic of Passenger Processing Technology. I want to be an Airport Manager, so this experience gave me a glimpse of what I can experience as a Terminal Manager.

Professional Consulting final gave me an opportunity to articulate a descriptive image of professional practices. In a small group, my teammates and I analyzed Synergy Airs marketing concepts from a business perspective. We also collected consumer data through primary sources, such as surveys and focus groups. Along with that we prepared recommendations for ways that they can effectively market Synergy Air to their target market. We were treated like experts by Synergy Air and as professional marketing consultants and we strived to improve efficiency and quality for them.

With the right course, I was able to show off exactly what I had learned in my classes this semester. Our professors at Embry-Riddle enable us students to gain practical knowledge while taking the course rather than throwing us under the bus without any prior experience in the real world. These unique final exam alternatives will benefit me and my fellow classmates long after graduation. It can benefit YOU if you take business courses at Riddle too.