The National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS) at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will focus on current research conducted in academia and industry in areas ranging from pilot supply and flight training, to technology and leadership in aviation. Visit the conference website for more information and registration.

USAF Major General Tommy Williams to Discuss Pilot Shortage, Public-Private Partnerships at National Training Aircraft Symposium, Aug. 14 – 16

U.S. Air Force Major General Tommy J. Williams will discuss strategic measures the Air Force is taking to address the pilot shortage and a proposed public-private partnership during NTAS 2.0 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Aug. 14 to 16. 

General Williams, an Embry-Riddle alumnus, is the mobilization assistant to the deputy chief of staff for operations at the U.S. Air Force Headquarters in Washington, D.C. In this role, he assists in formulating policy that supports air, space, irregular warfare, counter proliferation, homeland security, weather and cyber operations. He also is involved in determining necessary operational requirements, capabilities and training to support national security objectives and military strategy.

Additional Keynote Speakers and Panel Topics

The Honorable Christopher Hart – Hart is currently a member and immediate past Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. Hart has also served as Deputy Director, Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service, and Assistant Administrator for System Safety, both at the FAA, and as Deputy Administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

Mark Baker, President and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association – Baker has been flying for more than 35 years. With more than 7,500 hours in the left seat, he holds a commercial pilot certificate with single and multiengine land and seaplane ratings, rotorcraft rating and many additional type ratings. Baker has had a distinguished career in top leadership positions at companies including The Home Depot, Gander Mountain, and Orchard Supply Hardware. 

John S. Duncan, Director, Flight Standards Service, FAA – Duncan oversees the development, coordination and execution of policies, standards, systems and procedures, and program plans that govern the operations, maintenance and airworthiness of all U.S. civil aircraft. This includes those of U.S. and foreign carriers when operating in and over the United States, its territories and possessions.

Panel Topics

• Panel topics will address:
• Advances in Flight Training
• Aviation Education
• Flight Simulation
• Human Factors & Flight Operations
• Leadership in Aviation
• Pilot Supply Issues
• Professionalism – The Challenges of Preparing the Next Generation
• Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality

Visit the conference website for more information and registration. For NTAS questions, please call (386) 226-6754 or email Daytona.NTAS.conference@erau.edu.

About Embry-Riddle’s College of Aviation in Daytona Beach

The College of Aviation (COA) degree programs meet the needs of aviation students of the 21st century and set the standard in high-level quality education demanded by the aviation profession. Our 100-plus faculty members and the courses in the COA’s five departments — Aeronautical Science, Applied Aviation Science, Aviation Maintenance Science, Flight, and Graduate and Doctoral Studies — will prepare graduates to assume leadership roles in the global aviation industry and related fields. 

The College’s state-of-the-art facilities include the most sophisticated flight simulation center in the world, cutting-edge laboratories dedicated to airline operations, spaceflight, aviation maintenance, broadcast meteorology, aerospace forensics and air traffic management. COA’s fleet of more than 60 electronically supported, ADSB-equipped single and twin engine aircraft average 275 flights a day.

ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 80 baccalaureate, master’s and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Business, Engineering and Security & Intelligence. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus with more than 125 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and through online programs. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies.