Personal Introduction-Getting To Know ME!

 My name is Theodore Johnson; I am 22 years old, an Ypsilanti native, and a graduating senior here at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). I am an Aviation Management major with a concentration in Aircraft Dispatch and a minor in General Business.
 

1) Background - how/when did your interest in aviation begin?

I have always had an interest for aviation and aeronautics dating back to early childhood. I believe this was strengthened during vacation flights with my parents as the pilots would allow me to sit in the Captain's seat, play with the flight controls/buttons, and end the venture with my own pair of 'wings'. As I grew older, this passion became latent, but was rejuvenated when I joined the Air Force JROTC (AFJROTC) unit at my local high school. As a sophomore, I was skeptical of what the program had to offer, but during my first year, we took field trips to the Selfridge Air National Guard Base and got to fly on re-fueling flights on their KC-135s. The next year we went to the Ann Arbor airport for a discovery flight and it was during this trip where I truly believe I caught the 'flying bug'. I was allowed to take the controls (albeit only for a brief moment), but that was all it took. At that point, I was hooked! I concluded my senior year and tenure with my AFJROTC unit as the Group Commander and was the first ever cadet to achieve the rank of cadet Colonel. 

Shortly after graduating high school, I knew I could not allow my passion for aviation to grow dormant, but I had no industry connections nor did I know what I wanted to do in aviation. However, this all changed as one of my best friend's mother put in a good word for me at Spirit Airlines (DTW). The following summer (summer 2013) I became employed as Ramp Service Agent (RSA) for Spirit Airlines. Obtaining a line position at a major airline was one of the best things I could have done not only to perpetuate my career and establish industry contacts, but this position also allowed me to gain experience and knowledge about both sides (i.e. flight and management) of an aviation operation. Three months after being hired I was promoted to a Lead RSA position, which allowed me to routinely communicate with flight crew members; in doing so, I attained a mentor, whom of which I remain in contact with to this day! Attaining this position was ideal and indefinitely enhanced my interest and passion for aviation because I was able to travel the airport at my leisure, view various aircraft whenever I wanted, communicate with and get advice from those I aspired to be, and increase my realm of knowledge. Albeit I departed from Spirit Airlines after three years of service, the abundance of leadership skills, aviation experience, and knowledge I amassed was invaluable. While working at DTW, I met several collegiate aviation students, who introduced me to AHP, helping facilitate and nurture my passion for this industry even further; for that/them I am extremely grateful because if it were not for our collegiate and personal commonalities, I would not have progressed to this point.

2) Current status - what major and when do you graduate?

I am an Aviation Management major with a concentration in Aircraft Dispatch (ADX) and a minor in General Business. I plan to take my ADX practical/oral examinations, attain my ADX certification, and graduate in April 2017, respectively.

3) Future plans - you must address this specifically. Points will be deducted for answers such as "I will fly anything for anyone".  A more appropriate answer would be something like "I will flight instructor and then would like to fly for Express Jet. Upon upgrading to captain at Express Jet, I would eventually like to retire from Southwest Airlines.". I realize that many of you may not have this narrowed down at this point. That's okay. Just write something specifically. Research shows that having a specific goal provides more motivation and success than non-specific goals, even if the specific goal stated does not end up coming to fruition. You will look at this goal again at the end of the semester and comment about if your original goal has changed and if so, for what reasons.

As of right now my future plans are to graduate in April 2017 with my ADX certification and obtain employment with either a major airline under a Part 121 carrier (ideally American Airlines or Southwest Airlines) or within a local Part 135 carrier, such as USAJet or Kalitta, respectively. I would like to work for an air carrier, especially American Airlines and/or Delta Airlines as an ADX for three to four years; once this time has elapsed, I would either like to move up within the company to become the Director of Operations or a position akin to this. By age 30-32, I intend to become a First Officer flying within the business/corporate facet of aviation; I always had an affinity for Amway Aviation, therefore they will be my first choice when/if the opportunity arises. Upon upgrading to captain at the corporate level, I would either retire from said company or transition to a governmental operation (as this has always peaked my curiosity). Unlike most aviation students, I have no true desire to fly commercially for the airlines, thus I would remain flying under Part 135 until retirement and/or revert to GA operations.

Additionally, by June, but no later than August, I plan to be enrolled at either CMU or Purdue University in order to obtain my MBA, of which I plan to have completed within 1 calendar year in efforts to enhance my credentials, become more appealing to employers, and obtain an in-depth understanding of how the business world functions.

4) As stated, this course is comprised of two parts - career development (which will include a series of guest speakers) and current topic discussions. Please state if there are some specific areas that you would like to be represented by guest speakers. Please address this even if that particular type of guest speaker is already listed in the syllabus. If there is a lot if interest in one or more particular areas, I may try to secure multiple speakers in that area. I would also like you to list at least two areas of current aviation topics that may be of interest to you. Although I have laid out several topics in the syllabus, I am flexible about changing them in order to meet your interests.

Albeit the topics covered in the syllabus are well-rounded, I personally would like to have some guest speakers come and talk about the corporate/business and the governmental aspects of aviation. I feel as if a lot of the discussions that take place in most of the aviation courses only emphasize Part 121 operators and not enough about the corporate/business operators. As a student that is yearning to be employed within both, I would like to receive more knowledge from the personal accounts and experiences from those in employed or experienced within that particular sector. Furthermore, in regards to the governmental aviation positions, I would like to have at least one guest speaker present upon that topic as I am not cognizant of the various positions or careers available from being employed in a governmental aviation position from a civilian perspective (aside from those stemming from the military). 

Two current aviation topics that interest me are the cargo/freight industry and their exemption to the flight duty regulations and the various aviation organizations. 

The cargo/freight area interest me because I have always been fascinated by the various aircraft that transported cargo and freight in addition to the fact that the cargo/freight does not talk or complain, and the shifts are typically at night (which is great cause I am a night owl). Furthermore, after learning about the various duty and rest requirements of crew members operating under 121, I feel that crew members operating under 135 should be subject to similar requirements as they are just as human and fatigue the same way as the pilots within 121.

The second area, aviation organizations, also interest me because connecting with various organizations and the people within them is essentially how I got my start in this industry! The old adage, "It's not what you know, but who you know", is especially true and extremely applicable to the aviation industry, thus I would like to learn about more organizations and their role within the industry.