Curriculum and Accreditation

Embry-Riddle is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award degrees at the associate, bachelor's, and master's levels. Qualified graduates with training in safety are employed by the FAA, NTSB, investigators for insurance companies, and manufacturers in direct safety or investigative positions. Currently, nine classes exist in the expanding safety curriculum. The curriculum contains the following courses:

• Introduction to Aerospace Safety
• Safety Program Management
• Mechanical and Structural Factors in Aviation Safety
• Aircraft Crash Survival and Design
• Human Factors in Aviation
• Aircraft Accident Investigation
• System Safety in Aviation
• Aircraft Crash and Emergency Management
• Aircraft Accident Aerodynamics

Construction on the Robertson Aviation Safety Center was completed in 1995. This building is the headquarters of ERAU's safety programs and contains the Safety Resource Center, faculty offices, class/conference room, and safety laboratory. It is adjacent to the Accident Investigation Laboratory, which is located behind the center.

The Safety Resource Center (SRC) is a repository and technical library housing a variety of aviation safety materials. This asset allows students the opportunity to engage in academic research and study into the various safety disciplines. Current holdings include CAB/NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports dating back to 1938, Canadian Aviation Safety Board Accident Reports, British AIB Reports, New Zealand Aircraft Reports dating back to 1956, various Safety and Aviation periodicals, many research and conference proceedings reports, books, articles, and safety statistics from several government agencies. A current and on-going project involves cataloging and filing the various holdings. The SRC is available to students and faculty pursuing safety-related projects and research. Additionally, interactive exchange has been developed through several government and industry data systems, including FAA, NTSB, Flight Safety Foundation, ALPA, AOPA, and CTSB.

The Robertson Crash Lab offers students the opportunity to conduct hands-on field investigation of selected aircraft accident scenarios. The eight acre facility, located just behind the center, includes eight field scenarios, a covered storage area, a 15-student briefing room, and administrative and storage spaces. Current inventory at the lab includes a variety of actual accident aircraft such as: a Cessna 401A, a Piper PA-28-161, a Varga Kachina plane, a Cessna 140, a Weedhopper Ultralight, and a Hughes 300 helicopter. Among the recent aquisitions are a "Glasflugel" glider which crashed in California last year, numerous components and cabin furnishings from B-737 and DC-8 aircraft, and several engines which experienced in-flight mechanical failures.

Additionally, many different aircraft components, engines, and fixtures are available for inspection and analysis. Students in the material factors, accident investigation and crash survival analysis classes are required to complete field investigations on selected, mocked-up accident scenes, and specific displays providing a dimension unavaiable in the classroom.

CASE offers programs for interested individuals and organizations. Summer workshops and seminars are planned as well as scheduled training courses for industry participants. CASE is a resource available for research projects and offers services as a research institute for industry.