ADFA: To lead, excel

The Capstone Project forms a large part of the overall assessment for the subject, and asks students to evaluate and present on an existing or new issue in aviation safety, and consider potential solutions consisting of technologies emerging over the next 5–10 years. Placed at the end of the course, students must leverage topics learned throughout the semester to present a five-minute video of their chosen problem-solution fit to fellow students as well as a panel of judges from industry, government, and defence. Following their video presentation, each student also answers questions from the judges.

There are a few industry-pertinent takeaways from the two-hour event, which is open to industry experts, defence, and government personnel:

Pitch It

The format is exceptional, and I would highly recommend attending future online or in-person Capstone Project presentations. The videos were produced with professionalism and good humour, and were the result of a semester’s worth of effort, with the top 12 students’ videos ultimately presented. The videos clearly introduced a relevant safety issue up-front, validated the problem through examples and referencing, and then compellingly delivered a potential solution or solutions. As a judge, I found myself feverishly taking notes during each video, while my curiosity was invariably piqued by students proposing innovative and considered solutions.

The broad topics covered were pilot/s or aircrew; air traffic control, engineering/maintenance, Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAV), and Human-Machine Interaction. Specific presentations included improving the mental health of military UAV pilots; problems with sterile cockpit procedures in terms of inconsistent regulations and SOPs; improved Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) in general aviation; emotional intelligence and airborne decision-making, and physiological illusions.

Undergraduate Research Relevance

The second takeaway relates to the importance of undergraduate research in this field, and student presentations to industry, government, and defence. Following the session, a few of us spoke with course leader Dr Oleksandra Molloy about the subject. Dr Molloy asked what we thought of the presented issues and solutions, and as judges we agreed that the concise summaries of current issues and potential solutions were extremely valuable in condensing a semester’s worth of research into short ‘pitches’. Regardless of my own understanding of each issue, I found myself interested in learning more and considering whether each problem could be solved either through an industry-defence-governmentacademic partnership, or through individual organisational capabilities. Dr. Molloy remarked that often her students question the value of this project, asking “If scientists and industry are working on identifying and solving problems, what is the point in undergraduates doing so in five minutes?”

The answer to that question is easy.

These novel problem-solution presentations challenge us as an industry to review our own definitions and solution concepts, and remain close to end-users’ real issues. This was demonstrated through several students presenting on problems that the ongoing work of Seeing Machines together with Airservices Australia, the Royal Australian Air Force, Qantas, Air Ambulance Victoria, and CAE is seeking to solve. Furthermore, judges awarded certificates for the best presentations by category – industry, government, and defence. The government and defence awards both went to OFFCDT Stewart for her presentation on the future of aviation in aerial firefighting and the phased introduction of UAVs to combat fires. From an industry perspective, we awarded OFFCDT Milewski for his presentation on improving fatigue in deployed aircrew. Both presentations were highly relevant and current; firefighting from a climate change and ADF operational perspective; and aircrew cumulative fatigue being an increasing concern in long-haul and military/civilian operations. These are areas actively being addressed by industry, academia, government, and the defence industry.

“This wasn’t tranquility, but a type of professional calmness… borne of capability and excellence”
– Alexander Robinson

Future Leaders

My final reflection is on the future of the ADF. On this recent visit, I was enthused to engage with Officer Cadets and Midshipmen, including visiting cadets from the Royal Malaysian and the US Air Forces. They were confident, polite, professional, and open-minded. The latter being extremely important. ADFA is unique in being a premier officer training school combined with a stellar academic institution in UNSW. Academic staff are exclusively civilian rather than military, counter to many other officer training schools around the world where military faculty also teach. This generates some healthy tension surrounding the quest for knowledge and contrasts with the disciplined profession of arms that helps to foster excellent leaders of the Australian Defence Force. Leaders that have an ability to question orders; to consider a range of facts and opinions before making a decision; and to trust their intellect.

Walking to the lecture theatre, there was an air of calmness around the campus as I passed students marching in military dress, on their way to learn. This was not tranquillity, but the type of professional calmness associated with a high-functioning team — a calmness borne of capability and excellence. Echoing former Chief of Air Force Air Mashal Hupfeld’s 2019 speech, “the heart of (Air Force’s) capabilities still remains our people,” ADFA exemplifies this, and helps ensure our Air Force and Defence

Force continues to lead and excel.