Current Affairs in Aviation Short Course

UNSW Aviation’s annual Current Affairs in Aviation short course was held on the 7th and 8th October 2025 and was once again a fantastic two days offering high school students an introduction to the dynamic world of aviation. Partnering with the Royal Flying Doctors Service of Australia, to whom the $25 registration fee is donated, the course delivers presentations and workshop activities covering multiple aspects of aviation and showing students the many varied opportunities available in the field. The program this year included: 

- Welcome & Opening Remarks about the current state of the aviation industry and career pathways by Prof Brett Molesworth, Head of School, UNSW Aviation  
- Keynote: Current Affairs in Aviation with Tom Caska, CEO of Aerologix and an alumnus of UNSW. Tom told his fascinating story from student to pilot to drone entrepreneur and provided insights into the exponentially growing world of drones and its impact on the aviation industry.  
- The Business of Drones workshop presented by Dr. Graham C. Doig in which students engaged in problem solving and entrepreneurship using drone solutions.  
- SYD100 Scholarship and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) for SYD insights by Jessie Huynh

-  Airport Management - The Role of Airports with Dr Ian Douglas  
- Human Factors and Aviation Safety, featuring Prof Molesworth’s crucial research on safety as a management principle and the role of human factors in optimizing aviation safety. 
- A special session by Matteo Serret, Safety and Quality Administrator from the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (SE Section)

- Rodney Hyde on pilot demand and the future of flying  
- Norman Fitzpatrick's Flying Technologies Workshop  
- Jeremy Andrews' Manual Navigation Exercise  
- Ben Moy & Yasmina El-Bureeny speaking about our student societies UNSW Aviation Society and UNSW Women in Aviation Society, and sharing the student experience through their own eyes  
- Stevan Sipka on Airline Management & Marketing  
- Prof Brett Molesworth, Katie Wang & Ben Moy's Q&A on university pathways and Work Integrated Learning (WIL)  
- A330 First Officer Wayne Daly and A320 Captain Warren Yon on career pathways as a pilot

UNSW Aviation is grateful to all our wonderful industry partners who give their time to present at the course, and give real world insight to the students. We look forward to next years’ program!