Why We Must Educate the World's Pilots


By Dave Esser (BASC'81, MAS'89), Professor of Aeronautical Science

Dave Esser The recently enacted Aviation Transportation and Security Act, which requires U.S. citizens to show proof of citizenship and foreign nationals to undergo a background check by the U.S. Department of Justice prior to training in large aircraft, is a controversial issue. Some people say institutions like Embry-Riddle should not give flight training to foreign nationals at all. I disagree. It's in the world's interest - and ours - for us to educate the pilots of the world.

Educating foreign pilots creates international understanding. Embry-Riddle is not a flight school, but an international aeronautical university that educates the next generation of aviation professionals and leaders. At Embry-Riddle, American students are exposed for the first time to other cultures, and students from other countries are introduced to the American culture, economic system, and democracy. A rogue organization would be foolish to send future terrorists to a university like Embry-Riddle, where they would be educated in math, humanities, physical science, computer science, and business and indoctrinated in the American way of life.

When I was a student at Embry-Riddle during the hostage crises in Iran in the early 1980s, the Iranian students on campus were not the revolutionary fundamentalists who seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran. For the most part, they were appalled by the actions of their fellow countrymen. I'm proud that we rose above hatred and mutual suspicion and formed educated opinions about each other. They graduated, went back home, and influenced the more moderate, pro-Western government that followed the death of Ayatollah Khomeini.

Embry-Riddle's first president, Jack Hunt, felt it was beneficial to have students on campus from all nations, to learn to get along and tolerate each others' differences, as well as to celebrate their common goals. He also felt it was important for them to take this spirit of tolerance home, to spread it around the world.

Educating the world's pilots at Embry-Riddle is good for global safety. Everyone benefits when pilots from other countries are educated in the safest, most demanding environment - the United States. With more people flying more places more often than ever, there is a critical need for more pilots, particularly in Asia and the Pacific Rim, where aviation is growing the fastest. Furthermore, foreign airlines fly into American airspace everyday. I would feel more comfortable knowing that many of those new pilots were trained in the country with the strictest standards, and preferably at Embry-Riddle.

Educating other countries' pilots is good for the university, as well. The United States has long been the world leader in aerospace, and Embry-Riddle is the leader in aerospace-related education. But competitors in other nations are now vigorously challenging our preeminence. In the area of flight training, we risk losing the top position by default. If we turn away the world's future pilots, they will seek their training and education in Australia, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere. Millions of dollars and priceless influence will be lost.

Yes, there must be background checks - thorough, detailed, and painstaking. If there is any doubt, the visa should not be issued. And international students should be monitored once they are in the United States, their whereabouts never in question. If there is even the slightest breach of agreement, their education should end and the student returned home. But their opportunity to join the civilized family of nations as productive aviation professionals should not be denied based strictly on national origin. The war on terror transcends national boundaries and race.

I do not want to see the terrorists win. But they win when we cower and hide and are paralyzed with fear and confusion. They win when we can be reduced to their level of indiscriminate hatred and suspicion. America wins when she remains the world's shining example of what a free people can do, and Embry-Riddle wins when we remain the world's leader in aviation education.

The views expressed in "Perspectives" are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Embry-Riddle.