Embry-Riddle and GE Aviation Celebrate Growing Partnership with Dedication of General Electric Aviation Classroom

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University celebrated its growing partnership with GE Aviation with the Sept. 30 dedication of the General Electric Aviation Classroom. The classroom is located in the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle’s campus in Daytona Beach, Florida.

“Our collaboration with GE enables us to provide our students learning experiences and technology that will serve them throughout their careers,” said Dr. Alan Stolzer, dean of the College of Aviation. “GE Aviation and GE Digital are the leading manufacturer of aircraft engines and a world leader in software and digital solutions, respectively, and our alumni can be found throughout both organizations. Their preeminence makes GE an ideal partner for Embry-Riddle, in our efforts to provide the best education possible for our students.”

Bob W. Whetsell, Director of Safety Programs at GE Aviation Digital Solutions, and Andrew Coleman, Senior Vice President & General Manager at GE Digital, participated in the classroom dedication ceremony.  

“We are very honored for the opportunity to work in partnership with Embry-Riddle. There are over 400-plus Embry-Riddle alumni working throughout GE Aviation, and we see our partnership with Embry-Riddle as an investment in the future,” Whetsell said.

The GE representatives met with Embry-Riddle’s three College of Aviation deans (Daytona Beach, Prescott and Worldwide campuses), plus the deans for the College of Engineering and the David B. O’Maley College of Business at the Daytona Beach campus. They also toured the university’s Flight Operations building and its Flight Simulation Center and discussed ways in which GE Aviation and the university can further collaborate.

“As we look to the future, we do so with a sense of purpose, hope and excitement for the amazing things that GE Aviation and Embry-Riddle can accomplish for our students and for the future of the aviation industry,” said Marc Archambault, Embry-Riddle’s Senior Vice President of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement.

According to Stolzer, the recent installation of GE Aviation’s Flight Operations Quality Assurance [FOQA] software, the gold standard of flight data monitoring, ensures Embry-Riddle students are highly competitive for safety and risk-management roles at every major airline in the world.

“Embry-Riddle intends to use the software on all campuses in our aviation safety education courses and programs, and to improve operational efficiency for flight and fleet maintenance in our flight departments,” Stolzer said. “This software gives us a huge competitive advantage over other flight and educational programs.”

The FOQA program also offers data visualization with animation capabilities, empowering students to look for trends and detect precursors to incidents or accidents. The university’s Flight Data Analysis Lab will allow for collaboration with industry and aviation experts, and offer professional education for aviation safety professionals.

About GE Aviation

GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated digital, avionics and electrical power systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit us at http://www.ge.com/aviation.. Follow GE Aviation on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GEAviation and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/GEAviation.