Unit information: Aerospace Commerce, Operations and Ethics in 2021/22

Unit name	Aerospace Commerce, Operations and Ethics
Unit code	AENGM0070
Credit points	10
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Lieven
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Aerospace Engineering
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Description including Unit Aims

To introduce students to the infrastructure of the air transport industry, commercial and regulatory considerations in aircraft operations, and also highlight contrasts between military and civil operations and other related topics. The unit will provide a focus for discussion concerning some operational issues arising from other units studied during the Aerospace Engineering degree course, such as Aeronautics, Design Project, etc

The most challenging part of the course will be the requirement for students to reflect on how commercial imperatives influence ethical judgement. This will be taught from a basis of establishing the commercial and operational imperatives in the civil and defence sector and aligning them with increasing awareness of aspects of sustainbility, autonomy and data security.

CONTENT OF LECTURE/SEMINARS

Note: the following list is provided without prejudice and should not be interpreted as prescriptive, inclusive or exclusive. It is provided as an indicator of broad areas relating to relevant topics which will be adjusted according to current practice, availability of staff and contemporaneous events (see examples under Assessment Details item 1).

Lecture topics:
• Introduction to the airline industry
• Airline economics
• Airline costs (incl. AEA DOC estimation)
• Regulation/deregulation
• Marketing & product, demand and forecasting
• Low Cost airlines – business models
• Airline Safety
• Air Traffic Management
• Noise
• Failures and Reliability
• Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)
• Aviation Sustainability
• Ethics of Civil Aviation (introduction - see guest seminars below for additional material)

Guest Seminars, agreed by invitation, subject to availability:
• Defence operations from “lecture theatre to in-theatre” (Prof Richard Markeivitz - DSTL)
• Regulation of Autonomous aerospace vehicles (Prof Richard Markeivitz - DSTL)
• Ethics of autonomy (Prof James Ladyman – UoB, Department of Philosophy)
• Air transport and its effect on human migration (Prof Sir Malcolm Evans, UoB, Department of Law and Chair of the UN Court of Human Rights)
• Airport operations (David Lees – CEO, Bristol Airport - TBC)

Intended Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this unit students will be able to:-

• Participate constructively indiscussions and engage in policy formation relating to the fundamental commercial and economic regulatory matters governing international airline operations
• comprehend the fundamental differences between military and civil operations
• appreciate the engineering drivers and implications of various economic and environmental issues
• comprehend and defend positions on contemporary aviation issues
• apply ethical principles in relation to transport of goods and people

Teaching Information

Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, which may include lectures, practical activities supported by drop-in sessions, problem sheets and self-directed exercises.

Assessment Information

100% Summer exam

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. AENGM0070).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.