Lizz Suda's Aviation Honors Project Experience

Senior Aviation Flight Technology and Operations student shares her Honors Project experience

Lizz Suda is a senior (class of 2024) studying Aviation: Flight Technology and Operations. For her Honors Project, Lizz researched and created a pre-flight planning tool for flight instructors to use. When planning where to put their aircraft for training, Flight Instructors can physically move a model aircraft around the whiteboard to ensure a smooth transition between pre-flight checks, ground training, and departures and arrivals. She worked closely with Chief Flight Instructor and Teaching Professor Catherine Smith, who Lizz had developed a close relationship with during her time as an Aviation student, to research analytics and logistical aspects of aircraft management. With plans to work as a Flight Instructor after graduation while accumulating flight hours, Lizz is excited to use her Honors Project everyday. "It feels rewarding to see it every day," she says. The tool is used only by flight instructors and she has already received positive feedback about its usefulness.

While the idea was challenging to come up with, Lizz is grateful for the support of her project advisors and Honors advisor to examine her potential options. She suggests that students "find a niche thing in the program or area of study and use those" as a launching point for an Honors Project idea. By talking with Flight Instructors, she had found a gap in the pre-flight planning of logistics. This was part of her motivation to complete a research-backed applied project to leave a legacy in the Aviation program and at the BG Flight Center.

Lizz completed the Honors Project to "separate herself from other people." She says everyone in Aviation, if they're getting to a final interview for a commercial airline, can fly. They meet requirements and are credentialed for the job. What makes her different? This was another motivation for her project - how could she jumpstart her career and gain valuable skills to make her standout when she graduates? "It's this project. I asked myself 'why might a future airline be hiring me?' They'd hire me because when they go to do a name search in Google, my name will come up with a publication." She built skills she will use beyond her flight credentials. She made connections, learned professionalism, navigated learning a second field, and had to compromise. These are invaluable skills she is looking forward to using as a Flight Instructor and future commercial pilot.

"While the Honors Project takes a lot of time and work, it was incredibly rewarding and I would do it again."