Editorial 2018 of the The Aero Engineer magazine

The Aero Engineer, official publication of SAEP

Holistic is the Word

Many words carry very powerful meaning and one of these is “holistic.” It has become a meme and many people are talking about it. The word is most commonly used to describe a new approach in medicine. Holistic medicine refers to a technique in which it attempts to treat both the mind and body in eradicating illnesses or diseases.

This year’s National Convention has the theme, “Cultivating the Holistic Aeronautical Engineer and Its Implications in Professional Practice.” It reflects the relevance of the subject to the tasks our profession is supposed to face. And one subject that our profession should put emphasis on is Continuing Professional Development. CPD is the new meme in the world of the professionals. Earning credit units is one requirement for the renewal of our professional IDs. But CPD goes beyond earning credit units. It is one’s commitment to excellence in all areas of the profession – whether it is to enhance competency, upgrade or improve skills or keep knowledge updated – CPD is synonymous with professionalism.

This year’s list of topics in the National Convention includes the business side of aviation as related to minimizing fuel consumption for narrow-body aircraft. So it’s not all technology. An aero engineer should also be well informed regarding aviation business and the regulations and policies that go with it. This leads to entrepreneurship and eventually becoming a full-pledged aviation businessman.

Another topic is about performance-based communication and surveillance aspects of air traffic management. Its purpose is to ensure that new technologies for communication and surveillance are harnessed to support air traffic operations. This involves various stakeholders, i.e., aircraft systems, aircraft operators, air navigation service providers, satellite service providers, communication service providers. This is a holistic approach to the challenge of air traffic management in improving its operations.

Once again, holistic approach to our profession will prove to be the right way to meet the challenges ahead. If it has been proven in other fields then there’s no reason we can’t do it.