An article written for those who want to know the dynamics of aviation; how it can transform the lives of people, bring about a positive cultural change and help nations grow and flourish, socially and economically. Enjoy!

1. Roving the Wonder World of Aviation:
A Cultural Change Agent and a Catalyst for Economic Growth
Dr. Wali Mughni, Ph.D
Abstract: This paper projects a bird’s eye view of Aviation at large; it also throws some light on Aviation
in Pakistan and what the trends portend. Examining the holistic Aviation domain peculiarities, the
analysis also reveals interesting idiosyncrasies and a few unique phenomena in the social, behavioral,
cultural, environmental and financial aspects associated with aviation business at micro and macro
levels. To clarify common ambiguities, the paper endeavors to highlight not so well known facts, unveils
a few myths, and explains some terminologies including the difference between Aviation, Aeronautics,
Avionics and Aerospace. Finally the paper conceptually and philosophically dwells on why and how
Aviation is a positive Cultural Change Agent and a Catalyst for Economic Growth.
Interesting Statistics
Before we delve into details, let’s take a quick look at some astounding facts and figures about the
aviation industry worldwide. This is to fathom the economic activity that aviation generates.
o Aviation supports 60 million jobs globally, and contributes US $2.2 trillion to global GDP.*
o Worldwide, the amount contributed to the global economy by aviation jobs is roughly three and
a half times higher than that contributed by other jobs.*
o There are about 24,000 commercial aircraft in service, serving
approximately 3 billion passengers a year flying through a
complex network of routes extending over 5 trillion kilometers
while logging 42 million hours a year.*
o 35% of all of the world freight (by value) is carried by air transportation.*
o The new Airbus A380, Boeing 787, and other similar modern
aircraft use less than 3 liters of jet fuel per 100 passenger
kilometers. This matches the efficiency of most modern
compact cars.*
o Research conducted in the US suggests that every dollar
invested in aerospace yields an extra $1.50 to $3.00 in
economic activity.*
*Note: Relevant data is extracted from analysis conducted by Oxford Economics and Air Transport
Action Group in a paper captioned “Beyond Take-offs,Landings and Peanuts” published in March 2012.

2. Air transport not only drives economic and social progress, it connects people, countries and cultures.
More importantly it links markets and fosters trade and tourism.
In 2010, when Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted a week-long disruption of air traffic in Europe
adversely affected travel of 10 million passengers and caused a loss of $5 billion to the global economy.
In this short span of time, perishable and sensitive goods that could not be transported registered a loss
of $65 million due to inability to export from African economies alone.* From this incident, it can be
safely assumed that Aviation has come to stay as an essential component of global economic engine for
times to come.
Aviation Lingo
So what exactly is Aviation? What is Aeronautics and where do Avionics and Aerospace fit in?
Aeronautics is a term derived from a Greek word “aero” which means “air or sky” and Nautis means
“sailor.” While the term could literally mean “sailing the air,” it encompasses the science associated with
the design, manufacture and operation of aircraft. It also includes the business, technology and other
aspects related to aircraft.
Aviation is a term that is oftentimes used interchangeably with Aeronautics. However, Aviation is
specifically concerned with heavier-than-air flying machines referred to as aircraft, while aeronautics
includes all flying objects including lighter-than-air craft such are airships and balloons.
The term Avionics was coined after World War II as ‘electronics’ became an important ingredient of
‘aviation’. Thus Avionics may be defined as the science and technology of electrical and electronic
devices or equipment used in aviation.
As missiles, spacecraft, drones, etc. came into production and were operationally deployed the term
Aerospace was introduced in early ‘50s (and in 1959, “Aircraft Industries Association” was renamed
“Aerospace Industries Association”) to cater and differentiate a wider scope to reflect the transition to
multiple new products including science and technology and operation of these vehicles deployed in the
earth’s atmosphere and extending beyond it to the vast expanse of the outer space.
For ease of use, as per common practice, let us use the term Aviation to depict what is de facto
Aeronautics, Aerospace, and Avionics and aspects related to these classifications. By the way, Aviation is
derived from “Avis”, which is Latin for “bird,” and “Avian” which means “relating to birds.”
Categories or Types of Aviation
Two major categories are Military Aviation and Civil Aviation. Civil Aviation further has two major
classifications, the Air Transport for all scheduled airlines and General aviation. General aviation
(GA) includes all non-scheduled civil flying, private and commercial. GA also includes business flights, air
charter, private aviation, flight training, ballooning, parachuting, gliding, hang gliding, aerial
photography, foot-launched powered hang gliders, air ambulance, crop dusting, traffic reporting, police
air patrols, forest fire fighting, leaflet dropping, banner towing, etc. flown by many types of aircraft
including propeller, turbo-prop and jet engined aircraft. GA also covers light-sport aircraft (LSA),

3. helicopters and gyrocopters. (Gyrocopters are now gaining popularity
in the western world because of greater safety, ease of maintenance,
fuel economy and operational flexibility).
A few words about Military aviation: Military aviation typically
includes Fighter aircraft, Bombers, Reconnaissance aircraft, military
Transport aircraft, Air-to-Air Refuelers, EW&ECM (Early Warning and
Electronic Counter Measures) aircraft, helicopters and military training
aircraft and now Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Drones (a
variation of the same).
Concentrating more on the Air Transport and General Aviation aspects
of business and technology, some selective myths and facts are
stipulated and deliberated here to engage and stimulate an inquisitive
reader.
Myths & Facts
o Air Travel is the safest mode of transportation.
True. While different analyses have varying inferences, it is generally agreed that Air
Transportation is safer than car travel by a large margin. According to a BBC study, Air
Transportation is the safest mode of travel. The chance of being in an airplane crash is one in 11
million, while the chance of a car crash is one in 5000. (That makes air travel 2,200 times safer
than travel by car.) Another statistical inference from Wiki on Air Safety states “The fatal
incident rate has declined steadily since 1997, and the number of fatal air accidents has been no
more than 1 for every 2,000,000,000 person-miles flown (e.g., 100 people flying a plane for
1,000 miles counts as 100,000 person-miles, making it comparable with methods of
transportation with different numbers of passengers, such as one person driving a car for
100,000 miles, which is also 100,000 person-miles), making it one of the safest modes of
transportation, if measured by distance traveled.
o Airlines business is a very profitable business.
False. According to Forbes magazine (February 2013), statistics analyzed by Airlines for America,
show that ten airlines that have reported full-year results for 2012 made a combined profit of
$152 million on revenue of $143.4 billion. That works out to a profit margin of approximately
0.1%. For each passenger they carried, U.S. airlines made a measly profit of 21 cents per
passenger. Alternate cheaper fuels, significantly more efficient engines and smarter procedures
and protocols, however, portend better profitability for the airlines in the years to come. One
factor that may also be highlighted is that Airline business is a subset of a services industry.
Apart from sheer, pilots and engineers, it also needs managers with specialized education and

4. skills in Aviation Management. This trend is gaining ground and is certainly a good omen for the
industry. More professional Aviation Management MBA’s also portend better prospects for the
industry.
o Here is one for the aerodynamically savvy aviators … Is the following statement correct? … “Lift
is less than Weight during climb.”
True. This seems odd but it is true. Here is the explanation. In Straight and Level flight the forces
acting on the aircraft are: Lift equals Weight; and, Thrust equals Drag. Lift is always
perpendicular to the Relative Wind and Weight continues to act downwards. Now, in a climb
the Lift is equal to a component of Weight (see diagram below). And a component is always less
than the whole, i.e. “Component of Weight” is less than the “Weight”. And this Component of
Weight is equal to Lift, therefore, Lift is less than Weight. QED.
o Yet another myth or fact specifically for the well-versed aviator: Lower Thrust and longer Take-
off distance may be anticipated in relatively high humidity conditions (e.g. thick fog).
True. Unlike what is often assumed, humid air is not thicker or denser, it is lighter and less dense
than drier air as water particles will only stay in the air when they are lighter than air. A parcel of
air with lighter particles (floating minute water droplets) will make that parcel of air less dense
as compared to a drier parcel of air. Similarly hot air will yield the parcel thinner as compared
with colder parcel of air. Thus, humid air will render lesser Thrust from the engines, which in
turn will affect a longer take-off distance.

5. Catalytic Spin-off
Unlike what most might think, Aviation industry is not just air travel. Tourism industry, the hospitality
industry, ground transportation, foodand entertainment, and a host of other businesses get a boost
when Aviation industry takes-off. Aviation is often termed as a catalyst for multiple supporting and
supplanting industries. Businesses grow when aviation facilitates connections and offers convenience
and ease of travel. When businesses grow, nations grow, and greater prosperity and economic
wellbeing becomes widespread. Growth and affluence is a natural but subtle spin-off of Aviation.
Invariably, there is a positive correlation between faster developing countries and the importance those
countries have accorded to the growth and advancement of their aviation industry. In this context, there
is no better example than USA where General Aviation is given a lot of lift (governmental support) while
Air Transport continues to grow.
Idiosyncrasies
Just like people hailing from different geographical locations have certain in-built idiosyncrasies and
peculiarities, prolonged professional association with a certain industry, also, oftentimes, leaves a mark
on the way a person may be expected to act, behave and respond to external stimuli or react to certain
situations. Several studies have time and again indicated that professions, locations, even weather and
climate may impact behavioral changes in the lives of people. Aviation, as an industry, is no exception.
The Aviation industry has an innate environment that impinges and directs individuals to a change that
Aviation culture demands. Often times, this change is contagious and spreads across individuals, groups,
organizations and engulfs the industry, locally, regionally and globally.
Some peculiarities that Aviation culture intrinsically fosters are summarized below:
o greater importance to safety,
o ability to make faster decisions,
o ability to carry out multitasking,
o prioritizing tasks in order of importance and criticality,
o paying attention to details,
o situational awareness, and,
o candid and constructive criticism to improve professional performance.
Professor Dr. Bob Helmreich, Director of University of Texas Aerospace Crew Research Project, writes
that three levels of cultures impact Aviation organizations and individuals. These are National,
Professional and Organizational cultures. At National level, language barriers and cultural values have
greatest impact since individuals are subjected to the environment from early childhood to adulthood. A
divergent change effort from the National culture is difficult to bring about and takes longer to
implement while Professional cultural changes and Organizational values are relatively easier to adopt
as long as there is no conflict between the cultural values existent at the National level. For example,
respect for elders and inability to correct an instructor or a senior in a timely manner may result in
precious time loss which otherwise may avert an emergency. Crew Resource Management, Safety

6. Management System and Human Factors training is now becoming a culture peculiar to Aviation
environment, edging and overriding other dominant cultures and values.
Prospects of Aviation in Pakistan
According to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), the growth in Asian region (including
Pakistan) is likely to be highest in the world for long term projected annual growth rates. It is also
projected by the Association that while the 20-year world annual growth was estimated at 4.8%, Asia-
Pacific traffic growth in the commercial aviation segment was north of 5.8%.
Analyzing the Airlines in Pakistan, it is evident that the national flag carrier PIA is struggling to stay
afloat, while the other two airlines Air Blue and Shaheen Air are performing a lot better than the big
brother airline. The industry’s market demand continues to increase while supply is continually falling
short. All airlines are expanding their fleet of aircraft and new airlines are lined up to take-off in an
attempt to grab a share of the increasing demand in the market.
General Aviation too, is in high demand as institutions for training of pilots are few and far between.
These institutions and other GA entities need to consolidate and expand. Greater professionalism,
support and encouragement from authorities are required to enrich the GA environment and fulfill the
growing demand of professionals in the industry. Typically, the Aviation industry demand and supply has
been cyclical in nature and historical periodic rhythm of ebbs and crests in demand of skilled aviation
human resource and pilots in particular is about 10 years. The trends indicate that demand of pilots,
technicians, engineers and more importantly managers and business administrators with Aviation
Management degrees and aviation specific experience is on the rise. We are now at the ebb and the
crest of the cycle is stills years to come. The demand of skilled human resource in the aviation industry is
on growth curve. If we want to ride the tide, we need to prepare ourselves to take on the challenges
ahead of us. The aviation industry in Pakistan is on the rise and has the potential to yield positive
economic and cultural changes that promise a brighter future for Pakistan.
References:
Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly
Hills: Sage.
Maurino, D. (1998) Safety prejudices, safety practices, and CRM: A mid-point perspective. International
Journal of Aviation Psychology.
Sherman, P.J., Helmreich, R.L.,& Merritt, A.C. (1997). National culture and flightdeck automation:
Results of a multination survey. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 7 (4), 311-329.
Wiener, E. (1993). Crew coordination and training in the advanced-technology cockpit. In E. Wiener, B.
Kanki, & R. Helmreich (Eds.), Cockpit Resource Management (pp.199-229). San Diego, CA: Academic
Press.

7. The Economic Impact of Air Travel Restrictions due to Volcanic Ash, Oxford Economics, 2010: http://
tinyurl.com/72y79fj
About the author: Dr. Wali Mughni was a Top Gun (coveted Sher Afghan trophy winner) fighter pilot
who voluntarily took early retirement from Pakistan Air Force to pursue advanced
studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA where he
earned MBA in Aviation followed by Ph.D in Business Administration. Apart from other
esteemed assignments/appointments, he also worked at NASA’s Center of Aviation and
Aerospace Research, from where he published papers in world renowned journal of Aviation &
Aerospace on Simulation studies in Human Factors. He is a serial entrepreneur and has spearheaded a
number of businesses in USA and Middle-East. He was also the Dean at PALPA Institute of Aviation &
Management Sciences. He is now co-CEO of Schon Air Ltd and CEO of Air Academy Pakistan.