Robert L. Sumwalt III, former chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, is teaming up with his alma mater, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, to launch the Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety.
“Embry-Riddle’s Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety will serve as a business magnet for our region, by attracting industry and government partners eager to identify timely solutions,” said University President P. Barry Butler. “Robert Sumwalt’s deep knowledge of aerospace safety issues, and his professionalism and commitment to excellence make him an ideal leader of this much-needed new enterprise.”
Sumwalt will assume his position as Distinguished Fellow in Aviation Safety and executive director of Embry-Riddle’s Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety on Jan. 4, 2022.
“By joining the world’s leading aviation and aerospace institution, my goal is to continue making human mobility as safe as possible,” Sumwalt said. “I’m excited about this opportunity and I look forward to cultivating transformative partnerships with government and industry.”
A member of the National Transportation Safety Board since 2006, Sumwalt served as NTSB chair from 2017 until June 2021. He was also a pilot for 32 years, including 24 years with Piedmont Airlines and U.S. Airways, accumulating more than 14,000 flight hours and earning type ratings in five aircraft.
In 2014, Sumwalt earned a Master of Aeronautical Science degree (now called a Master of Science in Aeronautics), with Distinction, from Embry-Riddle Worldwide, with concentrations in aviation/aerospace safety systems and human factors aviation systems. Along with his Embry-Riddle degree, Sumwalt earned a B.S. degree from the University of South Carolina, and he was awarded honorary doctorate degrees from both institutions.
Advancing Safety and Innovation
Safety issues related to drones, urban air mobility technologies, and human-machine or machine-to-machine interfaces are examples of work to be completed by the Embry-Riddle Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety.
The university’s vision for the center also encompasses the safety of new technologies, such as automatic taxiing, artificial intelligence solutions, and streamlined or “trajectory-based” operations. Work may also include safety assessments of alternative aviation fuels, the safety impacts of new training systems such as virtual and augmented reality tools, high-tech options for increasing the efficiency of safety investigations, and more.