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Flight Instructor Professionalism, Kenneth P. Byrnes Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The inherent risk associated with aviation demands a high level of professionalism among aviation employees to ensure safety. Professionalism consists of factors such as technical competence, personal competence, neatness and attractiveness of dress, and personal conduct. Many of these factors are able to be taught, measured, or judged. However, conduct is an intangible quality that is not easily taught or quantified. As such, the professional behavior of aviation personnel is difficult for the FAA to mandate and regulate. An individual’s conduct is a learned behavior that originates through culture, role models, and experience. In aviation, conduct is instilled during the …