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UK-based Cranfield University will start delivering some of its industry leading aviation accident investigation training courses in Melbourne in April. The courses will provide the rapidly growing Asia Pacific market with easier access to Cranfield’s highly respected and sought-after safety training.
Cranfield will work with respected local industry partner MEMKO to coordinate and run the Australian courses that will be presented by Cranfield academic staff from the UK.
Head of the Cranfield Safety and Accident Investigation Centre, Professor Graham Braithwaite, said: “I am thrilled that Cranfield can play an expanded role in helping to improve safety in the Asia Pacific region and it’s great that we can respond to the industry’s requests to deliver programs on the ground in Australia.”
This initiative comes at a time when there is increased scrutiny on accident investigations given recent incidents, highlighting the need to build and develop vital skills across the sector.
Cranfield is well known across the aviation industry. The original Cranfield Aircraft Accident Investigation Course was established in 1977 in collaboration with what is now the UK Government’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch. There is a substantial Cranfield alumni community in Australia and across Asia, who have travelled to the UK to access the university’s programs. Delivering selected courses in the region will save industry professionals valuable travel time and expense in accessing Cranfield’s sought after training.
Cranfield appointed former Flight Safety Foundation Asia Pacific Director and Aviation/Aerospace Australia Deputy Chair Paul Fox as a Visiting Fellow in May last year to scope the needs of the growing aviation industry across the Asia Pacific market and to plan the university’s roll out in the region. Paul has since been appointed Regional Manager (Asia Pacific) for the Cranfield Safety and Accident Investigation Centre.
Paul Fox said: “Having access to Cranfield University’s almost 50 years’ of experience in aircraft accident investigation in Australia, will make a huge difference to the aviation safety and accident investigation capabilities in the region, and will allow many more industry professionals to access this world leading training.”
Cranfield’s first course to be held in Australia will be the highly regarded 5-day Aviation Safety Investigation Course, designed for those working within the safety function of airlines, airports, ground handling providers, manufacturers, regulators, air navigation service providers or professional associations and unions. The course is built around an investigation simulation and will provide both the theoretical knowledge, and the practical skills required in conducting safety investigations. The course will be delivered face-to-face in Melbourne from 31 March to 4 April 2025, immediately after the Avalon Australian International Airshow.
Cranfield will also bring its 2-day Hazard and Evidence Awareness for Air Accident Responders Course to Melbourne offering two courses on 31 March to 1 April and 2 to 3 April (revised dates). The course covers both site safety work practices and evidence protection and preservation, working with a real aircraft in a simulated crash scenario. The course is designed for anyone who attends aircraft accident sites including airport rescue and fire fighters, airport response personnel, airline safety personnel, aircraft maintenance organisations, safety regulators, insurers and professional investigators. The course is also aimed at emergency services first responders such as police, fire and ambulance personnel, who are often the first on the scene of dangerous aviation accident sites.
Contact information
For further information contact:
Paul Fox
Visiting Fellow & Regional Manager (Asia Pacific) – Safety and Accident Investigation Centre
Cranfield University
Mobile: +61 410 737 686 Email: [email protected]
About Cranfield University
Media enquiries: [email protected]
Cranfield is a world-leading specialist postgraduate university with expertise in science, technology, engineering and management. Working with business, academia, governments and other organisations we deliver applied research that has a real-world impact. In the Research Excellence Framework 2021, 88% of our research was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.
Cranfield has large-scale facilities and global industry partnerships and is one of the few universities in the world to have its own airport – creating a unique environment for research and teaching.
Cranfield’s Safety and Accident Investigation Centre delivers world leading teaching, research and consultancy in safety and accident investigation, safety management and human factors. It has set the standard for aircraft accident investigation training since 1977 and in 2004, added training for rail and marine accident investigators and launched the world’s first MSc for professional transport accident investigators.
Cranfield is a six-time winner of the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize, the highest national honour for educational institutions, with one of these awards given in recognition of the work of the Safety and Accident Investigation Centre.
About MEMKO
Media enquiries: [email protected]
MEMKO is Australia’s leading provider of aerospace engineering, training and technology solutions to defence, global aviation OEMs and airworthiness authorities. MEMKO’s multidisciplinary engineering teams have extensive experience in aerospace product design, analysis, modelling and simulation, testing, continuing airworthiness management, systems engineering and digital twins. MEMKO is appointed by the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority under CASR Subpart 21.M to certify repairs and modifications for aircraft and aircraft systems.
As a Certified Solutions Partner of Dassault Systèmes MEMKO delivers technology solutions centred on the 3DEXPERIENCE product lifecycle management platform. Access to comprehensive technical data standards and advanced aerospace design and modelling applications from Dassault Systèmes, CATIA, ENOVIA, SIMULIA and DELMIA enable the efficient delivery of projects.
MEMKO has a long history in Australia of providing aviation and aerospace short courses, expert training in the Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE software and microcredential training for in-demand industry skills such as Model Based Systems Engineering and digital twins.
MEMKO’s services are assured by a robust quality management system certified to international aviation and aerospace standards AS/EN 9100, ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 for information security.
MEMKO has offices in Melbourne, Australia, Singapore and Bangalore, India.
