Flight Training - August 2024 - 47

ADVANCED PILOT DAY IN THE LIFE
BY NIKI BRITTON
AVIATION
PROFESSOR
TEACHING THE NEXT GENERATION OF
AVIATION PROFESSIONALS
DAN NEAL, PILOT, A&P shop owner, aviation professor, and academic
advisor at San Jose State University (SJSU) got his start in the industry
after graduating from the SJSU aviation program in 1981. At that time,
SJSU was also offering an in-house A&P program that Neal completed
along with his aviation degree. A few years later he sat on a job board
panel review for current SJSU students and was approached to teach by
the department chair.
" The chair said, 'hey, you want to teach a class?' So I did. And the next
semester, he came back and said, 'Do you want a full-time position?' Which
was really appealing. So, I did it, " Neal said. After five years of teaching, he
left to work in various aviation, defense, and engineering jobs; most of which
allowed him to continue to teach part-time.
Now, Neal is back to teaching full-time and owns and operates San
Martin Aviation, a maintenance shop at the San Martin Airport and teaches
courses in propulsion and aircraft systems, and avionics.
" What's unique about those classes is they're all lecture and lab
combinations where we do hands-on things, " Neal said. " In the power plant
lab, the students tear down an engine and reassemble it and it has to run at
the end of the semester. In the systems class, they work on real airplanes.
Most of our students are pilot-oriented, but I think it's important they have a
firm understanding of the systems that they're operating when they do fly. "
Neal also coaches the school's Precision Flight Team. San Jose State
competes in National Intercollegiate Flying Association competitions, and
for the last several years, they have performed well enough to compete in
the national competition.
" I'm just really a firm believer that hands-on programs are important,
especially in aviation fields, Neal said. " I think there's a lot of teaching
experience that goes along with it, but if we just present stuff to students,
their retention is really weak, maybe 10 percent...but if we show them
something, then show them what we want, and then make them go out and
do it, I think the retention goes up immensely. " FT
niki.britton@aopa.org
FLIGHT TRAINING AUGUST 2024
47
DAN NEAL
AVIATION PROFESSOR AT SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY
QUALIFICATIONS: At least a master's
degree
WORK/LIFE BALANCE: " We get summers
off and five weeks off over the holidays.
It's a really great and rewarding job, but
you're doing a full year's worth of work in
nine months. "
FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB: " I love
seeing the growth in our students. Seeing
these graduates go off and start their
careers in aviation, and we see it year
over year....It's really hard to go out in this
industry and not run into somebody that is
a graduate from the program. "
LEAST FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB:
" I think it's a fallout of the COVID years.
[Students] want more help than they ever
needed before, but we see them unwilling
in the classroom to stand up and answer a
question out loud because they lost their
anonymity of being at a Zoom session. "
PAY: " It ranges from about $85,000 for
the lower end up to nearly $200,000
at the top end. "
DAN NEAL
Flight Training - August 2024

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