The recent past is a testimony that man is inseparable from smart technology. This has led him to identify various ways to reach out to the society. One such way to share content is via audio blogs commonly known as Podcasts. Podcasts and the radio are almost alike, the only difference lies in the content. Radio is said to be more generic and podcasts are topic-oriented. Of course, despite being one-pointed, podcasts have engaged listeners with its dedicated content and therefore gathered a larger fanbase with time.
One major advantage of these podcasts is convenience, the audience can listen to them anytime, anywhere, on the move. People can find their interests among the varied options available. Podcasts made it easy for people across the world to connect to topics of their interests. People from various parts of the world are free to host podcasts on multiple topics and make knowledge accessible to all. And for AvGeeks, Udaan Aviation Academy has come up with India’s first and only aviation podcast ‘Airworthy Talks’. The podcast recently completed 1 year of industry focussed insights and insider stories.
Airworthy talks is a platform providing insights about the aviation industry through its interaction with fellow aviation professionals from various walks. These podcasts are specially tailored for the aviation enthusiasts by aviation professionals.
This gives me a perfect opportunity to take a look back on the year 2021 by penning down short gists of all the podcasts hosted by Udaan:
Pilots and air hostesses are the only careers we recollect when we hear the word aviation. But, the aviation industry has so much more affirms Mr. Arjun Vijayanarayanan. Working in this industry is filled with beautiful experiences states the speaker. Students willing to be a part of the aviation industry can take up material engineering, production engineering, interior designing, accountant, sales, and marketing as the industry has mixed needs emphasises the speaker. Mr. Arjun concluded that irrespective of the job role in the industry one gets to interact with various professionals.
Aviation itself is a mystery for the common man to understand and therefore it has many secrets embedded! Mr. Rakesh Dhannarapu, a young author has revealed many hidden facts/trivia about aviation through passenger-friendly language in his book ‘101 Flying Secrets’. The book is a manual for general flyers to get familiarized with the world of aviation. The author believes that a well-informed passenger is always an asset to the aviation sector and therefore dedicates his book for the same.
The guest of the podcast Mr. Sai Santosh Thota reckons that revenue management is the heart of the aviation industry, as the supply and demand of the industry remain in the hands of the revenue management sector. Aviation is not just confined to engineering it includes economics and all management subjects stated the guest. Along the podcast, Mr. Thota opined that people should track the fares for a week before they finalize their booking. Lastly, uncertainty is definitely a huge challenge faced by the aviation industry, but a career in aviation is always fuelled by passion concluded the guest.
Flyzy is one solution for a hassle-free journey. Mr. Deepak Meena co-founder of the application ‘Flyzy’ has shared his experience of developing the application. He believes that this application will assist the industry with easy and quick passenger processing. The mission of Flyzy as stated by the guest is to provide a safe and stress-free journey to flyers. Among other features of the application are contactless boarding, journey updates, baggage dropping, etc. The pilot idea of the app is to provide a seamless journey to passengers states, Mr. Deepak.
Within architecture, there exists a small niche called airport architecture. This architecture focuses on the master planning that caters to the needs of passengers as well as the airport employees stated Ms. Saloni Verma. The modern airports are spacious, minimalistic, and a world of their own. Such design offers passengers a seamless experience transiting through the airport. Therefore, airports create a strong impression on the minds of travellers. Students looking forward to a career in airport architecture must be proactive and have a zeal to learn more said airport architect Miss Saloni Verma.
An experienced and accomplished gentleman Mr. Anoop Bhatnagar shared that safety and security are the two main pillars of the airport. He outlined that challenges in aviation security can be ruled out with the proper implementation of rules and regulations. Mr. Anoop iterated that commercial aviation passenger’s confidence in air travel is purely due to the enhancement of aviation security. Speaking of the same, he mentioned that there are various exciting job roles available for students to establish a career in the field of aviation security.
Customer service is a multi-disciplinary service. The working of customer service personnel depends on the size of the organization says, Mrs. Salome Cupid. She recommends the budding customer service representatives to work through one day at a time in order to build confidence and add positivity to the work environment. Working in the customer service department is a package of varied experiences, as passengers are a mixture of emotions stated Mrs.Salome. Students looking for a career as a customer service executive should be prepared to take up challenges and have a lot of patience.
Harpreet A De Singh, a gem of the civil aviation industry started her career as a pilot and faced numerous challenges from the very beginning. As India’s first woman CEO of an airline, she says one can become first only when he or she takes initiative by overcoming challenges. She tells the audience that willingness to learn will help budding aviation professionals become successful. The top 3 skills required for aviation professionals are resilience, handling stress, and dedication to the industry said, Ms. Harpreet.
Airport business is a highly regulated business and makes money by helping people travel says Senior Airport Commercial Manager Mr. Mitthun Singh. Airport services focus on providing the best of the kind and hassle-free services to the passengers rather than making money said the speaker. He also added that running the airport with best practices, reverting to the customer queries, and providing quality services are major challenges faced by the commercial department of the airport. Business intelligence in airport operations is another segment that enhances the airport services to cater to this dynamic world said Mr. Mitthun.
Mr. Siddharth Venkat points to increasing demand for the drone industry in the near future. He also added that running a drone-based organization has become simpler in the recent past with limited certifications. The regulations of the industry are very dynamic and multiple dimensional stated the guest. He also added that smart city projects are dependent on drone allied industries. Therefore, a scope for multiple job roles like drone pilots, technicians, support staff, etc in the drone industry that budding aviation enthusiasts can look forward to. He concluded that medical deliveries will be done through drones in the coming future, and drones are soon to take over food and e-commerce deliveries.
Mr. Rachit Bhatnagar, CEO of Aerospace and Aviation Sector Skill Council (AASSC) said that the role of a CEO is full of activity. He opines that survival against odds is necessary for one to grow in this industry. Resilience and being resourceful are top skills amongst the other skills required for modern-day students said the speaker. Despite the challenges, the industry looks forward to proactive and quality-conscious aviation professionals, who are capable of managing and multi-tasking concluded Mr. Rachit.
The year 2021 was very eventful for Airworthy Talks with 11 inspiring, thought-provoking, and informational guests and their podcasts. Amongst all, their successful journey in aviation was fuelled by the ability to face challenges, resilience, and a pure determination to succeed despite the odds.
With this, we at Airworthy Talks look forward to bringing you many more such enriching and insightful podcasts in the year 2022.
Until then, keep listening and keep aviating!