Course Description

Rationale

The purpose of this course is to emphasize legal implications and personal responsibilities as a professional in aviation. This course is designed to provide the student with a general working knowledge of the law (common, civil, and international) as applied to the aviation industry in order to enable the aviation professional to recognize and avoid legal pitfalls.

Measurable Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Students will demonstrate knowledge of common legal terminology and concepts used in aviation law.
2. Students will describe the regulatory process of how new laws and regulations are created and enacted.
3. Students will explain the evolving roles, responsibilities, and securities of U.S. regulatory agencies and international organizations in aviation.
4. Students will describe many facets of administrative law procedures that are distinctive for specific facets of the aviation/aerospace industry (i.e. FAA rulemaking, enforcement, and medical certification, along with NTSB and judicial review).
5. Students will examine legal writing by reading aviation law cases in order to understand the model of legal thoughts and logical reasoning.
6. Students will apply a combination of biblical worldviews and aviation law principles to draw conclusions to current aviation law cases by using logical legal reasoning skills.
7. Students will analyze the impact and duties of aviation leaders on aviation law in regard to developing legislative rules within the aviation/aerospace industry.
8. Students will make distinctions between selling, buying, and leasing aircraft and the roles, responsibilities, laws, procedures, and liabilities of those transactions.
9. Students will describe the legal complexities of airport and airspace operations and compliances.
10. Students will implement the principles and procedures of labor relations in the aviation industry.

Course Assignment

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided promptly for each forum. Each thread must be 450-500 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 250 words.

The student will read and brief 3 different case opinions using a template provided. Each case brief must be one page and provide a succinct, accurate, and thoughtful analysis of the case decision and how it was decided.

Each quiz will cover all of the assigned Learn materials for the assigned Module(s): Week(s). Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain various multiple-choice and true/false, short answer, etc. questions, and have a 30-minute time limit.

• Part 1 – Topic Selection Exercise (Analysis) – The student will select a current topic within the aviation industry. The topic is to be a legal, moral, or ethical issue that has resulted, or is likely to result, in a lawsuit by or against individuals, businesses, or the government. The topic selected for this assignment will be used as the basis for all subsequent Legal Entanglement Project assignments throughout the course. The student will be expected not simply to regurgitate the particular issue but to describe the reasoning behind competing sides and to provide their own analysis as to the moral, legal, and practical considerations of the topic. The student will use a template to complete the Moral and Legal Issues Analysis.
• Part 2 – Literature Review (Knowledge Base) – The student will review 4 scholarly references from a variety of sources on the student’s selected topic from Part 1. These may be position statements, research articles, book chapters, legal journals, law review articles, etc. Standard news articles or law firm blogs are not to be used. As the student reviews the literature on the selected topic, he/she will identify emerging trends or issues that are likely to impact the aviation industry for the particular topic. The student will give a brief synopsis of each article and provide an analysis of what the author’s emphasis is, how the author reached their conclusions, and potential pitfalls or oversights the author may not be accounted for.
• Part 3 – Case Law Review (Knowledge Base) – The student will review 3 court cases on the selected topic, providing 1) an overview of the relevant facts, the court’s rationale, and case outcome, 2) whether the decision comports with Biblical concepts of justice, fairness, and due process, and 3) what the impact of the decision will be on the relevant areas of the aviation community. This particular assignment should be fluid, explanatory, and include your own commentary and opinions.
• Part 4 – Amicus Exercise (Analysis) – Sometimes the outcome of a lawsuit may impact a particular industry or group in such a manner that those not involved in the case may have a significant interest in how the case is decided. In this instance, individuals or groups may file an amicus brief —“amicus” meaning, “friend of the court”. The amicus brief is a persuasive, non-binding, tool that provides the court with additional authority and source material in support of a particular position. In this assignment, the student should assume that there is a lawsuit pending that hinges on the central issues surrounding the student’s topics. The student will write a position paper for each side of the chosen topic (2 sides) as if writing an open letter to the Court in support of each position. Although amicus briefs are typically legal briefs, this assignment will be in paper form. The paper should be written as though coming from two separate and opposing authors. The paper should use appropriate headers and structure and include citations and references to case law, scholarly articles, and commentary. This is an advocacy paper so your goal is not to be objective but to persuade.
• Part 5 – Topic Paper – The student has been invited to the 26th Annual Christians in Aviation Conference where numerous industry professionals will be attending to learn more about recent developments in aviation law from a Biblical worldview. The student has been asked to present at the conference (discussed in the next assignment) and prior to the topic being approved, the student needs to submit a paper that gives an overview of the presentation.
• Part 6 – Narrated PowerPoint – The student has been officially approved to present their topic at the Christians in Aviation Conference. Unfortunately, because the student is new to the conference, they have only been given about 15 minutes to give their presentation immediately following lunch at 1:15 on the last day of the conference when most of the attendees will either be falling asleep or sneaking out to catch their flights home. The student will prepare a Narrated PowerPoint presentation of at least 15 slides to present the topic at the Christians in Aviation Conference referenced in the last project assignment. The student will convey significant policies, laws, regulations, and procedures, as well as integrate a Biblical worldview relevant to the selected topic.