Aviation Alumni Stories
We are proud to feature a selection of School of Aviation alumni stories, curated by Professor Andrew Gilbey, celebrating the inspiring journeys and achievements of our alumni around the world.
Sam Rawlings
Sam began studying for the Bachelor of Aviation Management degree in the first semester of 2017 and graduated in 2020. Before even graduating, he had begun at Wellington Airport as a Works Safety Officer in 2019. One year later, Sam had enrolled in a Master of Aviation, while continuing to work full-time, which he completed (with merit) in 2023!
When Andrew spoke with Sam, he was fascinated to learn that for the last 9 months, Sam has been the Operations Process Manager - EMAS Project at Wellington Airport (EMAS = Engineered Materials Arrestor System or ‘arrester bed’, which basically is in place to reduce the severity of the consequences of an aircraft running off the end of a runway). This is a major project, which Andrew found absolutely fascinating to hear about!
Although Sam is only 25 years old, he has already held a variety of roles at Wellington Airport before beginning his current role; for example, he started as Works Safety Officer, before moving to roles such as Airfield Operations Coordinator, Airfield Works Coordinator and Operations Process Manager.
After catching up, although Sam typically didn’t mention it at the time, Andrew also spotted that he was a finalist for the NZ Airports Association 2023 Emerging Leader of the Year award.
Sam’s success hasn’t just fallen onto his plate – it has been well and truly earned.
For example, while he was an undergraduate student, Sam worked every summer break. First, in 2016 as a storeman and truck driver, then as a passenger experience assistant at Auckland airport (2017) and a bead-blaster (2018) with Fresco. If that’s not enough, overlapping with these jobs and his undergraduate studies, Sam somehow managed to work for a drug testing company for 3 years. Astonishingly, there are several more entries on Sam’s CV – although there isn’t enough space here to mention them.
When Andrew caught up with Sam, it was readily apparent how much he enjoyed working at Wellington Airport: from the people, to the opportunities, to the city itself – Sam was like an ambassador for Wellington Airport and all things Wellington!
Sam offered a few words of wisdom for those currently studying: Be Curious, ask lots of questions and grasp any opportunity you’re given; learn about the future – Sustainability (Electric & Hydrogen aircraft) and AI are becoming important focuses for the industry today, while new technologies such as Air Taxis are also closer than you think!
From 1 April, Sam steps into a new chapter, taking on the role of Manager Airfield at Wellington Airport. In this position, he will oversee the day-to-day operations of the airfield while contributing to its future strategic planning – a move that reflects both his experience and growing leadership in the aviation sector.
And what about the future? Sam says, “what I know for sure is that I’ll be in the aviation industry. As I continue to develop professionally, I’d like to run an airport myself one day. Outside of work, it’s important to have a strong and supportive group of friends and family. I love to socialise, whether this is through social sports, travelling or other occasions.”
Quyen Bui
Quyen Bui graduated with a Master of Aviation with Distinction in 2023. Andrew clearly remembers Quyen as she received an A+ in his research methods paper and never once wasn’t smiling!
Quyen told Andrew she’s always had a passion for aviation. Her career began at the busiest airport in Vietnam, Tan Son Nhat International Airport, where she spent a decade working in training, compliance, and safety. As a team lead, she managed a team overseeing training programs for airport operations staff, ensuring high safety standards across operations. Being an IATA-approved Dangerous Goods instructor was also a significant part of that role, involving frequent travel, training sessions at various airports and engagement with the local teams.
As wonderful as that all sounds, Quyen credits her Master’s degree in Aviation at Massey University for pulling her out of that routine (sounds like a good routine to us!) and inspired her to pursue 'the great OE' she had long dreamed of undertaking.
Quyen arrived in New Zealand just a week after Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 and spent the rest of the year completing her Master of Aviation (Research pathway) with Distinction – quickly becoming a well-known face around the School.
Interestingly, the first half of Quyen’s degree was done by distance from Vietnam, while balancing full-time work and having a baby: the other half took place on campus at Massey’s School of Aviation. Quyen describes her studies as an emotional rollercoaster of deadlines, work and family commitments, but she knew this degree would be worth it.
Quyen’s thesis is now being further developed with Dr Wu from Massey University and two lecturers from Auckland University, with the aim of publishing it in academic journals this year, on the topic of “Sustainability Strategies for Reducing Airports’ Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Case Study of Incheon International Airport”. Watch this space!
Quyen now works as a Flight Operations Coordinator at Skyline Aviation (aka New Zealand Air Ambulance Service), NZ’s largest fixed-wing aeromedical operator, in sunny Hawkes Bay, where she helps manage air ambulance and jet charter services across New Zealand and the South Pacific.
Her role is heavily involved in flight operations, crew rostering, and managing competency training to ensure compliance with CAA Part 125 and Part 135. She reports that what excites her most is being able to manage the challenging nature of human factors and the complexity of crew and aircraft across the six bases, making every day a new challenge.
Looking ahead, Quyen sees herself having a continuing passion for aviation, learning every day and making a meaningful impact. Everyone at the School wishes her luck and can see she’s already having that impact!
Toby Flatley
Toby was one of the School of Aviation’s ‘Management’ students – he started his studies in Semester 1 of 2016 and graduated by 2019 with a Bachelor of Aviation Management, having twice been named on the Dean’s list (which means he achieved an average of A- overall or higher across an academic year). He also spent his final semester as an exchange student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, a time he remembers as interesting and exciting.
Toby’s first aviation position was as a manager with Swissport International Ltd, which he began as soon as he had finished his undergraduate studies. If anyone doesn’t know, Swissport is a major aviation company that employs around 60,000 people globally, providing essential support activities such as passenger services, ramp handling, and air cargo handling. With Swissport, Toby began as the Airport Services Manager at Dunedin Airport, before moving on to the same roles in Broome Airport in Western Australia, and then The Sunshine Coast airport in Queensland.
Now, if beginning a managerial career and moving across the Tasman wasn’t enough, Toby somehow found the time to complete a (Research Pathway) Master’s in Aviation (MAv) via distance. His thesis title is “Analysing air passenger flows between New Zealand's smaller regions and Australia: a gravity model”. He graduated with his MAv in 2021, with distinction. But there’s still more - the icing on the cake is that in 2024, Toby’s thesis, rewritten into ‘academic style’, was published in the Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy, along with his thesis supervisors (Kan and Thanh) as co-authors.
Also in 2021, Toby joined the Sunshine Coast Airport as manager of Terminal and Security Operations. This has proven to be a job with a wide range of activities, from overseeing the security of the airport to managing contracts and day to day running – with a team of duty managers reporting to him. To put this achievement in context, this was just five years after beginning his studies in aviation!
When Andrew Gilbey from the School of Aviation spoke to Toby about his work, he noted how enthusiastic he is about his work and that he is clearly thriving on the variety of tasks he may be called upon to do and, in particular, seeing all the passengers come and go safely, efficiently and happily from his airport. Andrew noted how rewarding it is for all those who work at the School of Aviation, it is fantastic to see one of the School’s graduates doing so well in his chosen field.
While obviously there will have been a lot of learning on the job and gaining of ‘hands-on’ experience, Toby looks back favourably on his time with Massey University and the courses he studied, which he believes provided a solid grounding to start his career. He particularly valued the courses on Airline Operations and Airport Planning.
Outside of work, in his time off, Toby enjoys swimming and using the flight simulator he has at home.
Reflecting on his journey, Toby offers this advice to current and future students: “Keep your options open and explore as many areas of the aviation sector as you can. There are many unique challenges, and that’s what makes the industry so exciting.”
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Woody began studying for the Bachelor of Aviation Management degree in the first semester of 2013 and graduated early 2016. Woody’s journey to graduation included spending a semester at Embry Riddle Aviation University as an exchange student, for which he won an ’Exchange Students Travel Grant’, a Freemasons University Scholarship, and a place on the Dean’s list.
Andrew Gilbey remembers Woody always doing something for the University – helping at orientation and events hosted by our School, and numerous events hosted by the wider university. If you picked an event, you could bet Woody would be there with a smile! Andrew also remembers that Woody turned up to every single class of his, and gained straight A grades in both – having shown a keen interest in the topics, and asking some good questions along the way.
After graduating, Woody joined the specialist aviation consultancy, Airbiz, who employ people in roles such as airport and terminal planners, business analysts, aviation environmental and sustainability advisors, aviation marketing specialists, project facilitators, simulation experts and creative strategists.
He started off in Auckland, then moved to London for two years to work on European projects, and is now based in Melbourne, Australia, where he has been a part of the Airbiz team for the Western Sydney International (WSI) Airport project, where Woody said, “It has been amazing seeing WSI progress from a drawing on a computer screen to a real-life airport and I'm immensely proud to be involved with the project.” In between all this, Woody even managed to attend the 2024 World Annual General Assembly, Conference, and Exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, hosted by Riyadh Airports Company.
Woody has this to say to those still studying or thinking about enrolling: “Aviation is really exciting, and most people love it, even if they aren’t involved in the industry. You typically find that those working in aviation are happy to give advice and provide opportunities to people who are keen and show an interest. Lean into the buzz of it, contact people who you see as mentors, ask lecturers about their story and how they got into the industry, contact companies you are interested in working for or doing an internship with. Don’t be afraid to bother people, that’s how I got my role at Airbiz.”
Woody has a clear vision of his future in aviation: “The industry is on the precipice of change and there is a huge opportunity to reinvent many of the antiquated airport processes with technology. We have already seen this with a lot of airport check-in moving to phone/application-based processes, however there is still a long way to go. I hope to be involved in creating new processes, evaluating the change this will have on the industry and bringing stakeholders along for the ride.”