Collin Davis McDonald

ProPilot Assistant Professor

Collin Davis McDonald
Room S246, Business & Aerospace Building (BAS)
MTSU Box 0067, Murfreesboro, TN 37132
Office Hours

Spring 2023 

Tuesdays 11 - 1 PM

Wednesdays 9 - 11 AM

Thursdays 11 - 1 PM

Please contact via email (collin.mcdonald@mtsu.edu) if you have a specific time that works better than open hours and I can accomodate.

Current Class Spring 2024 Schedule:

MWF - AERO 2230 001 8:00 - 8:55
            AERO 3170 005 11:30-12:25

TR -  AERO 3510 001 9:40 - 11:05
         AERO 2010 002 1:00 - 2:25

Degree Information

  • MS, Middle Tennessee State University (2022)
  • BS, Middle Tennessee State University (2017)

Areas of Expertise

International Humanitarian Aviation Support

Aircraft Maintenance and Inspection

Aviation Education and STEM Research

Biography

Mr. McDonald, a middle Tennessee native, has been an avid pilot and aircraft owner for over a decade. He has owned a Maule, a Piper Aztec, and currently a Cessna 140. Shortly after graduating from MTSU in 2017 with an undergraduate degree in Aircraft Maintenance, he and his wife relocated to Papua New Guinea where he served with an Aviaiton Missionary organization providing logistical assistance in medical emergencies and routine cargo hauling. He has operated as an instructor or manager in v...

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Mr. McDonald, a middle Tennessee native, has been an avid pilot and aircraft owner for over a decade. He has owned a Maule, a Piper Aztec, and currently a Cessna 140. Shortly after graduating from MTSU in 2017 with an undergraduate degree in Aircraft Maintenance, he and his wife relocated to Papua New Guinea where he served with an Aviaiton Missionary organization providing logistical assistance in medical emergencies and routine cargo hauling. He has operated as an instructor or manager in various flight schools in the Middle Tennessee area with responsibilities including helping develop the curricula for Private, Instrument, and Tailwheel courses. 

In 2020, McDonald returned to MTSU and completed his graduate degree in Aviation Safety & Security. His research focused on human factors in a varity of aviation industry participants including a capstone thesis on aircraft mechanic's FAA written tests scores affect by the Pandemic of 2020. At the same time, he began operating as an aircraft mechanic and became an Authorized Inspector (IA) with the MTSU Flight School Fleet. While a Graduate Student, McDonald served as a Teaching Assistant in undergraduate Part 147 Mechanic School. Upon graduation, he transitioned into his current role as a Assistant Professor in the Pro-Pilot concentration of the program. He currently teaches Professional Pilot I, Aviation Safety, Instrument Operations in the NAS, and other Professional Pilot Concentration Courses. He actively conducts research in aviation education, human factors, and a variety of other areas through both interdisciplinary collaboration and individual research projects.

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Presentations

  • McDonald, C.D. (2023). A Quantitative Analysis on the Affects of COVID-19 in Associate Programs versus Bachelor Programs using Initial Written Exam Scores for Aircraft Mechanics. Southeastern STEM Educaiton Research Conference (S2ERC) - January 2023. Cookeville, TN. 
  • McDonald, C. D. (2023). Of Plagues and Commandments: COVID-19 and the Part 147 Rewrite. University Aviation Association (UAA) Conference 2023. St. Petersburg, FL. 
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  • McDonald, C.D. (2023). A Quantitative Analysis on the Affects of COVID-19 in Associate Programs versus Bachelor Programs using Initial Written Exam Scores for Aircraft Mechanics. Southeastern STEM Educaiton Research Conference (S2ERC) - January 2023. Cookeville, TN. 
  • McDonald, C. D. (2023). Of Plagues and Commandments: COVID-19 and the Part 147 Rewrite. University Aviation Association (UAA) Conference 2023. St. Petersburg, FL. 
  • McDonald, C. D.; Saio, D. (2023). Examining the Relationship between Classroom Assessment and Project Based Learning. Submitted. Southeastern STEM Education Research Conference (S2ERC) 2024. Murfreesboro, TN. 

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Awards

  • James Buchanan Fellowship Program, MTSU Honors College.                             2013-2017
  • James Rardon Aviation Maintenance Student of the Year, ATEC                                       2017

Research / Scholarly Activity

  1. SME in the MTSU NASA F.O.C.U.S. Lab (2014-2017) Served as a maintenance SME while still an undergraduate student at MTSU in the NASA Funded Flight Operations Center - Unified Simulation (FOCUS) Lab.
  2. Advisory Board Member. Motlow Aviation Education Non-Profit. (2023 - Present). 

 

Creative Activity

Collin currently produces educational videos as well as documenting the restoration of a 80 year old Cessna 140 aircraft on his Youtube channel "The Flying Mechanic" which showcases his experiences as a pilot, mechanic, and ultimatly lifelong educator in all things aviation.

He is also a volunteer pilot with the Flagship Detroit Foundation flying the Flagship Detroit, the oldest DC-3 still actively flying in the world. For information on the Flagship, visit flagshipdetroit.org

In the Media

Special Projects

Former NASA FOCUS Lab (MTSU) Undergraduate Research Assistant & Project's Maintenance SME. 

Co-Pilot on the Flagship Detroit DC-3 (Flagship Detroit Foundation, Shelbyville TN).

Courses

AERO 1020 - Theory of Flight

AERO 2010 - Aviation Weather I

AERO 2230 - Professional Pilot I

AERO 3170 - Aviation Safety

AERO 3510 - Instrument Ops. in the NAS