Pruchnicki elected Fellow of Royal Aeronautical Society

Shawn Pruchnicki, a clinical assistant professor in ISE has been elected a Fellow in the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS).

The grade of fellow is the highest distinction within the professional society and is awarded for only the most exceptional contributions to the aerospace profession. This honor is conferred on those whose careers, leadership, inspiration and impact marks them out as among the most eminent, widely recognized and influential aerospace professionals of their generation. Pruchnicki was bestowed this honor as he has “made outstanding contributions in the profession of aeronautics, attained a position of high responsibility in the profession of aeronautics, and had long experience of high quality in the profession of aeronautics.” The award is decided by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s medals and awards committee, in conjunction with an International Adjudication Panel.

Established in 1866, RAes is the world’s only professional body dedicated to the aerospace community, and it seeks to promote the development of high professional standards and a central forum for sharing knowledge in aeronautical art, science, and engineering.

A pilot/flight instructor, accident investigator and aviation safety expert Shawn Pruchnicki teaches or has taught courses in cognitive engineering, aviation safety, human factors, accident investigation and complex aircraft operation at Ohio State. He previously spent 10 years as a captain with Comair Airlines (Delta Connection) and was extensively involved with both local and national safety work for the Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA). Pruchnicki participated in numerous accident investigations with the NTSB, including the Comair 5191 Lexington, KY accident where he was ALPA’s principle human factors investigator. He has been featured on CNN, USA Today, CNBC and CBC News, among others, and was an assistant producer and on-screen participant in CNN Films’ documentary "Sole Survivor."

Pruchnicki received specific human factors training at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the National Transportation Safety Board Training Center in Washington D.C. and with Dr. Sidney Dekker at Lund University in Lund, Sweden. He is a member of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI), the Association for Aviation Psychology (APA) and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES).