Dr. Robert Thomas

Dr. Robert “Bob” Thomas is an Assistant Professor in the Aeronautical Science Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach campus. He teaches accredited coursework in pilot training, aircraft performance, aviation instruction, curriculum design, and photography using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Additionally, Bob serves as the Chief Ground Instructor and a Flight/Check Instructor for ERAU’s 14 CFR 141 Pilot School Certificate. Bob’s research focuses on augmenting and improving flight training methods, education technology, virtual reality training, active learning, and assessing learner knowledge.

With 2800+ flight hours attained, Bob holds the following FAA certificates and ratings: Airline Transport Pilot ASEL & AMEL with CL-65 type rating, Gold Seal Flight Instructor ASE, AME, & Instrument-Airplane; Ground Instructor-Advanced; and Remote Pilot-sUAS.

Bob completed his Ph.D. in Aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a specialization in Aviation Safety and Human Factors. He has a Master of Science in Aeronautics Degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with concentrations in Aviation Weather and Education Technology. Bob also holds a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Human Factors, with a minor in Atmospheric Science, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Prior to becoming a professor, Bob was a full-time flight instructor at ERAU and helped form “Special VFR Productions” to create training videos and a corresponding YouTube page, which gained over 150K subscribers. Bob also was a flight instructor at the University of Illinois and at Central Illinois Air in Mattoon, IL. Additionally, Bob has experience in radio and television production with stations in Illinois serving as a Weather Broadcaster on both AM Radio and TV at WILL, a PBS affiliate, and as the Assistant Operations Manager and Evening Newscast Director for WICD, an ABC affiliate.