Flight Operations versus Information Science

Comparing Information Science vs. Flight Operations

Flight operations is defined as the responsibility for safety training and flight inspections. Personnel in this field of specialty must ensure that FAA personnel are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to operate FAA aircraft, and aircraft meet the necessary specifications to get to different destinations safely (Riggins, 2022). Similarly, information science personnel are often responsible for training non-technical staff in the types of skills they need to be safe online, to operate the necessary programs used in the workplace, and also that all systems are free from possible threats from outside. Like information science personnel are always studying how potential security and mechanical breaches may occur and therefore how they may be prevented, flight operations staff are always studying the same regarding aircraft.

In other words, information scientists have many of the same responsibilities as individuals working in flight operations, and the similarities have only grown given the increased ubiquity of technology in modern life, and is role in modern aerodynamics. The critical differences often have to do more with location, whereby most information scientists may work in an IT department and frequently deal with laypersons, while flight program specialists deal with other specialists in the field, often in very hands-on situations. The stakes are always extremely high for flight operations, and are highly regulated by the FAA.

Although information scientists may deal with sensitive information or other highly skilled professionals in healthcare, their roles are often much more flexible, and there may be less pressure to conform to specific laws and guidelines (although they must respect laws governing privacy and security with the same care as flight operation specialists). Buckland (1991) defined information in the pre-Internet, pre-digital age primarily in terms of evidence-gathering. However, today, information is also a skill, in terms of retrieval and knowing how to operate technological mechanisms related to information. This is evident in both fields.