Griffith University 7512NSC Assignment 2: Aviation Leadership Report

This report delves into the aviation leadership of Neil Armstrong, examining his background as a naval aviator, test pilot, astronaut, and university professor. It explores Armstrong's contributions to aviation and aerospace, focusing on his pivotal role as the first man to walk on the moon. The report provides a detailed account of his career, including his experiences in the Korean War, his work as a test pilot, and his involvement in the Gemini and Apollo programs. It assesses Armstrong's leadership and management style, comparing his performance to other aviation leaders and drawing conclusions about his strengths, weaknesses, and the key lessons learned from his achievements. The analysis considers his performance against the theoretical frameworks learned in the course, providing recommendations for future applications in the field of aviation leadership.

Running head: AVIATION LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 1
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AVIATION LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 2
Executive summary
The aviation and aerospace industries have received massive development since it started.
It has also generated one of the most remarkable figures that ever existed in history. One of the
notable figures that this paper will discuss is Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong is an America
naval aviator, test pilot, astronaut and a university professor. He was the first man to step as well
as walk on the surface of the moon. His amicable achievements have contributed to the growth
of aviation and aerospace.This paper seeks to discuss the history of Neil Armstrong, background
and leadership performance in aviation as a pilot and as an astronaut. It further seeks to explore
his contribution to the development of aviation through his outstanding achievements.

AVIATION LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 3
Table of Content
Executive summary.........................................................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
The background of Neil Alden Armstrong......................................................................................5
The Contribution of Armstrong as a Test Pilot and Aeronautical Engineer....................................5
The Contribution of Armstrong as an Astronaut.............................................................................6
Gemini Program...........................................................................................................................7
Apollo program............................................................................................................................7
Teaching..........................................................................................................................................8
Leadership and management of Armstrong.....................................................................................9
Conclusion and Recommendation.................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................12

AVIATION LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 4
Introduction
The development of aviation started when mankind started to extend his effort in
perusing the sky using flying objects. The aviation industries started over 2,000 years back with
the invention of kites and gliders. The discovery of hydrogen in the 17th and 18th century
contributed to the development of the hydrogen balloon that carried people at high altitude across
different miles. It was in the 19th century that tethered balloons used to transport people and
observe battles safely above the ground. The gliders then became an essential groundwork for
engine technology, massive aircraft and further developments in the aviation and aerodynamics.
The aviation industry has produced some of the most outstanding figures that have ever
lived in history. The notable leaders in aviation include those pilots and aeronautical engineers
who have bravely pushed the bounds of flight in ways that were previously unimaginable. These
notable figures have touched many individuals in the field of aviation far beyond the flying
world through their extraordinary talents, accomplishments and deeds. The aviation industry has
also produced a number of people whose heroism rises above their job description.
Some of these leaders that have contributed to the growth of the aviation and aerospace
industry include Charles Lindbergh, Orville and Wilbur Wright, Neil Armstrong and many more.
Charles Lindbergh taught himself to fly and his New York-Paris flight ignited global passion for
aviation. Charles later participated in the development of new technologies, endorsing and
consulting on the United State space efforts (Hellweg and Baumstark, 2007). Orville and Wilbur
Wright made an enormous contribution to the aviation industry. The Wright brothers are known
for making the first powered, heavier than air flight which lasted for only 12 seconds (Hallion,
2003). They laid the foundation of aeroplane invention. They tirelessly devoted themselves to the
perfection of human-powered flight and lastly developed a world of aviation individuals’ value
today.
Neil Armstrong is one of the remarkable figures who has contributed immensely in both
the aerospace and aviation industry. He became interested in aviation at an early age. This paper
seeks to discuss the history of Neil Armstrong, background and leadership performance in
aviation as a pilot and as an astronaut. It further seeks to explore his contribution to the
development of aviation through his outstanding achievements.

AVIATION LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 5
The background of Neil Alden Armstrong
Neil Armstrong was an American naval aviator, University professor, test pilot, an
aeronautical engineer and astronaut. He was the first man to successfully land and walk on the
moon surface. He was born in 1930 at Wapakoneta in Ohio. Armstrong was the eldest son of
Koenig Armstrong and Louise Engel. His love for flying started at an early age when his father
took him to the Cleveland Air Races at the age of two years (Hansen, 2012). At the age of six,
Armstrong experienced his first flight when he took a ride in a Ford Trimotor. He went to school
at Blume High School as well as commenced his lessons at Wapakoneta airfield,. Armstrong got
his flight certificate at the age of sixteen before getting a driving license.
Armstrong started to study aeronautical engineering at Purdue University in 1947
(Barbree, 2014). He needed to commit two year periods of study, at that point an additional two
long periods of flight preparing and one more year of service in the U.S. Naval force. In 1949,
Armstrong's call-up from the naval force arrived and was required to report to Naval Air Station
Pensacola for flight preparing. After he successfully passed the medical examinations, he began
to conduct flight training in North American SNJ trainer. In 1950, he made his first carrier
landing on the USS Cabot (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). This was an achievement to his first
solo flight.
In 1950, he graduated because he had fully qualified as a naval aviator. He was then
called into action in the Korean War as an aviator in 1951. He flew approximately 78 missions
over Korea in the air. Armstrong returned to Purdue University to complete his degree and later
graduated with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1955 after the Korean War (Barbree,
2014). He later joined the University of Southern California where he completed his Master's
degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1970.
The Contribution of Armstrong as a Test Pilot and Aeronautical
Engineer
After graduating from Purdue University, he became an experimental research test pilot.
He made his first test flight in 1955 in Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory in Cleveland. He did
not stay there for long before he got a job at the High-Speed Flight Station. Due to his
experiences, Armstrong was tasked to fly chase planes during experimental aircraft releases from
modified bombers on his first day. He had one of his flight incidents at Edwards as he flew his

AVIATION LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 6
first modified bombers (Collins, 2001). Armstrong was also in the Boeing B-29 Superfortress
which was to air-drop a Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket in 1956 (Kraft and Schefter, 2001). During
his time, he served a project pilot on Century Series fighters such as the McDonnell F-101
Voodoo, the Republic F-105 Thunderthief, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and many more.
Armstrong was among the eight eligible pilots that were selected in the Parasev paraglider
research vehicle Program. Armstrong flew over 200 aircraft models in his career.
In 1957, he flew his first flight in a rocket-fueled flying machine in the Bell X-1B to 11.4
miles altitude. The nose landing gear failed as had always occurred in previous flights of the Bell
X-1B. Additionally, Armstrong has flown the North American X-15 over seven times which
included his first flight with the Q-ball system, the first flight of the MH-96 adaptive flight
control system and the first flight of the number 3X-15 airframe (Dickey et al., 1994). Later in
1958, he was employed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
On his sixth X-15 flight, armstrong flew to a height that exceeded 207,000 feet while
testing the MH-96 control system (Thompson, 1992). This was the highest he had flown prior to
Gemini 8. He held up the flying machine nose for a long time to show the MH-96's g-limiting
performances and this resulted in X-15 to balloon back up to approximately 140,000 feet
(Bizony, 2012). This made Armstrong fly past the landing field at over 100,000 feet in altitude
and found himself 40 miles south of Edwards. Armstrong returned to the landing area after the
adequate descent and landed. It was the longest X-15 flight in ground track length as well as
flight time (Jenkins, 2000).
As much as Armstrong had unmatched skills in piloting, he had exorbitant engineering
ability. He was a technically capable pilot that could handle X-15. According to Bill Dana,
Armstrong had a mind that could absorb things like a sponge. The seven flights of the X-15 were
made between1960 and 1962 and reached a top speed of Mach 5.74 in the X-15-1. He left the
Flight Research Center with a total of 2, 400 flying hours.
The Contribution of Armstrong as an Astronaut
After showing remarkable skills and experience as a test pilot, Armstrong was selected by
the Air Force’s Man in Space Soonest program but the Advanced Research Projects decline to
fund the program in 1958. After three months, Project Mercury, a project run by NASA took
over. Since Armstrong was a non-military citizen test pilot, he was not qualified to be one of the

AVIATION LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 7
astronaut at the time as the choice was just confined to military aircraft testers (Francis et al.,
2010).
He was later chosen in 1960 to be part of the consultant team for the X-20 Dyna-Soar to
give guidance on the development of the military space plane by Boeing for the Air Force.
Armstrong was then chosen by the United States Air Force as one of the pilots that could fly the
X-20 right from the design board. NASA announced the second group of astronauts for Project
Gemini in 1962. It was an open selection to qualified civilian test pilots and Armstrong was one
of the civilian astronauts that was chosen for the second group (Nelson, 2009).
Gemini Program
After See and Armstrong being selected as civilian test pilots, they were announced
reinforcement group for Gemini 5 in 1965. Armstrong was the commander with the help of Pete
Conrad and Gordon Cooper. The mission was purposely for space rendezvous practice and to
create better procedures as well as equipment for the long seven days flight duration. The
practice was also essential as it was also required for a mission to the moon (Nickell, 2008).
Later, they performed the mission and it was successful despite fuel cells problem that
prevented rendezvous. Armstrong was the first American non military personnel in space.
Armstrong acted as the backup command pilot for the final assignment in Gemini 11 (Smith,
2005). Being knowledgeable about the frameworks, he went up against the instructing job for the
reinforcement pilot William Anders. In 1966, Conrad and Gordon successfully fulfilled the
mission objectives with the help of Armstrong as a capsule communicator.
Apollo program
After the Apollo 1 fire, Armstrong was selected to fly the lunar missions in 1967. Their
selection was announced officially later in the year. Armstrong was to be in charge of Apollo 11.
NASA appointed Bell Aircraft to construct two Lunar Landing Research Vehicles (LLRV).The
LLRV was built to give them some experience on how the Lunar Module (LM) would fly its
final landing decent. After Armstrong’s control degraded in 1968, the LLRV started rolling but
he ejected safely (Shapiro, 2012 and Harland, 1999). Had he have delayed for second, his
parachute would not have opened in time and could lead to Armstrong death. But he still
maintained that LLRV and LLTV gave the commanders valuable experience in lunar landing
behaviour and without them, lunar landing could not have been successful. NASA also started

AVIATION LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 8
lunar landing simulator training in addition to the LLRV training. Armstrong and Aldrin
collaboratively worked with the educators to prepare for the most practical potential outcomes
they could experience during the real lunar landing.
After announcing the Apollo 11 crew in 1969, the back crew lead by Armstrong began to
prepare them for the lunar landing journey. In July 1969, the Saturn V rocket launched Apollo 11
at Kennedy Space Center to the moon (Shapiro, 2012 and Brooks et al., 1979). Armstrong was
the commander of the crew. On their way to the lunar surface, he noticed that they were going
toward an area believed to be dangerous and he had to take over manual control of the LM to
locate a safe area to land (Lovell et al., 2000). This took longer than expected but they eventually
landed on the surface of the moon. This made him the first American civilian to step and walk on
the lunar surface. Armstrong safe landing and walking on the moon has been his greatest
achievement as a test pilot and aeronautical engineer. Armstrong perspective on the space
program role in the world was fascinating. He strongly advocated for education as well as
engineering in spite of his reputation and achievements. He returned to the teaching career to
equip a new generation of engineers at Cincinnati University in aerospace engineering.
As much as America and the world saluted Armstrong for being the first man to set a foot
on the moon, he remained unassuming and kept it private until he died in 2012 (Cernan and
Davis, 1999). Armstrong shunned the status of being a celebrity following the massive
achievement of landing on the moon (Kranz, 2001). His astonishing life in aerospace is
incomparable to other pilots and engineers in the field of aviation and aerospace (Chamberlin
and Rose, 1964). Although most of his life revolved around piloting in combat missions with the
U.S. Army, NASA and commanding Gemini 8 and Apollo11 missions, he had exceptional
engineering skills and could absorb everything instructed. In addition to keeping a low profile,
Armstrong got insight into aviation at the early age and even started building some aircraft
model as early as sixteen years. Despite the numerous achievements as an astronaut, he was
adamant to turn his achievements into fortune and fame as compared to the Wright brothers who
sold their aircraft to the Army. These are among the traits that make him an exceptional leader in
the aviation and aerospace industries.
Teaching
After a successful Apollo 11 flight, Armstrong announced of not having plans to fly in
space again. NASA named him as the Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics and

AVIATION LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 9
served in this position for just a single year and surrendered from the position and NASA in
1971. He accepted the offer of the University of Cincinnati to teach in the Department of
Aerospace Engineering. He chose Cincinnati over other universities because the university had a
small aerospace department. He was the Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Cincinnati
University. Armstrong developed aircraft design and experimental flight mechanics while at the
university (Bowles, 2010). He resigned from teaching after teaching at Cincinnati for eight years.
Armstrong has contributed amicably to both the aviation and aerospace industry.
Leadership and management of Armstrong
Armstrong was a serving leader in ways that are unimaginable. He is one of the leaders in
aviation that became enthralled with aviation at a young age. He demonstrated amicable
performances in the United State Navy in more than 78 missions in the Korean War. He went to
NACA where he started his career as an experimental research test pilot and later employed by
NASA where he immensely achieved by being the first man to step and walk on the moon.
Armstrong has demonstrated his leadership skills when he was in charge of Gemini 8 and Apollo
11(Cortright, 1975). Brevity is one of the strengths of leadership that Armstrong had. It took him
a lot of courage to climb in a top Saturn V and control the lunar module manually to land safely
even if they were running out of fuel. Armstrong courage under pressure necessitated the mission
to succeed. He had a sense of humility and never sought attention and this enabled them to work
in a collaborative manner with his crew. In addition to humility, Armstrong embraced teamwork.
He was able to organize an effective team that contributed to the moon landing achievements.
On the other hand, Armstrong was unwilling to change and never wanted attention. He
kept a low profile and made people believe that he was a recluse. He never wanted to change his
life and in many cases, he declined several public appearances and interviews. With regard to
result in the aviation and aerospace industries, Armstrong produced the remarkable outcome in
every place he offered his service, right from the navy to aeronautic career. In his experimental
research test pilot exercises, he was able to fly seven X-15 aircraft models (Burgess, 2013). At
Cincinnati University he created two classes in aeronautical engineering. Most of his
contributions are also seen when he acted as a spokesman in several businesses like Chrysler,
Gates Learjet where he flew their new experimental jets. He also became a member of Cincinnati
Gas and Electric Company which was interested in nuclear power and technical competence of

AVIATION LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 10
the company. Armstrong has also trained and taught several young people in aeronautical
engineering as well as offering them flight lessons.
The landing and walk on the moon by Armstrong was one of the greatest achievement in
the exploration of the outer space. It elaborated the technology of flight and necessitated
collection of significant materials and information concerning the outer space and the moon. The
flight provided crucial information on the long distance travel and revealed possible difficulties
that were not seen before the flight. Armstrong and his crew flight proved the ability of the
human to travel in space for such a long time (Chaikin and Hanks, 2007). Armstrong mission on
the moon has increased the development of science and technology that is being experienced
today and in future. The success of Armstrong’s crew on the moon has greatly impacted
invention and innovation of sophisticated things we use today. The Apollo 11 also made an
enormous impact on the people, politics and economy.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Armstrong has immensely contributed immensely in the aviation industry ranging from
being a test pilot, extraordinary aeronautical engineer to a university professor. As a university
professor at Cincinnati University, he developed two graduate-level classes such as experimental
flight mechanics and aircraft design. He has helped many individuals to train as the pilot and
contributed to the development of the early X-15 aircraft. He also developed Armstrong-class
vessel that was capable of supporting a broad range of oceanographic research activities.
Besides, he has also offered a helping hand at technical investigations such as the explosion of
the aborted lunar landing of Apollo 13. He produced a chronology of the flight and what led to
the explosion. He also advocated for the space program and outlined the benefits of the space
program. He advocated that the space program provided technological leadership around the
world
The contribution of Neil Armstrong in the industries of aviation and aerospace continues
to be great. Being the first man to walk on the moon’s surface, a lot of progress in science and
airspace has been made. Armstrong is a man who portrayed courage, humility and teamwork. He
was a man of courage for many reasons. After being involved in Gemini 8 a disastrous mission,
he still accepted Apollo 11 mission. Before becoming an astronaut, he was a naval pilot during
the Korean War. This still reveals his courage. As a test pilot, Armstrong participated in a very
risky operation such as the test of X-15. Regardless of his achievements, Armstrong maintained

AVIATION LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 11
a low profile and never wanted attention. He also impacted the lives of many people through
teaching. After Apollo 11, he taught the University of Cincinnati for eight years. His efforts have
led to the invention of better equipment that is being used today.
There are many lessons from the performance and the leadership of Armstrong in the
aviation and aerospace industries. To begin with, Armstrong portrayed a sense of humility. He
was a kind of a man who opposed focusing on himself and saw his achievements as results of
doing his job. Secondly, he encouraged individuals to stay vigilant because problems occur when
they are list expected. When they were descending on the moon, the navigation system of Lunar
Module had targeted unsafe landing spot and Armstrong needed to take manual control of the
rocket in order to arrive it at a safe landing site. Leaders ought to dependably filter nature with
the goal that they can respond to evolving conditions.
In addition to being vigilant, Armstrong insists on never letting a decent issue go to
waste. After the Apollo 1 terrible catastrophe in 1967, the Apollo flights were put to a two-year
hold as the accident was examined. This incident did not derail the NASA team to fulfil the
president’s challenge to reach the moon but utilized the two years in the plan of a reasonable
control module to continue preparing for the moon arrival. Armstrong and his associates
exhibited steadiness and resourcefulness in managing the issue. Pioneers should figure out how
to perceive and esteem the commitment of their partner. Armstrong recognized the commitments
of Apollo 1-10 missions as they establish a framework that empowered his group to arrive on the
moon. Armstrong said in his discussions that every Apollo mission had particular objectives that
added to a definitive mission of arriving on the moon. Leaders should honor and respect those
who set the foundation for them.
From the work and experiences of Armstrong, leaders and numerous people have learned
the importance of the power of focus. In the wake of stepping on the moon surface, Armstrong
and Aldrin set a journal on lunar surface respecting the perished American and Russian
astronauts who had tried to reach the moon in the previous years. Armstrong had a focused,
methodical approach to his work and this portrays the power of a focused attention. People focus
is easily diffused among all their demand that competes for their attention.

AVIATION LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION 12
References
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practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Barbree, J. (2014). Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight. Macmillan
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39.
Bowles, M. D. (2010). The" Apollo" of Aeronautics: NASA's Aircraft Energy Efficiency
Program, 1973-1987 (Vol. 574). US National Aeronautics & Space Administration.
Brooks, C. G., Grimwood, J. M., & Swenson Jr, L. S. (1979). Chariots for Apollo: A history of
manned lunar spacecraft.
Burgess, C. (2013). Moon Bound: Choosing and Preparing NASA's Lunar Astronauts. Springer
Science & Business Media.
Cernan, E., & Davis, D. A. (1999). The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and
America's Race in Space. Macmillan.
Chaikin, A., & Hanks, T. (2007). A man on the Moon: The voyages of the Apollo astronauts (p.
688). New York: Viking.
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Rockets, 1(1), 13-18.
Collins, Michael (2001). Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys. New York: Cooper Square
Press. ISBN 978-0-8154-1028-7. OCLC 45755963.
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Government Printing Office. OCLC 251694818. NASA SP 350.