Learn more about a career in Aviation Safety

No, not all. Pilots train on basic safety checks.

In the specific role Ms Anderson has with the UN, the safety assessments conducted for air operators follow a totally different protocol. First, they are not assessing the safety of individual aircraft. They assess the safety of the air operator (who may own a fleet of aircraft (think Lufthansa or Delta Air Lines). It would be impossible to assess every single aircraft. Rather, they are assessing the relative focus to safe operations using a variety of criteria and data sources.

In this context, 'safety' is 100% pure business. No engineering background is required. A solid understanding of aviation business, airline/flight operations and data analytics are the primary educational requirements. This isn't a job someone can just walk into and do. Years of varied experience is needed.