How Embry-Riddle inspired me to take my aviation career to the next level

Aidan Rock-Arnarson (’25), aged 22, is a final year student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Business Administration. Due to flexibility in location, coursework and scheduling, Aidan elected to pursue his degree online through Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Campus. 

Alongside his studies, from which he will graduate in September 2025, Aidan is currently working in supply chain cost analytics with Honda Aircraft Company (HAC) at the company’s global headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. Upon graduating, Aidan plans to take a full-time position with HAC. 

AeroTime recently spoke with Aidan about his background in aviation and his experience as a student at Embry-Riddle. He shared how earning an online degree from Embry-Riddle has provided him with both the education and the opportunities needed to fulfil his future professional goals in the global aerospace industry.  

Background 

Aidan begins by explaining that he comes from a family where aviation is in the blood. “I am the third generation of my family to pursue a career in the aviation industry,” he says. “My grandfather was a flight engineer for the company that became Icelandair before founding a chain of Part 145 maintenance facilities, while on my mother’s side, my grandparents ran a fixed-base operator (FBO) facility.”

“My father currently works in the aircraft leasing industry, having previously attended Embry-Riddle himself. Although I didn’t deliberately follow in his footsteps, the experience he obtained by attending Embry-Riddle inspired me. Given my family’s background in aviation, I always knew that it was the only industry I wanted to spend my professional life working in.”

Aidan Rock-Arnarson“During high school, I worked for our family FBO as a business development assistant. When it came to selecting where I went to college, Embry-Riddle, with its renowned global reputation for excellence and its choice of in-person or online bachelor’s programs, seemed the obvious choice,” he adds.  

“Ultimately, I chose Embry-Riddle as I believed it offered me the most opportunities to get on the first rung on the ladder for a professional aviation carrier while also offering a program that suited my interest and career aspirations the best.”  

Asked about why he chose to study an online program rather than attend an Embry-Riddle campus in person, Aidan cites the opportunity to work in the industry alongside his studies as a primary factor.  

“I quickly realized that while attending my first year at college, I could continue exploring work opportunities at an MRO (maintenance and repair organization) and continue to get useful hands-on aviation experience,” he explained. “I was also working alongside former Embry-Riddle students at the MRO, which I found immensely helpful. I don’t think I would have got that quality of experience had I attended college full time.”  

Aidan Rock-ArnarsonEngaging with Opportunities at Embry-Riddle 

It’s clear that Aidan has gained far more than just a high-quality education while attending the world’s most renowned aviation educational institution. His time at Embry-Riddle has been enhanced by a range of invaluable opportunities that he feels have helped develop him as an individual and as a future aviation professional.   

Aidan is currently the chair of the Embry-Riddle College of Business (COB) student council.

“During my junior year, I was selected to serve as vice chairman and was subsequently invited to return the following year as a student councillor. I was then elected to be chairman for the entire student council for my final year,” he explains. “As part of my role, we’ve been working on creating different opportunities for Embry-Riddle students to engage with industry leaders and have early interactions to forge connections with the industry within which they will ultimately work.” 

“I was always involved in student government through middle school and high school,” Aidan says. “I have always enjoyed helping develop opportunities for other students to grow and get experience that they may not have otherwise had, so I saw continuing that role at Embry-Riddle as a great opportunity to advocate for something that would have interested me in my younger years – to have access to industry leaders to listen to and learn from.”  

Aidan Rock-ArnarsonThe Embry-Riddle Career Ready Club  

Another aspect of Aidan’s extra-curricular activities at Embry-Riddle is his involvement in the College of Business Career Ready Club (CRC) as a career support ambassador for his fellow students.  

“The CRC is a student-run organization within the Career Services Division at Embry-Riddle. We essentially work on engaging with as many different employers as possible to find out about the current and upcoming opportunities for young and not-so-young professionals about to enter the civilian workforce,” Aidan explains.  

“The CRC has recently coordinated visits to several leading aerospace companies such as Gulfstream, The Boeing Company, NASA and Airbus. There will even be a group of current Embry-Riddle students coming out to Greensboro in March 2025 to visit us here at HAC. My specific roles are to facilitate these visits and help bring students access the real-world aviation arena and to explain what companies are doing and what career opportunities may await them upon graduation.”

“Particularly with online learning, not all students get the opportunity to actively engage with the industry on the ‘shop floor,’ so we provide these opportunities to allow all students to get actively involved… Building early connections is ultimately what it is all about,” Aidan adds.

Aidan Rock-ArnarsonTo ensure these opportunities are available to all Embry-Riddle students, Aidan and the CRC team make an extra effort to reach students at all Embry-Riddle locations, including the European location in Frankfurt and the international campus based in Singapore. With more than 160,000 Embry-Riddle alumni around the globe, the reach of the Eagle community is widespread.

“This means that at every major aerospace trade show or aviation conference or exhibition worldwide, there are likely to be several Embry-Riddle alumni for current students to connect with and discuss career prospects and opportunities. This alone is one of the greatest strengths of being an Embry-Riddle student,” Aidan says.  

“Ultimately, Embry-Riddle produces hyper-focused individuals who are extremely passionate about aviation. It is our role at the Career Ready Club to connect them with like-minded individuals who share the same values and who are already working in the industry,” Aidan concludes.  

A Role at Honda  

While completing his online studies at Embry-Riddle, Aidan has worked at Honda Aircraft Company (HAC) as a business analyst in the company’s HondaJet private jet aircraft division in Greensboro.

After building a connection with HAC through internship opportunities listed with Embry-Riddle’s Career Services and meeting HAC representatives at the Reno Air Show, Aidan was able to leverage his connections and land a role with the company.

“Having established a connection with the company and several former Embry-Riddle alumni already working there certainly helped in securing my internship,” he said.

“I initially secured a three-month internship in the company’s supply chain team for the summer of 2024. In that role, I was involved in strategic sourcing for new aircraft development, as well as supporting HAC’s indirect procurement operations,” Aidan adds.  

Aidan Rock-ArnarsonAfter completing his internship and continuing his studies, Aidan returned in January 2025 to work as a cost analyst within the company’s supply chain team. In this role, Aidan manages cost programs for HAC’s new aircraft project and supports environment, social and governance (ESG) initiatives.

“I have already secured a full-time position with HAC once I graduate in summer 2025, which I am delighted about. HAC is a fast-growing company with an established product range. Additionally, as a young person entering the industry, the company has been fantastic in providing me with invaluable opportunities to meet different suppliers, pursue other learning opportunities, attend business-related personal development courses and broaden my professional horizons outside of my day-to-day work tasks.” 

What Does the Future Hold? 

Aidan explains what lies ahead for him in terms of his future career and past experiences.

“At some point in the future, I would like to develop expertise in the aircraft leasing and finance industry, following in my father’s footsteps, perhaps working overseas in the commercial division of one of the large aircraft leasing firms and using my business analytical skills in an industry that I have always found fascinating. That would be a long-term ambition of mine, although there are a lot of milestones I wish to reach first,” he adds.      

Aidan believes that his studies at Embry-Riddle, along with the unparalleled opportunities they have presented, are an ideal springboard for a successful aviation career.     

Aidan Rock-Arnarson“A few months from now, I will be fresh out of college. With my love of aviation, which started when I was very young, backed by a world-class education from Embry-Riddle, and a foothold already established on the path to a successful aviation career through my position with HAC, I feel that my outlook is very bright,” he said.

“The opportunities and connections made while I was studying at Embry-Riddle have both played a major part in getting me to where I am today. With the network of former Embry-Riddle students stretching to all corners of the aerospace world, along with the college’s renowned reputation, backed by such esteemed institutions such as the Royal Aeronautical Society, I believe the aviation world is in my hands – it is now up to me to grab the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.”   

To learn more about business degrees and opportunities at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, visit erau.edu/aerotime.

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