Mr. McDonald, a middle Tennessee native, has been an avid pilot and aircraft owner for over a decade. He has owned a Maule, a Piper Aztec, and currently a Cessna 140. Shortly after graduating from MTSU in 2017 with an undergraduate degree in Aircraft Maintenance, he and his wife relocated to Papua New Guinea where he served with an Aviaiton Missionary organization providing logistical assistance in medical emergencies and routine cargo hauling. He has operated as an instructor or manager in various flight schools in the Middle Tennessee area with responsibilities including helping develop the curricula for Private, Instrument, and Tailwheel courses. 

In 2020, McDonald returned to MTSU and completed his graduate degree in Aviation Safety & Security. His research focused on human factors in a varity of aviation industry participants including a capstone thesis on aircraft mechanic's FAA written tests scores affect by the Pandemic of 2020. At the same time, he began operating as an aircraft mechanic and became an Authorized Inspector (IA) with the MTSU Flight School Fleet. While a Graduate Student, McDonald served as a Teaching Assistant in undergraduate Part 147 Mechanic School. Upon graduation, he transitioned into his current role as a Assistant Professor in the Pro-Pilot concentration of the program. He currently teaches Professional Pilot I, Aviation Safety, Instrument Operations in the NAS, and other Professional Pilot Concentration Courses. He actively conducts research in aviation education, human factors, and a variety of other areas through both interdisciplinary collaboration and individual research projects.

Outside the classroom, McDonald serves as an Advisory Board Member for Motlow Aviation Program, a volunteer pilot with the Flagship Detroit Foundation's DC-3, and a volunteer and mentor with the Sattler Foundation at the Lebanon Municipal Airport. He is an avid EAA and AOPA member and a current participant with WINGs courses and NAFI. He mentors in the Aerospace Department and for local students in the area. 

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Oral Presentations:

1. McDonald, C. D., Siao, D. H., Southeastern STEM Education Research (S2ERC) 2024 Conference, "Examining the Relationship between Classroom Assessment and Project Based Learning," S2ERC, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN. (January 12, 2024)
2. McDonald, C. D., University Aviation Association (UAA) 2023 Conference, "Of Plagues and Commandments: COVID-19 and the Part 147 Rewrite," UAA, St. Petersburg, FL. (September 28, 2023).
3. McDonald, C. D., Southeastern STEM Education Research (S2ERC) 2023 Conference, "A Quantitative Analysis on the Affects of COVID-19 in Associate Programs versus Bachelor Programs using Initial Written Exam Scores for Aircraft Mechanics," SSERC, Tennessee Tech University. (January 13, 2023)

Panels:

1. McDonald, C. D., Aviation Mental Health Symposium (AMHS) 2023, "Examination of Aviation Mental Health Research Ongoing in MTSU's Aerospace Department - Educational Panel Presentation," Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN. (November 1, 2023).

Poster Presentations:

1. Waters, H., McDonald, C. D., Mosey, P. T., National Aircraft Training Symposium (NTAS) 2024, "Hazardous Attitudes: A Study Identifying Mental Healthcare Avoidance Behaviors and Attitudes in a Collegiate Aviation Student Population," Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona, FL. (February 27, 2024).
2. McDonald, C. D., Corns, K. M., Saio, D., National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS) 2024, "Shaping AAM Educational Methods: A Comparison of Traditional and Compressed Class Schedules in UAS Classes.," Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona, FL. (February 27, 2024).

Research Roundtables:

1. Waters, H., McDonald, C. D., Mosey, P. T., University Aviation Association (UAA) 2023 Conference, "Collegiate Aviation and Mental Health: An Assessment of Barriers to Mental Health Service Utilization," UAA, St. Petersburg, FL. (September 28, 2023).

Other Research Activites:

1. SME in the MTSU NASA F.O.C.U.S. Lab (2014-2017) Served as a maintenance SME while still an undergraduate student at MTSU in the NASA Funded Flight Operations Center - Unified Simulation (FOCUS) Lab.

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