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 Aviation 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 Aviation Safety & Security graduate degree. His research focused on human factors in a variety of aviation industry participants, including a capstone thesis on aircraft mechanics' FAA written test scores affected 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. While a Graduate Student, McDonald served as a Teaching Assistant in the undergraduate Part 147 Mechanic School. Upon graduation, he transitioned into his current role as an Assistant Professor in the Pro-Pilot concentration of the program. He currently teaches Professional Pilot I & II, Aviation Weather, and other Professional Pilot Concentration Courses. He actively conducts research in flight operations and is specifically focused on researching the pre-takeoff Departure Briefing recommended to be completed by all operators. 

Outside the classroom, McDonald serves on the Tennessee Transportation Advisory Council, flies as a volunteer pilot with the Flagship Detroit Foundation's DC-3, and mentors with the Sattler Foundation at the Lebanon Municipal Airport. He is an avid Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association (AOPA) member and an active member of the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI). As a hobby, McDonald manages his aviation endeavors through his social media handle, "The Flying Mechanic," sharing his journey through the skies. 

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Oral Presentations:

1. McDonald, C. D.; Callender, M. N., Oshkosh Airventure (2025), "Engine-out Glide Performance," Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) tent at AirVenture, Oshkosh, WI. (July 22, 2025).
2. McDonald, C. D.; Callender, M. N., NAFI Summit 2024, "Engine-out Glide Performance," National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) Annual Summit, Datonya, FL. (Oct. 17, 2024).
3. McDonald, C. D., University Aviation Association (UAA) 2024 Conference, "Gamifying the Classroom: Creating Competition to Encourage Engagement," UAA, Memphis, TN (September 26, 2024).
4. McDonald, C. D., Oshkosh Airventure 2024, "Easy as ABC: Teaching Engine Failures," National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI), Oshkosh Airventure, Oshkosh, WI. (July 27, 2024).
5. McDonald, C. D., Oshkosh Airventure 2024, "Failing to Plan: The Departure Briefing," National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI), Oshkosh Airventure, Oshkosh, WI. (July 23, 2024).
6. 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)
7. 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).
8. 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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