What's the Word? Eagle Alumni Spotlight Podcast: Shinji Maeda

Shinji Maeda (2005), founder of the nonprofit Aero Zypangu Project, discusses his career journey and experiences. A Boeing flight engineer, he graduated from Embry Riddle with a master's in safety science. Shinji shares his inspiring story of overcoming a car accident and becoming a one-eyed pilot, encouraged by Professor Ed Richmeyer. He emphasizes the importance of enjoying college and spending time wisely. Shinji also highlights his nonprofit's mission to provide motivational speeches and discovery flights, aiming to inspire others to overcome challenges and achieve their goals.

Episode Transcript:

[Music fades in]

Owen:
Hello everyone, welcome back. I'm your host. Owen Smith, with what's the word. Today, i'm joined by Shinji Maeda. So, tell me a little bit about yourself.

Shinji:
Hey everybody. Good afternoon. I am now calling in from the Seattle, Washington. Hello. Good morning, Konnichiwa, whatever depends on where you are right now. My name is Shinji Maeda I think I should introduce myself as founder of the President of Aero Zypangu project 501c nonprofit organization that is one of the my responsibility for the public and the real world. I work at the Boeing company as a flight engineer, flying with the 737 Max pretty much every day. Back in 2005 I graduated the Embry Riddle master of safety science. Yeah, it's been while, you know, to visit the Prescott campus, but about seven years ago, before I got married my wife, I visited the Prescott campus. I was so amazed, because you guys got the brand new library, you know, additional building, you name it, right? You know, when I was a student that was in the middle of nowhere in the desert, you know? So, yeah, good for you guys. So, yeah, thank you for having me today. 

Owen:
Yes absolutely. The Prescott campus. Shoot, it's they're building now. They're building so many new things. Like, half the campus is under construction too. So next time you're here, it's going to be a new campus again.

Shinji:
Yep, exactly, right. Yeah.

Owen:
Well, with that, what, what types of, what types of writing have you used in the workplace?

Shinji:
Yeah. So you know, before the this, the recording, we discuss about a little bit, I don't do lots of writing anymore. In my real life, I used to be, I made a whole bunch of the procedures, presentation and so on. So but back into the college life, you know, I was showing to Owen that what I wrote as a thesis. Since I'm from Japan, sorry, you know you can feel the my lovely Japanese accent still, but the I wrote the thesis in English, 135 pages and a 106 pages in the Japanese. This was about the, what is it? The air ambulance service, so using the helicopter or airplane to rescue the you know people, since I have a little bit interesting background in terms of the you know lost one eye when I was 18 years old because of the cars. Then that day became my first solo flight from the motor cycle to the ground. You know, only three, five second I flew. Of course, I can't log it right, because FAA will not like that, but at the Yeah. So, you know, based on my background, I was very, very interested in the, you know, those industry, considering that the safety science. So that is one of the reason why I went to the Embry Riddle, riddle, and I wrote those, the research report in English, in Japanese. So I wrote a lot when I was, you know, college student, like you guys doing, yeah.

Owen:
What would you say was the most impactful experience or lesson you've learned about effective communication through college, through your early life, through what you do now?

Shinji:
Embry Riddle. Riddle gave me the second chance to live my aviation journey, because before I came to the Embry Riddle, I pretty much gave it up in terms of getting a job in the aviation industry. There are two reasons. One, there was the car accident. Like I said, when I was 18 years old, I lost one eye. I say, I'm contributing blind with this physical condition. Japanese government disqualified me to becoming a pilot, because the people call me the handicap because of that. And moreover, unfortunately, you know, back in 2001 September 11, this event pretty much significantly changed the aviation industry. Therefore, I had a zero appetite to becoming the airline pilot. When I enrolled to the Embry Riddle, one of the professor, Ed Richmeyer, invited me for the discovery flight. And then he, you know, here, and I flew together in his Cessna. And end of the flight, he said, "okay, so Shinji, you flew, why you are not trying to becoming a pilot". And he knew I am, you know, one eye the blind. And what he told me was, being a one eye is not good enough, not to becoming a pilot, because you can be, and in fact, you flew. What are you waiting for? So at that time, I was studying so hard because I had a zero experience in terms of how American people fly in the United States, or how you guys fly the airplane. So I have zero experience about that, but that moment opens up the exchanges, not only becoming a pilot, earning the life back because the it was impossible to gain back the experience to my, you know, real life. So it's a little bit of mixed feeling, because when I talk about this, because you guys really, really beyond the really lucky people, because you are studying, you know, where I gain the second chance of my life, right? And you are now hearing my story, and I guess what? Yeah, your dream is the going to happen very, very soon. Yeah, that's how I say it, and that's how I you know, I always appreciate the what the Embry Riddle did for me, and without that university, I I'm no longer existing on this planet. So, yeah.

Owen:
Wow, that's that's awesome. What a gift to to hear about and and to hear your story. And what an amazing professor. What was his name? Again?

Shinji:
Ed Richmeyer. He's, he has already retired, you know, long time ago, but at the yeah, here I still, you know, keep contact, sending an email, text message, things like that. In fact, every year we meet at Oshkosh, you know, then the catching up, the, you know, my life, so, yeah, it's good.

Owen:
Wow, amazing man. That's awesome. And speaking of your, speaking of your time at Riddle, what, what do you wish you would have known before leaving, before leaving and transitioning into the workplace and, well, after college?

Shinji:
I was typical Japanese student. I am now US citizen. But the the typical, you know, Asian student or international student tends to be the, you know, getting a high score, you know, graduate on time and get the job right. That was the my mentality, actually. But at the, if I can go back to the, you know, back in 2000 what? 2004/5 time frame. I would tell Shinji that you know what enjoy your college time, because as soon as you use that real job, of course, it depends on, depends on the job. You're not going to have the any break time, meaning is personal time, even you want to study again, right? That'll happen. And that was exactly happening to me. As soon as I got the job, I was a part of the 707 wing project. I had a, you know, lots of business trip between the Japan and United States to make the Boeing, 787, composite, the wing. So you know, back to the your question, yeah, definitely spend time wisely, not only studying or drinking at the Prescott to do you still have the Prescott brewery? I don't know, but that was the we tends to go to the downtown every Thursday, drinking, drunk, have party, hung over a little bit and studying. Friday, right? That was my routine. But the again you you have the you know, four years to go. Or if you a master degree, two years or three years, whatever, you know, spend the time wisely and do whatever you need to do as a student, because the time is money, actually, and you never, ever gain back those past time. So spend the time the you know, the wisely. That's the my advice to everybody, yeah.

Owen:
Yeah, thank you for the advice. I was curious, the composite wing. Is that what you are currently working on with Boeing?

Shinji:
Yeah, so I have a little bit of interesting background Boeing Company. So when I started my job, I was the manufacturing operation guy as a supply management. Since I have the aerospace engineering manufacturing engineering background, I was part of the 787 wing and the triple 7x wing composite production team. That's how I got the job. You know, back in 2005 but later on, like I said at the beginning of this the podcast, I am now flight crew for the Boeing flight test team, believe or not, during the pandemic in 2021 I flew around the world with a single engine, Beechcraft Bonanza. That experience encouraged me to be part of the flight deck world. You know, generally speaking, United States, you know, if you go to the airline, everything starting from the scratch, correct? So that's why I didn't want to go to the, you know, airline, because I had, I have a wife, kids, you know, I didn't want to start them from the, you know, scratch in terms of the, you know, income. So, yeah, I was teaching out and the whole bunch of the people, and the people encouraged me to part of the, you know, flight test team. And, yeah, luckily, I was able to get the job. And believe or not, my coworker, not everybody, but the I would say, I don't know, 5% people graduate from the Embry Riddle, and then the maybe more than that. And it's kind of, it's, it's kind of ironic, because, like I said, we, we tend to visit the not visit, you know, we went to the bar every Thursday night, and then the even an undergrad and the master degree people. Oh, are you there? Shinji, you know. Yeah, I was there. And, you know, I, I don't know, you know, I didn't know you, but the I was there. And then everybody said I was there too, I was there too, I was there too. And then the Yeah, now the teammate, and then the that's, that's the kind of beauty of it, you know, because aviation world is the it's really big, but actually small, and eventually you're going to meet those people. Oh, really, you are there the Prescott campus. Well, actually, I was studying into Florida, you know, things like that. And then the eventually you guys going to be the, you know, same team, and maybe someone you know who's listening to the this podcast may say, hey, Shinji, I heard your podcast. Oh, my goodness, you know you, you know pronunciation, it's really crazy, and it's very Japanese, sweet accent, you know, things like that. We're going to have that conversation. So, yeah, you know that's believe or not. It's very, very small world.

Owen:
Wow. That is amazing. It truly is. I mean, shoot, I came here one of my family members, one of my cousins, he went here too, and his brother went here too. I didn't even know it until, like, a year ago, before, like, I was already here. But wow, that's just amazing. Yeah.

Shinji:
So that's why Owen, even you are studying the, not the, you know, pilot side of the world. Guess what? You may be becoming the pilot and eventually doing the airplane stuff, right? And maybe, or are you going to do a human factor, or maybe you're going to do a management maybe. You going to do? Guess what? You know? You never know, because the like I said, I have, I have the really, really different background in Japan, but the United States embrace my, you know, capability in the future, and that is the ability of this country. So don't, do not underestimate what you can do in your life, because that is a huge lessons learned I got from the Embry Riddle and without this university, guess what? You are not hearing my story, and we are not meeting today each other. So, yeah.

Owen:
What an amazing opportunity that you you're able to take and yeah, thank you. Thank you so much for sharing. I wanted to ask about the non the nonprofit you you worked with and founded.

Shinji:
Yeah, So back in 2003 I started giving the public speech for the as a motivational speaker. Then 2018 officially, we set it up, nonprofit organization, 501, c3, tax exempt organization. The reason why I developed the set up this organization is pretty much the paying forward I got from United States, along with the aviation activities. So two purpose. One is, yeah, giving you a speech based on my true story. The story is very painful, because I became the handicap. People call me that the you handicap cannot do this, that that those culture unfortunately still exist in Japan, but I became the one eye pilot. I gained a job. I have family. I flew around the wall. Everything is possible. Even people tends to says that that is impossible. So those message I've been giving that, you know, the speech to the public, and also upon request, using this, the let beach craft Bonanza, yeah, I provide the discovery, right? And then, like Ed Richmeyer did for me back in 2003 you know, as soon as you on the long way, you know, who the power? And he said, Okay, let's go, Shinji, you have a control. And I said, What? What? And then airplane, you know, starting nothing, speeding up, you know, getting the fast and fast, and eventually you're going to take off, right? So that experience I'm giving to the public, and the people will realize that, oh my goodness, I thought I cannot fly. I cannot do such a crazy things, but Shinji was right from the beginning until end, I took off. I climb truth descent, and I learned what I do is just taking a video with the GoPro and, you know, cheering him up. Then people will, you know, realize that, yeah, I did that. I did that, that moment, you know, they don't need to be the pilot. They don't need to, you know, becoming a pilot. They simply realize that, yeah, I can do that. I did that. That case, probably I can trying to do X, Y, Z, you know. So that's, that's the name of the game over the aero Japan goo. And that's all about the based on what I got from the United States and the Embry Riddle, yeah.

Owen:
Well, thank you so much for for your work with Aero Zypangu and for speaking to all these young, young folks and youngsters I saw saw on the website. And yeah, I really appreciate you coming on and sharing some advice and sharing your story with me today.

Shinji:
Thank you very much.