Case Study: Alana Godrey
Position: Airspace & Noise Performance Coordinator at Heathrow Airport Ltd
Key Attributes: logical, organised, observant
Qualifications: Degree
“I love solving puzzles. My job gives me an opportunity to figure out why things work and how to make them better.”
At a glance
Alana checks data at Heathrow Airport to help protect people living nearby from too much aircraft noise. She is logical and follows clear steps to make sure all her checks are done consistently. Alana is organised and keeps track of data from over 1,000 flights a day. She is also observant and spots gaps or unusual patterns in the data that need investigating.
An unexpected journey
Alana’s route into aviation was far from conventional. She didn’t grow up dreaming of working at airports or studying aircraft. Instead, she went to university to study Environmental Hazards & Disaster Management, and then trained to become a Geography Teacher.
But during her studies, Alana made an important discovery about herself: she loved working with data. Finding patterns, spotting gaps, and figuring out what the numbers were telling her felt like solving puzzles, and that’s what really excited her.
“I realised that I love working with data, finding trends and gaps and so I found a job locally to me at a Navigation Coding House, who supply airlines and pilots with data in order to fly their planes. I worked here for 8 years learning about aviation and the industry, and then found a data analysis role at Heathrow that fit my skills perfectly.”
Alana has now worked in the aviation industry for 11 years. She started out creating the charts that pilots use to navigate when flying, drawing airport maps and flight procedures. Today, she works at one of the busiest airports in the world.
Making sense of aircraft noise
At Heathrow Airport, Alana’s job is all about understanding aircraft noise and helping to reduce its impact on local communities. With around 1,200 flights taking off and landing every single day that could be a lot of noise!
One of Alana’s key roles is checking the data the airport receives daily and investigating any gaps. It’s vital that the information is accurate and complete. She’s observant about the data, spotting oddities or unusual patterns – anomalies – that need attention.
“I find anomalies and try to figure out why that might have happened. I also understand that if something is wrong there may be an impact elsewhere that needs to be considered.”
Once Alana has checked the data, she reports on it to different groups of people, from government departments to local community groups. Heathrow has strict rules about flight times. For example, flights aren’t normally allowed after 11:30pm. If any late flights do happen, Alana investigates why and reports her findings to the Department for Transport and community representatives.
Working with precision
With so much data to manage and so many different people relying on accurate reports, being organised is essential. Alana keeps track of information from over 1,000 flights every day, making sure nothing gets missed.
Being logical in how she approaches her work is equally important. Alana follows clear processes to make sure everything is done consistently.
“I create clear step by step processes to follow for tasks, for not only myself but my colleagues. I follow processes to ensure that our reports are consistent and clear.”
Alana also needs excellent communication skills. She works with many different groups of people, from technical experts to local residents, and needs to understand what each group needs.
The excitement of working at Heathrow
“It’s such an amazing atmosphere to work in. Being a part of one of the biggest airports in the world is really exciting and it motivates me everyday.”
For Alana, the best part of her job is the puzzle solving aspect. Every day brings new challenges to investigate and new ways to improve how things work. She loves keeping her mind active, whether at work or in her free time when she plays board games with friends.
Finding your own path
Alana’s journey shows that you don’t need to know exactly what job you want to do when you leave school. What matters more is understanding what you enjoy and what you’re good at.
“It’s OK if you don’t have a specific job in mind for your future. People always asked me what job I wanted when I left school and I didn’t have a clear idea or direction. I think it’s more important to find out what skills you have and what you find joy doing, and then seeing what jobs you can get that help you develop these skills so that what you do is fun and exciting and motivates you each day!”
Alana discovered she loved working with data and solving puzzles. By following her interests, she found her way to an exciting role at one of the world’s busiest airports, even though she never studied aviation at university.
