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The University of North Dakota John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences recently donated a Piper Seminole Flight Training Device (FTD) to Bismarck Public Schools Career Academy. The device is a simulator for learning about the operation of a twin-engine aircraft.
The Bismarck Public School district Career Academy Center is located on the campus of Bismarck State College. The Center enrolls 900 students annually from nine public and private high schools in the area. The Center provides students with quality education in career and technical programs including high-wage, high-demand technical training, academic integration and alignment with post-secondary education. About 90 students are currently attending aviation courses at the Career Academy.
“This device will help us train students in a realistic environment,” said Mike McHugh, a UND Aviation alum and Career Academy instructor. ” The FTD includes all functioning instruments and controls identical to the aircraft and comes with a realistic visual display system.”
“The simulator will fuel the passion of students using it,” said Bruce Smith, dean of the Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. “High school programs like this are critical to our future. They give us an opportunity to get young men and women interested in aviation, and they give students the academic foundation they need to succeed in aviation in college.”
By Juan Miguel Pedraza
Writer/Editor, UND Office of University Relations
701-777-6571 office 701-740-1321 cell
Source: UND donates aviation training device
More info on UND Aviation Programs:
Flight Training
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Air Traffic Controller Program
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Pilots needed in the Middle East and Asia - photo courtesy of and copyright Brandon Farris
In Asia and the Middle East, airlines are ordering new planes each year, with an option to purchase even more as time goes by. The problem is that few of these countries have the pilot force necessary to fly the additional airliners. As a result, these regions will be facing a critical shortage of pilots as air travel increases. Some have already begun to see the effects of too few pilots in a growing industry.
According to an article in the Washington Post, Asia alone will need over 225,000 new pilots in the next 20 years.
One of the greatest challenges in getting pilots trained is the length of the education process. It is common for pilots to spend 3-4 years learning their skills and logging the appropriate hours before earning their license. To combat the shortage some countries in Asia and the Middle East have turned to pilots from Eastern Europe, where English is rarely spoken. As English is the international language of flight, this can, and does lead to confusion in the cockpit and with the tower.
The May 2010 Air India crash highlights some of the most challenging aspects of anticipated pilot shortage. Not only was the Serbian’s grasp of English questionable, he apparently slept through more than half of the flight and was too disoriented to land properly when the time came. With a growing number of pilots needed it is likely that airlines will start to cut corners in the hiring process.
The anticipated shortage isn’t bad for everyone, though. In some Middle Eastern countries airlines have the funds to offer exceptional salaries and conditions to trained pilots. These benefits have been used to lure well-trained professionals from U.S.-based carriers. In fact, “pilot poaching” has become such an issue in some areas of the world that local governments have been stepping in, requiring pilots to spend a certain amount of time with one airline before moving on.
It will take time for Asia and the Middle East to train its own pilots, and facilities are not yet readily available, although several are in the process of being built. Furthermore, the crisis is expected to spread into other areas of the aviation field as aircraft mechanics become scarce as well. Until the infrastructure has been put into place, airlines can anticipate the shortage to become more severe.
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A partnership between Big Bend Community College and Inland Helicopters of Spokane will provide opportunities for students to become helicopter pilots while earning an associates degree. The new helicopter pilot training program begins in January of 2012.
“This is another example of the type of public/private partnerships we must establish to create new programs in today’s economy,” said BBCC President Bill Bonaudi. The partnership opens a new range of careers for BBCC aviation students, including emergency medical services, power line patrol, tourism, law enforcement, fire fighting, logging, aerial photography, agriculture, border patrol, fish and wildlife counts, and news gathering.
“Students in the helicopter pilot program will be enrolled as BBCC students,” said BBCC Flight Instructor John Swedburg. Flight instruction and two helicopters will be provided by Inland Helicopters at Grant County International Airport. “Inland Helicopters will recruit for us, and they have Veteran’s Administration and federal financial aid funding options to help students,” Swedburg said. With Inland Helicopter providing the instructors and equipment, BBCC will provide instruction in ground school, meteorology, technical writing and math—the same classes taken by students enrolled in BBCC’s Commercial Pilot Program. Inland will develop some classroom instruction to “fill the gaps” pertinent to helicopters, said David Valenti of Inland Helicopters. “Aerodynamics and weight and balance are different for helicopters than for airplanes, for instance,” Valenti said.
Inland Helicopter uses Robinson R22 and R44 helicopters for primary training. The two-seat R22 gets most of the training time due to its lower operating and maintenance costs. The R44 has twice the useful load and faster cruising speed.
Students who complete the program can graduate with an Associate of Applied Science Degree and FAA certificates including Private, Instrument, Commercial, and Certified Flight Instructor. “Big Bend was very receptive and enthusiastic in working with us,” Valenti said. “Their instructors measure their flight time experience in the thousands of hours, so they know what they are doing.”
Valenti said national statistics show an improving job market for helicopter pilots. Among helicopter pilots, 25 percent are over age 61, and 22 percent are between age 51 and 61. Upcoming retirements will create a shortage, he said.
BBCC has had a commercial pilot program since 1965. The program has 27 aircraft in its fleet and is the largest and most successful pilot training program in the Pacific Northwest.
For more information contact Inland Helicopters at (509) 534-9114 or Big Bend Community College at (509) 793-2004
The American Flyers Flight School in Spring, Texas will be hosting an open house and lunch on Saturday, Dec. 3.
The free event is designed to bring those with a curiosity about flying small airplanes to the David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport for tours and a presentation by a certificated flight instructor.
A training aircraft will be on display and guests are invited to tour the classrooms, flight line and flight simulators. And each guest that attends will be eligible to receive a certificate for two free hours of instruction in one of the flight simulators.
After the complimentary lunch, a flight instructor will conduct a free FAA WINGS seminar, covering cold-weather operations and considerations for any who are interested.
Lunch will be served at noon and American Flyers is located on the northeast side of the David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport at 20803 Stuebner Airline Road, Hangar 32, in Spring.
For more information, call 281-655-4500 or visit www.americanflyers.net/about/aviation_seminars.asp.
Jeppesen, a unit of Boeing Flight Services, has entered into a new contract agreement with Dubai-based Emirates Aviation College to provide Jeppesen Training courses through the College, a leading aviation education facility in the region. Jeppesen’s industry-leading ab initio pilot training courses will be provided for candidate Emirates Aviation College student pilot learning through the service agreement.
Boeing forecasts a global need for 460,000 new commercial airline pilots over the next 20 years. Facing this expected future pilot demand, Jeppesen solutions help to address this aviation industry issue by providing vital training programs that incorporate new technologies and methods of learning that resonate with today’s student pilots. Partnering with best in class flight schools allows for integration of Jeppesen training courses within established curriculum that is familiar for enrolled student pilots.
“It is a strategic collaboration between Emirates Aviation College and Jeppesen to offer the region’s first of its kind JAA ab initio pilot training program,” said Dr. Ahmad Al Ali, senior vice president, Emirates Aviation College. “We have gathered the necessary tools, skills, support and expertise to offer training to produce the highest quality pilots for the industry to assist in meeting the future demand for highly skilled professional airline pilots.”
“Jeppesen is working toward addressing the pressing pilot shortage the aviation industry is facing by creating interactive training programs that are highly effective in preparing the next generation of pilots and technicians for the demands of the profession,” said Thomas Wede, Jeppesen senior vice president and general manager, Aviation. “Our partnership with Emirates Aviation College is a shining example of integrating Jeppesen ab initio training programs with top institutions of aviation learning to provide today’s students and tomorrow’s pilots with a foundation of knowledge needed for success.”
For more information on the Jeppesen total training solution suite offered for certified flight instructors, flight training organizations and universities, please visit www.jeppesen.com/school. For more information on the industry-leading navigation, operations, training and optimization solutions provided by Jeppesen, please visit www.jeppesen.com.
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Brian Rantala
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Spartan has been training professional pilots for more than 80 years
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology added a flight simulator to its curriculum almost a year ago and the new device has proven to be very successful. Redbird, the Advanced Aviation Training Device, has increased student learning and enhanced flight skills as a whole for students. The Redbird Advanced Aviation Training Device has many features including visuals that wrap around and a customizable cockpit that is fully enclosed.
The cockpit can be configured as a Cessna 172 aircraft with traditional gauges or as a 172 with the latest Garmin FMX1000 glass panel cockpit. Redbird’s simulator is a flexible training system and can also be outfitted to replicate a Piper Seminole twin-engine aircraft, the type Spartan uses for advanced pilot training.
Jeremy D. Gibson, CEO/President of Spartan College, has expressed his excitement over the Redbird, stating that it flies like a real airplane. To see further comments from Mr. Gibson, you can visit http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/474006
Instructors can use a laptop computer to simulate many types of aircraft and weather problems while the students are experimenting with the Redbird flight simulator. Students become so engrossed and involved in the movement of the simulator, they sometimes forget that it is actually a simulator!
Other training features of the Redbird Advanced Aviation Training Device include:
Redbird Flight Simulations got started in 2006 with a goal to make simulators available to the general aviation industry. Redbird delivers advanced, reliable, and high-quality training devices to colleges, universities, flight schools, and pilots all over the world.
Redbird has grown to be the most innovative simulator provider in the flight industry; Redbird has over 300 devices in service all over the world. One of the reasons that Redbird has been so successful is the fact that the price is affordable for colleges, universities, and others. Redbird provides high-quality service and support for its customers. Redbird Advanced Aviation Training Device is a simulator product on the leading edge and of the highest quality. For more information about Redbird, you can visit http://www.redbirdflightsimulations.com/?page_id=30.
Learn more about Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology
Fort Lauderdale, Florida (PRWEB) November 01, 2011
Pilot performing a pre-flight inspection of a Cirrus aircraft
The leader in the Cirrus Aircraft Partner Network, Platinum Aviation adds yet another Cirrus Aircraft training and rental center to it’s growing network. The newest flight training facility is located at the Palm Beach, North County Airport (F45) adjacent to the Landmark Aviation FBO and will offer Cirrus Aircraft rentals, Cirrus transition training and flight training. Now residents of Palm Beach will have convenient access to the same high quality flight instruction and Cirrus Aircraft rental enjoyed at Platinum’s other facilities in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Platinum Aviation has created a unique type of flight training facility, very different from traditional “flight schools”. Platinum provides its clients access to late model, fully equipped, well maintained, high performance aircraft and training from the most experienced, professional Cirrus flight instructors, all in an upscale environment. Pilots that are checked out to fly Platinum’s Aircraft can access them at any of their three locations. Platinum’s customers use the aircraft for their business and personal travel needs avoiding all of the hassle and uncertainty associated with airline travel today.
Leaseback opportunities for Cirrus SR20, SR22 and SR22 turbo aircraft are available for those interested in participating in Platinum’s aircraft leaseback program. For additional information on leasebacks, contact Kevin McAndrews, Platinum’s Director of Sales at 954-202-5995.
Platinum Aviation Training is a Platinum Aviation Holdings company. Platinum Aviation Holdings is a South Florida based family of companies dedicated to serving the needs of the newest Technologically Advanced Aircraft market. Platinum was originally founded as a unique flight training facility to train those that only wanted to learn to fly the latest, best-equipped aircraft available and learn from flight instructors that were the best in the industry. That original concept has grown into a full service company that now includes flight training, aircraft rentals, aircraft maintenance, aircraft sales and an aviation related film and video production company with locations at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport, Miami’s Opa Locka Executive airports and now at Palm Beach’s North County Airport. For additional information, contact the company at 954-202-5995 or see its website, http://www.flyplatinum.com
Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/cirrus-flight-training/platinum-aviation/prweb8924926.htm
North-Aire Aviation LLC announces it has been chosen to provide the flight-training component of Yavapai College’s new Professional Airplane Pilot Flight Program.
Starting in January, this relationship allows both veterans and civilians to couple an Associate of Applied Science Degree with advanced flight certifications, providing a career path into the aviation industry. The program allows veterans who qualify for the post 9/11 GI Bill Program to take fixed wing flight courses through Yavapai College.
According to North-Aire Aviation spokesperson Justin Scott, “Through our program’s unique partnership with Yavapai College, veterans and civilians alike have access to an FAA-certified Part 141, Part 61 flight school through a public community college.”
North-Aire has been in business since 1973 as a Cessna pilot center providing private pilot through ATP certificates to students representing all 50 states and 47 countries.
Other certificates offered include high altitude and aerobatic training as well as seaplane ratings and tail wheel endorsements.
For more information on the new flight training program, contact Renee Alanis at the Yavapai College Admissions Office (renee.alanis@yc.edu).
Anyone interested in learning more about Yavapai College Aviation Degree programs should visit http://www.yc.edu.
North-Aire can be reached at (928) 445-8320, info@northaire.com, or http://www.northaire.com.
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