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The Flying Falcon: FSU Aviation Program is Proud Owner of Cessna 172 Skyhawk Aircraft

By Julie Perine on March 17, 2018 via Connect-Bridgeport.com

The phrase “Flying Falcon” is about to take off. To take its aviation program to the next level, Fairmont State University unveiled its brand new 2017 Cessna 172 Skyhawk aircraft this week.
 
“Phenomenal attracts phenomenal and that is the type of student we want and the type of pilot we are creating,” said Joel Kirk, who heads up FSU’s aviation program – the only FAA 141 flight program in the state.
 
The Cessna arrived several months ago, but the certification and customization – including graphics – took some time. Complete with top-of-the-line features – including leather seats, glass panels and an avionics G1000 package that alone sells for $100,000 – the plane is indeed top-notch, Kirk said.
 
“It’s the newest airplane I’ve ever been in,” said the 25-year plus U.S. Armed Forces veteran. “It even has that new car smell.”
 
Planes like the program’s new Cessna Skyhawk take years to manufacture. FSU was fortunate to acquire it, said Kirk, who has been with the university’s flight instruction program since April of 2017. After initially contacting Cessna-Textron Aviation, he said he was referred to an individual with the Louisiana Tech flight program, which had been waiting on the Skyhawk, the 12th plane in the program’s fleet. Kirk eventually made a plea on behalf of FSU, explaining how the school's small flight school was being rebuilt and in need of a plane. A deal was struck and the plane arrived in Bridgeport in late-August/early-September.
 
The flight instruction program has been going on at FSU’s Robert C. Byrd Aerospace Center for about five years, but had been struggling. Instructors were hard to find and planes were leased; not the ideal situation, said Kirk, who was asked to come on board as chief pilot about a year ago.
 
“At the time, they had a third-party lease with a company out of Virginia and was using all different types of planes – a hodgepodge,” Kirk said. “I said I’d come on board, but FSU had to take ownership of the program from top to bottom.”
 
Kirk, who was running Kross Kreek Farm on Brushy Fork, wasn’t looking for a job but his passion for flying - and passing on the skill to the next generation – led him to accept the position and for very good reason: There is a vast shortage of airline pilots in the U.S.
 
 “I had no interest in the chief pilot position, but when I found out what was going on, I said I’d take it,” Kirk said. “I realized what a great opportunity it was.”
 
When he took over in April of 2017, there were six to eight flight students enrolled and nearing completion of the program. Four of those students now serve as flight instructors for the program which now has 37 students enrolled.
 
The program is thriving and those who finish it are guaranteed a job in the industry, making a generous salary, Kirk said.
 
In April, the fleet of planes will have grown to five.
 
“We’re reworking them. They won’t be new ones,” Kirk said. “The idea for the new plane is to show we are really buying into the program and are committed to it.”
 
Kirk recently talked to students at BHS, pitching the program. He is also working to initiate a potential stem program with freshman students. He said he wants students who have an interest to fly to have a goal to work toward.
 
“It’s a selection process. We won’t look at them if they don’t have a GPA of 3.5 or up,” he said. “They need to have extracurricular activities, pass a flight aptitude test and interview with us.”
 
It’s a four-year bachelor’s of science degree program with not only potential to earn flight certification, but also a four-year degree in aviation management, airport management or aviation sales.
 
The first year is dedicated to flying and working on certifications at the RCB Aerospace Center, then working in subsequent years on the main Fairmont campus. It’s quite possible, even likely, to be able to serve as a flight instructor during one’s senior year; earning good money while finishing up the business end of the degree.
 
“The beauty of this thing is that in any college career out there – from a biologist to a psychologist – you spend $150,000 and you might get a job, even with a master’s degree,” Kirk said. “But in aviation, I can look at these kids square in the face and tell them that if they get their certification, they will have a job.
 
Just now coming to a peak, the pilot shortage originated on 9-11.
 
“The airlines took a huge hit and laid off a lot of pilots,” said Kirk, adding that the older pilots stayed on board and the airlines floundered for a decade or go, trying to rebuild. Flight numbers are now up, but pilots are retiring and there’s not enough to take their place.
 
“Fairmont State recognized the nationwide shortage of pilots and created an academic program that trains pilots, aviation administrators, and aviation maintenance managers at a fraction of the cost of other flight schools,” said President Mirta Martin. “ 
 
As a graduate and current flight instructor with the program, Tyler Lucas said the new Cessna Skyhawk – which features the same dashboard as a commercial aircraft – is a true asset.
 
“When you learn on outdated technology, the learning curve is huge,” he said. “When you learn on modern equipment that curve significantly decreases.”
 
Kirk summed up the opportunity which the program offers.
 
"In most places a mile of asphalt will take you a mile down the road but here, a mile of asphalt will take you to the world," he said. 
 
For more information on the aviation technology program please visit, www.fairmontstate.edu/fly.



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