Aeronautics receives donation

The program has added three new pieces of equipment to assist students in hands-on techniques

New equipment — The Cessna Skyhawk 888LU (Left) and a flight simulator (Right) are two of the additions to the School of Aeronautics. Photo credit: Ruth Bibby

Liberty University’s School of Aeronautics (SOA) recently formed a partnership with Dynamic Aviation, a partnership that will provide numerous benefits, including the donation of a King Air 90 Turbine aircraft.

Dynamic Aviation is the self-proclaimed “leading provider of innovative solutions for government and commercial organizations worldwide.”

According to Dean of the SOA Gen. David Young, the King Air is a non-operational aircraft that will serve as a learning tool for students in the Aviation Technician Maintenance program. Young said that the new aircraft will be very helpful to aircraft mechanic students.

Capt. Ernie Rogers, associate dean of the SOA, said in an article by the Liberty University News Service that 100 percent of the students in the Aviation Technician Maintenance program graduate and are immediately placed in the job market.

“We did not have a large training aircraft that contained complex systems such as pressurization, oxygen, retractable landing gear and other systems and components on which our students need to train and become knowledgeable,” Young said.

Another donation made to the SOA came from George Arthun, uncle of SOA dispatcher Amanda Spence. The aircraft was a Cessna 172 and will be used in traditional flight training, according to Young in a 2012 Liberty Champion article.

The SOA is growing in national prominence due to the excellence of its graduates, training resources, growing curriculum, performance in aviation competitions and the quality of its faculty and instructors, according to Young. The support of partners like Dynamic Aviation and Express Jet, as well as generous donors, provides student aviators with new opportunities.

“Without the support of organizations and individuals who believe in our program, we would not have been able to grow as we have, nor would we have attained the same level of excellence,” Young said.

To date, more than $1 million in cash and aircraft equipment has been donated to the SOA, according to Young in a 2012 Liberty Champion article.

Additionally, the state-of-the-art flight simulators that were previously introduced into SOA curriculums are now operational.

“These simulators perfectly replicate the aircraft and jet operations and will enhance the preparation of our students for a career in various types of aviation,” Young said.

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