Pick me

Photography by Shane Kislack, Illustration by Neil Webb

Institutions of higher learning have become exceptional marketers out of necessity. Their challenge is to entice you to apply for enrollment. Your challenge is to choose the aviation program that will be a good match for your career goals and financial situation.

Not sure where to begin the search? Take a look at our college directory on p. 46. Every one of these programs will help you achieve your career goals, and all will train you efficiently.

For this year’s special focus, however, we present three aviation programs that offer something just a bit different. One promises you’ll never be intimidated by crosswind landings. One will give you in-state tuition no matter what your home address is—so long as you make good grades. And the third will train you in Class B airspace from your very first flight lesson.

Good luck in your quest.

LeTourneau University

Stick-and-rudder central

What makes a good pilot? At LeTourneau University, it isn’t the ability to push buttons on a multifunction display (MFD). It’s solid stick-and-rudder skills. The interdenominational Christian college in Longview, Texas, says its aviation program is the only one that trains new pilots in tailwheel aircraft.

“We were using Garmin G1000-equipped Cessna Skyhawks for primary training,” said Lauren Bitikofer, chairman of the flight science department. “We said, ‘Wow, there’s a lot of airplane here; there’s a lot of distraction from learning how to fly.’”

The industry has incurred numerous accidents “that are basically because people really don’t know how to fly,” he said. “They don’t have stick-and-rudder skills. With our G1000-equipped airplanes, we were hanging curtains over the [primary flight display] and MFD so they wouldn’t be looking inside when they were supposed to be looking outside. We have a $300,000 airplane and we’re not using all of the stuff in it.” Why not go back to a basic airplane that could be purchased for less than $150,000 and costs much less to operate? With simple, analog instruments and a tailwheel that demands precise stick-and-rudder skills, the American Champion Citabria fit that description and continues to be the workhorse of the school’s training fleet.

“We had people tell us, ‘You’re going to nose them over and ground loop them,’” Bitikofer said. “We’ve been doing this now for five years, and God’s been good to us. We haven’t had any nose overs or ground loops. It’s just not a problem.”

Five 118-horsepower 7ECAs and one 160-horsepower GCAA are used for initial training. Private pilots then receive transition training in Cessna 172s.

“The biggest thing they have to get used to then, when they move to the Skyhawk, is the fact that they’re not sitting on the centerline of the airplane, and they have to deal with flaps, because the [Citabrias] are non-flap airplanes,” Bitikofer said.

Five R-model Skyhawks and two Diamond DA42s are platforms for instrument, commercial, and multiengine training. The aeronautical science program is housed in a 50,000-square-foot facility at East Texas Regional Airport (GGG).

LeTourneau offers four-year degrees in aviation maintenance science, aviation management, air traffic control, air traffic management, aviation studies, mission aviation, professional flight, and remotely piloted aircraft systems, as well as an aircraft dispatcher certificate. The university participates in fast-track or so-called pipeline or bridge agreements with Envoy (formerly American Eagle), ExpressJet, and SkyWest. Under these agreements, eligible students can gain flight time and experience to qualify for an opportunity to become a first officer.

A student at LeTourneau University preflights an American Champion Citabria. The university conducts primary training in the tailwheel aircraft.

LeTourneau University (www.letu.edu)
Student population: 2,667
Aviation program: 220
Tuition: $37,400/yr (approximate, includes flight costs)
Restricted ATP: Yes, at 1,000 hours
Aviation Accreditation Board International: No
University Aviation Association member: Yes
AABI-accredited programs meet a defined set of standards for quality training.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Eye on the bottom line

Flying isn’t cheap. College tuition isn’t cheap, either. Southeastern Oklahoma State University wants to help out students on both fronts.

For starters, the state-run college in Durant offers incoming freshmen who don’t reside in Oklahoma a 100-percent out-of-state tuition waiver for the first two semesters. In other words, they pay in-state tuition for that year.

Students who don’t qualify for in-state tuition can continue to receive a waiver, so long as they maintain a certain grade-point average. For 3.5 and above, the waiver is 100 percent; for 3.0 to 3.4, it is 90 percent; and for 2.0 to 2.9, it is 75 percent.

“It’s a significant savings,” said George Jacox, chairman of the flight department.

The waiver, which applies to students in all programs, draws many prospects from Texas, he said. “We’re 20 miles north of the border, and we’re actually 90 miles north of Dallas and closer than Oklahoma City or Tulsa.”

Southeastern Oklahoma is highly competitive on flight training costs and tuition, Jacox said. “We’re the least expensive in our area.” As a small, regional university, the program has small class sizes. Four professors teach all aviation classes; no graduate assistants teach classes.

The aviation program operates at Durant Regional-Eaker Field Airport (DUA). The school’s fleet includes seven Cessna 150s, three 152s, six 172Rs, two 182RGs, and a 310, as well as an advanced aviation training device. Satellite locations at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City Community College, and Rose State College offer primarily aviation management courses. The university offers two degree options: professional pilot and aviation management. A pipeline agreement is in place with Envoy Air.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University (www.se.edu)

Student population: 4,000
Aviation program: 350
Tuition: $6,878/yr (resident); $14,958/yr (nonresident) (does not include flight costs)
Estimated total flight costs: $38,939
Restricted ATP: Yes, at 1,000 hours
AABI: Yes
UAA: Yes

Westminster College

Big airport exposure

Want a training environment that practically guarantees you’ll conquer mic fright? Look no further than the aviation program at private liberal arts Westminster College in Salt Lake City. All training is conducted out of Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), a Delta Airlines and Southwest Airlines hub in Class B airspace.

“Ninety-five percent of our [aviation] students want to be professional pilots, which means they will have to operate out of busy airspace and know those rules coming in,” said John Schaefer, chairman of the aviation program. “That’s from their infancy in aviation with us.” Students know “from day one” how to deal with radios and negotiate busy airspace, he said.

Does this mean you’ll spend a lot of time sweating it out on the taxiway waiting in line behind Boeing 737s and 757s? Not necessarily. Commercial flights operate off the runways closest to the passenger terminal. General aviation operations are across the field and mostly take place on shorter runways. Students rarely practice touch and goes at SLC, instead conducting those maneuvers at satellite airports within the Class B. “We’ll see busier airspace getting in or out of the Class B, and that teaches them how to hold,” Schaefer said.

The program’s 14-airplane fleet includes Piper Archers and Arrows, Cessna 172s, and a Piper Seminole. Its flight operations program curriculum received FAA Industry Training Standards approval in 2012, which means students who complete the scenario-based training can complete certificates with fewer hours than published FAA minimums—thus saving them money on flight training expenses.

“Last summer we had a student who became a CFI at 215 total hours” rather than the minimum 250 hours, Schaefer said. “When they meet the standard, regardless of the hours, they can take their checkride. Not every student will have the proficiency to do that, but because of the syllabi and training we provide, most are taking checkrides with fewer than published minimum requirements.”

Westminster offers four-year degrees in aviation flight operations and aviation management. Bridge agreements are in place with SkyWest and Envoy.

Westminster College www.westminstercollege.edu

Student population: 2,789
Aviation program: 130
Tuition: $31,228/yr (approximate, does not include flight costs)
Estimated total flight costs: $49,700 to $61,200
Restricted ATP: Yes, at 1,000 hours
AABI: Yes
UAA: Yes