Aviation adjusts to new home
After years in the College of Engineering, the aviation department is finding their home in a place some students wouldn’t guess – the College of Agriculture.
Last January, the aviation department officially decided on the move. aviation now falls under the department of agricultural sciences and technology education.
“USU has the upper hand when it comes to aviation,” said Tyler Grange, a student majoring in aviation.
The transition has been a smooth one, according to Lawrence Hemingway, a lecturer in the department. He said ASTE is a better fit than the the College of Engineering.
“We are nine months in and couldn’t be happier,” Hemingway said. “We have received great support for our mission.”
According the department’s website, the mission includes “preparing, educating and enhancing the professional development of students’ industry skills, attitudes, and knowledge of aircraft maintenance, flight operations and management.”
Hemingway said the College of Agriculture has created an inviting environment for the department’s adjustment.
“It’s like a family,” he said. “They just opened up and received us like we were one of them.”
Hemingway said one of the reasons aviation fits better into ASTE is because the College of Engineering was extremely research-focused, while flying is research and practically focused. One of the goals of the program is to teach students skills that will make them industry-ready, according to the website.
Students in aviation take classes in weather, electricity, maintenance and management. They are trained in the latest instrument and navigation technology, Hemingway said.
By using USU’s Redbird All-Glass Cockpit Flight Simulator, students gain experience they need to prepare them for real situations, Hemingway said.
In addition to better training, students have more ability to pay for school because of the financial opportunities the College of Agriculture provides, said Colleen Larkin, a student in the aviation department.
“We now have access to a lot of agriculture scholarships that we didn’t have before,” she said.
For those who want to fix planes instead of fly them, USU offers a four-year aviation maintenance program. This major prepares students for entry-level positions in management and maintenance programs within the airline industry, corporate aviation and general aviation, Hemingway said.
After almost four years of job decline, the airline industry is rising again, according to a USA Today article. It is estimated Boeing will open more than 450,000 commercial pilot jobs by 2029 – about 23,300 new pilots a year. Around 97,000 of those will be in North America.
Sean Heiner, the chief pilot of aviation technology, said the aviation department has benefited from great leadership i
n the College of Agriculture. He said the leadership of the organization is not too different than it has been in the past.
“The leadership in agriculture has welcomed us and really went out of their way to make us feel at home,” Heiner said. “The College of Agriculture has been very hospitable and supportive of the aviation department and has helped them get up and running. The aviation staff is doing a great job of filling the void left since the director of aviation retired last year.”
Classes are the same as they were when aviation was part of the College of Engineering, Heiner said. The students are of the same quality and are receiving the same if not better education, he said.
Transitioning to something new is always hard but this transition, under new circumstances, the college’s shift has been a pleasurable one, Heiner said.
“I have no regrets,” he said. “Even though aviation sounds funny in the College of Agriculture, it fits.”
-leannfox@aggiemail.usu.edu