<p>Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) is acknowledged as one being among the world’s upper echelon when it comes to aviation seats of learning. This is hardly surprising given the university’s presence in nine countries, in 33 of the states in the USA, plus residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida; Prescott, Arizona; Singapore as well as its “Worldwide/Online Campus”.</p>
<p><img alt="Diamond DA42-VI" src="/getasset/a95db62e-365c-4868-a81f-e58235435d14/" /></p>
<p>At a time when Boeing’s latest “Pilot & Technician Outlook” forecasts a need for 804,000 new civil aviation pilots and 769,000 new maintenance technicians (commercial, business and helicopter) over the period covering 2019-2038, it can only be considered good news that ERAU is expanding and taking in more students.</p>
<p>In his recent annual speech summarising the state of the university, ERAU’s president Barry Butler reported that residential enrolment has increased by 21% for students entering their first-year in the upcoming autumn term. Overall, the number of student applications – remembering that many study off campus – went up by 39% for the respective period.</p>
<p>While ERAU courses go well beyond those for pilots – and those taking the university’s courses may never opt to fly – it is appropriate to highlight them because, as RAA president Faye Malarkey Black told <em>Flight Jobs</em> in “<a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/article/raa-addresses-pilot-shortage-and-training-quality/">RAA addresses pilot shortage and training quality</a>”, the most preferred pathway to becoming a pilot is “the degree pathway”.</p>
<p>According to the university, “In Daytona Beach and Prescott combined, total enrolment in the university’s residential Aeronautical Science programs leading to a bachelor’s degree for professional pilots has increased about 25% over the past three years, with nearly 2,000 students enrolled as of fall 2018. Demand for the fall 2019 semester is expected to reach more than 2,300 students”.</p>
<p>Those opting for that pilot training pathway will find their studies assisted by new equipment soon. At the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh in July, ERAU announced its decision to replace many of its current 100+ aircraft fleet with 60 new Cessna Skyhawks and four new Diamond DA42-VI aircraft. The deal for the Cessnas has scope for an even larger number of aircraft. Deliveries of the first batch of 60 will run until September 2022 and after that the university has options to buy 10 more Skyhawks a year until 2030. In addition to all the aircraft, ERAU will be adding three new flight simulators made by Frasca.</p>
<p>On the maintenance side of the academic team, a new chair of Aviation Maintenance Science (AMS) has just joined ERAU. Eric Jones, who began his career as a US Navy structural technician, has taken over the role from Associate Professor Chuck Horning, who has returned to faculty status.</p>
<p>After his time in the armed forces, Jones went on to work for Horizon Air, Midwest Express, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines in a variety of maintenance positions. On leaving Southwest, he entered academia at Lewis University, going on to become co-chairman of the Aviation and Transportation Department there.</p>
<p>In remarks given on taking up the AMS chair, Jones immediately recognised the current and future challenge to his sphere of aviation, where out of the 769,000 technicians needed worldwide, Boeing forecasts a need for 193,000 (again, across all industries) in the US. “We need more aviation maintenance professionals. The industry demands it,” he declared, going on to emphasise that unfortunately aviation maintenance technicians “have a public perception problem that needs remedying”.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Butler also noted that other new resources are being added to deliver student success, including a new windtunnel and unmanned aerial vehicles.</p>
<p>While candidates will still have the challenge of funding, they can be sure that if they attend ERAU, their choice of university is doing all it can to maintain its leading role in aviation education, thus making their resumés on graduation that bit more attractive to employers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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<p><img alt="Diamond DA42-VI" src="/getasset/a95db62e-365c-4868-a81f-e58235435d14/" /></p>
<p>At a time when Boeing’s latest “Pilot & Technician Outlook” forecasts a need for 804,000 new civil aviation pilots and 769,000 new maintenance technicians (commercial, business and helicopter) over the period covering 2019-2038, it can only be considered good news that ERAU is expanding and taking in more students.</p>
<p>In his recent annual speech summarising the state of the university, ERAU’s president Barry Butler reported that residential enrolment has increased by 21% for students entering their first-year in the upcoming autumn term. Overall, the number of student applications – remembering that many study off campus – went up by 39% for the respective period.</p>
<p>While ERAU courses go well beyond those for pilots – and those taking the university’s courses may never opt to fly – it is appropriate to highlight them because, as RAA president Faye Malarkey Black told <em>Flight Jobs</em> in “<a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/article/raa-addresses-pilot-shortage-and-training-quality/">RAA addresses pilot shortage and training quality</a>”, the most preferred pathway to becoming a pilot is “the degree pathway”.</p>
<p>According to the university, “In Daytona Beach and Prescott combined, total enrolment in the university’s residential Aeronautical Science programs leading to a bachelor’s degree for professional pilots has increased about 25% over the past three years, with nearly 2,000 students enrolled as of fall 2018. Demand for the fall 2019 semester is expected to reach more than 2,300 students”.</p>
<p>Those opting for that pilot training pathway will find their studies assisted by new equipment soon. At the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh in July, ERAU announced its decision to replace many of its current 100+ aircraft fleet with 60 new Cessna Skyhawks and four new Diamond DA42-VI aircraft. The deal for the Cessnas has scope for an even larger number of aircraft. Deliveries of the first batch of 60 will run until September 2022 and after that the university has options to buy 10 more Skyhawks a year until 2030. In addition to all the aircraft, ERAU will be adding three new flight simulators made by Frasca.</p>
<p>On the maintenance side of the academic team, a new chair of Aviation Maintenance Science (AMS) has just joined ERAU. Eric Jones, who began his career as a US Navy structural technician, has taken over the role from Associate Professor Chuck Horning, who has returned to faculty status.</p>
<p>After his time in the armed forces, Jones went on to work for Horizon Air, Midwest Express, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines in a variety of maintenance positions. On leaving Southwest, he entered academia at Lewis University, going on to become co-chairman of the Aviation and Transportation Department there.</p>
<p>In remarks given on taking up the AMS chair, Jones immediately recognised the current and future challenge to his sphere of aviation, where out of the 769,000 technicians needed worldwide, Boeing forecasts a need for 193,000 (again, across all industries) in the US. “We need more aviation maintenance professionals. The industry demands it,” he declared, going on to emphasise that unfortunately aviation maintenance technicians “have a public perception problem that needs remedying”.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Butler also noted that other new resources are being added to deliver student success, including a new windtunnel and unmanned aerial vehicles.</p>
<p>While candidates will still have the challenge of funding, they can be sure that if they attend ERAU, their choice of university is doing all it can to maintain its leading role in aviation education, thus making their resumés on graduation that bit more attractive to employers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/register/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=FJ_register"><img alt="Register with Flight Jobs" src="/getasset/a95f9bbd-4d54-40bd-91fb-e090dc9d5295/" /></a></p>