Air aviation news- The city of Conway’s partnership with the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) for its new aviation academy at the Conway Regional Airport is a testament to the commitment and work of airport director Jake Briley, Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry told the Log Cabin Democrat following the announcement of the academy at the airport on Wednesday.
“I can’t say enough about Jacob’s input into this,” Castleberry said. “UCA was already thinking about the idea, and [UCA President Houston Davis] and his team found ways to make it work after visiting with Jacob. It was a great partnership.”
The academy, set to begin with two single-engine planes in March 2024, will offer private and commercial aviation training, ratings and licensure, Davis told guests at the airport on Wednesday. Operated by the university’s Division of Outreach and Community Engagement in partnership with Central Flying Service of Little Rock, students in the program can enroll even if they’re not UCA students.
“The flexibility of this academy allows students to first pursue their workforce training needs if that is their main goal but also provides them a path to continue or pursue other degree options with the university if desired,” Davis said. “Many students may prioritize securing their commercial pilot certificate to immediately work in the industry while other students will choose to attend UCA for another degree but also want to do their pilot training while in college. This innovative program is a win for the students, the industry, the city, the state and the university.”
Development of the academy will include the construction of a new hangar at the airport. Castleberry said other potential growth opportunities at the airport include eventually extending the runway to allow larger planes to land and building more hangars as the pilots of some 55 aircraft are currently waiting to be able to house their planes at Cantrell Field.
“We’re probably going to need to look into putting a fire station out here at some point in time,” Castleberry said. “If we become a larger airport with an extended runway and a small amount of commuter traffic, then we will have to add the infrastructure with that.”
Castleberry also connected the city’s continued work to attract youth sports tournaments to Conway with the growth of the airport.
“Hopefully, we’ll have youth teams and their parents flying into Conway and our airport and spending time in our athletic facilities,” Castleberry said.
Dignitaries from the city, state and national airlines attended Wednesday’s announcement. Officials hope the academy will serve as part of the solution to meeting the workforce needs of the aviation industry that is projected to have an average of 17,000 national yearly openings for airline and commercial pilots over the next decade.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for the combined efforts at the University of Central Arkansas, the city of Conway and the Conway Regional Airport to spearhead this initiative. Our state faces critical skilled worker shortages in industries like aviation. It will take all of us working together on new projects like the UCA Aviation Academy to overcome these challenges and lead Arkansas’s economy into the next decades and beyond. As today’s announcement shows, we’re up to the task,” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement read by a representative on Wednesday.
Arkansas Division of Higher Education Commissioner Ken Warden also spoke about the workforce demands the aviation industry in Arkansas faces, saying “UCA, the city of Conway and Central Flying Service are to be commended for their joint commitment to innovative solutions to this challenge for our state.”
Over two decades of work culminated in Wednesday’s announcement, UCA Athletic Director and interim Aviation Academy Director Brad Teague told the Log Cabin Democrat. A pilot himself, Teague said more serious discussions about an aviation program began after Davis joined the university in 2017.
One of the barriers to the academy involved the challenges in making a degree program to accompany it, Teague said. With the current structure not involving a degree, it’s now feasible.
Teague said Central Flying Service is buying all the assets for the academy and supplying the instructors. He estimated students who attain a private license will spend about $12,000, and those who go on to attain a instrument rating will spend an additional $12,000. The commercial license takes 190 total flying hours or about $55,000.
To help students with the cost of the program, Teague said UCA is actively fundraising for scholarship endowments, and university donors have been receptive to the academy. He said he thinks the university can get close to cutting the cost of the program in half for students through scholarships and other opportunities. Military and veterans are able to utilize GI Bill or military tuition assistance for the program.
Enrollment in the academy is open to anyone 17 years of age or older regardless of university student status. For more details on the academy, visit www.uca.edu/aviation.