cockpits. Te School of Aviation has its own maintenance and refurbishment facilities and employs licensed A&Ps to keep the fleet running. Tey complete all maintenance and repairs except for avionics, which go to a local avionics shop. Te primary academic building contains academic class-
rooms, maintenance and air traffic control classrooms, and a dispatch center. A 147-room residence hall provides on-campus housing for students. In addition to several fixed-wing flight training devices,
MGA recently purchased an Elite TH-100 flight sim- ulator, which is used for instrument training by helicopter student pilots. “We find that simulators are great teaching tools, in part because of the oppor- tunity for immediate feed- back,” says School of Aviation Dean Adon Clark. “If you’re in the pattern and there’s a problem, you still have to fly the aircraft while you’re trying to listen to your instructor, whereas with a simulator, you can pause, discuss what just happened, and then we can back it right up and start over.” Te Eastman campus hosts 739 students pursuing a variety
of aviation majors, everything from helicopter flight tech- nology to management. Enrollments are up, to the point where the school may soon establish a waiting list for some programs. In addition to being an approved Part 147 aviation main-
tenance school, MGA offers two-year degrees in both aviation structural technology and aviation maintenance technology, as well as a four-year degree in technical management. Out of the school’s current enrollment, 135 students are pursuing degrees in aircraft maintenance and 25 are studying aircraft structural technology. MGA also offers academic credit for some FAA qualifi-
cations. Tis provides seasoned aviation maintenance technicians with the opportunity to build their academic credentials and move into management while leveraging their knowledge and experience. Te Eastman campus features its own state-of-the-art
facility for air traffic management students; the school offers an associate’s degree in air traffic management with a current enrollment of 35 students. As part of the FAA’s Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI), graduates of the MGA program are eligible to bypass the Air Traffic Basics Course, which is
the first five weeks of qualification training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. MGA graduates are also eligible for Pool 1 hiring by the FAA, along with military veterans; applicants from the general population are assigned to Pool 2. MGA is a Part 141 approved flight school. In addition to
earning commercial, instrument, multiengine, ATP, and CFI ratings, students can receive a bachelor’s degree in aviation science and management, with concentrations in flight, management, or helicopter flight. MGA has 422 flight stu-
dents, 10 of which are pursuing helicopter ratings. Te flight training program logged 14,000 flight hours last year. Clark believes MGA students benefit by living, working,
and socializing together. “Everyone on the Eastman campus is an aviation student. A pilot may be roommates with an aircraft mechanic student or an aircraft traffic controller. Or there may be a mechanic, air traffic controller, and pilot all in the same class, so they get exposed to all aspects of aviation through their roommates, classmates, and schoolmates.” Tis exposure helps MGA students to better understand
each other’s work and the challenges they face. “I think it’s vital that they learn to communicate early on with each other,” says Clark. “Our pilots are comfortable talking to a mechanic on the floor if there’s an issue with the aircraft, or it’s easier for a mechanic to explain a process to a pilot. Tey have been interacting with these types of folks throughout their collegiate career.” Tis spirit of community extends to MGA flight instructors.
Many flight schools set up a helicopters vs. airplanes dynamic, emphasizing the differences between the two groups of pilots, says Colton Hummer, MGA’s lead helicopter CFI. But that tension goes away, he says, when the two groups
have the opportunity to fly together, which happens more regularly under MGA’s policy of giving each instructor two
SPRING 2019 ROTOR 27
“We’re so excited and so happy to see all MGA graduates,” says Lyle Perry, explaining the MGA Brand wall at the school. “And now we’re seeing our graduates succeed all around the world.”
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