{"id":16874,"date":"2020-11-17T13:12:19","date_gmt":"2020-11-17T13:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=16874"},"modified":"2020-11-17T13:12:21","modified_gmt":"2020-11-17T13:12:21","slug":"siu-aviation-celebrates-six-decades-while-flying-to-new-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/state-news\/illinois\/siu-aviation-celebrates-six-decades-while-flying-to-new-heights\/%20","title":{"rendered":"SIU Aviation Celebrates Six Decades While Flying to New Heights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photo above – Southern Illinois University Carbondale\u2019s nationally recognized and comprehensive aviation program is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Since the university purchased a fixed-based operator at Southern Illinois Airport in December 1960, the program\u2019s growth includes multiple degree programs, a state-of-the-industry facility and more than 600 students. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Pete Rosenbery<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Southern Illinois University Carbondale nears the 60th\nanniversary for its nationally recognized aviation program, the horizon remains\nclear, unlimited and expansive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What started as a service unit of the university offering\nflight classes with four airplanes and spare parts has transformed into one of\nthe nation\u2019s leading comprehensive aviation programs with multiple degree\nprograms, a state-of-the-industry facility and more than 600 students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Flying Salukis, shown here practicing ahead of their ninth straight Region VIII National Intercollegiate Flying Association title last fall, are also a fixture within the aviation program. They have nine straight top 3 national finishes, including titles in 2011, 2014 and 2015. (Photo by Russell Bailey)<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The program\u2019s reach now extends nationally with online\nand off-campus offerings and internationally with agreements to train aviation\ntechnology students in China and prepare pilots, mechanics and avionics\ntechnicians with Saudia Airlines. In addition, the aviation program is working\ntoward a School of Aviation to encapsulate the aviation technologies, aviation\nmanagement and aviation flight programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combined effort<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Burgener, the program\u2019s interim department chair\nin aviation management and flight and aviation technologies chair, notes the\nprogram\u2019s growth, relevancy and reputation. He points to the strong foundation\nprovided by the late Ron Kelly and Tony DaRosa, along with Dave NewMyer, who\nretired as aviation management and flight chair in 2014. Burgener also notes\nthe faculty, students and strong alumni connections through six decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey are the ones who worked over the last 60 years to\ndevelop the reputation and develop SIU,\u201d Burgener said. \u201cThey worked to develop\na reputation of success that is paying dividends today. It\u2019s rewarding and a\nprivilege for me to be a part of that and to contribute and carry on the\ntradition of success that SIU aviation has had.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faculty with industry experience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Koebel, a senior aviation technology major from\nSt. Charles, Illinois, said there were several factors in his decision to\nattend SIU \u2013 the varying types of aircraft within the program, the faculty and\nthe airport\u2019s location close to campus. He is president of Aviation\nAmbassadors, a registered student organization that represents the program at a\nvariety of aviation events and gives tours to prospective students and their\nfamilies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like telling people about SIU and showing everything\nthe program has to offer,\u201d Koebel said. \u201cA tour can make or break a school,\u201d he\nsaid. \u201cI think that if you really show a passion for the program that it influences\nthe students who come here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is also working toward an associate degree in aviation\nflight and will graduate in August. The hands-on component students receive in\ntraining from faculty who also had industry experience is vital, said Koebel,\nwho is now working to reassemble the engine on a Piper Tri-Pacer airplane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of the instructors are super well versed in the\nareas they are teaching,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is a really big factor on them being\nable to demonstrate and instruct the material because they have real-world\nexperience and know what they are talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing program<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The program\u2019s instructors, their passion for aviation and the varying types of aircraft were among the reasons Thomas Koebel, a senior in aviation technologies from St. Charles, Illinois, chose SIU. He is working to reassemble the engine on a Piper Tri-Pacer airplane. (Photo by Yenitza Melgoza)<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

NewMyer, who joined SIU Carbondale in 1977 as an\noff-campus coordinator at Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona, arrived on\ncampus in 1979. He points to then-SIU President Delyte Morris\u2019 affection for\nflying as one of the reasons SIU bought Midwestern Aero Services, the fixed\nbase operator at Southern Illinois Airport, for $56,000 in December 1960.\nRenamed Air Institute and Service, it offered flight coursework, aircraft\nfueling services and aircraft charter services until it was eliminated and\nreplaced by the Department of Aviation Management and Flight in the early\n1990s. The university in 1965 began offering a two-year aviation maintenance\ntechnologies degree, the first formal SIU aviation degree program, and has\nsince transformed into a four-year aviation technologies degree, with\nspecializations in aircraft maintenance, helicopter maintenance and aviation\nelectronics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aviation management bachelor\u2019s degree program began\nboth on- and off-campus in the mid-1970s. In 1990, aviation, working with the\nmaster\u2019s degree in public administration, began offering an MPA with a\nspecialization in aviation administration. Aviation Technologies also offers an\nonline bachelor\u2019s degree in aviation maintenance management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transportation Education Center<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fall 2012 opening of the university\u2019s Transportation\nEducation Center at Southern Illinois Airport was critical for both the\naviation and automotive programs \u2013 allowing both programs to move from aged\nfacilities in several locations into one primary building, along with an\nadjacent aviation engine research test cell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because construction was under budget, the remaining\nfunds helped buy equipment, including state-of-the-industry flight simulators,\naviation maintenance equipment and an air traffic control simulator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the improvements continue. In November, the program\nis slated to pick up five new Cessna 172S planes, featuring Garmin G1000\navionics and the first planes within the program to feature auto pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Important and evolving connections<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest connections has been the program\u2019s\nlink with United Airlines, which NewMyer notes started with a historic flight\noperations internship agreement in July 1986. The United Airlines-SIU Aviation\nCareer Day brings high school students from the Chicago area to campus to learn\nabout the program from students, faculty and alumni with United Airlines,\ncelebrated 25 years last fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause of that connection to United and many other\naviation entities \u2013 from airports to aerospace manufacturers, alumni have been\nanother key aspect of our program,\u201d NewMyer said, noting the program maintains\na connection with more than 7,000 aviation alumni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International presence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aviation technologies\u2019 program link with Shenyang\nAerospace University in China is also something Burgener is excited about.\nFinalized in September 2019, the program is designed to work as a \u201c2+2\u201d degree\nprogram where Chinese students attend classes in China for two years and then\nattend SIU Carbondale for their final two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Burgener taught the first two classes to 75 Shenyang\nstudents online this summer. The challenges included the time difference, where\nhe began at 8 p.m. to correspond to 9 a.m. the next day to students in China,\nalong with navigating Chinese technology. Burgener was limited to software\navailable in China and was aided by a teaching assistant there who helped with\ngrading and communication with students. The courses were a math-based\nstatistics course with an aviation focus and a propellers course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we can improve aviation safety anywhere in the world,\nthen that is a benefit to aviation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Flying Salukis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An important component within the aviation program is the\nFlying Salukis, which helps attracts both students and their parents to the\nprogram. The flight team, comprising 15 to 18 members, has earned nine National\nIntercollegiate Flying Association titles dating back to 1977, including recent\nchampionships in 2011, 2014 and 2015. The team since 2011 has nine straight top\n3 national finishes, though it was unable to compete in May due to the\npandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More students, more demand for graduates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The combined student enrollment from the three programs\nhas increased from 441 in 2017 to 612 this fall, including nearly 100 students\nenrolled at six off-campus locations in California, Illinois, North Carolina\nand Pennsylvania. Even with layoffs within the aviation industry due to the\nCOVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook notes the\nindustry\u2019s resiliency when faced with periodic downturns and projects an increasing\ndemand for pilots and technicians as the \u201clong-term need remains robust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Burgener predicts the same scenario, noting that before\nthe pandemic there was a need for additional flight instructors. The\navailability of pilots to return as flight instructors aided the program\nparticularly this year. The rise in students in all facets of the program\nprojects \u201ca confidence in the industry that it is going to snap back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore COVID, the industry was going gangbusters. You\ncouldn\u2019t find enough pilots; you couldn\u2019t find enough mechanics,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\nhad companies coming in and wanting to do pipeline agreements and internships;\nthey were eager to hire our graduates.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo above – Southern Illinois University Carbondale\u2019s nationally recognized and comprehensive aviation program is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Since the university purchased a fixed-based operator at Southern Illinois Airport in December 1960, the program\u2019s growth includes multiple degree programs, a state-of-the-industry facility and more than 600 students. By Pete Rosenbery As Southern Illinois University Carbondale […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16875,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-education","category-illinois"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_2655-overhead-sm-1024x683.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16874"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16878,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16874\/revisions\/16878"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}