Florida State College at Jacksonville Selects Sunrise Aviation as New Flight Training Vendor

Sunrise Aviation has been chosen by Florida State College at Jacksonville as the exclusive flight training vendor for students in FSCJ’s Professional Pilot Technology program. Flight students will receive training at Sunrise Aviation’s FAA approved satellite at Cecil Airport co-located in FSCJ’s Cecil Center South facilities. Pilot training at Cecil Airport began this fall with 20 students actively enrolled in flight courses.

The contract between FSCJ and Sunrise Aviation extends for three years and is renewable for two additional years. Sunrise Aviation is the first flight training vendor for FSCJ who will provide flight training at the same location as classroom training. The location is significant as it allows the faculty and staff of FSCJ to work closely with the flight instructors at Sunrise Aviation. The Cecil Airport location also permits students and instructors to have maximum access to the FSCJ simulator center.

Gene Milowick, Director of Aviation Programs FSCJ

Gene Milowicki, Director, Aviation Programs at FSCJ, commented that FSCJ is “very excited and optimistic about bringing professional fixed-wing flight training to Cecil Airport and Florida State College students. Sunrise Aviation has a well-deserved reputation for training commercial, multi-engine, instrument-rated pilots, which it has earned through continuous successful operations over the past 28 years.”

Devon Dorato, President, Sunrise Aviation, also indicated that the addition of a flight training satellite at Cecil Airport was part of Sunrise Aviation’s strategic plan. “Sunrise Aviation is pleased to bring civilian flight training back to Cecil Airport. With Cecil Airport’s extensive array of runways, multiple instrument approaches, and friendly Air Traffic Control tower, Sunrise Aviation will be able to provide high quality and economical pilot training for FSCJ students.” Dorato also mentioned that “with employment prospects for flight instructors and entry-level pilots in the USA starting to increase, we are now pleased to be in a position to help Florida residents prepare themselves for those careers. With FSCJ’s ability to secure funding for veterans and recent changes to that funding that make public colleges even more attractive for those veterans seeking flight training, Sunrise Aviation is pleased to be a part of the transition to civilian employment for those veterans.”

FSCJ also offers low tuition rates for Florida residents and the location at Cecil Airport also makes flight training at the college convenient for nearly 1.5 million residents in northeast Florida.

Milowicki elaborated on the advantages of the combination of FSCJ resources and flight training vendor at the same site. “With Sunrise coming to Cecil Airport and Florida State College, we will finally achieve full integration of our College courses for ground school, flight simulator laboratories, and flight training under one efficient umbrella of oversight and management. The result will be better trained and educated pilots, trained efficiently and effectively to high standards, and ready to hit the ground running to start a career as a professional commercial airplane pilot for the regional airlines.” In addition, Milowicki mentioned that the use of the simulator resources will help reduce overall flight training expenses. “We could potentially save the students in excess of $10,000 over their entire flight training experience.”