Parkland College Offers Flight Training & AA Degree Program

April 15, 2015
Through Parkland's program, students can earn a transferable Associate of Science in Aviation degree, FAA-approved private pilot certification, and commercial pilot ratings.

Champaign, ILLINOIS (Parkland College) / April 14, 2015 - The Parkland College Institute of Aviation at the University of Illinois is pleased to announce very special opportunities for students who wish to pursue aviation as a career. At the national news intersection of high student loan debt and impending airline pilot shortage, Parkland's program offers a breath of fresh air.

"We believe we can save students $50,000 and save them literally years of time to achieve their goals of flying as a vocation," said Sybil Phillips, Director of Aviation Instruction for Parkland College. "Parkland has much to offer prospective aviation students, while also immersing them in a traditional course of higher education studies."

Parkland College took over the aviation institute from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the fall of 2014. Parkland enjoyed a long relationship with the University of Illinois although that fact was never promoted vigorously. As the University of Illinois reformulated its approach to flight training, interested students were turned away but now Parkland is reinvigorating the aviation curriculum and is seeking to rebuild the pipeline of new flight students by offering compelling options.

"Airlines are no longer demanding four-year university degrees as they once did," noted Phillips. "However, they do put a high value on structured learning and Parkland College is very well suited to provide that sort of environment." Parkland students can earn an Associate in Science (Aviation) degree.

Last fall, Parkland received a Piper Warrior Flight Training Device (FTD) from Frasca International that provides a larger "cockpit" for student training, one that more closely resembles real-world functionality. Frasca has promised to continue its long and fruitful relationship with Parkland.

"We are centrally located to several major metropolitan areas, notably Chicago," said Patty Lehn, Parkland's Director of Marketing & Public Relations. "We are also reasonably proximate to St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Lousiville as well as Peoria, Joliet, Decatur, and Springfield." Parkland will be reaching out to these population centers as it extends an invitation to students in those communities.

FACTS ABOUT PARKLAND COLLEGE INSTITUTE OF AVIATION Parkland College, a community college located in northwest Champaign, launched its flight school in August 2014 following closure of the University of Illinois Institute of Aviation. Through Parkland's program, students can earn a transferable Associate of Science in Aviation degree, FAA-approved private pilot certification, and commercial pilot ratings. Parkland is leasing the university's fleet of airplanes, equipment, and ground school facilities under a three-year agreement. More information can be found at http://www.parkland.edu/aviation.