Embry-Riddle Has Grand Opening for Three Buildings in James Hagedorn Aviation Complex

Daytona Beach, Fla. – Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University celebrated a milestone in its ongoing construction campaign — the completion of the final three buildings in the James Hagedorn Aviation Complex — with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Sept. 9, in the courtyard of the complex at the Daytona Beach campus, 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd.

The new, high-tech Emil Buehler Aviation Maintenance Science Building, Samuel M. Goldman Fleet Maintenance Hangar, and Flight Operations Building are grouped together on Embry-Riddle’s flight line, adjacent to Daytona Beach International Airport. The Buehler and Flight Operations buildings replace older structures; the Goldman building replaces a hangar destroyed by a tornado in 2006.

Managed by the University’s Construction and Planning Office in conjunction with Hawkins, Hall, and Ogle Architects and Perry McCall Construction, the $22.1 million project adds 97,550 square feet of instructional and operational space to the campus.

Counting the three new buildings, the James Hagedorn Aviation Complex now consists of seven buildings that support more than 2,000 students seeking degrees in Aeronautical Science, Air Traffic Management, Aviation Maintenance Science, Homeland Security, Meteorology, and Safety Science as well as certification in FAA Airframe and Powerplant. Structures built earlier, in the first phase of the complex, include the College of Aviation Building and the Advanced Flight Simulation Center.

“It’s one of our top priorities to refresh and expand our campus facilities in tandem with our degree offerings to meet the requirements of the industry we serve,” said Dr. John P. Johnson, Embry-Riddle president. “This world-class Aviation Complex ensures that Embry-Riddle students will get the unsurpassed instruc¬tion and technology they need to propel them into rewarding careers in aviation and aerospace.”

The Aviation Complex is named for Embry-Riddle alumnus Jim Hagedorn, who, along with his wife Karli, is a major donor to the complex. Hagedorn is the chairman, CEO, and president of Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. He serves on the University’s Board of Trustees as the chairman of the Investment Committee and a member of the Development Committee.

Other major donors to the Aviation Complex are the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust and the Sam Goldman family. Helen Wessel, another friend of the University, commissioned two striking artworks for the complex — the monumental stainless-steel sculpture Pathways to the Sky by artist Peter Forster for the courtyard, and the tall and airy fused-glass sculpture Reaching New Horizons by artist Kerry Transtrum for the atrium of the Flight Operations Building.

“The quality and beauty of these new buildings reflect the quality and reputation of the college’s academic programs,” said Dr. Tim Brady, dean of the College of Aviation. “As the names of our sculptures indicate, these facilities represent new horizons and pathways to the sky for our current and future aviation students.”

Speaking at the Hagedorn Aviation Complex grand opening will be Dr. Johnson; Dr. Brady; Jim Hagedorn; Jim Henderson, chairman of Embry-Riddle’s Board of Trustees; Mori Hosseini, vice chairman of Embry-Riddle’s Board of Trustees and chairman of its Facilities & Capital Planning Committee; and Glenn Ritchey, Daytona Beach mayor. Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, tours and refreshments will be offered in the Buehler and Flight Operations buildings.

The three-story, 48,680-square-foot Emil Buehler Aviation Maintenance Science Building contains faculty offices along with classrooms and labs dedicated to the training of aircraft technicians. The Miller Electric Welding Lab is named in honor of Miller Electric Mfg. Co., which is supplying the lab with the latest welding, cutting, and fume-extraction equipment. The Buehler building also features spacious outdoor observation decks on the second and third floors to be used for receptions and other special events, presenting a panoramic view of Embry-Riddle’s flight line and the runways, tower, and terminal of Daytona Beach International Airport.

The two-story, 33,850-square-foot Flight Operations Building holds offices, classrooms, a control tower, and an observation lounge, as well as areas to handle training flight reservations, pre-flight planning, post-flight debriefing, and flight and ground traffic control dispatch.

The 15,020-square-foot Samuel M. Goldman Fleet Maintenance Hangar contains offices and expansive space for technicians to service Embry-Riddle’s large fleet of training aircraft.

Located outside the new buildings, a new aircraft ramp imprinted with the Embry-Riddle seal will be used to display jets, military aircraft, experimental aircraft, and other aircraft of note.

In other new construction, the Jim W. Henderson Administration and Welcome Center at the Daytona Beach campus is currently under construction and is slated for completion in early 2012. It will feature visitor services, a large hall for community and University events, administration offices, seminar/function rooms, and a meeting room for the Board of Trustees.

Other buildings at the Daytona Beach campus in various stages of planning and design are the College of Arts & Sciences building (2013 estimated completion), the Student Union (2015), the Athletics Services building (2015), and the Academic and Research Center (2016). Newer buildings at the Daytona Beach campus include the College of Business Building and the Apollo Residence Hall, both completed in 2008, and the Fitness Center, completed in 2007.

Embry-Riddle’s Western campus in Prescott, Ariz., has also benefited from the University’s long-term focus on growth. The Academic Complex opened in 2004, the Visitor Center in 2006, the Robertson Aviation Safety Center II in 2009, and three buildings in 2008 — the Christine and Steven Udvar-Hazy Library and Learning Center, the Fred and Fay Haas Memorial Interfaith Chapel, and a dining hall.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.