HORSEHEADS, NY -- Sikorsky Global Helicopters, a Sikorsky company, announces that Kent State University will introduce helicopter training courses this month using S-300CBi helicopters. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

The aeronautics program within the university's College of Technology will offer private, commercial, certified flight instructor (CFI), and certified flight instructor instrument (CFII) helicopter ratings. Kent State, located in Kent, OH, also operates a fixed wing training program and will offer helicopter add-on ratings for commercial, private pilots, and CFIs.

The college currently leases two S-300CBi helicopters, one from Eagles Wings Aviation and the other from Precision Helicopters, both of Cleveland, OH.

"The S-300CBi helicopter meets the weight and performance requirements for our student population," says Dr. Edward Overchuk, assistant professor of aeronautical studies at Kent State. "It also has outstanding handling characteristics, and is forgiving and cost effective for the performance that it provides."

Overchuk developed the helicopter program and is currently the lead helicopter instructor as the college's only dual-rated CFI.

Expanding Kent State Aeronautics to include helicopter courses became possible after Kent State established the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) in the aeronautics program.

The aeronautics program enrolls more than 100 students every year. About 85 percent of those students enter the pilot training program, and Overchuk says he expects the add-on helicopter ratings to be most popular with these students.

Overchuk has made connections with medevac helicopter units at local hospitals to secure internship partnerships for students. The College of Technology has also reached out to Army and Air Force ROTC programs on campus for joint collaboration in the helicopter training program.

Kent State joins a growing list of colleges and universities that operate S-300C(TM) and S-300CBi helicopters in their aviation programs, including the University of North Dakota and Kansas State University.