Saturday, September 13, 2014

Glendale Community College gets new wings: College officials approve purchase of third plane for aviation program

The aviation department at Glendale Community College is celebrating a new addition this week in the form of a 1983 Cessna, the third plane the campus has acquired for its pilot training program.

Earlier this week, college trustees approved the $62,000 purchase of the 172P model, making the program eligible to serve 30% more students.

Since the 1930s, Glendale Community College has offered aviation classes, but it was only in 1998 that officials purchased their first airplane and began providing flight-training courses. The college purchased its second plane in 2003.

Early on, the program played a significant role in training pilots who served in World War II.

"As the world was going to war in 1939, there was flight training through [Glendale Community College] — one of many contractors throughout the country that provided flight training for WWII pilots," said Scott Rubke, chair of the technology and aviation division of the college.

The newest plane will join the other two Cessna 172N-models at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, where students take off seven days a week to log 60 flight hours on their way to earning a private pilot's license.

Curtis Potter, the program's chief pilot, said the newest plane is similar to the other two aircraft in the fleet.

Over the course of a year, the planes fly an average of 500 to 600 hours. Every 2,000 hours, the engines are overhauled, and every 100 hours, the planes undergo inspections.

"It's all about safety," Rubke said.

The six instructors who teach an average of 22 students each semester come from various backgrounds as commercial airline or corporate pilots as well as helicopter pilots.

- Source:  http://www.glendalenewspress.com

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