Lakeland senior Matt Derse performs preflight checks Wednesday Sept. 9, at Sheboygan County Memorial Airport near Sheboygan Falls.
As a young boy, Christian Gillaspie took great pleasure in watching airplanes fly over his home in southwestern Wisconsin.
It wasn't often he had the privilege, as airplanes didn't fly over his neck of the woods frequently, Gillaspie recalls. But when they did, Gillaspie said he would jump up from his seat and race outside to catch a glimpse of the soaring vehicle.
Perhaps the airplanes' sparse visits added to the intrigue of flying for the now 20-year-old Gillaspie, who is minoring in aviation at Lakeland College.
"It's something that probably most kids dream about," Gillaspie said. "Flying's my passion, I guess you could say."
A total of 20 students are now enrolled in the aviation program at Lakeland College, which is the only four-year institution in the state to offer an aviation degree.
In its fifth year, instructors say the program has undergone significant changes from when it first started in an effort to streamline students' path to graduation and to produce more quality aviators, including both recreational and commercial pilots.
The program shift comes at a time when the airline industry is facing a projected mass shortage of pilots, as large numbers of commercial pilots near retirement in the coming years, according to published reports.
And Wisconsin is the place to be if you're interested in flying, said Brandon Molina, who last year joined the Lakeland staff as an aviation instructor.
"We are in the mecca of aviation," Molina said. "You've got the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Oshkosh is only a 15-minute flight from here.
"For us (at Lakeland), being as small as we are, we can focus on making it more than just a program or a degree," Molina continued. "It's really understanding what the profession is about, and that's what I think our industry needs to take on as well."
In addition to adding Molina to the staff, Lakeland also hired a second flight instructor, Steve Vaught, who began his role with the college over the summer by teaching a course to a handful of high school students for college credit.
The school also now has classroom space on the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport grounds, and the program boasts two Cirrus SR20 aircraft, both of which include glass cockpits and Cirrus Aircraft Parachute Systems.
"These are the sports cars of aircraft," Molina said in a news release from the college.
Students interested in enrolling in the program have two paths available. The college was recently granted Federal Aviation Administration classification for its Part 141 certification, the path taken by those looking to obtain a commercial pilot license. The new certification means students' paths to obtaining their licenses will be streamlined, as fewer flight hours are required.
Lakeland also continues to offer Part 61 certification, which features fewer classroom hours but requires more flight time, according to the news release. The option is most viable for non-degree-seeking students or non-Lakeland students who want to work toward a private or commercial license.
Most of the students in the program are perhaps still undecided about whether they'll become career pilots, but the way the program is designed allows them time and the opportunity to make that decision, said Molina.
"You're not going to come out of any program and jump right into the airlines. They require a given hour amount," Molina said. "What Lakeland has said is for people who may in the future think about becoming a pilot, we're going to offer this minor, but require them to take a major so they can start a career ... and instruct and find out 'Do I want to make aviation a career or make it a hobby?'"
Gillaspie says he's still undecided about his future career. Going into the program, he never intended to become a professional airline pilot, but is interested in instructing.
Meanwhile, he's also majoring in business and said he'll weigh his options when he graduates.
"I really do enjoy the flying," Gillaspie said. "If I could get a nice job with that, that’d probably be the way I’d go."
Source: http://www.sheboyganpress.com
Lakeland senior Matt Derse takes flight with Instructor of Aviation Brandon Molina Wednesday, Sept. 9, at Sheboygan County Memorial Airport near Sheboygan Falls. The two were flying to Appleton, where Derse would get some practice in dealing with a control tower.
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