Careers take flight with aviation science at LCCC

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Prior to 1984, the GI Bill, the funding bill for members of U.S. armed forces to continue their education, did not include training for aviation. That changed with the inclusion of flight training in an update to the legislation in 1984 and changed again dramatically after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Today, veterans have 100 percent of their flight training covered and can transition directly into a commercial career after graduating from a professional pilot program.

Aviation science programs around the nation transform dreams of flight into reality for aspiring pilots, and, in the Lehigh Valley, give military veterans a second chance to soar.

“More than 25 percent of our students are veterans,” said Brad Snyder, a certified flight instructor with Lehigh Carbon Community College and owner of Gateway Aviation, which is based at Allentown’s Queen City Airport.

“We have several people who wanted to be pilots in the military, but they worked as support crew – mechanics, ground personnel and avionic technicians [responsible for all electronic maintenance on an aircraft, among other duties]. They’re now able to fulfill their dream of becoming a pilot,” Snyder said.

At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., undergraduates can major in aeronautical science, which prepares them for a career as an airline, commercial or military pilot. However, the cost can be steep – an out-of-state resident will pay in excess of $200,000 for the degree.

For Lehigh Valley residents, LCCC’s aviation science program offers veterans and enthusiasts a more affordable option. Besides the cost of tuition, professional pilot students pay an additional $35,000 for flight training, which includes the cost of all flight training licenses.

LCCC’s program conveys four credentials: the private pilot license; the instrument rating, which allows flying in weather with reduced visibility; the commercial license; and the certified flight instructor certificate. Although students graduate with their flight instructor certification, they earn their commercial license during the course of the program.

“Our two-year program accomplishes as much flight training as Embry-Riddle,” Snyder said. “Most people rate them [Embry-Riddle] as No. 1 in the country, if not the world. What people don’t know is that we do as much flight training in our two-year program as they do in their four-year program.

“Ours is very rigorous. In addition, we don’t have Florida sun to shine in – our pilots learn to fly in real weather – clouds, rain, snow and icy conditions, and in some of the busiest airspace in the country.”