Students Take to the Sky in New Flight School in Eagle River

Those interested in becoming a pilot can now sign up for flight training as part of an exciting new venture that has landed at Eagle River Union Airport.

Noting that nearly half of the 23 students in a recent Nicolet College Private Pilot Ground School course were from the Eagle River area and desired a closer training option, a Federal Airline Aviation (FAA) representative contacted Dustin Kurath, owner of Blue Sky Aviation in Menominee, Michigan. Kurath was interested in the opportunity and contacted Nicolet College Instructor and Aviation Pathways specialist Curt Drumm to learn more about the prospect of bringing flight training directly to the local airport. Blue Sky Aviation has been in business for three years and operates three planes in its flight school.

Eagle River Union Airport Manager Rob Hom is excited about holding flight school here locally. "People are excited to have a flight school on the premises. Some pilots have already been asking about training, and I've directed a few people to the website for booking discovery flights."

Kurath reiterated that enthusiasm, saying he's excited to expand into northern Wisconsin and is looking forward to the opportunity.

Before anyone can embark on hands-on flight lessons, they must first learn the fundamentals of flight required to earn a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) private or light sport pilot license. In order to be licensed, students have to first learn FAA regulations, principles of aerodynamics, airplane systems and performance, instruments, aero-medical and human factors, aviation weather, airspace, airport operations, charts and navigation, cross-country flying, and the various aviation career opportunities.

Training Sessions

Using a single-engine Cessna 172, students will get hands-on learning on how to complete a pre-flight inspection, start an engine, and taxi the aircraft, before they embark on bigger challenges like taking off and landing the plane at their airport. Under the tutelage of FAA-licensed certified flight inspectors, they also practice air work, learning how to make turns, climbs and descents while in the air.

Once they have mastered the basics at their "home base" airport, students then will plan trips to other airports, utilizing flight planning skills they learned in ground school like finding the airport and properly entering the traffic pattern to land on the correct runway. As students grow more confident in their skills, they build on their experience to make longer trips.

"One of the big benchmarks is what they call a solo flight," Drumm said. "Once they get enough experience to do takeoffs and landings and air work, then the instructor can sign them off for a solo flight, where they get to take off and fly a pattern around the airoport, and come back and land." Drumm called the first solo flight experience "maybe one of the most exciting, yet challenging things you can ever do in your life."

Blue Sky Aviation will also provide other flight instruction such as recurrent training, flight reviews and advanced pilot ratings. In addition to the Cessna, Blue Sky Aviation has a Piper Archer and a twin-engine Tecnam P2006T available for training through its Menominee location.

A Multitude of Career Paths

Those interested in following a path in aviation can get their start in Nicolet College's Private Pilot Ground School, which can then open a number of career options in the field. According to Nicolet, more than 200 Wisconsin companies have ties to the state's aerospace sector, and more than 26,000 people are employed in the state by companies that support aviation businesses and aerospace manufacturing.

Drumm has been a professional pilot, flight instructor, and aviation business owner for more than 20 years, and holds Airline Transport Pilot, Commercial Pilot, and Certified Flight Instructor ratings, among others. Logging nearly 5,500 hours in different aircraft, ranging from single- and multi-engine airplanes, seaplanes and air charter aircraft, he is currently leading a two-year career pathways grant to develop an aviation education program at Nicolet. Part of his mission includes working with other colleges and universities that offer aviation degree programs to help expand career paths for interested students.

Drumm noted that there are a lot of different potential careers in aviation. "It's not just pilots, but the thousands of other jobs that range from air traffic control to airport managers to mechanics to sales people and beyond," he said. "For every one pilot sitting up front in an airline, there are about 10 other people backing him or her up, not to mention the private and corporate branches. There's a wide variety beyond just the person up in the front of the aircraft."

Nicolet College's training ends on the ground, preparing students to pass the FAA Airman Knowledge Test. Once students have passed the written portion, they are referred to local airports like Lakeland Aviation, or airports in Rhinelander, Antigo or Wausua — and now Eagle River.

Pathways to Aviation Careers

Drumm is proud of his work through Nicolet College to offer the start of a career in aviation to students in northern Wisconsin. Currently, utilizing relationships Nicolet has cultivated with other schools, students can earn up to 24 credits toward a 60-credit associate degree in aviation at Fox Valley Technical College in Oshkosh.

Fox Valley offers four, two-year college degrees in aviation for pilots, mechanics, avionics ("the stuff on the dash," according to Drumm), and aviation management. He noted that Nicolet is continuing its work to develop that education pathway with Fox Valley Tech. Fox Valley also has agreements with other colleges in the state including UW-Oshkosh and Purdue University.

"Crazy as it seems, through those relationships, a student can start out here, with our little old private pilot ground school, and end up with a PhD in Aerospace from Purdue. The pathway is all there. I don't know that I'm going to see that happen or not, but it's there," he said.

Anyone interested in getting started in a career in aviation can contact Drumm at Nicolet College at 715-365-4431 or cdrumm@nicoletcollege.edu. More information on course offerings and registration is available at nicoletcollege.edu.

For more information on flight training at Eagle River Union Airport, visit blueskykmnm.com.