Aerospace studies course lets students study for pilot's exam

Students with dreams of flying have a way to get off the ground.

Aerospace Studies 196, which is being offered for its second semester, is designed to prepare students for the Federal Aviation Administration’s written test, one of the three steps involved in getting a private pilot’s license.

This year, Air Force Maj. Gregory Duffy, the course’s instructor, has encouraged students not enrolled in ROTC or interested in the Air Force to join the class.

Duffy is a certified FAA instructor, so his class can count as official ground training — a rare opportunity, said Air Force Lt. Col. Paul Holst, chairman of the aerospace studies department.

Students can take the written portion of the FAA test in place of a class final. They would then pass an oral test and a flight test outside of the University in order to get a full license.

Kyle Swartz, a junior in the Air Force ROTC program, is applying for a place in the Air Force’s undergraduate pilot training program. He said the course is similar to Air Force training, so he is using the class to prepare.

“I’ll take all the practice I can get,” he said.

Freshman Bill Collette is also in the Air Force ROTC program but said he is unsure if he wants to commit to 10 years as an Air Force pilot. He said he is taking the class to learn more about aviation and the Air Force.

“I want to see if it’s an interest,” he said. “And the best perspective is one of an Air Force major.”

But the class is not only for ROTC students, and a pilot’s license can be useful for many different careers, Duffy said.

“For those interested in public health, doctors — especially in Africa — can use a small aircraft to reach people in rural areas,” he said.

Swartz added that the course also comes at a discount. “You can take a free class you would otherwise have had to pay for,” he said.

Topics covered in the course include the basics of the U.S. aerospace program, how an aircraft works and how to operate an aircraft in case of emergency.

But students won’t be able to actually fly during the class. Duffy said UNC owns the Horace Williams Airport, but the airport does not allow flight training or rentals.

This is the second semester the course has been offered, and might be the last. Duffy will be deployed in the summer, he said, and finding another FAA-certified instructor to work in the ROTC program is difficult, Holst said.

“We are very fortunate to have Major Duffy,” he said. “Someone else could teach the course for academic credit, but not for FAA ground training.”

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