proposal to make it available at Gallatin College—a new, two-year college established as a division of MSU. “Since this involved a degree in aviation, there were plenty of naysayers,” Walton said. “But on the day of the hearing in which any decision to add the program would be made, the room was filled with Montana aviation students who spoke of the need for an aviation program, and their desire to stay in Montana. After a long day of deliberations, the vote to approve it passed by one.” Since it launched in 2005, the aviation degree program has become the fastest growing in the entire MSU system. “This last fall, Gallatin College—tasked with defining and overseeing the flight train- ing curriculum—had to cap the class, which now accounts for 70-80 trainees at Summit Aviation, yearly,” he noted. Walton said that the program has a unique “two-plus- two” structure, in which the student can elect to begin aviation studies and flight training at Gallatin during the first two years, and then transfer to MSU to complete a four-year degree. Along with a bachelor’s degree, the program enables students to build flight instructor time at Summit Aviation, while completing their degrees. “By the time the student graduates, he or she will have over 1,000 hours of flight time—just a few hundred hours away from the 1,200 hours required for a Reduced ATP Aviation Business Journal | 1st Quarter 2018 rating—making the student fully marketable to the air- lines today, as well as to charter,” he pointed out. Today, with 20 certified flight instructors out of a total workforce of 35, Summit Aviation trains an average of 300 students annually. An FAR Part 141 certificated operation since 2007, the training cur- riculum covers everything from the private pilot license to the air transport pilot (ATP) rating. The Cessna 150, initially used for flight instruction, has given way to a modern 14-aircraft fleet comprised of seven Diamond DA20s, and two Diamond DA40s—both single engine piston types—plus two Diamond DA42 twin turbo- diesel engine aircraft. Two Cessna 172s and one Super Decathlon aerobatic aircraft round out the fleet. The school also uses a Red Bird single engine fixed base flight training device which emulates a Cessna 172/182 flight deck, along with one Precision Flight Control (multi engine) trainer, which is based on the twin piston Beechcraft Baron. The “closet in the hangar” has also been relegated to company history. Currently, Summit Aviation’s facilities are at three locations on the airport, and include 12,000 square feet of office and classroom space, along with a 10,000-square foot hangar for the school’s training fleet. Continued on page 46 45
