Jacksonville, Florida-
Is the Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) pilot training program the best kept secret in pilot training in Florida? Maybe so! With low cost tuition as a state supported former community college, many financial aid options available especially for Florida residents, and a great airport for flight training, there are likely few more economical choices for students wanting to get a college degree and obtain the pilot certificates necessary to start a career in aviation as a pilot.
FSCJ’s aviation programs are located at Cecil Airport at the college’s Cecil Center South and also known as the Aviation Center of Excellence. Besides pilot training, the college offers air traffic control, aircraft maintenance technician, and aircraft painting programs. The two year Associate in Science degree for pilots is formally known as the Professional Pilot Technology major. Students may complete the entire 64 credit hour program and receive the degree or take individual pilot certificates and ratings.
Flight training in the FSCJ Professional Pilot Technology program is conducted at Cecil Airport by Sunrise Aviation, the approved flight training vendor for the college. Cecil Airport is an excellent location for flight training and has an FAA Air Traffic Control Tower, extensive runways and taxiways, multiple instrument approaches and easy access to nearby practice areas. Sunrise Aviation has established a satellite operation in FSCJ’s facilities at Cecil Center South. Students can go from the classroom directly to the airplanes for flight training.
FSCJ also has an extensive selection of simulation devices at its Aerospace Resource Center at Cecil Airport. The newest additions are Redbird Flight Simulation LD Advanced Aviation Training Devices. FSCJ acquired four of these AATDs in 2010 and they may be configured as either Cessna 172 Skyhawks or Piper Arrows. In 2012, FSCJ will also have Piper Seminole configurations for the Redbird simulators. FSCJ has numerous other training devices including a Frasca 242T Flight Training Device (FTD) configured as a Beechcraft King Air, an Elite Garmin G1000 AATD and a Frasca 131 FTD. The college has numerous BATDs (Basic Aviation Training Devices) available for student practice at no cost.
Sunrise Aviation has created custom courses at FSCJ for all of the FAA pilot certificates and ratings aimed at maximum utilization of the FSCJ simulation devices. These courses deliver high quality training at the lowest cost and maximum safety. All courses at FSCJ are FAA approved under Part 141 of the Federal Aviation Regulations.
FSCJ students have access to the best list of financial aid available. Florida residents are eligible for the Bright Futures Scholarship which may pay all of the tuition costs at FSCJ. Additional financial aid available to most students includes Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, work-study programs, and various subsidized or unsubsidized loan programs. Veterans Benefits available to help pay for tuition and flight training fees include the Post 9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33), Montgomery GI Bill (Chapter 30), and many others. As a public college, veterans enrolled at FSCJ can get the maximum possible benefits available for flight training expenses.
Sunrise Aviation has been training pilots for 28 years. The home base of Sunrise Aviation is in Ormond Beach, Florida not far from Daytona Beach or Orlando. Sunrise Aviation has more than 40 airplanes available for rental and instruction. The fleet includes Cessna 152s and 172s; plus Piper Tomahawk, Piper Arrow, Piper Seminoles and Piper Senecas. Recently added is a Piper Chieftain to be used in the company’s Part 135 charter department. Six of the aircraft are currently assigned to the new satellite at Cecil Airport. Sunrise Aviation at Ormond Beach is also an approved pilot school under FAA Part 141 and accepts international students under the M-1 student visa program.
Prospective students may contact Sunrise Aviation in Jacksonville or FSCJ in the following ways:
SUNRISE AVIATION
Patrick Murphy, Director of Training
(904) 317-3875
FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE AT JACKSONVILLE
AVIATION CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
http://www.fscj.edu/mydegree/academics/schools/aviation/
Sam Fischer, Program Manager
(904) 317-3844
To visit FSCJ at Cecil Airport, put the following address in your GPS
13450 Lake Fretwell Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32221
Sunrise Aviation is located in building J, Room J-109.