Aims Community College welcomes home new aircraft during the holiday season for aviation students

The public was invited to view the state-of-the-art Piper Archer TX, which is replacing the single engine Cessna 172s. Beginning in January 2018, the new aircraft will provide aviation students the technical skills and modern proficiencies needed to be competitive in the technologically advanced aviation industry. RAW b-roll footage and photos for the media can be downloaded at https://spaces.hightail.com/space/dD0ZonGquk

The new aircraft and new tower simulator are coming at a time when pilot and air traffic controller jobs are in high demand. A recent study by Boeing measured the long-term demand for pilots and technicians, and found that 617,000 new airline pilots would be needed, worldwide, over the next 20 years. The RAND Corporation conducted a similar study in 2015 and found the major airlines would need between 4,000 and 5,000 pilots a year after 2020, and regional airlines would need upwards of 7,000 new pilots a year by 2021. The U.S. Dept. of Transportation, in 2016, published a 10-year strategy/plan whereby they state over 1,400 controllers would need to be hired per year for the next five years.

The Piper Archer TX is a fuel injected, 180 HP, four-seat, single engine trainer manufactured by Piper Aircraft, Inc., headquartered in Vero Beach, Fla. Aims is leasing the five new aircraft from Christiansen Aviation in Tulsa, Okla. The flight station features an all-glass advanced Garmin G1000 Avionics Suite which prepares Aims pilots for the advancements in commercial flight stations. Aims flight instructors flew the aircraft starting at Vero Beach, Florida, and made stops at Tallahassee, Florida; Meridian, Mississippi; Little Rock, Arkansas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Goodland, Kansas, before arriving home in Greeley, Colorado.

“Aims Aviation has been well-known in the industry since 1968, and Saturday was a great milestone for Aims as we continue to prepare students for a growing, demanding and rewarding industry for the years to come by providing relevant and innovative education to the communities we serve and beyond,” said Aims CEO and President Dr. Leah L. Bornstein. “Through significant modernization efforts, quality instruction and a growing market demand, Aims is striving to become the first choice and recognized leader in aviation education for Colorado as we build a stronger community.”

Additionally, Aims Community College is modernizing the Air Traffic Control (ATC) Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Lab with a state-of-the-art Adacel Tower Simulator. Adacel is a company headquartered in Orlando, Fla that produces simulation and training solutions, advanced speech recognition applications and operational air traffic management systems. The new Adacel Tower Simulator features a 270-degree visual system utilizing five 55-inch ultra-narrow bezel displays and speech recognition technology that simulates ATC tower operations and ultimately prepares Aims student controllers for the demanding training and careers in Air Traffic Control. The new Adacel Tower Simulator will simulate varying weather scenarios, multiple airfields, multiple type aircraft and markings, as well as day/night operations. The new technology is another significant milestone for the Aims Aviation Department and the Air Traffic Controller Program, and will be ready for student training beginning in Spring 2018.

Apply today at www.aims.edu to learn from experienced aviators. Eric Himler, Aims director of aviation leads a talented group of faculty and staff. Himler has over 25 years of experience flying in general, military and commercial aviation. Himler is a veteran who served for 20 years as a Naval Aviator. His flight experience includes: Marine KC-130 Pilot, Blue Angel C-130 Demonstration Pilot and First Officer for Alaska Airlines. He has numerous FAA certifications and ratings including an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate and a B-737 type rating.

About Aims AviationAims offers successful graduates an FAA approved endorsement for the Restricted Airline Transport Pilot rating (R-ATP) at reduced hours. Aims currently offers three Associate of Applied Science degree programs in aviation: general aviation pilot, professional pilot and air traffic control. Students are given the opportunity to receive one-on-one instruction is new aircraft and state-of-the-art simulators. Aims is the only collegiate FAA approved Part 141 fixed-wing flight school east of the Rockies in Colorado and is one of only 30 schools in the country to be designated by the FAA as an Air Traffic - Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) approved school. Learn more at www.aims.edu/academics/aviation.

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