Selects training program to begin immediately under FAA Part 61 regulation rather than wait for months to operate under more rigorous FAA Part 141 requirements
A special meeting of the Yavapai Community College Governing Board was held August 9 in an effort to save the collapsing aviation program at Yavapai Community College. The Governing Board was asked to approve the tuition for the program.
The collapse of the aviation program apparently began five years ago, in the midst of a national scandal about the costs to veterans associated with helicopter training and an unrelated employment lawsuit with the College’s former Director of Aviation, which the College won. The administration began slowly shutting down its helicopter training program and eliminated its private pilot license program at that time.
The College continued to offer commercial aviation training pilots training courses under a contract with NorthAire, a company based at the Prescott airport. However, the number of students coming to the Community College to enroll in the commercial training program began a decline until it was less than a trickle by the spring, 2022. (Assuming registration data published by the College on the Registration site is correct.)
The reason given for the reduction in enrollment by the College to the Governing Board was that a student seeking advanced aviation training at the College had to first arrive with a certified private pilot license. Few were selecting Yavapai with such a license.
During the past year the College attempted an initial revival of the aviation curriculum by applying to the FAA to create a Part 141 private pilot license training program. After filing its application and waiting several months, it received word from the FAA that it was number 303 on the FAA list for consideration as a Part 141 training facility. This was interpreted by College officials as meaning that it could be “months or possibly years” before the FAA considered the application. With the aviation program at best on life support, something else had to be done and fast.
With time running out to enroll anyone for the fall semester in a private pilot’s program, a no doubt somewhat panicked administration came up with a new solution to try and save the aviation program. According to its report to the District Governing Board on August 9, 2022, it discovered another Federal Regulation called “Part 61” that it concluded was available to start its fall program.
The Part 61 government regulation allows wide flexibility in a training program and has none of the stringent requirements demanded of a school operating under Part 141. It is used by many private training facilities. According to the Community College administration, it is also used by several educational institutions who are training private pilots.
Essentially, all you need under Part 61 is to own or lease an aircraft and you can train free of most of the FAA’s prying eyes and high standards. Most exciting for the College administration was its perception that it could to begin to offer courses immediately if it only owned or leased a training aircraft.
To meet its need for an aircraft, the College selected Leighnor Aviation as a lease vendor. Leighnor is an aggressive start-up aviation company based in Prescott. The estimated cost for leasing and related costs were lightly outlined to the Governing Board at the August Board meeting. The costs to the College to lease a 172 Cessna airplane from Leighnor appear below as presented by the Administration.
The College also intends to hire its own instructors on a part-time basis.
The College claimed that for around $20,000 a student can obtain a private pilots license at Yavapai and then transfer to another facility for multi-engine commercial training where the cost may run as high as $80,000 to obtain a multi-engine license.
It was also claimed that in general for $100,000 invested in two years a student would be ready for a potential commercial job in aviation. Along the way, if students remain in the Yavapai Community College program, it will be rewarded by being able to charge tuition at both its private pilot’s school and also under a contract for advanced training with NorthAire.
The Governing Board approved the tuition recommendation 4-1.
You may view the video presentation to the Governing Board by clicking here.