SAN ANGELO, TX — Angelo State University this week updated the San Angelo City Council on its ongoing and future initiatives at Mathis Field Airport, particularly focusing on the exponential growth of its aviation program.
Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Donald Topliff, led the presentation, revealing significant strides made since the program's inception in the fall of 2021.
Initially projected to enroll only five students in its inaugural cohort, the aviation program surpassed expectations with 28 students.
This trend continued with 52 additional students in the fall of 2022 and a surge of 74 more in the following semester, bringing the current total to 138 students.
Dr. Topliff announced that 80 students have already been admitted for the fall of 2024, pushing the program toward a milestone of over 200 students, exceeding projections.
Dr. Topliff expressed gratitude towards Skyline Aviation, an entity owned by ASU alumni, for their substantial investment in supporting the program.
He highlighted the significance of obtaining an FAA Part 141 certificate for the flight school, noting its impact on reducing required flight hours for students aiming for an airline transport rating.
Looking ahead, projections indicate a need for 30 aircraft to accommodate the expected 200 students in the fall of 2024.
ASU, with its current inventory of 20 aircraft and six more on order, faces a total inventory cost exceeding $12 million.
The university also anticipates employing 40 full-time equivalent pilot instructors to meet the demand.
It was mentioned that once students matriculate through the program and receive all certificates, including a Certified Flight Instructor rating they will have the option of being hired back into the program to fulfill the need for instructors.
Dr. Topliff's presentation unveiled plans for a new facility featuring three classrooms and three flight simulators.
The importance of this expansion lies in the FAA's support of airports based on the number of operations.
With that in mind, the airport is experiencing a notable increase in operations, with an anticipated excess of 38,000 operations in the coming year compared to the current fiscal year's 9,000 operations.
According to information shared at the meeting, the economic impact on the community is substantial, with housing, food, and fuel expenditures from students and employees projected to exceed $5 million annually.
Dr. Topliff mentioned Howard College's initiative to launch an "Airframe and Power Plant program" for aircraft maintenance, further contributing to the city's economic development.
“We are looking forward to becoming the number one aviation program in the state of Texas,” Dr. Topliff said. “That is our goal. We are already well on our way to doing that. We are going to become an accredited Aviation program and in very short order, we are going to be graduating student pilots that are able to go into the commercial industry.”
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