OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Sometimes the best way to learn is with hands-on experience.
But for prospective pilots looking to fly the largest aircraft, that learning experience can be tough to come by.
“When I came in as a freshman we only had two simulators and this one puts us as a leg up in training for our next step,” said Hunter Pearson, a senior with UNO’s aviation program.
In the last few years UNO’s aviation program has seen its growth come in leaps and bounds.
Just this last fall UNO partnered with United to start a new pilot pipeline program and the latest addition to the program is a fully functional flight trainer, which is an exact replica of a Boeing 737’s cockpit.
“Everything on this training device is working, all of the switches all of the knobs,” said Scott Vlasek, director of UNO’s Aviation Institute.
The flight trainer isn’t just fun for students to fly, it also bridges the gap between the smaller Cessna planes they train on and the big planes, like the 737, they will fly commercially.
“Basically learning the systems is the hardest part and the speed that things happen. In our 172s (Cessnas) we might be going 120 mph and this is moving a lot faster and we need to be able to react that much faster,” said Pearson.
The money for the simulator came from a grant from the Ethel Abbot Foundation. Abbot was a pioneer of early aviation and trained some of America’s greatest aviators. That mission will be continued with the simulator.
“Ethel and her first husband owned the Lincoln Aircraft Company down in Lincoln and they taught Charles Lindbergh how to fly. The connection there is really cool for us to have,” said Vlasek.
The simulator isn’t just helping train current students, it's also helping to bring prospective pilots into the program. Pilots that will essential to overcoming the country’s pilot shortage.
“This is a big recruiting tool. It puts us up with the other bigger universities in the aviation world. It should be attracting new students. It's a super cool opportunity,” said Pearson.
The simulator was installed just a few weeks ago and UNO hopes to have it incorporated into the Aviation Institute's curriculum this fall.
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