RCTC aviation program hits turbulence in its first years and has only graduated five students

Apr. 13—ROCHESTER — When Rochester Community and Technical College rolled out an aviation program in 2019, it seemed like a match made in pilot heaven: The demand for U.S. commercial and airline pilots was soaring, and RCTC was stepping up to help fill a workforce need.

But the program early on encountered turbulence in its recruitment efforts. Its first class in the winter semester of 2019 fell short of expectations when only 11 students signed up. It had hoped for 24.

Since then, the program has produced only a trickle of pilots: Five have graduated from the two-year program. Two more are set to graduate later in the year. Four others have transferred to other programs. Transferring is considered by RCTC a student measure of success.

Officials at RCTC and Rochester International Airport say the program's turbulent beginnings stem from two factors. The COVID pandemic struck just as the pilot program was taking off, grounding student flight training for months and setting back the program.

They also argue patience. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was a complicated pilot education program. Its slow-going shouldn't entirely be a surprise. With any new program, there are bound to be growing pains. And that is particularly true in building a quality aviation program, when expense, complexity and regulatory hurdles are of a higher order from ordinary bread-and-butter programs at RCTC. The program costs students $110,000.

"When you take a look at other programs in our region, they've been in place for 20-plus years. And if you look at this program, it's only beginning its fifth-year," said John Reed, executive director of Rochester International Airport, who has been a cheerleader of the program from the outset.

"When you look at it through those lenses, they've made some incredible strides," Reed added.

For example, the flight program at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota — considered one of the nation's premier flight schools — has been around since 1968. Its commercial aviation program enrolls more than 1,300 students.

The cost of the four-year program at UND is between $137,000 to $156,000, depending on residency. UND aerospace officials say when comparing flight schools there are different ways of presenting information and that requirements vary for different programs.

Despite the early rough going, officials remain bullish about the program's overall prospects. They say it was built to offer prospective pilots certain advantages, to fill a niche: Students can learn in two years what ordinarily would take them four. A graduate can go on to become a certified flight instructor or fly for an aerial survey company, for example.

Or an RCTC student can build on their training by transferring to Minnesota State University to get a four-year degree.

Another selling point officials point to is the ability to get students in the air and flying as soon as possible. Flight instruction is being provided by Rochester-based Great Planes Aviation instructors.

Unlike at a four-year program, an RCTC student is likely to "get into an airplane" and receive flight instruction in the first year. Many students in a four-year program aren't able to fly that early "because of the number of students they are trying to serve in a human-intensive program," said Michelle Pyfferoen, RCTC vice president of academic affairs.

Still, officials have tweaked and modified the program in the hope of recruiting more students. Last year, it hired Amy Labus-Olson to be the program's first program coordinator and dedicated faculty member. Up until that point, RCTC had relied on adjunct or part-time faculty to teach classes in the program.

"I think we probably would have been better served to have that position, just kind of off the bat to help shorten the learning curve," Pyfferoen said.

At Mankato's recommendation, RCTC also added a multi-engine component to the training. There are also exploratory talks about adding a training program for mechanics where the need is particularly intense, officials say.

"We're constantly learning and modifying it," Pyfferoen said.

RCTC and Great Planes are also promoting and marketing the program more aggressively. Last Wednesday, the two hosted an open house at the Rochester International Airport for potential students to talk with program instructors. Forty to 50 people sent RSVPs.

Amid three gleaming planes, Ayden Miner of Chatfield strolled around the hangar with his mom, Stephanie Nash. He said it wasn't hard finding out about the program since it was so close to home. Miner said he's leaning strongly to be a pilot, but hadn't made up his mind where to go. He was also considering the Mankato program.

"I'm still picking and choosing," Miner said.

RCTC officials say they intend to stay the course on the program. The main reason for this determination is that the fundamentals that prompted the school to start the program in the first place have not altered. The need for pilots is considerable.

According to one estimate, Boeing, a major aircraft manufacturer, estimates that 649,000 new pilots worldwide will be needed with nearly 130,000 of these new pilots in North America. And even with airlines hiring thousands of pilots every year, the industry is still expected to be short 30,000 pilots in 2032.

That demand is going to create intense pressure on regional carriers like those in Rochester as national carriers soak up as many pilots as they can. That factor alone is why Reed has been such a zealous advocate for the RCTC program. It also means opportunity for potential students.

"In a career progression, let's say you've finished all your pilot's licenses and you've got all the hours that you need to do, you're going to look at your first job in a regional airline carrier," Reed said. "Think of companies like SkyWest or any of the wholly owned subsidiaries of Delta, American and United. You're going to work for that organization. And, again, make an incredible starting salary in the six figures."

Airline pilots, co-pilots and flight engineers had a median annual wage of $160,970, nearly four times the median wage for all U.S. workers, who earned $41,950, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

In the meantime, program recruitment has brightened somewhat. In 2023, 20 RCTC students had signed up to be aviation majors with another 13 taking aviation classes.

"I think both on the RCTC side and certainly on the Great Planes side, we're committed to making this a success going forward. And that's not going to change," said Caleb Wyman, vice president and general manager of Great Planes Aviation.