LaGrange College to start offering aviation minor this fall

Caption

A Cessna Skyhawk flies over LaGrange Callaway Airport during LaGrange College's Aviation Day event on July 19, 2023.

Credit: LaGrange College

In response to a growing need for pilots, a college in west Georgia is offering a new minor in aviation beginning this fall semester.

The program at LaGrange College provides students with training that will prepare them for careers as private charter pilots, cargo pilots or airline pilots.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects there will be about 18,000 airline and commercial pilot openings each year through 2031. Many of the openings will be due to pilots who transfer to different occupations or retire.

“There's a need for people to get their commercial pilot certification to keep the airline industry going,” said the college’s John Head. “And we saw this as an opportunity to be of service to our community, to be of service to the region, and also hopefully attract more students to LaGrange College.”

Students minoring in aviation at LaGrange can accumulate flight hours while earning academic credits that count towards graduation, Head said.

“Making it an easier way to get that license,” he said. “If you're planning to go to college, you can do this while you're in college. It's not anything you have to do outside of what you would normally be doing as part of your college career.”

He said the program is designed so that students can get their commercial pilot license during their four years at LaGrange College and students can start flying their freshman year. Flight training takes place at LaGrange Callaway Airport, about 10 minutes from campus, in partnership with Paragon Flight Training.

Head said the program has had a lot interest. The college hosted an Aviation Day event last month for prospective students. He said about 30 students came out for an introductory flight. And as of mid-July about 50 students had applied for the minor.

LaGrange College has around 500 undergraduate students, according to U.S. News and World Report.