Coe prepares to launch its flight school this fall with new partnership

CEDAR RAPIDS — With its new flight school and aviation management program set to launch next month, Coe College has announced a new partnership with Kansas City-based ATD Flight Systems — affording students an expedited exam process and ticket behind the control wheel.

“What ATD brings for our students is superb instruction, knowledge, and relationships with an extraordinary history of safety,” Coe President David Hayes said in a news release. “It's our goal to securely educate top of the line pilots for an industry that needs a quality influx of aviators.”

Coe’s aviation management and flight operations concentration joins nearby Kirkwood Community College’s new aviation maintenance technology program in tapping the Cedar Rapids-based Eastern Iowa Airport to address shortages in pilots and other airline industry jobs.

“The need for pilots and support personnel across the aviation industry has reached a critical level,” Coe said in announcing its new flight school last year.

The pilot shortage of 17,000-plus is pushing up pay for airline pilots, co-pilots, and flight engineers to a median annual wage of $226,600 in 2024, according to the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Starting salaries for commercial pilots can top $90,000 and major commercial airline captains can make more than $400,000 a year, according to trade publications.

‘Take to the skies’

Coe in May 2024 announced the new opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Arts in business administration with a concentration in aviation management beginning in fall 2025, and spokeswoman Natalie Milke said Coe remains on track to launch the program next month.

The college has received more than 150 applications, with 26 so far planning to enroll in the program that promises students in their first term will “take to the skies, building flight hours right away as you work toward your pilot certificates and ratings.”

And Coe’s new partnership will allow more students to enroll given ATD’s 20-year history adhering to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules to provide Part 141 flight training, which lets students complete flight training quicker through a structured FAA-approved curriculum.

“Students can also expect shorter wait times for the practical exams and check rides as ATD holds examining authority from the FAA,” according to Coe, reporting wait times for a designated pilot examiner — required for a pilot’s certification — can stretch over three months. “Less than 60 flight providers in the United States hold both 141 approval and examining authority.”

The Coe aviation management and flight operations program is pending FAA approval.

“The FAA approval process for Part 141 status does not impact the timing of the program launch,” Milke said.

At least three training aircraft will be based at Coe's aeronautical field station at The Eastern Iowa Airport, and Director Marty Lenss said, “We welcome this extra traffic.”

“Students in the program are going to enjoy working with ATD, as they have a sterling reputation in the flight training sphere," Lenss said.

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“Working with a college like Coe that is not only dedicated to the success and safety of its students, but also to fulfilling a need in a critical industry, is a privilege," Keara Neifach, director of operations at ATD, said in a statement.

‘We talk a lot’

The FAA just two years ago in 2023 approved Kirkwood’s aviation maintenance program — which has exploded in popularity since offering its first classes that fall.

“Our first graduating class was December of 2024,” Kirkwood spokesman Justin Hoehn said. “Twenty-three students graduated with their airframe diploma and powerplant certificates. And eight of those are now fully certified A&P mechanics.”

Graduates have gone on to work for Jet Air, Duncan Aviation, Endeavor Air, and Flightstar.

“Three of those graduates were women,” Hoehn said, adding that Kirkwood has a full cohort of 24 students for the coming fall. “And we have a waitlist of 26 students.”

At some point, as both Kirkwood and Coe’s aviation programs evolve, Kirkwood President Kristie Fisher told The Gazette they could collaborate and cross-populate.

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“We talk a lot,” Fisher said. “And we believe there'll be times when some Kirkwood students might want to pick one of the Coe classes because it's interesting … Or if you're going to be a pilot, you might want to understand a little bit more about the airplane.”

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com