EKU virtually prepares aviation students for take off

RICHMOND -The Aviation Program at Eastern Kentucky University has introduced a new way to teach its students to fly without the fuss or fear factor of being up in the air.

“The beauty is, if you do something wrong or you do a procedure wrong or you have an issue with any of the flight maneuvers, you can immediately push the reset and go back and do it again,” says Dennis Sinnett, the Executive Director of EKU Aviation.

Sinnett says these simulators are programmed to look and feel like you are touching the real controls of a plane, as well as really flying it.

“The greater the similarity the greater the realism that these simulators have of the real thing, the better off we are going to be,” says Sinnett.

Senior Tyler Bearesley, knows all about a true take-off.

He says he has six years in the air force under his belt.

“Being around the aircrafts there in New Mexico motivated me to one day become a pilot. I worked on them so I thought, why not try to fly them,” says Bearesley.

The school says it’s hoping to instill that same passion Bearesley has, not only in its students, but also in students in rural counties. EKU will keep half of the 25 simulators. The other half will be utilized by schools in the Southeastern part of the state to encourage students in the Commonwealth to become invested in aviation.

“The demand for pilots is going to be ongoing real quick a lot of the major airlines senior pilots are being forced to retire at the age of 65,” says Sinnett.

The school says the goal is to help the next generation of pilots, or at least introduce this kind of career to students.  Also to give them the proper guidance, training, and confidence before take-off.