Charleston Southern University Secures US$1.25 Million for Aviation Training Expansion

South Carolina, USA – Charleston Southern University (CSU) has received US$1.25 million from the U.S. Department of Education to expand equipment and training capacity across its Aeronautics program, including new flight and air traffic control simulators. The investment supports a program that has grown to 216 students and is expanding both professional pilot and air traffic management training.

• CSU said the US$1.25 million investment has increased student pilot enrollment capacity by 10%. The funded equipment includes modernized flight simulators, a multi-engine Redbird flight simulator and air traffic control tower simulators.
• Funding will also support two commercial-grade drones, a mobile aircraft maintenance trailer, a temporary mobile office at Berkeley County Airport, aircraft parts, maintenance tools, simulator furnishings and other aviation supplies.
• The Aeronautics program has grown from 19 students when it launched in 2021 to 216 students in 2026. CSU acquired Chucktown Flight Training in 2025, bringing the flight-training operation under university ownership after the organizations had worked together since the program’s launch.
• CSU’s professional pilot operation is an FAA Part 141 pilot school and conducts flight training from Summerville Airport and Berkeley County Airport. Its published training fleet uses Diamond DA20 and DA40 aircraft together with a multi-engine aircraft, while synthetic training currently includes Frasca and Redbird devices.
• Students in the Professional Pilot degree complete private, instrument and commercial training under Part 141, with instructor and multi-engine courses also available through the university flight operation. Eligible graduates can qualify for the Restricted ATP pathway at reduced aeronautical-experience thresholds.
• CSU completed an expansion of its Aeronautics and Engineering Building in 2025, adding classrooms, offices and the Emory and Lisa Main Flight Simulation Lab. The university’s flight-training operation also maintains simulator facilities at its Summerville and Berkeley County Airport locations.
• The university also launched an Air Traffic Management degree in 2026, which CSU identifies as South Carolina’s first FAA-recognized Standard Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative pathway. The latest funding therefore expands simulation infrastructure beyond pilot training into controller education.

Statements

• “Ultimately, this investment allows us to keep the costs down for our students. We are thankful for this congressional support that gives aspiring aviators greater access to collegiate flight training when the industry demands highly trained professionals,” said Lloyd Richardson, Chair of the Aeronautics Department at Charleston Southern University.

Source: Charleston Southern University