Elizabeth City State University and Lenoir Community College Expand Pilot Training Pathway in 2026

North Carolina, USA – Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) and Lenoir Community College (LCC) have signed a co-admission agreement creating a pathway from LCC’s aviation associate-degree programs into ECSU’s Bachelor of Science in Aviation Science, while extending ECSU’s FAA Part 141 flight training to LCC’s Senator Jim Perry Aviation Center for Excellence at the North Carolina Global TransPark.

• The September 2026 agreement builds on a partnership launched in May, when the institutions opened the aviation center collaboration and established a pathway allowing LCC Aviation Management and Career Pilot Technology students to co-enroll with ECSU while completing associate and bachelor’s degree requirements.
• Under the new co-admission structure, qualifying LCC students can move from an Associate in Applied Science degree into ECSU’s Aviation Science program and complete the bachelor’s degree either on campus or through ECSU’s online pathway.
• The agreement brings ECSU’s FAA Part 141 flight instruction directly to LCC’s Aviation Center for Excellence. Students can train with ECSU flight instructors and aircraft while using LCC classrooms, briefing and study areas, aviation training devices and other center resources.
• The earlier May 2026 agreement provided for ECSU aircraft to be stationed at the center together with flight instruction and maintenance support, with aircraft availability intended to allow registered students to conduct up to three flight-training activities per week.
• LCC’s Senator Jim Perry Aviation Center for Excellence opened at the North Carolina Global TransPark in May 2026. Its facilities include eight classrooms, 11 maintenance laboratories, a 13,268-square-foot aircraft hangar and aviation simulation capability including a Redbird full-motion advanced aviation training device.
• LCC offers several aviation associate-degree pathways at the center, including Manned Pilot, Career Pilot Manned, Aviation Management and Pilot Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Its Career Pilot Manned program includes instrument and commercial pilot progression alongside academic aviation studies.
• ECSU states that its flight-training fleet had expanded to 20 Cessna 172 Skyhawks by early 2026, supplemented by Diamond DA42 multi-engine training capability. The university also operates FRASCA flight training devices and Redbird MCX and FMX simulators.
• The co-admission agreement also extends an existing relationship between the institutions. ECSU and LCC already maintain aviation articulation arrangements, including a separate pathway established in 2025 for LCC Unmanned Aircraft Systems graduates transferring into ECSU’s UAS bachelor’s degree.

Statements

• “This partnership creates an incredible opportunity for students in Lenoir, Greene, and Jones counties and throughout eastern North Carolina. Students can begin their aviation education at LCC, train right here at the Aviation Center for Excellence, and have a clear pathway to continue toward a four-year degree with Elizabeth City State University,” said Rusty Hunt, President of Lenoir Community College.
• “It really comes down to how a two-year school and a four-year school meet the needs of students, whether their desire is to complete an associate degree or go on to earn a four-year degree. It’s really providing pathways to careers for students. That’s what we’re all about here in the state of North Carolina: providing career opportunities for students and, hopefully, seeing those students stay in our state, contribute to its economic development, and add to our growing workforce,” said Dr. S. Keith Hargrove, Sr., ECSU Chancellor.

Source: Elizabeth City State University