United States – The Texas Woman’s University (TWU) Board of Regents has approved a significant contract with U.S. Aviation Group LLC, signaling the commencement of TWU’s new flight training program this fall (2024).

The partnership with U.S. Aviation Group, which operates its main U.S. Aviation Academy campus at Denton Enterprise Airport, will enable TWU students to begin their flight training in the upcoming academic year. Interim Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, O. Finley Graves, expressed enthusiasm about the program, stating, “We’re going to be flying this fall. Kids in airplanes!”

The announcement was met with applause from the regents and cheers from students and faculty at the TWU Dallas campus. The program has been bolstered by a $15 million donation from the Doswell Foundation, which established the Doswell School of Aeronautical Sciences. This initiative aims to increase opportunities for women and women of color in the aviation industry, aligning with the broader industry’s need for qualified pilots.

J. Clint Grant, the director of TWU’s new aeronautical school, highlighted the advantages of partnering with U.S. Aviation Academy , noting their convenient location and their 141 air agency certificate. A significant benefit of this collaboration is U.S. Aviation’s “self-examining authority,” allowing students to receive their pilot’s license directly upon course completion without needing an FAA checkride, saving time and costs.

TWU will handle ground training and classroom instruction, while U.S. Aviation Academy will conduct flight training. The initial contract spans two years, with an option for extension, and will start with 30 flight slots for the inaugural class. Costs for the program are estimated at $1.3 million annually.

Plans include painting training aircraft in TWU colors and featuring the TWU owl on the tails. The program is set to launch in fall 2024, pending final preparations.

TWU Regent Bernadette Coleman sees this partnership as a big step forward for both the university and the local community.

Source: TWU