US Collegiate Flight Training Program Welcomes Largest Incoming Aviation Class in 2026

Iowa, USA – Morningside University will welcome the largest incoming class in the history of its aviation program in fall 2026, as the Sioux City-based university records its highest overall new-student enrollment. The larger aviation intake adds training demand to Morningside’s FAA Part 141 Professional Flight operation at Sioux Gateway Airport, which has expanded its regulatory approvals and infrastructure since beginning student training in 2023.

• More than 500 new students will join Morningside University in fall 2026, establishing an institutional enrollment record. Aviation is among the undergraduate areas recording its highest incoming enrollment, although Morningside did not disclose the number of students joining the aviation program specifically.
• Morningside offers a Bachelor of Science in Professional Flight alongside an Aviation Management degree. Professional Flight students complete academic instruction through the university while conducting flight training at Sioux Gateway Airport in partnership with Oracle Aviation.
• The Professional Flight pathway provides training toward:
  • Private Pilot certification.
  • Instrument Rating.
  • Commercial Pilot certification.
  • Certified Flight Instructor qualification and/or Multi-Engine Rating.
• Morningside received full FAA Part 141 Pilot School certification on May 20, 2025, following approximately two years under provisional status. In September 2025, the FAA also approved its Restricted Airline Transport Pilot pathway, allowing eligible Professional Flight graduates to qualify for an R-ATP certificate at 1,000 total flight hours rather than the standard 1,500-hour threshold.
• The aviation program operates from a 40,000 sq. ft. facility at Sioux Gateway Airport completed in 2024 through the university’s partnership with Oracle Aviation. Morningside’s classrooms and aviation offices occupy the second floor, while Oracle operates FBO functions from the first floor.
• Oracle Aviation is the flight-training provider affiliated with Morningside’s aviation program at Sioux Gateway Airport. Oracle holds FAA Part 141 approval for Instrument and Commercial training and Part 61 approval for Private Pilot training, and its Sioux City location also has a Redbird MCX flight simulator. 

• For the 2026-27 academic year, Morningside offers bundled flight-course fees of:

  • Private Pilot: US$16,000 for up to 55 hours of flight and ground instruction.
  • Instrument Rating: US$15,000 for up to 45 hours.
  • Commercial Pilot: US$23,000 for up to 90 hours.
  • Certified Flight Instructor: US$6,000 for up to 15 hours.
  • Multi-Engine Rating: US$9,000 for up to 15 hours.

  The university states that these fees cover aircraft rental, instruction, allocated flight time, fuel and associated ground school; additional flight hours are charged separately.

• The record 2026 intake follows the establishment of Morningside’s Professional Flight and Aviation Management programs for the fall 2023 academic year. The university developed the programs in partnership with Oracle Aviation and the City of Sioux City. 

Source: Morningside University