| Q. What does Henderson State University’s Department of Aviation offer to students? |
| A. Henderson State University’s Department of Aviation prepares students for the professional aviation workplace. The Professional Pilot Track takes students with zero flight experience and provides them with the education and flight training required to become a professional pilot, such as an airline or corporate pilot. The Aviation Management Track is for students wishing to work at the management level in the aviation industry without being a commercial pilot. The Maintenance Management Track is for students that already possess an FAA Aircraft and Powerplants Certificate and wish to complete a Bachelor's Degree in aircraft maintenance management. |
| Q. What are the admission requirements for Henderson State University's aviation program? |
| A. The admission requirements for Henderson State University's aviation program are the same as the University's requirements. For a listing of the University's admission requirements, click here. |
| Q. What is the cost for tuition and fees at Henderson State University? |
A. The current cost of tuition and fees at Henderson State University can be found by clicking here. (A separate browser window will open displaying HSU’s current tuition and fee schedule.) Flight fees are in addition to all other HSU tuition and fees. Current flight fees can be found by clicking here.
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| Q. Is there any scholarship information available? |
A. There are both Henderson and non-Henderson scholarships available. For information on scholarships provided by Henderson as well other financial aid options please click here. For non-Henderson scholarship information please click on the following links (each link will open in a new browser window):
Aviation Industry Scholarship Information provided by Avscholars.com
Aviation Industry Scholarship Information provided by Plane & Pilot Magazine
AOPA Air Safety Foundation Scholarship Information
Fund My Future Scholarship Search (Great site for Arkansans looking for scholarships)
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| Q. As a U.S. citizen, what must I do before I fly for the first time? |
A. To be eligible to fly in HSU’s FAA Part 141 flight training program all incoming students (assuming zero flight time) must accomplish the following:
All flight students must obtain a FAA medical certificate with a student pilot certificate attached. Medical certificates and student pilot certificates are obtained only from specific Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs) that are approved by the FAA. Three classes of medical certificates are available, but since our students are typically pursuing a professional career we recommend incoming students obtain a first class medical. To find an AME in your area visit http://www.faa.gov/pilots/amelocator/. All HSU flight students must open and maintain a flight account with the business office located on the third floor of the Womack building. Although Henderson does not require the entire cost of the lab to be paid for in advance, flight students are required to maintain a minimum balance of $200.00 in order to fly. As prescribed by the Transportation Security Administration, all flight students are required to present to the airport secretary, Ms. Brandy Erwine, one of the following to verify U.S. citizenship:
Valid unexpired U.S. passport Original birth certificate of the United States, American Samoa, or Swains Island, and government-issued picture ID Original certification of birth abroad with raised seal (Form FS-545 or DS-1350) and government-issued picture ID Original certificate of U.S. citizenship with raised seal (Form N-560 or N-561), or a Certificate of Repatriation (Form N-581), and government-issued picture ID Original United States naturalization certificate with raised seal (Form N-550 or N-570) and a government-issued picture ID
U.S. Citizens may commence flight training once the medical certificate and student pilot certificate have been obtained and proof of U.S. citizenship is on file with the airport secretary. Non-U.S. Citizens may contact any aviation faculty member for guidance on how to receive flight training at Henderson.
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| Q. As a non-U.S. citizen, what must I do before I fly for the first time? |
| A. Non U.S. citizens can receive flight training as either a resident alien or as a visa holder, but these students must be cleared through the Transportation Security Administration before commencing flight training. Resident aliens (green-card holders)
Resident aliens who begin training for a recreational, sport pilot, private pilot certificate, multiengine rating (at any level), or instrument rating, after December 20, 2004, must notify TSA of their intent to begin flight training. The notification process is as follows:
- The applicant registers on TSA's Web site, www.flightschoolcandidates.gov, at which point they will be given a username and password via e-mail. After receiving the e-mail, the student logs in to the site and submits the following:
- Full name, gender, current address and five-year address history, date and country of birth, and citizenship information.
- TSA identification number (not provided to candidate — only seen by TSA).
- Passport and visa information — Foreign applicants are required to have a passport.
- Training details — Basic information including the name of the school, type of aircraft, and pilot certificate or rating sought.
- For the Private Certificate: MXT-7
- For the Instrument Rating: MXT-7
- For the Commercial Certificate: MXT-7 & PA-28R
- For the Multi-engine Rating: PA-30
- For the CFI: PA-28R
- For the CFII: MXT-7
- For the MEI: PA-30
- Fingerprints — Free fingerprinting forms are available by calling the American Association of Airport Executives at 703/797-2550. You may opt to receive the fingerprinting forms via express or overnight mail for a charge. Additionally, a prepaid return envelope may also be provided for a charge. Candidates' fingerprints must be collected by, or under the supervision of, a U.S. federal, state, or local law enforcement agency; by U.S. government personnel at a U.S. embassy or consulate that possesses appropriate fingerprint collection equipment and personnel certified to capture fingerprints; or by another entity approved by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or TSA, including airports that possess appropriate fingerprint collection equipment and personnel certified to capture fingerprints. A list of domestic and international fingerprinting locations is available at www.tsc-csc.com/printoffices/. The prints can be taken either electronically or by the provided forms. After they are completed, the prints are sent back to AAAE, who then forwards a copy to TSA. Additional instructions can be found on TSA's Web site at https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov/fp_instr.html.
- $130 application processing fee — The fee must be paid by credit card on the TSA's Web site. (Candidates now have a maximum of 10 attempts at paying the processing fee. After the tenth failure, the training request is canceled by TSA's system, and the candidate must submit a new training request. Please verify that your credit card is valid before attempting to pay the processing fee).
- Photo — Upon arrival to the flight school, the student should have his or her photo taken by the flight school. The flight school will be required to upload the photo to TSA's Web site or have it faxed to TSA at 703/542-1221.
- A final determination of the candidate's eligibility status is not required prior to the start of flight training in aircraft below 12,500 pounds maximum gross takeoff weight. However, candidates will receive an e-mail with the subject "Permission to Initiate Training/Fingerprint Receipt" instead of an e-mail with the subject "Permission to Receive Training" when all of the required information has been received and verified by TSA. This e-mail needs to be received by the candidate before training is started. The photo should be taken and sent to TSA after this final e-mail is received. If TSA determines the student is a security threat, the school or instructor will be notified, and training is to be stopped immediately.
Visa holders
Visa holders who begin training for a recreational, sport pilot, private pilot certificate, multiengine rating (at any level), or instrument rating after December 20, 2004, must notify TSA of their intent to begin training. The notification process is as follows:
- The applicant registers on TSA's Web site, www.flightschoolcandidates.gov, at which point they will be given a username and password via e-mail. After receiving the e-mail, the student logs in to the site and submits the following:
- Full name, gender, current address and five-year address history, date and country of birth, and citizenship information.
- TSA identification number (not provided to candidate — only seen by TSA).
- Passport and visa information — Foreign applicants are required to have a passport.
- Training details — Basic information including the name of the school, type of aircraft, and pilot certificate or rating sought.
- For the Private Certificate: MXT-7
- For the Instrument Rating: MXT-7
- For the Commercial Certificate: MXT-7 & PA-28R
- For the Multi-engine Rating: PA-30
- For the CFI: PA-28R
- For the CFII: MXT-7
- For the MEI: PA-30
- Fingerprints — Free fingerprinting forms are available by calling the American Association of Airport Executives at 703/797-2550. You may opt to receive the fingerprinting forms via express or overnight mail for a charge. Additionally, a prepaid return envelope may also be provided for a charge. Candidates' fingerprints must be collected by, or under the supervision of, a U.S. federal, state, or local law enforcement agency; by U.S. government personnel at a U.S. embassy or consulate that possesses appropriate fingerprint collection equipment and personnel certified to capture fingerprints; or by another entity approved by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or TSA, including airports that possess appropriate fingerprint collection equipment and personnel certified to capture fingerprints. A list of domestic and international fingerprinting locations is available at www.tsc-csc.com/printoffices/. The prints can be taken either electronically or by the provided forms. After they are completed, the prints are sent back to AAAE, who then forwards a copy to TSA. Additional instructions can be found on TSA's Web site at https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov/fp_instr.html.
- $130 application processing fee — The fee must be paid by credit card on the TSA's Web site. (Candidates now have a maximum of 10 attempts at paying the processing fee. After the tenth failure, the training request is canceled by TSA's system, and the candidate must submit a new training request. Please verify that your credit card is valid before attempting to pay the processing fee).
- Photo — Upon arrival to the flight school, the student should have his or her photo taken by the flight school. The flight school will be required to upload the photo to TSA's Web site or have it faxed to TSA at 703/542-1221.
- A final determination of the candidate's eligibility status is not required prior to the start of flight training in aircraft below 12,500 pounds maximum gross takeoff weight. However, candidates will receive an e-mail with the subject "Permission to Initiate Training/Fingerprint Receipt" instead of an e-mail with the subject "Permission to Receive Training" when all of the required information has been received and verified by TSA. This e-mail needs to be received by the candidate before training is started. The photo should be taken and sent to TSA after this final e-mail is received. If TSA determines the student is a security threat, the school or instructor will be notified, and training is to be stopped immediately.
For further guidance, please visit http://www.aopa.org/tsa_rule.
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| Q. Can I fly before I am issued a flight slot? |
| A. Yes, you can so long as you are not an incoming freshman. Simply find your previous flight instructor and fly "at will" until flight slots go into effect. Also, you must have completed the TSA compliance procedures as set forth in FIL04-018 prior to any flying. |
| Q. How soon will I begin flying once enrolled? |
| A. Assuming all of the requirements above have been completed, you will be in the air within the first two weeks of the semester. |
| Q. How do the flight labs work? |
| A. This is a class in which you actually get college credit for learning how to fly. Each lab will have a specific syllabus that must be finished in order to complete the lab. When you enroll in the lab, you are automatically scheduled for two flight slots a week (either Monday-Friday, Tuesday-Thursday, or Wednesday-Saturday). Every time you fly, an invoice will be generated based on the number of hours flown, and the total amount will be deducted from your flight account. A running balance can be found on the invoice to let you know when you may need to add more money. Keep in mind that you can get financial aid to help pay for flight training and you do not have to have all of the money for a lab up front. As long as you have a minimum balance of at least $200 in your flight account, you are able to fly. |
| Q. Am I qualified to apply for an airline pilot position immediately after graduating? |
| A. The answer is yes and no. The number one thing that airline employers are looking for once you have all of the certificates and ratings is flight experience in hours. If you complete the requirements for the degree only, you will graduate with Commercial Airplane Single and Multiengine Land Certificates with an Instrument Rating (everything you need for a job), but you will only have around 210 - 250 flight hours. In order to be marketable for the airlines, you will need any where from 800-1,500 flight hours depending on the need for pilots at the time. |
| Q. How do I get the experience needed to get hired by the airlines? |
A. All of the experience you need, you can find here. Not included in the requirements to graduate are flight instructor certificates, which we offer and highly suggest you completing. After you get your flight instructor certificate, we will conditionally hire and pay you $17-$23 per hour to work for HSU. As a flight instructor, you can build anywhere from 400-800 hours per year.
Your flight training is completed largely at your own rate. We have a minimum that we would like you to complete in a semester, but there is nothing stopping you from going ahead in your flight training. How the current curriculum is set up, you should be able to flight instruct your last one-two semesters prior to graduating, but it is certainly possible to be flight instructing before then and build up the flight hours needed to get hired as soon as you graduate.
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