Coe College President David Hayes spoke during a ceremony announcing a new aviation management program and flight school available through Coe College at The Eastern Iowa Airport in southwest Cedar Rapids, in partnership with Revv Aviation. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
by Vanessa Miller
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine June/July 2024 Digital Issue
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA – On the wings of a pilot and aviation staffing shortage threatening aircraft, airlines and the flights they schedule, Coe College is stepping into the flight school crunch in collaboration with The Eastern Iowa Airport.
Having submitted an application to the Higher Learning Commission, Coe aims by fall 2025 — or sooner, depending on demand and approvals — to start offering a flight school and aviation management program out of its Stead Department of Business Administration and Economics.
Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell.
(Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Students who enroll in the program can complete certification to become a professional pilot within Coe’s new aviation management concentration, or forego the flight school portion and take classes preparing them for non-flying roles in the aviation industry.
“Cedar Rapids has a rich aviation history, from global and national companies that lead the way in aerospace businesses, to the Wright brothers living here during their early days in their childhood, to the ongoing and dynamic airport expansion,” Coe President David Hayes said during an event to unveil the program and partnership. “There is no better place to build an aviation management curriculum and a commercial pilot flight school.”
Eastern Iowa Airport Director Marty Lenss spoke during a ceremony announcing the new aviation management program available through Coe College. “This announcement is very exciting for the airport, the community, the region and really the aviation industry,”
Lenss said.
“The career earnings for pilots with a four-year degree is significant,” according to Coe College officials. “After earning your license, you could potentially be employed to serve as a flight instructor, gaining both a paycheck and knocking out qualifying hours without cost.”
(Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
In addition to partnering with The Eastern Iowa Airport, the Cedar Rapids college has tapped Revv Aviation to run the flight school portion. Revv – a Council Bluffs-based business that started using its current name in 2022 but was founded in 1997 under “aviation pioneers” like Roy Carver Sr. and Roy Carver Jr. – has more than 100 employees in 11 locations, including four in Iowa, three in Illinois and one in Nebraska.
Its Council Bluffs location – similar to its new Cedar Rapids collaboration – partners with the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Aviation Institute, which offers a Bachelor of Science degree in aviation with a concentration in professional flight.
Revv Aviation Vice President of Flight Training & Chief Instructor Jerome Howard.
(Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Revv, which offers flight training, aircraft maintenance and air charter, has produced more than 3,000 flight school graduates over its education tenure.
Courses in Coe’s new aviation management program will be taught both on its main campus and at its dedicated aeronautical field station operated out of the airport. “Its wonderful partnering with one of Cedar Rapids’ original and foundational institutions, Coe College, with over 170 years in Cedar Rapids educating tomorrow’s workforce, while also attracting national and international students to the corridor,” airport director Marty Lenss said. “This announcement is very exciting for the airport, the community, the region and really the aviation industry.”
The aviator shortage in the United States has created a 17,000-pilot gap that’s expected to grow as more than half of current commercial pilots are older than 50 and facing a looming retirement age mandate of 65.
The starting pay for most pilots is near $90,000 a year, with seasoned pilots earning $400,000 with major airlines.
Students who complete the new Coe program could walk away as commercial pilots with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration, with a concentration in aviation management, “which is preferred by major carriers and creates higher earning and career promotion potential.”
A Coe donor is investing $200,000 to jump-start the initiative, and the college is pursuing additional federal funding in collaboration with the airport.
