VERNON TOWNSHIP - A new partnership with a leading community college aviation program will enable a Meadville flight school to offer a convenient, money-saving pathway to becoming a pilot for northwestern Pennsylvania residents. North Coast Flight School, which is located at Port Meadville Airport, announced a new partnership with the James M. Johnson School of Aviation Sciences at Community College of Beaver County (CCBC). The agreement will allow students to do their flight training at Port Meadville while earning an associate's degree online through CCBC's professional pilot program. "The United States continues to experience vast pilot shortage with Boeing alone predicting a need for over 600,000 pilots in the next two decades," John Higgs, senior dean of CCBC's Johnson School, said in announcing the new partnership. "With high-quality flight providers like North Coast Flight School on board, we can offer lucrative career opportunities to more students and meet industry demands broadly and quickly." Under the new agreement, students will be able to participate in flight training through North Coast Flight School while completing coursework virtually through CCBC. Greg Hayes, owner of North Coast, was excited to add the partnership with CCBC to his school's offerings. North Coast already offers courses through PennWest Edinboro's aviation program. "This is huge," Hayes said of the new program. "Why would you go anywhere else?" Program graduates will earn their private pilot's license, instrument rating, commercial certificate and multi-engine or certified flight instructor ratings, according to the school's announcement. They will also receive a restricted privileges airline transport pilot certificate, which reduces the minimum age requirement to serve as a first officer from 23 to 21 and the amount of flight hours required from 1,500 to 1,250. Pennsylvania residents in the program are also eligible for partial reimbursement for flight costs from CCBC's Pennsylvania Flight Discount Fund. The reimbursement rate varies with enrollment but is typically around 20 percent - a significant reduction in flight expenses that can cost $165 per hour or more. Hayes said the program will begin in late August and said up to as many as 20 students could be accommodated.
