EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015: Liberty University Offers Aviation Degree, Flight Training Affiliate Program and New Product Partnership

Fred Harl and Carmelo Turdo

The Aero Experience is delighted to begin our year-long coverage of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015, made possible by our sponsors, Air Associates of Missouri and Air Associates of Kansas.   We are proud to continue our association with these great Cessna Pilot Centers, whose serves also include maintenance, aircraft rental, and support services.  Our third year of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh coverage will prove to be our most comprehensive to date, with more in-depth reporting on a greater variety of topics coming throughout the year until July 2016.  It is appropriate to add a second part to our most recent story by featuring a follow-up visit with the Liberty University School of Aeronautics Top Hawk Team at their exhibit on the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015 grounds. 

CFI Jonny Hewitt (L), A&P/IA Phil McLanahan

The Aero Experience visited again with CFI Jonny Hewitt and A&P/IA Phil McLanahan from the Liberty University School of Aeronautics at their exhibit, located in the Aviation Gateway Park.  Liberty University is a partner school for the Cessna Top Hawk Flight Training Affiliate program.  The Flight Training Affiliate Program gives students who do not attend the school's Lynchburg, VA campus an opportunity to earn their Bachelor of Science Degree from Liberty University Online while taking flight training at Cessna Pilot Centers like Air Associates of Missouri.  This arrangement is also available to students receiving federal financial aide and service veterans receiving GI Bill benefits.   As mentioned in the previous story, Liberty University's degree program/flight training affiliate combination has already "taken off" in the Midwest and other parts of the country within these first few months since its initial offering.

During our visit with Hewitt and McLanahan at the Liberty University School of Aeronautics exhibit at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015, The Aero Experience was pleased to hear about a product offering that will increase the effectiveness of the Top Hawk tour going forward.  "We have the honor of getting a Stratus system donated to us for the Top Hawk tour," CFI Jonny Hewitt explained.  "It was a big help to us navigating weather.  It helped us avoid a few sticky situations [that could have developed] if we didn't know that weather was out there."  A&P/IA McLanahan added, "It gives us our weather, it can interlink and give us traffic, it gives you all the GPS information and an artificial horizon in case our instruments go out."  This information is displayed on an iPad.  The product is a collaboration of Appareo, ForeFlight Mobile and Sporty's Pilot Shop.  Hewitt and McLanahan credited the Stratus device with assisting them in avoiding a significant storm system on their flight from St. Louis following the event at Air Associates of Missouri in July.  Their Facebook post from July 17 illustrates the effectiveness of the device.

(L-R) CFI Jonny Hewitt, A&P/IA Phil McLanahan and Appareo Aviation

Business Unit Manager Tony Grindberg holding the Stratus

receiver with the Liberty University Cessna Top Hawk 172