Airplane Fleet Update at Iowa Lakes Community College

(Estherville, Iowa) The Aviation Program at Iowa Lakes Community College is meeting the increasing industry demand for pilots with flying colors! The airplane fleet is receiving a significant update courtesy of higher enrollment levels due to rising demand for pilots in the aviation industry.

“This is an exciting time for aviation at Iowa Lakes. We will be acquiring more basic trainers and selling off older and specialty aircraft to offer the best aircraft to educate future pilots,” said Tim Busch, Director of the Iowa Lakes Aviation Program. “We will continue to grow and upgrade the program over the next several years as industry demand grows.”

The sale of existing aircraft will largely offset the acquisition costs of the replacement basic trainers. This change will provide better options for pilot training and allow the upgrades to be more affordable.

The 2019 Boeing Pilot & Technician Outlook is forecasting a need for 804,000 new civil aviation pilots, including pilots for commercial aviation, business aviation, and civil helicopter industries over the next 20 years.

The predicted job growth is due to hundreds of thousands of baby boomer pilots retiring over the next decade, existing fleets continuing to expand to meet consumer flight demands, and fewer than expected new pilots joining the workforce. The job forecast, combined with the aviation market changes, creates an outstanding opportunity for new pilots entering the workforce.

Iowa Lakes Community College is poised to help educate the next generation of pilots with innovative training solutions and hands-on flight training. This update to the airplane fleet is another step towards ensuring pilots trained at Iowa Lakes are highly employable in a job market that continues to expand.

For more information, check out the Iowa Lakes Community College website and the Iowa Lakes Aviation Facebook page.

SOURCE FOR STATISTICS:  Boeing, opens in a new windowBoeing’s Market Outlook, opens in a new windowPilot and Technician Outlook, online at https://www.boeing.com/commercial/market/pilot-technician-outlook/ (last visited February 28, 2020)

For More Information:

Iowa Lakes Marketing Office at 712-362-7947