Weigandt, C. W., & Pallikonda, M. K., & Manimaran, R. C. (2023, June), Building a Rotary Wing Aviation Program to Facilitate Integration of Military Veterans and Service Members  Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43064

\bibitem{asee_peer_43064}
  Weigandt, C. W., \& Pallikonda, M. K., \& Manimaran, R. C. (2023, June), \emph{Building a Rotary Wing Aviation Program to Facilitate Integration of Military Veterans and Service Members}
  Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland.
  10.18260/1-2--43064

Charles William Weigandt, Mahesh Kumar Pallikonda, and Ravi C. Manimaran.  "Building a Rotary Wing Aviation Program to Facilitate Integration of Military Veterans and Service Members".  2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland, 2023, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2023.  https://peer.asee.org/43064 Internet.  15 Dec, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_43064}
  Charles William Weigandt, Mahesh Kumar Pallikonda, and Ravi C. Manimaran.
  "Building a Rotary Wing Aviation Program to Facilitate Integration of Military Veterans and Service Members".
  \emph{2023 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland, 2023, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2023.
  https://peer.asee.org/43064 Internet.  15 Dec, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_43064
author = "Charles William Weigandt, Mahesh Kumar Pallikonda, and Ravi C. Manimaran"
title = "Building a Rotary Wing Aviation Program to Facilitate Integration of Military Veterans and Service Members"
booktitle = "2023 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2023"
month = "June"
address = "Baltimore , Maryland"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/43064}
number = {10.18260/1-2--43064}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Over the years the airline industry has been crippled due to the shortage of skilled pilots, fixed wing and rotary wing (Helicopter). In summer 2022, several major airlines in the United States canceled a record number of scheduled flights or ran delayed due to the same reason [1]. A unique approach adopted by the airlines to address this challenge is to look for non-traditional sources such as retired military and veteran rotary wing pilots. This led to a growing shortage of helicopter pilots in the medical transport and offshore oil support industries [2]. This challenge also opens new opportunities and career pathways for veterans. Currently, any helicopter pilot flying the Robinson R-44 (and R-22) must be in compliance with CFR Title 14, Chapter 1, Subchapter D, Part 61, Special Federal Aviation Regulation No. 73 - Robinson R-22/R-44 Special Training and Experience Requirements [3]. The above requirement is a major reason most military helicopter instructors cannot easily transition to civilian flight instruction employment. 

Since our state university has a campus on a military base, we are uniquely positioned to offer workforce development programs to the active military and veterans. Recently we started offering rotary wing concentration for our students (both military affiliated and civilians). Students graduating with this concentration have opportunities to work in the Helicopter industry, both as a pilot and a flight instructor. 

The Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Science, with a concentration in Rotary Wing (helicopter) offered by the engineering technology department is unique in the State of Tennessee. The bachelor’s degree will support any student who desires to pursue competitive careers in flight instruction, aerial tourism, charter operations, and numerous other aviation applications. Students are taught hands-on and academic skills in a professional setting and receive personal attention from their instructors. Flight skills and academics are taught at the University’s Flight Facility located at the Regional Airport. Successful students will receive a well-rounded undergraduate education in addition to the ability to obtain Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor certification. The combination of FAA certification and bachelor's degree makes graduates more competitive in the career market. 

This paper will present the survey results justifying the need for a rotary wing program, historical enrollment statistics since the program’s inception in Fall 2019, outreach efforts in new student recruitment, student experience, success stories of student’s FAA certification and their employment data. 
AU  - Charles William Weigandt
AU  - Mahesh Kumar Pallikonda
AU  - Ravi C. Manimaran
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Building a Rotary Wing Aviation Program to Facilitate Integration of Military Veterans and Service Members
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/43064
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--43064
ER  -