Anchor Intro: More than 40,000 students at Kent State, and only a select few can boast this ability. Established in the mid 1960’s, the Kent State Aeronautics program gives students of all ages the opportunity to take to the air. Reporter Jake Young tells you everything you need to know above ground level.

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Home to nearly thirty planes and over fifty aspiring pilots is the Kent State Airport. Just ten minutes from Kent’s campus, located in Stow, is the Universities very own plane headquarters.

Within the college of applied engineering, students have the opportunity to earn a degree in flight technology.

The course work starts with in class activities, one-on-one with an instructor. Once this portion is completed, students have the chance to enter the flight simulator to test their skills on the ground.

Graduate student David Morrison still remembers the first time he took to the skies.

“Definitely nervous, but I knew what I had to do and I didn’t really have and problems with it. I do remember my legs feeling like rubber after touching down for the first time.”

This is a self driven course, as students have the opportunity to schedule and come in for their individual flying times.

The final test for aspiring pilots is going in the air with their instructor, such as Andrew Pearsal who says:

“We need them to grasp the subject. We are there as a safety net in case the struggle, but it is necessary to let them make some mistakes in order for them to learn.”