With winter fully underway, most outdoor activities have come to an end. The football games in The ‘Shoe have made way for basketball games in the ‘Schott. But not all of Ohio State University students are suspending their outdoor plans until the spring.
Adam Lamberjack, sophomore aviation major, said some of the best flying conditions come with the winter air. “The cold temperatures make the air more dense, which creates more lift and helps the plane engines perform better.” As for the snowy conditions that come with Ohio winters, Lamberjack didn’t seem too concerned. “As long as the plane can go, so can you. Landing on snowy runways can be a little tricky, but it is possible.”
The aviation major is one of most fast paced of the 160 academic programs available at OSU. According to the department’s Web site, Buckeyes have been taking to the skies since 1943.
The 200 students in the program have several options when personalizing their aviation major. The first choice is picking a specialization: aircraft systems or aviation management. Aircraft systems is for those looking to become professional pilots, while aviation management pertains to how the industry operates and is organized.
Beyond choosing a specialization, students choose among three colleges from which they can receive an aviation degree: The College of Engineering, The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences or the Fisher College of Business. Each college has unique advantages.
On top of coursework, students in aviation must also earn pilot certifications. As they progress through the program, aviation majors become licensed pilots, learn to fly without looking out the windows, get certified to fly high performance and multi-engine planes, and become certified to teach other new pilots to fly. The typical student will have about 350 hours of flight time before graduating.
This academic system has gained respect among other colleges. Candi Roby, director of flight education at OSU, said OSU has one of the leading aviation schools in the country. This perception has a number of sources.
Aside from operating their own airport, the Don Scott Airport located about nine miles northwest of campus, Roby said OSU maintains a fleet of 22 airplanes. Several of the planes are high performance models, and some of the newer planes have more advanced technology, with computer screens that replace traditional gauges.
Additionally, three flight simulators are available to help train pilots at Don Scott. The newest simulator has a visual screen that stretches 180 degrees.
Roby said a graduate program is currently underdevelopment. According to their Web site, the department will soon offer two new majors: a masters of science in air transportations and an undergraduate program in air transportation.
Lamberjack’s future also holds a change: after flying for more than a year and accumulating 127 landings and almost 50 hours in the air, he transferred this quarter to the main campus from OSU Marion.
“I’m really looking forward to finally starting my professional pilot sequence.” He starts flying through OSU’s aviation program next quarter.
Pete Droll can be reached at [email protected]..
