Central Flying Service is launching a flight training partnership with the University of Central Arkansas (UCA). Starting in the spring of 2024, the Little Rock-based business aviation services group will run the new UCA Aviation Academy at Conway Regional Airport in Arkansas, providing training for commercial and private pilots covering multiple ratings and certificates.
Most of the pilots training at the academy will be UCA students pursuing careers in aviation or wanting flight training in conjunction with other degrees. The UCA Aviation Academy will operate as an FAA-certified Part 141 flight school, with a focus on boosting the supply of commercial pilots in response to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ projection of around 16,800 openings annually over the next decade.
Ground school will start at the Conway facility in March, with flight training to follow using new Tecnam aircraft with glass cockpits. UCA offers 80 undergraduate programs, 57 graduate programs, and six doctoral degrees.
Central Flying School has provided flight training for around 80 years and is already a Part 141 and Part 61 flight training facility, with more than 475,000 training hours flown. The company also offers private aircraft management and charter services, maintenance and refurbishment, and brokerage.