Program Highlights

Aviation as Mission

Hesston Aviation alumnus Loren Groff speaks at the 2011 Aviation as Mission.

Each year the Hesston College Aviation Program plans an event to bring alumni and students together to better understand God’s call on our lives and how that call translates to our careers in aviation. Several of our graduates return to our hangar at the Newton City-County Airport to share about their professional and spiritual journeys and how they live their faith through their work. In recent years speakers have included Roger Yoder, a captain with American Airlines; Kurt Neuenschwander, chief pilot for AirServ International; and John Reimer, a demonstration pilot for Cessna.

Mountain Flying

Hesston’s Mountain Flying course is an extended cross-country flight into the Colorado Rockies which offers students important experience in high altitude operations and familiarity with high altitude airports. The sights and flights are breath taking.

ATOP

For those who are interested in a career in the airlines, this training is a must.

The Airline Training Orientation Program is an introduction to the Boeing 737, which includes flight in a full motion simulator in the airline training environment. A high altitude endorsement and advanced systems training are included.

CAMI

The FAA’s Civil AeroMedical Institute in Oklahoma City offers a FREE physiological training in an altitude chamber and spatial disorientation simulator. A second day of training includes survival in arctic, desert and water situations.

Larks Rally

The Larks Rally is an annual flight skills competition among Hesston College Aviation students. Past events include Spot Landing, Flour Bag Drop, and Cross-Country Planning/Flight.

First Solos 2011-2012:

Check rides 2011-2012:

Airplane Wash and Department BBQ

Students connect informally with instructors while beating the August heat by washing airplanes after the first week of classes.

Student Aviation Advisory Board

Student Aviation Advisory Board (SAAB) is the student-led community that leads activities and generates ideas.

Fly Larks Week

During Fly Larks Week, your first week as an aviation student at Hesston College, you’ll find yourself in a plane’s cockpit. We’re serious about training pilots, and we don’t waste any time helping students earn one or more of the certificates we offer!

The sky is the limit

More than 700 pilots have trained at Hesston College, and today many of our alumni fly or work for America West, American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest, TWA, United and US Airways. Others are with national and regional airlines like Allegheny, Air Midwest, American Eagle, Atlantic Southeast, Horizon, Mesaba, Sky West and World Airways. Our Hesston College Alumni fly for dozens of corporate and charter companies, serve with Mission Aviation Fellowship and other humanitarian organizations, and work as air traffic controllers or in aircraft maintenance and avionics. They are flight instructors at major universities and schools of aviation, do aerial application, work as FAA inspectors, and serve with Medivac.

Hesston is just 30 minutes north of Wichita, the air capital of the world. Unique weather patterns make Kansas one of the best places to learn to fly. Students also travel west for training in mountain conditions.

Hesston’s courses are designed to set you soaring into an aviation career. After two years at Hesston, you will have had the opportunity to earn an Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences degree in Aviation and completed at least 60 college credit hours. Many of our graduates start out as flight instructors. Mission work, corporate aviation, aircraft charter, and air freight are other possibilities. You can also use your Hesston degree as the foundation of a bachelor’s degree in business, aviation management, aero-nautical technology or other specialties. Cooperating programs with four-year institutions offer ideal opportunities for Hesston graduates to complete their bachelor’s degrees.