Hesston College Aviation program director Dan Miller (right) and flight instructor Travis Pickerill (center) get maintenance tips about the college’s new Redbird MCX C182 G1000 GFC700 flight simulator from Redbird Services, Inc. Installation Manager Jeff Matthyssen. The simulator was purchased with assistance from an anonymous gift given in honor of 1973 Hesston alumnus Wilbur Bontrager, Middlebury, Ind.

Air Traffic Control graduate Heather Harkins (Wichita, Kan.) receives congratulations from the aviation department faculty and staff at a reception honoring aviation graduates studying both flight and air traffic control.

Heather Harkins ’12, an air traffic control student from Wichita, Kan., listens to a symposium presentation.

Recent Hesston College Air Traffic Control graduates, Jerry Holloman (left) and Jacob Gayer (right) work with Director of Aviation Dan Miller in the on-campus table model simulation lab. The table model and computer simulation labs give students a hands-on approach to learning the dynamics and demands of the air traffic control profession.