With the student enrollment having nearly quadrupled since 2014, a $10 million Delta Airline Aviation Building set to finish by November, a newly added stop on the transit loop to the airport facilities and at least three more aircraft expected by the end of the semester, the aviation program has quite a year set out for them.
“It’s an exciting time. It’s fun,” said Bill Hutto, Auburn Regional Airport director and Auburn aviation alum. “We have to remind ourselves, you know, this is good. It really is.”
In 2014, the aviation program had just 88 declared students within it, with a little over half pursuing the professional flight degree and the rest pursuing the aviation management degree, the same degree as Hutto. In fall 2017, the program had 270 students enrolled in the program, and this fall, there are 349, nearly four times the number of students from four years prior.
Hutto pointed out that being a part of the Harbert College of Business in 2014 rather than the College of Liberal Arts inhibited the number of declared students from including freshmen and sophomores as it does now; still, even doubling that number leaves a near 200 student increase in just four years.
“It’s a big jump however you look at it,” Hutto said.
Hutto owed the big jump to a combination of increased marketing and promotion on the program’s part as well as a dire need in the industry — Delta Airlines alone will need to hire 8,000 new pilots in the next 10 years, according to Hutto.
“Of course, Auburn sells itself,” Hutto added. “Who wouldn’t want to be at Auburn?”
The increase in students lends itself to an increase in resource demand, a challenge Hutto and the rest of the aviation faculty have become aware of, particularly in keeping up with the number of airplanes and flight instructors to support the student growth.
“It’s kind of like an airline. You have to have enough capacity on the flights, enough certified instructors to teach and enough maintenance personnel to ensure that the aircraft get into the air safely,” Hutto said.
Out of the 349 students in the program, 240 are pursuing a professional flight degree. With only 27 aircraft for student use, some students have yet to fly this semester, but Hutto guaranteed this would change, especially with the three new aircraft being purchased this semester and the few being leased from a local company.
“It’s not a bad problem to have,” Hutto said. “There was a time when we didn’t have this problem, so we’re grateful for it and appreciate the students being patient with it as we’re getting everybody in the air.”
Just five years ago, the aviation program faced a very different problem: a potential closure.
“The numbers were down, and there was a thought of whether this program was worth continuing,” Hutto said.
With the industry’s stagnation post Sept. 11, 2001, still wreaking havoc on the aviation job market and the lack of student interest in the program posing a threat to the program’s benefit to the University, closure came up for consideration.
“It was a wakeup call to realize that we couldn’t take what we have for granted and a lot of our alumni got energized through that,” Hutto said. “They really spoke up for the program, and many of those who spoke are putting their money where their mouth is and giving back. We’re grateful; not everyone is in the position in life to do that.”
After the 2013 scare, the aviation program moved around several times before finding its current home in the College of Liberal Arts. The change in home and the new support from University leadership and program members re-energized the program.
“We have a very passionate team of staff, faculty and alumni so we gathered people around and said, ‘OK, we’ve been presented a great opportunity to make this thing grow the right way. How can we do that?’” Hutto said.
On the program’s list of plans is a new aviation building.
“We knew the 1950 building needed to be replaced,” Hutto said. “It was too small, the walls leaked, all kinds of stuff.”
They began a fundraising campaign, and once the trustees approved the new depart
ment and new degrees, it caught the attention of alumni, one of them CFO of Delta Paul Jacobsen.
“He was really instrumental in bringing Delta to the table, but not just Delta, his family foundation, too, which he has been very generous to use,” Hutto said. “That helped a lot.”
The $10 million Delta Airlines Aviation Building is set to be finished in early November and will be a nice modern facility for flight operations — flight planning and weather checks — as well as three classrooms and a specialized testing facility for the Federal Aviation Administration exams.
Hutto said what’s really key is the flight simulators, which will also be located within the building.
In just five years, the program went from potential closure to nearly quadruple in size, but Hutto gave ample credit to the University leadership, state government and alumni support in ensuring the aviation program remained in tact and thriving at Auburn.
“We’re really trying to cultivate that culture of giving back to Auburn,” Hutto said.
The new aviation building and the growing number of students interested in the program is an exciting beginning for the aviation program’s 2018-2019 school year, but Hutto made it clear — it’s just that: a beginning. And despite the advances and increases, the program’s goals have remained clear.
“Our goal is always to provide a second-to-none aviation education,” Hutto said. “We think we’re the best, and we say that with pride and arrogance, I guess. But we want to run a program that people want to be at.”
Another of Hutto’s goals is tailored more toward the professional flight students to challenge them to not just be pilots, but leaders.
“We want them to understand what happens outside that cockpit and how what they do in the cockpit affects the bottom line of the industry as a whole,” Hutto said. “And that’s no different than the Auburn Creed. That’s essentially what we’re trying to do but through aviation.”
Hutto’s final goal is outreach, particularly toward a more diverse audience who may not know the opportunities within the aviation field because of lack of exposure.
“Part of what our outreach goals are is to get the different parts of the state to share aviation,” Hutto said. “Even if you can’t fly — like me, I’m not a pilot — I found my role in aviation, and now, I want to help other people achieve their dreams.”
Hutto acknowledged that with the increase in students, he has noticed an increase in diversity among them, particularly with women, who make up 17-18 percent of the program.
“But we need more,” he admitted. “Aviation, it’s not a secret, it’s historically been white male dominated, and we at Auburn and the industry as a whole are trying to flip that.”
As the 2018-2019 school year begins, Auburn’s aviation program plans on taking to new heights to reach their goals, and with the help of alumni and the University, Hutto said the potential is there.
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