HOUSTON — Texas Southern University’s pilot program continues to soar to new heights. On Friday, TSU unveiled its new airplane at Ellington Airport.
It’s the latest aircraft to join its fleet of eight, but we’re told it’s the first time the university has purchased a brand-new airplane for its aviation students.
"This is a brand-new Cessna 172S," said Dr. Terence Fontaine, TSU's executive director of aviation.
To ring in the major milestone, members of TSU’s aviation department and its students dedicated the nearly half-a-million-dollar aircraft to the university.
"Anytime you can celebrate a day like today and have a brand-new airplane come in to help our students, it's just a wonderful day at Texas Southern University," Fontaine said.
The number on the tail of the plane, N927TS, even pays homage to TSU’s deep history.
"1927 was the year TSU was founded, and obviously Texas Southern," Fontaine said.
Texas Southern launched its aviation science management program in 1986, but its pilot program didn’t begin until 2016. With 156 students enrolled in the program this year, Fontaine said the program has really taken off.
"We have the largest class in the aviation history at Texas Southern,” he said.
TSU has the only Aviation Accreditation Board International accredited aviation program in the state, and the second HBCU to achieve that designation. TSU's aviation program is helping to address the nationwide pilot shortage and attract more diverse pilots, which is something TSU aviation student and sophomore Christopher Berry feels passionate about.
"It's important for us because there's not that many Black or minority people in this field, so it's good to have this opportunity to come to Texas Southern and pursue your passion for aviation,” Berry said.
Berry won the lottery among his classmates to fly the brand new plane back from Kansas.
"Landing was nice, takeoff was nice, cruise was nice, everything about the flight was nice," he said.
He said all his classmates were jealous.
Berry comes from a long line of pilots.
"My dad's a pilot. I have uncles who are pilots," he said. "So, it's always, like, been in the family."
Christopher's dream is to become a commercial airline pilot one day, something Dr. Fontaine said this new aircraft will help do.
"It's equipped with what's referred to as glass cockpit G1000 technology, and so it just helps our students get to that next level of experience that they're going to need as they pursue corporate and commercial airline jobs,” Fontaine said.
Something else to look forward to is the City of Houston is set to help build a brand-new training facility for TSU aviation students.
Construction on a 20,000-foot hangar at Ellington Airport will begin early next year.