ALLENTOWN, Pa. \u2014 For Moravian University freshman Antonio Lopresti, the classroom can sit several hundred feet above the Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n
Lopresti is part of the inaugural class in Moravian University\u2019s new aviation programs, which launched this fall with 23 students \u2014 14 professional pilot majors and nine aviation management majors. The university is combining traditional academics with hands-on flight training designed to prepare students for careers across the aviation industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Lopresti, that means some college days include something considerably different from the typical classroom experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a crazy experience to go back to my dorms and say, \u2018Oh, how was class?\u2019 And he\u2019s like, \u2018Yeah, it was good.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018Oh, I flew a plane today,\u2019\u201d Lopresti said.<\/p>\n
From the classroom to the cockpit<\/p>\n
Moravian\u2019s flight training is based at Queen City Airport in Allentown, with some training flights also taking place at Lehigh Valley International Airport. The university partners with flyGATEWAY Aviation Institute for its professional pilot flight training.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Students in the professional pilot program combine their Moravian coursework with FAA-certified flight training. The curriculum includes dual and solo flight time, pre- and post-flight briefings and stage checks, along with instruction in aviation weather, air traffic control, aeronautical decision-making, pilot performance and safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lopresti flies three times a week.<\/p>\n
Before getting into the air, however, students learn that flying starts on the ground. Lopresti worked his way through a lengthy pre-flight checklist, inspecting the aircraft before takeoff.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll this you have to go through before you take off,\u201d Lopresti said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once in the cockpit, Lopresti works with flyGATEWAY flight instructor Izzy Hallam.<\/p>\n
Asked the most important thing she tells a student pilot, Hallam\u2019s advice was straightforward.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlways be situationally aware and have fun,\u201d Hallam said.<\/p>\n
69 News went along for one of Lopresti\u2019s lessons, filming from the back of the aircraft as it taxied down the runway, took off from Queen City Airport, and climbed several hundred feet into the air.<\/p>\n
The lesson also offered Lopresti a look at one of the realities pilots have to learn to handle: changing weather.<\/p>\n
As rain appeared ahead of the aircraft, Lopresti was reminded that there are still skills he has yet to learn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you saw that rain moving in, what are you thinking?\u201d 69 News reporter Bo Koltnow asked after the flight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not qualified for that. That\u2019s what I\u2019m thinking,\u201d Lopresti said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet,\u201d Koltnow replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s next year, hopefully,\u201d Lopresti said. \u201cBut yeah, it\u2019s just \u2014 I got reminded of what my future is going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Training for careers beyond the cockpit<\/p>\n
Moravian\u2019s aviation initiative extends beyond flying airplanes.<\/p>\n
Students also train with flight simulators, while the university\u2019s aviation management program covers areas including airport operations, aviation safety, law, logistics, finance and leadership. Moravian also offers an Air Traffic Management minor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Program Director Rachel Hall said the Lehigh Valley provides students with a particularly active environment in which to learn.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no better place to learn, right?\u201d Hall said. \u201cWe\u2019re in the busiest airspace in the country, and there is not an institution in this area where you can get your degree as well as get all your pilot certifications.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hall is a Gold Seal Certified Flight Instructor and an active corporate pilot. Moravian says she flies Falcon 900EX, Falcon 50EX, and King Air 350 aircraft and has a background in aviation safety and flight instruction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moravian says its Professional Pilot bachelor\u2019s degree is a 120-credit program, with more than 60 credits consisting of FAA-recognized aviation coursework. The program is designed to lead students through training toward Certified Flight Instructor certification while also giving them an academic foundation in management.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aviation management students, meanwhile, are being prepared for careers including airport operations, aviation logistics, flight dispatch, safety and compliance, and aviation business management.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Industry experience helping shape the program<\/p>\n
Retired American Airlines Capt. Mark Cronin helped launch Moravian\u2019s aviation effort and serves on the university\u2019s Aviation Advisory Committee. Cronin is also the founder of the Velocity R Aviation Foundation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe objective here was to ensure that people understood what careers are available in the aviation aerospace industry, and then develop the training programs for them to succeed,\u201d Cronin said.<\/p>\n
Moravian\u2019s Aviation Advisory Committee includes representatives and aviation professionals with experience at Boeing, American Airlines and United Airlines, along with representatives from the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority and other aviation organizations. The committee is intended to help align the university\u2019s curriculum, safety training and career preparation with the industry\u2019s needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moravian says its location also puts students near major aviation markets including Philadelphia and Newark while providing access to airports and aviation businesses throughout the Northeast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For students such as Lopresti, however, the larger aviation career begins with the fundamentals: inspect the airplane, understand the conditions, learn the controls \u2014 and get it safely back on the ground.<\/p>\n
For now, each flight is another lesson in what Lopresti hopes will eventually become his career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ALLENTOWN, Pa. \u2014 For Moravian University freshman Antonio Lopresti, the classroom can sit several hundred feet above the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":288498,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[119,119914,153,155,154,119915,1594,119917,19307,157,26531,24795,18754,27745,119916],"class_list":["post-288497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-allentown","tag-aviation-pogram","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-classes","tag-college","tag-flight-simulator","tag-flying","tag-lehigh-valley","tag-lehigh-valley-airport","tag-moravian-university","tag-pilot","tag-plane","tag-queen-city-airport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}