Aviation

Our domestic students know the landscape of South Central Nebraska. With cold winters and hot summers, our changing weather patterns offer exposure to the challenges of flying in all types of environments.

Combined with one of the lowest tuitions in the country, students take advantage of low flight training costs while living in a safe community known for its friendly and welcoming midwest nature.

With a regional airline flying into Kearney Regional Airport daily, UNK is situated between two of the nation’s largest airline hubs in Chicago and Denver. Our aviation students have nearly unlimited access to flight training airspace only minutes after takeoff – something you cannot find in crowded metropolitan areas.

UNK works closely with our flight training provider Nebraska Flight School, a subsidiary of one of the nation’s largest flight training organizations American Flight Schools.

With schools across four US states including California, Oregon, Colorado, and Nebraska, American Flight Schools has been training pilots since 1977 and has a network that includes five flight training facilities, two maintenance facilities, a charter operation, and an aircraft sales division.

American Flight Schools opened Nebraska Flight School in 2020 giving UNK Aviation students access to over 90 aircraft. Staffed with full-time professional Certificated Flight Instructors drawn from across the country, Nebraska Flight School is an integral partner with UNK’s Aviation program solidifying UNK as a world-class university flight training destination and ensuring our students develop the professional flight skills and cockpit experience needed to enter the global aviation industry at the highest levels.

UNK Aviation students obtain their Bachelor of Science in Aviation through classes at Discovery Hall, UNK's new, state-of-the-art STEM facility. All our hands-on flying training is provided by Nebraska Flight School at the Kearney Regional Airport, a short, 10-minute drive east of the UNK main campus.

Flight training costs (separate from UNK academic tuition) are paid by Aviation students directly to Nebraska Flight School as they progress through their FAA Private Pilot Certification, Commercial Pilot Certification, Instrument rating, Multiengine rating, and Certificated Flight Instructor ratings.

Nebraska Flight School offers one of the lowest national average flying training costs in the world, and their competitive prices are just one of the many reasons why students seeking a career in aviation come to UNK. Costs for flight training through Nebraska Flight School can be found on the Nebraska Flight School website.

Becoming a pilot is a dream for many students, but at UNK, we make those dreams a reality. Not only is pursuing professional piloting attainable, but it is also a valuable return on investment.

Projected global pilot shortages have been well documented over the past several years, making becoming a pilot a preferred choice for students looking to develop a long-term career that offers some of the highest salaries in the world, with the added benefit of a lifestyle that affords national and international travel, adventure, generous benefits, and a prestigious status based on multidisciplinary technical knowledge and personal leadership.

The Professional Pilot emphasis of UNK's Aviation degree will fully prepare you for any piloting career, from commercial to charter to military flight.

Important information: Professional Pilot is not an approved program for GI Bill® benefits.

For every pilot flying, hundreds of professionals in aviation management are needed. Graduates with a Bachelor of Science in Aviation (Management emphasis) can expect to attract attention from aviation employers worldwide as airports continue to be built at a rapid pace globally to meet the rise in airline passenger travel.

The Management emphasis focuses on leadership in areas including airport management, flight safety, air traffic control, aviation law, and aviation human factors.