Sunrise Aviation and Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) recently completed the signing of an agreement welcoming students from China to enroll in the college’s Associate of Science Professional Pilot Technology degree program. Sunrise Aviation is the exclusive flight training partner for FSCJ. The memorandum of understanding was executed on March 20, 2013 and signed by Dr. Margaret Cabral-Maly, President, Kent Campus and Cecil Center representing the college, and Devon Dorato, President, Sunrise Aviation.
Students from China will be able to enroll in the pilot training program and upon graduating from the two year associate degree program enter one of FSCJ’s Bachelor of Science degree programs. Qualified students from China will also be eligible to work as flight instructors for Sunrise Aviation to gain additional valuable experience. Upon completion of the degree programs, students from China will return for employment either in general aviation or at one of the airlines in China. Upon return to China, successful graduates of the Sunrise Aviation/FSCJ program will have a Commercial Pilot Certificate (CPL) including multi-engine and single engine land ratings with instrument ratings and have flight instructor (CFI) certificates. Exceptional students in this program would be expected to log 1000 hours of flight time or more.
Most Chinese aviation students enrolling at FSCJ will first enter the college’s well known English language program called the English Language Institute (ELI). Completion of the ELI program will help the Chinese students not only strengthen their English language skills but provide a means of learning American culture and study techniques helpful for success in USA colleges. Chinese students seeking enrollment at FSCJ will be applying for F-1 student visas from the US Embassy or US consulates in China prior to departure from China and will have assistance from the college, Sunrise Aviation, and Chinese partners during that process.
Sunrise Aviation has signed an additional agreement with Zhuhai Yi Aviation Co., Ltd. (Yi) to bring recent high school graduates in China recruited by Yi to the program at FSCJ. Yi has its main office in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. The need for pilots in China continues to grow with limited capacity in China for training those students.
Students in the Sunrise Aviation flight training program at FSCJ fly out of Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida where Sunrise Aviation has an FAA approved satellite. Cecil Airport is ideally suited for pilot training. The weather is Jacksonville, Florida allows for year-round pilot training. Cecil Airport, a former Navy base decommissioned in 1999, has 4 runways, multiple instrument approaches, and an FAA control tower. Students at Cecil Airport not only get to experience flying with other general aviation aircraft but also get used to flying with airline and military traffic.
The first student from China is expected to enroll in the Sunrise Aviation/FSCJ pilot training program in Fall 2013. Additional students are expected to arrive in January 2014 and beyond. The college enrolls students three times a year in January, May and August.
Sunrise Aviation is already training students from China at its Ormond Beach, Florida facility. Chinese students at Sunrise Aviation in Ormond Beach complete an accelerated Professional Pilot Course in nine to 12 months and return to China with an FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate (CPL) including instrument rating, and single and multi-engine ratings.
More information on this pilot training program can be found here: http://flycecil.com/aviation-college-program/aviation-college-international-students.