By Kirsten Mahon and Rhiannon Saegert

The NW aviation department is opening a flight school at Alliance Airport, which will allow students to earn associate degrees in flight science or become certified professional pilots.

“We are partnering with a company in Denton who will supply instructors and aircraft,“ aviation director Joseph McCourt said. “All of the courses and flight courses will be offered at Alliance Airport.”

The flight school will be operated by US Aviation Group, who will provide the instructors and equipment. All of the assistant instructors will be TCC employees.

McCourt said the first instructor, Tyson Walker, was hired this past summer.

Only one course will be offered during the flight school’s first semester next spring. McCourt said the idea is to build the program by adding one new course every semester.

“Each semester, we’ll add a different class until we’re offering the entire program,” he said.

Each course will allow a student to earn a specific Federal Aviation Administration rating. For its first semester, the school will offer courses for the private pilot rating, the instrument rating, the commercial pilot’s license rating and multi-engine rating as well as other optional courses.

“If someone wanted to be a flight instructor, we’re going to offer that course also,” McCourt said. “The associate degree courses are currently in the district catalog. We anticipate doing fixed-wing and rotor-wing training. As the program builds, we’ll bring on rotor-wing (helicopters).”