April 18, 2006
Slots still available for aviation career day
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Slots are still available for students interested in attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale's fifth annual spring Corporate Aviation/General Aviation Career Day, Saturday, April 29.
Corporate aircraft from several companies will be on display at the Southern Illinois Airport, between Carbondale and Murphysboro.
About 80 high school, community college and non-traditional students will tour the University's aviation facilities at the airport, as well as the main campus. The students receive introductory flights in SIUC aircraft and SIUC aviation students, faculty, staff and alumni will serve as tour guides and answer questions. The aviation program is part of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts.
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Media Advisory
Reporters and photographers are welcome to cover the aviation career day. Planes will begin arriving at Southern Illinois Airport, west of Carbondale, at about 8 a.m. Tours of SIUC's aviation facilities and introductory flights will start about 9 a.m. Members of the media may also wish to attend the various presentations on aviation careers at 12:30 p.m. in Lawson Hall. For more information, contact David A. NewMyer or Lori Robertson at 618/453-8898.
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Students, along with their parents, are coming from Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois to learn more about one of the nation's leading aviation programs. The event is open to students who are in eighth grade or higher.
Corporate aviation companies and other firms expected to bring in aircraft include Midwest Aviation, Inc., Paducah, Ky.; Cardinal Health, Columbus, Ohio; Central Illinois Aviation, Mattoon; Mid-Continent Aviation, Hayti, Mo.; and Jack Henry & Associates, Inc., in Monett, Mo.
Interest in aviation careers remains high, and this career day provides a glimpse into a segment of the industry students may not consider initially, said David A. NewMyer, chair of the aviation management and flight program. Forty-two students attended the first aviation career day.
"It has been a wonderful way to explain a totally different part of the industry to students coming to the program thinking there is only the airline industry and no other place to work, " NewMyer said.
Of the more than 2.2 million jobs in aviation-related fields, 638,000 are in corporate and general aviation, said NewMyer. General aviation refers to all flying except for military and airlines, he said.
The event is "an excellent recruiting tool," said NewMyer. "We are able to expose students to a broader range of aviation careers so they have a sense of what the industry is like."
Students interested in attending the event should contact David L. Jaynes at 618/453-9235. An application is available at http://www.aviation.siu.edu/careerdays/ . The event is free, although students are responsible for transportation to Southern Illinois Airport.
The itinerary for the day is:
- 8-9 a.m. – Students, parents and chaperones arrive at the Southern Illinois Airport main terminal.
- 9 a.m. – Tours of SIUC's aviation facilities and introductory flights in SIUC aircraft.
- 11:15-11:45 a.m. – Lunch.
- 11:45 a.m. – Group photos on the ramp.
- Noon – Depart from main terminal via bus to SIUC main campus.
- 12:30-2 p.m. – Presentations on aviation career tracks and opportunities, and presentations on SIUC's aviation program, Lawson Hall.
- 2-2:45 p.m. – Tour of SIUC campus.
- 3 p.m. – Return to Southern Illinois Airport.
Providing a high quality undergraduate education is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.