Aviators,
Welcome to the Liberty University School of Aeronautics (LUSOA). You are
embarking on what I believe is the most exciting and rewarding career in the
world. You will soon be a part of a unique group of people doing what others
only dream of accomplishing. It requires dedication and hard work to succeed
and we are here to help guide and mentor you through your training. Our
Bachelor of Science degrees are geared to produce Champions for Christ as
Commercial/Corporate pilots, military pilots, Global Mission pilots, Unmanned
Aerial Systems pilots, and Aviation Maintenance Managers. Our Associates
degrees produce Champions for Christ as Flight Attendants and Airframe and
Powerplant (A & P) mechanics. Enclosed are instructions to help you get started.
If you have any unanswered questions, please don’t hesitate to call me at (434)
582-2183 or email me at aviation@liberty.edu.
God bless each of you,
James Mashburn
Associate Dean
SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICS GENERAL INFORMATION
LICENSES AND RATINGS
The LUSOA offers the following pilot certificates and ratings:
Private Pilot Certificate
Commercial Pilot Certificate
Multi-Engine
Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)
Unmanned Aerial Systems (Industry Certification)
ACCEPTANCE INTO THE LUSOA
Airline Transport Pilot
CFII
Certified A & P
Students must first be accepted into Liberty University before being considered
for acceptance into the LUSOA. Once accepted into Liberty University, the
student must complete an Aeronautics Program Application at
www.liberty.edu/aviation > prospective students. Provisional acceptance is
based on Grade Point Average (GPA) and SAT/ACT scores along with other
factors including extra curricular activities. Full acceptance is granted after
completing a 2.5 or higher GPA your first semester at Liberty University. All
students must maintain a 2.0 GPA in order to maintain a flight schedule. If a
student drops below 2.0, flight training will be suspended until the GPA is raised
above 2.0.
TRANSFERRING RATINGS, LICENCES, AND COLLEGE CREDIT
In order to maintain standardization and quality training we require students
entering our program with a previously acquired certificate to successfully
complete a standardization flight with one of our Chief or Assistant Chief
instructors. If you need additional instruction to meet the Liberty standards, you
will be given the required training until you meet the minimum requirements.
Costs for this training will be in addition to your course lab fees.
After completion of the standardization flight, you will receive credit for the
applicable flight certificates and ratings at the discretion of the Associate Dean.
Regardless of previous certificates earned, you will be required to take the
Instrument and Commercial ground school classes as specified in the degree
completion plan.
SCHEDULED FLIGHT LESSONS
Flight training is conducted at our Flight Operations Center located at the
Lynchburg Regional Airport (310 Hangar Road). We will attempt to schedule
you for three training events each week in which you will work directly with
your flight instructor on activities such as flight lessons, simulator lessons, and
pre-flight and post-flight briefings. You will register for your flight-training block
through your ASIST account. You must first register for the training block and
then you may register for the applicable flight course. The training block on
ASIST will be the following zero-credit hour courses: 010- Private pilot training
block, 020- Instrument rating training block, and 030-Commercial pilot training
block. Once you have registered for a specific training block time, you can then
register for the applicable flight course. For example, to register for Private Pilot
Flight I (AVIA 220), you must first choose your flight block, (AVIA 010). AVIA
010 will secure the flight block while AVIA 210 will activate the lab fee that will
cover the cost of the flight course. The lab fees are listed on the following page.
Once you are registered for a training block and flight course, you will be
assigned to a flight instructor and you will be contacted before the start of the
semester.
THE AIRCRAFT FLEET
We currently operate a fleet of 29 aircraft. Training aircraft used are the following:
(21) Cessna 172 SP Skyhawks (equipped with the Garmin G1000 navigation systems
(3) Piper Arrows
(4) Piper Seminoles (Multi-engine aircraft.)
(1) Cessna 150L
Flight Training Costs
Most students enter our program with no prior flight experience and begin training for a
private certificate during their first or second semester. There are a few things students
can do to keep training costs to a minimum. First, we recommend that the student fly the
maximum allowable hours in the flight simulators. We also recommend that students
keep their training consistent by completing an average of at least three flight-training
activities each week.
School of Aeronautics Aircraft Rates (Per Hour)
Cessna 172 SP - $160
Cessna 150 - $130
Piper Arrow - $185
Piper Seminole (Multi Engine) - $290
Frasca Simulator: $80
Instructor Rate: $45
The individual break down of the training costs are as follows:
Private Pilot Certificate Program
Training Aircraft - Cessna 172 SP
Minimum hours 37.5 Aircraft & 5.5 Simulator
Average aircraft (w/instructor): 43.1 hours
Average aircraft (solo): 5.5 hours
Average simulator (w/instructor): 7.0 hours
Average ground instruction: 48.2 hours
Average Cost: $13,000.004
Method of payment 1 - Lab fees attached to AVIA 220 & 225 ($8,500 and $5,500
respectively)
FAA Knowledge Test 2 - $150
Private Pilot License Checkride with an FAA Examiner 3 - $350-450
Instrument Rating
Training Aircraft - Cessna 172 SP
Minimum hours - 35 hours (including both airplane and simulator training)
Average aircraft (w/instructor): 39.2 hours
Average simulator (w/instructor): 14.7 hours
Average ground instruction: 14.2 hours
Average Cost: $10,500.004
Method of Payment 1 - Lab fee attached to AVIA 320 ($11,000)
FAA Knowledge Test 2 - $150
Instrument rating checkride with an FAA Examiner 3 - $350-450
Commercial Multi Engine Initial Certificate Program
Training Aircraft - Cessna 172 SP and PA-44
Minimum - 96 Hours within a commercial course.
Average aircraft (C-172): 48.5 hours w/instructor; (PA-44): 28.5 hours w/instructor
Average simulator (w/instructor): 19.0 hours
Average ground instruction: 72.5 hours
Average Cost: $25,5004
Method of payment1-Lab fee attached to AVIA 325 ($9,000), AVIA 326 ($9,000), AVIA 327
($9,000)
FAA Knowledge Test 2- $150
Checkride with an FAA Examiner3 - $350-450
*Note: Aircraft used are determined by specific commercial course and other endorsements that may
be acquired by the student. Example: Tail wheel endorsement.
1
Aviation Lab Fees are added during Financial Check-in.
2
All FAA written exams may be accomplished at the School of Aeronautics Testing Center.
3
Checkride Fees vary per examiner.
4
The average is based on historical data, but is variable depending on factors such as weather,
consistency, and individual student competency.
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Training and Certification
Training Aircraft – multiple UAS aircraft platforms and simulators
AVIA 230 - $200 small UAS simulator
AVIA 235 - $1,500 small UAS simulator and flights
AVIA 335 - $1,500 medium UAS simulator (Piccolo command and control system) and aircraft flight
AVIA 446 - $5,000 medium UAS simulator and multiple UAS aircraft flight
AVIA 447 - $5,000 medium UAS simulator and multiple UAS aircraft flight
UAS costs are in addition to Private and Instrument manned flying lab fees of $14,000 and $11,000
(respectively)
Student Information
The LUSOA will only release personal student information based on FERPA guidelines outlined at:
http://www.liberty.edu/academics/registrar/index.cfm?PID=14819
Student Tracking
Student progress is monitored throughout their training in order to keep costs to a minimum.
Students that are not keeping a normal pace (within 20% completion of course requirements)
are provided a Training Review Board (TRB) in which they meet with leadership (which may
include the Director of Flight Operations and Chief Instructor) to determine a plan of action to
help the student successfully complete the program. If it is determined that a student cannot
successfully complete the program within a reasonable amount of time and money, they will be
provided an Executive Review Board (ERB) which may include the Associate Dean and/or the
Dean of the LUSOA. The ERB will determine if the student should remain in the program or be
removed from the flight program. These decisions are always made with the best interest of the
student in mind.
Proof of Citizenship
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requires that valid proof of citizenship be on
file for every student receiving flight training at LUSOA. To comply with the Department of
Homeland Security, you must bring with you either a current passport (preferred) OR a
certified birth certificate and a current driver’s license. We will verify the validity of documents
and make a copy for our files in our administrative office. Training will not commence until this
requirement has been fulfilled so please anticipate the need for these documents and bring
them with you at the beginning of the semester.
International Students
If you are NOT a U.S. citizen, you are required to bring your passport, with a current visa (w/ I20 Form) and complete a TSA Training Request. TSA approval for flight training is mandatory
for all international students and must be completed for the following flight ratings:
private, instrument and multi-engine. TSA approval grants one year of training for each of the
above flight ratings and costs approximately $130 per application (paid to the TSA). If you do
not complete the rating in that time frame, you will be required to repay the application fee to
continue training. You may visit their website at www.flightschoolcandidates.gov. TSA approval
may take several weeks so please plan accordingly to avoid flight-training delays. If you have
any questions regarding the application process please contact us or schedule an appointment
and we can assist you with the process.
You may not begin flight training until Liberty University has all required information on file
in the School of Aeronautics administrative office. Please plan ahead and ensure you possess the
necessary documents. Failure to follow these procedures may compromise any assigned flight
training assignment you have scheduled.
If you are a TSA candidate, please contact the Aviation Administrative office for additional
information no later than two weeks prior to the start of classes.
Pilot Physical/Student Pilot Certificate
Every student in flight training is required to hold a minimum of a Class II medical certificate. An
Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) must issue this certificate. An AME near you can be found using
the FAA Medical Examiner Finder. A student medical certificate will also act as the student’s pilot
certificate and therefore must be in the possession of the student before flight training will commence.
We highly encourage you complete this prior to coming to Liberty. LUSOA also recommends
that prospective students complete a Class I medical rather than the minimum Class II. This is
to ensure that the prospective student will meet the requirements of a Class I medical, which
may be required for future employment. Your AME can explain further.
If you have any pre-existing medical conditions, you may want to schedule your appointment several
months before coming to school so that you have time to submit any additional paperwork or tests
that may be requested by the FAA.
Your medical MUST also include a student pilot certificate; please make sure your medical examiner
knows that you are beginning flight training and that you need to have the student pilot certificate on
your medical. An FAA medical generally costs between $100 and $175 and are not usually covered
by insurance. You MUST bring your medical certificate with you; your Flight Instructor will need to
see your medical certificate before you can begin your training.
Initial Flying
In addition to your flight costs, you will need to purchase additional equipment such as:
•
•
•
•
Pilot Headset (two jack plugs)
VFR Kneeboard
A plotter ( required for AVIA 210 and 215)
E6B Flight Computer ( required for AVIA 210 and 215)
These items may be purchased at the Freedom Aviation pilot store separately or in a Kit. If you wish
to purchase a flying kit, to have available upon your arrival, call Freedom Aviation at (434) 237-7002
to order. These items can also be bought at any other pilot store.
Dress Code
ALL STUDENTS
Appropriate classroom dress is predominantly defined by the Liberty Way; however, the School
of Aeronautics has additional requirements as described below.
S.O.A. BUILDINGS
Closed-toe shoes will be worn for all flight, ground, ride-along, and simulator activities.
"Crocs", Birkenstocks, sandals, or flip-flops are not permitted.
No loose jewelry (necklaces, earrings, etc.) are permitted during flight activities.
No loose clothing (scarves, baggy pants, loose shirts/sweaters, etc.) is permitted.
For winter flying (November through February), pilots are required to carry an appropriate
winter jacket.
MALE STUDENTS
Clean slacks or khakis must be worn for all flight or academic related activities. Jeans and cargo
pants are not permitted.
Collared shirts are required for all academic and flight activities and must be tucked in.
Sweatshirts or hoodies may be worn over a collared shirt but may not contain large graphics.
FEMALE STUDENTS
Clean slacks or khakis must be worn for all flight or academic related activities. Capri pants,
jeans, and cargo pants are not permitted.
Collared shirts or polo shirts are required for all ground and flight activities and must be tucked
in. Dresses and skirts are not permitted for flight activities but permitted in academics.
Sweatshirts or hoodies may be worn over a collared shirt but may not contain large graphics.
When operating an aircraft or training device, flat shoes are required.
Note: Failure to comply with the dress code for flights will result in the student being charged for
an unprepared no-show. This aviation dress code is required. It is a result of input from the
aviation industry and future employers. Our job is to prepare you for your first aviation job!
Financial Aid
At present, we do not offer “in-house” aviation scholarships towards flight training costs, however,
many of our students have been successful applicants to other 3rd party scholarships some of which
are listed on the scholarship page of the School of Aeronautics website.
Final Checklist
When you join us for your flight training at the School of Aeronautics, you will soon realize the
importance of checklist usage. To confirm that you have completed all that is required before you
arrive for classes, we have added this final checklist for you to review.
Complete Liberty University Application.
Complete School of Aeronautics Application (Once accepted by Liberty University).
Obtain Pilot Medical/Student Pilots License.
Bring your original birth certificate OR passport & valid drivers license.
If you are an international student, complete the AFSP Training request.
Sign up for the appropriate flight block course (010, 020, or 030) and appropriate flight
course (AVIA 220, 225, 320, 325, 326, or 327). Flight training assignments fill up fast
and are awarded on a first come basis, so apply early!