Flight Course Registration

The below applies to current students that are on campus. Incoming students will be enrolled in AVIT102 based off of date of deposit during new student registration.

Step 1: Preregister in AIMS for AVIT 102

Please note the section that you registered for.

Step 2: Wait to be given permission in Campus Connection

Permission to register in Campus Connection is not done automatically or instantaneously. This is a manual process and takes time. The administrative team that processes these permissions gets hundreds of emails from students requesting to know when they will get their permission. This only slows down the process. Depending on circumstance it is not unusual for students to get their permission a day or two before class starts. If AIMS lists you as added then your spot is secure.

Step 3: Register in Campus Connection

Once a student is given permission in Campus Connection they will receive an email stating something to the effect of "You may now register for AVIT 102 in Campus Connection." Students have to register in Campus Connection for the same section they selected in AIMS. Failure to do so will result in an error and being unable to register in Campus Connection.

Step 4: Select a flight lab

24 hours after completing Step 3 above students can go back into AIMS and select their flight lab.

Step 1: Complete preregistration prerequisites

• If preregistering between October 30 and November 26, you must have completed lessons 1-22 in AVIT 102
• If preregistering between November 27 and December 18, you must have completed lessons 1-26 in AVIT 102
• If preregistering between December 19 and January 5, you must have completed all lessons in AVIT 102

Step 2: Preregister in AIMS for AVIT 221

Please note the section that you registered for.

Step 3: Complete all lessons of AVIT 102

The deadline to have all of AVIT 102 complete is January 5 at noon (the deadline is always the Friday before classes start at noon). This deadline allows the administrative team time to enter all the permission numbers by the start of classes on Monday. Failure to have all lessons completed by the deadline will result in:

• the student being dropped from the class in AIMS
• not being able to register for the course in Campus Connection

The student would have to preregister in AIMS for AVIT 221 in the next upcoming semester.

Step 4: Wait to be given permission in Campus Connection

Permission to register in Campus Connection is not done automatically or instantaneously. This is a manual process and takes time. The administrative team that processes these permissions gets hundreds of emails from students requesting to know when they will get their permission. This only slows down the process. Depending on circumstance it is not unusual for students to get their permission a day or two before classes start. If AIMS lists you as added then your spot is secure.

Step 5: Register in Campus Connection

Once a student is given permission in Campus Connection they will receive an email stating something to the effect of "You may now register for AVIT 221 in Campus Connection." Students have to register in Campus Connection for the same section they selected in AIMS. Failure to do so will result in an error and being unable to register in Campus Connection.

Step 6: Select a flight lab

24 hours after completing Step 5 above students can go back into AIMS and select their flight lab.

Step 1: Complete preregistration prerequisites

• If preregistering between October 30 and November 26, you must have completed lessons 201-216 in AVIT 221
• If preregistering between November 27 and December 18, you must have completed lessons 201-217 and 101-104 in AVIT 221
• If preregistering between December 19 and January 5, you must have completed all lessons in AVIT 221

Step 2: Preregister in AIMS for AVIT 222

Please note the section that you registered for.

Step 3: Complete all lessons of AVIT 221

The deadline to have AVIT 221 completed is January 5 at noon (the deadline is always the Friday before classes start at noon). This deadline allows the administrative team time to enter all the permission numbers by the start of classes on Monday. Failure to have all lessons completed by the deadline will result in:

• the student being dropped from the class in AIMS
• not being able to register for the course in Campus Connection

The student would have to preregister in AIMS for AVIT 222 in the next upcoming semester.

Step 4: Wait to be given permission in Campus Connection

Permission to register in Campus Connection is not done automatically or instantaneously. This is a manual process and takes time. The administrative team that processes these permissions gets hundreds of emails from students requesting to know when they will get their permission. This only slows down the process. Depending on circumstance, it is not unusual for students to get their permission a day or two before class starts. If AIMS lists you as added then your spot is secure.

Step 5: Register in Campus Connection

Once a student is given permission in Campus Connection they will receive an email stating something to the effect of "You may now register for AVIT 222 in Campus Connection." Students have to register in Campus Connection for the same section they selected in AIMS. Failure to do so will result in an error and being unable to register in Campus Connection.

Step 6: Select a flight lab

24 hours after completing Step 5 above students can go back into AIMS and select their flight lab.

Step 1: Complete preregistration prerequisites

• If preregistering between October 30 and November 26, you must have completed lessons 109-128 in AVIT 222
• If preregistering between November 27 and December 18, you must have completed lessons 109-130 in AVIT 222
• If preregistering between December 19 and January 5, you must have completed all lessons in AVIT 222

Step 2: Preregister in AIMS for AVIT 323

Please note the section that you registered for.

Step 3: Complete all lessons of AVIT 222

The deadline to have AVIT 222 completed is January 5 at noon (the deadline is always the Friday before classes start at noon). This deadline allows the administrative team time to enter all the permission numbers by the start of classes on Monday. Failure to have all lessons completed by the deadline will result in:

• the student being dropped from the class in AIMS
• not being able to register for the course in Campus Connection

The student would have to preregister in AIMS for AVIT 323 in the next upcoming semester.

Step 4: Wait to be given permission in Campus Connection

Permission to register in Campus Connection is not done automatically or instantaneously. This is a manual process and takes time. The administrative team that processes these permissions gets hundreds of emails from students requesting to know when they will get their permission. This only slows down the process. Depending on circumstance, it is not unusual for students to get their permission a day or two before class starts. If AIMS lists you as added then your spot is secure.

Step 5: Register in Campus Connection

Once a student is given permission in Campus Connection they will receive an email stating something to the effect of "You may now register for AVIT 323 in Campus Connection." Students have to register in Campus Connection for the same section they selected in AIMS. Failure to do so will result in an error and being unable to register in Campus Connection.

Step 6: Select a flight lab

24 hours after completing Step 5 above students can go back into AIMS and select their flight lab.

Step 1: Complete preregistration prerequisites

You must have either:

• completed AVIT 222 ground school with a passing score or an SP grade
• be actively taking AVIT 222 ground school and the associated flight training this semester

As long as you meet one of these two requirements and have completed AVIT 222 flight lesson 109 you are eligible to preregister for AVIT 324.

Step 2: Preregister in AIMS for AVIT 324

Please note the section that you registered for.

Step 3: Complete AVIT 222 Ground School

To be able to take AVIT 324 ground school the prerequisite is to complete AVIT 222 ground school with a satisfactory grade or an SP grade. 

• for students who have taken AVIT 222 in previous semesters successfully, skip to Step 4
• for those taking AVIT 222 this semester, once the semester is over and you receive an academic grade for AVIT 222, you will either:
  • be given permission in Campus Connection to register for the course if you receive a grade of "C" or greater, or an SP grade
  • be dropped if the AVIT 222 academic grade is less than a "C" in accordance with department policy

Step 4: Wait to be given permission in Campus Connection

Permission to register in Campus Connection is not done automatically or instantaneously. This is a manual process and takes time. The administrative team that processes these permissions gets hundreds of emails from students requesting to know when they will get their permission. This only slows down the process. Depending on circumstance, it is not unusual for students to get their permission a day or two before class starts. If AIMS lists you as added then your spot is secure.

Step 5: Register in Campus Connection

Once a student is given permission in Campus Connection they will receive an email stating something to the effect of "You may now register for AVIT 324 in Campus Connection." Students have to register in Campus Connection for the same section they selected in AIMS. Failure to do so will result in an error and being unable to register in Campus Connection.

Step 6: Select a flight lab

You need to email flightlab@aero.und.edu with the following info:

• Name and Student ID#
• Request for an AVIT 324 flight lab
• Requested section
• Which days you would prefer

Step 1: Complete preregistration prerequisites

• If preregistering between October 30 and November 26, you must have completed lessons 235-254 in AVIT 323
• If preregistering between November 27 and January 5, you must have completed all lessons in AVIT 323

Step 2: Preregister in AIMS for AVIT 325           

Please note the section that you registered for.

Step 3: Complete all lessons of AVIT 323

The deadline to have AVIT 323 completed is January 5 at noon (the deadline is always the Friday before classes start at noon). This deadline allows the administrative team time to enter all the permission numbers by the start of classes on Monday. Failure to have all lessons completed by the deadline will result in:

• the student being dropped from the class in AIMS
• not being able to register for the course in Campus Connection

The student would have to preregister in AIMS for AVIT 325 in the next upcoming semester.

Step 4: Wait to be given permission in Campus Connection

Permission to register in Campus Connection is not done automatically or instantaneously. This is a manual process and takes time. The administrative team that processes these permissions gets hundreds of emails from students requesting to know when they will get their permission. This only slows down the process. Depending on circumstance, it is not unusual for students to get their permission a day or two before class starts. If AIMS lists you as added then your spot is secure.

Step 5: Register in Campus Connection

Once a student is given permission in Campus Connection they will receive an email stating something to the effect of "You may now register for AVIT 325 in Campus Connection." Students have to register in Campus Connection for the same section they selected in AIMS. Failure to do so will result in an error and being unable to register in Campus Connection.

Step 6: Select a flight lab

24 hours after completing Step 5 above students can go back into AIMS and select their flight lab.

Step 1: Complete preregistration prerequisites

• If preregistering between October 30 and December 17, you must have completed lessons 301-314 in AVIT 325
• If preregistering between December 18 and January 5, you must have completed all lessons in AVIT 325

Step 2: Preregister in AIMS for AVIT 414

Please note the section that you registered for.

Step 3: Complete all lessons of AVIT 325

The deadline to have AVIT 325 completed is January 5 at noon (the deadline is always the Friday before classes start at noon). This deadline allows the administrative team time to enter all the permission numbers by the start of classes on Monday. Failure to have all lessons completed by the deadline will result in:

• the student being dropped from the class in AIMS
• not being able to register for the course in Campus Connection

The student would have to preregister in AIMS for AVIT 414 in the next upcoming semester.

Step 4: Wait to be given permission in Campus Connection

Permission to register in Campus Connection is not done automatically or instantaneously. This is a manual process and takes time. The administrative team that processes these permissions gets hundreds of emails from students requesting to know when they will get their permission. This only slows down the process. Depending on circumstance, it is not unusual for students to get their permission a day or two before class starts. If AIMS lists you as added then your spot is secure.

Step 5. Register in Campus Connection

Once a student is given permission in Campus Connection they will receive an email stating something to the effect of "You may now register for AVIT 414 in Campus Connection." Students have to register in Campus Connection for the same section they selected in AIMS. Failure to do so will result in an error and being unable to register in Campus Connection.

Step 6: Select a flight lab

24 hours after completing Step 5 above students can go back into AIMS and select their flight lab.

Step 1: Complete preregistration prerequisites

• If preregistering between October 30 and November 26, you must have completed lessons 1-23 in AVIT 414
• If preregistering between November 27 and December 18, you must have completed lessons 1-24 in AVIT 414
• If preregistering between December 19 and January 5, you must have completed all lessons in AVIT 414

Step 2: Preregister in AIMS for AVIT 415

Please note the section that you registered for.

Step 3: Complete all lessons of AVIT 414

The deadline to have AVIT 414 completed is January 5 at noon (the deadline is always the Friday before classes start at noon). This deadline allows the administrative team time to enter all the permission numbers by the start of classes on Monday. Failure to have all lessons completed by the deadline will result in:

• the student being dropped from the class in AIMS
• not being able to register for the course in Campus Connection

The student would have to preregister in AIMS for AVIT 415 in the next upcoming semester.

Step 4: Wait to be given permission in Campus Connection

Permission to register in Campus Connection is not done automatically or instantaneously. This is a manual process and takes time. The administrative team that processes these permissions gets hundreds of emails from students requesting to know when they will get their permission. This only slows down the process. Depending on circumstance, it is not unusual for students to get their permission a day or two before class starts. If AIMS lists you as added then your spot is secure.

Step 5: Register in Campus Connection

Once a student is given permission in Campus Connection they will receive an email stating something to the effect of "You may now register for AVIT 415 in Campus Connection." Students have to register in Campus Connection for the same section they selected in AIMS. Failure to do so will result in an error and being unable to register in Campus Connection.

Step 6: Select a flight lab

24 hours after completing Step 5 above students can go back into AIMS and select their flight lab.

Priority will be given to those who took AVIT 415 in the prior semester. To accomplish this all students will be waitlisted once they preregister in AIMS. Students will be contacted when they meet the eligibility requirements. See the new AVIT 480 policy at the bottom of the page.

Step 1: Complete preregistration prerequisites

You must have completed lessons 1-9 in AVIT 415.

Step 2: Preregister in AIMS for AVIT 480

Please note the section that you registered for.

Step 3: Complete all lessons of AVIT 415

The deadline to have AVIT 415 completed is January 5 at noon (the deadline is always the Friday before classes start at noon). This deadline allows the administrative team time to enter all the permission numbers by the start of classes on Monday. Failure to have all lessons completed by the deadline will result in:

• the student being dropped from the class in AIMS
• not being able to register for the course in Campus Connection

The student would have to preregister in AIMS for AVIT 480 in the next upcoming semester.

Step 4: Wait to be given permission in Campus Connection

Permission to register in Campus Connection is not done automatically or instantaneously. This is a manual process and takes time. The administrative team that processes these permissions gets hundreds of emails from students requesting to know when they will get their permission. This only slows down the process. Depending on circumstance, it is not unusual for students to get their permission a day or two before class starts. If AIMS lists you as added then your spot is secure.

Step 5: Register in Campus Connection

Once a student is given permission in Campus Connection they will receive an email stating something to the effect of "You may now register for AVIT 480 in Campus Connection." Students have to register in Campus Connection for the same section they selected in AIMS. Failure to do so will result in an error and being unable to register in Campus Connection.

Step 6: Select a flight lab

24 hours after completing Step 5 above students can go back into AIMS and select their flight lab.

For more information please contact Matt Opsahl.

• No FAA Aviation English Language Standard (AELS) evaluation is required.
• Must register online for the TSA Flight Training Security Program (FTSP) within 180 days of their intended beginning of aviation training. The authorization/approval to conduct training is valid for 365 days. The authorization/approval is valid only for UND (prior approval at other schools does not apply). Flight training cannot begin until TSA approval has been received.
  • The TSA FTSP process must be conducted for AVIT 101, 102, 143, 221, 325, 343, 349, 350, and 480. A separate approval is required for each course (ex. if you completed the process for AVIT 102, you must complete the process again for AVIT 221).
  • It is strongly recommended that you begin this process 1-2 months in advance of the first day of class. Beginning the process too early may result in a more limited time-frame to complete flight training, whereas beginning the process too late may delay authorization beyond the first day of class. Processing status and estimated processing times are posted on the TSA FTSP website.

• Contact Luca Morellini or Jeremy Roesler to initiate the FAA Aviation English Language Standard (AELS) evaluation.
  • Students that have English as their primary language will be approved to enroll into their first UND Aviation flight training course in a future semester.
  • Students that do not have English as their primary language will be required to undergo an AELS evaluation in accordance with FAA AC 60-28B.
    • Students that meet the standards listed in AC 60-28B will be approved to enroll into their first UND Aviation flight training course in a future semester.
    • Students that do not meet the standards listed in AC 60-28B will not be permitted into the UND Aviation flight training program.
• Students that successfully complete the AELS evaluation are required to register online for the TSA Flight Training Security Program (FTSP) within 180 days of their intended beginning of aviation training. The authorization/approval to conduct training is valid for 365 days. The authorization/approval is valid only for UND (prior approval at other schools does not apply). Flight training cannot begin until TSA approval has been received.
  • UND will validate student TSA/FTSP registrations only when the AELS evaluation has been completed and all standards are met. Students are allowed to register to the TSA/FTSP before the AELS evaluation. However, UND will not validate that registration until the AELS evaluation has been completed and all standards are met.
  • The TSA FTSP process must be conducted for AVIT 101, 102, 143, 221, 325, 343, 349, 350, and 480. A separate approval is required for each course (ex. if you completed the process for AVIT 102, you must complete the process again for AVIT 221).
  • It is strongly recommended that you begin this process 1-2 months in advance of the first day of class. Beginning the process too early may result in a more limited time-frame to complete flight training, whereas beginning the process too late may delay authorization beyond the first day of class. Processing status and estimated processing times are posted on the TSA FTSP website.

The AIMS reservation system prioritizes students based on their flight progress throughout the semester, rather than credit-based registration dates which do not reflect the likelihood of a student being eligible for their next flight course. Those who have maintained a consistent rate of training are given priority, as those students are more likely to complete the prerequisite flight training on time. Students are not permitted to officially register for the course in Campus Connection until flight training is complete. This means that all students on the official Campus Connection roster are guaranteed to be eligible for that class.

The first step in the flight course enrollment process is to reserve your seat in AIMS. Campus Connection has been configured to prevent students from "jumping the line" over students who have followed the correct process and reserved their seat in AIMS. You will not be permitted to register in Campus Connection until you have reserved a seat (AIMS status of "added") and have finished the prerequisite flight training.

Your unique student ID number will be manually provided with approval to register in Campus Connection for the section that you have selected in AIMS. This process may take several business days. You will not receive a permission number, but will instead be informed via email when approval has been granted to you. This will then allow you to register in Campus Connection for that section.

As is the case with all other classes at UND, being on a waitlist means there is a possibility that you may acquire a seat in the class only if space becomes available. If space does not become available, you will not acquire a seat in the class and will need to either switch to an open section (if available) or take the class during a different semester. A position on a waitlist provides no guarantee that you will get a seat in the class.

The course capacity is decided based on numerous factors including, but not limited to, classroom seating capacity, aircraft availability, and ground and flight instructor availability. If you are waitlisted for a section continue to wait and check your email inbox for any updates for the section you are waitlisted for. If a seat becomes available or if course capacity changes those affected will be notified. Permission numbers or authorizations are not issued by an individual instructor but by the Department.

Students who were eligible to reserve a seat might not meet the prerequisite by the posted deadline. In that case those seats will become available for students on the waitlist. The Department will work on reallocating those newly-vacated seats in accordance with a priority system set for that semester. The order in which students clear the waitlist is determined by the Department and reviewed on a routine basis.

AIMS will prevent you from selecting a class if any of the following apply:

1. You are not on flight template in your current flight course
2. You have selected the wrong course (ex. you have selected AVIT 325, but are still training in AVIT 102)
3. You have already completed the Campus Connection registration step for a different section of the same course

If all of the above do not apply and you are still having trouble selecting a class in AIMS, please contact Shane Mendez.

The flight course template assumes that you have completed all lessons through the denoted lesson number. For example, if AIMS states you need to be completed with lesson 23, you need to be finished with all preceding lessons (1-23). If you skipped lesson 1, for example, you would need to complete lesson 24, or any other subsequent lesson, to match the lesson count.

Special accommodations may be made on a case-by-case basis for the following students:

• UND athletes
• Students receiving VA/military benefits
• Members of a UND-sponsored club or team (Flying Team, Aerobatic Team, etc.)

If any of the above apply, please contact Luca Morellini to determine if a special accommodation is available. There is no guarantee that your circumstances will be deemed sufficient for a special accommodation.

Students should carefully consider if they wish to remain in their chosen section when completing the Campus Connection registration step. After this step, the process to swap to a different section is complex and may result in loss of the desired flight lab. If an exceptional circumstance requires this to occur, please contact Shane Mendez for instructions.

Flight records at satellite campuses are maintained in a separate AIMS database. Please contact Shane Mendez for assistance.

There are multiple reasons for this including, but not limited to:

1. Experience has revealed that quality of training declines substantially when there is separation between the knowledge being acquired in ground school and the skills being applied in the aircraft. Learning is an active process and inability to apply content from ground school (because flight training is still occurring in the previous course) is detrimental to student success. This generally results in much higher likelihood of unsatisfactory outcomes on stage checks and ground school exams.
2. A delay in commencing flight training at the beginning of the associated semester significantly increases the likelihood that a student will not finish that training within that semester. Internal research has provided evidence of the critical importance of a strong and consistent start to flight training at the beginning of the semester. This is especially true during the fall semester, as weather worsens as the semester advances, progressively reducing the opportunities to conduct flight training. While the reverse trend is true during the spring semester, the opportunities to fly at the beginning of that semester are reduced due to weather, and therefore, are much more critical to seize upon.
3. Ultimately, a student cannot graduate from the program unless all flight training is complete. Allowing students to continue through ground school without regard for flight training will eventually end with the student having completed all academic requirements, but not all flight training. This risks loss of active student status at the university towards the end of flight training, which will likely result in detrimental financial aid repercussions, among other outcomes.
4. As flight training and ground school are integrated, each student effectively has two final exams: the written test administered in ground school and the stage check administered in the aircraft. As an element of the course grade is based on stage check performance, it is possible that an unsatisfactory outcome on a stage check could impact the course grade to the extent that it would result in a failing grade. Students must have a passing grade to proceed to the subsequent course.
5. In accordance with federal and state regulations, financial aid budgets for each semester are established based on the ground school a student is enrolled in during that semester. As an example, a student who is behind in AVIT 323 flight training, but is permitted to take AVIT 325 ground school at that time, will be issued a financial aid budget that accounts for all AVIT 325 flight training. While students should be trusted to save those funds for when 325 flight training commences, experience has demonstrated that these funds tend to deplete as time progresses. This results in a situation where students no longer have sufficient funds and are not permitted to receive any additional funding when 325 flight training finally commences.

There are multiple reasons for this including, but not limited to:

1. The flight course registration process is mostly a manual process. Authorization to register in Campus Connection is entered individually and manually for every student. The Friday noon deadline allows opportunity to 1) clear the pre-registration list of all students who are not complete with prerequisite flight training, 2) accommodate students on the waitlist who are complete with prerequisite flight training, and 3) enter and issue Campus Connection registration authorizations for all remaining students on the pre-registration list. This is a time-consuming process that requires the full afternoon to complete.
2. This deadline provides an opportunity for flight instructors to be assigned to remaining students by the start of the semester, minimizing the likelihood of encountering a training delay.
3. This deadline provides an opportunity for students who have not finished prerequisite flight training to find and register for a replacement class to maintain their credit load, prior to the start of the semester.
4. This deadline relieves pressure on flight operations at the beginning of the semester, allowing opportunity to focus on achieving a strong start with the students who are prepared to begin their next training course.
5. This deadline ensures that students are enrolled in their respective courses once the semester begins. As attendance is mandatory in all flight courses, this minimizes student expense as those who add the course after the first day will need to conduct make-up briefing(s) with a flight instructor at the regular hourly briefing rate to meet FAA requirements for instruction. University policy requires that all students in attendance must be enrolled in the course in Campus Connection.

Students who do not meet the deadline will not be permitted to take the next ground school within that respective academic session. Students who are in the new separate TCOs, Commercial Pilot Airplane - SEL and Instrument Rating Airplane are allowed to conduct extra flight lessons to continue to build flight and ATD time towards the 120 total hour minimum required by the FAA. This training is referred to as "block 2" or the "flex block" in the new Commercial Pilot Airplane - SEL TCO and consists of all varieties of lessons (solo, dual, local, XC, simulator, etc.). Students will not reach that 120 hours by completing all of the other lessons listed in the TCO; therefore, this flex block is essential in meeting that hour requirement. These lessons (and the 120 hours) must be completed prior to the end-of-course test in AVIT 323.

Students have 12-calendar months from the first day of ground school to complete the flight training associated with that ground school. The 12-calendar month deadline is established in the FAA-regulated training course outlines (TCO) to ensure students are in a position to succeed in their stage checks. Experience has revealed that quality of training declines substantially when there is separation between the knowledge being acquired in ground school and the skills being applied in the aircraft. Additionally, the 12-calendar month deadline is established as an ethical control. Without a deadline, experience has revealed that students tend to deprioritize flight training, resulting in an extended indefinite training timeline which creates additional expense.

Failure to meet this deadline will result in a grade of "F" for the associated academic course (ground school). Students must retake the associated academic course (ground school) associated with their flight training to reinforce the aeronautical knowledge and ensure they are offered a realistic opportunity to succeed with their stage checks. Students will not be required to restart the associated flight training. As the 12-calendar month deadline is established within the FAA-regulated TCO, the university has no authority to provide exceptions to this rule.

The flight course registration system aligns with the university's registration philosophy. Within any department at UND, a student may register for a summer course, then immediately register for the fall course in which the summer course is the prerequisite. In this scenario, a student who did not fulfill the summer prerequisite would be removed from the fall course at the beginning of the semester.

While a student taking a summer flight course may immediately pre-register for the subsequent fall flight course in AIMS, the student is subject to the same requirements as all students: prerequisite flight training must be complete. If the student is not complete with the prerequisite flight training prior to the beginning of the fall flight course, they will be removed from the pre-registration list.

The intent of this is to avoid an inherent disadvantage of taking a summer course. If this procedure were not in place, a student who has made adequate progress in flight training and chooses to take a summer course would be penalized by not being permitted to plan their fall schedule. Meanwhile, a student who has made adequate progress in flight training and chooses not to take a summer course would be given the opportunity to plan their fall schedule. This method allows for both students to plan their fall schedules while establishing the same objective for both students: complete prerequisite flight training.

Many instructors choose not to earn their multi-engine instructor qualification. Airlines are currently hiring pilots at the minimum required multi-engine experience of 25 hours, which most are able to achieve during their multi-engine flight training. Acquisition of a multi-engine instructor qualification provides instructors with an opportunity to gain valuable experience while creating a well-rounded aviator. Many instructors, however, do not recognize the personal benefit in earning a multi-engine instructor qualification.

Per FAA regulations (14 CFR 61.195(h)(2)), to provide instruction to an initial CFI applicant, that instructor must have held their flight instructor certificate for a minimum of 24 calendar months and must have provided at least 200 hours of flight instruction. Most of our instructors gain outside employment within less than 24 calendar months of employment with UND.

The FAA provides an alternate method of qualification for pilot schools such as ours (14 CFR 61.195(h)(3)), which requires the instructor to have provided a minimum of 400 hours of flight instruction with an 80% first-attempt pass rate of students the instructor has recommended for a practical test. Most of our instructors who meet this alternate requirement are often rapidly approaching the flight time needed for them to gain outside employment in the industry.

We must meet the regulatory requirements outlined in 14 CFR 61.195(h). We have previously requested regulatory relief from the FAA to help mitigate this challenge, but have been unsuccessful.

Our primary objective is to provide flight training; however, our Safety Management System (SMS) places a necessary emphasis on the safety of the operation. In all aviation operations, there is a precarious balance between production and protection. Excessive protection results in little production and excessive production results in a degradation of protection (safety). Our objective is to maintain the appropriate balance to ensure that our instructors, students, faculty, and staff are operating in the safest possible flight training environment.

A significant factor that affects organizational and personal risk is instructor workload. An instructor who is overworked is more likely to be fatigued, more likely to make mistakes, and is at greater risk of exceeding regulatory workload limitations (14 CFR 61.195).

A second factor is quality of training. An instructor who is overworked is unable to devote the necessary time and dedication to each individual student resulting in a degradation of customer service. Additionally, due to the limited availability of their instructor, these students will be unable to maintain a consistent rate of training resulting in a loss of proficiency and an increase in cost to regain proficiency.

There are a variety of factors that may prevent this. While the instructor has a firm understanding of their own schedule, they may not have the operational understanding of the overall capacity of the organization. Space in the instructor's schedule might be reserved by their supervisor in anticipation of a new student assignment. Additionally, their supervisor may have decided to adjust the instructor's level of production to ensure the appropriate level of protection (safety) is maintained. Downtime for a flight instructor is healthy and necessary for themselves and the organization.

Furthermore, our flight schedule and flight instructor assignment process prioritize equity, giving all students a fair opportunity to conduct flight training. Students and flight instructors were previously permitted to request certain assignments, but this was taken advantage of by some, resulting in poor service provided to other students.

Previously, increased admission standards into our program had been implemented based on high school GPA and ACT scores, among other variables. Ultimately, this strategy was effective in distributing admitted students between fall and spring AVIT 102 sessions, but was not enough to control the overall intake of students. After discussion with university leadership, it was agreed that an admissions capacity limit should be enforced to ensure an appropriate balance between student demand and resource supply. This limit will be effective for fall 2022 incoming students and beyond and will be adjusted in response to supply and demand.

Registration Policy

Students who meet the flight prerequisite requirements from AVIT 415 will be able to register in AIMS. Students are able to register for AVIT 480 and are placed onto the AIMS waitlist. Each student's registration status is reviewed student-by-student using the criteria described in this policy.

When a student finishes their AVIT 415 flight training, they should contact Matt Opsahl by email and request to be added to the session they signed up for in AIMS. The intent of this process is to give priority to students who complete their AVIT 415 flight training in the same semester as the AVIT 415 academic class, and plan to take AVIT 480 in the next consecutive semester. Example: a student who takes AVIT 415 in the fall and completes their AVIT 415 flight training in the fall, will be given priority into AVIT 480 for the next spring semester. If someone finished their flying and ground school in the current semester they are given priority for AVIT 480 for the next semester. These are the priority students, and are students who are moving to finish AVIT 480 the next semester after AVIT 415.

The remaining seats available in AVIT 480 will be filled by the other students on the AIMS waitlist in the order in which they appear on the AIMS waitlist. There will also be non-priority students. These are students who did not finish AVIT 415 flying the same semester as ground school, those who finished AVIT 415 and waited to take AVIT 480 a different semester from the one right after AVIT 415. Example: we have 34 seats available for the spring 1st session; 30 people finish AVIT 415 ground and flying in the current fall semester and are added to the first session of the spring semester (these are considered priority students). That leaves 4 seats available for anyone who did not finish their flying on time or waited to take AVIT 480 (non-priority students), and they will fill in the rest of the 4 seats based on when they finished their AVIT 415 flying. Anyone who is not added will be dropped from the 1st session and added to the waitlist in the next session as a non-priority student. Any priority students who did not make it to the 1st session will be priority in the 2nd and/or 3rd sessions.

Vacation Policy

The AVIT 480 lab is 5 weeks long and students are expected to be available the entire time. If you are planning to take a vacation a different AVIT 480 session must be selected, as vacations during training interrupt the training schedule of you, your flight partner, and the instructor. If someone decides to take an AVIT 480 flight lab knowing they are going on vacation, they will be dropped from the lab when they leave for vacation and their flight partner will continue their training. The dropped student will have to select a new flight lab and be placed on non-priority status for future sessions. Those with family emergencies, military leave, sickness, etc will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Returning Students

Students who opt to leave UND and return to finish AVIT 480 at a later date must understand that:

• you will be a non-priority student, meaning you will not know if you get into a flight lab until roughly 1 week before th AVIT 480 ground school starts
• the AVIT 480 lab is 5-6 weeks long; we will not be able to accommodate an "expedited" flight lab so you can get back to work; expect to be here for the full 5 weeks and maybe longer if someone gets sick or the simulators go down for maintenance

Dual Flight Labs/Ground Schools

Students are not allowed to take AVIT 480 in the same semester as another flight course and lab, except for AVIT 416 (Multiengine Flight Instructor). In order to take AVIT 480 you must be done with all other ground schools and flight labs. Students who do take AVIT 416 and AVIT 480 in the same semester will not be allowed to conduct both flight labs at the same time. AVIT 480 is the priority. When the student is active in AVIT 480 their AVIT 416 training will be paused.

FAQs

What if I wait to take AVIT 480 and a job comes up that I need to leave for? Can I be given priority in a future session?

No, because you were not in the current semester of flying and ground school for AVIT 415, you will still be given non-priority status in a future session and will be allowed in if there are seats available.

Why is UND Aerospace implementing this?

This is to better supply our students with more consistent availability in AVIT 480 and, in the end, to get more people to graduate on time.

How will I sign up for AVIT 480 and get a seat?

When registration opens you can select any session you want for that semester in AIMS. Once all of your AVIT 415 flying is complete and you are a AVIT 415 ground and flight student in that current semester, you will be added to the selected session for the next semester of AVIT 480. If you are finishing up from a different semester, or waited to take AVIT 480, you will be put on a waitlist and given seats if they are available.

What if there are not enough seats for priority students?

Priority students will be moved to the next session, keeping priority status.

What happens to the non-priority students who don't make it into a session?

They will be dropped from that session, and allowed to sign up for a different session, again, non-priority to current semester students.

How is summer handled?

It will be handled the same, but also a little differently. Example: a student starts and finishes ground/flight AVIT 415 in the spring but has decided to not take courses over the summer. They will be given priority for fall, as summer is not a required semester. If they decide to stay the summer they are given priority for summer.

How are seats calculated for each session? Why are they not the same every time?

Our seats are not class-based, but based on simulator and instructor availability. As everyone knows, sometimes there are instructors who get called to the airlines with short notice. If we max out everything and someone leaves unexpectedly we are unable to fill that slot and the students will not finish AVIT 480 as they were expecting to. With sim slots we need to leave a little availability to do make ups in case of sickness, sim issues, etc.

When can I register for a flight lab?

Flights labs open 3 weeks prior to the flight lab beginning. This is to ensure we have launch times to cover all students in the lab.

What if I finish AVIT 415 early and there are AVIT 480 seats available in the same semester?

You will need to wait to take AVIT 480 until the next semester, as you are not able to take AVIT 480 while still taking another ground school. We want you to be able to dedicate your time to one ground school and not spread it out over numerous ones. If you are taking AVIT 416 you can be enrolled in both, but your AVIT 416 flight training must stop during your AVIT 480 training. You will be allowed to continue with your AVIT 416 ground school at the same time as AVIT 480.