Aviation School

Hero

A History of Reaching New Heights

The history of aviation instruction at Culver goes back to 1920 when cadets learned to fly World War I surplus floatplanes provided by the U.S. Navy. In 1970, Culver Academies was the first High School in the United States to have its' own airport and operate its' own fleet of training aircraft.

Aviation Squadron

Enrolling in the Aviation School is for those students who have a genuine interest in learning how to fly. Just as a Midshipman's goal should be to receive US SAILING certification in Small Boats and Keelboats, an Aviation cadet's goals should be soloing and earning a Private Pilot's Certificate.

Like all of the Upper School programs, students must be 14 or older to enroll in Aviation. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does impose certain age restrictions on aviation milestones that should be taken into consideration:

FAA Written Exam – Age 15
Solo Flight – Age 16
Private Pilot's Certificate – Age 17

Every student who enrolls in the Aviation Squadron must enroll in a double-period of aviation training per day. The class time is either spent on campus in ground school or at the airport taking flight and/or flight simulator lessons. Other than occasional trips to the airport which occur during the scheduled class time or student free time, aviators have the very same Culver experience as their Naval & Troop counterparts.

International Students

Important: Non-U.S. citizens must receive clearance from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to be eligible for flight training, including flights and/or simulator lessons at the airport with our contracted flight school. Once your student has been accepted into the Aviation Program, Culver’s Director of Aviation will contact you to give you information about the TSA clearance process.

Aviation for Girls

Customized Training

Many students tell us they would like more opportunities to work on their flight training. We feel strongly that our aviators have the same Culver experience, along with the same character and leadership opportunities afforded the rest of the camp. We also understand that flight training requires more time and effort to master than many of the other disciplines. We will work with individual students to maximize their time at the airport, either by assigning more than the required double-period class time (otherwise consumed by electives) or by scheduling flights and simulators during evening or weekend free time.

Questions?

Please contact flyculver@culver.org with questions about Culver's Aviation program.

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