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A quadcopter drone flying in the forground with a slightly out of focus small airplane in the background.

About

Welcome to the School of Aeronautics at Kent State University!

Created in 2025, the School of Aeronautics is committed to graduating the best aviation professionals for a variety of industries, from professional pilot, to air traffic control, to aviation management. The school supports workforce development that will enhance Ohio’s dominant role in aerospace and aviation even further. Investment in the college is reflected in the university's Master Plan, which includes the FedEx Aeronautics and Academic Center at the Kent State University Airport and the 40,000 square foot expansion of the existing Aeronautics and Engineering Building.

The school also includes the newly created Center for Advanced Air Mobility, a hub of innovation, research, and collaboration, bringing together faculty, staff, students, and external partners from government, academia, and industry to address the transformative field of advanced air mobility.

Dr. Rubén Del Rosario portrait.

Rubén Del Rosario, D.Eng. is the Director of the Center for Advanced Air Mobility and the Interim Director of the School of Aeronautics. Dr. Del Rosario joined Kent State after a distinguished career in aerospace. He most recently served as Vice President of Aerospace & Advanced Transportation at Crown Consulting Inc.

Prior to Crown, he spent 29-year at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) John. H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, where he last served as Director of Aeronautics. During his tenure he provided executive leadership for aeronautics research and development programs in support of the agency’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD).

 

Airport Facilities

In addition to the classrooms and research spaces at the Aeronautics & Engineering Building, the School of Aeronautics features additional facilities and resources at the Kent State University Airport.

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    Airport

    Serving the Community Since 1917, the Kent State University Airport is conveniently located four miles from the Kent State University Campus and provides quick and easy access to the communities, attractions, and businesses of Portage and Summit counties. Whether your destination is the nearby Blossom Music Center, the historic Stan Hywet Halls and Gardens, or you are traveling to one of our many local businesses, the Kent State University Airport has a team of aviation professionals to meet your personal or professional needs.

  • Exterior of the Aeronautics Academic Center
    FedEx Aeronautics Academic Center

    The FedEx Aeronautics Academic Center (FAAC) includes classrooms, flight debriefing rooms, flight simulators, student lounge space, and faculty offices, allowing students the ability to learn in the classroom, laboratory and airplane all within the same campus.

  • Photograph of the Kent State Airport hangar with a gold and blue plane visible inside the hangar and a white and gold plane closer in the foreground.
    Our Fleet

    Kent State University’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering has the largest academic fleet in Ohio, with 34 planes providing flight training to hundreds of students each year. This combination of flight, infrastructure, and simulation all contribute to distinguishing Kent State University as the premiere flight school in the state of Ohio.

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