Jason Lorenzon, J.D., assistant professor of aeronautics at Kent State University, was recently featured on 93.5 WAKR’s Ray Horner Morning Show and detailed the new changes coming to the Kent State airport.
In June 2023, the Kent State Board of Trustees a number of approved resolutions for the aeronautics program. Since then, the program continues to make changes to improve the airport and curriculum.
Kent State received a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to improve its taxiway and compass calibration. The university has the largest public university fleet in Ohio, encompassing 34 aircraft.
In addition to the grant, the FAA is seeking to fill the gaps in personnel by developing a plan to train future airframe and powerplant mechanics. Students in the aeronautics program are encouraged to watch mechanics at maintenance facilities or FAA repair stations.
“It’s a very dynamic learning environment,” Lorenzon told 93.5 WAKR. “Not only for the, what we call, ground school, the academic work, but also the aviation and learning how to actually fly the airplanes.”
Lorenzon, an FAA licensed airline transport pilot with multi-engine and instrument ratings, is the lead faculty for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Operations program.