Twenty Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets graduated this week from a four-week helicopter flight training program at University of North Dakota John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences (UND Aerospace). This ROTC class followed 18 West Point cadets who graduated June 30 from the UND Aerospace helicopter flight training program.

Each training day consisted of academic studies and hands-on flight instruction. Each graduating cadet earned a student pilot certificate and logged 18.5 hours of helicopter flight time.

“This is our fourth ROTC class,” said Alan (Al) Palmer, director of flight operations, UND Aerospace. “This is a unique program, and these students come from all over the United States.”

This initiative is a continuation of an agreement established in 2003 between UND and the Army to train West Point and ROTC cadets to fly helicopters. To date, UND has trained nearly 200 West Point and ROTC cadets.

UND Aerospace is a world-renowned center for aerospace learning, nationally acclaimed achievements in collegiate aviation education, atmospheric research, space studies, and computer science applications. Its mission—“Working together, we will be leaders in creating, preserving, and delivering the highest quality education, research, and services in aerospace and related sciences for our university, our state, and the worldwide aerospace community”—is achieved by upholding the core values of safety, professionalism, loyalty, integrity, caring leadership, and excellence.

Through the assistance of more than 500 faculty and staff members, more than 1,500 students from around the world, and myriad programs and projects, the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences is setting the pace for the future of flight.

Contacts
Alan (Al) Palmer, director of flight operations
John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences
(701) 777-7848 (701) 777-7853
apalmer@aero.und.edu

Juan Pedraza
Office of University Relations
(701) 777-6571 (office) (701) 740-1321 (cell)
juanpedraza@mail.und.edu