Press Releases
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Yuut Yaqungviat’s Louis Long gains Instrument Rating
Louis Long, a student pilot at Yuut Yaqungviat Flight School is instrument rated.
ouis A. Long from Mountain Village is Instrument Rated! What does that mean? Louis can now fly in IFR weather. Louis went through an oral and a flight test. After the flight test even Bethel Ground Control could not resist to ask if that was a pass. And it was!
Louis wants to go on to get his Commercial Pilot Certificate.
Louis enrolled on July 7, 2006 with Yuut Yaqungviat Flight School and received his Private Pilot Certificate on December 21, 2006. Louis hopes to be done with his Commercial Certificate in a matter of weeks. After building more flight time, he wants to stay in Bethel and fly for one of the local
airlines.
Louis would like to thank AVCP, Asa’carsarmiut Tribal Council, UUI, and YDFDA for helping him to fund his training, as well as the Yuut Yaqungviat’s staff for their tremendous support. Louis would also like to thank his parents Christopher and Christine Long for the support they have provided to him while he is training.
If you are interested in pursuing a career as a Professional Pilot, contact Thad Tikiun, Student Services Manager at Yuut Yaqungviat, LLC, ph 9075
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Yuut Yaqungviat flight school receives grant
AVCP and Yuut Yaqungviat, LLC is pleased to announce that it has received a grant from the Economic Development Administration to build a new hangar on AVCP’s airport property. The new hangar facility will allow Yuut Yaqungviat to introduce an Airframe & Powerplant training program within the AVCP region. Yuut Yaqungviat, LLC is planning to work with the air services
located in Bethel to utilize the hangar to promote hiring of local A&P Mechanic trainees.
Yuut Yaqungviat, LLC will work closely with AVCP, local air services, and other local agencies to put together the A&P Apprenticeship Program and to recruit for students who will participate in the training program anticipated to start in the spring of 2007.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Native woman pilot flies first solo at Yuut Yaqungviat
Ruth Haroldsen of Bethel is the first woman native pilot to complete a successful solo flight through the Yuut Yaqungviat flight school. With her is flight instructor Paul Kaganak.
by K.J. Lincoln first time when she was 17,
just like her grandfather,
“Hey! I did it!” said 19 J.B. Haroldsen who is now year old Ruth Haroldsen of a retired pilot. Bethel as she got out of the “I always wanted to fly,” 172 Cessna that she had she said. just brought in for a smooth Jack Haroldsen waited landing at the airport in for his daughter with a spe-Napaskiak. She then jumped cial bouquet of flowers. for joy with her outstretched “My dad was so proud,” arms as her instructor, Paul said Haroldsen. “He bought Kaganak continued to film me flowers.” her with a camcorder. Her fiancé, Juan Soto was
Haroldsen is the first also proud. He had his radio woman pilot to fly solo with on at work the whole time the Yuut Yaqungviat flight she was flying, listening to school. She completed her the flight reports. “She has first solo flight success-nerves of steel,” said Soto. fully on August 5, flying “If she gets nervous, she’ll from Bethel to Napaskiak hide it. She’s going to make and completing two touch-a good pilot.” and-goes before bringing Haroldsen attributes part the plane in on the third of her success to his sup-landing. port, saying that he helped
“I’ve been feeling proud her to study and was always for the past few days,” she pushing her to succeed. said. “It felt great. I was “We’re all happy for really excited.” her,” he said.
Haroldsen, who is After touching down Yup’ik, attended the flight in Bethel, she received school since mid-June. She the ceremonial dousing of began her flying career in water and the shirt-cutting Anchorage, flying for the to commemorate her flight. “They didn’t say anything about the water!” she said. So far, the school has pumped out 4 new pilots who have completed solos, all of whom are from the region. The advantages of having local pilots is tremendous, said Director of Yuut Yaqungviat Will Johnson in a previous article. They are familiar with the terrain, the weather, and the language and culture.
Haroldsen has plans to achieve her commercial pilot’s license through continued attendance of the Yuut Yaqungviat flight school. Her achievements
would not have been possible without the financial support that she received from the Orutsararmiut Native Corporation and for the teachings of her instructor.
“I want to thank ONC and Paul for helping me understand what I’m supposed to be doing,” said Haroldsen.
Later while viewing the videotape of her flight, she noticed the recording was shaky.
“I’m guessing that Paul’s arm was shaking,” said Haroldsen.
It must have been the excitement.
Wednesday, May 5, 2004
First Solo Flight for Yuut Yaqungviat
Pilot flies first solo
Yuut Yaqungviat Flight School pilot Joshua Akerelrea of Scammon Bay (R) joins Nick Perry of Bethel and Robert Kameroff of Emmonak as pilots who have successfully completed their first solo flights this year at the Yuut Yaqungviat Flight School. Akerelrea completed his first solo flight on June
28. With him is Manager Will Johnson right after Akerelrea flew in from Russian Mission on another solo flight last Thursday. “Flying is fun. There’s nothing like being up there in the air in command of the whole plane,” said Akerelrea. “Thanks to AVCP and CVRF who give scholarships to make it possible for people who want to go to school to be able to go. If there are people interested in flying they should go to Yuut Yaqungviat. Its convenient and they have good instructors. You will learn a lot from them.”
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Yuut Yaqungviat, a place to earn your wings
by K.J. Lincoln
uut Yaqungviat is a school for people who want to learn how to fly airplanes and eventually become pilots who will serve the YK Delta.
Flight travel is a significant part of life in the YK Delta. Sometimes it is the only means of travel between villages and the hub-city of Bethel during certain seasons of the year.
The amount of demand in the travel industry is immense, and the supply of experienced pilots is lacking in the delta.
“I was getting frustrated at the lack of pilots. Pilots from the lower 48 would come up, get their required hours, and then leave,” Will Johnson, Director of Yuut Yaqungviat said.
The advantages of having pilots native to this area are tremendous, added Johnson. Familiarity with the terrain, the weather, and language and culture are some of the things the local native pilots already have.
Furthermore, this knowledge will ultimately improve
the safety record of the rural aviation industry by building up the experience base, as pilots who live here are less likely to leave the region.
“It doesn’t make sense to have all this unemployment and then to be importing people in,” Johnson said. “The only thing standing in the way of hiring people is training, and Yuut provides the training.”
Local pilots would be less likely to move away, and they would pump money into the local economy, instead of going out of state to spend it.
Currently, there are 10 students enrolled in the Yuut Yaqungviat program, 4 of which are full-time. They are on a course to “earn their wings” as the name of the school implies.
“It takes up to 3 months to get your private pilot’s license and 1-3 years to get your commercial license,” said Johnson. “We’re very flexible with our students’ schedules.”
Yuut Yaqungviat currently has two instructors: Bradley Amos from Mekoryuk, and Paul
Kaganak from Scammon Bay. Johnson is also licensed to teach primary, instrument, and multi-engine flying and holds advanced pilot ratings. John Gary Amik of Kipnuk is the Operations Manager.
The flight school has a
ratings for pilots-in-training. The program that they use is iGATE, Integrated General Aviation Training Environment.
Louie Andy of Newtok is one of the students who was working towards earning his license.
“He’s very serious,” said Johnson. “And he has a good attitude.”
Howard Paul of Kipnuk, a private pilot is currently taking advantage of the opportunity to take his Biennial Flight Review through Yuut Yaqungviat. The review is done every two years with a flight instructor.
Of the original first class of 25, 11 have went on to receive their private pilot licenses, and 6 of those have earned their commercial licenses.
fully equipped 172 Cessna training aircraft for instrument flight. In addition to the airplane, the school has three computer technology-based flight simulators that provide up to 10 hours of log-in time towards instrument
Prospective students can apply for funding through the Association of Village Presidents, Coastal Villages Regions Fund, the Orutsararmiut Native Corporation, and Calista, said Operations Manager Amik. In certain cases, village entities also provide funding for their students.
The flight school is owned by the Association of Village Council Presidents and is independently managed by an AVCP appointed Board of Directors.
The idea for a flight school for local pilots emerged in 1998. Support for the flight school also comes from corporate sponsors Hageland Aviation and ERA.
“They try to help us out any way they can,” Johnson
said.
Josh Akerelrea and 3 year old niece Kaci Akerelrea prepare to take off on one of the flight simulators, an essential tool for flight training.
Howard Paul, a private pilot from Kipnuk is ready for take-off with Flight Instructor Paul Kaganak, originally from Scammon Bay.
The Yuut Yaqungviat flight school will also be involved in the upcoming learning center, Yuut Elitnaurviat, which is due to be completed and operational in 2005 Also in the future is an audio/video based distance learning course for the private pilot written test to
be taught by Johnson. “The course is currently being put together and we hope to have it start in the fall.”
People who are interested in a career in flying should contact Yuut Yaqungviat at 543-7209 or 1-888-543-7209 for more information.
“Everyone has to start somewhere,” said Johnson.
Students at Yuut Yaqungviat learn to fly on this 172 Cessna.
Wednesday, October 4, 2000
Aviation and Techno facility scores $450,000 in funding
by Ted Horner
he regional aviation and information technology center planned by the AVCP Tribal College has come closer to reality with the announcement of a $450,000 federal grant in Western Alaska fishing disaster funds.
“We are happy that we got these funds,” said tribal college coordinator Fran Reich, “but are disappointed that more of the disaster monies didn’t get to the Yukon-Kuskokwim villages.”
Reich said that they had originally requested $1.3
million but competition for the disaster money was fierce and large grants went to King Salmon and Galena.
The $450,000 grant is predicated on a low interest loan of $310,000 that the Tribal College hopes to obtain from the State of Alaska Division of Investments. The loan amount will be considered the matching funds to qualify for the federal dollars.
The new training center is designed to provide local training of pilots, aviation mechanics and training in computer information technology.
Up to this time, the Tribal
College has operated a pilot training program designed to sponsor village pilot-trainees through private, instrument and commercial pilot certificates. Commercial graduate pilots are being scooped up by local airline operators, particularly Hageland Aviation, who provides the young pilots with additional training and experience by giving these low time pilots the opportunity to fly as copilot while gaining the necessary experience to transition to commercial pilot-in-command.
“We are committed to hiring local trained pilots to fly our local people,” said
Hageland Bethel Station Manager Scott Bailie. He says that 7 of the 11 Hageland pilots based in Bethel are local Native Alaskan pilots.
“With Native pilots, we have about 100% retention rate,” Bailie added.
The AVCP Tribal College pilot program is kicking off their 2nd round of pilot training, scheduled to start on October 15. They will be training 10 private pilots, 7 instrument commercial pilots and five certified flight instructors that they hope will help create a self-sustaining program where local graduates go on to train new pilots.
Wednesday, August 30, 2000
AVCP Tribal College announces new property acquisition plans for flight training facility
light students with the AVCP, Inc. Tribal College hope to have a new facility soon to accommodate their growing aviation program, thanks to a recent property deal at the Bethel Airport.
AVCP, Inc. has negotiated a property buyout with a bankruptcy court liquidating former Yute Air properties. The site, located between Craig Air and Arctic Circle Air, will eventually hold a 20,000 sq. ft. training facility to be constructed by 2001. The design will contain flight
training for pilots, mechanics, ticketing reservations and Aviation administration. The multi-purposed facility will also house information technology training.
The property purchase is being funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and it is projected that the aviation training center will be built with fisheries disaster funds.
According to AVCP Tribal College Planner Fran Reich, maintaining the flight program without a permanent facility has been difficult.
“The students in the program have been very patient as we grow and learn about the challenges involved in providing flight training,” Reich said.
The program is designed to give local residents an opportunity to receive advanced aviation training and enter the local job market as pilots. Currently few of the pilot jobs are held by residents of the YK Delta region.
Namman Tomaganuk, of Hooper Bay, is one such
local student who recently graduated with a Private Pilot Certificate.
He will begin commercial training in September. He is followed by fellow students: John Amik and Peter White, of Kipnuk; Glen Walters, of Mt. Village and Daniel Askoak, of Russian Mission.
“As a child growing up in Hooper Bay I always admired aviation and the airplanes that landed and took off at our airport,” Tomaganuk said. “It has always been my goal to become a pilot and today I am fulfilling my dream.”
