{"id":28803,"date":"2020-06-19T05:30:45","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T10:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=28803"},"modified":"2020-06-18T20:07:49","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T01:07:49","slug":"apsus-new-aviation-science-program-sees-first-students-take-flight-in-helicopters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2020\/06\/19\/apsus-new-aviation-science-program-sees-first-students-take-flight-in-helicopters\/","title":{"rendered":"APSU\u2019s new Aviation Science Program sees first students take flight in Helicopters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-324279\" title=\"Austin Peay State University - APSU\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Austin-Peay-State-University-APSU.jpg\" alt=\"Austin Peay State University - APSU\" width=\"250\" height=\"64\"\/><strong>Clarksville, TN<\/strong> &#8211; Austin Peay State University (APSU) aviation science student Jerry Gray first dreamed of flying when he was 10.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember what bit me,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI was on a ValuJet flight out of Florida. It was stormy, and I was scared, but when we got to the top of the clouds, it looked like snow.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_492967\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/APSU\u2019s-new-Aviation-Science-Program-sees-first-students-take-flight-in-Helicopters-1.jpg\"  class=\"thickbox no_icon\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-492967\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-492967\" title=\"Jerry Gray is one of the first students in Austin Peay State University\u2019s new aviation science program. (APSU)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/APSU\u2019s-new-Aviation-Science-Program-sees-first-students-take-flight-in-Helicopters-1-480x320.jpg\" alt=\"Jerry Gray is one of the first students in Austin Peay State University\u2019s new aviation science program. (APSU)\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\"\/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-492967\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jerry Gray is one of the first students in Austin Peay State University\u2019s new aviation science program. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was sunlight and nothing else on top of the clouds, and it was rainy and nasty underneath,\u201d Gray added. \u201cThat sense of tranquility, I couldn\u2019t get enough of it. I\u2019ve pursued it ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That pursuit led Gray to Austin Peay State University\u2019s new aviation science program, which launched last year as the state\u2019s first helicopter flight school that awards bachelor\u2019s degrees.<\/p>\n<p>Gray \u2013 and 10 students with dreams similar to his \u2013 helped the program reach a milestone this spring. They became the first students in the program to take flight.<\/p>\n<p>This summer, they\u2019ll accumulate 18 hours of flight time each in the program\u2019s first flight lab: Rotor-Wing Private Pilot Lab I.<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018Things fell together for me\u2019&nbsp;<\/h3>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Austin Peay\u2019s new aviation science program sees first students take flight in helicopters\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g0yCopjioZQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI just woke up, had the dream, one day that I wanted to be a pilot, and very specifically a helicopter pilot,\u201d said one of Gray\u2019s classmates, Kristina Fish.<\/p>\n<p>She joined the Army in pursuit of the dream, and that brought her from Northern California to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. She served at Fort Campbell for four years in aviation operations, working with pilots.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Then she heard about Austin Peay State University\u2019s new aviation science program and saw an opportunity to fly helicopters herself.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was really a great time with Austin Peay State University\u2019s program,\u201d Fish said. \u201cThings just kind of fell together for me.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>She joined the program while still an Army sergeant, but she left the military in March.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never wanted to fly specifically for the military but to use my GI Bill benefits to transfer over to the civilian side and get my license that way,\u201d Fish said. \u201cEverything worked out the way I wanted it to, and I\u2019m super happy to be able to finally do what I set out to do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just want to fly, daily, wherever the road takes me, so we\u2019ll see where it lands,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[470center]<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018They\u2019re working with me, making it happen\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>Gray, Fish and Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Firefighter Ryan Erb \u2013 who also served in the military \u2013 are using their veterans education benefits to pay for the program.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnyone who\u2019s in the military right now has a perfect opportunity to just roll out and do that,\u201d Fish said.<\/p>\n<p>Gray was a staff sergeant in the Air Force, and Erb a specialist in the Army, also in aviation.<\/p>\n<p>Gray worked on planes while he served, and he used that expertise to land contract jobs in the Middle East. He returned to his native Clarksville to be the helicopter mechanic for APSU\u2019s aviation science program.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I saw the opportunity to take this and use my GI benefits along with anything I get from Austin Peay, I jumped on it because I like flying, doesn\u2019t matter where it is,\u201d Gray said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>After Erb left the Army and became a firefighter, he still worked frequently with helicopters in medical evacuations. Now he has a chance to fly them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast year I found this program on Facebook, just scrolling through one day, and it popped up,\u201d Erb said. \u201cThey were willing to work with me (and his challenging firefighter work schedule), so they\u2019re making it happen.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>[470center]<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018I\u2019ve learned a lot and there\u2019s a lot to learn\u2019&nbsp;<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_492968\" style=\"width: 490px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/APSU\u2019s-new-Aviation-Science-Program-sees-first-students-take-flight-in-Helicopters-2.jpg\"  class=\"thickbox no_icon\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-492968\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-492968\" title=\"Ryan Erb is one of the first students in Austin Peay State University\u2019s new aviation science program. (APSU)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarksvilleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/APSU\u2019s-new-Aviation-Science-Program-sees-first-students-take-flight-in-Helicopters-2-480x338.jpg\" alt=\"Ryan Erb is one of the first students in Austin Peay State University\u2019s new aviation science program. (APSU)\" width=\"480\" height=\"338\"\/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-492968\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ryan Erb is one of the first students in Austin Peay State University\u2019s new aviation science program. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Gray, Fish and Erb took their first flights in early May. By the time they complete their bachelor\u2019s degrees, they\u2019ll have had more than 165 hours in flight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Fish recalled her first flight: \u201cIt\u2019s pretty nerve-wracking but exhilarating, and there\u2019s nothing like it. You definitely get your blood pumping, it\u2019s that terrifying excitement.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>All three are about a year into the program.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been challenging,\u201d Erb said. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely nothing easy about trying to fly a helicopter. I\u2019ve always been told there\u2019s no such thing as a natural-born helicopter pilot.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve learned a lot,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd there\u2019s a lot to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>[320left]The next flight lab for the students will come this fall when they get 19 \u00bd hours of flight time, including 4 \u00bd hours flying solo.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With the bachelor\u2019s degree, students can pursue careers including flight instruction, aerial tourism and charter operations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like a lot of people still in the military are looking for this kind of avenue,\u201d Fish said. \u201cAnd I think it would benefit a lot of people to just know that this is a huge, awesome resource that they can use right here, and they can start doing it while they\u2019re still in the military.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>To learn more<\/h3>\n<p>For more about aviation science at Austin Peay State University, go to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.apsu.edu\/engineering-technology\/aviation-science.php\" >https:\/\/www.apsu.edu\/engineering-technology\/aviation-science.php<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Clarksville, TN &#8211; Austin Peay State University (APSU) aviation science student Jerry Gray first dreamed of flying when he was 10. \u201cI remember what bit me,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI was on a ValuJet flight out of Florida. It was stormy, and I was scared, but when we got to the top of the clouds, it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[23,31941,262,512,825,150,1233,5350,33025,3374,34764,34765,34766,16462],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4xGYI-7uz","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28803"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28803"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28803\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28804,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28803\/revisions\/28804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}