Averett Chief Flight Instructor Travis Williams proudly opened the doors Thursday to show off the new hangar. With the first stage of the new aviation training center recently completed, the Averett University Aeronautics Department is counting down the days until the full project is completed and the aviation program moves into its cutting-edge new space.
Williams knows what this new academic facility will mean, not only to the program, but to the university, airport, city and other partners. It will usher in a new, improved synergy that will allow all constituents to grow and thrive. It will not only train Averett students, but will allow a partnership with Danville Community College and the City of Danville to make a significant impact on the workforce growth in the area and in the world of aviation.
“This is a milestone moment for our program and the university,” Williams said. “We’ve been around since 1981, but 2027 is going to mark a huge milestone with a fantastic facility that’s going to be the latest and greatest state-of-the-art. That’s going to give our students, current and future, the opportunities that they should look forward to experiencing.”
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Earlier this month, Averett took occupancy of a new hangar that will help house the university’s growing fleet of aircraft. Still under construction is the new facility that will allow Averett’s aeronautics students and students from DCC’s aviation management program to train in the same facility, creating new opportunities for learning. The new training facility is expected to be complete during the summer of 2027 and Averett hopes to have full use of the training center when classes begin in August for the fall 2027 semester.
The new training facility, financed by a federal grant and a match from the City of Danville, is another step in the growth of Averett’s program and its partnerships throughout Southside Virginia. Along with helping fill needs in the workforce for both pilots and aviation maintenance, there is also an outreach to connect with the Aviation Science program in the Danville Public Schools.
The direct benefits of this facility to Averett will be both immediate and long-range. Step one, the opening of the new hangar, allows Averett to house more than half of its current fleet in the hangar.
“We opened it up last week. Our fleet is growing. With the coming of the new facility, we are expecting that our program will grow,” Williams said. “We are staying ahead of that. We have a new aircraft coming in January. This facility is going to allow us to house most of our fleet, which is fantastic for the program.
“When the new aircraft arrives, we will have a fleet of 13 and I think we can get eight of those in this hangar,” he added. “The new hangar is well-insulated, so when winter gets here, we won’t have anything to worry about.”
Once the new facility is completed and opens in full this summer, the benefits for the aviation program at the university will be both meaningful and efficient for the students.
“What that’s going to do for our students is, we are going to have three classrooms in that facility,” Williams continued. “The students are going to be able to come out here, take classes and then move right to the ramp and to the aircraft. Right now, the struggle is, we have to save 30 minutes to an hour in that transition from taking classes on campus to getting out here. We are expecting that will add at least one full flight block to our daily schedule, so we should be able to do more flight operations a day, which is good for the university, but is fantastic for the students. They will be able to get more flight hours because of that.”
Along with the benefits that Averett will see, there are also advantages that will help the DCC aviation maintenance program. This will have a positive effect on Averett, Danville Regional Airport, the airport’s fixed base operation (FBO) that Averett operates and aviation in general. DCC will be just the second Virginia institution authorized to offer public aviation maintenance training.
“The other aspect is that aviation maintenance technicians are just as hard to come by as pilots right now in the industry,” Williams said. “With our partnership with DCC, they are going to be graduating AMTs and they will have opportunities for internships with the FBO and work with our mechanics. We are hopeful that some will be willing to stay in the area and maybe come work for us as our fleet grows. It’s going to give everyone great opportunities.”
The partnerships utilized in this effort are being seen in action and in real time, with tangible results already visible. This multi-institutional effort will, ultimately, help create jobs and develop a workforce in much-needed areas of the field. Williams is quick to point out that without the hard work of the city, none of this would be possible. This is another example of collaboration that helps multiple aspects of the city to grow and improve.
“Without the City of Danville, none of this would be possible,” Williams concluded. “With this partnership with the city, the city is amazing and we are so appreciative that they do what they do.”
