UND aviation students and faculty are dreaming of warmer weather and clearer skies after a cold, snowy winter set the department back in flyable hours this semester.
Jeremy Roesler, chief flight instructor, said it isn't uncommon for some UND aviation students to have to stick around a few extra weeks to finish flight hours. He said some students may have to stay around this year until the end of May or beginning of June because of winter setbacks.
"We are behind," he said. "There are students who are trying to finish up the best they can right now. It's just a matter of needing good weather."
So far this semester, more than 100 students already have successfully completed their flight training for the semester, said Beth Bjerke, associate dean at the aerospace school. Depending on the class, students are required to have around 30 flight hours per course per semester.
Bjerke said many more students are on their final flight lessons and will hopefully complete them in the next two weeks.
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There are a number of factors that determine whether students are able to fly in any season, Roesler said. During the winter, extreme low temperatures or heavy snow can shut down flights. During the spring and summer, severe thunderstorms may prevent students from flying the skies. High wind during any season can also have an impact, he said.
In addition to be hampered by weather, UND's early spring semester finish also impacts how quickly students are able to complete their flight hours, Roesler said.
UND students logged approximately 500 flight hours this most recent weekend thanks to the good weather, Roesler said. However, Monday was a tough flying day because of rain and snow in the area.
"If we have good weather in the next couple weeks then we'll get quite a few students done, but then it's a matter of what happens at the end of May," he said. "But we know the good weather's coming."
Undergraduate students have been able to fly more than 27,000 flight hours so far between Jan. 1 and Monday, according to Bjerke. She said that number is actually around 1,000 hours more than the department flew with undergraduate students last spring semester.
However, even with the grounding of flights, students are trained to be able to handle all types of weather when flying, Bjerke said.
"One of our great strengths as a collegiate aviation program is our ability to train and educate in all four seasons," she said. "Professional pilots need to have the ability and skill set to fly in all types of weather. Our students learn these skills at UND and are very proficient in making weather-related decisions."
