Gallery: Embry-Riddle's Growing Prescott Campus

An Expanding Training Fleet

At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott, more than 800 students are enrolled in the College of Aviation’s Aeronautical Science degree program training to become professional pilots. The university’s training fleet here includes 55 Cessna 172 and seven Diamond twin-engine trainers, up from 19 Cessna 172 and four Diamond DA-42 aircraft in the fall of 2018. More are on order. Credit: Molly McMillin

A Robust Maintenance Schedule

Embry-Riddle’s fleet of Cessna 172 trainers fly an average of 100 hr. per month. Each aircraft goes in for maintenance at the university’s facility after every 50 hr. of flight time. Maintenance is performed in three phases from light maintenance, such as oil changes and tire rotations in the first phase, to the heaviest maintenance cycle in the third. At the same time, no problem, regardless of size, goes unfixed. An aircraft with a broken visor, for example, is removed from training and fixed immediately. Credit: Molly McMillin

Pathways To The Airlines

Embry-Riddle offers 13 Pathway programs in partnership with a variety of airlines, such as Sky West Airlines, Korean Airlines and others. In the program, the airlines interview students while they are still flight students. “If they’re accepted, the airlines give them a dedicated pathway into the cockpit,” says Parker Northrop, assistant professor and Department Chair of Flight in Embry-Riddle’s College of Aviation. Northrop joined Embry-Riddle in 2017 after 28 years as an Air Force officer, including serving as Commander of the 5th Operations Group and vice commander of the 5th Bomb Wing. Credit: Molly McMillin

National Champions

In 2021, Embry-Riddle’s Prescott-based Golden Eagles Flight Team won the university’s 13th National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference national championship. The team was one of 28 university teams competing in Aircraft Preflight Inspection, Aircraft Navigation, Aircraft Recognition, Computer Accuracy, Ground Trainer and other areas. The signs mark the 13 accomplishments. Credit: Molly McMillin

Air Traffic Management

Embry-Riddle offers a bachelor’s degree in air traffic management to prepare students for careers in air traffic control. Over the next 10 years, 85% of the air traffic controllers currently working are eligible for retirement, the university says. Credit: Molly McMillin

Students From Around The World

International flags are displayed in the university library, reflecting the broad international student population of the school. Credit: Molly McMillin

The Kalusa Collection

The John W. Kalusa Miniature Aircraft Collection is on display inside Embry-Riddle’s Library and Learning Center. Kalusa carved each aircraft – all 5,829 of them - from balsa wood using a razor blade. The models are built to a 1/18 inch-to-one foot scale. Kalusa drew plans of each aircraft to calculate its dimensions. He began carving models for a World War I battle game at age 14 and continued his hobby throughout his life. In 2003, the year he died, the collection was inducted into the Guinness World Records for the largest collection of handmade airplanes in the world. Credit: Molly McMillin

The Prescott Planetarium

Embry-Riddle’s STEM Education Center includes the Prescott Planetarium offering programs for students and the public. Credit: Molly McMillin

A Variety Of Degree Programs

A view from Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus. The university is located next to the Prescott Regional Airport. Besides flight training and air traffic management, it offers a variety of programs, including cyber-intelligence and cyber-security, engineering, business administration, dispatcher, meteorology, space physics, advanced air mobility and others. Credit: Molly McMillin