Fundraising Campaign Hopes to Expand Hangar, Classroom, and Fleet

Northwestern Michigan College’s aviation program recently received two large anonymous donations, worth a total of $250,000. These funds will be used to expand the program’s hangar, aircraft fleet, and classroom space.

The two gifts, one of $150k and the other $100k, are the largest donations so far to ‘Next Level: The Campaign for NMC Aviation.’ The initiative aims to expand the university’s overall student capacity for the upcoming school years.

Doing so, however, comes with a $14 million price tag. Funding it will be a joint effort from government entities, bonds, and private donors. So far, NMC has received $3.75 million from the state of Michigan and $550,000 from the federal budget.

The NMC Foundation hopes to generate $1 million for the project through private groups or individuals. The two anonymous gifts bring the current total to $390,000.

“We are thrilled and so grateful to these two donors for supporting the Next Level campaign,” expressed Alex Bloye, NMC’s Aviation Division director. “Expanding our hangar and fleet will increase the number of students, and ultimately the number of future pilots, we can admit each year. It’s a win for them, a win for our regional economy and a win for our world, which is relying more and more on air travel every year."

Currently, NMC’s aviation program can accommodate 125 students during a given school year, leaving about 50 slots for new students every application round. Demand for the program is at an all-time high, with the college receiving upwards of 150 applications per year and students waiting as much as 2 years to get in.

NMC Aviation’s hangar was built in 1978. It lacks student learning areas, adequate storage space, and proper HVAC infrastructure. The new hangar intends to expand the program’s student capacity by 25 to 40 percent. The university broke ground on the hangar expansion in October 2024 in hopes of completing it in time for the Fall 2025 semester.

The program also plans to purchase at least four more aircraft, including two Cessna Skyhawks and two multi-engine aircraft. These will increase capacity by as much as 10 students per aircraft.

FMI: www.nmc.edu