Flight academy settles at Philip Billard Airport
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Billard Airport will be the new home for an expanded flight academy.
The Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority (MTAA) Board of Directors have approved new development to take place at Philip Billard Airport. Top Aviation Services announced it will invest $3 million over the next five years to make a "state-of-the-art" pilot training academy, according to a news release from MTAA. Top Aviation Services is already in the capital city offering flight training at the airport.
With this new investment, Top Aviation Services will refurbish a former terminal building at Billard to create the training facility. This new Academy will include a pilot briefing center, classrooms, private study rooms, conference rooms, administrative offices and a kitchenette.
There will also be luxury office suites, according to the news release.
“Topeka’s aviation roots run deep at Billard. I learned to fly here, and many of my friends who are pilots did as well," Stephen Osborne, CEO of Top Aviation Services said. "This new Academy is a natural extension of our current flight school and positions us to introduce a new generation of aviators to the world of aviation. We expect to attract dozens of students from Kansas City and beyond, with at least half of our current students already attending from outside Shawnee County. The expanded Academy will have a direct, positive economic impact on Topeka.”
With the training facility comes construction on a new box-style hangar adjacent to the flight school. The academy's fleet and visiting aircrafts will be housed in this hangar.
“We’ve been consistently impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit and passion for aviation at Billard," Brian Armstrong, chair of the MTAA Board of Directors, said. "This new flight academy is just the latest in a series of initiatives that demonstrate the power of combining private investment with public airport assets. It’s an exciting sign of future growth for both the aviation sector and the community.”
For more information about Top Aviation Services' expanded flight academy, click here.
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