Renee Ballenger
Editor
A tentative agreement has been reached between UNK, Otis Air Service and the City of Kearney for the UNK Aviation Systems Management Program.
With the retirement of the previous fixed base operator at Kearney Regional Airport this fall, the UNK program had suspended flight operations, as of Oct. 1. However, with the tentative agreement in place, limited training flights have now resumed.
“We don’t own planes for the program,” Dr. Tim Burkink, Acting Dean of the College of Business and Technology, explains. “We use planes supplied by the fixed base operator. Once final negotiations are in place, we expect additional planes will be available, and we will return to full training.”
In the meantime, to the delight of students, faculty and the community, Burkink reports, “The Aviation Systems Management faculty, along with key personnel from the City of Kearney and Otis Air Service, have worked cooperatively and urgently to re-establish limited flight instruction for our students, as of Oct. 31. Negotiations are ongoing between all parties to reach an agreement that will allow the program to return to full capacity in the near future.”
Burkink continues, “I am confident these negotiations will be successfully completed very soon. I want to express my gratitude to all parties for keeping the needs of our students a top priority.”
