Middle Tennessee State University’s Aerospace Department returned to Wisconsin for EAA AirVenture, showcasing its recent investments in new training aircraft and the state’s recent decision to invest $62 million for a new flight training campus.

Gov. Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly have allocated the money to MTSU for a facility to accommodate the Aerospace program’s current and expected growth. MTSU also recently purchased 10 additional Diamond trainers that will allow expanded training for students.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, as well as students and instructors from the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, attended the aviation event. McPhee and his team met with employers, including Delta, FedEx, Endeavor Air and Republic Airlines. They also visited MTSU Aerospace industry partners, including Diamond Aircraft, Piper Aircraft and Garman flight navigation systems.

The president also connected with Brig. Gen. Regena Aye, vice commander of Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the volunteer civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and a partner with MTSU Aerospace since 2014.

The CAP national vice commander thanked McPhee, Basic and Applied Sciences Dean Greg Van Patten and Aerospace Chair Chaminda Prelis for resuming in-person activities with the Air Force auxiliary that were canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. MTSU, which renewed its partnership with CAP at last year’s EAA AirVenture, hosted almost 40 cadets from across the country in late June for the CAP National Cadet Engineering Technology Academy.