Fresno Unified planned an aviation academy for students. Is it still happening?
Fresno Unified still plans to launch a highly anticipated aviation academy where high-school students can obtain a private pilot’s license, though it won’t be opening this school year as district officials had hoped.
The district has long planned to build a dedicated hangar and classrooms at Fresno Chandler Executive Airport to teach students how to fly planes and fix aircraft while earning college credit. Officials described the initiative as a “one-of-a-kind program” that would help ease a shortage of pilots and aircraft mechanics by offering training to students in the Fresno area.
A district spokesperson said the process of launching the academy is “moving along” and in a “final push for funding,” though it remains unclear when it will open to students.
While the academy was anticipated to launch as soon as fall 2025, it’s taking longer on account of the project relying on coordination between Fresno Unified and Chandler Executive Airport.
Fresno Unified spokesperson A.J. Kato said on-site environmental testing was recently completed over the summer, and there were “no major findings that would need to be mitigated.”
“Now, the team is in a final push for funding. They are in the grant writing process and will find out award notifications in January,” Kato said. “Of course, we would like to acquire as much funding as possible, but the project is planned to move forward either way.”
Once grant funding is secured, trustees and Fresno City Council will be presented with a proposal for approval, which is anticipated to occur in February or March. However, Kato said there’s no timeline for when the initiative’s bidding and construction processes will begin.
The project is slated to feature a dedicated airline hangar and classrooms to help students, especially those who live near the southwest Fresno airport, learn to fix or fly planes.
“This is a truly one-of-a-kind program, not only in the state but around the nation,” Fresno Unified associate superintendent Jeremy Ward told The Bee in 2023. “We’re thrilled that it’s happening within a community that deserves to have access to this.”
