Midwest Flyer Magazine

jobs, it occurred to me that the easiestway to fly airplanes consistently, isPaul Holte with his father, Dr. John Holte, who to work for the airlines. Being that Istarted so young, I was marketable toregional airlines during my senior yearof college. I interviewed and had mypick of four airlines before I donnedmy cap and gown. When a companybased in my hometown offered me aposition flying a regional jet, the choicewas easy. After nearly six years flyingregional jets, and through what couldonly be a mix-up in some paperwork, Iwas interviewed and hired by a legacyairline.Now, as I travel overseas moreoften than I travel to the grocery store,I am constantly reminded that thissmall town kid, who learned how tofly at a grass strip in the Minnesotacountryside, has a job that feels morelike an IMAX movie than everyday life.As a matter of fact, just the other night,as I looked out the cockpit window ofa Boeing 767, the lights of New Yorktwinkling below, I couldn’t help butremember that summer afternoon withmy dad. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’tbe sitting where I am today, doing whatI love the most, and though a lot haschanged through the years, I’m still justa boy who loves flying airplanes.So, if you find yourself sitting atthe local airstrip, don’t be afraid to aimskyward, because like they say, if youshoot for the stars, you may just landon the moon. I did.EDITOR’S NOTE: Paul Holte is analumnus of St. Cloud State Universityin Minnesota, which is scheduledfor closer because of a shift inadministrative priorities.Is The SCSU Aviation Department Expensive?ST. CLOUD, MINN. – Supporters ofthe St. Cloud State University AviationProgram are taking argument withUniversity President Potter who said,“Accreditors noted the deficiency ofthe curriculum and, for two years, noprogress was made.” That’s an oddstatement to make considering the factthat AABI, the accrediting team, didn’t!;""#$%$&'(&)*')+,)-"./0.""+123)&'"456)-"+#%#718)"""audit the SCSU Aviation Departmentuntil July 2009. That means they didn’texamine SCSU’s curriculum until thattime.An examination of costs show thatSCSU doesn’t own a single plane, eventhough they are not the most expensiveequipment students use. The flightsimulators might be, but SCSU didn’tpay for the simulators. Student feespaid 90% of the cost of the newestsimulator, which cost approximately$100,000. Likewise, SCSU does notpay for the flight time students buy.SCSU pays for the professors andstaff of the Aviation Department andnothing else.During the 2010-2011 school year,the total amount spent on four fulltimeprofessors and four adjunct professorswas $275,499. That isn’t a biginvestment for SCSU considering thefact that there’s a substantial, lengthyworldwide airline pilot shortage.Chancellor Steve Rosenstone oncesaid this: “Changes in workforce needsare coming like a freight train, andwe are very quickly going to go fromhigh unemployment to ‘Where are theworkers?’”SCSU supporters are wondering,then, why Chancellor Rosenstonehas not reversed President Potter’sdecision to eliminate SCSU’s AviationDepartment.