Punta Gorda's new flight school is ready to take off (University: university, airport)

[the searchers]

Charlotte County officially welcomed Western Michigan University's School of Aviation Thursday.

The school will train pilots at Punta Gorda Airport.

WMU's Director of Flight Operations Russ Kavalhuna took NBC2's Tim Wronka on a flight over Charlotte County, explaining that its warm climate is a great place to train new pilots.

"There really was no place that was as good a fit for us," Kavalhuna said. "The weather is much better than what we face in the Midwest. Particularly in the months between fall and spring."

Dave Powell, the school's Dean, said the demand for pilots will double in the coming years and that he looked all over for a place to expand WMU's program.

"I visited a lot of different places, a lot of different communities looking for what I ended up finding here," Powell said.

Powell said Punta Gorda was a perfect fit, including a school partnership with Florida Southwestern State College.

"Not only do we have a partnership with the county, the city and the airport but we also have one with the local state college," he said.

The school will build a new hangar at the airport but for now work out of a temporary hangar. It hopes to have its first students enrolled this year.

"For growth, it just make sense for us to come here," Powell said.


NBC-2